Ship slams into boat in Manila Bay; 9 missing
Manila: Philippine authorities say a cargo ship smashed into a small fishing boat in Manila Bay, causing the fishing boat to sink and leaving nine of its 21 crew members missing.
‘Pak serious in holding talks with Taliban’
Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said his Government is serious in holding talks with Taliban to bring peace to the country. Talking to a delegation of Pakistan Ulema Council here, Sharif said demands of Taliban for peace would be discussed by the new government committee.
Iran seeks to allay Gulf Arab nuclear fears
Muscat: Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Shiite Iran today sought to allay concerns among mainly Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab monarchies mistrustful of Tehran over its nuclear ambitions. “Our message to the other countries of the Persian Gulf is a message of friendship, fraternity and cooperation,” Zarif said in the Omani capital Muscat, where he is accompanying President Hassan Rouhani on a landmark visit.
Iraq executes 7 including 3 Saddam-era agents
Baghdad: Iraq executed seven people on Thursday, including three men convicted of the 1994 killing in Beirut of the father of a current MP, despite international condemnation over Baghdad’s use of the death penalty. The executions, carried out by hanging, were the first to be confirmed since January 23.
‘Gunmen kill at least 69 in nw Nigeria’
Kano(Nigeria): Gunmen on motorbikes in northwest Nigeria’s Katsina state killed at least 69 people in attacks on four villages, a local lawmaker said on Thursday, amid rising communal tension in the region.