KUMAMOTO, Japan (AP) — The powerful earthquake that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes in southwestern Japan earlier this week has killed at least 23 people, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Thursday. Time was running out for finding survivors as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto…
CAIRO (AP) — Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country’s military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. The Jordanian military said the missiles had been “intercepted…
BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) – China’s No.2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, visited the city of Tangshan on Tuesday for the 50th anniversary of a 1976 earthquake that killed a quarter of a million people – a trip usually made by Chinese presidents. Li paid his respects on President Xi Jinping’s behalf, state media said, while…
BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping hopes Slovakia will play a constructive role in the development of European Union’s relations with China, focusing on properly handling conflicts and differences, according to a report on Tuesday from state news agency Xinhua. The key is to engage in equal consultation and seek common ground…
TAIPEI, July 28 (Reuters) – Taiwan will test relocating weapons production lines and converting civilian factories for military use in annual drills next month, the defence ministry said on Tuesday, aiming to sustain combat operations if Chinese attacks hit supply hubs. The exercise, part of the annual Han Kuang war games from August 5 to…
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Wu Chi-wai was granted permission to remain in the U.K. as a visitor, his lawyer said Tuesday, where he has reunited with his family after being locked up in the city’s prison for more than five years. Paul Harris, who represents Wu, told The Associated Press early…
MIAMI (AP) — Genevieve became a Category 5 hurricane early Monday, the first in the East Pacific region in two years, forecasters said. It is expected to stay far out to sea on a course roughly parallel with the Mexico coast. Genevieve had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph), according to the National…
By Nayera Abdallah and Elwely Elwelly DUBAI, July 27 (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday it was still in control of the Strait of Hormuz and not seeking to resume peace talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump halted a two-week bombing campaign that his top brass told him had run its course. …
MOSCOW, July 27 (Reuters) – The Kremlin said on Monday that it had not seen any specific information regarding new proposals for a peace settlement in Ukraine ahead of a meeting in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Trump and Zelenskiy are due to hold talks in Washington on Tuesday….
DAKAR, July 26 (Reuters) – Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has launched a new political party, formalising his break with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and the ruling Pastef party that swept him to power in 2024. • Faye unveiled his Kiiraay — Republican Patriots party at a gathering in the capital Dakar on Saturday,…