International

US says new sanctions on Iran coming soon

By Beiyi SEOW The United States said Tuesday it would soon impose new sanctions on Iran’s missile and drone program after its weekend attack on Israel, and that it expects its allies and partners to follow with parallel measures. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s announcement came after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated punitive measures were in the works, and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said his office was working on it. Iran […]

Sydney church livestream attack declared terrorist act, teen detained

SYDNEY, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Australian police on Tuesday said a brutal live-streamed knife attack at a church service in Sydney was a religiously motivated “terrorist” act, as they urged calm from the angered local community. Two people were stabbed when a 16-year-old suspect rushed the dais at an Assyrian church in western Sydney late Monday, slashing wildly at the bishop who was giving a sermon. The teen was immediately subdued by outraged congregants […]

Ticking time bomb: IAEA warns Ukraine nuclear plant dangerously close to accident

UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – The Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is dangerously close to suffering an accident because of recent attacks on it, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency warned Monday. Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other for the attacks over the last week, but it is “impossible” at the moment to prove who is behind them, said International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi. […]

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations halt traffic on Golden Gate Bridge, other US roads

LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, completely halting traffic for hours as part of a coordinated day of action against Israel’s war in Gaza. Aerial footage Monday morning showed stationary traffic in one direction on the iconic bridge, while lanes in the other direction were empty, with police present. Similar protests were held across the United States and around the world, after the group […]

Jury selection begins at Trump’s landmark criminal trial in New York

By Gregory Walton Agence France-Presse (AFP) — Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial opened Monday in a historic first for a US ex-president — and a seismic twist to an already explosive 2024 election where the Republican is seeking to defy multiple scandals and return to power. Trump has repeatedly described the hush money case as a sham. But reality set in for the 77-year-old, hard-right Republican as Judge Juan Merchan issued the routine warning […]

‘Rust’ armorer sentenced to 18 months over deadly on-set shooting

By Huw Griffith Agence France-Presse (AFP) — The armorer who loaded the gun that killed a cinematographer on the set of the Alec Baldwin movie “Rust” was sentenced to 18 months in prison by a US court on Monday. Hannah Gutierrez stood impassive as a judge in New Mexico told her she would serve the maximum sentence after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the October 2021 death of Halyna Hutchins during filming of the […]

Oman floods kill 14 including schoolchildren

MUSCAT, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Flooding in Oman has killed at least 14 people, many of the schoolchildren, authorities said following the discovery of the bodies of a woman and child on Monday. The Gulf sultanate’s official news agency initially reported on Sunday nine schoolchildren and three adults had “lost their lives after their vehicles got swept away in gushing wadi waters”. Five others individuals were reported missing in the floods that struck the […]

Lightning, downpours kill 41 people across Pakistan

By Kaneez FATIMA LAHORE, Pakistan, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – At least 41 people have died in storm-related incidents across Pakistan since Friday, including 28 killed by lightning, officials said on Monday. Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned of landslides and flash floods because more rain is expected in coming days. Punjab, Pakistan’s largest and most populous province, witnessed the highest death toll, with 21 people killed by lightning between Friday and Sunday. […]

Russia says ‘colossal’ amount of river water approaching Siberian city

MOSCOW, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Russian authorities said Monday that a “colossal” amount of river water was flowing fast towards the west Siberian city of Kurgan and called for the immediate evacuation of some districts. Russia and Kazakkstan have been battling devastating floods that have already forced the evacuation of thousands of people and are expected to peak this week on the Tobol and Ishim rivers. The warning to the city of some 310,000 […]

Four wounded in Sydney church stabbing, man arrested

SYDNEY, April 15, 2024 (AFP) – Four people are being treated for “non-life threatening injuries” after a stabbing at a church service in Sydney on Monday, emergency services said. Australian police said they had arrested one man. The incident came two days after a man with a knife killed six at a shopping mall in the east of the city. A video stream showed Monday’s gruesome attack at an Assyrian church unfold in real time. […]

Iran tells UN Israel attack was ‘self-defense,’ had ‘no choice’

  UNITED NATIONS, United States, April 14, 2024 (AFP) – Iran’s United Nations envoy told the Security Council Sunday that the Islamic republic was exercising its “inherent right to self-defense” in its unprecedented attack on Israel. “The Security Council… failed in its duty to maintain international peace and security” after Israel’s apparent strike on an Iranian consulate in Damascus earlier this month, Amir Saeid Iravani said. Therefore, Tehran “had no choice” but to respond, he […]

Heavy rain and flash floods kill 33 in Afghanistan

KABUL (AFP) – At least 33 people have been killed over three days of heavy rains and flash flooding in Afghanistan, the government’s disaster management department said Sunday. “From Friday onward, because of the rains there were flash floods which caused high human and financial losses,” department spokesman Janan Sayeq said. “The primary information shows that, unfortunately, in the floods, 33 people were martyred and 27 people got injured.” Most casualties were from roof collapses […]