UK says Russia’s Putin is ultimately responsible for Novichok attack
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin bears ultimate responsibility for an nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury earlier this year, Britain’s security minister said on Thursday.
EU governments must decide on new Russia sanctions, Brussels says
Any new EU sanctions on Moscow over a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy earlier this year must be taken by the bloc’s governments, the European Commission said on Thursday.
Powerful quake paralyses Hokkaido in latest disaster to hit Japan
A powerful earthquake paralyzed Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido on Thursday, killing at least seven people, triggering landslides and knocking out power to its 5.3 million residents.
Japan nuclear plant’s power restored after quake triggers Hokkaido blackout
Power was restored to a nuclear energy plant in Hokkaido, northern Japan on Thursday after a strong earthquake left it relying on emergency generators for 10 nervous hours, but it may be a week before lights are back on all over the major island.
Eight Afghan police killed in insider attack
An Afghan policeman shot dead at least eight fellow officers, burned their bodies and took their weapons to join Taliban militants, provincial officials said on Thursday, adding to the toll from dozens of insider attacks in this year alone.
India throws out ban on gay sex, sparking celebrations
India’s top court scrapped a colonial-era ban on gay sex on Thursday in a landmark judgment that sparked celebrations across the country where gay sex had been punishable by prison for up to 10 years.
Inside the spectacle and symbolism of North Korea’s Mass Games
For the first time in five years, North Korea is expected to put on a massive performance on Sunday known as the “Mass Games”.
South Sudan soldiers sentenced to jail for murder, rape in 2016 hotel raid
A South Sudanese military court on Thursday sentenced 10 soldiers to prison for the rape of foreign aid workers and the murder of a journalist in a brutal assault on a hotel in Juba, and ordered the government to pay compensation to the victims.
Party cups as gas masks: Idlib civilians prepare for battle
Hudhayfa al-Shahad strapped a colorful paper cup filled with cotton and charcoal to a child’s face and tightened a plastic bag around his head: an improvised gas mask if chemicals once again fall on Syria’s Idlib.
U.S. envoy sees Israel keeping Golan Heights forever
The U.S. ambassador to Israel said in remarks published on Thursday he expected Israel to keep the Golan Heights in perpetuity, in an apparent nod towards its claim of sovereignty over the strategic plateau captured from Syria in a 1967 war.
