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Student demonstrators at Columbia University have defied an ultimatum to disperse or face immediate suspension, as tensions rose at the epicentre of pro-Palestinian protests that have erupted at US colleges.Police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses across the United States over the weekend, with the White House calling on the demonstrations to remain peaceful.Authorities at Columbia in New York issued a statement on Monday saying that the protesters’ encampment must be cleared, and adding that the university would not divest financial holdings linked to Israel – a key demand of demonstrators.However, student protesters pushed back, vowing to defend their camp on the prestigious institution’s main lawn, despite threats of suspensions and disciplinary action after a 2pm (1800 GMT) deadline.Protests against the Gaza war, with its high civilian death toll of Palestinians, have posed a challenge to university administrators trying to balance free speech rights with complai...

The Philippines has closed schools down and warned of overloading on its power grid, as authorities across Southeast Asia issued a series of health alerts for a crushing and deadly heat wave.The Philippines’ country’s education ministry cancelled in-person classes at public schools for two days on Sunday.“We already have reports of high blood pressure and dizziness, and fainting for pupils and teachers in the past days,” Benjo Basas, chairperson of Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, a group of educators, told DWPM radio station.Temperatures in the Philippines are forecast to reach 37° Celsius (98.6° Fahrenheit) in the next three days, with many classrooms crowded and without air conditioning.The country’s weather agency said the heat index – the actual temperature felt by the body to include relative humidity – is expected to remain at a record 45C (113F), in the range which it classes as “dangerous” as conditions can trigger heat stroke from prolonged exposure.In Thailand, temperatures are ...

Twenty Cambodian soldiers have been killed in an ammunition explosion at an army base, Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday. The blast at around 2.45pm (0745 GMT) at the army base in Kampong Speu province to the west of the capital also wounded several soldiers, according to the PM, with the army saying that an entire truck of munitions had exploded. “I am deeply shocked to receive the news of the ammunition explosion incident,” Hun Manet said in a statement on Facebook, expressing his “deepest condolences” to the families of those killed. It was not immediately clear what had caused the explosion. Pictures on social media showed a destroyed one-storey building wreathed in smoke, with residents of a nearby village also sharing images online of broken windows. Other images showed what appeared to be civilians, including a child in diapers - with cuts and gashes being treated in hospital. Munitions accidents are not uncommon in Cambodia, which is awash with ammunition following decade...

A UK ship to house hundreds of US army personnel building a jetty to speed up aid delivery to Gaza has set sail from Cyprus, a UK defence source said Saturday.Royal Navy support ship 'Cardigan Bay' will help support the international effort to construct the temporary floating pier, which is set to be completed early May, according to the Pentagon.The pier will initially facilitate the delivery of 90 truckloads of international aid a day into Gaza, rising to up to 150 truckloads once fully operational, according to US estimates.The aid will be pre-screened in Cyprus and delivered directly to Gaza via the pier off the coast or via Ashdod Port, which Israel has said it will open.'It is critical we establish more routes for vital humanitarian aid to reach the people of Gaza and the UK continues to take a leading role in the delivery of support,' UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.The UN insists that an increase in the flow of humanitarian aid by land is needed to help a...

US troops have begun construction of a maritime pier off the coast of Gaza that aims to speed the flow of humanitarian aid into the territory, the Pentagon said.'As an update for our humanitarian assistance support operations to establish the maritime corridor off the coast of Gaza, I can confirm that US military vessels to include the USS Benavidez, have begun to construct the initial stages of the temporary pier and causeway at sea,' Pentagon spokesman Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a press briefing.He added, 'We'll provide much more information in the very near future as we work alongside the international community to rush aid to the people of Gaza.'Ryder said the pier would likely be up and running by early May, and last month said it would take up to 1,000 servicemembers to complete it.The modular causeway system would consist of an offshore platform where ships could deposit aid that would be taken by the Army to a motorized string of steel causew...

Around 430 colonists stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Thursday, heavily guarded by the Israeli occupation police.The colonists stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque from Mughrabi Gate, carried out provocative tours and performed Talmudic rituals in its courtyards, Palestenian news agency (WAFA) reported.The occupation police also tightened its military procedures, obstructing the movement of worshipers and checking their ID cards.The incursions of colonists and extremists into Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem have increased significantly since the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Fire broke out at energy facilities in Russia's Smolensk region after a Ukraine-launched drone attack and people were evacuated from parts of Lipetsk in Russia's southwest after a drone there fell on an industrial park, regional officials said.'Our region is again under attack by Ukrainian UAVs,' Vasily Anokhin, the governor of the Smolensk region in Russia's west, said on the Telegram messaging app.'As a result of the enemy attack on civilian fuel and energy facilities, fires broke out in the Smolensk and Yartsevo districts,' Anokhin said on the Telegram messaging app.It was not immediately known what facilities were on fire. There are no large oil refineries in the Smolensk region.Separately, Igor Artamonov, the governor of the Lipetsk region in Russia's southwest, said that a drone there fell on an industrial zone. He said on Telegram that there were no injuries, but nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution measure.'T...

Extreme heat scorched the Philippines on Wednesday, forcing schools in some areas to suspend in-person classes and prompting warnings for people to limit the amount of time spent outdoors.The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the archipelago nation, but conditions this year have been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.'It's so hot you can't breathe,' said Erlin Tumaron, 60, who works at a seaside resort in Cavite province, south of Manila, where the heat index reached 47 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.'It's surprising our pools are still empty. You would expect people to come and take a swim, but it seems they're reluctant to leave their homes because of the heat.'The heat index was expected to reach the 'danger' level of 42C or higher in at least 30 cities and municipalities on Wednesday, the state weather forecaster said.The heat index measures what a temperature feels like, taking...

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said on Tuesday that the Israeli army killed around 105 journalists since Oct. 7, including at least 22 who were killed while carrying out their work. Access to Gaza remains impossible under daily bombardment, while the gradual evacuation of reporters continues.RSF reiterates its call to the international community to step up pressure on Israel for an end to this massacre, and make efforts to protect Palestinian journalism.When asked by RSF about what journalists in Gaza need the most, they said that 'protection' is the most important thing that the profession needs today in the Strip, as they live in daily terror where the Strip has become completely besieged.Despite repeated calls from various non-governmental organizations, including RSF, for the Rafah border crossing to be opened, entry into the Gaza Strip is still limited to journalists accompanying Israeli military forces, and they are restricted to covering Israeli permitted areas only. Me...

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) welcomed the results and recommendations of the Independent Review Committee regarding the Agencys commitment to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.UNRWA is strongly committed to implementing UN values and humanitarian principles. The recommendations contained in the Independent Review Groups report on the Agencys work 'will further strengthen efforts and response during one of the most difficult moments in the history of the Palestinian people', UNRWA said in a press statement.A report submitted by the Independent Review Group on the work of UNRWA concluded that it had established a large number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality.The review was conducted after the Israeli occupation authorities claimed that employees of the UN Agency participated in the 'Al-Aqsa Flood' operation.

Police officers are seen near a part of a television tower partially destroyed by a Russian missile strike in Kharkiv A Russian missile strike that broke in half a 240m television tower in Kharkiv yesterday is part of a deliberate effort by Moscow to make Ukraine’s second largest city uninhabitable, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.Footage obtained by Reuters showed the main mast of the television tower breaking off and falling to the ground in the city that has been pounded by missile and drone strikes for weeks.The Ukrainian leader said he told US President Joe Biden about the airstrike that was carried out several minutes before they spoke by telephone.“It is Russia’s clear intention to make the city uninhabitable,” he said in a readout of the call published on the Telegram messaging app.An AFP journalist in Kharkiv saw the red-and-white spire of the structure toppled a barrage by Russian forces.The northeastern city of Kharkiv, with a population of 1.3mn, lies just 30km from the R...

At least seven people were killed and another 21 wounded when a race car ploughed into spectators at a packed motorsport event hosted by Sri Lanka’s army yesterday, police said.A driver crashed into the crowd on an unprotected stretch of the track at the Fox Hill circuit, which is maintained by the Sri Lankan army.A video shared widely on social media showed track marshals waving yellow flags to warn other drivers to slow down after a car overturned on the track.The drivers are seen speeding past in clouds of orange dust until a red car slams into the crowd, and people are heard screaming.“A total of 27 people were taken to hospital and seven of them succumbed to their injuries,” spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said, adding that an eight-year-old girl was among the dead.Shortly before the crash, army chief Vikum Liyanage announced that the gates had been opened to spectators free of charge to promote motorsports, with the event being held for the first time in five years due to the Covid pand...

Marija Lah, one of Europe’s last umbrella repairers, poses for a photo in her workshop in Ljubljana. (AFP) While most people believe a malfunctioning umbrella means you have to buy a new one, Slovenian Marija Lah — one of Europe’s last umbrella repairers — has spent her life proving them wrong.“Everything can be repaired! I believe I can repair 98 percent of all the umbrellas I get,” the 56-year-old laughs, waving around a 50-year-old model to demonstrate its quality.While most umbrella repairers have closed shop as millions of broken, cheap umbrellas are tossed out each year around the world, Lah is catering to a growing base of new customers who try to throw away less due to environmental concerns.“It is a fashionable thing now,” she told AFP in her shop packed with umbrellas, an old sewing machine and thousands of different spare parts, including ribs, caps and wires piled on shelves.Founded almost 60 years ago by Lah’s father, the tiny shop in a stone-paved Ljubljana street is one ...

President Ruto deliver message during the tribute ceremony  With a 19-gun cannon salute and a religious ceremony, Kenya paid a military tribute yesterday to its army chief who died in a helicopter accident this week.Kenyan President William Ruto, along with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and opposition leader Raila Odinga, attended the ceremony at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in the capital Nairobi.Francis Omondi Ogolla’s coffin, topped with the Kenyan flag, entered the enclosure at 1pm (1000 GMT), accompanied by great fanfare before a minute of silence for the former chief of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF).Ogolla and nine other military officials died on Thursday when their helicopter went down in a remote region in the west of the country, just short of a year since his appointment as armed forces head by Ruto.“It was a sad and very tragic moment for Kenya,” Ruto said in a speech.The general died aged 62. The defence ministry had previously mistakenly stated that Ogolla was 61.“G...

Beneath the surface of the turquoise waters off a beach on Thailand’s holiday island of Phuket, divers laboriously collect abandoned fishing gear, much of it made from plastic, that is tangled on coral and trapping sea life.This discarded or lost fishing equipment is known locally as “ghost gear” and is a growing problem in waters off Thailand and beyond, ensnaring marine life and adding to microplastics pollution as nets and ropes break down over time.According to Thailand’s Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, estimates of the percentage of endangered marine life affected by plastic pollution in the upper Andaman Sea off Thailand have grown from 20% in 2021 to at least 30% as of 2023.Scuba diving groups and marine organisations in Thailand have been working to remove the abandoned fishing gear from reefs through cleanup missions, but have a problem tracking its scale.Experts say the lack of a coordinated strategy is hindering the pursuit of more comprehensive and effective sol...

Parents collect their children with police officers and a firefighter keeping watch at a school in the eastern France city of Souffelweyersheim, after two girls were wounded in a knife attack outside the school. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced measures to crack down on teenage violence in and around schools, as the government seeks to reclaim ground on security from the far-right two months ahead of European elections.Attal revealed his plan hours before a man stabbed two young girls, aged six and 11, outside their school in the east of the country, further underlining concerns of security at educational establishments.Their wounds were not deemed serious.France has in recent weeks been shaken by a series of attacks on schoolchildren by their peers, in particularly the fatal beating earlier this month of Shemseddine, 15, outside Paris.The issue has come to a head with the far-right National Rally (RN) accusing Attal of not doing enough on security as the anti-immigrat...

Commissioner-General of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini warned that a man-made famine is 'tightening its grip' across the Gaza Strip, accusing Israel of obstructing aid deliveries and seeking to liquidate UNRWA's activities in the Strip.'Today, an insidious campaign to end UNRWA's operations is underway, with serious implications for international peace and security', Lazzarini said, adding 'In the north, infants and young children have begun to die of malnutrition and dehydration. Across the border, food and clean water wait. But UNRWA is denied permission to deliver this aid and save lives.'The agency provides aid, education and health services to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. source https://www.gulf-times.com/article/680873/international/unrwa-commissioner-general-famine-tightens-grip-across-gaza

A fire crew member stands inside a damaged portion of the Old Stock Exchange building, in Copenhagen, on Wednesday. Denmark’s Old Stock Exchange will be rebuilt after a devastating fire destroyed half the building and damaged much of the rest, the owner of the Copenhagen landmark said on Wednesday.The blaze ripped through the 400-year-old structure on Tuesday, toppling its spire and also triggering the collapse of a large roof section, in scenes reminiscent of the 2019 fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.In parts of the building only outer brick walls remained as everything else had burnt up, while some of the sections still standing had floors that were waterlogged from efforts to put out the fire, according to reporters briefly allowed inside.A strong smell of burnt wood filled the air, and long tubes of bright-white led-lights were laid out in the remaining dry sections as workers entered to remove office furniture that survived the fire.Among the parts lost in the blaze was the l...

Supporters of defendants including Micki Witthoeft, the mother of Ashli Babbitt, who was killed on January 6, 2021, sing outside the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, yesterday. A divided US Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday in a case that could lead to the dismissal of some of the charges filed against former president Donald Trump and hundreds of his supporters who took part in the January 2021 attack on the Capitol.Special Counsel Jack Smith has slapped the 77-year-old Trump with four felony charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.Several of the conservative justices on the nation’s highest court appeared to be sceptical yesterday of the filing of obstruction charges against Trump and other participants in the assault on the Capitol.The Republican presidential candidate is charged with conspiracy to defraud the US, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and obstruction of an official proceeding — the session o...

Former president Donald Trump speaks as attorney Todd Blanche looks on, on the second day of his trial at Manhattan Criminal Court, New York City, yesterday. Donald Trump’s criminal trial on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star is not a referendum on his presidency, a prosecutor told prospective jurors yesterday in asking whether they could put personal politics aside.Trump’s defence lawyer, in his opportunity to question prospective jurors, pressed them for their opinions on the former US president.Jury selection for Trump’s trial got underway on Monday. He faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Daniels says she had an encounter with Trump about a decade beforehand.Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies an encounter took place. The Republican presidential candidate has called the case, brought by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a partisan w...

Scientists are seen conducting in-water monitoring in Arlington Reef, Australia, amidst bleached coral reefs, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters. Along coastlines from Australia to Kenya to Mexico, many of the world’s colourful coral reefs have turned a ghostly white in what scientists said amounted to the fourth global bleaching event in the last three decades.At least 54 countries and territories have experienced mass bleaching among their reefs since February 2023 as climate change warms the ocean’s surface waters, according to the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s Coral Reef Watch, the world’s top coral reef monitoring body.Announcement of the latest global bleaching event was made jointly by the NOAA and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), a global intergovernmental conservation partnership.For an event to be deemed global, significant bleaching must occur in all three ocean basins – the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian – within a 365-day per...

Trump faces a criminal trial in Manhattan, criticizing the White House leadership and emphasizing his 2024 presidential candidacy amid jury selection lasting up to two weeks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has condemned Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel and said that his country needed help from its allies to fend off threats from the air, just as Israel did. Zelensky again called on the US Congress to approve a vital aid package that has been blocked by political wrangling for months. Ukraine’s forces are facing new onslaughts from Russian troops in the east and daily attacks on cities and infrastructure from Russian missiles and drones. Writing on the social media platform X, Zelensky said: “Iran’s actions threaten the entire region and the world, just as Russia’s actions threaten a larger conflict, and the obvious collaboration between the two regimes in spreading terror must face a resolute and united response from the world.” Speaking later in his nightly video address, the president said the world had seen that “Israel was not alone in its defence – the threats in the sky were also destroyed by its allies”. “And when Ukraine says allie...

With less than two months to South Africa’s crunch election, scandal-tainted former president Jacob Zuma has stolen the spotlight in an unlikely comeback, further wounding the ruling ANC, analysts say.Arguably the most polarising politician in the country’s history of democracy, Zuma’s politicking can be enthralling or perplexing.The ex-leader who has made headlines almost daily in the southern African nation for a series of political engagements and court battles over his legitimacy to run in the May 29 poll — remains at the centre of discourse both on and offline.In December Zuma stunningly announced he would campaign for a new party, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK). That saw him suspended by the African National Congress (ANC), which is on the brink of dropping below 50% of the vote for the first time since it came to power in 1994.“Zuma’s comeback epitomises his intense anger with the ANC...almost a revenge on a political party that he believes has alienated him,” political analyst Susan Boo...

An attacker who fatally knifed six people in a Sydney mall was shot dead by police in the beachside suburb of Bondi yesterday, police said, as hundreds fled the scene.The assailant was shot by a police officer after he attacked shoppers in the busy Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, a police statement said. Five of the six victims killed were women, while eight people, including a nine-month-old baby, were taken to hospital with stab wounds, New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb told a press conference.Police at this stage do not believe the attack was terrorism-related, Webb said.Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said there was no indication yet of the man’s motive.“This was a horrific act of violence, indiscriminately targeting innocent people going about an ordinary Saturday doing their shopping,” he told a press conference.“Tonight the first thoughts of all Australians are with the victims of these terrible acts.”Australia, a country of about 26mn people, has some of ...

Six people were killed and several others injured -- including a nine-month-old baby -- when a knife-wielding attacker rampaged through a busy Sydney shopping centre on Saturday.Australian police said multiple people were stabbed by the unidentified assailant, who was tracked down and shot dead by a policewoman who is being hailed as a national hero.The incident occurred at the sprawling Westfield Bondi Junction mall complex, which was packed with thousands of Saturday afternoon shoppers.New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb said five women and one man had died. A baby was undergoing emergency surgery.Police said the attacker is believed to be a 40-year-old man who was known to law enforcement, but he has not yet been formally identified.Webb played down suggestions that the attack could have been an act of terrorism and said it is believed the attacker acted alone.'If it is in fact the person we believe it is, then... it's not a terrorism incident,' she said....