International

A fierce tornado blasted through Little Rock, Arkansas, and neighbouring towns on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring dozens as it sheared roofs and walls from many buildings, flipped over vehicles and downed trees and power lines, officials said. Hours later another tornado or extreme burst of wind was believed to have ripped open the roof of an …

KARACHI, Pakistan — At least 11 women and children were killed in a deadly stampede at a Ramadan food and cash distribution center in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi on Friday, police and rescue officials said, as the country struggles with surging food prices. The stampede happened when hundreds of women and children panicked and started pushing each other …

Two US Army helicopters crashed during a nighttime training mission in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers on board, a general said on Thursday. The helicopters — variants of the Black Hawk designed for medical evacuation — were taking part in a routine training mission the night before when the crash occurred, Brigadier General John Lubas told a news conference. It …

AMRITSAR: A firebrand fugitive Sikh separatist has posted a video taunting Indian authorities after a fruitless almost two-week manhunt involving thousands of police and internet shutdowns. Amritpal Singh has risen to fame in recent months demanding the creation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh homeland, the struggle for which sparked deadly violence in the 1980s and 1990s. Punjab police have been hunting Singh …

THE HAGUE: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday rejected Iran’s bid to unblock nearly $2 billion in central bank assets frozen by the United States, but ruled Washington had illegally seized some other funds. Judges at the UN’s top court said Washington had “violated” the rights of several Iranian individuals and companies and must compensate them, yet ruled …

SYDNEY: Rapidly melting Antarctic ice threatens to dramatically slow deep-water currents in the wor­ld’s oceans, scientists say, impacting the spread of fresh water, oxygen and life-sustaining nutrients for centuries. New modelling points to faster Antarctic ice melts driving a “substantial slowdown” of water circulation in the ocean depths if global carbon emissions remain high, researchers said in a study published in …

MANILA: At least 31 people died and 230 were rescued after a fire engulfed a ferry in the southern Philippines, authorities said on Thursday. The Lady Mary Joy 3 was travelling from Zamboanga City on Mindanao Island to Jolo Island in Sulu province when the fire broke out late on Wednesday, prompting passengers to jump overboard, disaster officer Nixon Alonzo …

WASHINGTON: Mili­tants who carry out attacks inside Pakistan have obtained US weapons left behind in Afgha­nistan, a US-backed broad­casting service claimed in its latest report on the situation. Observers say the influx of US weapons has boosted the military capabilities of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups, according to the report released by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. This influx …

The death toll after a floor collapsed at a Hindu temple in India had risen to 35 on Friday with rescue operations ongoing, a local official told AFP. Dozens of worshippers celebrating a major religious holiday on Thursday plunged into the stepwell — a stair-lined communal water source — after the floor covering it collapsed in the central city of Indore. …

A New York grand jury on Thursday indicted Donald Trump over hush money payments made to a porn star during his 2016 campaign, making him the first former US president to face criminal charges. The historic indictment of the 76-year-old Republican — who denies all wrongdoing in connection with the payments made ahead of the election that sent him to the White …