Tuesday, 07 May, 2024

International

Death toll in southern China highway collapse rises to 36

The death toll in a highway collapse in southern China has risen to 36, as emergency teams continue efforts to recover cars from the scene. “As of 5:30am on May 2 … 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured,” state news agency Xinhua reported, adding that

Columbia University community 'shattered' after police raid

Police and private security throng every entrance but one. Steel barriers line the streets. Students pack up belongings in their cars and leave for home - classes are cancelled, and exam plans are up in the air. Everywhere there is gloom, and uncertainty about what happens next at

Pro-China candidate wins Solomon Islands PM vote

Lawmakers in the Solomon Islands have selected a pro-China candidate as their prime minister, in an indication the Pacific nation will remain a close Beijing ally. Jeremiah Manele won the prime minister vote on Thursday, beating out his opponent in a 31-18 count. He will succeed

Hamas official insists Gaza ceasefire must be permanent

Hamas will respond to an Israeli truce proposal for Gaza “within a very short period,” an official with the Palestinian militant group said Wednesday, stressing though that any ceasefire needs to be permanent. Hamas is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the

Torrential rains shutter Saudi schools, flood roads

Saudi Arabian authorities shuttered schools in several regions on Wednesday as flash floods inundated roads, the latest instance of heavy rains disrupting life in the desert Gulf. AFPTV footage showed partially submerged cars struggling to drive through standing water in the central

Netanyahu vows to follow through with Rafah attack

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will launch an invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah regardless of truce talks with Hamas. It comes amid ongoing attempts to try to reach an agreement for a ceasefire and hostage releases. But at a meeting of hostages'

Over 100 protesters arrested from 2 New York colleges

Over 100 protesters were arrested Tuesday at Columbia University and City College of New York, according to a law enforcement official. Most of the arrests were made at Columbia, including about two dozen protesters who police say tried to prevent officers from entering the campus, the

Blinken heads to Jordan to push Gaza aid

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken headed Tuesday to Jordan where he will discuss ways to boost aid deliveries into Gaza and quietly thank the kingdom for its help during recent Iran-Israel clashes. Blinken flew to Amman after talks with Gulf Arab leaders in Riyadh, part of his

Activists occupy Columbia building as US campus protests flare

Demonstrators at Columbia University barricaded themselves inside a campus building early Tuesday, escalating a standoff with school officials as pro-Palestinian protests upend campuses across the United States. The occupation of Hamilton Hall at the prestigious university in New York

Indonesia’s Mount Ruang erupts again, closes international airport

Indonesia’s remote Mount Ruang volcano erupted several times again on Tuesday, the country’s volcanology agency said, forcing evacuations, the closure of a nearby international airport and the raising of the alert level to its highest. Authorities had warned the threat from

China's coast guard expels Philippine vessels from Scarborough Shoal

China's coast guard said on Tuesday it "expelled" a Philippine coast guard ship and another vessel from waters adjacent to the Scarborough Shoal, Chinese state media reported. The coast guard did not provide additional information in a statement, but the incident was the

25 killed after bus plunges into ravine in Peru

At least 25 people died and more than a dozen were injured when a bus plunged into a ravine from a mountain road in northern Peru, local authorities said on Monday. Local official Olga Bobadilla told RPP radio the incident late on Sunday happened on a potholed dirt road in the Andean

Columbia suspends students defying protest deadline

New York City's Columbia University has begun suspending students involved in a pro-Palestinian protest on campus after they defied a deadline to disperse. College leaders earlier warned those who failed to disband from the two-week encampment by 14:00 EST (18:00 GMT) on Monday

Zelensky urges faster delivery of arms to frontline

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is taking advantage of the slow delivery of Western weapons to go on the offensive. His comments come after the US agreed a $61bn (£49bn) package of mostly military aid for Ukraine. Mr Zelensky said some of the aid had

4 US law officers killed in North Carolina shootout 

Four law officers serving a warrant for a felon wanted for possessing a firearm were killed and four other officers were wounded in a shootout Monday at a North Carolina home, police said. Some of the officers who rushed to the Charlotte neighborhood to rescue the first wave of downed

US says Israeli army units violated human rights

The US state department has found five units of the Israeli military responsible for gross violations of human rights in individual incidents, but says they will continue to receive US military backing. All the incidents involved took place outside of Gaza before the current war.

Kenya dam burst kills more than 40

More than 40 people have died in Kenya after a dam burst following heavy rains and flooding, officials have said. Homes were swept away and roads were cut off after the dam burst in Kamuchiri village in western Kenya. "Forty-two dead, it's a conservative estimate. There are

Ukraine pulls back from three villages in east as Russia claims gains

Ukraine’s top commander has said Kyiv’s outnumbered troops fell back to new positions west of three villages on the eastern front, where Russia has concentrated significant forces in several locations. Sunday’s statement by Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskii reflected

World Central Kitchen to resume aid in Gaza following fatal airstrike

World Central Kitchen is to resume distributing food in Gaza, nearly a month after seven of its aid workers were killed in an Israeli air strike. The aid organisation said it has 276 trucks with eight million meals ready to enter through the Rafah crossing. "Ultimately, we

Palestinian leader appeals to US to stop Israel's Rafah offensive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the US is the only country that can stop Israel from attacking Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million people are taking refuge. Mr Abbas, who runs parts of the occupied West Bank, said any attack could see Palestinians flee