Barcelona, Spain | AFP | Drivers ploughed into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city Thursday and Friday, killing 13 people and injuring more than 100 others. In the first incident which police qualified as a “terrorist attack,” the driver of a white van …
Read More »Saudi king orders reopening of Qatar border to pilgrims
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Thursday ordered the reopening of its border with Qatar to Muslim pilgrims, a move which Doha said was welcome but too little to heal relations between the feuding Gulf neighbours. The Salwa border crossing, also known as Abu Samrah, a key passage …
Read More »Brigitte Macron says will take on informal role as first lady
Paris, France | AFP | Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, said she will adopt the role of first lady, but only in an informal capacity after opposition to plans to give her an official status. Speaking to Elle magazine in her first interview since her husband’s election …
Read More »New US envoy reassures Japan over security pact
Narita, Japan | AFP | The new US ambassador to Japan on Thursday reassured the country of an “ironclad” commitment to their security alliance, but urged Tokyo to step up its role in the pact, amid heightened tensions over North Korea’s missile threats. Tokyo remains on alert against potential military provocations …
Read More »India clears $650 mn Boeing army chopper deal: defence sources
New Delhi, India | AFP | India approved a $650 million purchase of six attack choppers Thursday from US aviation giant Boeing, officials said, as it boosts its military might amid border tensions with China and Pakistan. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which approves big-ticket purchases, gave the green light to …
Read More »Why a few drops of water make whisky taste better
Paris, France | AFP | Ignore the snobs, because most experts agree: a few drops of water enhance the taste of whiskies, from well-rounded blends to peat bombs redolent of smoke, tobacco and leather. The only real question is, why is this true? The answer, a pair of biochemists in Sweden …
Read More »Messi, Ronaldo lead sports stars in condemning Barcelona attack
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Football icons and longtime rivals Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo joined Spanish sports stars around the world in expressing their grief after Thursday’s terror attack in Barcelona left 13 people dead. Barcelona’s most famous street Las Ramblas was packed with tourists when a van drove …
Read More »BARCELONA: 13 dead, over 50 hurt in city attack
Barcelona attack: What we know Barcelona, Spain | AFP | At least 13 people were killed Thursday when a driver deliberately slammed a van into crowds on Barcelona’s most popular street in what police said was a “terror attack”. The attack, the latest in a wave of vehicle rammings across …
Read More »BREAKING: Police say Barcelona van crash a ‘terrorist attack’
Barcelona, Spain | AFP | A driver deliberately ploughed a van into pedestrians on one of Spain’s busiest streets on Thursday, wounding a number of people in what police said was a “terrorist attack”. “Huge collision on Las Ramblas in Barcelona by an individual driving a van, many injuries,” a …
Read More »Austrian toddler dies left in hot car
Vienna, Austria | AFP | A 19-month-old boy died in Austria after being left in a hot car by his 17-year-old mother and her boyfriend, police said Thursday. Not wanting to wake him after a long car journey, the couple left the child asleep while they want upstairs for a …
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