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US storms, 'severe' flooding death toll climbs to 16

Violent storms battering the central-eastern United States have killed at least 16 people, officials said, with the National Weather Service warning on Saturday of "severe" flash flooding in the coming days.

Rain complicates recovery in quake-hit Myanmar as death toll rises

Rain is compounding misery and presenting new hurdles for relief efforts on Sunday in Myanmar, where state media reported the death toll from a devastating earthquake has risen to nearly 3,500 people.

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Syrians rejoice during first Eid after Assad's fall

Eid al-Fitr in Syria was charged with newfound joy this year, as thousands freely celebrated the holiday for the first time after the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Iran will have 'no choice' but to acquire nukes if attacked: Khamenei adviser

Iran would have no alternative but to acquire a nuclear weapon if attacked by the United States or its allies, an adviser to the country's supreme leader warned on Monday, following a threat by Donald Trump.

France's Le Pen defiant after five year election ban

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Monday slammed a "political decision" and insisted she had not abandoned hope of standing in presidential elections in 2027 after a court handed her a five-year ban on running for office.

Israel's Netanyahu slams Qatargate probe as 'political witch hunt'

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified Monday in a probe involving alleged payments from Qatar to some of his aides, an investigation he denounced as politically motivated.

Myanmar to mark minute of silence as quake toll passes 2,000

Myanmar will mark a minute of silence Tuesday in tribute to victims of the country's devastating earthquake that has killed more than 2,000 people, as hopes dim of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.

Spain coal mine blast kills five

Five people died and another four were seriously injured in a blast Monday at a coal mine in northern Spain's Asturias region, the nation's deadliest mining accident in decades.

Top aide to Israel's Netanyahu arrested in 'Qatargate' probe

Israeli police announced on Monday the arrest of two individuals, one of whom was confirmed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling Likud party as a senior aide to the long-serving leader.

Myanmar declares week of mourning as quake toll passes 2,000

Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on Monday over the country's devastating earthquake, as the death toll passed 2,000 and hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.

Fear of aftershocks in Myanmar forces patients into hospital car park

Hundreds of patients, including babies, the elderly and Buddhist monks, lie on gurneys in a hospital car park in the sweltering heat of Mandalay, a city still living in fear of aftershocks three days after a deadly quake struck Myanmar.

Le Pen's French presidency bid in jeopardy after election ban

A French court on Monday threw into severe doubt far-right leader Marine Le Pen's 2027 bid for president, handing her a five-year ban on running for office after convicting her over a fake jobs scheme.

Myanmar declares week of mourning as quake toll passes 2,000, hopes fade for survivors

Myanmar declared a week of national mourning on Monday for the country's devastating earthquake, as the death toll passed 2,000 and hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.

Probe accuses ex J-pop star Nakai of sexual assault

An independent panel investigating allegations against an J-pop megastar-turned-TV host accused him on Monday of sexual violence against a Fuji Televsision employee, saying the company's handling of the matter amounted to harassment of the employee.

France fines Apple 150 million euros over privacy feature

French antitrust authorities handed Apple a 150-million-euro ($162-million) fine on Monday over its app tracking privacy feature, which is also under scrutiny in several other European countries.

Thai authorities probe collapse at quake-hit construction site

Authorities in Thailand are investigating possible factors that led to the devastating collapse of a Bangkok construction site, where dozens remained missing on Monday, three days after a massive earthquake centred in Myanmar.

Myanmar declares week of mourning as hopes fade for quake survivors

Myanmar's ruling junta declared a week of national mourning on Monday for the country's devastating earthquake, which has killed more than 1,700 people, as hopes faded of finding more survivors in the rubble of ruined buildings.

Tears in Taiwan for relatives hit by Myanmar quake

As images of destroyed buildings in earthquake-hit Myanmar flashed across her television screen in Taiwan, Yang Bi-ying could only weep for her family there.

'Devastated': Relatives await news from Bangkok building collapse

Three days after a Bangkok skyscraper collapsed in the wake of a devastating earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar, Naruemol Thonglek is still praying that her boyfriend will emerge from the immense pile of rubble where the building once stood.

Prayers and tears for Eid in quake-hit Mandalay

Hundreds of grieving Muslims gathered for Eid prayers in the street in Mandalay on Monday, the death and destruction of Myanmar's huge earthquake casting a pall of anguish over the occasion.

UK imposes travel permit on Europeans from Wednesday

In a shake-up of long-standing travel rules, European nationals heading to the UK will from Wednesday need a mandatory entry permit, which the British government says will strengthen border security.

Duterte lawyer: 'compelling' grounds to throw case out

Rodrigo Duterte's lead lawyer said Sunday there was a "compelling" argument to throw out the International Criminal Court case against the former Philippines president before it even comes to trial.

Rescue hopes fading three days after deadly Myanmar quake

Hopes were fading Monday of finding more survivors in the rubble of Mandalay, where some residents spent a third night sleeping in the open after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand.

Musk money overshadows Wisconsin court vote

An election to choose a new supreme court judge in the northern US state of Wisconsin wouldn't usually make much noise.

Aftershocks rattle Myanmar as rescuers search for survivors

Rescuers braved aftershocks to scour the devastated city of Mandalay for survivors on Monday, after a massive earthquake killed at least 1,700 people in Myanmar and at least 18 in neighbouring Thailand.

Convalescing pope says illness is universal as misses another Angelus

Pope Francis, who is recovering from a life-threatening bout of pneumonia, urged Catholics Sunday to mark Lent as a "time of healing" as he missed his seventh consecutive Angelus prayer.

Tears, prayers in search for monks trapped by Myanmar quake

Covered in dust and resembling a Buddhist statue, the face of a dead monk emerges from the rubble of a religious examination hall in Mandalay flattened by Myanmar's devastating earthquake.

Myanmar quake: a nation unprepared for disaster

Ravaged by four years of civil war, Myanmar is ill-prepared to cope with the destruction brought by Friday's massive earthquake.

South Korean man cleaning gravesite suspected of starting wildfires: police

South Korean police have launched a probe into a man suspected of accidentally igniting the country's worst wildfires in history while cleaning his relatives' gravesites, an investigator said Sunday.

Morocco 'water highway' averts crisis in big cities but doubts over sustainability

Morocco is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on tapping northern rivers to supply water to parched cities farther south but experts question the sustainability of the project in the face of climate change.

Aftershocks rattle Mandalay as rescuers search for survivors in Myanmar quake

Residents scrambled desperately through collapsed buildings Sunday searching for survivors as aftershocks rattled the devastated city of Mandalay, two days after a massive earthquake killed more than 1,600 people in Myanmar and at least 11 in neighbouring Thailand.

They work, pay taxes and call US home -- but risk deportation

As he has done for years, Erik Payan had just opened up his tire repair shop in the small Texas town of Cleveland on February 24 and was getting to work when armed and masked US immigration agents swooped in to arrest him and take him away.

Fears and hopes at collapsed Mandalay school

Rescuers clambered into the wreckage of the Wisdom Villa Private High School on the outskirts of Mandalay on Saturday until a jammed door blocked their passage.

Myanmar quake toll passes 1,600 as rescuers dig for survivors

The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,600 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.

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