Author: AFP

Hell of Japan fire that killed dozens at anime company

KYOTO (Japan): Details emerged yesterday of the horrifying blaze that ripped through a Japanese anime firm, killing dozens including people who tried in vain to reach the roof, but the motive for the suspected arson remained unclear. Eyewitnesses described a fire that was like “looking at hell,” after a man

Taiwan will help protesters

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s government said yesterday it would provide assistance to Hong Kongers seeking sanctuary after local media reported dozens of activists involved in an unprecedented storming of the city’s parliament had fled to the island. The pledge risks infuriating Beijing but comes as Taiwan gears up for a presidential election

11 dead in Taliban attack on police HQ

KANDAHAR (Afghanistan):  At least 11 people were killed and scores more wounded Thursday when the Taliban attacked a police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials and the insurgents said. The assault comes amid a series of peace talks between Washington and the Taliban that both sides say are

Lawmaker brands Trump ‘fascist’

WASHINGTON: Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar branded Donald Trump a “fascist” on Thursday as the president sought to distance himself from mocking chants of “Send her back!” directed at the Somali-born lawmaker by his supporters. “We have said this president is racist, we have condemned his racist remarks,” said Omar, one

At least eight killed in blast near Kabul University

KABUL: At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded yesterday when a bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said. The blast comes amid an unending wave of violence across Afghanistan, where civilians are being killed every day

‘Cow vigilantes’ kill three men in India

PATNA (India):  A mob in an Indian village beat to death three men suspected of stealing cattle yesterday in a new “cow vigilante” attack reported by police that highlights hardening Hindu nationalism. A fourth man was in critical condition in hospital after the attack in a village in the eastern

With swords and stunts

Armed with a wooden knife and shield, a teenage girl fends off four sword-wielding boys with high-flying kicks in an action-packed homage to Thailand’s neglected swordfighting tradition. The fighters are part of a growing group of students at a school on Bangkok’s outskirts mastering “Krabi Krabong,” a martial art used

Texan widow gives massive donation of art to French gallery

A Texan widow who discovered a love for French art during a trip to Paris in the 1970s is to donate another part of her vast collection of 19th-century masterpieces to France. Marlene Hays and her late husband, businessman Spencer Hays, had already given 187 artworks to the Orsay museum in

Boeing sees billions more in MAX costs as grounding drags on

NEW YORK: Boeing announced Thursday some $6.6 billion in additional costs because of the 737 MAX crisis, further pressuring profitability as the global grounding of the plane following two deadly crashes drags on. Boeing said that second-quarter earnings would be hit by $4.9 billion in one-time after-tax costs to compensate

Two horses die in California collision

LOS ANGELES:Two horses died after a head-on collision during an early morning training run at Del Mar track in California, officials said Thursday, sparking calls for an investigation by state regulators. Del Mar Thoroughbred Club spokesman Dan Smith said the two horses, three-year-old Carson Valley and two-year-old Charge a Bunch