KABUL (Reuters) – A severe cold snap killed at least 17 people in Afghanistan on Saturday, government officials said, as heavy snowfall and rain continued to lash parts of the country. Afghanistan is no stranger to extreme winter weather, during which various warring groups in the country have historically ceased hostilities, but this year has
DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s Prime Minster Leo Varadkar said on Sunday he had made a decision on the timing of a general election, with many media outlets and politicians predicting a Feb. 7 poll. FILE PHOTO: Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar arrives for a European Union Summit at the Europa building in Brussels, Belgium December
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – After weeks of criticism over the handling of the bushfires scorching Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday he will propose a national review into the response to the disaster, as the fires claimed another firefighter’s life. Smoke rises from a fire at the Adaminaby Complex near Yaouk, New South Wales,
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippine airport authority on Sunday suspended flights at Manila’s international airport after a volcano in nearby Batangas province spewed a giant plume of ash. The Taal volcano generated a 1-km (0.6 mile) high ash plume accompanied by rumbling sounds and tremors earlier in the day, indicating increased unrest that could lead
FILE PHOTO: Britain’s Defence Secretary Ben Wallace arrives to attend the National Service of Remembrance, on Remembrance Sunday, at The Cenotaph in Westminster, London, Britain, November 10, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson/ LONDON (Reuters) – Britain must invest in military hardware to become less reliant on U.S. air cover and spy planes in future conflicts, Defence Secretary
(Reuters) – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth has called a family meeting for Monday to discuss the decision by Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, to step back as senior royals, British media reported. The Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry will meet to discuss the future at Sandringham estate, according
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China on Saturday officially opened operations of the world’s largest radio telescope, which it will use for space research and help in the hunt for extraterrestrial life, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope, or FAST, is the size of 30 football fields and has been hewed out
FILE PHOTO: Ireland’s Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar speaks during a joint news conference with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier at the European Union leaders summit, in Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir/File Photo BELFAST (Reuters) – Talks between Irish nationalists
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration on Thursday unveiled a plan to speed permitting for major infrastructure projects like oil pipelines, including by dropping consideration of their potential impact on climate change. FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks following missile attacks by Iran on U.S. bases in Iraq as Vice President Mike Pence
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said on Thursday he was dropping his annual challenges this year to take a longer-term focus on the decade ahead. FILE PHOTO: Facebook Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 23, 2019. REUTERS/Erin
(Reuters) – Private equity firm Blackstone Group Inc has secured $3.4 billion from investors for its first fund dedicated to investments in the life sciences sector, targeting $4.6 billion in total, a regulatory filing showed on Thursday. The fund is one of the biggest such funds in the sector. The raise underscores investors’ strong appetite
LONDON (Reuters) – A Christmas crunch caused more pain for British retailers on Thursday, with John Lewis flagging lower profits for 2019 financial year and warning its staff they may not get a bonus for the first time since 1953 as consumer shopping habits shift. FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside a Tesco extra superstore
LONDON (Reuters) – World markets looked to have overcome their new year wobbles on Thursday, as the United States and Iran backed away from conflict in the Middle East. FILE PHOTO: The London Stock Exchange Group offices are seen in the City of London, Britain, December 29, 2017. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo Asia’s best day in
MERIMBULA/SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian authorities urged another mass evacuation across the country’s heavily populated southeast on Thursday as a return of hot weather fanned huge bushfires threatening several towns and communities. Smoke and haze over mountains are seen from a No 11 Squadron P-8A Poseidon conducting damage assessment and surveillance in the bushfire-affected area near
LONDON (Reuters) – A new type of therapy using feces and fake rubber hands may be able to help patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) overcome their fears of touching contaminated surfaces, according to new research. A fake rubber hand used to help people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is seen in San
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Fugitive former Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn said that he was brought down by a plot cooked up at the company, some of whose executives he named at a news conference in Beirut on Wednesday. Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn gestures during a news conference at the Lebanese Press Syndicate in Beirut, Lebanon