Taipei says it scrambled its combat aircraft after over two dozen Chinese fighter jets entered its airspace on the same day that Beijing marked its national day. According to the Taiwan ministry, 22 Chinese fighters, two nuclear-capable bombers and one anti-submarine aircraft entered the island’s southwest Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Friday. The ministry described the …

Environmental groups have filed formal objections to the Biden administration’s plan to offer 734,000 acres of public lands for oil and gas leasing, a decision that critics have condemned as an “insane policy in light of the climate crisis.” About a dozen conservation groups filed their objection with the US …

Iran has censured Bahrain’s welcoming Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Manama, saying the move amounts to a betrayal of the oppressed Palestinian people. “The Bahraini government’s welcoming of the foreign minister of the fake Zionist regime is a blatant betrayal of the oppressed and resilient Palestinian people’s cause,” Iranian …

The Turkish and Russian heads of state have discussed establishment of two more nuclear power plants in Turkey in addition to one that is already being built in the country’s south. The conversation arose between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin in the Russian resort city of Sochi on Wednesday, …

Israeli forces have attacked Palestinians taking part in a weekly anti-settlement protest in the occupied West Bank, leaving dozens injured. Israeli regime troops used live ammunition and tear gas to disperse the protesters in the town of Beit Dajan, near the West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian Information Center reported on …

More than 240 Bahraini scholars have strongly denounced the first visit by Israeli regime’s foreign minister to the Persian Gulf state since the two regimes established ties last year and expressed their solidarity with the Palestinians. “We denounce the presence of the foreign minister of the Zionist enemy in Bahrain, and …

The Saudi army has conducted an artillery attack on a residential area in Yemen’s northwestern Sa’ada province, martyring at least five civilians and wounding 11 others. Yemen’s al-Masirah TV channel reported that the shelling targeted the border town of Manbeh on Friday. Seven years of the Saudi-led war on Yemen has pushed …

The six Palestinian prisoners, who recently tunneled their way out of a maximum security Israeli detention center and were all recaptured nearly two weeks later, have been transferred to solitary confinement, lawyers say. In a post on his Facebook page on Friday, the lawyer representing one of the inmates Mohamed …

Iraq recorded, on Saturday 1236 new Covid-19 cases to bring its total to 2,007,227, the health ministry said. It reported 42 fatalities; its death toll reached 22,344 cases. It also reported 3,803 recoveries to take its total to 1919106.

The leader of the Al-Fatah Alliance, Hadi al-Amiri, accused on Saturday political parties of using political money to buy voters for the legislative elections. Al-Amiri said, “the (religious) authority has drawn a clear map for the elections, and there is no talk after the reference’s words,” calling for the necessity …

Australia’s trade minister said on Friday talks with the European Union over a trade deal have been postponed, as a row over Canberra’s decision to cancel a $40 billion deal with France escalated. Australia last month cancelled a deal with France’s Naval Group to build a fleet of conventional submarines …

The European Union’s drug regulator said on Friday there is a possible link between rare cases of bloods clots in deep veins with Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine and recommended the condition be listed as a side-effect of the shot. The European Medicines Agency also recommended immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), a …

China sent 25 fighter jets toward self-ruled Taiwan in a large display of force on China’s National Day Friday. The People’s Liberation Army flew 18 J-16 fighter jets as well as two H-6 bombers, among other planes. Taiwan deployed air patrol forces in response and tracked the Chinese aircraft on …

A cargo plane delivered four helicopters, weapons, and ammunition from Russia to Mali late on Thursday, Malian interim defense minister Sadio Camara said. He said Mali had bought the helicopters in a contract agreed in December 2020 to support its armed forces in their battle alongside French, European and UN …

Bitcoin extended gains on Friday, climbing over 9 percent in late morning trade to $47,800, its highest level in 12 days. The largest cryptocurrency was last up 7.9 percent at $47,263, which if maintained would be its largest one-day jump since mid-June. Smaller coins ether and XRP, which tend to …

Turkey and Greece will hold the next round of bilateral talks aimed at addressing differences in the Mediterranean and elsewhere in Ankara on Oct. 6, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Friday, as the NATO members seek to repair their frayed ties. Greece and Turkey are at odds over issues …

Korean drama Squid Game is on track to become Netflix’s most popular original series, according to the company’s co-CEO. In a rare move for the streaming service that is known for its secrecy around viewing figures, co-CEO Ted Sarandos released data about the platform’s top-performers during a speech at Code …

Nine people died on Friday when a fire broke out in an intensive care unit at a Romanian hospital treating COVID-19 patients, officials said, the country’s third deadly hospital fire in less than a year. Firefighters extinguished the fire at the hospital in the eastern city of Constanta at around …

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday announced an 18-month ban on Australians traveling abroad will be lifted from next month, easing one of the toughest COVID-19 restrictions imposed globally. Reopening the international border for citizens and permanent residents will be linked to the establishment of home quarantine in Australia’s …

Seven people were killed in a landslide triggered by torrential storms on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, authorities said, as they warned continuing rainfall could cause further ground movement on Friday. A day after the landslide hit two adjacent houses in Padang Pariaman district on Wednesday, seven bodies were pulled …