ILORIN, Kwara (AP) — Some of the 163 kidnapped Nigerians rescued from jihadi captivity have spoken of the suffering and fear they lived in for six months. The freed captives, mostly women and children, were among over 300 kidnap victims freed by Nigerian forces this week. They were handed over to th
By Panarat Thepgumpanat and Napat Wesshasartar BANG KRUAI, Thailand, Aug 8 (Reuters) – When a shot rang out at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday morning, 14-year-old Khim and her classmates peered over a balcony to see if the noise had come from a construction site
ATHENS, Aug 8 (Reuters) – A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania’s airspace on Saturday and exploded near the village of Kardam, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties or infrastructure damage. The drone entered Bulgarian airspace at 0
BANGKOK, Aug 8 (Reuters) – The death toll from a school shooting in Thailand rose to nine on Saturday, after police said a 12-year-old girl caught up in Friday’s incident had died. Police at the Plai Bang Police Station in Nonthaburi Province told Reuters the girl had died on Saturday, a day after a
Aug 8 (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned what it said was an Iranian attack on a carrier linked to its state oil company as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of “acts of piracy”. State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels
BUDAPEST, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Hungary’s ruling Tisza party nominated Andras Baka, a former head of the Supreme Court, as the country’s next president, the party’s parliamentary group said on Facebook on Saturday. Baka is expected to be elected to the largely ceremonial position by parliament on Tuesda
By Rene Wagner BERLIN, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Two drones were spotted above a military base in western Germany late on Thursday, two days after an explosive-laden drone was found near a runway at Leipzig/Halle Airport in the east of the country, authorities said on Saturday. A spokesperson for Germany’s
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Four people, including a child, were killed in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the surrounding region, local officials said Saturday, as Ukraine hit another oil refinery in Russia. Residents endure regular drone and missile barrages that Kyiv’s depleted air d
BANGKOK (AP) — Relatives of victims of the shooting at a high school and a home outside Bangkok retrieved the bodies of their loved ones Saturday, a day after the gunman killed at least seven people. A 14-year-old schoolboy opened fire at around 10 a.m. Friday at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nontha
PARIS (AP) — Paris is staging its first high-diving competition in the Seine, with athletes launching themselves from a 20-meter platform in front of the Eiffel Tower — a spectacular new test of the city’s effort to reclaim its river for sport. The event on the Bir-Hakeim Bridge has also exposed the
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Africa’s largest economies are accelerating plans to build more domestic solar manufacturing capacity, a shift industry analysts say reflects both industrial ambition and growing unease over dependence on imports from China that dominate the global market. Ethiopia, South Afric
By Yi-Chin Lee and Ann Wang KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Aug 8 (Reuters) – Taiwan President Lai Ching-te oversaw coastal strike drills on Saturday during annual war games, boarding a fast attack missile boat and watching the deployment of low-flying attack drones to simulate beating off a Chinese assault. Tai
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella on Friday pledged to revive the country’s oil and gas sector, restore state-owned energy company Ecopetrol and strengthen the electricity system, arguing that energy security would be a cornerstone of his administration. Speaking d
TAIPEI, Aug 8 (Reuters) – China’s attempt to implement traffic control measures on shipping heading into the Taiwan Strait during Typhoon Dolphin is “ridiculous”, Taipei said, adding that Beijing has no right to restrict access to international waters. China, which views democratically governed Taiw
MEXICO CITY, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. government will partially restart activities in Mexico’s top avocado-producing state of Michoacan, the U.S. embassy said on Friday, easing a suspension that had disrupted export inspections after security concerns in the violence-plagued region. The embassy sa
By Steve Holland and Timour Azhari WASHINGTON/RIYADH, Aug 7 (Reuters) – A U.S. official on Friday reported progress between Iran and Oman that could soon reopen the Strait of Hormuz, potentially restoring oil exports that have been disrupted by the five-month-old U.S. war with Iran. The U.S. officia
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Nearly 40 years after the last papal visit to Argentina, many Catholics received the news of Pope Leo XIV’s trip to the South American country in November as a divine sign during economic hardships that have driven millions of Argentines into debt. The announcement of
Aug 7 (Reuters) – Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at displacement camps and residential neighbourhoods in the city of Marib on Friday, killing two people and wounding 14 others, state news agency SABA reported, citing local authorities. The Houthis said they had t
BERLIN, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The Russian embassy in Berlin dismissed a suspected drone attack at a major German air freight hub this week as “fabricated provocation” on Friday, saying it was another example of accusations against Russia without evidence. “The embassy is expressing its concern about a n
MADRID/ROME, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Spain’s government said on Friday it would establish border controls for flights and ships from Italy from midnight on Saturday until September 7 in a dispute with the neighbouring country over irregular migration. Passport, nationality and visa checks would be conduct
MADRID, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Spain’s government said on Friday it would establish border controls for flights and ships from Italy from midnight on Saturday until September 7 in a dispute with the neighbouring country over irregular migration. Passport, nationality and visa checks would be conducted fo
By Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate on Friday confirmed dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees for government positions, including some high-profile ambassadorships and top State Department posts that have been open for months. The list includes 11
Aug 7 (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Saudi general intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan on Friday to discuss coordination over regional security developments, the prime minister’s office said. Zaidi said Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks or activitie
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The head of the influential Armenian Apostolic Church appeared in court Friday for a trial on criminal charges as part of its latest confrontation with the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Catholicos Karekin II and six other senior clergymen are accused of defyin
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — When Abelardo de la Espriella takes office as Colombia’s president on Friday, he’ll become the latest conservative to helm a Latin American country. Conservatives have won seven major presidential elections in Latin America in the past few years, most of them since the Januar
WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Progress is being made between Iran and Oman on the Strait of Hormuz and “we expect a deal soon,” a U.S. official told Reuters on Friday. Once a deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift its blockade of Iranian por
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON, Aug 7 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate voted on Friday to confirm David Cummins, a senior vice president of Serco, to head the Transportation Security Administration as the Trump administration pushes to privatize screeners at smaller airports. Cummins and dozens of othe
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thick gray smoke drifted over a wooded area in northeast Serbia on Friday as authorities raced to contain a major wildfire, while multiple other blazes raged across the country amid extreme heat and prolonged drought gripping the Balkans. Firefighters used helicopters to drop
By Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Lebanon and Israel have agreed a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a U.S.-brokered agreement, a Lebanese official said on Friday, with the United States due to pick countries from the list. The officia
BELGRADE, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Serbia on Friday for his first visit to the Balkan country expected to focus on economic cooperation and bids by both countries to secure European Union membership. Zelenskiy posted a video on Telegram showing his arrival
