AP, TEHRAN, Iran
Iran has proposed the formation of a bloc of Muslim countries to fight terrorism and boost economic cooperation that would include its regional rival Saudi Arabia.
Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani told a security conference on Sunday that the two countries, along with Turkey, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan, should join together to promote “regional peace based on Islam, defending the Palestinian people, fighting terrorism and economic interests.”
30 dead in Kenya tanker crashes
AFP, Nairobi
More than 30 people died when a tanker carrying flammable materials crashed into other vehicles and burst into flames outside the town of Naivasha in Kenya late on Saturday, officials said.
“At 5:00 am the death toll was 33 but the search is still on,” Pius Masai of Kenya’s National Disaster Unit said Sunday.
Copter crash kills pilot in Mumbai
AP New Delhi
A helicopter crashed and caught fire in Mumbai on Sunday, killing the pilot and injuring three passengers, police said.
Police officer Surya Vanshi said the helicopter crashed in an open area in the Goregaon section of Mumbai. The cause of the accident was being investigated.
The injured passengers were hospitalized in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital.
Kerry given France’s highest honour
AFP, Paris
US Secretary of State John Kerry has been given the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest honour, with his French counterpart calling him “the most French of American officials”.
At a ceremony in Paris on Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also said the top US diplomat was a “tireless champion of peace”.
“Francophone, Francophile, you are certainly the most French of American officials” Ayrault said.
Carter in Iraq for talks on Mosul
Reuters, Baghdad
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Baghdad on Sunday for talks with Iraqi leaders on the U.S.-backed military campaign against Islamic State militants in Mosul, the Pentagon said.
Iraqi forces, backed by a U.S.-led coalition, have been battling Islamic State in Mosul for eight weeks.
China issues yellow alert for smog
PTI, Beijing
China’s meteorological authorities today issued a yellow alert for a new bout of smog that is expected to hang heavy in large areas of the country.
Parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hunan and Jiangxi will be covered by smog for two days, starting today, with some regions seeing heavy pollution, the National Meteorological Center said in an online statement.
