Four more victims were pulled out from the rubble of a building that collapsed in the US state of Florida on Sunday, bringing the death toll to 90, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.

Of those, 71 victims have been identified, and their next of kin has been notified.

"And our hearts and minds are always with those we've lost and with the families who are grieving and those that are still waiting," Levine Cava told a news conference.

She said 217 people are now accounted for and 31 others "potentially unaccounted for" at the collapse in Surfside, Florida.

The search through the massive debris pile has gone on continuously since about half of the Champlain Towers South building collapsed early on June 24.

According to the mayor, the search and rescue team continues to "make incredible progress" delayering the pile.

"We have now recovered over 14 million pounds of concrete and debris," she added./aa

A triumphant Richard Branson and five others completed a much-hyped trip to the edge of space on Sunday morning, a momentous step in Branson's goal to create space tourism for ordinary citizens.

"Welcome to the dawn of a new space age," a beaming Branson told cheering fans and reporters afterwards, outside Spaceport America, a giant, space-age complex and hangar in a desolate part of New Mexico state.

The liftoff was delayed by about 90 minutes, because of high winds on Saturday night that set back the timeline of the launch.

But the weather was sunny and hot when the "mothership" -- a double fuselage plane looking like two airplanes joined together at the wings -- took off around 8:45 a.m. local time.

The ship is named "Eve", after Branson's late mother.

Branson, three Virgin Galactic co-workers and two pilots were aboard the Unity spacecraft, which hung between the two fuselages of Eve, until it was released at about 90 kilometers above the earth. From there, Unity climbed straight up into orbit, like the top of a rollercoaster.

The in-flight camera had some technical glitches, but from brief glimpses, it appeared Branson and the three others had unbuckled themselves and floated weightless for a few minutes, just as planned, before Unity started a dive back down.

After they returned to their seats and strapped back in, Branson grinned broadly as he said, "Space is a beautiful place" and congratulated his team.

Later, Unity and Eve both made flawless landings on the roughly four-kilometer landing strip from where they began.

There has been some debate over whether Branson's flight was truly a "space" flight.

America's space agency, NASA, deems the edge of space at around 90 kilometers above the earth, the approximate height of the Branson trip. But international space agencies put the edge of space, technically, at around 100 kilometers.

Branson's team argued that because they would be weightless and see the curvature of the earth, they would indeed be "in space".

Branson moved up his launch date to beat billionaire Jeff Bezos' quest to hold the "first-tourist-in-space" title. Bezos will launch his Blue Origin space capsule on July 20 from West Texas, with himself and five others aboard.

Bezos' team has trolled Branson by questioning the validity of the space height, saying the Bezos flight would be reaching that 100 kilometer threshold, but Bezos tweeted his best wishes to Branson on Saturday night.

Regardless, both flights, assuming Bezos' trip is also successful, will provide a big advance in the race to bring tourists into space. Already, about 600 people have signed up for space rides on Virgin Galactic, scheduled to begin next year, including celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Tom Hanks and Justin Bieber.

But it will not be cheap; prices for either the Branson or Bezos trips, with just a few minutes of weightlessness, will be around $200,000 per person.

Still, while promoting Virgin Galactic as the preeminent mode of future space travel, Branson said, "The mission statement I wrote inside my spacesuit was to turn the dream of a space shuttle into a reality for my grandchildren.. for your grandchildren.. for everybody."

And Branson said that anybody can donate to a charity that he is partnering with, in order for the chance to win two free tickets on an early Virgin space flight, "and, with my Willy Wonka hat on, a guided tour of Spaceport America given by yours truly, and I promise lots of chocolate in the factory."/agencies

Italy’s economy and finance minister announced Saturday that G20 countries reached a deal on international tax regulation for multinational companies.

Daniele Franco told a news conference that he and his counterparts was able to secure an agreement on the payment of taxes by multinational companies where they operate and make profits.

It is a significant achievement and will contribute to the stability of the international tax system in years to come, he said.

Franco also noted that the group intends to put into effect mechanisms they agreed on until the G20 Leaders' Summit at the end of October.

"We have reached a historical agreement for a more stable and fair international tax system," according to a final declaration./aa

Denial of the Srebrenica genocide, in which more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims were murdered by Bosnian Serb forces, continues in the region to this day, according to a new report released this week.

“Genocide denial, including the glorification of war crimes and criminals, remains widespread in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and neighboring countries,” said the Srebrenica Genocide Denial Report 2021, published by the Srebrenica Memorial Center on Friday.

According to the report, there were 234 instances of genocide denial in the regional public and media discourse over the past year – 142 in Serbia, 60 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 19 in Montenegro.

“The three most common rhetorical tactics used in genocide denial remain disputing the number and identity of victims, conspiracy theories which challenge the rulings and integrity of international courts, and nationalist historical revisionism,” said the report, which included data from between May 1, 2020 and April 30, 2021.

“Attempts to silence or disparage public discourse about the genocide” and “portraying the recognition and memorialization of the genocide as an attack on the Serbian people” were among the common practices used for denial, the report said.

“Obstruction of the adoption of legislation banning genocide denial” and “opposition to the official recognition or condemnation of the genocide by states, local governments, and institutions” were also used to deny the atrocity, it added.

Srebrenica genocide

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

The Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, overran the UN zone.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different places in the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that a genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina./aa

Leading political figures across the world, including the Turkish president, commemorated the 1995 Srebrenica genocide on Sunday.

Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the 26th anniversary of the tragic events, bidding farewell to 19 newly identified victims of the massacre at a memorial service.

Every year on July 11, newly identified victims of the genocide are laid to rest at a memorial cemetery in the village of Potocari, eastern Bosnia. Thousands of visitors from various countries attend the funeral.

The memorial center is the focal point of remembrance for friends and relatives of the victims, mostly men and boys, murdered by Bosnian Serb militias.

Turkey will never let the genocide, which is “a black mark in the history of Europe and humanity,” be forgotten, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stressed.

In a statement, the UK’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: “Today, we pause to remember the victims and honour the survivors of the Srebrenica genocide.”

European Council President Charles Michel in a video message noted: “We are united in our sorrow. But also in our hope to never see such atrocities in Europe again.”

Paying respect to the families and the loved ones of the victims, Michel added: “The European Union stands by you, Bosnia and Herzegovina. You can always count on our support and our friendship.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said American people join the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina in solemn remembrance of the over 8,000 victims who were murdered 26 years ago.

"We stand with the families of those who lost their loved ones and with those who tirelessly seek justice in their names.

"The tragic events of the past remind us of the need to work in unity for a better future, one that is inclusive of all citizens in a Bosnia and Herzegovina that is stable and prosperous," said Blinken in a statement.

US Ambassador to Sarajevo Eric Nelson said: “On behalf of all people of the USA, I join all those in Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond in grieving the more than 8000 victims murdered in Srebrenica Genocide.”

In a statement, EU Ambassador in Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler said: “The International Community is aware of our historic duty to put the mistakes of the past right in order to build a better future. We owe this to the victims of and their families.”

In his video message on Twitter, Nelson also noted: “What happened there 26 years ago is a fact that must never be forgotten, denied or minimized.”

UNESCO, on its official Twitter account, said: “The best tribute to all the victims is to renew today our commitment to use the power of education to preserve history & to prevent genocides from ever happening again.”

President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Ersin Tatar also commemorated the victims on the 26th anniversary of the genocide.

"On the 26th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre, which was one of the greatest sufferings in the history of the Balkans and resulted in the massacre of 8,372 Bosnians on July 11, 1995, I respectfully commemorate those who lost their lives,” Tatar wrote on Twitter.

Sefik Dzaferovic, the Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, said words are insufficient to describe the pain and suffering. "The white tombstones of the victims, and the tears of mothers who lost their children give us an idea what happened,” he said.

The aim of Serb forces was the elimination of Muslims, to leave the families orphaned and defenseless, and to expel the Bosniaks living in this region, said Dzaferivic.

Oliver Varhelyi, the EU commissioner on neighborhood and enlargement, said Europe has not forgotten its own responsibility for not being able to prevent the Srebrenica genocide, one of the worst crimes in Europe’s modern history.

"It is our shared duty to forever remember the genocide in Srebrenica. Today 19 more victims are laid to rest. We honor their memory, and of all victims and those still missing," he said.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, Head of the International Criminal Procedure Mechanism Carmel Agius, North Macedonian Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani, UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu, and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also sent separate messages.

Croat member of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential Council Zeljko Komsic, Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, and Turkey's Deputy Culture and Tourism Minister Serdar Cam attended the commemoration program in Potocari.

After this year’s funeral, the number of burials in the cemetery has risen to 6,671.

Azmir Osmanovic, only 16 when he was killed, was the youngest victim buried this year. Husein Kurbasic, 63, was the oldest.

Commemorations

At the historic bridge in Mostar – an iconic city with a pluralistic society – people gathered to throw white lilies into the Neretva River, symbolizing the innocence of the genocide victims.

Hundreds of motorcyclists from across Europe held a procession from the capital Sarajevo to Srebrenica to commemorate the victims.

More than 200 bicyclists also gathered in the northern city of Bihac to honor the victims.

Meanwhile, thousands participated in Mars Mira, an annual peace march. The first one was held in 2005 to mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide.

Thousands of people from all over the world come to the Bosnian town, and follow the same forest path used by the Bosniaks when they were fleeing genocide.

The campaign lasts three days, culminating in the participants' arrival to Potocari.

Srebrenica genocide

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

The Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council had declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. However, troops led by Gen. Ratko Mladic, who was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, overran the UN zone.

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing some 2,000 men and boys on July 11 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains, but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different places in the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, 2021, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina./aa

Syrian politician Ammar Haidar, imprisoned by the Bashar Assad regime in 2009, reunited with his daughter Marwa Haidar in the Turkish metropolis Istanbul after 12 years.

Born in Hama, Syria, Haidar, since his youth, has opposed the Assad family due to their anti-democratic practices.

Haidar, who started his political activities in the early 1980s, was sentenced to prison many times for his opposing activities.

He was imprisoned for two years in 2009. Not satisfied with putting Haidar in jail, the Assad regime also put pressure on his daughter and wife.

Haidar, who was a well-off contractor in Syria, sent his wife and daughter to Jordan due to this pressure.

After he was released with the amnesty following the start of the civil war in Syria in 2011, Haidar decided to fight the Assad regime with other oppositionists in Syria instead of going back to his family.

He continued his struggle until 2014 and was arrested again in the same year and imprisoned for a short time, and later went to Turkey in 2015 because Jordan did not accept political refugees.

His daughter Marwa, who is now 28 years old, had to go to Jordan with her mother when she was a 16-year-old high school student. After graduating from high school there, she studied graphic design at a private university, but was forced to leave her education in the 3rd grade due to the deterioration of her father's financial situation.

She worked in various jobs to take care of her mother and make a living, and also used to draw graphic designs.

Although she and her father wanted to meet during this process, they could not get together due to various obstacles.

A father living in Turkey and a daughter living in Lebanon had an opportunity to meet in Istanbul after 12 years. The Haidar family now wants to live together in Turkey, without falling apart again.

Human rights violations

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Haidar said he attended a meeting in Lebanon in 2009 with many people from different countries, but was detained after returning to his country for speaking about human rights violations in Syria.

"I was in prison until 2011. After I was released in 2011, the war had started. All politicians were released as Assad issued a general amnesty. That's why I was released. All people started to oppose the Assad regime. I also took an active role there," he added.

Noting that he was arrested again in 2014, Haidar said he spent in prison for one more month.

"This one month was the hardest. I have witnessed many prisons, but this time it was very bad. They tortured a lot. There were 17 people in a 2-meter (6.5 feet) area. The toilet was in the same place. In a one-month period, three to four people were killed in front of my eyes every day."

Haidar said the people working in prison "were not normal people."

"Even the regime couldn't control them. They were very cruel people. After one month, my health condition deteriorated too much and with a little luck I was able to get out," he said.

Later, Haidar moved to Lebanon.

"When I went there, I hoped that I could fight more, but the conditions were bad in Lebanon as well. Hezbollah was doing a lot of harm to the Syrian people. There was a lot of discrimination and I faced a lot of pressure. I stayed in Lebanon for one year," he added.

Haidar went on to say that he wanted to cross to Europe from Turkey as well, and, although he tried 12 times, he did not succeed, and was caught and sent back by Greece each time he tried.

Long-awaited happiness

Haidar said he has not seen his wife and daughter since he was imprisoned in 2009.

"When I was imprisoned, I couldn't even communicate with them for a long time. Then I had a chance to talk to my family and asked them to go to Jordan. My family was also oppressed by Assad. They were also in a very bad state psychologically," he said.

Haidar also stressed that since that time he has only spoken to his family over the phone.

"This moment of reunion has been in my mind for 12 years. I used to dream of this meeting before I went to bed (all those years)."

Marwa said she missed her father very much, adding that it was very difficult to live without a father in a foreign country, and her only consolation was the hope of seeing him again.

"For 12 years I lived with the dream of seeing my father (again). ... I used to feel upset seeing children walking with their fathers," she said.

"When I saw my father at the airport gate, I hugged him tightly. I looked away and hugged him again. This was my father and he was in good health. I looked, hugged again and again. It took me a while to believe that," Marwa added./aa

Four people were killed in a bomb attack in the city of Port Sudan in eastern Sudan late Saturday, according to a local doctors’ committee.

The Central Committee of the Sudanese Doctors said in a statement on Sunday that two other people were injured when unidentified people hurled a bomb in the city.

A suspected attacker was arrested by local residents, the statement said.

Another bomb attack was reported in Albasiri Plaze Hotel in the city. No casualties were reported.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

"The phenomena of gunmen on motorbikes attacking civilians has become a serious problem. Residents are really terrified,” a local resident told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity for fears of retribution. “The city this morning is empty as everybody have stayed home.”

There was no comment from Sudanese authorities on the violence.

Port Sudan has witnessed sporadic tribal violence earlier this year, leaving dozens dead./aa

Former “Israeli” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left his official residence in West Jerusalem early Sunday, one month after losing his post to his successor Naftali Bennett, according to local media.

The “Israeli” Broadcasting Corporation network reported that a number of vehicles belonging to Netanyahu's official convoy left the residence in Balfour Street.

The move came under an agreement between Netanyahu and Bennett last month to vacate the residence on July 10-11.

Netanyahu's family will move to their private home in Caesarea in northern “Israel” until they renovate their apartment in Gaza Street in West Jerusalem where he lived till 2009 when he became prime minister.

Bennett is set to take over the prime minister's residence on Sunday./agencies 

Coffins of 19 Srebrenica genocide victims carried to Potocari cemetery

The coffins of 19 victims killed in a genocide in Srebrenica were moved to the Potocari Memorial Cemetery, where they will be buried Sunday.

The victims, who will be buried on the 26th anniversary of the genocide in 1995, in which at least 8,372 Bosniak civilians were brutally killed by Serbian forces, were brought to the cemetery on shoulders from the old battery factory used as a base by UN soldiers during the war

Azmir Osmanovic, who was only 16 when he was killed, is the youngest victim to be buried this year. Husein Kurbasic, the oldest, was 63.

Other victims to be buried include Vejsil Hamzabegovic, Muhidin Mehmedovic, Ramiz Selimovic, Esnaf Halilovic, Muamer Mujic, Mehmed Beganovic, Hajro Aljic, Jusuf Aljic, Zajim Hasanovic, Asim Nukic, Nezir Dautovic, Ibrahim Avdagic, Jusuf Halilovic, Salih Dzananovic, Meho Karahodzic, Fikret Kiveric and Zilha Delic.

After the funerals, the number of burials at the cemetery will rise to 6,671.

A three-day peace march organized annually on the forest path that was used by civilians fleeing the genocide that started in Srebrenica in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 11, 1995, trying to reach Tuzla, ended with the participants reaching the Potocari Memorial Cemetery.

Participants of the march, which was held for the seventeenth time this year, prayed for victims at the cemetery.

Srebrenica genocide

More than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed when Bosnian Serb forces attacked Srebrenica in July 1995, despite the presence of Dutch peacekeeping troops.

Serb forces were trying to wrest territory from Bosnian Muslims and Croats to form a state.

The UN Security Council declared Srebrenica a “safe area” in the spring of 1993. But troops led by Gen. Mladic overran the UN zone. Mladic was later found guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide,

Dutch troops failed to act as Serb forces occupied the area, killing 2,000 men and boys on July 11, 1995 alone.

About 15,000 residents of Srebrenica fled to the surrounding mountains but Serb troops hunted down and killed 6,000 more people.

Bodies of victims have been found in 570 different areas across the country.

In 2007, the International Court of Justice at The Hague ruled that genocide had been committed in Srebrenica.

On June 8, UN tribunal judges upheld in a second-instance trial, a verdict sentencing Mladic to life in prison for the genocide, persecution, crimes against humanity, extermination, and other war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina./aa