Agencies

Pressure intensified Saturday to save thousands still trapped by devastating floods that have killed more than 300 in the Indian state of Kerala, triggering landslides and sending torrents sweeping through villages in the region's worst inundation crisis in a century. Authorities warned of more torrential rain and strong winds over the weekend, as hundreds of troops and local fishermen staged … [Read more...] about More than 320 dead in India flood crisis

For much of the last two years, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr has been the Russia investigator who is seen but rarely heard on Capitol Hill. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, the North Carolina Republican opened up about the investigation that has now consumed 19 months of his life. He says it has been "frustrating as hell" and much more difficult than … [Read more...] about Top Republican says Russia probe difficult

President Donald Trump faced an unprecedented outcry from former intelligence officials on Friday after stripping the security clearance of former CIA Director John Brennan, but Trump defended his move and said he planned another one soon. The bipartisan group, which included Robert Gates, George Tenet, David Petraeus, James Clapper and Leon Panetta, lashed out at the president in a scathing … [Read more...] about Trump doubles down on security clearances; former officials slam move

Already burdened with jihadist violence in the north of the country, the fragile Sahel state of Burkina Faso must now confront the reality of an escalating threat in its east. Experts say the spread is the result of a squeeze on the insurgents in neighbouring Mali and Niger -- but to roll the rebels back, one of the world's poorest countries will have to dig deep into its threadbare … [Read more...] about Burkina Faso grapples with spreading jihadist peril

Mansour al-Amer swipes a card to reveal a narrow sleep pod, reminiscent of Japan’s famed capsule hotels. But this pod is in Saudi Arabia, where the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage begins Sunday. The kingdom has plans to introduce capsule rooms in the western city of Mina in the coming days, as an estimated two million Muslim faithful gather for the six-day Hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam. The … [Read more...] about Saudi Arabia tests Japan-inspired ‘nap pods’ for Hajj

Jacopo Strumia never gave much thought to the giant suspension bridge that looms over the ground floor apartment he lives in with his wife and two young children in a sleepy suburb of Genoa. "But the bridge collapse has made us a little nervous. We hope that something like that doesn't happen to us," the 29-year-old first aid worker tells AFP, as residents of the northern Italian city come to … [Read more...] about After Genoa disaster, locals look differently at city’s bridges

Former United Nations Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kofi Annan has died at the age of 80, his foundation said on Saturday. Annan, a Ghanaian national, died in hospital in Bern, Switzerland, in the early hours of Saturday, two of his close associates said. In Geneva, the Kofi Annan Foundation announced his peaceful death with "immense sadness" after a short illness, saying he … [Read more...] about Former UN chief and Nobel peace laureate Kofi Annan dies aged 80

China said on Saturday it has sacked six senior officials at its food and drug regulator after a safety scandal at vaccine maker Changsheng Biotechnology Co Ltd revealed failings at the government body including inadequate supervision. In a posting on its website, the State Administration for Market Regulation said that among officials dismissed were Ding Jianhua, who headed two departments at … [Read more...] about China sacks six senior officials at food and drug regulator over vaccine scandal

With its air raid simulator and battlefield reconstructions, the state-of-the-art Holy Defence Museum in Tehran seeks to glorify the Iran-Iraq war as a time when the country faced down "the whole world". As Iranians prepare to mark the 30th anniversary of the end of the devastating conflict on Monday, they are being urged to display the same steadfastness as country after country falls in line … [Read more...] about Tehran museum lionises war in which Iran took on ‘world’