Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday welcomed sanctions by several western countries against China over its alleged abuse of the Uyghur Muslim minority.

China has been accused of discrimination against Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang autonomous region.
Right groups say it has held up to a million Uyghurs in detention centers, which the state calls "re-education camps."
On Jan. 19, on his last full day in office, then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of committing genocide against the minority group.
The sanctions have been imposed as a coordinated effort by the EU, UK, US and Canada.
In a joint statement, New Zealand and Australian foreign ministers reiterated their grave concerns over the growing number of credible reports of severe human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang.
-In particular, there is clear evidence of severe human rights abuses that include restrictions on freedom of religion, mass surveillance, large-scale extra-judicial detentions, as well as forced labor and forced birth control, including sterilization- the statement read.
-New Zealand and Australia welcome the measures announced overnight by Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We share these countries’ deep concerns, which are held across New Zealand and Australian communities.-The diplomats said they have consistently called on Beijing to respect the human rights of Uyghurs, and other religious and ethnic minorities.
-Today we underscore the importance of transparency and accountability, and reiterate our call on China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Xinjiang for United Nations experts, and other independent observers- the statement added.
Meanwhile, Beijing has hit back with counter-sanctions on European parliamentarians, research scholars, and institutions for “maliciously spreading lies and disinformation.”

US, UK, EU and Canada impose sanctions on Chinese officials over alleged abuse of Muslim Uyghur minority

China has been accused of discrimination against Uyghurs in its northwestern Xinjiang autonomous region

Australia, New Zealand welcome sanctions against China

Turkey is a “strong and valued ally,” the US top diplomat said on Tuesday, asserting that it is in the interest of NATO to have Turkey in the bloc.

-It’s no secret that we have differences with Turkey, including over the S-400s, and including certain actions that it has taken, including in the Eastern Mediterranean.--It’s also no secret that Turkey is a long standing and valued ally, and one that I believe we have a strong interest in keeping anchored to NATO. And I believe that’s also in Turkey’s interest as well- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels.&nbsp;His remarks came in an address with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of the NATO foreign ministers meeting.
Blinken also said NATO has showed its effectiveness in dealing with some disagreement, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, “serving as a vehicle for deconfliction, for de-escalation, for finding a way forward.”
Calling it a “positive step,” the US official said the work on it must go on.
Stoltenberg, for his part, said, there are disagreements and concerns regarding Turkey’s decision to buy Russian S-400 air defense system and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, which he expressed to Ankara.
-At the same time, I strongly believe that NATO has to be a platform where allies also sit down together around the same table when there are differences. And then we address them, then we discuss them, and that’s exactly what we try to do- he stated.
Stoltenberg said NATO could establish a de-confliction mechanism between Turkey and Greece to reduce the risk for incidents and accidents in the Eastern Mediterranean, and NATO’s naval presence in the Aegean brought Turkey, Greece and the EU together.

Turkey is country ‘we have strong interest in keeping anchored to NATO,’ says US secretary of state

US says Turkey is ‘long standing, valued ally’

Russia’s communications watchdog accused Twitter on Tuesday of deleting banned content too slowly in the latest dispute between a major government and Big Tech.

Moscow said earlier this month it had slowed the speed of U.S.-based Twitter inside Russia and on March 16 threatened to ban the social media service outright in a month over content from child pornography to drug abuse.
With Twitter widely used in Russia by government opponents, including Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and his allies, Twitter said at the time it was worried about free speech and denied that it let its platform be used to promote illegal behaviour.
The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that Twitter was too slow in tackling illegal posts.
-The rate at which the social network is removing banned information is unsatisfactory- it said. -Two thirds of material that is harmful for children remains available on Twitter.-The watchdog said it was unacceptable to see new posts containing child pornography, suicide propaganda and information about drug use and distribution appearing on Twitter.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Major social media companies have been embroiled in an increasing number of disputes around the globe, from China to India and Australia, as governments seek to curb their power.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment

The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, said in a statement that Twitter was too slow in tackling illegal posts

Russia chides Twitter for slow deletion of banned content

Britain’s Prince Harry will become the first chief impact officer of BetterUp Inc, a San Francisco-based firm that provides employee coaching and mental health assistance, the company said on Tuesday.

The move comes about a month after Buckingham Palace announced Harry, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, and his American wife Meghan had made a final split with the royal family, and would not be returning as working members and would lose their patronages.
Earlier this month, the couple featured on Oprah Winfrey’s television interview, in which Meghan accused Britain’s royal family of racism and Harry claimed they had cut him and his wife off financially.
In his new role at BetterUp, Harry will focus on driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness, diversify Betterup's community of coaches and customers through strategic planning, among others, the company said here.
Founded in 2013, BetterUp provides mobile-based coaching, counseling and mentorship programs for employees at more than 300 businesses including Chevron, Snap Inc and AT&amp;T’s Warner Media.
Last month, the employee coaching service provider raised $125 million, taking its valuation to $1.73 billion.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the news of Harry’s new role.

The move comes about a month after Buckingham Palace announced Harry and  Meghan had made a final split with the royal family, and would not be returning as working members and would lose their patronages

In his new role at BetterUp, Harry will focus on driving advocacy and awareness for mental fitness

Prince Harry to be chief impact officer at mental health firm BetterUp

A French air quality association has filed a complaint against the Paris metro operator accusing it of downplaying pollution risks for public transport users, who are unwittingly exposed to dangerous levels of harmful compounds.

The Respire ("Breathe") group said it filed its suit in Paris on Monday after its own analyses at several stations, as well as pollution readings by the state-owned RATP operator, had revealed alarming levels of particle pollution in recent years.
It alleged that the RATP was refusing to provide commuters with data showing the true pollution risks, "which constitute aggravated deceit and causing unintentional injuries."
Some four million people use the metro system each day, and the RATP employs tens of thousands of drivers and other workers.
The concentration of fine particles, which can penetrate deep into a person's lungs, are compounded by limited ventilation as well as the braking action on the trains' metal wheels.
-The RATP practices a sort of omerta on air pollution in the metro. It pretends there's no problem, but it needs to tell people the truth. Its denial is a key part of the problem- Respire's director Olivier Blond said in a statement.
Contacted by AFP, the RATP contested the pollution levels cited by Respire, saying the organisation used portable, non-certified measuring equipment whose readings could not be compared with its own.
It also insisted that it was investing in its ventilation systems and experimenting with air treatment technologies as well as "electronic braking" that would release fewer fine particles as trains enter stations.

The Respire ("Breathe") group said it filed its suit in Paris on Monday after its own analyses at several stations, as well as pollution readings by the state-owned RATP operator, had revealed alarming levels of particle pollution in recent years

Some four million people use the metro system each day, and the RATP employs tens of thousands of drivers and other workers

Paris metro operator sued over air pollution

Russia on Monday expressed regret over the US refusal to hold a live online presidential debate.

-We regret to note that the American side has not supported the proposal made by President of Russia Vladimir Putin to US President Joe Biden to hold a live-broadcast discussion on March 19 or 22, 2021, on the problems that have accumulated in bilateral relations, as well as on the subject of strategic stability- read the statement.
It added that the US refusal is "one more opportunity missed" to find an exit from the current impasse in bilateral relations.
-The responsibility for this lies entirely with the United States- the ministry said.
Last week, Putin invited Biden to have a live discussion days after the US president was sharply critical of his Russian counterpart in a televised interview, followed by the US announcing expanded sanctions on Russia, and Moscow recalling its ambassador to Washington – a sharp break from the cozy ties Putin enjoyed with former US President Donald Trump.

US refusal 'one more opportunity missed' to find exit from current impasse in bilateral relations, says official statement

Last week, Putin invited Biden to have a live discussion days after the US president was sharply critical of his Russian counterpart in a televised interview

Russia regrets US refusal to hold presidential debate

NATO foreign ministers will discuss the military alliance’s strategy for the future at their meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday.

-This is an opportunity to open a new chapter in transatlantic relations- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said about the ministerial meeting.
The ministers will discuss the military alliance’s 2030 strategy to be adopted later this year at the NATO leaders’ summit.
-NATO 2030 is also about protecting the rules-based order, which is being challenged by authoritarian powers like China and Russia- Stoltenberg said.
According to the secretary general, Russia’s “destabilizing activities,” the threat of terrorism, sophisticated cyber-attacks, disruptive technologies, as well as “the rise of China,” are among the main challenges that the NATO will face in the near future.
Stoltenberg also stressed that the alliance had to take a “leading role when it comes to understanding, adapting and mitigating the impact of climate change on our security.”
Asked about the dispute between Turkey and Greece over the Eastern Mediterranean, the NATO chief said he wanted to strengthen NATO’s role as a political platform to consult “when we see differences and disagreements between allies.”
Besides the NATO 2030 strategy, the ministers will assess the situation and the alliance’s role in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The EU foreign policy chief as well as the Swedish and Finnish foreign ministers will also join the talks.

NATO foreign ministers to discuss military alliance’s 2030 strategy to be adopted later this year at leaders’ summit

Stoltenberg: NATO 2030 is also about protecting the rules-based order, which is being challenged by authoritarian powers like China and Russia

NATO foreign ministers to hold talks in Brussels

Three tourists who vandalised China's Great Wall -- one of the country's most popular historic landmarks -- have been detained and fined, officials said Monday.

Two men and a woman were detained Sunday after scrawling their names on the wall with a key, wire and other sharp objects, administrators of the Badaling special tourism zone said in a statement.
Around 70 kilometres (43 miles) from Beijing, Badaling is the most popular section of the wall for tourists.
The statement did not offer details on the amount they were fined or the length of their detention. 
Under China's law for protecting cultural relics the fine for carving or scrawling on a historic building is less than 200 yuan ($31), but for serious damage offenders can be detained for up to 10 days and fined 500 yuan.
Construction of the Great Wall began in the third century BC to stave off Mongol invasions, and it spans over 21,000 kilometres. 
Today it attracts around 10 million tourists per year -- but the swell of visitors, combined with age and weathering, has left swathes of it in ruins. 
This isn't the first time the relic has been damaged by misbehaving tourists.
A visitor was caught on camera defacing the historic site with a key last March, on the first day the Great Wall opened up for tourists after being closed for two months during the height of the pandemic, state-run Global Times reported.
The Beijing municipal government introduced a blacklist last April and threatened to name and shame tourists who damaged the wall.
Visitors who are blacklisted are also be banned from revisiting the site, but it is unclear for how long.
The latest incident led to an uproar on Chinese social media.
-Why do these uncultured idiots visit cultural sites?- wrote one commentator.
-Perhaps they wanted to be immortal by carving their names on the Great Wall, but now they are just infamous- said another.

Two men and a woman were detained Sunday after scrawling their names on the wall with a key, wire and other sharp objects

Under China's law for protecting cultural relics the fine for carving or scrawling on a historic building is less than 200 yuan ($31), but for serious damage offenders can be detained for up to 10 days and fined 500 yuan

China detains three tourists for vandalising Great Wall

A Taiwanese air force pilot was killed and another was missing on Monday after their fighter jets disappeared in a suspected mid-air collision off the island's southern coast, officials said.

The two F-5E jets disappeared from radar around 3 pm (0700 GMT) some 2.6 kilometres (1.6 miles) off the coast of rural Pingtung county, the National Rescue Command Centre said. 
They were among four F-5Es that took off some 30 minutes earlier for a routine training mission, the centre said, adding helicopters and coastguard ships had joined the search.
One of the pilots was found unconscious in the sea but could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead at hospital.
Rescuers were still searching for the remaining pilot.
Police confirmed they found a seat with parachute attached on a local highway. 
Taiwan's ageing fighter fleet has suffered a string of fatal accidents in recent years as the island's air force is kept under constant pressure by China.
Beijing views democratic and self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary.
Under President Xi Jinping, China has become markedly more hostile towards Taiwan and last year, incursions by Beijing's fighter jets reached record highs.
The incursions force outgunned Taiwan to regularly scramble its jets and keep pilots trained on a round-the-clock war footing that takes its toll on ageing aircraft and those flying them.
In October, an F-5E pilot was killed when his plane crashed off the island's eastern coast.
A month later, Taiwan temporarily grounded all F-16 fighters for safety checks after one went missing during a training exercise.
Last year, Chinese military jets made a record 380 incursions into Taiwan's defence zone, with some analysts warning that tensions between the two sides were at their highest since the mid-1990s. 
The F-5E is an older generation fighter with a design that dates back to the 1960s.

The two F-5E jets disappeared from radar around 3 PM some 2.6 kilometres  off the coast of rural Pingtung county

Police confirmed they found a seat with parachute attached on a local highway

Taiwan pilot killed, another missing after fighter jets collide

A BBC journalist held in Myanmar has been freed, the broadcaster said on Monday, as demonstrators took to the streets for fresh anti-coup protests against the military.

Myanmar's junta has unleashed deadly violence on protesters who have risen against the military's ousting of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month.
More than 2,600 people have been arrested and 250 killed, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), a local monitoring group that has warned fatalities could be even higher.
Aung Thura, a journalist with the BBC's Burmese service, was detained by men in plain clothes while reporting outside a court in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday.
The broadcaster confirmed on Monday in a news story on its website that he had been freed but gave no further details.
Scores of people, including teachers, marched on Monday through the pre-dawn streets of Mandalay, the country's second-largest city, some carrying placards calling for UN intervention in the crisis.
Mandalay has seen some of the worst violence of the crackdown and recorded eight more deaths on Sunday, a medical source told AFP, adding that as many as 50 people were injured.
Machine guns rang out late into the night across the city of 1.7 million.
-People were really scared and felt insecure the whole night- a doctor told AFP by phone.
To protest the brutality of the crackdown, a group of doctors in Mandalay staged a "placard only" demonstration by lining up signs in the street, Voice of Myanmar reported.
A group of monks staged a similar "monkless" protest.
There were also early morning protests in parts of Yangon, the commercial capital and largest city, where drivers honked their horns in support of the anti-coup movement.
Residents in Yangon's Hlaing township released hundreds of red helium balloons with posters calling for a UN intervention to stop atrocities, according to local media.
One man was also killed during daytime clashes with security forces in the central city of Monywa Sunday and hundreds turned out to protest a day later, local media reported.

International concern has been growing over the junta's brutal approach as the death toll climbs, with a senior UN expert warning the military is likely committing "crimes against humanity".

But so far the generals have shown little sign of heeding calls for restraint as they struggle to quell the unrest.
In a fresh bid to step up pressure, the European Union is expected on Monday to hit 11 junta cadres with sanctions -- in the form of travel bans and asset freezes.
The United States and Britain have already taken similar steps.
Myanmar's regional neighbours have also weighed in, with Indonesia and Malaysia calling for an emergency summit of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations to discuss the crisis.
Following the call, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan embarked on a whistle-stop diplomatic tour including meetings in Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.
On the commercial front, French energy giant EDF announced that a $1.5-billion hydropower dam project in Myanmar had been suspended in response to the coup.
Australia and Canada have confirmed they are providing consular assistance to two business consultants detained in Myanmar.
It is understood that Matthew O'Kane and Christa Avery, a dual Canadian-Australian citizen, are under house arrest after trying to leave the country on a relief flight Friday.
The couple run a consultancy business in Yangon.
The Canadian and Australian foreign ministries have refused to comment further on the case.

Aung Thura was detained by men in plain clothes while reporting outside a court in the capital Naypyidaw on Friday

Aung Thura, a journalist with the BBC's Burmese service

BBC journalist freed in Myanmar as anti-coup protests roll on

At least 30 people suspected to have contracted a strange illness were hospitalized in the northern city of Kano on Thursday.

The sick were from six villages under the Rogo local government area of Kano state, located 136 kilometers (85 miles) from the city.
The victims were reportedly rushed to the area’s primary health center after passing excessive blood urine and vomiting.
The situation is getting worse as local healers and medicine stores are being overwhelmed in Unguwan Rijiyan Dadi, Gwanwan Gabas, Gwangwan Yamma, Unguwar Tsarmai, Gangare and Unguwar Kofar Fada.
Residents are complaining about receiving little help from the government.
A resident of Gwangwan Gabas confirmed that 56 people contracted the illness since its outbreak.
-We rushed no fewer than 30 people to the Rogo General Hospital within a day of the outbreak- said Muhammad Tukur. -So far only one person has died as a result of the outbreak. Most of the victims of the disease have complained of spending a lot of money on the disease.-Shehu Adamu, a resident from Gangare, said that two of his children have been affected.
He said he has spent more than 20,000 naira ($52) at the hospital trying to get his family treated despite difficult times.
Eight people are affected in Idris Isah Jibrin’s house and he said he is completely devastated. Affected members include his wife, mother and children, who cannot stand.
He said he has spent 100,000 naira ($262) between Rogo Hospital and Gwarzo Hospital without any real result.
The Kano state government confirmed the death of three people on Tuesday and 284 others hospitalized after drinking water from a nearby cemetery and consuming expired powder flavored drinks.
The government has debunked any links between the illness and the coronavirus, however, part of the symptoms associated with the ailment include urinary blood, vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, fever and dizziness.
Although the state ministry of health has not categorically declared the cause, it confirmed victims in 13 local government areas, including eight metropolitan councils.
Sulaiman Ilyasu, director of infectious diseases at the Health Ministry confirmed the development but insisted the ministry has only received reports of four people falling ill and they have since been treated.

Victims from 6 villages under Rogo local government area in Kano state

The victims were reportedly rushed to the area’s primary health center after passing excessive blood urine and vomiting

At least 30 hospitalized by strange illness in Nigeria

At least 33 soldiers were killed and 14 others injured in a terrorist attack in Mali’s northern region of Gao earlier this week, the army said in a statement on Wednesday.

At least 20 terrorists were also killed in Monday’s attack on a security post in Tessit, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) southeast of the town of Ansongo in Gao, according to Col. Souleymane Dembele, the armed forces’ director of information and public relations.
Mali’s army chief offered “sincere condolences to the families of the victims and paid tribute to the 33 martyrs,” said the statement.
-The Malian armed forces will pursue with determination the fight against those who attack our values and threaten our populations- the statement added.
Turkey also condemned the terror attack in the landlocked West African country.
-We strongly condemn this attack. We extend our sincere condolences to the friendly and brotherly people and Government of Mali as well as to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives and speedy recovery to the wounded- a Foreign Ministry statement said on Wednesday.

20 attackers also killed in Monday's terror attack in northern region of Gao, says army

Mali’s army chief offered “sincere condolences to the families of the victims and paid tribute to the 33 martyrs,” said the statement

Mali: 33 soldiers killed in attack on security post

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned an intensification in the Houthi offensive to seize a key Yemeni government-held city.

Security Council members "stressed the need for de-escalation by all, including an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib," in a statement that further condemned the use of child soldiers in ongoing hostilities.
-They called on all parties to come together and work with the UN Special Envoy to negotiate, without preconditions, a nationwide ceasefire and a Yemeni-led and owned, inclusive, political settlement, which includes the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women, as well as the participation of youth, in accordance with past resolutions- they added.
The UN has warned the military push imperils roughly 1 million Yemenis who took refuge in the city after fleeing conflict elsewhere.
The council reiterated demands for the Yemeni government to lift an oil blockade on the Red Sea port of Hudaydah that has resulted in Houthi-controlled areas facing widespread shortages that have imperiled critical sectors, including health services at hospitals.
There are currently 13 fuel ships waiting off the coast of Hudaydah, the port in which roughly half of Yemen's fuel imports normally flow, and the UN's humanitarian aid chief told the council on Tuesday they have enough supplies to last two months.
-On average, those ships have been waiting more than 80 days for government clearance. All of them, by the way, have been inspected and cleared by the UN verification and inspection mechanism- said Mark Lowcock.

Security Council stresses need for 'an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib'

Security Council members "stressed the need for de-escalation by all, including an immediate end to the Houthi escalation in Marib," in a statement that further condemned the use of child soldiers in ongoing hostilities

UN Security Council condemns escalation in Yemen

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he was ready to hold pulbic online talks with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday or Monday.

Putin, speaking on state TV, said he was ready to discuss bilateral relations with the United States as well as other issues such as regional conflicts.
Putin said he will order his foreign ministry to prepare the talks, the day after Biden said he thought the Russian leader was a killer and already poor relations between Moscow and Washington sank to a new post-Cold War low.

Putin, speaking on state TV, said he was ready to discuss bilateral relations with the United States as well as other issues such as regional conflicts

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on measures to boost investment activity, via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia March 11, 2021.

Putin calls for open talks with Biden in coming days

European Union chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel will hold a video conference with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, EU spokesmen said. 

The talks come as the two neighbours seek to make good on improve ties after a spike in tensions last year over maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean.
The leaders of the EU's 27 member states are set to discuss the states of relations with Ankara at a summit in Brussels next week.
Relations plummeted after Ankara repeatedly sent a ship to search for gas deposits in disputed waters, angering the bloc and its member states Greece and Cyprus. 
But both sides have been looking to smooth over the differences as Ankara resumed talks with Athens and extended an olive branch to Brussels.
The warming ties have seen sanctions agreed on in December by EU leaders put on the back burner over fears of slamming the brakes on the rapprochement. 
Friday's talks come on the fifth anniversary of a major deal signed between the EU and Turkey to reduce the number of migrants mainly from the war in Syria crossing into the bloc.
The accord has seen Ankara stem the flow of migrants in return for billions of euros in aid -- but it has not stopped sniping from both sides and Turkey wants it reviewed.
The EU is also closely following UN efforts to restart peace talks over member state Cyprus in which Turkey is a key player. 
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres will convene an informal meeting in April involving main international actors Greece, Turkey and Britain to explore how to break the deadlock. 
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey occupied its northern third in response to a coup orchestrated by the military junta then in power in Athens aimed at annexing the island to Greece.
The Republic of Cyprus, the only internationally recognised government, is a member of the European Union and exercises its authority over the southern part of the eastern Mediterranean island.

The talks come as the two neighbours seek to make good on improve ties after a spike in tensions last year over maritime claims in the eastern Mediterranean

EU Council president Charles Michel (centre) and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (right) welcome Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan (left) before their meeting at the EU headquarters in Brussels, Belgium March 9th 2020.

EU chiefs hold video call with Turkey's Erdogan Friday

At least nine people were killed when a military helicopter crashed in central Afghanistan, the defence ministry said Thursday. 

The crash happened on Wednesday night in a volatile district in Wardak province, where Afghan forces and local militias have bitterly fought. 
-As a result of the incident, four crew members and five security forces- were killed, the MoD said in a statement. 
-The ministry of defense is investigating the cause of the crash.-Mohibullah Sharifi, the spokesman for the Wardak provincial governor, confirmed the helicopter crash, but did not provide further details. 
Helicopter crashes are common in Afghanistan either due to technical problems or militant attacks.
In October last year, nine members of the Afghan military were killed when two army helicopters collided while transporting wounded soldiers in southern Helmand province. 
The Afghan government has been battling a surge in violence across the country blamed on the Taliban, despite supposed peace talks launched between the two sides last year.
In the Afghan capital, four people were killed and nine others were wounded in a blast targeting a bus in east Kabul on Thursday, police said.

The crash happened on Wednesday night in a volatile district in Wardak province

Helicopter crashes are common in Afghanistan either due to technical problems or militant attacks

Australia, New Zealand welcome sanctions against China

US says Turkey is ‘long standing, valued ally’

Russia chides Twitter for slow deletion of banned content

Prince Harry to be chief impact officer at mental health firm BetterUp

Paris metro operator sued over air pollution

Russia regrets US refusal to hold presidential debate

NATO foreign ministers to hold talks in Brussels

China detains three tourists for vandalising Great Wall

Taiwan pilot killed, another missing after fighter jets collide

BBC journalist freed in Myanmar as anti-coup protests roll on

At least 30 hospitalized by strange illness in Nigeria

Mali: 33 soldiers killed in attack on security post

UN Security Council condemns escalation in Yemen

Putin calls for open talks with Biden in coming days

EU chiefs hold video call with Turkey's Erdogan Friday

Helicopter crash kills nine in central Afghanistan

World

Australia, New Zealand welcome sanctions against China

US says Turkey is ‘long standing, valued ally’

Russia chides Twitter for slow deletion of banned content

Prince Harry to be chief impact officer at mental health firm BetterUp

Paris metro operator sued over air pollution

Russia regrets US refusal to hold presidential debate

NATO foreign ministers to hold talks in Brussels

China detains three tourists for vandalising Great Wall

Taiwan pilot killed, another missing after fighter jets collide

BBC journalist freed in Myanmar as anti-coup protests roll on

At least 30 hospitalized by strange illness in Nigeria

Mali: 33 soldiers killed in attack on security post

UN Security Council condemns escalation in Yemen

Putin calls for open talks with Biden in coming days

EU chiefs hold video call with Turkey's Erdogan Friday

Helicopter crash kills nine in central Afghanistan