French Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s fragile coalition government faces near-certain defeat on Wednesday in no-confidence motions brought by the hard left and the far right that threaten to topple his government and deepen the country’s political impasse. Source link
Residents of Florida are preparing themselves for Hurricane Milton, currently a Category 4 storm, which is expected to make landfall later tonight or early tomorrow morning. Milton arrives less than two weeks after many Florida cities and towns were hit by Hurricane Helene—piles of storm debris still line the streets. Mandatory-evacuation orders are in place in cities along Florida’s central west coast, and residents have spent recent days boarding up windows, piling sandbags, and looking out for loved ones as they ready themselves for this enormous storm. To receive an email notification every time new photo stories are published, sign up here. Source link
Tim McCanon sits on the road with his dogs after being rescued by the Community Fire Department during severe flooding on Friday in New Caney, Texas. Raquel Natalicchio/AP hide caption toggle caption Raquel Natalicchio/AP Tim McCanon sits on the road with his dogs after being rescued by the Community Fire Department during severe flooding on Friday in New Caney, Texas. Raquel Natalicchio/AP HOUSTON — The Houston area was under threat of worsening flood conditions Saturday, a day after heavy storms slammed the region and authorities warned those in low-lying areas to evacuate ahead of an expected “catastrophic” surge of water. A flood watch remained in effect through Sunday afternoon as forecasters predicted additional rainfall Saturday night, bringing another 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of water to the soaked region and the likelihood of major flooding. Friday’s storms forced numerous high-water rescues, including some from the rooftops of flooded homes. Officials redoubled urgent instructions for residents in low-lying areas to evacuate, warning the worst was still to come. “This threat is ongoing and …
Ukraine is bracing for an onslaught of fresh attacks after Russia redeployed one of its elite teams to boost its offensive across the east. Both Ukrainian and pro-Kremlin sources have claimed Moscow has moved its 76th and 7th airborne divisions away from the Robotyne area where they had been deployed last summer to strengthen the Russian offensive in other parts of the front. The insiders have been unable to clarify where the troops have been moved, with military analyst Kostyantyn Mashovets suggesting at least one battalion of the 76th division could have been moved to either Luhansk or Kramatorsk. A pro-Kremlin Telegram, however, suggested the battalion might have been sent over to Krynky in the Kherson region to relieve soldiers from the 104th VDV division who have been engaged in the area for months. Washington-based think tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said there was had been no visual confirmation of the redeployment but argued the reports “warrant closer study in the coming days.” The ISW echoed assessments shared shortly after Congress …
The UK is bracing for 72 hours of non-stop snow and torrential rain as the freezing weather continues to grip the nation. WXCharts has forecast the wintery weather to hit Britain next weekend (May 5 to 7), bringing with it low temperatures and wind. Snow will start in the Scottish Highlands, covering the Cairngorms, Inverness and Fort William on Sunday (May 5). Rain will follow, covering much of central and south Scotland (Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow) as well as south Wales (Cardiff) and parts of the east coast of England (Hull, Norwich). Tuesday (May 7) will see snow move northeast Scotland (Wick, Aberdeen), southeast Scotland (Edinburgh) and northeast England (Newcastle). Rain will again follow, covering the east coast of Scotland (Dundee, Edinburgh) and England (Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Hull) as well as part of the midlands (Peterborough, Birmingham). Temperatures will be lowest over central Scotland, dropping to 2C. North and south Scotland will see lows of around 4C. The north of England and Northern Ireland will be around 8C. The midlands, Wales and East Anglia will be …
Bangkok — Thailand’s most popular political party, Move Forward, is facing the familiar threat of dissolution by court order, but senior members say plans are already in place for a swift comeback if they are disbanded, refusing to let their reform movement die. MFP secured a plurality in Thailand’s May 2023 elections with 14 million votes and 151 seats, ending nine years of military-dominated government. The party did it with a radical slate of reforms for equitable governance — to cut the military from power, break up an economic monopoly and amend the royal defamation law, known as lèse-majesté, which criminalizes criticism of the powerful monarchy. Yet the party’s candidate for prime minister, Pita Limjaroenrat, was blocked from forming a government by the appointed Senate of ultraconservatives allied to the generals who seized power in a coup nearly a decade earlier. Forced into the opposition, MFP has since faced an obstacle course of legal challenges brought by rivals determined to kill its reform agenda. Thailand’s Constitutional Court is expected within weeks to decide whether the …
Southern China was bracing for historic floods Monday that could wreak havoc across Guangdong, a province that is home to more than 127 million people and is the country’s economic powerhouse. A key manufacturing and commercial region, Guangdong was pummeled by heavy rain over the weekend, triggering landslides that buried buildings and floods covering cities. Provincial authorities issued 148 rainstorm alerts on Sunday and said the Bei River was expected to reach levels not seen in 50 years. More than 85,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, authorities said. At least 1.16 million households lost power due to the storms, and more than 1,000 schools were closed on Monday. At least four weather stations in the region on Sunday reported record precipitation for the month of April. A cross-country race had to be cut short Sunday as runners were temporarily trapped in the woods with floodwaters reaching as high as their waists before being rescued. Source link
This live coverage has ended. The Pentagon is beefing up its presence in the Middle East, U.S. officials said Friday, as Israel braces for Iran to retaliate for a strike near its embassy in Syria. President Biden, in remarks to reporters Friday, warned Iran not to strike but added that he expected the attack would come “sooner than later.” Israel has not publicly claimed responsibility for the attack in Syria that killed two senior members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. U.S. officials have not said whether the potential retaliation would come from Iran directly or from an Iran-backed group. Source link
BEIRUT — Israel’s military was on high alert Thursday as the country braced for Iran’s promised revenge after an Israeli strike in Damascus this week killed senior Iranian commanders and stirred fears of widening war across a region on edge. The strike — in broad daylight, on a diplomatic building adjacent to Iran’s embassy in Syria — was an escalation in Israel’s multi-front battles against Iranian-backed groups, which have intensified during its war in Gaza. The Israeli strike drew threats of retaliation from Tehran’s leaders and condemnation from their Arab neighbors. The European Union, which also condemned the strike, said in a statement that “further escalation in the region is in no one’s interest.” “We will make them regret this crime and other similar ones with the help of God,” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in a statement Tuesday, the day after the attack. For all of Iran’s muscular rhetoric, though, it would probably carefully calibrate any response, according to analysts, Western officials and people close to Iranian-backed militant groups. The country still …
“PLAYED WELL” The Biden administration in January approved US$23 billion in F-16 warplanes for Türkiye swiftly after it ratified Sweden’s stalled NATO membership bid. Türkiye will get 40 new F-16s and upgrades to 79 of the jets in its existing fleet. Washington did not green-light the transaction until Türkiye’s instruments of ratification of Sweden’s membership had arrived in Washington, a US official said back then, highlighting the highly sensitive nature of the negotiations. “Turkey played its hand quite well over the F-16s and deal with Sweden and leveraged its position in the alliance,” Cagaptay said. Türkiye’s ageing air force would benefit from new F-16s, as it has suffered from Ankara’s expulsion from the US-led F-35 joint strike fighter programme in 2019 over Erdogan’s decision to acquire an advanced Russian missile defence system. Erdogan has turned into one of the Muslim world’s harshest critics of Israel’s devastating response to the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct 7 last year. He is angry at Washington for its support of how Israel is pursuing its war …
