Two buses travel on a main road during a blackout in Quito June 19, 2024. - Ecuador blacked out on June 19, due to failures in the supply network, according to Deputy Energy Minister Roberto Luque, affecting strategic services such as telecommunications and the Quito metro. (Photo by Galo Paguay / AFP)

Ecuador experiences hours-long nationwide power outage

Ecuador suffered a nationwide blackout for several hours Wednesday as the electrical grid failed, with metro services, road traffic and other critical services crippled. The blackout hit abruptly just after 3:00 pm
2 weeks ago
Kenya's President William Ruto arrives at the Borgo Egnazia resort for the G7 Summit hosted by Italy in Apulia region, on June 14, 2024 in Savelletri. - Leaders of the G7 wealthy nations gather in southern Italy this week against the backdrop of global and political turmoil, with boosting support for Ukraine top of the agenda. (Photo by Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP)

Kenyan protesters to return to streets over tax hikes

Kenyan protesters were due to stage fresh protests across the country on Thursday against contentious tax hikes that many fear will worsen a cost-of-living crisis. The cash-strapped government of President William Ruto
2 weeks ago
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives to lead the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, on June 19, 2024. (Photo by RALF HIRSCHBERGER / AFP)

Germany’s coalition in impasse over 2025 budget

The three parties in the German government are locked in a bitter dispute over the 2025 budget, with experts warning the stalemate could be the final straw for the uneasy coalition. Chancellor
2 weeks ago
(FILES) A man effected by the scorching heat is helped by a member of the Saudi security forces as Muslim pilgrims arrive to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual as part of the hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on June 16, 2024. - Friends and family searched for missing hajj pilgrims on June 19, 2024, as the death toll at the annual rituals, which were carried out in scorching heat, surged past 900. About 1.8 million people from all over the world, many old and infirm, took part in the days-long, mostly outdoor pilgrimage, held this year during the oven-like Saudi summer. (Photo by Fadel Senna / AFP)

Loved ones search for missing as hajj death toll passes 900

Friends and family searched for missing hajj pilgrims on Wednesday as the death toll at the annual rituals, which were carried out in scorching heat, surged past 900. Relatives scoured hospitals and
2 weeks ago
Boeing President and CEO Dave Calhoun and Boeing Chief Engineer Howard McKenzie are sworn in during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Investigations Subcommittee hearing to examine "Boeing's broken safety culture" on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 18, 2024. (Photo by SAMUEL CORUM / AFP)

Boeing CEO recognizes ‘gravity’ of safety crisis but sees ‘progress’

Boeing’s CEO acknowledged to a US congressional panel Tuesday that the company’s culture was imperfect, but insisted the aviation giant was making progress and committed to improving safety. “Our culture is far
2 weeks ago
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russian President Vladimir Putin (2L) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) walk during their meeting in Pyongyang, on June 19, 2024. - Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a mutual defence agreement on June 19 with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, who offered his "full support" on Ukraine. The pledge of military cooperation was part of a strategic treaty signed during a summit in Pyongyang, where Putin was making his first visit in 24 years. (Photo by Gavriil GRIGOROV / POOL / AFP) / -- EDITOR'S NOTE : THIS IMAGE IS DISTRIBUTED BY THE RUSSIAN STATE OWNED AGENCY SPUTNIK -

N.Korea helping Russia carry out ‘mass murder’ of civilians: Kyiv

A senior Ukrainian presidential aide on Wednesday said North Korea was helping Russia kill Ukrainian civilians and called for greater international isolation of both countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean
2 weeks ago
Muslim pilgrims perform the farewell circumambulation or "tawaf", circling seven times around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca on June 18, 2024 at the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage. (Photo by AFP)

Loved ones search for missing as hajj death toll passes 900

Friends and family searched for missing hajj pilgrims on Wednesday as the death toll at the annual rituals, which were carried out in scorching heat, surged past 900. Relatives scoured hospitals and
2 weeks ago