As Beirut reels from the blast that killed more than 180 people and damaged thousands of homes in prime areas of the city, some buyers and real-estate brokers are seeking to exploit the devastation with cut-rate offers to buy property from distressed owners—deals that could ultimately reshape Beirut’s historic neighborhoods. Source link
MOSCOW—The sudden, unexplained illness of Alexei Navalny comes in the midst of what has been a difficult year for Russia’s leader, President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Navalny has for years been the Kremlin’s most effective critic, with some four million followers on his campaigning YouTube channel. He fell ill on a flight from Siberia to Moscow … Read more
BEIRUT—Hours after a catastrophic blast ripped through Beirut on Aug. 4, hundreds of volunteers fanned out across devastated neighborhoods, caring for the wounded, assessing damaged buildings and clearing rubble. The people of Lebanon had little faith their government could rise to the challenge. Lebanon’s state institutions have failed the country—before and after the blast. The tragedy was … Read more
Heavy rains that again swelled the Yangtze River are expected to hit the Three Gorges Dam with its largest-ever flood this week. The new rainfall at a time when summer rains usually have subsided threatens to prolong a crisis that has already caused billions of dollars in economic losses and displaced millions of people. In … Read more
The mainly Italian tourists visiting the ruins of Italy’s ancient city of Pompeii are getting a rare chance to see the site without the usual crowds—and admire spectacular finds unearthed during a six-year conservation project that is just now drawing to a close. In a corner of the city that was frozen in time by … Read more
BEIRUT—In the wake of the massive explosion that devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital, a new danger is stalking the struggling country: hunger. The early August blast, which killed more than 150 people and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes, destroyed the grain silos storing most of the country’s wheat supplies and badly … Read more
Story highlights Africa will launch its first private satellite into space It’s been built by schoolgirls CNN — They may be teenagers, but 17-year-old Brittany Bull and 16-year-old Sesam Mngqengqiswa have grand ambitions – to launch Africa’s first private satellite into space in 2019. They are part of a team of high school girls from … Read more
CNN — A search and rescue operation has been underway in Nepal following a deadly plane crash that once again highlights the dangers of air travel in a country often referred to as one of the riskiest places to fly. Of 72 people on board, at least 69 were killed and their bodies recovered after … Read more
Istanbul CNN — Turkey’s Red Crescent organization has been criticized by lawmakers and citizens after revelations that it sold tents to a charity instead of donating them to people in urgent need after the massive earthquake that claimed more than 44,000 lives earlier this month. While people were begging the government for shelters to sleep … Read more
Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here. Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN — The devastating earthquake that hit Turkey on February 6 killed at least 45,000 people, rendered millions homeless across almost a dozen cities … Read more