A fire that ravaged part of South Africa’s parliament, engulfing the National Assembly and threatening national treasures, has been brought under control, firefighters said yesterday, as police charged a suspect with starting the blaze.

The US-led coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq yesterday shot down two armed drones targeting a compound at Baghdad airport hosting its personnel, a coalition official said.

Yemeni rebels have seized an Emirati-flagged vessel in the Red Sea, the insurgents and a Saudi-led coalition said yesterday, giving conflicting details for the latest escalation in a seven-year war.

Sudan’s civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has resigned, more than two months after a coup and following another deadly crackdown on protesters, with the military now firmly in control.

A fire that ravaged part of South Africa’s parliament, engulfing the National Assembly and threatening national treasures, has been brought under control, firefighters said yesterday, as police charged a suspect with starting the blaze.

Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Sunday he was resigning, six weeks after returning to his post in a deal with military coup leaders he argued could save a transition toward democracy.

A massive fire in South Africa’s houses of parliament in Cape Town has “burned down” the entire National Assembly where elected parliamentarians sit, a spokesperson said yesterday.

Israel could reach herd immunity amid surging Omicron infections, its top health official said yesterday, as the country approved the use of Merck & Co’s molnupiravir anti-viral pill for Covid-19 patients.

Israel targeted Hamas positions in southern Gaza late Saturday after rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave, security sources and the army said.

Europe has recorded over 100 million coronavirus cases, more than a third of all infections worldwide, since the start of the pandemic, as governments face tough choices between controlling the virus and keeping economies open.

The United States on Saturday cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from access to a duty-free trade program, following through on President Joe Biden's threat to do so over alleged human rights violations and recent coups.

A fire erupted at the South African parliament in Cape Town on Sunday, with media coverage showing flames coming from the roof of the building and a plume of smoke that could be seen from some distance.

France will relax Covid isolation rules from Monday, the government announced, in a bid to ease their impact on society and the economy.

Actress Betty White, who made US television audiences laugh for more than seven decades, starring on popular sitcoms “The Golden Girls” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” died Friday at age 99.

A ban on the use of plastic to package a range of fruit and vegetables came into force in France on Saturday, to the dismay of the sector’s packaging industry.

A fast-spreading wildfire that tore through several Colorado towns -- laying waste to entire neighborhoods “in the blink of an eye,” according to the governor -- had largely burned itself out Friday, with heavy snow expected to douse any remaining embers.

Queen Elizabeth II on Friday announced a knighthood for former prime minister Tony Blair, while the traditional New Year’s Honours also decorated officials who  spearheaded Britain’s fight against Covid-19.

Ukraine yesterday said one of its soldiers was killed in fighting with pro-Moscow separatists, as the US again warned Russia against any attacks on the country.

A total of 45 journalists were killed worldwide in 2021, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said on Friday -- “one of the lowest death tolls” it has recorded for any year.

Pope Francis yesterday used his New Year’s message to issue a clarion call for an end to violence against women, saying it was insulting to God.