Death toll in China’s Hebei floods rises to 29 as heavy rainfall triggers disasters

BEIJING (AFP): The death toll from floods in northern China's Hebei province has risen to 29, state media reported Friday, after record-breaking rains pummelled the region in recent weeks. "As of August 10, 29 people have died due to disasters in Hebei Province, of which six were previously missing. There are still 16 missing," state broadcaster...

Court blocks PwC Australia from removing partner over tax leak scandal

SYDNEY (Reuters) - PwC Australia's attempt to remove a partner after an internal investigation into the leak of confidential government tax plans hit a roadblock on Friday after an Australian court ruled the professional services firm failed to follow due process. The decision complicates PwC Australia's efforts to move past a national scandal which has cost...

South Korea’s heatwave-hit scout jamboree bracing for typhoon

SEOUL (Reuters) - Organisers of the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea, who have been grappling with a debilitating heatwave for days, were on Monday preparing for a typhoon to batter their huge campsite with wind and rain, officials said. Hundreds of those attending the jamboree of about 40,000 scouts from 155 countries have been laid...

India’s parliament reinstates Rahul Gandhi as lawmaker

NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's parliament on Monday reinstated opposition Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi as a member after the Supreme Court suspended his conviction for defamation, the government said in a notice. Gandhi, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather were prime minister, was convicted in March in a case brought by a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya...

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (left) walks together with former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, right, during a meeting at Hun Sen's residents in Takhmua, Kandal province southeast Phnom Penh Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Saturday, Aug. 5, 2023. Thaksin attended a birthday party for outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, according to video posted online Sunday, Aug. 6, a day after Thaksin said he would delay plans to return to Thailand following years of self-imposed exile. - AP

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra seen in video at Cambodian leader’s birthday party in Phnom Penh

PHNOM PENH (AP): Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra attended a birthday party for outgoing Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen in Phnom Penh, according to video posted online Sunday, a day after Thaksin said he would delay plans to return to Thailand following years of self-imposed exile. Thaksin’s appearance in Cambodia came at a politically sensitive...

New York riot erupts as influencer touts game console giveaway

NEW YORK: A New York gathering called by a popular online influencer drew an unexpectedly large crowd on Aug 4 and degenerated into violence that left people injured, prompting a massive police turnout, authorities said. It all started with a posting on Instagram from 21-year-old Kai Cenat, calling on fans to meet him in lower Manhattan for...

South Koreans shocked after back-to-back stabbing rampages

SEONGNAM, South Korea (Reuters) - An apparently random stabbing attack in a commuter town near Seoul, the second such rampage in South Korea in less than two weeks, has sparked fear in a country that has long been considered safe with a low murder rate and strict firearm curbs. A man rammed his car into passers-by...

Trump unbowed, woos supporters after latest charges

Trump has remained defiant despite an accumulation of legal woes that could see him tried in court and sent to prison before the presidential vote late next year. – AFP photo WASHINGTON (Aug 2): Donald Trump sought to spin his latest indictments into a 2024 campaign pitch today, with the former president arguing government “corruption” and...

Talking Cactus Toy Goes Viral on TikTok – How to Buy the Popular Toy Now!

Have you seen the Talking Cactus toy that is all over TikTok?! Users of the social media app have racked up millions of views on their videos of babies interacting with the toy, which will repeat your words back to you. A lot of young infants don’t seem to be fans of the toy, but parents keep putting it in...

Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan blast that killed 54

Police at the site of the bombing that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children. – AFP photo KHAR, Pakistan (Aug 1): The Islamic State group claimed responsibility yesterday for a suicide bombing in Pakistan that killed at least 54 people, including 23 children, at a political party gathering ahead of elections due later this...