World News

South African court bars Sudan’s indicted leader from leaving

JOHANNESBURG: A South African judge barred Sudan’s indicted president from leaving the country Sunday, in a deepening rift between Africa and the West over what Pretoria called anti-poor country bias in the International Criminal Court. President Omar al-Bashir, visiting South Africa for an African Union summit, stands accused in an ICC arrest warrant of war crimes and crimes against humanity ...

Read More »

2 murderers escaped from New York prison in a “Shawshank Redemption” style

A frantic manhunt was underway on Sunday for two convicted murderers who busted out of New York state’s biggest maximum security prison by cutting through cell walls with power tools and escaping along tunnels, in a “Shawshank Redemption”-style prison break. Killers Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, sneaked out of the all-male Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora sometime between ...

Read More »

The Supreme Court struck down “born in Jerusalem” U.S. passport

The Supreme Court struck down a disputed law Monday that would have allowed Americans born in Jerusalem to list their birthplace as Israel on their U.S. passports in an important ruling that underscores the president’s authority in foreign affairs. The court ruled 6-3 that Congress overstepped its bounds when it approved the law in 2002. It would have forced the ...

Read More »

G7: Fossil fuel should not be burned by the end of the century

The G7 has called for a transformation of electricity generation towards renewables and nuclear by 2050. And they said fossil fuel should not be burned in any sector of the economy by the end of the century. Their targets are not binding – but they send a clear message to investors that in the long term economies will have to ...

Read More »

Casey Coombs, an American hostage was released in Yemen

One of four Americans held by Houthi rebels in civil war-torn Yemen has been released, the US State Department says. Casey Coombs, a freelance journalist, was flown to Oman where he was met by the US ambassador. Last week, the Washington Post reported that at least four Americans were being held by Houthi rebels. Meanwhile, a video of a Frenchwoman kidnapped in ...

Read More »

“Technically bankrupt” Malaysia Airlines

Malaysia Airlines has outlined plans for a major restructure that will see the carrier slash around 6,000 jobs as it struggles to stay in business. The plan, released on Monday by email, said the airline would begin operations under a new brand on September 1. About 14,000 of the roughly 20,000 existing employees are expected to receive offer letters to ...

Read More »

More than 500 have died in India from heatwave

More than 500 people have died in India from a days-long heatwave that has seen temperatures nudging 50 degrees Celsius, officials say. Officials warned the toll was likely to rise, with figures still being collected in some parts of the hard-hit Telangana state in the south of the country, and with no end in sight to the searing conditions. Large ...

Read More »

Malaysian PM orders rescue of migrant boats

Kuala Lumpur: Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday he had ordered the Malaysian navy and coastguard to conduct search and rescue operations for boats carrying stricken migrants including ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar. “I have further ordered (the) Royal Malaysian Navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to conduct search and rescue efforts for Rohingya boats. We have to prevent loss of ...

Read More »

Obama seeks to reassure Gulf allies on Iran, security at summit

President Barack Obama opened a summit with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf allies on Thursday, seeking to convince them of Washington’s commitment to their security despite deep concern among Arab leaders about US efforts to broker a nuclear deal with Iran. Hosting the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council for a rare summit at the Camp David presidential retreat, Obama faced the ...

Read More »

ISIS supporter in Virginia was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison

A Virginia woman was sentenced to 4-1/2 years in prison Monday for lying to U.S. investigators about using social media to promote and recruit for ISIS. Heather Elizabeth Coffman, 29, of Glen Allen, Virginia, pleaded guilty to the charge in January. She admitted that between approximately June and November last year she used several Facebook accounts to promote the group ...

Read More »