Mexico fuel pipeline blast kills 66, president defends response

At least 66 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.

Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the fiery blast occurred on Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico’s troubled oil infrastructure in years.

Soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers that were being used by people to collect fuel.

Grief-stricken family members blocked the dirt access road to the field, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken.

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Trump proposes wall-for-Dreamers in bid to end US government shutdown

US President Donald Trump proposed an immigration deal on Saturday in a bid to end a 29-day partial government shutdown, after House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other leading Democrats had already said they rejected the plan.

Trump stuck to his demand that US$5.7 billion (S$7.7 billion) for this year to fund a US-Mexico border wall be part of any Bill to fully reopen the government, an ultimatum Democrats oppose.

But the president had hoped that offering new protections for some undocumented immigrants could end a month-long impasse with Congress.

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Funeral for murdered Polish mayor Pawel Adamowicz draws crowd of 45,000

Murdered Gdansk mayor Pawel Adamowicz’s funeral drew tens of thousands of people in the Polish Baltic coast city, amid outrage over his murder six days ago.

Banners with black and white pictures of Adamowicz were draped over buildings as Polish politicians including former president Lech Walesa, who helped to overturn communism in Eastern Europe, joined a mass at St Mary’s Basilica.

European Council President Donald Tusk and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also joined mourners who listened to the choir as they awaited the burial of Adamowicz’s ashes.

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Trump travels to Delaware base to honour four Americans killed in Syria

US President Donald Trump travelled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to receive the remains of four Americans killed in a suicide bombing in northern Syria.

Trump, locked in a battle with congressional Democrats that has led to a nearly month-long partial government shutdown, announced his trip via a predawn tweet, saying he was going “to be with the families of 4 very special people who lost their lives in service to our Country!”

Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House prior to departure that he planned to meet the families, a duty which he said “might be the toughest thing I have to do as president”.

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Football: Salah fires Liverpool seven points clear, Arsenal rock Chelsea

Liverpool moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah’s double inspired a dramatic 4-3 victory over Crystal Palace, while Arsenal ignited their top-four bid by beating Chelsea.

With second-placed Manchester City travelling to bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield on Sunday, Liverpool seized the chance to tighten their grip on the title race.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were pushed hard by Palace but Salah’s predatory instincts and a woeful mistake from Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni ensured Liverpool improved their unbeaten home league run to 32 games.

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