RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday criticized the U.S. decision to revoke the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, calling the move “irresponsible and thoughtless”. Speaking in an interview with YouTube channel Meteoro Brasil, Lula said the decision was unwarranted for two countries with over two centuries of diplomatic ties, adding that Brazil will not receive new ambassadors before its general elections schedled for October. The U.S. Department of State announced the visa revocation on Tuesday in retaliation for Brazil’s refusal last month to issue visas to two US officials, as well as its alleged delays in approving U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez.

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KINSHASA (AP) - Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached 4,053, including 1,850 deaths, as health authorities investigate whether changes in the virus may be contributing to the unprecedented outbreak and accelerate trials for potential vaccines and treatments. The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, has become the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded globally and the largest in the DRC since the virus was first identified in the country in 1976. The latest figures released by the DRC authorities showed that as of Wednesday, the country had recorded 4,053 confirmed cases, including 1,850 deaths and 793 recoveries. Cases had been reported in 53 health zones across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

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BANGKOK (AFP) - A student shot several people at a high school north of Thailand’s capital on Friday, killing five school staff members, including teachers and administrators, and wounding several others, police said. The shooting happened at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province northwest of Bangkok. The gunman shot and killed his grandparents at their home Friday morning before opening fire at the school on Bangkok’s outskirts, police said. He fired 26 rounds and another 34 rounds of ammunition were found at the scene, police said in a statement.  The 14-year-old shooter took his own life at the school, officials said.

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TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that trade negotiations with the United States had turned “nasty” after President Donald Trump derided America’s neighbor and its leadership while threatening to expand tariffs. Carney said Canada remained engaged in the negotiations despite Trump’s comments, describing the talks as a fight to protect Canadian workers and businesses. “This is a tough negotiation,” Carney said in French. “You can say ‘nasty.’ But this is a question of Canadian jobs. It’s a question of the future of Canadian businesses.” Trump criticized Canada during a speech Wednesday in Las Vegas.

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ROME (Xinhua) -- Italy will not reverse its decision to temporarily suspend the application of the Schengen Agreement for third-country nationals arriving from Spain until at least Aug. 15 amid national security and border control concerns, the Italian government said on Friday. The government said Italy “does not accept ultimatums or external pressure” on matters concerning national security and border management. The temporary measure will remain in place until authorities are certain that there are no security or terrorism risks to Italy, no new large-scale migration waves toward Europe, and no irregular migrants heading to Italian territory via Spain, the government said.