Bid for US president: Barack, Michelle Obama endorse Kamala Harris

Former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle endorsed Kamala Harris’ bid for president yesterday in a roughly one-minute long video that captured a private phone call between the couple and the current vice president.
26 July 2024

‘Sabotage’ hits French trains hours before Olympics

Saboteurs struck France’s TGV high-speed train network yesterday in a series of pre-dawn attacks across the country, causing travel chaos and exposing security gaps ahead of the Paris Olympics opening ceremony later in the day.
26 July 2024

Lanka to hold presidential polls Sept 21

Sri Lanka will hold presidential elections on September 21, a government notice said yesterday, setting the date for a crucial vote expected to determine the future of reforms in the South Asian nation weathering its worst financial crisis in decades.
26 July 2024

Wave of Israeli strikes hit Gaza’s north, south

A new wave of air strikes by Israeli fighter jets yesterday targeted the Gaza Strip, including Khan Younis in the south, the Bureij refugee camp in the centre, and Gaza City in the north of the enclave.
26 July 2024

Humanity suffers from ‘extreme heat epidemic’

Humanity is suffering from an “extreme heat epidemic,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday, calling for action to limit the impacts of heat waves intensified by climate change.
26 July 2024

Ancient secrets unearthed in vast Turkish cave city

Through a basement door in southeastern Turkey lies a sprawling underground city -- perhaps the country’s largest -- which one historian believes dates back to the ninth century before Jesus Christ.
26 July 2024

95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp

South Africa authorities rounded up 95 Libyans in a raid yesterday at a farm that appeared to have been converted into a military training base, police said.
26 July 2024

Trump will not agree to debate Harris until Democrats 'decide' nominee: campaign

Republican White House candidate Donald Trump rejected scheduling a debate with his presumptive Democratic challenger Kamala Harris because she has not been officially named her party's nominee, his campaign said Thursday
26 July 2024

US arrests Mexican drug lord 'El Mayo' and El Chapo's son in Texas

Mexican drug kingpin Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and the son of his ex-partner, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, were arrested on Thursday in El Paso, Texas, in a major coup for US authorities that may also reshape the Mexican criminal landscape
26 July 2024

Biden told Netanyahu to 'finalise' Gaza deal: White House

President Joe Biden met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday and called on the Israeli leader to swiftly finalize a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages
26 July 2024

Arrives a show like no other

In the midst of its own political upheaval and rising global tensions, France is set to host an unprecedented Olympic showcase, marking a significant departure from traditional stadium settings for the first time since the Summer Olympics began in 1896.
25 July 2024

Israeli forces advance in southern Gaza

Israeli forces advanced deeper into some towns on the eastern side of Khan Younis in southern Gaza yesterday and tanks advanced in central Rafah, with airstrikes and shelling killing 30 Palestinians over the past day, health officials said.
25 July 2024

Cambodia opposition leader fined $1.5m for defaming ruling party

A Cambodian court fined an opposition leader about $1.5 million yesterday for defaming the ruling party by claiming democracy had regressed since the former prime minister’s son took power last year.
25 July 2024

Russian drones attack Ukraine port for a second night

Russian drones attacked the southern Ukrainian port city of Izmail for a second straight night damaging infrastructure, Kyiv said yesterday, claiming several Russian attack drones entered Romanian airspace.
25 July 2024

Morocco heatwave kills over 20 people in 24 hours

A heatwave in Morocco has killed at least 21 people in a 24-hour period in the central city of Beni Mellal, the health ministry announced yesterday.
25 July 2024

Flash floods, landslides kill seven in Vietnam

Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed seven people in northern Vietnam and swept away homes, disaster officials and state media said yesterday.
25 July 2024

Boeing finalises 737 MAX guilty plea deal

Boeing finalised a guilty plea to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge and agreed to pay at least $243.6 million after breaching a 2021 agreement with the US Justice Department, according to a court filing on Wednesday.
25 July 2024

Tanker capsizes off Philippines

A marine tanker carrying industrial fuel sank in rough seas off the Philippines yesterday, causing a large oil spill as coast guard rescuers search for a missing crew member, officials said.
25 July 2024

Typhoon Gaemi hits Chinese seaboard

Typhoon Gaemi roared into southeastern China yesterday after sweeping across Taiwan, where it killed three people, triggered flooding and sank a freighter before barrelling west across the Taiwan Strait.
25 July 2024

Richest 1pc gained $42tn in a decade

The world’s richest one percent increased their fortunes by a total of $42 trillion over the past decade, Oxfam said yesterday, ahead of a G20 summit in Brazil where taxing the super-rich tops the agenda.
25 July 2024