The U.S. Navy is leading a 30-nation maritime exercise across Middle Eastern waters which it says will help protect international trade routes against possible threats, including from Islamic State and al Qaeda. The exercise, which is partly being held in the Gulf, comes as tensions run high between Gulf Arab countries and Iran over its role in the region, including its support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war, for the Houthis in the […]
International
G7 Foreign minister meeting kicks off in Japan
G7 Foreign ministers meeting kicks off in the central Japanese city of Hiroshima. Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven Industrialised Nations (G7) began arriving in the central Japanese city of Hiroshima on Sunday (April 10) for a two day meeting. They were greeted at the entrance of the Grand Prince Hotel in Hiroshima by Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his wife Yuko. The first guests to arrive were French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault and […]
Florida Keys’ Seven Mile Bridge Run draws hundreds
FLORIDA, United States (Reuters) – More than a 1000 runners competed in 35th annual Seven Mile Bridge Run in Florida Keys on Saturday (April 9). South Florida resident Josh Peterson won his third consecutive overall men’s title while the women’s division title was claimed by Laura DiBella of Fernandina Beach, Florida. The race over the convergence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico started in 1982 and marked the completion of a project to […]
Hundreds of migrants wounded in border clashes with Macedonian forces
IDOMENI, Greece (Reuters) – Greece on Sunday (April 10) condemned as “dangerous and deplorable” the use of teargas, rubber bullets and stun grenades by the Macedonian police against crowds of stranded migrants that attempted to break through the border fence. Aid agency Doctors without Borders said its medics at the camp treated more than 200 people from the effects of tear gas and other protest-related wounds. The escalation in tensions that have been simmering for […]
Russian enthusiasts make giant snow portrait of the first astronaut
RYAZAN REGION, Russia (Reuters) – Spaceflight enthusiasts in the Russia’s Ryazan region, south of Moscow, used the surface of a frozen lake to pay tribute to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, ahead of the anniversary of his historic flight. Video of the project, filmed by its creator Alexei Busarov and friend Oleg Butsky, shows several people clearing out paths of snow on the width of the lake, to outline the famous cosmonaut’s portrait. The […]
Modi promises help for south Indian state after massive temple fire
KERALA, India (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (April 10) promised all necessary help to the southern state of Kerala as it copes with the aftermath of a catastrophic temple fire. A fire and explosions during a fireworks display to mark the start of the local Hindu new year killed 100 people and injured more than 380. Speaking at a hospital in the state capital of Thiruvananthapuram, the prime minister said his […]
U.S. Navy leads 30-nation maritime exercise in Middle East
Reuters – The U.S. Navy is leading a 30-nation maritime exercise across Middle Eastern waters which it says will help protect international trade routes against possible threats, including from Islamic State and al Qaeda. The exercise, which is partly being held in the Arabian Gulf, comes as tensions run high between Gulf Arab countries and Iran over its role in the region, including its support for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war, for the […]
India temple fire kills more than 100 people watching fireworks
by Jalees Andrabi KOLLAM, India (AFP) — A massive explosion and blaze apparently sparked by a stray firework during an unauthorised display killed over 100 people and injured scores more at a temple in southern India Sunday. Thousands had packed overnight into the Hindu temple complex in Kerala state where the firework is thought to have landed on a stockpile of others, triggering a huge blast that tore through concrete buildings. “It came like a […]
Powerful quake rocks South Asia, one dead
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — A powerful earthquake rocked large parts of South Asia Sunday, with one person killed by falling rocks in Pakistan and tremors felt in at least four countries. The 6.6-magnitude quake struck northeast Afghanistan at a depth of 210 kilometres (130 miles) at 2:58 pm (1028 GMT), the US Geological Survey said. It was felt for a few seconds in the Afghan capital Kabul 282 km to the south and in Pakistan’s […]
Deep 6.6-magnitude quake rocks NE Afghanistan: USGS
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — A 6.6-magnitude quake struck northeast Afghanistan Sunday, the US Geological Survey said, with tremors also felt in Pakistan and India. The quake at a depth of 210 kilometres (130 miles) occurred at 2:58 pm (1028 GMT), 282 km northeast of the capital Kabul. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties or damage. The quake was felt for a few seconds […]
79 people dead in India temple fire
NEW DELHI, India (AFP) — A major explosion and fire swept through a temple in southern India on Sunday killing 79 people after families and others had gathered for a fireworks display, a top official said. More than 250 others were injured in the fire that engulfed the temple complex where hundreds had come together during the night for a festival celebrated in Kerala state marking the Hindu new year. “I got the information that 79 […]
Sanders wins Wyoming to extend victory run
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — White House hopeful Bernie Sanders extended his winning streak in his bid to pull off a shock and defeat Hillary Clinton, grabbing victory in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses Saturday, US media said. The state — which is overwhelmingly Republican — only awards 14 delegates, meaning Sanders barely puts a dent in Clinton’s more than 200-delegate lead. But it gives the self-described democratic socialist another morale boost, ahead of […]
