Nigeria releases detained Russian cargo plane
The Nigerian authorities have released a Russian transport plane, which was previously detained on suspicion of transporting arms, RIA Novosti reported citing France’s ambassador to the country, Jacques Champagne de Labriolle. The plane was hired by the French peacekeeping mission in Chad for a delivery, but had to land in Nigeria on Saturday, because the Chad airport it was heading to closed down.
Mi-8 helicopter crashes in Northern Russia
A Mi-8 helicopter has crashed near Naryan Mar city in Nenets autonomous region Sunday. There were three crew and four Bashneft oil company employees aboard. Two people died, five others are in grave condition, according to medics. The cause of the crash could be bad weather or engine failure, officials say.
2nd senior Al-Qaeda member in 2 days killed in Pakistan
A US drone has killed a senior member of Al-Qaeda and three other militants in Pakistan on Sunday, according to local officials and Taliban. He was identified as Omar Farooq, who was close to the former and current al Qaeda heads and was in charge for Al-Qaeda’s activity in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Earlier, on Saturday, the Pakistani military killed Adnan Shukrijumah, Al-Qaeda's chief of global operations, who was wanted by US intelligence for plotting to attack the New York subway.
US hands over detained Taliban chief to Pakistan
US forces have handed a senior member of the Taliban and two his guards to Pakistan’s authorities on Saturday. Pakistani citizen Latif Mehsud was captured by US forces in October 2013 and was kept in a detention center in Bagram military base in Afghanistan. As the US mission ends this month, US forces will not be able to hold prisoners at the base and return all third-country nationals detained in Afghanistan to their country of origin, Reuters says.
UK embassy in Cairo suspends work, issues travel warnings
The British Embassy in Cairo has temporarily suspended its public services and issued a special travel warning to UK citizens, it announced Sunday. The travel advice recommends British nationals to avoid visiting some districts of Egypt, except tourist resorts, due to “heightened threat of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.” The UK consulate in Alexandria and visa application centers will remain open, although no new visa applications will be accepted for the time being.
11 arrested after rioters throw firebombs at Stockholm police
A group of at least 30 protesters have thrown stones and firebombs at police in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and set about 10 cars on fire on Saturday. “A witness saw a large gathering of younger individuals who marched towards the center of Rågsved, where the school is,” police spokeswoman Elisabeth Wernsten told Swedish Radio News. “The witness suspected that the youths were going to smash the school up.” At least 11 protesters were arrested by the authorities. “This gang simply decided to get together to commit crime,”Wernsten said. “There is no good reason for wanting to attack the police in this way. Nothing provoked the incident.”
Russian plane detained in Nigeria contains French peacekeepers’ cargo
A cargo plane detained at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport, in Nigeria, is Russian but its cargo is French, said the attaché of Russia’s embassy in Nigeria, Artyom Romanov. “The plane detained in the airport of Nigerian town of Kano is Russian, but the cargo on board is military equipment and [it] belongs to the French peacekeeping mission,” he said. The plane was bound for Chad when it made an emergency landing in Kano on Saturday.
6.8-magnitude earthquake strikes Papua New Guinea
An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 hit off the coast of Papua New Guineaat a depth of 10 kilometers, the US Geological Survey reported. The quake, which struck at 0122 GMT, was followed by two aftershocks with 5.2 and 5.0 magnitude, respectively. "Any tsunami generated is going to be very local... and about half-a-meter in size," Mark Leonard, a senior seismologist for the government agency Geoscience Australia, told AFP.
07:49
China to help Maldives with water following fire at capital’s only sewage plant
China is taking part in a relief operation in the Maldives, sending a military vessel with 960 tons of fresh water to the islands, after a fire took out the only sewage treatment plant in the capital Male, China’s Xinhua agency reports. The incident left some 150,000 people without safe drinking tap water. India, Sri Lanka, Canada and the US have also been contacted by the Maldives government for help. The first will be sending five planes with water and two ships with parts to be used in fixing the broken sewage plant.
03:30
US Republicans expand Senate majority with Louisiana win
Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu conceded defeat to Republican Bill Cassidy in a runoff election on Saturday. The contender’s campaign focused on linking Landrieu to President Barack Obama, whose Louisiana approval ratings are very low. Cassidy’s victory solidifies the Republican majority on the Hill, giving the party its 54th seat in the Senate.
Carbon monoxide kills 2, poisons dozens in New Jersey
Two people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a recording studio in Passaic, New Jersey, city's mayor announced. Dozens others have been sickened and are being treated at local hospitals. Police responded to a 911 call at about 1:30 pm local time and found the two dead on the second floor of the three-story building.
Missing Mexican student’s remains identified
One of the bodies found in Mexico near a rubbish plant was positively identified as Alexander Mora Venancio, local sources said on Saturday. He was one of 43 trainee teachers, who were allegedly captured by police in Guerrero on September 26 and handed over to drug gang members and massacred. The students’ disappearance sparked outrage throughout Mexico and triggered the worst political crisis the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto faced.
00:42
All Aussie victims of MH17 crash identified
The remains of all 38 Australian citizens, who were killed in July after a Malaysian Airlines plane crashed over eastern Ukraine amid an armed conflict between the government and rebels, have been identified, the Australian government said. The last three sets of remains were identified in the Netherlands this week. A total of 292 of the 298 people killed in the tragedy have been identified so far.
Human Rights Watch urges CIA Torture Report's timely release
The Human Rights Watch is urging the US government to release “Torture Report” on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)’s detention and interrogation program without delay and on schedule. HRW statement comes as statements from the State Department raised concerns over the timing of the release and foreign policy that US Secretary of State voiced Friday. The Senate Committee on Intelligence is due to release the report early next week. Media agency
