AFP A suspected arson attack at an animation production company in Japan killed 33 people and injured dozens more on Thursday, after a man reportedly doused the building with flammable liquid and shouted “drop dead.” A motive for the apparent attack remained unclear hours after the blaze. If arson is confirmed, the attack will be
Associated Press Benjamin Netanyahu becomes Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, he is solidifying his place as the country’s greatest political survivor and the most dominant force in Israeli politics in his generation. He has persevered through scandals, crises and conflicts, winning election after election even as the country grows more bitterly polarized. His supporters credit him
AFP The US House of Representatives formally condemned Donald Trump on Tuesday for xenophobic attacks on four minority Democratic lawmakers and hostile language targeting immigrants, as the president denied accusations of racism. Top Republican leaders rallied around Trump, but four members of the president’s party voted with the 235 Democrats to condemn him for “racist
Associated Press A passenger train rammed into a freight train at a railway station in southern Pakistan on Thursday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 74 others, hospital officials said. The freight train was stationary when the speeding passenger train struck it at Walhar Railway Station in Rahim Yar Khan, in the eastern Punjab
AFP President Donald Trump warned Wednesday that sanctions against Iran would soon be “increased substantially” after Tehran said it had exceeded a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal abandoned by Washington. “Iran has long been secretly ‘enriching,’ in total violation of the terrible 150 Billion Dollar deal made by John Kerry
AFP Britain’s ambassador to Washington resigned Wednesday after being targeted by US President Donald Trump following the leak of highly critical diplomatic cables. Outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May had offered her full support to Kim Darroch after he was revealed to have described the Trump administration as “inept”. But the man tipped to replace her
Associated Press Hong Kong protest leaders opposed to the administration of Chief Executive Carrie Lam said Tuesday that they will continue their demonstrations, even after Lam declared the effort to amend a highly contentious extradition bill “dead.” Protesters are persisting in their demands for the bill to be formally withdrawn and an investigation opened into
AFP President Donald Trump on Tuesday called the British ambassador to the United States “a very stupid guy,” one day after declaring he would cut contact with the diplomat following a leak of cables describing Trump as “inept.” “I don’t know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool,” Trump wrote in
AFP London summoned Beijing’s ambassador for a dressing down Wednesday in a rapidly escalating diplomatic feud over protests in Hong Kong as China told Britain to keep its “hands off” the city and “show respect”. The demonstrations sweeping the former British colony have also revived tensions inherent in the two sides’ historic agreement on the
AFP At least 18 people were killed in Mumbai on Tuesday when a wall collapsed as the heaviest monsoon rains in a decade brought chaos to India’s financial capital and surrounding areas. Scores more were injured when the structure came down around 02:00 (20:30 GMT Monday) in a slum, said Tanaji Kamble, a disaster management
BBC The European Parliament has re-opened in Strasbourg with an anti-EU protest by the UK’s Brexit Party and a demonstration by Catalan nationalists whose MEPs are barred. The first session after Europe-wide elections in May began as EU leaders went into a third day of talks on who should fill the bloc’s top jobs. A
BBC The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million globally last year – the highest number in the UN refugee agency’s almost 70 years of operations. The almost 70.8 million people forcibly displaced is 2.3 million more than the previous year, according to the agency’s annual Global Trends report. The figure
BBC US President Donald Trump has formally launched his re-election campaign, urging supporters to “keep this team in place” for four more years. The Republican president made his case before thousands of supporters at a rally in Florida, calling the state “my second home”. Trump used the announcement to lash out at Democrats, accusing them
By AFP THE United States will start removing “millions” of illegal migrants next week, President Donald Trump said Monday, adding that Guatemala is preparing to sign a safe third country deal. “Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.
By AFP THE six Conservatives vying to become Britain’s prime minister face off in the second round of voting on Tuesday, with the final pair to be decided by the end of the week. The outcome of the leadership battle could determine under what conditions Britain leaves the European Union. It is currently scheduled to
By BBC ARGENTINA is investigating what caused a massive power cut that hit nearly 50 million people. President Mauricio Macri called the outage “unprecedented”, promising a thorough inquiry. Almost all of Argentina, neighbouring Uruguay and some areas of Paraguay woke up to darkness on Sunday. The disruption hit public transport while hospitals were forced to
By AFP PARIS: The Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will host its first mass on Saturday (Jun 15), exactly two months after the devastating blaze that shocked France and the world. For safety reasons, the mass led by Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit will be celebrated on a very small scale. Worshippers will be expected to don
By BBC THOUSANDS of Venezuelans have rushed to cross into Peru in a bid to beat the introduction of tougher migration laws. From midnight local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, Venezuelans will need to have a valid passport and visa to enter Peru. The new requirements prompted a dash to the border from those fleeing
BBC US President Donald Trump said the US and UK have the “greatest alliance the world has ever known” in a news conference with Theresa May. The prime minister said they had a “great relationship” that they should “build on”. But they also “openly” discussed their differences, such as on climate change, Iran and China,
CNN A 40-year-old Honduran woman who was apprehended early Monday morning near the border in Eagle Pass, Texas, has died in Customs and Border Protection custody, the agency announced. CBP said in a statement later Monday that the woman collapsed about 25 minutes after being apprehended, and that agents “quickly initiated emergency medical care.” Emergency
