Category: WORLD

Greek media have described the disaster as a “national tragedy”, while Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras cut short a visit to Bosnia and announced three days of national mourning. ATHENS: The number of deaths from the worst forest fires in Greece for more than a decade has risen to 80. High winds spread the fire, trapping many in homes and vehicles and forcing others into the water as they tried to escape the flames. Coastal patrol boats combed the shoreline on Wednesday, searching for survivors and bodies, while rescue teams searched houses and cars.…

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At least 29 people were killed in a suicide attack on Wednesday in western city of Quetta near a polling station. Voting to fill 272 chairs in Pakistan’s National Assembly is underway amidst tight security. ISLAMABAD: A suicide bomber struck outside a crowded polling station in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta, killing 31 people as Pakistanis cast ballots Wednesday in a general election meant to lead to the nation’s third consecutive civilian government. The attack in Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan, also wounded 35 people and several were reported to be in critical…

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Forest fires are common in Greece during the hot, dry summers, and temperatures recently hit highs up to 40 C. More than 60 people were killed in 2007 when huge fires swept across the southern Peloponnese region. ATHENS: At least 50 people have died in the worst wildfires to hit Greece in more than a decade, with some residents forced to flee into the sea to escape the advancing flames.At least 150 people are believed to have been injured as a result of the wildfires on the outskirts of Athens. Prime…

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Israel’s 1948 declaration of independence defined its nature as a Jewish and democratic state, a delicate balance the country has grappled to maintain for 70 years. JERUSALEM: Israel’s parliament has passed into law a controversial bill that defines the country as an exclusively Jewish state.The legislation, adopted by 62 votes to 55, makes Hebrew the country’s national language and defines the establishment of Jewish communities as being in the national interest. The bill enshrines Hebrew as the only official language of the state, stripping Arabic of that status, and names…

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Maria Butina is a Russian national and gun rights activist who was arrested Sunday and is facing criminal charges for acting as a foreign agent in the US. She studied at the American University in Washington, DC. WASHINGTON: Maria Butina, the Russian gun-rights activist who was recently arrested by the FBI and charged with conspiracy, was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on a second offense of acting as an agent of a foreign government. Maria appeared in court on Tuesday after being arrested on 15 July, where she was…

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Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant faced a vote of no confidence over his handling of a failed plan to raise the cost of diesel by 47% and petrol by 38%. PORT-AU-PRINCE: Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned on Saturday as he faced a non-confidence vote after a move to lower fuel subsidies prompted days of violent protests in the impoverished Caribbean nation. Last week, the government in the impoverished Caribbean country announced plans for major fuel price hikes 38 per cent for gasoline, 47 per cent for diesel…

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Intense heat and water shortages have raised fears of disease outbreaks following the worst weather disaster in Japan for 36 years. TOKYO: The death toll following record rains that have devastated parts of Japan has risen to 200. Japanese PM Abe cancelled a four-stop foreign trip due this week as the death toll in the disaster rose. Over 70,000 emergency workers have been deployed to dig through flood waters and the aftermath of landslides that have transformed the landscape in parts of central and western Japan. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga…

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Rescue workers were going door-to-door, looking for survivors or victims of the disaster.Abe canceled a planned trip to Europe and the Middle East this week to oversee the emergency response. TOKYO: Japanese PM Shinzo Abe is currently in Okayama inspecting the extent of the damage.The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan has risen to 178, the government’s top spokesman said Wednesday. Tens of thousands of rescue and recovery workers and volunteers dug through the debris, as the search for dozens still missing enters its fifth day.Most of the deaths…

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