Tehran, Aug 25 : Iranian media are reporting that a water heater has exploded in Mashhad in the country’s north, causing a building to collapse and killing 10 people. Five others were injured and hospitalized in the Saturday incident, according to the reports, which did not elaborate. It was one the most deadly such incidents in Iran. Many Iranians use ...

Islamabad, Aug 25 : Pakistan’s new government has banned the discretionary use of state funds and first-class air travel by officials and leaders, including the president and the prime minister, as part of its austerity drive, reports NDtv. The decisions were made at a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan yesterday, according to Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry. “It ...

Beijing, Aug 25 : At least 18 people were killed in a fire at a resort hotel in China’s northeastern city of Harbin early Saturday, state media and an official said. The disaster added to a string of deadly blazes that have plagued China despite official efforts to improve public safety over the past two decades. The fire broke out ...

The United Kingdom (UK) has called on the international community to provide long-term support to keep Rohingya people — both in Bangladesh and Myanmar– safe in the years to come. The UK has been at the forefront of that response and has contributed £129 million to support the displaced Rohingya since 25 August 2017, said UK Department for International Development ...

A South Korean appeal court on Friday extended ex-president Park Geun-hye’s prison sentence for corruption and abuse of power by one year. The decision by the Seoul High Court means the former head of state, who was ousted after a sprawling corruption scandal triggered mass protests, faces 25 years in jail.   Park was convicted in April of receiving or ...

Hawaii has been hit with strong winds and torrential rain as Hurricane Lane approaches the US state, causing flash flooding and landslides. Schools and offices were closed as residents took shelter from the storm, which was downgraded to category three strength on Thursday.   As the hurricane neared the islands of the Aloha state, it brought winds of 125 mph ...

Scott Morrison is to be Australia’s new prime minister after Malcolm Turnbull was forced out by party rivals in a bruising leadership contest. Mr Turnbull had been under pressure from poor polling and what he described as an “insurgency” by conservative MPs.   Mr Morrison, the treasurer, won an internal ballot 45-40 over former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton – ...

Police in Argentina have begun searching properties belonging to the former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, as part of a major corruption investigation. Forensic scientists, dogs and firefighters helped carry out the raids on two houses in Patagonia and one apartment in Buenos Aires.   It comes after Judge Claudio Bonadio asked to partially lift Ms Fernández’s immunity as he ...

Pressure is mounting on Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull as internal party rivals prepare for a potential imminent leadership contest. Mr Turnbull is fighting to retain his position amid a push by senior colleagues to replace him as leader.   He says he will stand down if a majority of Liberal Party MPs sign a letter to bring on an internal ...

  A British-Iranian woman has been reunited with her family after being granted a three-day release from prison in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was jailed for five years in 2016 after being convicted of spying, which she denies.  She said she was “overwhelmed” and it would be “awesome” for her four-year-old daughter to “have a mummy again”.   Foreign Secretary Jeremy ...