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Iraqi Defense Ministry announced Friday that its minister, Najah al-Shammari, ordered to form an inquiry commission following the release of an audio clip attributed to the commander of Anbar operations, Mahmoud al-Falahi, to communicate with the CIA. Iraqi Defense Minister “ordered the formation of an inquiry commission to find out …

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices “for security reasons”, his office said. It said Chahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered… for security reasons”. The ban …

A Russian Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jet has intercepted a US spy plane that was approaching Russia’s border over the Black Sea. “A Su-27 fighter jet, as part of the Southern Military District’s air defenses, was scrambled to intercept the target,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday, adding, “The crew …

Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said three Syrians were killed in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border in a car blast that may be terror-related. “The initial findings suggest there may be more of a link with terror,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “It …

FIFA President Gianni Infantino wants to expand the women’s World Cup to 32 teams from 24 for the next edition in 2023, he said on Friday. Ahead of the women’s World Cup final on Sunday between holders the United States and the Netherlands, Infantino said he would take his proposals …

The strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in nearly 20 years prompted one city to declare a state of emergency Thursday and shook residents from Las Vegas to Orange County. The quake, with a magnitude of 6.4, was centered near Ridgecrest, a community west of the Mojave Desert and about …

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee voted on Friday to list the sprawling Mesopotamian metropolis of Babylon as a World Heritage Site after three decades of efforts by Iraq. Iraq had been trying since 1983 to have the site — a massive 10-square-kilometer complex of which just 18 percent has been excavated …

A senior Iranian official has called for the seizure of a British oil tanker in case London refuses to release the Iranian vessel it has illegally detained in Gibraltar. “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities’ duty to make a reciprocal move and seize …

Historical blunder in July 4th speech compounded by mixing up the war of 1812 with the war of independence Donald Trump made an awkward blunder during his speech on Independence Day, praising the army, which he said “took over the airports” from the British during the revolutionary war in the …

Residents of Indonesia’s capital on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the government over the toxic levels of air pollution that regularly blanket the city. Jakarta has been shrouded in hazardous smog for much of the past month, with air quality readings recording high concentrations of harmful microscopic particles known as …

A tornado swept through the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning, killing six and injuring 190, the state broadcaster said, amid a series of “extreme” weather events that government forecasters have linked to climate change. The tornado damaged nearly 3,600 homes and affected more than 9,900 residents in Kaiyuan, a city …

The ancient Philistines, the Biblical villains whose origins have puzzled scholars for decades, came to the Middle East from southern Europe more than 3,000 years ago, new DNA testing has shown. The genetic findings came from skeletons unearthed by archaeologists in Palestine in 2016, including the bones of infants buried …

Men who eat at least two servings a week of yogurt may be lowering their risk for colorectal cancer, a recent study suggests. Researchers examined data on 32,606 male and 55,743 female health professionals who had a colonoscopy between 1986 and 2012. Study participants provided detailed information about their health, …

Turkish authorities have detained at least three French women on suspicion of Daesh links in a region on the Syrian border while they were trying to illegally cross the border. State news agency Anadolu reported that the women along with nine children were stopped in the border province of Kilis …

Dozens of African migrants capsized off the coast of Tunisia after setting off for Europe from Libya, a government source and the Tunisian Red Crescent have said. Some of the four initial survivors told the Tunisian coast guard on Thursday the boat had sunk off the town of Zarzis the …

Iraqi Popular Mobilization forces (PMF) announced on Thursday that three members of the criminal “Daesh” were killed in a security operation in the Hawran Valley in Anbar province. “The force of Haditha PMF brigade in Anbar carried out a security operation in the valley of Horan, where the clashes broke …

At least 12 people have been wounded by an explosion that hit a gas station at the settlement of Bakhaoun in northern Lebanon, local media reported, citing head of the Lebanese Red Cross, George Kettaneh, on Thursday. According to the LBC broadcaster, citing Kettaneh, 10 out of 12 injured people …

  On the first day of Japan’s return to commercial whaling, two whales were killed and brought back to port. The two minke whales that were harpooned are the first to be killed by Japan for commercial purposes in more than 30 years. Commercial whaling was banned in a 1986 …

A brown quartzite head of young king Tutankhamen was due to be auctioned in London with an estimate of more than $5 million on Thursday, in the face of Egyptian demands for its return. The more than 3,000-year-old sculpture, on display at Christie’s London auction house, shows the boy king …

Samsung is in trouble in Australia over ads that suggested its Galaxy smartphones could be used while swimming. The country’s competition regulator filed a lawsuit against Samsung, alleging that the ads were misleading. Samsung touted its devices as being water resistant up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes, and …