World
- US
Washington, DC, shooting: Does US view 77,000 Afghans as potential threats?
Two National Guard members are shot near the White House. The suspect, identified as an Afghan national, is in custody.
7 min readAl Jazeera
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'Dad, there's a fire': survivors recount deadly Hong Kong blaze
Hong Kong's worst fire in almost 80 years killed at least 65 people in an eight-building apartment complex, with more than 250 people still missing."It was because they live in the first building that caught fire," said Cheung, whose sister's apartment was on the 23rd floor.bur-dhw/pbt
5 min readAFP
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Bamboo scaffolding, a centuries-old technique, comes under scrutiny after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades
The Hong Kong residential towers engulfed by smoke and flames on Wednesday were surrounded by an ancient construction material familiar to anyone who’s spent time in the one of the world’s most densely packed urban hubs.
6 min readCNN
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Hong Kong fire may speed up moves to end use of iconic bamboo scaffolding
While the cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex remains unknown, questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire. The blaze, which has left at least 55 dead, has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique dating back over 1,000 years. Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often found at construction sites in Southeast Asia.
2 min readAssociated Press
- World
Four journalists on trial over Istanbul protest coverage acquitted
Photographer Yasin Akgul says he will continue on his path ‘with even more reporting’ following his acquittal.
2 min read - World
At least 55 dead and hundreds missing after fire rips through Hong Kong tower blocks
Hundreds of people are feared dead after a huge fire tore through several high-rise blocks in Hong Kong.
3 min readThe Telegraph
- US
National Guard shooting suspect served alongside US army in Afghanistan: US media
A man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House was an Afghan national who had served alongside American troops in Afghanistan, US media reported Wednesday, as Washington labelled the incident an "act of terror."- Controversial military use -Trump condemned the shooting as "an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror," calling it a "crime against our entire nation."
1574 min read - World
'Truly severe' floods overwhelm Southeast Asia
Authorities across Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia worked on Thursday to reach residents trapped in floods that have killed dozens of people across the region in recent days.Two people have been killed in flooding in Malaysia so far, with authorities warning more heavy rain was expected in coming days.
3 min read - World
Steep fall in UK net migration figures
Net migration to the UK dropped by 69 percent to 204,000 in the year to June, official figures showed on Thursday, in a much-needed boost to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.The annual net migration figures for 2024 -- announced in May -- also showed a large drop to 431,000, later revised downwards to 345,000.
2 min read - World
Pope Leo marks Thanksgiving with pumpkin pie as he lands in Turkey on first overseas trip
Pope Leo XIV wished Americans a happy Thanksgiving on board his papal plane and thanked journalists for their work as he traveled to Turkey for his first foreign visit.
3 min read - Business
Singapore AI teddy back on sale after recall over sex chat scare
A plushy, AI-enabled teddy bear recalled after its chatbot was found to engage in sexually explicit conversations and offer instructions on where to find knives is again for sale, AFP found.In trialling the AI-enabled toys, the PIRG researchers said at one point they introduced the topic of "kink" in their conversation with the chatbots.
2 min read - World
How the deadly Hong Kong fire unfolded - in maps, videos and images
At least 55 people have been killed in a massive fire that ripped through several residential skyscrapers in Hong Kong.
3 min read - World
Guinea-Bissau general sworn in as transitional president after coup
General Horta Nta Na Man declares himself the leader of the transitional government.
3 min read - World
Flooding death toll in southern Thailand rises to more than 80 as water levels fall
The death toll from severe flooding in southern Thailand climbed to more than 80 people as floodwaters began to subside Thursday, officials said. About 1 million households and more than 3 million people have been impacted by floods triggered by torrential rains in 12 southern provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said Thursday. The flooding that began during the weekend submerged vast areas and caused deaths in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Patthalung, Songkhla, Trang, Satun, Pattani and Yala provinces.
1 min read - Business
French antitrust watchdog dismisses complaint filed against Microsoft
PARIS (Reuters) -French antitrust watchdog on Thursday dismissed a complaint filed against Microsoft by local search engine Qwant which accused the U.S. company of abusing its dominant position. The Autorite de la Concurrence, as the watchdog is known, said Qwant failed to bring elements sufficiently convincing to sustain its claims and also declined to enforce the interim action against Microsoft requested by Qwant. Qwant, which has historically relied on Microsoft's Bing platform to deliver search and news results, last month said that it expected its complaint to be dismissed and that it would challenge it in court or take it to other authorities.
1 min readReuters
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Tourist dies after being bitten by shark in Australia
A tourist believed to be in her 20s has died after being bitten by a shark in Australia on Thursday, according to police.
2 min read - US
How did Hong Kong’s massive housing estate fire turn so deadly? Here’s what we know
An enormous fire engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong on Wednesday, killing at least 44 people and leaving hundreds missing, officials said, with some residents still trapped inside burning buildings.
7 min read - World
Pope Leo XIV opens first foreign trip in Turkey with a visit to Christianity’s early heartlands
Pope Leo XIV makes historic first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon, marking 1,700 years since Council of Nicaea while supporting persecuted Christians.
5 min readFox News
- Business
Beer giant Asahi not engaging with hackers after cyberattack
Japanese beer giant Asahi said on Thursday it had not received any specific demand from the hackers behind a "sophisticated and cunning" cyberattack that could have leaked the data of around two million people.The firm said the hackers could have accessed or stolen identity data -- such as names and phone numbers -- of about two million people, including customers, employees and their families.
3 min read - World
After death sentence, Bangladesh ex-PM Hasina gets 21 years for land grab
Public prosecutor vows to appeal the verdict, saying the government wants the maximum penalty.
2 min read - World
Seoul targets Cambodia scam networks with unprecedented sanctions
South Korea has imposed sanctions on 15 individuals and 132 entities tied to cross-border online scam and human trafficking operations, including those linked to the Prince Group in Cambodia.
3 min readUnited Press International
- World
Turkey court acquits four journalists over Istanbul protests
A Turkish court on Thursday acquitted four journalists, including AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, who were on trial over mass demonstrations in Istanbul in March, a case that drew condemnation from press freedom watchdogs."AFP welcomes the acquittal of Yasin Akgul and his colleagues.
3 min read - World
Beirut attacks leave Lebanon worried and waiting for another Israeli war
Israel has repeatedly struck Lebanon since a ceasefire last year, but Sunday’s Beirut attack was an escalation.
5 min read - World
Streets deserted in G.Bissau capital after military takeover
Streets were nearly deserted Thursday in the capital of Guinea-Bissau, with the announcement of election results thwarted by the military seizing power, arresting the president and closing the borders of the coup-prone west African country.The west African region has been rife with coups in recent years, with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea all seeing their governments toppled.sjd-lp/rh/jhb
2 min read - US
Why Hong Kong’s Latest Fire Is So Deadly
Dozens have died in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires ever, but a number of factors have made the Chinese enclave susceptible to such tragedies.
5 min readTime
- World
Iran adds new gasoline price tier starting in December
Iran will introduce a new gasoline price tier on Dec. 6, raising the cost of fuel purchased beyond monthly quotas to 50,000 rials (about 4 cents on the Iranian exchange market) per liter, officials said, in a shift that adds a third pricing level to the country’s long-running subsidy system. But as economic pressures deepened in subsequent years, the government halted those transfers for middle- and higher-income households.
2 min read - World
EU could hit X with fine before 2025 ends
The European Union could fine Elon Musk's X platform for breaking its digital rules by the end of 2025 -- two years into a probe that has tested the bloc's resolve to police the online space.The EU executive doesn't want the X probe to drag on for much longer and is expected to slap a fine before the end of the year.
3 min read - US
Sydney taekwondo instructor who murdered family of three consumed by fantasies of Olympic glory
A Sydney taekwondo instructor who murdered a family of three had been consumed by fantasies of Olympic glory and meetings with billionaires, a court heard Thursday. Prosecutors argued Kwang Kyung Yoo, 51, should never be released from prison after pleading guilty to murdering a 7-year-old student and the boy’s parents in February last year. State law prevents child victims of crime from being identified, so his parents also can’t be named.
2 min read - World
Amnesty warns ‘genocide not over’ as Israel strikes across Gaza
There is ‘no evidence’ that Israel’s genocidal intent has changed, says the rights group.
4 min read - World
Three arrested as Hong Kong complex blaze death toll climbs to 55
Authorities in Hong Kong on Thursday announced the arrest of three people as the death toll from a fatal fire that engulfed a high-rise building complex continued to climb.
3 min read - World
Indonesia intensifies search for victims after floods and landslides kill 49 people
Rescuers searched Thursday in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies, and when possible survivors, after flash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island left 49 people dead and 67 missing. Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province Tuesday. Seventeen bodies were recovered by Thursday in South Tapanuli district and eight bodies in Sibolga city, North Sumatra provincial police’s spokesperson Ferry Walintukan said in a statement.
3 min read - World
Over 250 missing after Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades
Hong Kong firefighters were scouring scorched high-rises Thursday for over 250 people listed as missing, a day after the financial hub's worst blaze in decades killed at least 55 in an apartment complex.The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support...
4 min read - US
What to know about the apartment fire in Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s worst fire in memory was still smoldering in several apartment towers Thursday as firefighters struggled to rescue dozens of people who remained unaccounted for. At least 65 people were known to have died in the blaze that broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court in Taipo, a suburb in the city's mountainous New Territories. Seven of the eight 32-story towers in the building complex were engulfed in flames after construction materials and bamboo scaffolding caught fire.
3 min read - World
Pink elephants march for Thailand's late queen mother
Eleven pink painted elephants marched through Bangkok on Thursday, bowing in unison outside the Grand Palace in a lumbering tribute to the late queen mother.The late queen's portrait sat high on the back of one of the elephants, which had gold-adorned tusks and wore traditional caparisons as they marched past the Grand Palace.
2 min read - World
Pope Leo begins first foreign trip as Catholic leader in Turkiye, Lebanon
First American pope arrives in the Turkish capital, Ankara, where he met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
4 min read - World
Militants kill 3 police officers in attack on checkpoint in northwest Pakistan
A group of militants armed with assault rifles attacked a roadside police checkpoint overnight in northwest Pakistan, killing three officers before fleeing, police said Thursday. Officers returned fire at the checkpoint in Hangu, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and It was not immediately clear whether the attackers also suffered losses or injuries, District Police Chief Khan Zeb said. The latest assault came days after two suicide bombers and a gunman stormed the headquarters of security forces in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing three officers and wounding 11 others.
2 min read - World
Ousted leader Hasina sentenced in Bangladesh land corruption case
Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison in three corruption cases related to allocations of land in a government project. The three verdicts found Hasina guilty of illegally securing plots in the Purbachal New Town project for herself and her family despite their ineligibility. Each sentence was seven years in prison, and Dhaka Special Court Judge Mohammad Abdullah Al Mamun said Hasina would need to serve them consecutively.
1 min read - World
Political prisoners released in Myanmar mass amnesty
Excited families greeted relatives released from Myanmar's Insein Prison on Thursday as part of a mass amnesty granted by the country's military rulers ahead of next month's election. The military administration granted amnesty to more than 3,000 people locked up for opposing army rule and dropped charges against more than 5,500 others, state-run broadcaster MRTV reported Wednesday. The amnesty was intended to ensure eligible voters could participate in the Dec. 28 elections, it said.
3 min read - World
'God created it to be eaten': Jakarta's dog meat ban divides
Sitting at an empty Jakarta stall, Alfindo Hutagaol gobbled down some rice, green sambal and grilled dog meat -- a meal that is now banned in the Indonesian capital.And Alfindo argues dog meat fans might even be forced to prey on Jakarta's stray dog population if the ban is enforced.
4 min read - World
The Rwanda camp giving a second chance to genocidal enemies
As his comrades died of starvation and thirst around him, Mbale Hafashimana Amos finally decided to flee the Congolese bush for a country he had always been told would butcher him on arrival."They told us Rwanda is a country of Tutsis, where Hutus have no voice at all, and if you go there, they kill you," he told AFP."What we were told about Rwanda was all lies."
4 min read - World
The Latest: Pope Leo XIV brings messages of peace and Christian unity on trip to Turkey and Lebanon
Pope Leo XIV is on his first foreign trip to Turkey and later Lebanon, marking an important Christian anniversary and bringing a message of peace to the region at a crucial time for efforts to end the war in Ukraine and ease Mideast tensions. In Ankara, Leo met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and will then travel to Istanbul for three days of ecumenical and interfaith meetings that will be followed by the Lebanese leg of his trip until Tuesday. Leo’s main reason for traveling to Turkey is to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, Christianity’s first ecumenical council.
10 min read - World
Woman killed and man injured in shark attack at Australian beach
A woman has died and a man is seriously injured following a shark attack at a remote beach in Australia.
2 min read - World
Heavy rains trigger landslides and floods in Sri Lanka, leaving more than 40 dead
Sri Lanka stopped passenger trains and closed roads in some parts of the country where landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains have caused more than 40 deaths, officials said Thursday. The government’s disaster management center said 25 of the reported deaths occurred in the mountainous tea-growing regions of Badulla and Nuwara Eliya in the country's central province about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.
1 min read