Huge floods sweep southern Japan, 2 killed
AFP, Asakura
At least two people have been killed and 18 others are missing in huge floods that are surging through southern Japan, with authorities warning hundreds of thousands of people to flee.
Unprecedented torrential rain has caused rivers to burst their banks, sweeping away roads and houses, and destroying schools.
Malaysia, Indonesia Muslims call for Starbucks boycott
AP, Jakarta
Muslim groups in Malaysia and Indonesia have called for a boycott of Starbucks because of the coffee chain’s support for LGBT rights.
Malaysian group Perkasa, which supports a hard-line form of Islam and nationalism, this week called on its more than 500,000 members to stay away from Starbucks coffee shops. This week and last, leaders of Indonesia’s second largest mainstream Muslim group, Muhammadiyah, with an estimated 29 million members, denounced the chain.
Fire forces hundreds of evacuations in Colorado
AP, Breckenridge
A wildfire forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes near Colorado’s Breckenridge Ski Resort on Wednesday.
The fire, one of several burning across the West, was reported by a mountain biker late Wednesday morning and is consuming beetle-killed trees in the White River National Forest about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from the resort.
Hamas’ leader delivers first speech in Gaza City
AP, Gaza City
The new supreme leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas on Wednesday delivered his first public speech since taking office in May, railing against Israel and the Trump administration while calling for unity with the rival Palestinian Authority.
But in his speech, Ismail Haniyeh attached a series of conditions that will almost surely be rejected by his rival, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
