Dubai International, one of the world’s busiest airports, canceled, diverted and delayed flights on Saturday due to heavy rain and flooding, Dubai Airports said. Flights are likely to be delayed throughout the day and some have been canceled or diverted to nearby Al Maktoum airport, state-owned Dubai Airports said on …
Read More »Two US service members killed in Afghanistan: NATO
Two U.S. service members were killed and two others wounded when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission said in a statement on Saturday. The service members were conducting operations when their armored vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in …
Read More »Earthquake of Magnitude 6 Shakes Puerto Rico Again
A new earthquake of a magnitude of 6 Saturday shook Puerto Rico, a country which since Friday afternoon records aftershocks of different intensity after the 6.4 earthquakes that hit the island last Tuesday and caused one death, about 2,000 refugees, and thousands of damaged homes. The Puerto Rico Seismic Network …
Read More »Powerful 4.8-magnitude quake strikes Turkey’s biggest city
An earthquake has hit Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul. A seismic event measuring 4.8 magnitudes struck 63 kilometres west of the city at around 4:38 pm local time, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said. Concerned residents reported feeling tremors strong enough to shake buildings, although it is not yet known if there …
Read More »Indian Navy deploys its sole aircraft carrier to the Arabian sea
The Indian Navy has deployed its sole aircraft carrier to the Arabian Sea to keep an eye on a joint military drill between China and regional rival Pakistan. The INS Vikramaditya, with a fleet of MiG-29K fighter jets on board, has arrived to monitor large nine-day naval exercise ‘Sea Guardians …
Read More »Death toll in Pakistan mosque bombing rises to 15
The death toll from the bombing of a mosque in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta rose to 15 on Saturday, officials said, in an escalation of militant violence. An improvised explosive device ripped through the mosque during Friday evening prayers, killing 13 people and wounding more than 20, police …
Read More »Taiwan President Tsai set to win re-election
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen is set to win re-election on Saturday, with figures from the election commission showing her leading her main opponent by more than two million votes with more than 86% of votes counted. Tsai is expected to hold a news conference in Taipei shortly.
Read More »Oman’s Sultan Qaboos dies; successor vows to pursue peace
Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said, one of the Middle East’s longest-serving rulers who maintained the country’s neutrality in regional struggles, died on Friday and his cousin Haitham bin Tariq al-Said was named as his successor in a smooth transition. With his death, the region loses a trusted and seasoned leader …
Read More »IRGC Aerospace chief accepts full responsibility for a plane crash
Head of the Aerospace Division of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has accepted full responsibility for the downing of a Ukraine aircraft which crashed near the capital Tehran earlier this week. Speaking on Saturday, General Amir Ali Hajizadeh said he had “wished he could die” after being informed of …
Read More »Texas becomes the first US state to refuse Refugees.
Texas will not resettle refugees in 2020, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott told the Trump administration Friday, citing a responsibility to use state resources for those already residing in Texas. Texas is the first state to decline resettlement, as part of a new executive order that requires state and local governments …
Read More »World’s biggest human migration begins
Lunar New Year might still be two weeks away, but China is already bracing itself for an annual homecoming of epic proportions. Considered the largest human migration on the planet, Chunyun — the 40-day period when Chinese people head home to celebrate the Lunar New Year Spring Festival with their …
Read More »Taliban hit US military convoy, claim to kill ‘all troops’
The Taliban have attacked a convoy of US troops in Afghanistan’s southern province of Kandahar, a couple of days after American airstrikes killed a commander of the militant group and several other militants in the country. A roadside bomb struck one of the armored vehicles of the US forces in …
Read More »Iran: Ukrainian plane brought down ‘due to human error’
Iran says a Ukrainian plane that crashed outside Tehran this week had flown close to a sensitive military site and been brought down due to human error “at a time of crisis caused by US adventurism.” In a statement Saturday, the general staff of the armed forces touched on the …
Read More »Video: US warship faces aggressive moves by Russia ship in Mideast
An American warship was “aggressively approached” by a Russian Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea, the U.S. Navy said Friday. Navy Cmdr. Josh Frey, the spokesman for U.S. 5th Fleet, said that the USS Farragut was conducting routine operations Thursday and sounded five short blasts to warn the Russian …
Read More »The US announces new sanctions on Iran
The Trump administration on Friday announced a new wave of sanctions on Iran following this week’s missile strikes by the Islamic Republic on US bases in Iraq. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the new sanctions will target eight senior Iranian officials. Mnuchin said President …
Read More »In Australia, tens of thousands urge PM Morrison’s resignation as bushfires rage
Tens of thousands of Australians have rallied across the country calling on the conservative government to tackle global warming and cut back on fossil fuels, as deadly climate-fueled bushfires burned out of control. At least 26 people have died, and more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed in the unprecedented …
Read More »Meghan returns to Canada as British royals seek to solve Harry rift
Meghan, the wife of Prince Harry, has gone back to Canada to be with their son after the couple provoked a rift with Britain’s royal family by unexpectedly announcing they would be stepping back from their roles to spend more time in North America. Queen Elizabeth and other senior British …
Read More »Tehran rebuffs claims it shot down a Ukrainian jet
Iran has again rejected suggestions that one of its missiles brought down a Ukrainian passenger jet near the capital, Tehran, on Wednesday. Its civil aviation chief said on Friday he was “certain” that the plane was not hit by a missile. He was responding to claims by Western leaders that …
Read More »Iraqi Prime Minister Asks US to Start Talks on Troop Withdrawal
Adel Abdul Mahdi said he had spoken to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to request that a delegation be sent to prepare for the pulling out of forces. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq said on Friday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a …
Read More »Several Hashed al-Sha’abi forces killed in Israeli raids on Syria: Report
Israel has launched several airstrikes on eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing at least eight fighters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a key player in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region. The air raids struck trucks and weapons depots in Albu Kamal in …
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