MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/: The wounds of journalists and the death of RIA Novosti correspondent Rostislav Zhuravlev in a Ukrainian cluster munitions strike prove that the assurances of the Americans and Ukrainians about the non-use of these weapons against civilians are lies, and therefore both Kiev and Washington equally share responsibility for this crime, Russian Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said on Saturday.

BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds of protesters attempted to storm Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and the seat of Iraq’s government, early Saturday following reports an ultranationalist group burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen.

Security forces pushed back protesters, who blocked the Jumhuriya bridge leading to the Green Zone, preventing them from reaching the Danish Embassy.

DODOMA, July 22 (NNN-DAILYNEWS) — Tanzania has pledged good management of funds released by the Canadian government for the improvement of maternal health services, newborn’s, children and youth.

Minister for Health Ummy Mwalimu made the statement posted on her verified Twitter account @ummymwalimu, stating that Canada is a major contributor to the Health Basket Fund which is the main source of funds for dispensaries, health centers and council hospitals.

July 22 (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that persons desecrating the Koran should face the "most severe punishment" and demanded Sweden hand them over for prosecution in Islamic countries, Iran's state media reported.

"All Islamic scholars agree that those who desecrate the Koran deserved the most severe punishment... The duty of that (Swedish) government is to hand over the perpetrator to the judicial systems of Islamic countries," Khamenei said in a statement carried by state media.

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI employees wrongly searched foreign surveillance data for the last names of a U.S. senator and a state senator, according to a court opinion released Friday. The disclosure could further complicate Biden administration efforts to renew a major spy program that already faces bipartisan opposition in Congress.

Another FBI employee improperly queried the Social Security number of a state judge who alleged civil rights violations by a municipal chief of police, according to the opinion by the chief judge of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man who worked as a politically appointed State Department official in former President Donald Trump’s administration was convicted Thursday of charges that he attacked police officers during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden heard testimony without a jury before he convicted the former official, Federico Guillermo Klein, and a co-defendant, Steven Cappuccio, of assault charges and other felony offenses stemming from the riot at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of Trump supporters.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A tornado heavily damaged a major Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina on Wednesday, while torrential rain flooded communities in Kentucky and an area from California to South Florida endured more scorching heat.

Pfizer confirmed that the large manufacturing complex was damaged by a twister that touched down shortly after midday near Rocky Mount, but said in an email that it had no reports of serious injuries. A later company statement said all employees were safely evacuated and accounted for.

MOSCOW, July 21 (Reuters) - Russian investigators on Friday detained prominent Russian nationalist Igor Girkin, who had publicly accused President Vladimir Putin and the army top brass of not prosecuting the war in Ukraine harshly or effectively enough.

The move, reported by his wife, his lawyer and the RBC news outlet, suggests the authorities have wearied of his criticism of what they call Russia's "special military operation".

LONDON (AP) — Voters weary of economic pain and political turmoil handed Britain’s governing Conservatives two thumping defeats Friday in a trio of special elections that point toward likely defeat for the party in the next national election.

The Conservatives avoided a wipeout by holding onto former premier Boris Johnson ‘s seat in suburban London — a sliver of comfort for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s party.

Sunak said the results showed that the next general election, due by the end of 2024, was not “a done deal.”

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A pink phone. A New York mission. Swedish diplomats. A North-South Korean hotline.

The United States and reclusive North Korea have no diplomatic ties — but they still have ways to contact each other. An American official said Wednesday that the U.S. government had reached out to the North as it tries to discuss a U.S. soldier who dashed into North Korea during a tour of a border area this week. The North has not yet responded, according to the U.S.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley released an unclassified document Thursday that Republicans claim is significant in their investigation of Hunter Biden as they delve into the financial affairs of the president and his son, and revive previously debunked claims of wrongdoing.

Grassley of Iowa has been working alongside House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., as Republicans deepen their probe of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, ahead of the 2024 election. Comer had issued a subpoena for the document from the FBI.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is staking his reelection bid on the political and financial muscle of the Democratic National Committee.

As it prepares for a bruising 2024 contest, his campaign plans to raise and spend around $2 billion. But it will do so in coordination with the national and state Democratic parties, in an effort to establish a coordinated campaign around the country. The idea is to bolster field, volunteer and data organizations, and ensure they work jointly to promote Biden and down-ballot Democratic candidates.