World Echo

A Trump administration-backed celebration of US religious heritage on Sunday highlighted conservative Christian leaders' ties to the president as critics expressed that the gathering did not reflect the country's diverse faith landscape. Thousands of people attended the nine-hour programme, called "Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving," for a mixture of popular worship music and speakers from evangelical Christianity and conservative Catholic traditions. Sunday's events included video messages from members of the Trump administration, such as Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. All of them generally stuck to the prevailing theme of the day, touching on the Judeo-Christian roots of the country's founders and the themes they incorporated into some landmark documents such as the Declaration of Independence. The event m...

China will address US concerns about shortages of certain speciality rare earths caused by Beijing's export controls, the White House said on Sunday in a factsheet outlining the major deals agreed during a summit last week. China's rare earth export controls - introduced in April 2025 in retaliation for US President Donald Trump's Liberation Day tariffs - continue to tightly restrict exports of some rare earths despite a deal last October in which the White House says China agreed to allow shipments to freely flow. Beijing's grip has been tightest over speciality rare earths such as yttrium and scandium, used in defence, aerospace and chipmaking, both of which were highlighted in the factsheet. Also Read: Trump says US and China are aligned on Iran, Tehran must make a deal soon "China will address US concerns regarding supply chain shortages related to rare earths and other critical minerals, including yttrium, scandium, neodymium, and indium," it rea...

North America’s largest commuter rail system, the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), shut down early Saturday after five unions representing nearly half of its workforce went on strike across the New York City area, according to media reports. The Washington Times reported that the strike followed months of deadlocked contract negotiations over wages and healthcare premiums, despite mediation efforts by the administration of Donald Trump. Union leaders said no new talks were scheduled, according to the daily. “We’re far apart at this point,” Kevin Sexton, national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said. “We are truly sorry that we are in this situation.” Read: Epstein files on display at New York pop-up exhibit, all 3.5 million pages Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman Janno Lieber accused unions of planning the walkout regardless of concessions, saying the agency “gave the union e...

The Trump administration on Saturday allowed a sanctions waiver to lapse that had previously allowed countries, including India, to buy Russian seaborne ​oil after a month-long extension aimed at easing oil supply shortages and ‌high prices due to Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had previously said he would not renew the general license allowing the purchase ​of Russian oil stored on tankers. As of early afternoon Washington ​time on Saturday, no renewal notice had been posted on the ⁠Treasury website. A Treasury spokesperson declined further comment. Two top Democratic US ​senators, Jeanne Shaheen and Elizabeth Warren, on Friday urged the Trump administration against renewing ​the waiver, arguing that it was providing revenue to Russia to aid its war in Ukraine, but there was no evidence it was bringing down fuel costs for American ​consumers. Also Read: Iran says ‘enemy’ weapons shipments will not cross Strait of...

A man drove a car into a crowd in the northern Italian city of Modena, injuring at least eight people, four of whom are in serious condition, police said. The driver - a 30-year-old born in Bergamo and of North African origin, who had moved to the province that includes Modena - attempted to flee after the car crashed into a shop window, Modena's mayor told broadcaster RaiNews24. The fleeing driver was stopped by some pedestrians, one of whom he attacked with a knife and slightly injured. The driver was later arrested by police. Read: UK man appears in court over stabbing of Muslim man, two Jewish men in London The driver was receiving treatment for psychiatric disorders, a source in the Interior Ministry said, without elaborating on the man's motivations or whether terrorism was a factor. Among the injured, four were in serious condition and two were airlifted to a hospital in Bo...

At least eight people were killed and 25 ​others injured after a ‌train collision triggered a fire that engulfed a public bus in ​Bangkok on Saturday, rescue officials ​and police said. Firefighters and rescue ⁠crews were dispatched as ​flames engulfed the bus and nearby ​vehicles, they said, adding the crash involved a train, the bus, cars ​and motorcycles. “Eight people have died and 35 others were injured,” Bangkok police chief Urumporn Koondejsumrit said 🇹🇭 A collision between a freight train and a bus killed at least eight people and injured more than 20 in the Thai capital Bangkok on Saturday, emergency services said. The collision resulted in "eight dead and 25 injured but it may change", the Erawan Medical Centre told AFP. pic.twitter.com/ICbhxpUXmj — AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 16, 2026 Rescue teams worked ​to pull injured victims from the wreckage ‌as ⁠fire crews battled the blaze with water hoses in a race to contain the fir...