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Iran’s Judiciary says a number of arrests have been made in connection with the recent downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane near Tehran, which killed all 176 on board. Gholam-Hossein Esmaili, the Judiciary’s spokesman, said on Tuesday that special commissions had been set up by the General Staff of the …

Top Senate Republicans have rejected US President Donald Trump’s call for immediate dismissal of his impeachment charges as the democratic-controlled House prepares to send the charges to the Senate trial. “I don’t think there’s any interest on our side of dismissing. I think our members, generally are not interested in …

At least 61 people were killed and scores of others trapped after avalanches hit Pakistan-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, media reported citing a disaster management official. The Neelum Valley area is the worst hit with 57 people killed, while four others were killed in Rawalakot and Kotli areas, according to the …

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, will ask the president, Michael D Higgins, to dissolve parliament on Tuesday in order to call a parliamentary election on 8 February, local media reported. Varadkar said on Sunday that he had made a decision on the timing of a general election but would …

More than a dozen Saudi servicemen training at US military installations will be expelled from the United States after a review that followed the deadly shooting last month at a Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, multiple sources said. The Saudis are not accused of aiding the 21-year-old Saudi Air …

The Niger government has declared three days of national mourning after 89 soldiers were killed in an attack on a military base, a government spokesman said. The attack happened on Thursday when heavily armed militants attacked an army outpost in Chinagodrar in the country’s west, near the border of Mali, …

Severe winter weather has struck parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, with heavy snowfall, rains and flash floods that left at least 48 people dead, officials said Monday as authorities struggled to clear and reopen highways and evacuate people to safer places. In Pakistan, where 30 people were reported killed, much …

Defense Minister issued an order to implement information gathering operations in the Middle East. Japan Self Defense Forces will conduct the operation by deploying MSDF destroyer Takanami and leveraging DAPE P-3C patrol aircraft to ensure the safety of navigation for Japan-affiliated vessels. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Takanami-class destroyer …

Heavy downpours have triggered severe flooding across several cities and villages in southeastern Iran. So far one person has been confirmed dead and another has been reported missing. Over the past two days, severe rainfall and flooding have blocked roads, destroyed houses and displaced hundreds of people in the southeastern …

Top US Democrat Nancy Pelosi said Sunday that she believes the impeachment hearings against Donald Trump produced “enough testimony to remove him from office” when the case moves to the Senate. Speaker Pelosi will meet with the House Democratic caucus early Tuesday to prepare for the formal vote required to …

56% of Americans say they disapprove of US President Trump’s handling of heightened tensions with Iran, according to an ABC News poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs. Why it matters: 52% of Americans said the Trump administration’s decision to kill Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in an airstrike makes them feel …

After several bombs from World War II were discovered in Dortmund, Germany not far from the city’s main train station, over 14,000 people were forced to evacuate. In addition to homes being evacuated and businesses being forced to close, several medical clinics in the area also had to be emptied. …

Libya’s renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar has declared a ceasefire, ending a nine-month campaign to seize the capital, Tripoli. The conditional ceasefire in the western region of the country — including Tripoli — started at 12:01 a.m. local time Sunday, according to the general’s spokesman, Ahmed al-Mismari. That’s provided that the …

A first-term lawmaker whose father was Malta’s president has been chosen to be the country’s prime minister. The count on Sunday showed Robert Abela received nearly 58% of votes cast by members of the governing Labour Party eligible to choose the new leader. Abela, 42, will replace Joseph Muscat, who …

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Tehran on Sunday, amid rising tension between Iran and the U.S. following the killing of an Iranian general in a drone airstrike. According to a statement by the Qatari Royal Court, Tamim will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani …

The Guinean government warned it will respond vigorously to any violence at an opposition rally on Monday, the latest protest over fears that President Alpha Conde is changing the constitution to extend his mandate. The West African country has been wracked by mass demonstrations since mid-October over constitutional reform. At …

Britain’s ambassador to Iran has said he did not take part in any demonstration after he was arrested during anti-government protests in Tehran. Rob Macaire was held for more than an hour after he and a number of other people were detained on suspicion of organizing, provoking and directing radical …

A volcano south of the Philippine capital Manila has spewed a giant ash plume accompanied by rumbling sounds and tremors, prompting authorities to raise the alert level and order the evacuation of about 8000 residents. The Philippine airport authority also suspended flights at Manila’s international airport. “Flight operations at the …

Two wildfires merged to form a massive inferno in southeastern Australia and a man suffered serious burns protecting a home, in a night of treacherous conditions during the nation’s unprecedented wildfire crisis, officials said Saturday. Authorities were assessing the damage after firefighters battled flames fanned by strong winds through the …

Northern Ireland’s main political parties sat down together in Belfast on Saturday to form a power-sharing government and end a three-year standoff that threatened a key part of the province’s 1998 peace settlement. Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, the largest group in the reformed Assembly, was sworn …