UK’s Sunak could face vote to fill seat after lawmaker suspension upheld

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Rishi Sunak could face the prospect of another difficult election for a potential vacant seat in parliament, after a lawmaker lost an appeal against a proposed eight-week suspension for groping two men at a London club. Chris Pincher, who now sits as an independent, was suspended from the ruling Conservative Party...

Mohamed al-Fayed, ex-Harrods owner whose son died with Princess Diana, dead at 94

LONDON (Reuters) -Mohamed al-Fayed, the self-made Egyptian billionaire who bought the Harrods department store and promoted the discredited conspiracy theory that the British royal family was behind the death of his son and Princess Diana, has died, his family said. Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, al-Fayed began his career selling fizzy drinks and then...

Anguilla, a tropical British territory, is known for its coral reefs and white sand beaches. Since the 1990s, however, it’s also been in charge of assigning Internet addresses that end in .ai to residents and businesses looking to register websites. — Photo by Ramon Kagie on Unsplash

The tropical island with the hot domain name

A tiny island in the Caribbean is now sitting on a digital treasure. Anguilla, a tropical British territory, is known for its coral reefs and white sand beaches. Since the 1990s, however, it’s also been in charge of assigning Internet addresses that end in .ai to residents and businesses looking to register websites. It was one...

S. Korean influencer catches attention with reality-bending, freakish selfies

SEOUL (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A South Korean influencer is stirring up a hornet’s nest online with her bizarre selfies that only the most gullible will believe are actually of her in the flesh. Shasheile is seen in her photos with reality-morphing proportions: a head with a babyish, anime-looking face that is so tiny it’s...

Fukushima wastewater not toxic, says UN nuclear watchdog chief

STOCKHOLM (AFP): The tritium concentration in wastewater being released from Japan's stricken Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant is under expected levels and poses no risk to the population, the head of the UN atomic watchdog said on Tuesday (Aug 29). "So far we have been able to confirm that the first releases of these waters do not contain...

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after it started releasing treated radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, seen from the nearby Ukedo fishing port in Namie town, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, Aug. 25, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Bateman/File Photo

Japan has no plans to boost funds to ease reputation damage from Fukushima water release

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's industry minister said on Wednesday the government had no plan to substantially boost funds aimed at helping the fishing industry hit by reputation damage from the release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. The government currently has two such funds worth 80 billion yen ($547 million). ($1 = 146.1700...

Gabonese military officers announce on television they have seized power

LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - A group of senior Gabonese military officers appeared on television channel Gabon 24 in the early hours of Wednesday and said they had taken power, after the state election body announced President Ali Bongo had won a third term. (Reporting by Gerauds Wilfried Obangome; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Two Singaporeans admit role in illegal S$2mil sale of sonar which ended up with Myanmar Navy

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): Two Singaporeans who sold a sonar, which eventually ended up with a survey centre operated by the Myanmar Navy, admitted in court on Aug 25 to breaching a law which controls the sale of strategic goods including weapons. The two men - Poiter Agus Kentjana, the 57-year-old sales manager at...

Indonesia hopes LRT launch in Jakarta will ease traffic and pollution

JAKARTA (Reuters): Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday (Aug 28) launched the first elevated rail line for Greater Jakarta, hailing the US$2.13 billion project as a step towards easing the capital's chronic road congestion and worsening air pollution. The driverless, 41.2km (25.6 miles) Light Rail Transit (LRT) system connects central Jakarta and its satellites cities in...

The ‘distraught’ man said he had found images of his young daughter on his girlfriend’s phone, Stillwater police said after meeting with the dad on Aug 22. — Image by Freepik

Dad finds ‘disturbing’ videos of his toddler on girlfriend’s phone, US cops say

An Oklahoma father showed up at a local police department to report a “disturbing” discovery, authorities said. The “distraught” man said he had found images of his young daughter on his girlfriend’s phone, Stillwater police said after meeting with the dad on Aug 22. The dad reported he had recently met the woman from Midwest City online, and...