China-Botswana ties 'shine like diamonds' as a new chapter opens

Rwandan dissident, former army officer, found beheaded in Uganda

Kenya pastor accused of ordering parents to starve their children to death faces verdict

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Mackenzie faces 191 murder charges - all but one of them children.

Mississippi woman keeps $1.2m farm despite ex-husband’s claim after using it to finance their home

Ellen Harrison successfully retained sole ownership of her 432-acre Butler Road Farm after her divorce from Wiley Harrison. The Mississippi Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's ruling classifying the farm as non-marital property, given its purchase before their marriage. Wiley challenged the ruling, claiming marital asset status due to financial connections and alleged contributions. Courts evaluated the evidence and determined that such claims did not prove ownership.

Macron condemns those who 'sought to bring down Republic' after rioting mars nationwide protests

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday voiced the public’s “anger” and “shame” over rioting and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and poor conditions in schools . At least 2,400 people were arrested. Macron echoed other government officials in blaming much of the violence on far-left activists, accusing them of attacking police and public buildings to foment chaos. “Those who looted will have to pay for the damage, and those who sought to bring down the Republic will be held accountable,” Macron said in a televised address to the nation. He denounced “unrestrained violence” by “insurrectionist elements from radical far-left groups, joined by numerous criminals.” Macron earlier held an emergency meeting with senior government officials, a day after masked groups set fires and attacked city halls in several cities. He said he had instructed prefects to work with mayors to protect public buildings and businesses in the coming weeks, including by banning protests when necessary. Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the

4 dead, 39 injured at Canadian military base in grass fire fanned by high winds, officials say

CALGARY — A fire that killed at least four soldiers and left 19 people in critical condition began with a smoldering grass fire that ignited in an Alberta military base's training area where personnel were drilling, Canadian officials said Sunday. Officials said 39 people were in hospitals as a result of the fire at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, which began around 4 p.m. MDT (2200 GMT) on Saturday. Winds up to 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) fed the flames. Major General Wade Rutland described the fire as an "uncommon, rapid" event. “I’ve certainly never seen anything like it," said Rutland, commander of 1st Canadian Division, which is based in Edmonton, about 210 km (130 miles) west of the military site. Prime Minister Mark Carney said earlier Sunday that the fire was one of the worst peacetime tragedies ever for Canada's armed forces on home soil. "The nation is in mourning for those brave members of our Armed Forces whom we have lost," Carney said Sunday, adding that he had ordered flags on federal buildings across the country to be lowered to half-staff to honor th

Oil tanker on fire after hitting mine in Hormuz: Iran's Guards

TEHRAN — Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Monday an oil tanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz after hitting a mine, the latest such incident since Tehran tightened its grip of the waterway. Iran seized control of the strait after war broke out against the United States and Israel late February, choking off the vital shipping route which normally carries about a fifth of the world's oil. The Islamic republic has demanded that all ships seek its authorisation before transiting. "An oil tanker, which was in violation, struck a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz, resulting in an explosion and a fire in its engine room," Iranian state media quoted the Guards as saying. The tanker was travelling in the strait's "unauthorized southern route" and had disabled its positioning and navigation systems, the statement said. It came a day after the Guards said two oil tankers caught fire in the strait, both after hitting mines. The Guards' naval commander Admiral Ali Ozmaei warned this week that any vessel that deactivated its navigation systems would be considered "hostile." The United State

China's embassy issues fresh Thailand travel alert over kidnappings, job scams

China's embassy in Thailand has warned citizens to carefully plan their trips and pay extra attention to transport security following a string of high-profile kidnappings targeting Chinese nationals. Online influencers and artists were also advised to remain vigilant against high-paying job scams operating in Thailand in the latest such warning issued on Friday. There have been a number of high-profile incidents in recent months in which online celebrities and travellers were kidnapped in Thailand and trafficked to scam syndicates in Myanmar. The Bangkok embassy urged travellers to "pay attention to transport arranged by others" and "plan their itinerary and choose licensed transport and legal operators", while being "careful not to take any free rides from acquaintances or strangers" alike. Individuals should also refuse sudden changes to venues or travel routes and keep their families informed of their whereabouts, Friday's notice posted to the embassy website said. While the embassy issued a similar warning in April, its latest advisory highlighted particular concern over the growing n

China's economy picks up pace in Q3 as exports power uneven recovery

BEIJING — China's economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter as a surge in exports and strong factory activity offset persistent weakness in domestic demand, easing pressure on policymakers to roll out more forceful stimulus measures. The 4.5% growth rate, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday, beat the forecast for 4.4% growth in a Reuters poll, and improved from the more-than-three-year low of 4.3% in the April-to-June period. The stronger headline growth was underpinned by a surge in exports, with China's trade surplus widening more than expected in September and keeping the country on track to surpass last year's record $1.2 trillion surplus. September activity data also showed signs of improvement. Retail sales rose a better-than-expected 1.1% from a year earlier, accelerating from August's 0.4% increase and marking the fastest growth since March. Consumer spending remained subdued overall, however, highlighting the uneven nature of the recovery. Industrial output grew 5.5% in September, up from 5.2% in August and marking the strongest pace in si

Macron notes 'failures' after France unrest

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron, under pressure after violent protests in France, acknowledged on Monday "failures in anticipation and intelligence", but refused the resignation of his interior minister, the presidential palace said. Some opposition politicians had called for the sacking of Nunez after demonstrations over the cost of living descended into some of the worst urban violence in France in years. Nearly 2,400 people were arrested on Saturday, with almost 1,000 police and gendarmes injured, according to the interior ministry, as clashes between police and protesters, mass looting and fires erupted nationwide. "The interior minister submitted his resignation to the president on Sunday," the Elysee palace said in a statement. "Given the necessity for continued leadership of law enforcement at this time, the president refused." Macron had asked Nunez to "take all necessary steps to ensure transparency over the failures in planning and intelligence that led to the violence", the statement said. The president had also instructed him to "put in place new operational methods for sec

Putin proposes summit with Trump and Xi to discuss Ukraine deal, WSJ says

Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a summit next month with US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine conflict that would favour Moscow, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the discussions. The proposed summit comes amid warming ties between Trump and Putin especially after the US President announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and signed an order on Friday waiving key sanctions on Moscow. Citing a former Russian intelligence officer briefed on the matter, the paper said that Putin's suggestion came in an October 9 telephone call with Trump that also yielded the diesel deal between the two countries. The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, while the Kremlin could not be immediately reached outside regular business hours. The Russian and Chinese embassies in Washington did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The Kremlin has suggested holding the trilateral dialogue on the sidelines of the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Rubio says Ukraine and Russia should be focused on ending the war

SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan — Ukraine and Russia should be focused on ending the war between them, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on his visit to Uzbekistan on Monday. Asked about a possible meeting of US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Ukraine conflict, Rubio said: "There's been talks of a meeting. I don't know whether it's been finalized, but the president has been clear. He'd like the war in Ukraine and Russia to end." Rubio landed in Samarkand on Sunday night to meet top officials of the C5+1 grouping that brings together the United States and the Muslim-majority post-Soviet states of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Trump hosted C5 leaders at the White House last November. "We see nothing good coming from this war," Rubio said. "We see a lot of downside to it, including the very real risk of escalation and spread of this thing... into another country because of a failed sabotage attack, because of drones that are hit with electronic warfare an

Haze in Malaysia: Vets seeing uptick in pets with respiratory problems

PETALING JAYA – Veterinarians in Malaysia are reporting an increase in respiratory problems among pets amid the haze, from watery eyes to breathing difficulties. Veterinarian clinic director Muhammad Naim Md Kasim said respiratory cases among cats had increased by an estimated 10% to 15% across several of his clinics since mid-September. “We cannot immediately attribute