Okinawa warned as Typhoon Khanun starts its U-turn east
TOKYO — Residents of Japan’s southwestern islands were warned of high winds and rain through the weekend once a nearly stationary Typhoon Khanun starts moving back east later Friday.
Beirut port blast probe blocked by intrigue
BEIRUT — Three years after Beirut’s massive port blast, attempts to prosecute those responsible are mired in political intrigue, the final death toll remains disputed and many Lebanese have less faith than ever in their disintegrating state institutions.
Flooding in China worsens as rescues continue
BEIJING — Heavy rain and high water levels on rivers in northeastern China were threatening cities downstream on Friday, prompting the evacuation of thousands, although the country appears to have averted the worst effects of the typhoon season battering parts of east Asia.
Russian drone strikes hit a Ukrainian port on Romania’s border
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian drones on Wednesday hit a Ukrainian port city along the border with Romania, causing significant damage and a huge fire at facilities that are key to Ukrainian grain exports.
Pope Francis blasts ‘scandal’ of clergy sex abuse in Portugal
LISBON, Portugal — Pope Francis met with survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Portugal on Wednesday and blasted members of the country’s Catholic hierarchy for their response to the long-ignored scandal, which he said had marred the Catholic Church and helped drive the faithful away.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard runs drill on disputed islands
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill Wednesday on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, just as the U.S. military increase its presence in the region over recent ship seizures by Tehran.
Beijing records heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years
ZHUOZHOU, China — China’s capital recorded its heaviest rainfall in at least 140 years over the past few days as remnants of Typhoon Doksuri deluged the region, turning streets into canals where emergency crews used rubber boats to rescue stranded residents.
Typhoon Khanun forecast to turn back to Japanese islands
TOKYO — The typhoon that damaged homes and knocked out power on Okinawa and other Japanese islands this week was slowly moving west Thursday but is forecast to make a U-turn and dump even more rain on the archipelago.
Moscow building that was hit days ago, struck again
TALLINN, Estonia — A drone attacked a skyscraper in central Moscow early Tuesday for the second time in around 48 hours, damaging the building’s facade and further underscoring the Russian capital’s vulnerability. Russian authorities accused Ukraine of staging the assault.
Floods around Beijing kills at least 20, 27 missing
BEIJING — Torrential rain in areas around China’s capital, Beijing, killed at least 20 people and left 27 missing, the government reported Tuesday, as flooding destroyed roads, uprooted trees and knocked out power.
Niger crisis deepens as European nations evacuate
NIAMEY, Niger — A French military transport plane carrying Europeans from Niger arrived in Paris Wednesday, in the first such evacuation flight since mutinous soldiers ousted the country’s democratically elected president nearly a week ago and shut its borders.
Pope Francis can expect to find heat, hope in Portugal
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis plans to head to Portugal on Wednesday to open the first post-pandemic edition of World Youth Day, hoping to inspire the next generation of Catholics while coping with the church’s ongoing clergy sexual abuse scandal.
Climate change leads to more cholera cases
In early 2022, nearly 200,000 Malawians were displaced after two tropical storms struck the southeastern part of Africa barely a month apart. Sixty-four people died.
Russian missiles kills 6 in Zelenskyy’s hometown
KYIV, Ukraine — Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment complex and a university building in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown Monday, killing six people and wounding 75 others as the blasts trapped residents beneath rubble, Ukrainian officials said.
IS claims responsibility for the bombing in Pakistan
KHAR, Pakistan — An Afghan branch of the Islamic State group on Monday claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people at a pro-Taliban party’s election rally, in one of the region’s worst attacks in recent years.
Rebounding Pope Francis adds an overnight visit to France
ROME — Pope Francis will make a two-day trip to Marseille, France, in late September, adding to a flurry of trips the 86-year-old pontiff will soon be making only weeks after leaving hospital following abdominal surgery.
Discovery of a whale carcass in Hong Kong sparks anger
HONG KONG — The discovery of a whale carcass in Hong Kong waters Monday sparked an outpouring of grief on social media, with many comments blaming the mammal’s death on sightseers.
Australia welcomes lifting of UNESCO Great Barrier Reef threat
CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian government on Tuesday welcomed a draft UNESCO decision to a lift a threat of downgrading the Great Barrier Reef to an endangered World Heritage site.
Ukraine moves Christmas Day, denouncing Russian traditions
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to Dec. 25 from Jan. 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it.
Wagner mercenaries move closer to the Polish border
WARSAW, Poland — Over 100 mercenaries belonging to the Russian-linked Wagner group in Belarus have moved close to the border with Poland, the Polish prime minister said Saturday.