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A cargo ship carrying tonnes of chemicals is sinking off Sri Lanka’s west coast, the country’s government and navy said on Wednesday, in one of Sri Lanka’s worst-ever marine disasters. The Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl, carrying 1,486 containers, including 25 tonnes of nitric acid, along with other chemicals and cosmetics, …

Turkey’s lira plunged to fresh record lows against the dollar after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said interest rates must be lowered in July or August. Erdoğan, who has sacked three central bank governors in less than three years, says that higher interest rates are inflationary, a view that jars with …

A Hong Kong museum commemorating China’s deadly 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests closed Wednesday three days after opening as the ruling Communist Party tries to stamp out the last traces of public discussion of the event. Hong Kong was the last place on Chinese soil where the party’s attack on …

Indonesia’s foreign minister called on Wednesday on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to immediately name an envoy to troubled Myanmar, more than a month after the bloc agreed on steps to try to end turmoil after a military coup. ASEAN is leading the main diplomatic effort on Myanmar …

Three bomb explosions have rocked the Afghan capital city of Kabul, claiming the lives of at least 10 people and plunging the city into darkness, according to Afghan government officials. Hamid Roshan, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry, said two bombs exploded in separate locations in a west Kabul neighborhood …

Australia’s Victoria state on Wednesday extended a snap COVID-19 lockdown for a second week in Melbourne in a bid to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious virus strain first detected in India but will ease some restrictions in other regions. Victoria, Australia’s second-most populous state, was plunged into lockdown …

One of Colombia’s top five criminal groups, Los Caparros, has been dismantled with the death of its leader, Defense Minister Diego Molano said on Tuesday. Robinson Gil Tapias, known as “Flechas,” was killed in an operation by Colombia’s military and police last Thursday in the northern rural municipality of Caceres, …

Germany and the United Nations plan to host a conference on Libya this month in Berlin Germany and the United Nations plan to host a conference on Libya this month in Berlin, a gathering that aims to bring together powers with interests in the North African country and its transitional …

The UK on Monday recorded no new Covid-19 deaths for the first time since March 7, 2020, adding strength to calls for all restrictions to end as planned on June 21. UK Prime Minister Johnson has said he will wait for more data on the increasing spread of the newly …

The head of NATO says the military organization’s pullout from Afghanistan is going well after an 18-year presence in the country NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military organization’s pullout from Afghanistan is going well, as at least six people were killed Tuesday in a series of attacks that plunged …

People who promote insurrection in Nigeria face a “rude shock”, its president warned on Tuesday, raising the possibility of a fierce crackdown on rising violence in the southeast that has included arson attacks on police stations and electoral offices. Security forces are already grappling with criminal gangs in the northwest …

Czech police have asked for Prime Minister Andrej Babis to be charged with fraud, following an investigation into alleged misuse of European Union subsidies, according to a statement released on Monday. The criminal unit of the Economic Crime Department of the Prague Police has concluded its investigation into the case …

More than a month since Colombians first took to the streets this year to protest against a botched tax overhaul and the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, tensions across the country are escalating rapidly with more than a dozen deaths over the weekend — and a risky new government …

A tech-based financial literacy startup, New Black Wall Street LLC, wants to provide 21st-century platforms for Black economic empowerment. This week marks one century since the torching of the “Black Wall Street” area of Tulsa, Oklahoma — then the wealthiest African-American community in the entire United States. White mobs massacred …

The World Bank says Lebanon’s economic collapse is likely to rank among the world’s worst financial crises since the mid-19th century. According to a report published by the World Bank on Tuesday, the economic and financial crisis in Lebanon is likely to be among the top 10 or possibly the …

Spain’s High Court on Tuesday turned down a request for Western Sahara independence leader Brahim Ghali to be taken into custody, saying the plaintiffs in a war crimes case against him had failed to provide evidence he had committed any crime. Ghali’s presence in Spain has infuriated Morocco, which says …

The US Commerce Department is failing to do its part to protect national security and keep sensitive technology out of the hands of China’s military, according to a U.S. congressional advisory report seen by Reuters. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report, due to be published on Tuesday, said …

Nigerian authorities said on Tuesday that about 200 children had been seized in the latest school kidnapping in its violent north but they ruled out securing their freedom by paying a ransom. Police were trying to track the route the kidnappers had taken with the children, who were seized in …

Yemen has strongly condemned a recent move by the United Arab Emirates to transfer Israeli tourists to the strategic island of Socotra on Emirati visas. The Yemeni Tourism Ministry said in a statement issued on Monday that the UAE’s measure violates international law, given that Socotra is a Yemeni island …

Floodwaters in New Zealand receded on Tuesday, leaving behind a big mess on many farms in the Canterbury region and damage to a major bridge. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told reporters the top priority was getting transport links working again, although it was unclear how long it would take to …