At least 19 people were killed on Friday when a train slammed into a passenger bus that had broken down at a level crossing east of Moscow, regional authorities said Friday. The accident occurred during the night near the city of Vladimir, some 110 kilometers east of the Russian capital. “Acco
Madrid, Barcelona- The Catalan head of foreign affairs said on Friday that Catalonia’s parliament will meet on Monday in defiance of a decision by Spain’s Constitutional Court to suspend the session. In a deepening standoff between those who support independence for the wealthy northeast
An Indian airforce helicopter crashed in a remote mountain area near the border with China on Friday, killing all seven troops on board, officials said. The Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter was ferrying military officials to a forward post in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh, defense spokesm
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that his country would soon close its border with northern Iraq and shut its air space in response to last week’s Kurdish independence referendum. According to Reuters, Erdogan said the decision to hold the referendum showed the “perfect
The Palestinian Gaza-ruling group Hamas named as its new deputy chief on Thursday a formerly Turkey-based commander Saleh al-Arouri. Israel has accused Arouri of orchestrating a lethal triple kidnapping that helped trigger the 2014 Gaza war in 2014 during which Israeli strikes, Palestinian rocket at
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a session of official talks at Kremlin Palace in Moscow on Thursday, said the Saudi state-owned news agency (SPA). At the outset of the session, the Russian President delivered a speech in which he highlighted the importance o
Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Thursday that King Salman’s historic visit to Russia will witness the signing of memoranda of understanding in several fields. The visit shows the high degree of mutual trust between Russia and Saudi Arabia, Falih said, speaking alongside Russian Energy
British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, best known for his book “The Remains of the Day,” has been awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature, the Swedish Academy said. Ishiguro, “in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with th
Military operations were underway on Thursday near Niger’s border with Mali the day after three US Army special operations commandos were killed and two others were wounded in an ambush on a patrol in southwest Niger. Nigerien, US and French troops were conducting military operations in the zo
Iraqi forces have captured Hawija and the encompassing territory from ISIS, however some battles still raged in a pocket toward the north and east of the town where the militants were surrounded, the military said on Thursday. Hawija, where tens of thousands of civilians live, has been under the mil
After having visited the storm-hit US island, United States President Donald Trump is expected to present a request to Congress for a $29 billion package of emergency relief for Puerto Rico, officials told AFP on Wednesday. No specific details were given as to when the request would come about, but
Moscow rushed quietly to propping up Kim Jong-un’s position as supreme leader in North Korea with added economic support, as it fears that US regional clout could threaten Russia’s eastern in the future. Although Russia has an interest in protecting North Korea, it backed tougher United Nations sanc
Riyadh- King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief) continued distributing aid to 507,310 displaced people in Syrian governorates of Aleppo and Hama, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). According to the Tuesday SPA statement, aid includes clothes, cooking appliances, family hygi
A motorbike explosion outside the office of Jordan’s military attache in western Paris did not appear to intentionally target Jordan, an embassy official said on Wednesday. According to local police and Jordan’s foreign ministry, the scooter caught fire, setting off a small explosion in
At least four people were killed in a suicide bombing on Wednesday in Libya’s third largest city of Misrata, security officials said. The ISIS terrorist group claimed that at that targeted the main court building in the city. The officials said a suicide bomber was able to detonate an explosive vest
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz traveled to Russia on Wednesday on an official visit, reported the Saudi Press Agency. The monarch will hold talks there with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a number of senior officials. They will focus on bilateral ties and ways to b
Nearly half a billion dollars in aid are needed for Rohingya Muslims, who have fled a government crackdown in Myanmar and have now sought refuge in Bangladesh, said human rights organizations that have been helping the displaced. Some $434 million are needed over the next six months to help up to 1.
Iraqi forces launched a final assault on Wednesday to capture the town of Hawija, one of two pockets of territory in Iraq still under the control of ISIS terrorist organization. The Hawija operation’s commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Amir Yarallah, said the army, federal police and rapid re
The Japanese Transport Ministry carried out on Wednesday spot inspections at two Nissan Motor Co. plants, a week after it had inspected four factories as part of a probe into final checks. This is the latest embarrassment to the second-biggest Japanese automaker, which only days ago had to recall 1.
Russia said on Wednesday it had killed 12 field commanders of al-Nusra Front in an air strike, adding the group’s top leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani had lost an arm and was in a “critical condition.’ Defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the strike was the result of a spe
