The reported death toll from the scorching heat in Saudi Arabia surged past 900 hajj pilgrims on Wednesday, June 19, as friends and family searched for missing loved ones. An Arab diplomat told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that deaths among Egyptians alone had jumped to "at least

Thirty-seven people have died after consuming toxic liquor in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu's Kallakurichi district, around 250km from state capital Chennai. At least 55 others, who reportedly consumed the toxic liquor over the past few days, have been hospitalised.

The Israeli military’s “deliberate” use of heavy weapons in the Gaza Strip has been an “intentional and direct attack on the civilian population”, a new report by a United Nations-backed independent commission has found. Navi Pillay, chairperson of the

The families of victims in two Boeing 737 Max plane crashes have asked for prosecutions and a fine of $24.8bn for "the deadliest corporate crime in US history". The families' lawyer Paul Cassell said the amount was "justified and clearly appropriate" given

Canada has listed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, after years of pressure from opposition legislators and some members of the Iranian diaspora. Announcing the decision on Wednesday, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc called it a

Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un have signed an agreement pledging that Russia and North Korea will help each other in the event of "aggression" against either country. The Russian president made the announcement following talks with Mr Kim during a lavish visit to Pyongyang,

Hussein Al-Qahtani, spokesman of the Saudi National Meteorological Center (NMC), said that next year’s Hajj will be the last Hajj in the summer season. “The Hajj season will enter a new phase of climate change during the year 2026. We will not witness summer Hajj until

Renowned American linguist Noam Chomsky has been discharged from a hospital in São Paulo in Brazil and will continue his treatment at home, according to a report by the Associated Press (AP). The 95-year-old Chomsky, known for his groundbreaking work in linguistics and his

A fire that tore through a huge military ammunition depot in Chad's capital N'Djamena killed at least nine people and wounded dozens more, officials said Wednesday, warning the toll could rise. The blaze, which started late on Tuesday, sent powerful blasts into the night sky

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have begun official talks in Pyongyang. Putin arrived in the city before dawn on Wednesday in his first visit to the country in 24 years. Kim was at the airport to greet him and the two leaders travelled together to

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was indicted on Tuesday on a charge of defaming the country's monarchy. He was granted bail shortly afterwards. Thai prosecutors say Thaksin's remarks in an interview with South Korean media in 2015 violated the country's

South Korea on Tuesday said its soldiers fired warning shots after North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the heavily fortified border separating the two rival neighbors. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said that around 20 to 30 North Korean soldiers, who had been engaged

North Korean state media has announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to visit the country on Tuesday for a two-day visit, during which he is expected to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The discussions are anticipated to center on enhancing military

A Philippine ship lightly collided with a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea on Monday, the Chinese coast guard said. The incident occurred in waters adjacent to the Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea. Parts of

At least 14 Jordanian citizens have died during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia due to intense heat, officials have said. Jordan's foreign ministry said 14 of its nationals had died "after suffering sun stroke due to the extreme heat wave" and a further 17 had been

At least seven people were killed when an express passenger train and a goods train collided Monday in India’s West Bengal state, derailing three passenger carriages, police said. Images on Indian broadcasters showed the tangled wreckage of carriages flipped on their side, and

The Israeli military announced on Sunday daily "tactical pauses" in its offensive in the southern Gaza Strip to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid. The military said in a statement that the pause will begin from 8:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) to 7:00 p.m. local time

Hajj pilgrims have begun preparing for the final stages of this year’s pilgrimage, arriving in Muzdalifah after spending the entire day performing prayers and supplications in Arafat. After they arrived in Muzdalifah, pilgrims performed Maghrib and Isha prayers and collected

At least 37,296 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive on the Gaza Strip since last October, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said on Saturday. A ministry statement said 85,197 others have also been injured in the onslaught continuing for over

The Palestinian refugee agency of the United Nations (UNRWA) must be allowed to work unhindered in Gaza, Group of Seven (G7) leaders say as the wealthy nations wrapped up day two of their annual summit in Italy. “We agree it is critical that UNRWA and other UN organisations and