Climate change blamed as floods overwhelm Venice, swamping basilica and squares
Venice’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Wednesday after “apocalyptic” floods swept through the lagoon city, flooding its historic basilica and inundating squares and centuries-old buildings.
Guaido backers enter Venezuela embassy in Brasilia, sparking standoff
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido gained access to the country’s embassy in Brasilia on Wednesday morning, leading to a standoff with backers of leftist President Nicolas Maduro, according to diplomatic representatives.
Indonesia barred Cambodia’s Rainsy from flight to Jakarta: airline
Malaysia Airlines said on Wednesday it had barred veteran Cambodian opposition figure Sam Rainsy from a flight from Kuala Lumpur to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on the instruction of Indonesian authorities.
Bus crash in Slovakia kills at least 13, many more injured
A crash between a truck and passenger bus killed at least 13 people in western Slovakia on Wednesday and injured many others, Slovak fire and rescue services said.
Asian airlines cancel annual gathering as Hong Kong violence escalates
A group of Asian airlines canceled an annual gathering of their executives next week due to the “unpredictability” of the situation in Hong Kong, they said late on Wednesday.
Protesters blockade universities, stockpile makeshift weapons as chaos grips Hong Kong
Anti-government protesters dug in at several university campuses across Hong Kong on Wednesday, setting the stage for further confrontations as police said violence in the Chinese-ruled city had reached a “very dangerous and even deadly level”.
Mayor of Venice sees hundreds of millions of euros of flood damage
The financial cost of severe flooding in Venice is likely to run to hundreds of millions of euros, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said on Wednesday, while a senior cleric said the city’s historic Saint Mark’s Basilica risked “irreparable” harm.
Kremlin sees ‘positive dynamic’ in work on four-way Ukraine summit
The Kremlin said on Wednesday there was a “positive dynamic” in preparations to hold a four-way international summit on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
No Scottish referendum in first term if Labour wins: Corbyn
A Labour government would not grant a referendum on Scottish independence in the first term if it is elected, leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Wednesday.
At least five Yemeni soldiers killed by Houthi missile in Marib military base
Houthi militants fired a missile at the Saudi-led military coalition’s heaquarters in the city of Marib on Wednesday during a visit by the Yemeni defence minister, killing at least five soldiers, local officials said.
