Author: AFP

N. Koreans say they tested new weapon

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised a “new weapon” test, state media reported yesterday, the latest in a series of launches that US President Donald Trump has played down as Washington seeks to restart nuclear talks with Pyongyang. The report carried by the Korean Central News Agency followed

Israel police, Palestinians clash at Jerusalem holy site

JERUSALEM: Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers clashed at a flash point Jerusalem holy site yesterday as overlapping Jewish and Muslim holidays led to tensions there. Separately on the Gaza border, a Palestinian shot at Israeli soldiers, who returned fire and killed him in the third such incident in recent days,

Japan ex-empress diagnosed with cancer

TOKYO: Japan’s former empress Michiko has been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and will soon undergo surgery, the Imperial Household Agency (IHA) said on Friday. Michiko’s husband Akihito formally stepped down as emperor in April, the first abdication for 200 years in the world’s oldest monarchy. A spokesman for the

Suspect arrested in Norway shooting

OSLO: A gunman armed with multiple weapons opened fire in a mosque near Oslo on Saturday, injuring one person before being overpowered by an elderly worshipper and arrested, Norwegian police and witnesses said. Hours after the attack, the body of a young woman related to the suspect was found in

Salvini rallies supporters, demands election date

POLICORO (Italy): Italy’s hardline Interior Minister Matteo Salvini embarked on a southern tour to rally support on Saturday, demanding an election date be set after he pulled out of the coalition government, plunging the country into a political crisis. “The only thing I am interested in is that we fix

Clashes kill 70 in north-west Syria

BEIRUT: Clashes between regime loyalists and insurgents in north-west Syria killed 70 combatants on Saturday, as government forces continued to nibble away at territory held by its opponents, a war monitor said. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a jihadist group led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, has since January controlled most

Cable car crash caused by vandalism

MONTREAL: Dozens of cable cars at a Canadian tourist hotspot crashed into a forested hillside after a vandal attack severed overhead wires, police and operators said. Thirty cabins fell to the ground when the two-kilometre haul rope at the Squamish Sea-to-Sky Gondola was cut before dawn on Saturday. “We believe

Serena powers past No.1-bound Osaka

TORONTO (Canada): Serena Williams won the rematch Friday, dominating Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 to ensure the Japanese star won’t leave Toronto with a title to go with her number one world ranking. Williams fired 12 aces and didn’t face a break point as she beat Osaka for the first time

Andy Murray to return to singles in Cincinnati

WASHINGTON: Three-time Grand Slam champion Andy Murray said on Friday he will return to singles competition next week at the ATP Cincinnati Masters, seven months after having right hip surgery he feared might end his career. The British star posted a photo of himself on his Facebook page on court

Typhoon Lekima slams east China

SHANGHAI: At least 13 people were killed and 16 others missing as Typhoon Lekima lashed eastern China yesterday, downing thousands of trees and forcing more than a million people from their homes. Waves several metres high hit the coastline as the storm made landfall in Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai.