27+ min ago (144+ words) Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Madrid on Sunday to protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, accusing his left-wing government of corruption and demanding his resignation and early elections. The demonstration was organised by the conservative People's Party (PP) under opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo. The rally in central Madrid carried the slogan "Mafia or democracy?" Participants waved Spanish flags and carried signs reading "Resign now!" and "Sanchez, go away!" The PP estimated the crowd at around 80,000, while the Interior Ministry put the figure closer to 40,000. The last large-scale protest against Sanchez in the capital was in June. Sunday's demonstration was sparked by a Supreme Court decision earlier this week ordering the pre-trial detention of Sanchez's former transport minister, Jose Luis Abalos and the minister's ex-adviser Koldo Garcia....

47+ min ago (175+ words) In a speech on November 4, the finance chief appeared to lay the groundwork to break Labour's promise to voters and raise income tax rates British finance minister Rachel Reeves on Sunday denied she misled the public over official forecasts ahead of this month's budget, saying she had been honest about the need to build up a bigger financial buffer. In a letter published on Friday, the head of Britain's budget watchdog said it had also provided the government with forecasts showing that its productivity downgrade was offset by increases in real wages and inflation " which Reeves did not mention. The letter added to questions about the government's communications ahead of Wednesday's budget. November saw big swings in the British government bond market as investors grappled with shifts in tone from the government over the prospect of tax increases. Its publication…...

1+ hour, 15+ min ago (235+ words) Residents form long line in Tai Po for their turn to place offerings, flowers and messages at makeshift altar near site of blaze Thousands of mourners poured into Tai Po on Sunday, forming a solemn river of remembrance for the 146 lives lost in Hong Kong's deadliest fire in more than seven decades, while Beijing called for unity and healing as a massive rescue and recovery operation continued amid the charred ruins. The scale of the calamity was evident, as the Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) discovered 18 more bodies in the wreckage of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po following Wednesday's blaze. They have completed searches in four of the seven affected buildings, but about 40 people remain unaccounted for. As the city grieves, a sweeping resettlement effort is under way. Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun said 1,827 survivors of the blaze…...

1+ hour, 26+ min ago (248+ words) Reinalyn Niere, who shielded girl from falling embers as they fled, says she wishes she had been able to persuade neighbour to leave A Filipino domestic worker who fled Hong Kong's deadly inferno with her employers' three-year-old daughter in her arms has expressed regret that she was unable to persuade a neighbour who perished in the blaze to also try to escape. Reinalyn Niere, who arrived in the city last year, said she was asleep with the child in the family's third-floor flat in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court when disaster struck at the housing estate on Wednesday afternoon. The child's parents were at work at the time. Initially, they believed their home in Wang Tao House would not be affected, but a friend called Niere to warn her that the building was on fire. She and the child escaped…...

1+ hour, 26+ min ago (248+ words) Reinalyn Niere, who shielded girl from falling embers as they fled, says she wishes she had been able to persuade neighbour to leave A Filipino domestic worker who fled Hong Kong's deadly inferno with her employers' three-year-old daughter in her arms has expressed regret that she was unable to persuade a neighbour who perished in the blaze to also try to escape. Reinalyn Niere, who arrived in the city last year, said she was asleep with the child in the family's third-floor flat in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court when disaster struck at the housing estate on Wednesday afternoon. The child's parents were at work at the time. Initially, they believed their home in Wang Tao House would not be affected, but a friend called Niere to warn her that the building was on fire. She and the child escaped…...

3+ hour, 4+ min ago (147+ words) Donations surpass amount collected in first week after 2008s devastating Sichuan earthquake By noon on Sunday, four days after the fire began, the governments support fund had grown to HK$1.2 billion (US$153 million), with HK$900 million in public donations and HK$300 million in government grants. The total does not include donations to non-governmental organisations such as the Hong Kong Red Cross. About HK$1 billion was raised in Hong Kong in the first week following the earthquake in mainland Chinas Sichuan province in May 2008, both in public donations and government funds. The magnitude-8 earthquake was one of the worst in Chinas history, leaving 87,000 people dead, more than 370,000 injured and 5 million homeless. It was a catalyst for the charitable sector on the mainland and a high point in Hong Kongs philanthropic support for disaster relief there....

3+ hour, 4+ min ago (147+ words) Donations surpass amount collected in first week after 2008s devastating Sichuan earthquake By noon on Sunday, four days after the fire began, the governments support fund had grown to HK$1.2 billion (US$153 million), with HK$900 million in public donations and HK$300 million in government grants. The total does not include donations to non-governmental organisations such as the Hong Kong Red Cross. About HK$1 billion was raised in Hong Kong in the first week following the earthquake in mainland Chinas Sichuan province in May 2008, both in public donations and government funds. The magnitude-8 earthquake was one of the worst in Chinas history, leaving 87,000 people dead, more than 370,000 injured and 5 million homeless. It was a catalyst for the charitable sector on the mainland and a high point in Hong Kongs philanthropic support for disaster relief there....

3+ hour, 22+ min ago (256+ words) Modi has maintained India's long-standing ties to Moscow, while reducing its reliance on Russian weapons by acquiring more arms from the US and Europe India plans to start discussions towards the purchase of Russian fighter jets and a missile defence shield during President Vladimir Putin's visit this week, according to people with knowledge of the matter, even as US President Donald Trump's administration seeks to reduce dealings between the two nations. India and Russia have a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership under which discussions for the purchase of Su-57 fighter jets and an advanced version of the missile defence shield S-500 are expected. Sources asked not to be named as the matter is private. A potential agreement with Russia could complicate any trade deal with the US, which has pushed back against India's weapons purchases from Moscow. India's Ministry of External…...

3+ hour, 26+ min ago (183+ words) Construction on the 16,000-seat Santagiulia Arena on the outskirts of the Italian host city is running late but organisers are optimistic There will be no backup stadium if the main ice hockey arena for the Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games is not ready on time, officials have said. Construction on the Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, which is set to welcome NHL players back to the Olympics for the first time in more than a decade, is behind schedule and its completion is going right down to the wire. A test event at the arena " a new, 16,000-seat venue on the outskirts of Milan " had to be moved, and new test events are not scheduled until January 9-11. "There is no plan B," Andrea Francisi, the chief games operations officer for Milan Cortina, said on Saturday. "So necessarily we have to be…...

4+ hour, 22+ min ago (189+ words) Police have issued warnings for a second day in a row about scammers preying on grieving Hongkongers under the guise of donations and relief efforts, with aid pouring in for victims of Wednesday's deadly inferno at a Tai Po housing estate. Police said in an online post on Sunday that officers had noticed a fraudulent "Tai Po Wang Fuk Court victims registration form" circulating, warning residents to remain vigilant when providing their personal details. "The force urges residents to stay... Police issue warning for second day in a row, urging residents to remain vigilant when providing their personal details Police said in an online post on Sunday that officers had noticed a fraudulent "Tai Po Wang Fuk Court victims registration form" circulating, warning residents to remain vigilant when providing their personal details. "The force urges residents to stay vigilant, and…...