NEW DELHI, May 24 — Eight people were killed while 60 injured in an explosion in a chemical factory in western India on Thursday.

DUBAI, May 24 — President Ebrahim Raisi was buried in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad on Thursday as many thousands of mourners packed its streets for his funeral, four days after he died in a helicopter crash, footage broadcast by Iranian media showed.

CAIRO, May 24 — Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians in aerial and ground bombardments across the Gaza Strip on Thursday and battled in close combat with Hamas-led militants in areas of the southern city of Rafah, health officials and Hamas media said.

WASHINGTON, May 24 — The United States does not recognise the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

BANGKOK, May 23 — Twenty people who were aboard a Singapore Airlines flight that hit severe turbulence and diverted to Bangkok for an emergency landing on Tuesday remain in intensive care, a hospital official said on Thursday.

DUBAI, May 23 — Thousands of Iranians turned out to mourn President Ebrahim Raisi in the city of Tabriz on Tuesday, after he was killed in a helicopter crash near the Azerbaijan border at the weekend along with his foreign minister and seven others.

SAN PEDRO GARZA GARCIA, May 23 — A stage collapsed at a Mexican election campaign rally on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens as high winds tore apart the large, concert-style structure, scattering politicians and attendees.

BOGOTA, May 23 — Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered the opening of an embassy in the Palestinian city of Ramallah, Foreign Affairs Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo announced Wednesday, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — The issuance of umrah visas through the “Nusuk” smartphone application has been suspended from Thursday, May 23 (15 Zulkaedah) until June 21 (15 Zulhijjah).

HAMILTON (Canada), May 23 — Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Riyad Mansour welcomed a decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday to recognise a Palestinian state, reported Anadolu Agency (AA).

TRAT, May 23 — Aquatic life from coral reefs to fish in the Thailand's eastern gulf coast is suffering as sea surface temperatures hit record highs this month amid a regional heatwave, worrying scientists and local communities.

TAIPEI/BEIJING, May 23 — Taiwan's military mobilised its forces and said it is confident it could protect the island, after China started two days of 'punishment' drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts".

SINGAPORE, May 23 — Singapore's economy grew 2.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2024, government data showed today, matching a preliminary estimate of 2.7 per cent released last month.

CAIRO, May 23 — Israeli tanks advanced to the edge of a crowded district in the heart of Rafah on Wednesday during one of the most intense nights of bombardment of the southern Gaza city since Israel launched its offensive there this month.

LONDON, May 23 — Frustrated at his inability to get a clear message across to British voters, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called an election yesterday from a position of weakness.

DUBLIN/OSLO/MADRID, May 22 — Ireland, Spain and Norway announced on Wednesday that they would recognise a Palestinian state on May 28, saying they hoped other Western countries would follow suit, prompting Israel to recall its ambassadors.

OSLO, May 22 — Norway will recognise an independent Palestinian state in the hope that this will help to bring peace with Israel, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said on Wednesday.

SINGAPORE, May 22 — More than 140 passengers and crew from a Singapore Airlines flight hit by heavy turbulence that left dozens injured and one dead finally reached Singapore on a relief flight Wednesday morning after an emergency landing in Bangkok.

BANGKOK, May 21 — Sixteen Malaysians were among the 211 passengers aboard Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321 from London to Singapore, which was forced to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport here today.

LONDON, May 21 — Britain said today some victims of a contaminated blood scandal would receive interim payments of £210,000 (RM1.2 million) each before a scheme to pay “comprehensive compensation” is up and running, ideally by year-end.