World News

Donald Trump at an election night event in Florida. Photo: AFP / Jim Watson "What are we learning about America as we see these numbers?" the BBC's Nuala McGovern asked a deflated Democratic Party pollster last Wednesday, near the end of the BBC's eight-hour global broadcast America Decides. "I don't know anymore," she said, before breaking into nervous, bitter laughter. "Democrats, and maybe Republicans too, need to do some soul-searching about what it says about America that we are willing to probably re-elect a man with 34 felony convictions and not look at the economic picture," she said when she recovered her poise. "What does that mean about what we're willing to put up with and willing to put into the highest office in the land?" she added. The news media were asking themselves t...

Heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut overnight. Photo: Nael Chahine Israeli airstrikes killed at least 40 people in Lebanon, including children, Lebanese authorities said Israeli military targeted Hezbollah sites in Tyre and Baalbek Hezbollah escalated attacks, claiming over 20 operations on Saturday Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon over the last day have killed at least 40 people including several children, Lebanese authorities said on Saturday, after heavy Israeli bombardment pounded the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut overnight. At least seven people were killed in the coastal city of Tyre late on Friday, Lebanon's health ministry said. The Israeli military has previously ordered swathes of the city to evacuate but there were no ...

By Graham Keeley, Reuters Nearly 80 people are still missing in what was the most deadly deluge in a single European country since 1967. Photo: AFP/Cesar Manso Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Saturday over regional authorities' handling of devastating floods that killed more than 220 people in one of Europe's worst natural disasters in decades. In the latest demonstration over the floods, protesters filled the centre of Valencia demanding the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mazon and chanting "Killers!". "Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood," read one banner. Some demonstrators dumped dirty boots outside the government building while others plastered it with mud. Residents in stricken areas accuse Mazon...

Catherine, Princess of Wales reacts as she speaks to members of the emergency services during a visit to Southport Community Centre in Southport, north west England on October 10, 2024. Photo: AFP / Danny Lawson Princess Kate attended a Remembrance Day event in London on Saturday, in her latest public engagement after undergoing preventive treatment for cancer this year. Kate arrived for the Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall wearing a black dress adorned with a red poppy, which has become a symbol of respect for those who have lost their lives in conflict. She was accompanied by her husband William and other members of the royal family and was followed shortly afterwards by King Charles, whose wife Queen Camilla has cancelled engagements as she recovers from a chest ...

Darlington Public School bested more than 220 other architecture projects at the 2024 World Architecture Festival in Singapore. Photo: CNN / Brett Boardman A humble suburban school in Australia has fended off competition from skyscrapers, museums and airport terminals to be named World Building of the Year 2024. Darlington Public School, in the Sydney suburb of Chippendale, beat more than 220 other shortlisted designs to win the coveted annual prize at the World Architecture Festival in Singapore on Friday. Opened last fall, the project combines an angular brick campus building, featuring a distinctive "sawtooth" roof, with landscaped outdoor spaces, including a large basketball court and a community garden. Softly curved metal screens surround a series of open-air terraces, allowing da...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi pictured here entering the European Union building in Geneva in December 2014. Photo: AFP / Fabrice Coffrini Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied US charges that Tehran was linked to an alleged plot to kill Donald Trump and called on Saturday (local time) for confidence-building between the two hostile countries. "Now ... a new scenario is fabricated ... as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy," Araqchi said in a post on X. He was referring to the alleged plot which Washington said was ordered by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards to assassinate Trump, who won Tuesday's (local time) presidential election and takes office in January. "The American people have made their decision. ...

Josep Borrell, right, examines destroyed Russian military equipment in Kyiv. Photo: AFP / Sergei Supinsky EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell sought to reassure Ukraine of Europe's unwavering support on Saturday, days after Donald Trump's election win cast uncertainty over its war effort. Borrell, the first top EU official to visit Kyiv since Trump's win, said that the purpose of his visit was to stress EU support for Ukraine, as its war with Russia nears 1000 days. The European Union has already provided 122 billion euros (NZ$219 billion) in military and financial support to Ukraine and trained about 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers, said Borrell, adding that the bloc aimed to reach 75,000 by the end of the winter. "This support remains unwavering. This support is absolutely needed for you ...

By Andrew Mills, Reuters The aftermath of an Israeli airstrike on a camp in Gaza. Photo: AFP / Saeed Jaras Qatar will stop trying to mediate a Gaza ceasefire deal until Hamas and Israel show a "sincere willingness" to return to the negotiating table, an official briefed on the matter told Reuters on Saturday, in the biggest setback to efforts to reach a truce since the war began. The Gulf country has also concluded that Hamas' political office in Doha "no longer serves its purpose", the official added, in a blow to the Palestinian militant group whose top leaders have been assassinated by Israel. Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, has played a major role in rounds of so-far fruitless talks to broker a ceasefire to the year-long war in Gaza. The latest round of talks in mid...

By Kanishka Singh, Reuters Photo: AFP / Jessica McGowan Bomb threats led to evacuations in Maryland, California Officials to resume counting ballots on Saturday (local time) Everyone determined to be safe after threats Bomb threats were made against several Maryland boards of elections and election offices in at least two California counties on Friday, state authorities said, adding that everyone was safe and law enforcement officials were investigating. Election officials were counting mail-in ballots when the threats came in Maryland. State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis said the threats led to the evacuation of some buildings. He called the threats "cowardly", adding that local officials would resume counting on Saturday (local time). "Safety is a top concern - but ...

Security personnel inspect wreckage after an explosion at a railway station in Quetta, in Pakistan's Balochistan province. Photo: BANARAS KHAN / AFP At least 24 people have been killed and more than 40 injured in a bomb blast at a railway station in Quetta in southwestern Pakistan, officials say. Pakistan is grappling with a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants in Balochistan province in the south and Islamist militants in its northwest. A decades-old insurgency has destabilised Balochistan and created security concerns for projects trying to access the province's untapped resources. Inspector general of police for Balochistan, Mouzzam Jah Ansari, said 24 people have died so far on Saturday from the blast at the railway station, which is usually busy early in the day. "The ta...