Hamas, Israel fighting escalates even amid truce efforts

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes on a building in Gaza City, Thursday, May 13, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

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

Escalating Mideast violence bears hallmarks of 2014 Gaza war

People inspect the rubble of a destroyed residential building which was hit by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

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

China census: Data shows slowest population growth in decades

(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 militants, children among 24 dead as Israel hits Hamas

Palestinians search for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed rooftop of a residential building which was hit by Israeli missile strikes, at the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, early Tuesday, May. 11, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

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

Car bombing at Afghan school in Kabul kills 55, injures over 150

Photo Courtesy: Reuters

(US DV lottery results publicReuters): Explosions caused by a car bomb and mortarsoutside a school in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday killed at least 55 people and wounded over 150, mostly female students, officialssaid, in an attack President Ashraf Ghani blamed on Talibaninsurgents. A senior security official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that… Continue reading Car bombing at Afghan school in Kabul kills 55, injures over 150

India’s surge hits southern states, prompts more lockdowns

Indians line up to receive the vaccine for COVID-19 at a medical college in Prayagraj, India, Saturday, May 8, 2021. Photo Courtesy: AP

BENGALURU, India (AP): Two southern states in India became the latest to declare lockdowns, as coronavirus cases surge at breakneck speed across the country and pressure mounts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to implement a nationwide shutdown. At over 300,000, Karnataka’s capital of Bengaluru has the highest active caseload of any Indian city. But… Continue reading India’s surge hits southern states, prompts more lockdowns

Former Maldives president treated for wounds after blast outside home

File Photo Maldives former President Mohamed Nasheed and his wife Laila Ali Abdulla, leave a private apartment in Sri Lanka to return in their country, after living in exile between London and Colombo for over two and a half years, Colombo, Sri Lanka November 1, 2018. Photo Courtesy: Reuters

Reuters: The speaker of parliament in Maldives, former President Mohamed Nasheed, was being treated for shrapnel wounds and in stable condition after a blast outside his family home on Thursday, a spokesman for his governing Maldivian Democratic Party said. Two close family members, who asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the… Continue reading Former Maldives president treated for wounds after blast outside home

Bill and Melinda Gates divorce after 27 years of marriage

File Photo In this Feb. 1, 2019, file photo, Bill and Melinda Gates smile at each other during an interview in Kirkland, Wash. Photo Courtesy: AP

(BBC): Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, saying “we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple”. “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the pair tweeted. They first met… Continue reading Bill and Melinda Gates divorce after 27 years of marriage

‘Horrible’ weeks ahead as India’s virus catastrophe worsens

File Photo In this May 1, 2021, file photo, relatives carry the body of a person who died of COVID-19 as multiple pyres of other COVID-19 victims burn at a crematorium in New Delhi, India. Photo Courtesy: AP

NEW DELHI (AP): COVID-19 infections and deaths are mounting with alarming speed in India with no end in sight to the crisis and a top expert warning that the coming weeks in the country of nearly 1.4 billion people will be “horrible.” India’s official count of coronavirus cases surpassed 20 million Tuesday, nearly doubling in… Continue reading ‘Horrible’ weeks ahead as India’s virus catastrophe worsens

Mexico City subway overpass collapses, killing at least 23 and injuring dozens

An aerial view shows the scene after an elevated section of a metro track collapsed, plunging a passenger train onto a road, in Mexico City, Mexico, on Monday. Photo Courtesy: CNN

(CNN): An overpass carrying a subway train collapsed in Mexico City late Monday, killing at least 23 people, including children, according to local government officials. At least 65 people have been hospitalized, seven of whom are in serious condition, Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said.The train was traveling on an elevated part of the city’s… Continue reading Mexico City subway overpass collapses, killing at least 23 and injuring dozens