KABUL: At least 32 people were killed when a suicide attacker struck an education centre in Kabul Wednesday, officials said, the latest assault in Afghanistan´s war-weary capital. "We can confirm the attack was caused by a suicide bomber on foot. The bomber detonated himself inside the education centre," police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said. The spokesmen for the interior ministry and...
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has decreed that the death penalty is “inadmissible” under all circumstances and the Catholic Church should campaign to abolish it, a change in church teaching that could influence Catholic politicians and judges in the U.S. and across the globe. The change, announced Thursday, was hailed by anti-death penalty activists and scorned by Francis’ frequent conservative...
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a former ally of Robert Mugabe, narrowly won the country's landmark election, results showed early Friday, in an outcome set to fuel fraud allegations as security forces patrolled the streets to prevent protests. Mnangagwa won 50.8 per cent of the vote, ahead of Nelson Chamisa of the opposition MDC party on 44.3 per cent, the Zimbabwe...
HODEIDAH, Yemen: Air strikes on Thursday by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia on a fishing port and fish market in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah killed 26 people, Yemeni medical sources and aid agencies said. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Twitter it was sending medical equipment to Al Thawra Hospital to treat 50 people in...
Turkey was on Thursday drawing up retaliatory measures after Washington slapped sanctions on two Turkish ministers in the one of the biggest crises between the two NATO allies in recent years. Tensions have soared over Turkey's detention on terror charges of American pastor Andrew Brunson, who was first held in October 2016 and was moved to house arrest last week....
The sound of automatic gunfire reverberated through Harare on Wednesday as armoured military vehicles rolled through the Zimbabwean capital and soldiers fired on opposition activists protesting against alleged electoral fraud. By the time daylight began to fade at least one man had been shot dead, recalling the dark days of former president Robert Mugabe's era when elections and extreme regime...
Robbers who nabbed two 17th century royal crowns and an orb from a Swedish cathedral remained at large on Wednesday, a day after fleeing their daring midday heist by motorboat. The thieves, who have not been identified, and the jewels are being sought internationally via Interpol, Swedish police spokesman Stefan Dangardt said, noting the objects were a "national treasure" and...
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Wednesday Attorney General Jeff Sessions should end a federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, drawing a rebuke from both Democrats and his fellow Republicans in Congress. The Republican president has long complained about the criminal probe into his White House victory but Wednesday’s comment appeared to be his most direct call...
KUALA LUMPUR: Calls to decriminalise abortion grew louder in Indonesia on Wednesday after a teenage girl who was raped by her brother was jailed for six months for terminating her pregnancy, sparking anger among activists who demanded her immediate release. The 15-year-old, from Jambi province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, was sentenced last month after a judge found her...
Sixty-five years after the Korean War ended, the remains of dozens of American soldiers killed during the brutal conflict are finally coming home. Wednesday's repatriation marks an important step after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held a summit, during which Kim agreed to send home the war dead. Trump, who has faced criticism over...
ANKARA: Ankara on Wednesday threatened to retaliate after Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey's justice and interior ministers over the case of an American pastor as it warned the actions could damage ties. "There is no doubt that this will greatly damage constructive efforts working to solve the issues between the two countries," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Without...
New Zealand Prime Minister and new mum Jacinda Ardern, only the second world leader to give birth while in office, resumed her duties on Thursday, ending six weeks of maternity leave. The 38-year-old has opted to work from home in Auckland until the weekend when she will relocate to the capital Wellington. In a Facebook message last weekend, Ardern said...
HARARE: At least one person was killed in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare on Wednesday as soldiers opened fire to disperse stone-throwing opposition supporters who accused the ruling party of trying to rig Monday’s presidential election, witnesses said. Gunfire crackled in the streets while troops, backed by armored vehicles and a military helicopter and some with their faces masked, cleared the streets....
COPENHAGAN: On Aug. 1, when face veils are banned in Denmark, Sabina will not be leaving her niqab at home. Instead, she will be defying the law and taking to the street in protest. In May, the Danish parliament banned the wearing of face veils in public, joining France and some other European countries to uphold what some politicians say are...
UPPER LAKE, Calif. — Firefighters struggling to contain destructive Northern California wildfires found themselves facing a new blaze that erupted Tuesday and drove through a rural area near a national forest. About 60 homes in an old ranching and farming area near Covelo, which is about 180 miles (290 kilometers) north of San Francisco, were ordered evacuated as the blaze...
CHICAGO: A US judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked the online publication of blueprints for 3D-printed firearms, in a last-ditch effort to stop a settlement President Donald Trump´s administration had reached with the company releasing the digital documents. Eight states and the District of Columbia, that houses the capital Washington, had filed a lawsuit against the federal government, calling its settlement...
US President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that talks with arch foe Iran were imminent, but the idea has been criticized in Tehran, with the country's foreign minister warning that "PR stunts won't work." Tehran has not given a definitive response to Trump's statement that he would meet "any time" without preconditions, but skepticism is rife in Iran over the possibility,...