Category: World

BEIJING (AP): Twenty-one people running a mountain ultramarathon have died in northwestern China after hail, freezing rain and gale-force winds hit the high-altitude race, state media reported Sunday. After an all-night rescue operation in freezing temperatures involving more than 700 personnel, rescuers were able to confirm that 151 people were safe, out of a total… Continue reading 21 die in extreme weather in China ultramarathon

(Reuters): Nigeria’s army chief, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash on Friday on an official visit to the northern state of Kaduna, which has had security challenges in recent months, the presidency said. The air force said in a statement that its plane crashed near Kaduna airport and that it was investigating… Continue reading Nigerian army chief dies in air force plane crash

(Reuters): A truce between Israel and Hamas took hold on Friday after the worst violence in years, with U.S. President Joe Biden pledging to salvage the devastated Gaza Strip and the United Nations urging renewed Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and militant rocket attacks on Israeli towns ceased after 11 days under an agreement… Continue reading Israel-Palestinian ceasefire comes into effect

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP): Six people were killed and several others were wounded Friday when a powerful roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying a local leader of an Islamist political party in Pakistan, police and a government spokesman said. It was unclear who was behind the attack in Chaman, a town in the southwestern Baluchistan… Continue reading Bomb targeting Islamist leader’s car kills 6 in Pakistan

NEW DELHI (AP): India’s total virus cases since the pandemic began swept past 25 million on Tuesday as the country registered more than 260,000 new cases and a record 4,329 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The numbers continue a trend of falling cases after infections dipped below 300,000 for the first time in weeks… Continue reading India reports record day of virus deaths as cases level off

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): A strike launched from Gaza killed two Thai workers in southern Israel on Tuesday, police said, hours after Israeli airstrikes toppled a six-story building in the Palestinian territory that housed bookstores and educational centers. With the war showing no sign of abating, Palestinians across the region went on a general… Continue reading Strike from Gaza kills 2 as Israel topples 6-story building

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): Hamas sent a heavy barrage of rockets deep into Israel on Thursday, and Israel pounded Gaza with more airstrikes. The relentless escalation of hostilities came even as Egyptian negotiators held in-person talks with the two sides, intensifying efforts at mediation. Previous fighting between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, including a… Continue reading Hamas, Israel fighting escalates even amid truce efforts

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): Rockets streamed out of Gaza and Israel pounded the territory with airstrikes early Wednesday as the most severe outbreak of violence since the 2014 war took on many hallmarks of that devastating 50-day conflict, with no endgame in sight. Gaza’s Hamas rulers and other militant groups have fired barrages of… Continue reading Escalating Mideast violence bears hallmarks of 2014 Gaza war

(BBC): China’s population grew at its slowest pace in decades, according to government data released on Tuesday. The average annual growth rate was 0.53% over the past 10 years, down from a rate of 0.57% between 2000 and 2010 – bringing the population to 1.41bn. The results add pressure on Beijing to boost measures for… Continue reading China census: Data shows slowest population growth in decades

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP): Israel unleashed new airstrikes on Gaza early Tuesday, hitting the high-rise home of a Hamas field commander and two border tunnels dug by militants, as Hamas and other armed groups fired dozens of rockets toward Israel. It was an escalation sparked by weeks of tensions in contested Jerusalem. Since sundown… Continue reading Gaza militants, children among 24 dead as Israel hits Hamas