In a viral wave of mockery, Brazilian pop star Anitta declared herself free of cellulite, one influencer declared himself the “true president” of Twitter, and another social media user proclaimed himself the winner of the next lottery. The target of the taunts was Flavio Bolsonaro, who – after fleeing to the US following his election defeat – proclaimed himself the leader of Brazil on Wednesday in a confusing series of revised statements. The moves by the 45-year-old senator have been met in...

Three people, including a foreign national, were killed on Thursday when a rock spire collapsed in Turkey’s Unesco-listed Cappadocia region after a landslide triggered by heavy rain, officials said. The region, a magnet for tourists from around the world, is home to cone-shaped rock formations known as “fairy chimneys”, created by ancient volcanic activity. “According to initial findings, two people were killed and five others injured in the incident,” Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on social...

Thailand’s government said on Thursday it had revoked the citizenship of a prominent head rabbi who was a naturalised Thai, as the country tightens enforcement of its immigration laws. Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor’s Thai citizenship was stripped over his repeated use of his US passport after naturalisation in 2013, according to an interior ministry statement. The order was signed by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also interior minister. Thai law prohibits naturalised citizens from...

Spain began three days of mourning on Thursday after its second high-speed rail collision this year killed 69 people and injured scores, with relatives desperately seeking news about their loved ones. One of Europe’s deadliest train disasters this century has raised fresh questions about safety on Spain’s rail network after the transport minister reported an “error” and “inexplicable circumstances” that led to the crash. The collision happened in the central region of Castilla-La Mancha on...

Flavio Bolsonaro’s clandestine escape to the United States bewildered Brazil and triggered a frantic search for his whereabouts. The Supreme Court had ordered the son of jailed ex-leader Jair Bolsonaro to forfeit his passports after his electoral loss on Sunday, amid fears he would leave the country due to ongoing investigations against him. But the defeated right-wing presidential candidate failed to hand them in, choosing instead to flee to the US via Argentina and Ecuador. Here’s a look at...

North Korea fired “around a dozen” short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military detected “around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea”, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. “Our military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance against...

Thai authorities have vowed to seize more than US$1 billion in assets from a group accused of laundering proceeds from Southeast Asia-based scam syndicates. A criminal court issued arrest warrants on Tuesday for the alleged ringleader, South African Benjamin Mauerberger, his Thai wife Cattaliya Beevor, Cambodian businessman Yim Leak and four others, police said. Media reports have previously linked Mauerberger, also known as Ben Smith, to transnational scam operations in Cambodia, part of a...

Dolores Huerta, the US labour leader and civil rights icon whose union work changed the lives of migrant workers, has died, her family said Wednesday. She was 96. For nearly four decades Huerta was vice-president of the United Farm Workers, the union she founded with Cesar Chavez, organising strikes and walkouts that won improvements in working conditions for the millions of men and women who labour in US fields. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has...