WASHINGTON – The secretary general of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization condemned Tuesday in strong terms the violation of Turkish airspace by Russian planes, as he said a second incursion by Russian planes had been confirmed. “Russian combat aircraft have violated Turkish airspace,” Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, according to the NATO website. “This is…
PARIS – Violent storms and flooding have hit southeast France, killing at least 10 people with six more missing, officials said. Three elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was inundated with floodwater. Another five people are reported to have died as they tried to park their cars under shelter…
MOSCOW – Russian forces bombed targets in Syria for a fourth day despite international concerns over Moscow’s intentions in the war-torn nation. The Russian defense ministry said its soldiers bombed nine ISIS positions Saturday near the terror group’s de facto capital in Raqqa. In the past 24 hours, the air force conducted 20 airstrikes near…
WASHINGTON – US President Barack Obama has said the Russian bombing campaign in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad is driving moderate opposition underground and “only strengthening” Islamic State. Mr Obama said he rejected the Russian assertion that all armed opponents of the “brutal” Mr Assad were terrorists. Moscow insists its air strikes –…
HAJJ – Iran says number of its citizens who died in the Hajj stampeded in Saudi Arabia last week has reached 464 – nearly double the previous toll. Iranian authorities said there was no longer hope of finding any of the country’s missing pilgrims alive. According to Saudi officials, 769 people died in the crush…
WASHINGTON – Donald Trump has said he would send home all Syrian refugees the US accepts, if he becomes president. The billionaire, who is the current frontrunner in the Republican race for the White House, told a New Hampshire rally: “If I win, they’re going back.” It marks a reversal in policy – earlier this…
MOSCOW – Russia has launched a series of air strikes in Syria for a second day. The strikes reportedly targeted sites in the north-west held by the Army of Conquest rebel alliance, as well as areas in Homs and Hama provinces. Russia said it struck 12 Islamic State (IS) positions in 24 hours, destroying a…
BANGUI – Hundreds of inmates at a prison in the Central African Republic have escaped as a wave of violence left dozens dead. After a Muslim taxi driver was killed, clashes erupted on Saturday between Christian militia and Muslim groups. Members of a Christian militia known as the anti-Balaka attacked the prison on Monday, freeing…
NEW YORK – Vladimir Putin is back — and stealing Barack Obama’s thunder. The Russian president showed up at the United Nations on Monday for the first time in a decade, proposing a coup against U.S. global leadership and seeking to wrest control of a coalition battling ISIS away from America’s grip. And he wasn’t…
PARIS – France has carried out its first air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria. French planes destroyed a training camp in the eastern town of Deir al-Zour, President Francois Hollande said. A US-led coalition has been carrying out air strikes against IS in Syria and Iraq for more than a year. Speaking in…
