By Crispian Balmer AMATRICE, Italy, Aug 20 (Reuters) – In the early hours of August 24, 2016, Giorgio Cortellesi stumbled through the dust and darkness of Amatrice, fearing his children were dead, buried beneath tons of rubble. His two young sons had been staying overnight with their grandparents wh
By Alasdair Pal SYDNEY, Aug 20 (Reuters) – A New Zealand party that could hold the balance of power after this year’s election wants to bring in a basic income for almost all residents that will be funded by a new land tax, with its leader saying on Thursday that the policy would also curb runaway h
HAUTVILLERS, France (AP) — Champagne producers are racing to pick their grapes as the region’s earliest harvest on record gets underway, after extreme heat and drought accelerated ripening, leaving growers a narrow window to preserve the quality of the region’s world-famous sparkling wine. On the hi
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will return to the United Kingdom, seemingly marking the end to a yearslong rift between them and the royal family. The Daily Telegraph reported the couple won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family, but returning to Britain means
Aug 20 (Reuters) – Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and the surrounding region with airstrikes and drones, hitting facilities producing drone components, a military depot and a logistics hub, among other targets, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram. (Reporting by Jekaterīna Golub
HONG KONG, Aug 20 (Reuters) – The billionaire founder of China Evergrande Group, the world’s most-indebted property developer, was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday by a Chinese court, which ordered all his personal property confiscated. Hui Ka Yan pleaded guilty in April to eight charges, inc
TAIPEI, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s government on Thursday formally proposed an 18% rise in defence spending for next year, taking it above T$1 trillion ($31.41 billion) for the first time as Taipei continues to bolster its military in the face of China. The budget details come as China, which views
By Kyu-seok Shim and Jack Kim SEOUL, Aug 20 (Reuters) – South Korea estimates North Korea possesses between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads, its defence minister said on Thursday, citing a range significantly higher than U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent assertion that Pyongyang has 57 nuclear weapon
HANOI, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Vietnam’s government has proposed abolishing the death penalty for six offences, including drug trafficking and the rape of minors, as part of a revision of the country’s criminal code presented to parliament on Thursday, state media reported. Public Security Minister Luong
Aug 20 (Reuters) – Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani said he made clear to Israel there were no plans to establish a Turkish military base at Abu al-Duhur airbase, which Israel struck on Tuesday, saying the site was being rehabilitated for use by the Syrian Air Force. Al-Shaibani said Turkis
By Renju Jose SYDNEY, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Australia summoned Israel’s ambassador on Thursday and expressed outrage at a decision by its military not to pursue criminal proceedings over the death of an Australian aid worker in a 2024 airstrike in Gaza. The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had fou
By Kanishka Singh and Parisa Hafezi WASHINGTON/DUBAI, Aug 20 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump warned of economic consequences against any country that provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as the U.S. looks to resolve a war it began alongside Israel nearly six months ago. Thousands of peopl
HONG KONG (AP) — A verdict is expected Friday in the case of two organizers of an annual Hong Kong vigil to remember the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown who are being tried under a China-imposed national security law that has stifled Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement. Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tu
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese Valentine’s Day is not all about flowers and chocolates. Beyond the romance embraced by some contemporary couples, Qixi is an ancient tradition rooted in legend, prayer and cultural activities that survive to this day. The festival is observed on the seventh day of the seventh
MEXICO CITY, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Mexico’s Sonora state has activated emergency surveillance, containment, and control protocols following the detection of its first case of screwworm, Governor Alfonso Durazo said on Wednesday. “We reinforced the sanitary cordon and actions in the area to prevent its
LONDON (AP) — Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have decided to return to the United Kingdom for an extended stay starting this fall, but they won’t resume their roles as working members of the royal family, The Associated Press learned Wednesday. The couple’s children, Prince Archie, 7, and Prince
SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday to significantly expand the scope of the country’s landmark law to protect women from violence. Legislation that was for two decades applied to domestic incidents, as in many other nations including the United States, can now be
By Maxim Shemetov WENCHANG, China, Aug 20 (Reuters) – On a sweltering August night, thousands on China’s Hainan island thronged the beaches around the Wenchang Space Launch Site, phones raised, waiting for a show. Shortly after 8 p.m., the Long March 7A rocket blasted off. The crowd roared as its as
Aug 19 (Reuters) – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, will soon move back to Britain after six years of living in the U.S. Below is a timeline charting the family’s issues since 2020. 2020 January – Harry and Meghan announce they are to step down as working royals. June – The couple moves to Meghan’
KYIV, Aug 20 (Reuters) – The Ukrainian capital Kyiv came under attack from Russian ballistic missiles early on Thursday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. A Reuters witness reported hearing more than a dozen explosions. Klitschko said there had been strikes in three districts of Kyiv on non-residential a
By Michael Holden and Lisa Richwine LOS ANGELES, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Prince Harry and his wife Meghan plan to move back to Britain this month, six years after they stepped down from their royal duties and relocated to the U.S., media outlets reported on Wednesday. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are m
By David Brunnstrom Aug 19 (Reuters) – Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu, one of eight candidates seeking to succeed Antonio Guterres as U.N. secretary-general next year, on Wednesday called for continued reform of the world body and the restoration of its moral authority. Otunnu, a former U.N. under-se
DAMASCUS, Aug 19 (Reuters) – Lebanese authorities handed a former senior Syrian army officer to Damascus on Wednesday to face charges including murder and torture, Syria’s interior ministry said, marking the first handover of an Assad-era military officer by Lebanon since former President Bashar al-
WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – With Iran diplomacy stalled, financial markets uneasy and his approval rating at another low point, President Donald Trump reverted to familiar territory on Wednesday, leading reporters on a tour of White House construction projects he hopes will cement his legacy. The
Syria, Turkey Condemn Israeli Airbase Strike; Netanyahu Says Damascus Was Warned Over Turkish Troops By The Media Line Staff Syria and Turkey condemned Tuesday’s airstrike on the Abu al-Duhur Airbase, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the action by saying Syria had ignored rep
IDF Strikes Gaza City Cafe Meeting of Hamas Nukhba Commanders By The Media Line Staff The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a cafe at the Gaza City port on Tuesday, targeting Hamas Nukhba commanders who the military said were planning terrorist attacks against Israeli troops operating in the Gaza S
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Ismael Arias was headed to the market when the devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit western Colombia last week, sowing death and destruction. His home region of Choco was the epicenter. Leaving home early that day likely saved his life, he says — the two-story home he had
Aug 19 (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seriously concerned by the U.S. decision to impose sanctions on International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane and senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, a U.N. spokesperson said on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio imposed
By Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration has told Congress it is sending more than $206 million for a proposed Gaza peacekeeping force, the first significant funding for the stalled U.S. plan to rebuild the devastated enclave. In two July 30-dated notif
By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (Reuters) – A mission to rescue NASA’s aging Swift observatory in space was canceled on Wednesday after the spacecraft that was launched to tug the satellite to a higher orbit suffered irredeemable technical issues in space, the rescue craft’s owner, Katalyst Spac
