At least 23 Afghan civilians killed in U.S. Helmand air strike: U.N.
A United Nations investigation has found that at least 23 Afghan civilians, most of them women and children, were killed in a U.S. airstrike in the southern province of Helmand this week, the latest in a growing toll of casualties from air operations.
ChemChina says gas leak at Hebei plant caused blast that killed 23
A flammable gas leak at a plant owned by ChemChina subsidiary Hebei Shenghua Chemical Industry Co caused a blast that killed 23 people and injured 22 this week in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province, ChemChina said in a statement on Friday.
U.S. State Department approves sale of new artillery rocket system to Poland
The U.S. State Department approved the sale of 20 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers to Poland to strengthen security in the region and modernize the country’s military, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency said.
German Air Force: No suspicion of criminal cause behind unscheduled landing of Merkel’s plane
The German Air Force said on Friday that there was no suspicion of criminal activity after a malfunction forced a plane carrying Chancellor Angela Merkel to the G20 summit in Argentina to make made an unscheduled landing.
Two Chinese trade union officials arrested after helping workers: source
Chinese police have arrested two trade union officials after they helped workers try to set up a union, a source told Reuters on Friday, the latest detentions in a nationwide crackdown on labor activists.
Syria says downs ‘hostile targets’ in suspected Israeli attack
Syrian air defenses shot down “hostile targets” on Thursday, state media said, in an area regional intelligence sources said contains Iran-backed assets, while Russian media said no Israeli jet had been downed as earlier reported.
Optional warning light could have aided Lion Air engineers before crash: experts
An optional warning light could have alerted engineers about mechanical faults on Lion Air’s Boeing 737 MAX jet that crashed last month, experts said, sparking an industry debate over whether installing the system should become mandatory.
Ukraine bans entry to Russian adult men: border service chief
Ukraine has banned Russian adult men aged 16-60 years from entering Ukraine, the head of the border service Petro Tsygykal said in a televised meeting on Friday.
Syria did not shoot down Israeli war plane: RIA cites source
Syrian air defenses shot down several targets but did not shoot down an Israeli war plane on Thursday, Russia’s RIA news agency cited an unnamed Syrian security source as saying on Friday.
Sri Lanka parliament halts ministers’ salaries to hinder disputed PM
Sri Lanka’s parliament on Friday voted to halt payment of ministers’ salaries and travel expenses, but it remained unclear how the move would impact the disputed government of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa whose ministers boycotted the vote.
