Flash flooding and more rain is possible in Houston, a day after record rainfall killed five people. Meteorologists said some 17.6in (44.7cm) of rain fell on the city on Monday alone, levels that national officials said were “historic”. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared a state of emergency in Houston, where 70,000 people were left without power. Rivers burst their ...
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Afghanistan violence: Deadly suicide bomb hits Kabul
At least 28 people have been killed and 329 injured in a huge explosion in the centre of the Afghan capital Kabul, police and officials say. A suicide attacker detonated a vehicle and gunmen stormed the area, reports say. Officials say the gunfight is now over and the area has been cleared. A Taliban spokesman said the group carried out ...
Read More »Philippine presidential candidate Duterte apologises for rape remark
A leading Philippines presidential candidate, Rodrigo Duterte, has apologised for comments about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary. Video showing Mr Duterte making light of Jacqueline Hamill’s assault during a prison riot in Davao City in 1989 caused outrage in the Philippines. He was the mayor of the city at the time, and said she was so beautiful ...
Read More »Mohammad Abu Khdair murder: Israeli ringleader found guilty
The Israeli ringleader in the killing of a Palestinian youth, abducted and burned to death in Jerusalem in 2014, has been convicted of his murder. A Jerusalem court found 31-year-old Yosef Haim Ben David guilty, rejecting a plea of insanity. He will be sentenced next month. Two youths have already been jailed for murdering Mohammad Abu Khdair, 16. He was ...
Read More »Ukraine Poroshenko: Putin ‘agreed formula’ for prisoner swap
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko has said he has agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin on a mechanism to swap a high-profile Ukrainian prisoner for two Russians. The two leaders raised the possible exchange in a phone call on Monday. Army volunteer Nadiya Savchenko, seen as a national hero in Ukraine, was jailed by a Russian court last month. A court ...
Read More »Ecuador earthquake: Desperate search for survivors as deaths rise
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa has warned that the death toll from a powerful earthquake which has killed 272 people is likely to rise. There were desperate scenes as rescuers and family members searched for survivors, often with bare hands. Mr Correa said there was evidence that people were still alive under the rubble of collapsed buildings. More than 2,000 were ...
Read More »Indian police detain five over Kerala temple fire
Indian police have detained five people after a fireworks display at a Hindu temple set off explosions and fire killing 108 people, an officer said on Monday, in one of the worst accidents at a religious festival. Thousands of people were gathered at the temple at Kollam in the southern state of Kerala on Sunday for the pyrotechnic show to ...
Read More »William and Kate try Indian cooking as they meet entrepreneurs in Mumbai
11 April, 2016 Prince William and Kate attempted Indian cookery with a 21st century twist as they met entrepreneurs in Mumbai today. William made a dosa – similar to a crepe – using an automatic machine invented by a company from Bangalore, and said it was “delicious.” Kate was less adventurous, declining her husband’s offer to taste his efforts. On ...
Read More »Turkey plans to strip terrorism supporters of citizenship
Turkey will work on a new rule to strip citizenship from Turks found to be supporting terrorism, the justice minister said on Wednesday, a day after President Tayyip Erdogan said he wanted such a measure. Erdogan first floated the idea on Tuesday in a speech to lawyers. Since becoming president, he has transformed the largely ceremonial role into a more ...
Read More »Permanent residency for expats, a welcome move
Expatriates have overwhelmingly welcomed the announcement by Deputy Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Slman, second deputy premier and minister of defense, that Saudi Arabia was planning to give permanent residency to foreign workers similar to the US Green Card system. “The Green Card-like program and a plan to allow employers to hire more foreign workers above their official quotas for a ...
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