USA

(AP) --- One by one, several of Donald Trump’s former top advisers have told a special House committee investigating his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection that they didn’t believe his lies about the 2020 election, and that the former president knew he lost to Joe Biden.

But instead of convincing Trump’s most stalwart supporters, testimony from former attorney general Bill Barr and Trump’s daughter Ivanka about the election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol is prompting many of them to simply reassert their views that the former president was correct in his false claim of victory.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — One firefighter has died after being trapped in a building that caught fire in Philadelphia and then collapsed early Saturday, fire officials said.

The fallen firefighter was not immediately identified, but Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said he was a 27-year department veteran. “It’s going to be a rough few weeks coming up,” Murphy said at a media briefing around 8 a.m.

The building had caught fire just before 2 a.m. Saturday, Murphy said. The fire had been put out, but then the building collapsed at 3:24 a.m.

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) — President Joe Biden fell when he tried to get off his bike at the end of a ride Saturday at Cape Henlopen State Park near his beach home in Delaware, but said he wasn’t hurt.

“I’m good,” he told reporters after U.S. Secret Service Agents quickly helped him up. “I got my foot caught” in the toe cages.

Biden, 79, and first lady Jill Biden were wrapping up a morning ride when the president decided to pedal over to a crowd of well-wishers standing by the bike trail. Biden, who was wearing a helmet, tumbled when he tried to dismount.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are going to hold onto the House after November’s midterm elections. They will pick up as many as four seats in the Senate, expanding their majority and overcoming internal dissent that has helped stifle their agenda.

17 June 2022; MEMO: The United States yesterday imposed sanctions on Chinese and Emirati companies and on a network of Iranian firms that help export Iran's petrochemicals, a step that may raise pressure on Tehran to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, Reuters reports.

17 June 2022; MEMO: UN human rights experts denounced Israel on Thursday for the conviction of a Gaza aid worker for "financing terrorism", Anadolu News Agency reports.

The conviction of Mohammed El-Halabi, the former Program Director of World Vision's Gaza office, was "a clear violation of Israel's obligation" to respect the right to a fair trial, the UN experts said in a statement.

UNITED NATIONS, Jun 17 (APP): Conflict, violence and other crises left a record 36.5 million children displaced from their homes by the end of last year, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) estimates – the highest number recorded since the Second World War, the agency said on Friday.

This figure includes 13.7 million child refugees and asylum-seekers, and nearly 22.8 million, who are internally displaced due to conflict and violence.

WASHINGTON, Jun 17 (APP): The United States has joined Islamic countries in condemning the derogatory remarks by India’s ruling party leaders about Holy Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) that have angered the Muslims across the world.

“Well, this is something that we’ve condemned,” State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters at his daily briefing on Thursday, in response to a question from the correspondent of a private Pakistani television channel.

WASHINGTON, June 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Leading US epidemiologist Anthony Fauci has tested positive for COVID-19 despite having taken four doses of vaccine against the malady, it was reported. The 81-year-old physician has been said to be experiencing “mild symptoms.”

UNITED NATIONS, June 17 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Migrant workers sent home an estimated $605 billion to low- and middle-income countries last year, a UN study said, boosted by an increase in payments sent via mobile phones.

Global remittances rose 8.6 percent compared to 2020 and are projected to grow to $630 billion in 2022, according to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

Such payments are a major source of income for many low-income households, with around 800 million family members expected to benefit in 2022.