Author: AFP

TOKYO: It’s usually a serene two-and-a-half-hour ride on Japan’s famously efficient bullet train. But the journey quickly descended into a zombie apocalypse, with passengers screaming in terror. Organisers of Saturday’s adrenaline-filled trip, less than two weeks before Halloween, touted it as the “world’s first haunted house experience on a running

JAKARTA: Former general Prabowo Subianto was sworn in Sunday as president of Indonesia, seeking a more prominent position on the global stage for the world’s fourth most populous nation. The 73-year-old fiery nationalist — accused of rights abuses during his time in the military — took the oath at parliament

TOKYO: Thousands of thankful, sobbing fans flocked to a Tokyo zoo Saturday to bid an emotional farewell to a pair of beloved pandas before their imminent return to China. Sporting T-shirts, hats and sun umbrellas featuring the black and white bears, visitors shed tears, took selfies and eagerly waved at

BEIRUT: Israel’s military said on Saturday it had “eliminated” Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, though the group has yet to comment on his fate. If confirmed, Nasrallah’s death would deal a massive blow to the Iran-backed group which he has led since 1992,

BEIRUT: Israel’s military pounded targets in south and east Lebanon on Monday and said more strikes were coming, warning Lebanese to stay out of harm’s way despite international calls for restraint. Hezbollah has said it is ready for “all military possibilities”. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the Israeli military spokesman, made

WAJIMA (Japan): Rescuers combed the debris-strewn banks of a river in central Japan on Monday, searching for drowning victims after homes were swept away in flooding and landslides that claimed at least seven lives. The river on the Noto Peninsula — an area still reeling from a devastating earthquake in

ENDARASHA (Kenya): Seventeen boys were confirmed dead and 70 missing after a fire tore through a primary school dormitory in central Kenya, officials said Friday, leaving distraught relatives desperate for news of their loved ones. The blaze at the Hillside Endarasha Academy in Nyeri county broke out around midnight, engulfing

MANILA: Floods and landslides killed 11 people after a fierce tropical storm dumped heavy rain on the Philippines for a second day, officials said Monday. Tropical Storm Yagi brushed past the Bicol region southeast of Manila overnight Sunday and was expected to make a landfall later Monday on the northeast