As a result of repeated thunderstorms battering the British capital on Sunday, buses and cars were left stranded on flooded roads in London.

Emergency services were battling "significant flooding across London", Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, adding that all public transport services were affected and advising people to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas.&nbsp;

There were a lot of videos of partially submerged vehicles in southwest London on social media, with more heavy rain set to fall as a band of thunderstorms made its way across southeast England. The Met has issued amber weather warning London and surrounding counties until 7 pm local time

It warned there was a risk of lightning strikes and flooding, with up to 10 centimetres (four inches) of rain forecast to fall in some areas, almost double the monthly average for July.

Police closed a road near Queenstown Road station in southwest London, where three double-decker London buses were stuck under a railway bridge, according to an AFP journalist.

A driver, who gave his name as Eric, said &nbsp;passengers had to get off after his bus started taking on water.&nbsp;

Other motorists in Walthamstow, northeast London, abandoned their vehicles as the rain hammered down.

Police said they were "currently dealing with numerous floods in the east," warning that tunnels and roundabouts were submerged.

(With inputs from agencies)

As a result of repeated thunderstorms battering the British capital on Sunday, buses and cars were left stranded on flooded roads in London. Emergency services were battling "significant flooding across London", Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, adding that all public transport services were affected and advising people to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas.

As a result of repeated thunderstorms battering the British capital on Sunday, buses and cars were left stranded on flooded roads in London. Emergency services were battling "significant flooding across London", Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted, adding that all public transport services were affected and advising people to avoid walking or driving through flooded areas. There were a lot of videos of partially submerged vehicles in southwest London on social media, with more heavy rain set to fall as a band of thunderstorms made its way across southeast England. The Met has issued amber weather warning London and surrounding counties until 7 pm local time It warned there was a risk of lightning strikes and flooding, with up to 10 centimetres (four inches) of rain forecast to fall in some areas, almost double the monthly average for July. Police closed a road near Queenstown Road station in southwest London, where three double-decker London buses were stuck under a railway bridge, according to an AFP journalist. A driver, who gave his name as Eric, said passengers had to get off after his bus started taking on water. Other motorists in Walthamstow, northeast London, abandoned their vehicles as the rain hammered down. Police said they were "currently dealing with numerous floods in the east," warning that tunnels and roundabouts were submerged. (With inputs from agencies)

Thunderstorms flood London streets, Tube stations and hospitals hit

An agreement signed Saturday in Baghdad will see Iraq provide one million tonnes of fuel oil to Lebanon in exchange for medical services.

Energy shortages are a major issue in both countries, affecting hospitals.

In exchange for "goods and services," the Iraqi government said Lebanon would receive 1 million tonnes of fuel oil.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanon-cant-handle-next-covid-19-wave-hospital-chief-400337">Lebanon can't handle next COVID-19 wave: hospital chief</a>

Raymond Ghajar, the energy minister of Lebanon, said the agreement would enable the purchase of "one million tonnes of Iraqi state fuel oil by Electricite du Liban (EDL)" over the next year.

However, Iraqi oil can't be used directly at Lebanon's power stations, so Beirut will now buy fuel from other suppliers in exchange for Iraqi oil, which will be delivered to Lebanon, explained Ghajar, adding the mechanism was "a bit complicated".

As a result of this agreement, EDL will receive a third of its fuel needs, he said, expressing the hope that&nbsp;over the next four months&nbsp;the EDL will provide as much as nine or 10 hours of electricity (daily).

Lebanon will provide Iraq with services and assistance in the hospitals' sector in return, he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanons-public-water-system-on-the-verge-of-collapse-warns-unicef-400293">Lebanon's public water system on the verge of collapse, warns UNICEF</a>

Strained by a dire financial and economical crisis, the Lebanese state is having difficulties purchasing fuel for its power plants, which causes up to 22 hours of electricity cuts per day in some areas.

The health care sector is already facing shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, and now it is also experiencing power outages almost constantly.

OPEC's second-largest producer, Iraq, has been plagued by conflict, poor maintenance, and corruption throughout its energy sector for decades.

Health infrastructure in Iraq is deteriorating, and endemic corruption has also hindered public service investments.

(With inputs from agencies)

An agreement signed Saturday in Baghdad will see Iraq provide one million tonnes of fuel oil to Lebanon in exchange for medical services. Energy shortages are a major issue in both countries, affecting hospitals.

An agreement signed Saturday in Baghdad will see Iraq provide one million tonnes of fuel oil to Lebanon in exchange for medical services. Energy shortages are a major issue in both countries, affecting hospitals. In exchange for "goods and services," the Iraqi government said Lebanon would receive 1 million tonnes of fuel oil. Also read | Lebanon can't handle next COVID-19 wave: hospital chief Raymond Ghajar, the energy minister of Lebanon, said the agreement would enable the purchase of "one million tonnes of Iraqi state fuel oil by Electricite du Liban (EDL)" over the next year. However, Iraqi oil can't be used directly at Lebanon's power stations, so Beirut will now buy fuel from other suppliers in exchange for Iraqi oil, which will be delivered to Lebanon, explained Ghajar, adding the mechanism was "a bit complicated". As a result of this agreement, EDL will receive a third of its fuel needs, he said, expressing the hope that over the next four months the EDL will provide as much as nine or 10 hours of electricity (daily). Lebanon will provide Iraq with services and assistance in the hospitals' sector in return, he said. Also read | Lebanon's public water system on the verge of collapse, warns UNICEF Strained by a dire financial and economical crisis, the Lebanese state is having difficulties purchasing fuel for its power plants, which causes up to 22 hours of electricity cuts per day in some areas. The health care sector is already facing shortages of medicine and an exodus of staff abroad, and now it is also experiencing power outages almost constantly. OPEC's second-largest producer, Iraq, has been plagued by conflict, poor maintenance, and corruption throughout its energy sector for decades. Health infrastructure in Iraq is deteriorating, and endemic corruption has also hindered public service investments. (With inputs from agencies)

Iraq, Lebanon sign deal to swap fuel oil for medical services

On the heels of jaw-dropping heat and flooding across three continents, nearly 200 nations gather Monday to validate a critical UN&nbsp;climate&nbsp;science report 100 days ahead of a political summit charged with keeping Earth liveable. &nbsp;

The world is a different place than in 2014 when the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on&nbsp;Climate&nbsp;Change (IPCC) issued its fifth comprehensive assessment of global heating, past and future.

Lingering doubts that warming was gathering pace or almost entirely human in origin, along with the falsely reassuring notion that&nbsp;climate&nbsp;impacts are tomorrow's problem, have since evaporated in the haze of record heat, wildfires and crippling droughts.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/why-are-climate-mysteries-puzzling-worlds-leading-scientists-400037">Why are climate 'mysteries' puzzling world's leading scientists?</a>

Indeed, an unprecedented cascade of lethal weather this summer -- Death Valley-like temperatures in western Canada, flash floods across western Europe, people drowning in rain-filled subway carriages in central China -– could make 2021 the year that&nbsp;climate&nbsp;predictions become a reality impossible to ignore.

Another milestone since the last IPCC tome: the Paris Agreement has been adopted, setting a collective target of capping the planet's surface temperature at "well below" two degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit) above late-19th century levels.

Carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels, methane leaks and agriculture has driven up the thermometer 1.1C so far.

The 2015 treaty also tacked on an aspirational limit of 1.5C, with many parties to the talks assuming it would remain just that -- aspirational, and thus easy to set aside.

"But then countries turned around and asked the IPCC to do a special report on it, and that changed the framing absolutely," IPCC lead author and palaeoclimatologist Peter Thorne of Maynooth University in Ireland, told AFP.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/many-leaders-slept-on-climate-crisis-will-they-act-on-what-they-feel-on-their-skins-now-398704" hreflang="en">Many leaders slept on climate crisis. Will they act on what they feel on their skins now?</a>

The resulting 2018 analysis revealed just how devastating an extra half-degree of warming would be, and today 1.5C is the only number on the table.&nbsp;

Low-balling the threat&nbsp;

"It became the de facto target", and proof of the IPCC's influence in shaping global policy, Thorne said in a Zoom interview. &nbsp;

A third sea change over the last seven years is in the science itself.

"Today we have better&nbsp;climate&nbsp;projection models, and longer observations with a much clearer signal of&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change," climatologist Robert Vautard, also an IPCC lead author and director of France's Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute, told AFP.&nbsp;

Arguably the biggest breakthrough is so-called attribution studies, which for the first time allow scientists to rapidly quantify the extent to which&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change has boosted an extreme weather event's intensity or likelihood.

Within days, for example, of the deadly "heat dome" that scorched Canada and the western US last month, the World Weather Attribution consortium calculated that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without manmade warming.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/poland-faces-first-citizen-lawsuits-over-climate-change-390695">Poland faces first citizen lawsuits over climate change</a>

But after-the-fact analysis is not the same as foresight, and the IPCC -- set up in 1988 to inform UN&nbsp;climate&nbsp;negotiations -- has been criticised by some for low-balling the danger, a pattern that Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes has called "erring on the side of least drama".

"First, there is the general conservatism of science -- in many ways that's a good thing," she told AFP.

"But in the&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change arena, scientists have had to deal with an enormous political and cultural pressure not to 'exaggerate' the threat."

The IPCC, she added, must contend with direct interference from the governments on whose behalf it works.

"I think there's little doubt that the effect of outside pressure, overall, has been to cause its statements to fall on the 'less alarmed' rather than 'more alarmed' side of things."

From Monday, representatives from 195 nations, with scientists at their elbow, will vet a 20- to 30-page "summary for policymakers" line-by-line, word-by-word. &nbsp;

Low-probability, high-risk'&nbsp;

The virtual meeting for this first instalment -- covering physical science -- of the three-part report will take two weeks rather than the usual one, with the document's release slated for August 9.

Part two of the report, to be published in February 2022, covers impacts.

A leaked draft obtained by AFP warns that&nbsp;climate&nbsp;change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades even if planet-warming carbon pollution is tamed, and calls for "transformational change" lest future generations face far worse.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/heres-an-idea-to-reverse-climate-change-alter-the-orbit-of-the-moon-390689">Here's an idea to reverse climate change: Alter the orbit of the Moon</a>

Part three, to be unveiled the following month, examines solutions for reducing emissions.

The part one report will project global temperature to 2100 under different emissions scenarios, some consistent with Paris Agreement goals and others that would, by the century's end, plunge today's children into a deeply uncomfortable world, three or four degrees above preindustrial levels.

Based almost entirely on published research, it could forecast -- even under optimistic scenarios -- a temporarily "overshoot" of the 1.5C target, and upwardly revised estimates for long-term sea-level rise.

If the International Energy Agency (IEA) projections this week of record carbon pollution by 2023 are right, such an overshoot could last a long time.&nbsp;

There will also be a new focus on so-called "low-probability, high-risk" events.&nbsp;

"Feedbacks which amplify change are stronger than we thought and we may be approaching some tipping point," said Tim Lenton, Director of the University of Exeter's Global Systems Institute.&nbsp;

Beyond yet-to-be-defined temperature thresholds, parts of the&nbsp;climate&nbsp;system could pass a point-of-no-return, including ice sheets holding metres' worth of sea-level rise and permafrost laden with twice more greenhouse gases than in the atmosphere.&nbsp;

On the heels of jaw-dropping heat and flooding across three continents, nearly 200 nations gather Monday to validate a critical UN climate science report 100 days ahead of a political summit charged with keeping Earth liveable.

On the heels of jaw-dropping heat and flooding across three continents, nearly 200 nations gather Monday to validate a critical UN climate science report 100 days ahead of a political summit charged with keeping Earth liveable. The world is a different place than in 2014 when the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued its fifth comprehensive assessment of global heating, past and future. Lingering doubts that warming was gathering pace or almost entirely human in origin, along with the falsely reassuring notion that climate impacts are tomorrow's problem, have since evaporated in the haze of record heat, wildfires and crippling droughts. Also read | Why are climate 'mysteries' puzzling world's leading scientists? Indeed, an unprecedented cascade of lethal weather this summer -- Death Valley-like temperatures in western Canada, flash floods across western Europe, people drowning in rain-filled subway carriages in central China -– could make 2021 the year that climate predictions become a reality impossible to ignore. Another milestone since the last IPCC tome: the Paris Agreement has been adopted, setting a collective target of capping the planet's surface temperature at "well below" two degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit) above late-19th century levels. Carbon pollution from burning fossil fuels, methane leaks and agriculture has driven up the thermometer 1.1C so far. The 2015 treaty also tacked on an aspirational limit of 1.5C, with many parties to the talks assuming it would remain just that -- aspirational, and thus easy to set aside. "But then countries turned around and asked the IPCC to do a special report on it, and that changed the framing absolutely," IPCC lead author and palaeoclimatologist Peter Thorne of Maynooth University in Ireland, told AFP. Also read| Many leaders slept on climate crisis. Will they act on what they feel on their skins now? The resulting 2018 analysis revealed just how devastating an extra half-degree of warming would be, and today 1.5C is the only number on the table. Low-balling the threat "It became the de facto target", and proof of the IPCC's influence in shaping global policy, Thorne said in a Zoom interview. A third sea change over the last seven years is in the science itself. "Today we have better climate projection models, and longer observations with a much clearer signal of climate change," climatologist Robert Vautard, also an IPCC lead author and director of France's Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute, told AFP. Arguably the biggest breakthrough is so-called attribution studies, which for the first time allow scientists to rapidly quantify the extent to which climate change has boosted an extreme weather event's intensity or likelihood. Within days, for example, of the deadly "heat dome" that scorched Canada and the western US last month, the World Weather Attribution consortium calculated that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without manmade warming. Also read | Poland faces first citizen lawsuits over climate change But after-the-fact analysis is not the same as foresight, and the IPCC -- set up in 1988 to inform UN climate negotiations -- has been criticised by some for low-balling the danger, a pattern that Harvard science historian Naomi Oreskes has called "erring on the side of least drama". "First, there is the general conservatism of science -- in many ways that's a good thing," she told AFP. "But in the climate change arena, scientists have had to deal with an enormous political and cultural pressure not to 'exaggerate' the threat." The IPCC, she added, must contend with direct interference from the governments on whose behalf it works. "I think there's little doubt that the effect of outside pressure, overall, has been to cause its statements to fall on the 'less alarmed' rather than 'more alarmed' side of things." From Monday, representatives from 195 nations, with scientists at their elbow, will vet a 20- to 30-page "summary for policymakers" line-by-line, word-by-word. Low-probability, high-risk' The virtual meeting for this first instalment -- covering physical science -- of the three-part report will take two weeks rather than the usual one, with the document's release slated for August 9. Part two of the report, to be published in February 2022, covers impacts. A leaked draft obtained by AFP warns that climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth in the coming decades even if planet-warming carbon pollution is tamed, and calls for "transformational change" lest future generations face far worse. Also read | Here's an idea to reverse climate change: Alter the orbit of the Moon Part three, to be unveiled the following month, examines solutions for reducing emissions. The part one report will project global temperature to 2100 under different emissions scenarios, some consistent with Paris Agreement goals and others that would, by the century's end, plunge today's children into a deeply uncomfortable world, three or four degrees above preindustrial levels. Based almost entirely on published research, it could forecast -- even under optimistic scenarios -- a temporarily "overshoot" of the 1.5C target, and upwardly revised estimates for long-term sea-level rise. If the International Energy Agency (IEA) projections this week of record carbon pollution by 2023 are right, such an overshoot could last a long time. There will also be a new focus on so-called "low-probability, high-risk" events. "Feedbacks which amplify change are stronger than we thought and we may be approaching some tipping point," said Tim Lenton, Director of the University of Exeter's Global Systems Institute. Beyond yet-to-be-defined temperature thresholds, parts of the climate system could pass a point-of-no-return, including ice sheets holding metres' worth of sea-level rise and permafrost laden with twice more greenhouse gases than in the atmosphere.

Climate cataclysms set stage for key UN science report

As Rome tries to rein in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 infections</a>, tens of thousands of protesters in cities across Italy demonstrated on&nbsp;Saturday against the government's decision to place restrictions on unvaccinated people.

<div>Italy's flag-waving demonstrators chanted "Freedom!" and "Down with the dictatorship!" from Naples to Turin, while protesters soaked by rain in Milan shouted "No Green Pass!".</div>

An overwhelming majority of protestors were without masks.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/italian-prosecutors-examine-evidence-suggesting-covid-19-spread-before-official-confirmation-396216">Italian prosecutors examine evidence suggesting COVID-19 spread before official confirmation</a>

As per the new regulations, starting August 6, those entering cinemas, museums, indoor swimming pools, or sports stadiums, or eating at restaurants indoors, will need a Green Pass.

The pass will serve as proof that the bearer has been vaccinated, has recently undergone a negative COVID-19 test, or has recently recovered from a Coronavirus infection.

According to Francesco Figliuolo, emergency chief for COVID-19, the announcement made on Thursday making the pass mandatory for many activities, lead to a 200 per cent increase in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccine</a> bookings in Italy's smaller regions.

As the cabinet aims to safeguard the slowing economy and prevent further lockdowns, businesses are expected to enforce the rules or face stiff fines.

An evaluation of whether the pass should be made mandatory for train, coach, and plane travel will take place in September.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/italy-crosses-30-million-vaccine-doses-mark-386771">Italy crosses 30 million vaccine doses mark</a>

"Better to die free than live like slaves!" read one placard held up outside Milan's Gothic cathedral, while another in Rome's historic centre read "Vaccines set you free" over a picture of the gates to Auschwitz.

Several protesters in Genova have yellow Star of David badges proclaiming that they haven't been vaccinated.

Through social media, more than 80 cities had announced that they were holding demonstrations on Saturday.

Faced with the threat of Delta variant, on Saturday, Italy&nbsp;one of the worst-hit countries in Europe during this pandemic, reported five thousand new coronavirus cases and five deaths.

(With inputs from agencies)

As Rome tries to rein in COVID-19 infections, tens of thousands of protesters in cities across Italy demonstrated on Saturday against the government's decision to place restrictions on unvaccinated people.

As Rome tries to rein in COVID-19 infections, tens of thousands of protesters in cities across Italy demonstrated on Saturday against the government's decision to place restrictions on unvaccinated people. Italy's flag-waving demonstrators chanted "Freedom!" and "Down with the dictatorship!" from Naples to Turin, while protesters soaked by rain in Milan shouted "No Green Pass!". An overwhelming majority of protestors were without masks. Also read | Italian prosecutors examine evidence suggesting COVID-19 spread before official confirmation As per the new regulations, starting August 6, those entering cinemas, museums, indoor swimming pools, or sports stadiums, or eating at restaurants indoors, will need a Green Pass. The pass will serve as proof that the bearer has been vaccinated, has recently undergone a negative COVID-19 test, or has recently recovered from a Coronavirus infection. According to Francesco Figliuolo, emergency chief for COVID-19, the announcement made on Thursday making the pass mandatory for many activities, lead to a 200 per cent increase in vaccine bookings in Italy's smaller regions. As the cabinet aims to safeguard the slowing economy and prevent further lockdowns, businesses are expected to enforce the rules or face stiff fines. An evaluation of whether the pass should be made mandatory for train, coach, and plane travel will take place in September. Also read | Italy crosses 30 million vaccine doses mark "Better to die free than live like slaves!" read one placard held up outside Milan's Gothic cathedral, while another in Rome's historic centre read "Vaccines set you free" over a picture of the gates to Auschwitz. Several protesters in Genova have yellow Star of David badges proclaiming that they haven't been vaccinated. Through social media, more than 80 cities had announced that they were holding demonstrations on Saturday. Faced with the threat of Delta variant, on Saturday, Italy one of the worst-hit countries in Europe during this pandemic, reported five thousand new coronavirus cases and five deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

Italy awash with protests against Covid certificates

The&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;released information on its real estate holdings for the first time on Saturday, revealing it owns more than 5,000 properties as part of its most detailed financial disclosures ever.

The information was contained in two documents, a consolidated financial statement for 2020 for the Holy See and the first-ever public budget for the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA).

APSA, a sort of general accounting office, manages real estate and investments, pays salaries and acts as a purchasing office and human resources department.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-halts-controversial-vatican-investments-after-london-property-scandal-340905">Pope halts controversial Vatican investments after London property scandal</a>

Between the two documents - each with an unprecedented number of pie charts, graphs and maps - and two explanatory interviews, the&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;issued more than 50 pages of financial material.

The 30-page APSA budget showed that it owns 4,051 properties in Italy and about 1,120 abroad, not including its embassies around the world.

Only about 14 per cent&nbsp;of its Italian properties were rented at market rates, while the others were rented at cut rates, many to Church employees. About 40 per cent were institutional buildings such as schools, convents and hospitals.

The documentation showed that APSA owns properties as investments in upscale areas of London, Geneva, Lausanne and Paris.

'Turning Point'

One building, in London's smart South Kensington district, led to enormous losses after it was purchased by the&nbsp;Vatican's Secretariat of State as an investment in 2014.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/senior-cardinal-9-others-face-vatican-fraud-trial-395712">Senior cardinal, 9 others, face Vatican fraud trial</a>

On Tuesday, the trial of 10 people in connection with its purchase, including a prominent cardinal, starts in the&nbsp;Vatican. They are charged with financial crimes including embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, extortion and abuse of office.

Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, head of the&nbsp;Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy (SPE), told the official&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;News website that the building would be sold soon.

He said the trial would be a "turning point" in the&nbsp;Vatican's credibility in economic matters and that a similar event could not be repeated because of measures put into place since.

Last year, Pope Francis stripped the Secretariat of State of control over its funds, transferring them to APSA and with oversight by the SPE.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-facilitates-vatican-prosecutions-for-cardinals-bishops-381714">Pope facilitates Vatican prosecutions for cardinals, bishops</a>

A separate consolidated financial statement for the Holy See issued on Saturday showed a 64.8 million euro deficit in 2020, down from a 79.2 million deficit in 2019.

The Holy See budget includes the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, known as the Curia, that oversees the governing of the 1.3 billion-member worldwide Church, its global diplomatic representations and media operations.

Vatican&nbsp;City, including the&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;Museums and the&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;bank, has a separate budget.

To plug the 2020 deficit, about 50 million euros were taken from Peter's Pence, a fund of donations to help the pope carry out the Church's worldwide work.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pope-francis-reorganizes-vaticans-financial-resources-amid-coronavirus-and-dubious-investments-353221">Pope Francis reorganizes Vatican's financial resources amid coronavirus and dubious investments</a>

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 pandemic</a> hit&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;revenues hard in 2020.

St. Peter's Basilica and the&nbsp;Vatican&nbsp;Museums, the latter a cash cow that received about 6 million paying visitors in 2019, were closed or only partially open for much of 2020.

The Vatican released information on its real estate holdings for the first time on Saturday, revealing it owns more than 5,000 properties as part of its most detailed financial disclosures ever.

The Vatican released information on its real estate holdings for the first time on Saturday, revealing it owns more than 5,000 properties as part of its most detailed financial disclosures ever. The information was contained in two documents, a consolidated financial statement for 2020 for the Holy See and the first-ever public budget for the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See (APSA). APSA, a sort of general accounting office, manages real estate and investments, pays salaries and acts as a purchasing office and human resources department. Also read | Pope halts controversial Vatican investments after London property scandal Between the two documents - each with an unprecedented number of pie charts, graphs and maps - and two explanatory interviews, the Vatican issued more than 50 pages of financial material. The 30-page APSA budget showed that it owns 4,051 properties in Italy and about 1,120 abroad, not including its embassies around the world. Only about 14 per cent of its Italian properties were rented at market rates, while the others were rented at cut rates, many to Church employees. About 40 per cent were institutional buildings such as schools, convents and hospitals. The documentation showed that APSA owns properties as investments in upscale areas of London, Geneva, Lausanne and Paris. 'Turning Point' One building, in London's smart South Kensington district, led to enormous losses after it was purchased by the Vatican's Secretariat of State as an investment in 2014. Also read | Senior cardinal, 9 others, face Vatican fraud trial On Tuesday, the trial of 10 people in connection with its purchase, including a prominent cardinal, starts in the Vatican. They are charged with financial crimes including embezzlement, money laundering, fraud, extortion and abuse of office. Father Juan Antonio Guerrero, head of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy (SPE), told the official Vatican News website that the building would be sold soon. He said the trial would be a "turning point" in the Vatican's credibility in economic matters and that a similar event could not be repeated because of measures put into place since. Last year, Pope Francis stripped the Secretariat of State of control over its funds, transferring them to APSA and with oversight by the SPE. Also read | Pope facilitates Vatican prosecutions for cardinals, bishops A separate consolidated financial statement for the Holy See issued on Saturday showed a 64.8 million euro deficit in 2020, down from a 79.2 million deficit in 2019. The Holy See budget includes the central administration of the Roman Catholic Church, known as the Curia, that oversees the governing of the 1.3 billion-member worldwide Church, its global diplomatic representations and media operations. Vatican City, including the Vatican Museums and the Vatican bank, has a separate budget. To plug the 2020 deficit, about 50 million euros were taken from Peter's Pence, a fund of donations to help the pope carry out the Church's worldwide work. Also read | Pope Francis reorganizes Vatican's financial resources amid coronavirus and dubious investments The COVID-19 pandemic hit Vatican revenues hard in 2020. St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museums, the latter a cash cow that received about 6 million paying visitors in 2019, were closed or only partially open for much of 2020.

Vatican reveals property holdings for first time in transparency drive

Libyan authorities stepped up their vaccination campaign around Tripoli as coronavirus cases rose across the country. Libyan health ministry has set up temporary centres in capital. AFP reported that there were long queues outside the tents on Saturday morning.

"The campaign will continue until all the available doses are used," doctor Rawad Behelille told AFP in central Tripoli.

Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah issued a decree earlier this month for cafes and restaurants to close in the wake of rising infections. He also suspended university lectures and weddings.

Daily reported cases have reached several thousand in the past week, in a country with a population of around seven million.

Libya has recorded over 229,600 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, including over 3,340 deaths. 
Fewer than 500,000 people have been vaccinated since the war-torn country's inoculation campaign started in April.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Libyan authorities stepped up their vaccination campaign around Tripoli as coronavirus cases rose across the country. Libyan health ministry has set up temporary centres in capital.

Libyan authorities stepped up their vaccination campaign around Tripoli as coronavirus cases rose across the country. Libyan health ministry has set up temporary centres in capital. AFP reported that there were long queues outside the tents on Saturday morning. "The campaign will continue until all the available doses are used," doctor Rawad Behelille told AFP in central Tripoli. Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah issued a decree earlier this month for cafes and restaurants to close in the wake of rising infections. He also suspended university lectures and weddings. Daily reported cases have reached several thousand in the past week, in a country with a population of around seven million. Libya has recorded over 229,600 coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic, including over 3,340 deaths. Fewer than 500,000 people have been vaccinated since the war-torn country's inoculation campaign started in April. (With inputs from agencies)

Libya hastens Tripoli jab drive amid increasing Covid caseload

Iraq’s prime minister is heading to Washington this weekend to demand that President Joe Biden withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq, announcing to Iraqi media that the visit would “put an end to the presence of combat forces.”

US&nbsp;officials say the United States is likely to oblige the request from Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, setting a deadline to be announced Monday for the withdrawal of US&nbsp;combat forces by the end of the year.

Pentagon and other administration officials say they will achieve this by removing a small but unspecified number of the 2,500 U.S. forces currently stationed in Iraq and by reclassifying on paper the roles of other forces. Al-Kadhimi will have a political trophy to take home to satisfy anti-American factions in Iraq, and the U.S. military presence will remain.

“There will be no U.S. military forces in a combat role by the end of the year,” said a senior U.S. official familiar with ongoing discussions. “We anticipate some force adjustments in line with that commitment.”

What appears to be a set piece of diplomatic theater is the latest effort by al-Kadhimi to tread between the needs and demands of Iraq’s two closest allies, the United States and Iran. Pro-Iranian factions have been clamoring for a U.S. departure, while Iraqi officials acknowledge they still need the help of U.S. forces.

The Biden administration in turn is grappling with how to operate in a country that since the U.S. invasion 18 years ago has fallen increasingly under the grip of Iranian-backed militias and a corrupt political system that has brought Iraq’s government institutions to the brink of collapse.

Al-Kadhimi’s government, along with many senior Iraqi military officials, quietly favor the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq staying in their current form. But the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, along with a senior Iraqi security official and eight others in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, has made the U.S.’ current presence politically impossible, and politically undesirable in the United States. After the U.S. drone strike, Iraq’s parliament demanded the government expel U.S. forces — a motion that was nonbinding but sent a strong message to any politician who wanted to stay in power, including the prime minister.

Grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a budget crisis and powerful Iranian-backed militias largely beyond his control, al-Kadhimi has accomplished little since taking office two years ago. His advisers argue that if only he were given more time, he could rein in the militias, cut corruption and arrest more killers of hundreds of unarmed protesters and activists.

Most of Iraq’s paramilitary units were formed in 2014 in response to a call by the country’s most revered Shiite cleric for Iraqis to mobilize against the Islamic State group. Those militias were later absorbed into Iraq’s official security forces, but the most powerful are tied to Iran and only nominally under control of the Iraqi state.

The United States has repeatedly blamed Iranian-backed militias for the persistent attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq. The U.S. and many Iraqi officials believe the militias are also responsible for most of the assassinations of activists and for a wide range of illegal moneymaking schemes.

Monday’s announcement comes as the Pentagon nears the end of its withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year presence there, even as the Taliban have captured dozens of districts around the country in a military offensive.

After President Barack Obama withdrew troops from Iraq in 2011, some remained, under the authority of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Three years later, with Islamic State group fighters capturing territory across much of Iraq and Syria, the Iraqi government requested U.S. military support to help fight the terrorist group.

Since the Islamic State group was driven from its last Iraqi stronghold in 2017, U.S. officials have consistently maintained that since there are currently no combat operations authorized in Iraq, there are no combat troops in the country. But they acknowledge a small number of U.S. Special Operations Forces serving as advisers, and trainers occasionally accompany Iraqi counterterrorism forces on combat missions against Islamic State group fighters.

In Washington on Friday, Pentagon officials said they expected the troop levels in Iraq to remain at their current level of about 2,500 and that the role of some U.S. forces would be redefined.

But while giving al-Kadhimi temporary political cover, a reclassification of U.S. forces rather than a drawdown likely will not satisfy the militias and political parties calling for a withdrawal of all troops, Iraqi officials say.

“Changing their name from combat forces to trainers and advisers — we consider it as an attempt at deception,” said Mohammad al-Rubai’e, political spokesperson for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of the biggest Iranian-backed militias, which maintains 16 seats in the Iraqi parliament.

Those militias and many Iraqi politicians linked to them contend that the real purpose of U.S. forces in Iraq is to counter Iran, not threats from the Islamic State group. Iran this year has carried out increasingly sophisticated attacks, including drone strikes, on U.S. targets in Iraq, and the United States has launched calibrated retaliatory strikes.

“The dialogue with the United States is, how can we think about maintaining a presence that is useful without incurring a high political cost?” Thanassis Cambanis, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a U.S. think tank, said during a visit to Iraq this week. “The interests of the two sides don’t really align because the United States isn’t going to see it in its interests to continue to be attacked by these militias that the government of Iraq can’t curtail.”

Iran denies responsibility for the attacks, according to Iraqi officials, but its leaders have also made clear that they intend to retaliate against the United States for killing Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Iraqi deputy commander overseeing militias.

The United States over the past year has increasingly focused on force protection, withdrawing from vulnerable bases in Iraq to consolidate its presence on three Iraqi military installations.

While the Islamic State group is no longer able to capture territory, the group continues to launch destabilizing attacks such as bombings in markets that point out weaknesses in Iraqi security forces.

“Within Iraq, ISIS is defeated as a significant military threat, but its radical ideology lives on,” said Mark Kimmitt, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and former State Department official who now consults for U.S. firms doing business in Iraq. “Deradicalization, however, is not part of the U.S. mission.”

The U.S. occupation of Iraq convulsed the country, not only toppling its dictator in 2003 but also disbanding the army, hollowing out its government institutions and helping returned Iraqi exiles create a political system along sectarian and ethnic lines that haunts the nation to this day.

For years that system has awarded government ministries to political parties that siphon off money meant for public services and has contributed to barely functioning hospitals, ongoing electricity cuts, millions of jobless Iraqis and a government that cannot pay its bills.

Infrastructure such as electricity that barely functioned after more than a decade of US-led sanctions before the war has never been fully repaired. Battles against al-Qaida, Iraq’s civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group further damaged infrastructure.

With falling oil prices last year, Iraq found itself having trouble meeting its huge government payroll, which has tripled since 2004 as political parties in charge of ministries create jobs for loyalists.

“We are now talking about repairing damage from the ex-regime, al-Qaida, ISIS and the damage induced by the ruling political class,” said Luay al-Khatteeb, a technocrat former electricity minister. “If this chaos continues, it will lead to the destruction of the country.”

Iraq’s prime minister is heading to Washington this weekend to demand that President Joe Biden withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq, announcing to Iraqi media that the visit would “put an end to the presence of combat forces.

Iraq’s prime minister is heading to Washington this weekend to demand that President Joe Biden withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq, announcing to Iraqi media that the visit would “put an end to the presence of combat forces.” US officials say the United States is likely to oblige the request from Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, setting a deadline to be announced Monday for the withdrawal of US combat forces by the end of the year. Pentagon and other administration officials say they will achieve this by removing a small but unspecified number of the 2,500 U.S. forces currently stationed in Iraq and by reclassifying on paper the roles of other forces. Al-Kadhimi will have a political trophy to take home to satisfy anti-American factions in Iraq, and the U.S. military presence will remain. “There will be no U.S. military forces in a combat role by the end of the year,” said a senior U.S. official familiar with ongoing discussions. “We anticipate some force adjustments in line with that commitment.” What appears to be a set piece of diplomatic theater is the latest effort by al-Kadhimi to tread between the needs and demands of Iraq’s two closest allies, the United States and Iran. Pro-Iranian factions have been clamoring for a U.S. departure, while Iraqi officials acknowledge they still need the help of U.S. forces. The Biden administration in turn is grappling with how to operate in a country that since the U.S. invasion 18 years ago has fallen increasingly under the grip of Iranian-backed militias and a corrupt political system that has brought Iraq’s government institutions to the brink of collapse. Al-Kadhimi’s government, along with many senior Iraqi military officials, quietly favor the roughly 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq staying in their current form. But the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top security and intelligence commander, along with a senior Iraqi security official and eight others in a U.S. drone strike in 2020, has made the U.S.’ current presence politically impossible, and politically undesirable in the United States. After the U.S. drone strike, Iraq’s parliament demanded the government expel U.S. forces — a motion that was nonbinding but sent a strong message to any politician who wanted to stay in power, including the prime minister. Grappling with the coronavirus pandemic, a budget crisis and powerful Iranian-backed militias largely beyond his control, al-Kadhimi has accomplished little since taking office two years ago. His advisers argue that if only he were given more time, he could rein in the militias, cut corruption and arrest more killers of hundreds of unarmed protesters and activists. Most of Iraq’s paramilitary units were formed in 2014 in response to a call by the country’s most revered Shiite cleric for Iraqis to mobilize against the Islamic State group. Those militias were later absorbed into Iraq’s official security forces, but the most powerful are tied to Iran and only nominally under control of the Iraqi state. The United States has repeatedly blamed Iranian-backed militias for the persistent attacks on U.S. targets in Iraq. The U.S. and many Iraqi officials believe the militias are also responsible for most of the assassinations of activists and for a wide range of illegal moneymaking schemes. Monday’s announcement comes as the Pentagon nears the end of its withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, ending a 20-year presence there, even as the Taliban have captured dozens of districts around the country in a military offensive. After President Barack Obama withdrew troops from Iraq in 2011, some remained, under the authority of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Three years later, with Islamic State group fighters capturing territory across much of Iraq and Syria, the Iraqi government requested U.S. military support to help fight the terrorist group. Since the Islamic State group was driven from its last Iraqi stronghold in 2017, U.S. officials have consistently maintained that since there are currently no combat operations authorized in Iraq, there are no combat troops in the country. But they acknowledge a small number of U.S. Special Operations Forces serving as advisers, and trainers occasionally accompany Iraqi counterterrorism forces on combat missions against Islamic State group fighters. In Washington on Friday, Pentagon officials said they expected the troop levels in Iraq to remain at their current level of about 2,500 and that the role of some U.S. forces would be redefined. But while giving al-Kadhimi temporary political cover, a reclassification of U.S. forces rather than a drawdown likely will not satisfy the militias and political parties calling for a withdrawal of all troops, Iraqi officials say. “Changing their name from combat forces to trainers and advisers — we consider it as an attempt at deception,” said Mohammad al-Rubai’e, political spokesperson for Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of the biggest Iranian-backed militias, which maintains 16 seats in the Iraqi parliament. Those militias and many Iraqi politicians linked to them contend that the real purpose of U.S. forces in Iraq is to counter Iran, not threats from the Islamic State group. Iran this year has carried out increasingly sophisticated attacks, including drone strikes, on U.S. targets in Iraq, and the United States has launched calibrated retaliatory strikes. “The dialogue with the United States is, how can we think about maintaining a presence that is useful without incurring a high political cost?” Thanassis Cambanis, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a U.S. think tank, said during a visit to Iraq this week. “The interests of the two sides don’t really align because the United States isn’t going to see it in its interests to continue to be attacked by these militias that the government of Iraq can’t curtail.” Iran denies responsibility for the attacks, according to Iraqi officials, but its leaders have also made clear that they intend to retaliate against the United States for killing Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Iraqi deputy commander overseeing militias. The United States over the past year has increasingly focused on force protection, withdrawing from vulnerable bases in Iraq to consolidate its presence on three Iraqi military installations. While the Islamic State group is no longer able to capture territory, the group continues to launch destabilizing attacks such as bombings in markets that point out weaknesses in Iraqi security forces. “Within Iraq, ISIS is defeated as a significant military threat, but its radical ideology lives on,” said Mark Kimmitt, a retired U.S. Army brigadier general and former State Department official who now consults for U.S. firms doing business in Iraq. “Deradicalization, however, is not part of the U.S. mission.” The U.S. occupation of Iraq convulsed the country, not only toppling its dictator in 2003 but also disbanding the army, hollowing out its government institutions and helping returned Iraqi exiles create a political system along sectarian and ethnic lines that haunts the nation to this day. For years that system has awarded government ministries to political parties that siphon off money meant for public services and has contributed to barely functioning hospitals, ongoing electricity cuts, millions of jobless Iraqis and a government that cannot pay its bills. Infrastructure such as electricity that barely functioned after more than a decade of US-led sanctions before the war has never been fully repaired. Battles against al-Qaida, Iraq’s civil war and the fight against the Islamic State group further damaged infrastructure. With falling oil prices last year, Iraq found itself having trouble meeting its huge government payroll, which has tripled since 2004 as political parties in charge of ministries create jobs for loyalists. “We are now talking about repairing damage from the ex-regime, al-Qaida, ISIS and the damage induced by the ruling political class,” said Luay al-Khatteeb, a technocrat former electricity minister. “If this chaos continues, it will lead to the destruction of the country.”

US to announce troop drawdown from Iraq, but little is expected to change

To write three books in four years about Donald Trump has been an immersion into his obsessions and fixations. This is why I know the obvious: Donald Trump will run for president again.

This spring, in another of his compulsive bids for attention — indifferent to whether it is good or bad — he hosted me at Mar-a-Lago, even after I had written two unflattering books about him (one whose publication he tried to stop), for an interview and dinner. After dinner, I asked about his plans for a presidential library, the traditional retirement project and fund-raising scheme of ex-presidents. There was a flash of confusion on his uniquely readable face, and then anger, aroused, I figured, by the implication of what I seemed to be saying — that his time in office was past.

“No way, no way,” he snarled, “no way.”

It is an existential predicament: He can’t be Donald Trump without a claim on the presidency. He can’t hold the attention and devotion of the Republican Party if he is not both once and future king — and why would he ever give that up? Indeed, it seemed to be that I was strategically seated in the lobby of Mar-a-Lago when I arrived precisely so I could overhear the efforts by a Republican delegation to court and grovel before Mr. Trump and to observe his dismissive dominance over them.

More than a bit of his subsequent conversation with me was about his contempt for any Republican that might be less than absolute in his or her devotion to him — after all, he had the power to make or break the people who have since disappointed him (like Senator Mitch McConnell and Justice Brett Kavanaugh). He seemed not so much paranoid about challenges to him but warlike, savoring his future retributions.

He repeatedly returns to his grudge against his once obsequious vice president with relish; Mike Pence has become more public about his own political ambitions. In his telling, it is Mr. Pence whose actions confirmed “the steal,” by his refusal to overturn the electoral vote count, over which he presided in January in the Senate. I believe he will run again just to stop the men who, in his view, helped take the presidency from him from trying to get it for themselves. The reports that reach him of the West Wing and members of his administration who refuse to subscribe to the idea of “the steal” only feeds his fury and determination to punish all doubters — “some very weak people who have worked for me but won’t in the future,” as he told me.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has become another frequent subject at Mr. Trump’s Bedminster, N.J., golf club, where the former president is spending the summer away from the Florida heat. Many members of TrumpWorld believe Mr. DeSantis, who came in second to Mr. Trump in a CPAC straw poll this month, might, unbelievably, run for the 2024 nomination even if Mr. Trump runs. The idea that Mr. DeSantis, who Mr. Trump believes he “made” by his endorsement, might not accept his dependence on and obligation to Mr. Trump would be a personal affront that must be met. Mr. Trump pointedly blew off the governor’s request that he postpone a Florida rally in the aftermath of the Surfside building collapse. Clear message: The governor is not the boss of him. (Mr. DeSantis has denied making this request.)

The continued career of Mr. McConnell, to whom Mr. Trump has not spoken since vilifying him with a heap of obscenity after Mr. McConnell acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory, is unfinished business. (Trump aides believe the two are likely to never speak again.)

Mr. Trump believes that Mr. McConnell retained his Senate seat in 2020 only because of his support. The war against Mr. McConnell is a war about who controls the Republican Party — if it’s Mr. Trump’s party, it can’t be Mr. McConnell’s. If candidates win because of his endorsements, thereby making Mr. Trump himself the ultimate winner, and inevitable front-runner, then it’s surely his party. Mr. Trump, whose political muscle helped oust some Republican enemies from office in 2018, will be confident about evicting Mr. McConnell once he is back in power. (I doubt he pays attention to the fact that Mr. McConnell was re-elected to a six-year term and has a reasonable chance of becoming the Senate majority leader again.)

Many Democrats believe that the legal pursuit of the former president’s family business in New York, and other cases, including the investigation of his attempt to overturn election results in Georgia, might seriously impede his political future. But in Mr. Trump’s logic, this will run the opposite way: Running for president is the best way to directly challenge the prosecutors.

Mr. Trump also believes he has a magic bullet. In his telling, the Republicans almost took back the House in 2020 because of his “telerallies,” telephone conference calls in congressional districts that attracted in some instances tens of thousands of callers. Who has that draw? he asked me, nearly smacking his lips. In 2022, with his draw, the Republicans, he is certain, will retake the House with his chosen slate of candidates. And indeed, this actually might be true.

But perhaps most important, there is his classic hucksterism, and his synoptic U.S.P. — unique selling proposition. In 2016 it was “the wall.” For 2022 and 2024 he will have another proposition available: “the steal,” a rallying cry of rage and simplicity.

For Democrats, who see him exiled to Mar-a-Lago, stripped of his key social media platforms and facing determined prosecutors, his future seems risible if not pathetic. But this is Donald Trump, always ready to strike back harder than he has been struck, to blame anyone but himself, to silence any doubts with the sound of his own voice, to take what he believes is his and, most of all, to seize all available attention. Sound the alarm.

To write three books in four years about Donald Trump has been an immersion into his obsessions and fixations. This is why I know the obvious: Donald Trump will run for president again.

To write three books in four years about Donald Trump has been an immersion into his obsessions and fixations. This is why I know the obvious: Donald Trump will run for president again. This spring, in another of his compulsive bids for attention — indifferent to whether it is good or bad — he hosted me at Mar-a-Lago, even after I had written two unflattering books about him (one whose publication he tried to stop), for an interview and dinner. After dinner, I asked about his plans for a presidential library, the traditional retirement project and fund-raising scheme of ex-presidents. There was a flash of confusion on his uniquely readable face, and then anger, aroused, I figured, by the implication of what I seemed to be saying — that his time in office was past. “No way, no way,” he snarled, “no way.” It is an existential predicament: He can’t be Donald Trump without a claim on the presidency. He can’t hold the attention and devotion of the Republican Party if he is not both once and future king — and why would he ever give that up? Indeed, it seemed to be that I was strategically seated in the lobby of Mar-a-Lago when I arrived precisely so I could overhear the efforts by a Republican delegation to court and grovel before Mr. Trump and to observe his dismissive dominance over them. More than a bit of his subsequent conversation with me was about his contempt for any Republican that might be less than absolute in his or her devotion to him — after all, he had the power to make or break the people who have since disappointed him (like Senator Mitch McConnell and Justice Brett Kavanaugh). He seemed not so much paranoid about challenges to him but warlike, savoring his future retributions. He repeatedly returns to his grudge against his once obsequious vice president with relish; Mike Pence has become more public about his own political ambitions. In his telling, it is Mr. Pence whose actions confirmed “the steal,” by his refusal to overturn the electoral vote count, over which he presided in January in the Senate. I believe he will run again just to stop the men who, in his view, helped take the presidency from him from trying to get it for themselves. The reports that reach him of the West Wing and members of his administration who refuse to subscribe to the idea of “the steal” only feeds his fury and determination to punish all doubters — “some very weak people who have worked for me but won’t in the future,” as he told me. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has become another frequent subject at Mr. Trump’s Bedminster, N.J., golf club, where the former president is spending the summer away from the Florida heat. Many members of TrumpWorld believe Mr. DeSantis, who came in second to Mr. Trump in a CPAC straw poll this month, might, unbelievably, run for the 2024 nomination even if Mr. Trump runs. The idea that Mr. DeSantis, who Mr. Trump believes he “made” by his endorsement, might not accept his dependence on and obligation to Mr. Trump would be a personal affront that must be met. Mr. Trump pointedly blew off the governor’s request that he postpone a Florida rally in the aftermath of the Surfside building collapse. Clear message: The governor is not the boss of him. (Mr. DeSantis has denied making this request.) The continued career of Mr. McConnell, to whom Mr. Trump has not spoken since vilifying him with a heap of obscenity after Mr. McConnell acknowledged Joe Biden’s victory, is unfinished business. (Trump aides believe the two are likely to never speak again.) Mr. Trump believes that Mr. McConnell retained his Senate seat in 2020 only because of his support. The war against Mr. McConnell is a war about who controls the Republican Party — if it’s Mr. Trump’s party, it can’t be Mr. McConnell’s. If candidates win because of his endorsements, thereby making Mr. Trump himself the ultimate winner, and inevitable front-runner, then it’s surely his party. Mr. Trump, whose political muscle helped oust some Republican enemies from office in 2018, will be confident about evicting Mr. McConnell once he is back in power. (I doubt he pays attention to the fact that Mr. McConnell was re-elected to a six-year term and has a reasonable chance of becoming the Senate majority leader again.) Many Democrats believe that the legal pursuit of the former president’s family business in New York, and other cases, including the investigation of his attempt to overturn election results in Georgia, might seriously impede his political future. But in Mr. Trump’s logic, this will run the opposite way: Running for president is the best way to directly challenge the prosecutors. Mr. Trump also believes he has a magic bullet. In his telling, the Republicans almost took back the House in 2020 because of his “telerallies,” telephone conference calls in congressional districts that attracted in some instances tens of thousands of callers. Who has that draw? he asked me, nearly smacking his lips. In 2022, with his draw, the Republicans, he is certain, will retake the House with his chosen slate of candidates. And indeed, this actually might be true. But perhaps most important, there is his classic hucksterism, and his synoptic U.S.P. — unique selling proposition. In 2016 it was “the wall.” For 2022 and 2024 he will have another proposition available: “the steal,” a rallying cry of rage and simplicity. For Democrats, who see him exiled to Mar-a-Lago, stripped of his key social media platforms and facing determined prosecutors, his future seems risible if not pathetic. But this is Donald Trump, always ready to strike back harder than he has been struck, to blame anyone but himself, to silence any doubts with the sound of his own voice, to take what he believes is his and, most of all, to seize all available attention. Sound the alarm.

Why I’m sure Trump will run for president in 2024

India will be calling for "need for sustained pressure" on Pakistan over terrorism during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit this week. Pakistan has been on the grey list of terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for last two years. Pakistan has been dragging feet on the issue of action against United Nations-listed terrorist groups.

During the visit, the first by Blinken to New Delhi, regional security situation, that is, "implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan" will be another key focus, sources have pointed out. Even as US forces leave the country for 20 years, the Taliban has been increasingly making territorial gains and reports of large-scale violence are emanating from the country.&nbsp;

India has been engaging with the US in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Deputy NSA Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. He met US Special Representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad last week in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the connectivity summit.

Sources pointed out that during Blinken's visit, both sides will "exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region" especially with a focus on the Quad and Quad vaccine initiative. US plans to host the first in-person Quad meet of India, Australia, US and Japan later this year in Washington. Before that a Quad foreign ministers meet will also take place. March saw the first Quad meet but it was a virtual one with a key outcome on the Quad Vaccine initiative. Under the initiative, India will be producing vaccines by early 2022 which will be given to countries in the Indo-Pacific.&nbsp;

During the Blinken-EAM Jaishankar talks, sources said that India "will press for gradual resumption of international travel, while maintaining health protocols, especially easing the mobility of students, professionals, business travelers..", calling for the need for "ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production".

Both Blinken and Jaishankar have met each other 3 times previously, first on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meet in London, then during EAM's visit to the US, and finally, on the sidelines of the G20 FMs meet in Italy.&nbsp;

On defence, "sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration" which will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. Later this year, both sides will hold the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue that will take place in the US.

Meanwhile, on US State dept officials saying Human rights will be raised during the visit, sources said, "Issues such as human rights and democracy are universal and extend beyond a particular national or cultural perspective". Sources explained, "India is proud of its achievements in both domains and is always glad to share experiences", adding, "as a long-standing pluralistic society, India is open to engaging those who now recognize the value of diversity."

Blinken is the second senior official of Biden Administration to visit Delhi this year. United States Secretary of Defense, General (Retd.) Lloyd J. Austin had visited New Delhi earlier this year. From Delhi, Blinken will go to Kuwait. WION was the first channel to break the story about Blinken's visit to India last week.

India will be calling for "need for sustained pressure" on Pakistan over terrorism during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit this week. Pakistan has been on the grey list of terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for last two years.

India will be calling for "need for sustained pressure" on Pakistan over terrorism during US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit this week. Pakistan has been on the grey list of terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for last two years. Pakistan has been dragging feet on the issue of action against United Nations-listed terrorist groups. During the visit, the first by Blinken to New Delhi, regional security situation, that is, "implications of the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan" will be another key focus, sources have pointed out. Even as US forces leave the country for 20 years, the Taliban has been increasingly making territorial gains and reports of large-scale violence are emanating from the country. India has been engaging with the US in Afghanistan. Earlier this month, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Deputy NSA Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. He met US Special Representative on Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad last week in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the connectivity summit. Sources pointed out that during Blinken's visit, both sides will "exchange assessments about the Indo-Pacific region" especially with a focus on the Quad and Quad vaccine initiative. US plans to host the first in-person Quad meet of India, Australia, US and Japan later this year in Washington. Before that a Quad foreign ministers meet will also take place. March saw the first Quad meet but it was a virtual one with a key outcome on the Quad Vaccine initiative. Under the initiative, India will be producing vaccines by early 2022 which will be given to countries in the Indo-Pacific. During the Blinken-EAM Jaishankar talks, sources said that India "will press for gradual resumption of international travel, while maintaining health protocols, especially easing the mobility of students, professionals, business travelers..", calling for the need for "ensuring open and consistent supply chains for materials and items required for vaccine production". Both Blinken and Jaishankar have met each other 3 times previously, first on the sidelines of the G7 foreign ministers meet in London, then during EAM's visit to the US, and finally, on the sidelines of the G20 FMs meet in Italy. On defence, "sides are expected to explore ways and means to deepen their collaboration" which will cover policy exchanges, exercises, and defence transfers and technologies. Later this year, both sides will hold the fourth 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue that will take place in the US. Meanwhile, on US State dept officials saying Human rights will be raised during the visit, sources said, "Issues such as human rights and democracy are universal and extend beyond a particular national or cultural perspective". Sources explained, "India is proud of its achievements in both domains and is always glad to share experiences", adding, "as a long-standing pluralistic society, India is open to engaging those who now recognize the value of diversity." Blinken is the second senior official of Biden Administration to visit Delhi this year. United States Secretary of Defense, General (Retd.) Lloyd J. Austin had visited New Delhi earlier this year. From Delhi, Blinken will go to Kuwait. WION was the first channel to break the story about Blinken's visit to India last week.

Blinken's India visit: India to discuss Pakistan support to terror, Afghanistan, Indo-Pacific

It's a mad world. And strange things happen everywhere. Facts are sometimes truly whackier than fiction. A man declared dead by no less than 3 doctors 'woke up' just before his autopsy.

The incident, mentioned in a report by ScienceAlert, took place in Spain.&nbsp;

The day was January 7, 2018. Gonzalo Montoya Jimenez, a prisoner serving prison sentence in a Spanish prison was found unresponsive. The prisoner was attended by two doctors who were on duty that day in the prison. Jimenez was declared dead by both of them.

Just to be sure, apparently, a forensic doctor was called in and the prisoner was declared dead the third time.

Usual bureaucratic procedures kicked in, Jimenez was put in a body bag and kept in cold storage of the mortuary. His body was marked with scalpel marks to carry out the autopsy.

It was in the mortuary that physicians realised something was terrbly wrong. They heard sound of snoring.

Coming from inside the body bag!

By this time, Jimenez had spent time in the cold storage and inside the body bag. But he was miraculously not dead.

He was then shifted to a hospital where he was said to be in stable condition.

Hospital authorities told the media that this could have been a case of Catalepsy, in which human body enters a seizure or trans-like stage and loses consciousness and sensation.

It's unimaginable what would have happened had Jimenez not woke up in time!

It's a mad world. And strange things happen everywhere. Facts are sometimes truly whackier than fiction. A man declared dead by no less than 3 doctors 'woke up' just before his autopsy.

It's a mad world. And strange things happen everywhere. Facts are sometimes truly whackier than fiction. A man declared dead by no less than 3 doctors 'woke up' just before his autopsy. The incident, mentioned in a report by ScienceAlert, took place in Spain. The day was January 7, 2018. Gonzalo Montoya Jimenez, a prisoner serving prison sentence in a Spanish prison was found unresponsive. The prisoner was attended by two doctors who were on duty that day in the prison. Jimenez was declared dead by both of them. Just to be sure, apparently, a forensic doctor was called in and the prisoner was declared dead the third time. Usual bureaucratic procedures kicked in, Jimenez was put in a body bag and kept in cold storage of the mortuary. His body was marked with scalpel marks to carry out the autopsy. It was in the mortuary that physicians realised something was terrbly wrong. They heard sound of snoring. Coming from inside the body bag! By this time, Jimenez had spent time in the cold storage and inside the body bag. But he was miraculously not dead. He was then shifted to a hospital where he was said to be in stable condition. Hospital authorities told the media that this could have been a case of Catalepsy, in which human body enters a seizure or trans-like stage and loses consciousness and sensation. It's unimaginable what would have happened had Jimenez not woke up in time!

Man declared dead by 3 doctors 'wakes up' just before autopsy

President of Ethiopia's Amhara region Agegnehu Teshager called on all armed residents for battle against Tigray rebels. State media said that he called it "survival campaign". Amhara region borders Tigray to the South. The regions are embroiled in a decades long dispute that has become central to eight-month-old war in Tigray.

Sunday's statement from Amhara regional president Agegnehu Teshager echoes a call made Friday by the president of Ethiopia's Afar region just east of Tigray.

Together the two statements highlight the potential for the Tigray war, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared all but over in late November, to draw in the rest of the country.

"Starting from tomorrow (Monday), I call on all people of age who are armed either at governmental or private level to mobilise for a survival campaign," Agegnehu said.

Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray last November to oust the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a move he said was in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps.

Fighting dragged on for months before the war took a stunning turn in late June, with pro-TPLF fighters reclaiming the Tigray capital Mekele and Abiy declaring a unilateral ceasefire.

Yet clashes have continued and officials from six regions and the city of Dire Dawa have since said they would send troops to back government forces.&nbsp;

The war has already killed thousands and, according to the United Nations, pushed hundreds of thousands into famine.

(Wion web team)

President of Ethiopia's Amhara region Agegnehu Teshager called on all armed residents for battle against Tigray rebels. State media said that he called it "survival campaign".

President of Ethiopia's Amhara region Agegnehu Teshager called on all armed residents for battle against Tigray rebels. State media said that he called it "survival campaign". Amhara region borders Tigray to the South. The regions are embroiled in a decades long dispute that has become central to eight-month-old war in Tigray. Sunday's statement from Amhara regional president Agegnehu Teshager echoes a call made Friday by the president of Ethiopia's Afar region just east of Tigray. Together the two statements highlight the potential for the Tigray war, which Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared all but over in late November, to draw in the rest of the country. "Starting from tomorrow (Monday), I call on all people of age who are armed either at governmental or private level to mobilise for a survival campaign," Agegnehu said. Abiy, winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, sent troops into Tigray last November to oust the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a move he said was in response to TPLF attacks on federal army camps. Fighting dragged on for months before the war took a stunning turn in late June, with pro-TPLF fighters reclaiming the Tigray capital Mekele and Abiy declaring a unilateral ceasefire. Yet clashes have continued and officials from six regions and the city of Dire Dawa have since said they would send troops to back government forces. The war has already killed thousands and, according to the United Nations, pushed hundreds of thousands into famine. (Wion web team)

Ethiopia: Amhara region boss makes appeal against Tigray rebels

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of Russian navy's capability of a 'lethal strike' as he spoke during a parade of warships in port city of St Petersburg. His words have come just a day after military officials announced test of new advanced weapons. Some of these weapons come from the arsenal Putin said was 'invincible'

"The Russian navy today has everything it needs to guarantee the protection of our country and our national interests," he said.

"We can detect underwater, surface or aerial enemies and target them if a lethal strike is necessary," Putin said according to a broadcast on state television.

The Russian leader was speaking on the sidelines of an annual parade of military vessels, flanked by naval officers in white, and also Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cuba-russia-sends-help-to-communist-nation-after-protests-400404">Cuba: Russia sends help to Communist nation after protests</a>

Putin said Russia had secured its place among the world's leading naval powers, including by developing "the latest hypersonic precision weapons still unrivalled in the world".

The United States, China, France and other major powers have announced plans to develop their own hypersonic weapons and are expected to soon catch up.

With the second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world and a huge cache of ballistic missiles, Russia already has more than enough military capacity to deter its enemies.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of Russian navy's capability of a 'lethal strike' as he spoke during a parade of warships in port city of St Petersburg. His words have come just a day after military officials announced test of new advanced weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke of Russian navy's capability of a 'lethal strike' as he spoke during a parade of warships in port city of St Petersburg. His words have come just a day after military officials announced test of new advanced weapons. Some of these weapons come from the arsenal Putin said was 'invincible' "The Russian navy today has everything it needs to guarantee the protection of our country and our national interests," he said. "We can detect underwater, surface or aerial enemies and target them if a lethal strike is necessary," Putin said according to a broadcast on state television. The Russian leader was speaking on the sidelines of an annual parade of military vessels, flanked by naval officers in white, and also Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu. Also Read | Cuba: Russia sends help to Communist nation after protests Putin said Russia had secured its place among the world's leading naval powers, including by developing "the latest hypersonic precision weapons still unrivalled in the world". The United States, China, France and other major powers have announced plans to develop their own hypersonic weapons and are expected to soon catch up. With the second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons in the world and a huge cache of ballistic missiles, Russia already has more than enough military capacity to deter its enemies. (With inputs from agencies)

Putin talks of 'lethal strike' during Russian warship parade

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Manas Joshi

Home

Live Tv

Latest

World

India

Business

Entertainment

Sports

Opinions

Videos

Photos

Gravitas

Lifestyle

Science

Tech

Rajasthan News in Hindi: In-depth coverage of Rajasthan Crime, Political News, Education, Rajasthan Weather Update and Latest Rajasthan News on Zee News Rajasthan.