Erdogan asks Riyadh to ‘prove’ journalist left consulate
AFP, Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday asked Saudi officials to prove their claim that missing journalist and Riyadh critic Jamal Khashoggi left the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Erdogan’s comments’ came after media reports said his government sought permission from Saudi authorities to search the consulate premises in Istanbul.
Dutch King to visit Britain this month
AFP, The Hague
King Willem-Alexander and his wife Queen Maxima will meet Dutch compatriots worried by Brexit during a state visit to Britain this month, palace officials said.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II will host the Dutch monarch in an October 22-23 visit that “reaffirms the excellent ties between the… North Sea neighbours,” the Royal House of the Netherlands said in a statement late Monday.
Fire in Indian steel plant kills nine
Reuters, New Delhi
A fire in a gas pipeline at a plant of Steel Authority of India Ltd’s in the central state of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday killed at least nine people, the company said.
“Nine persons have lost their lives and 14 are undergoing medical treatment,” state-run SAIL, one of India’s biggest steel producers, said in a statement.
The fire, which occurred during a scheduled maintenance job at its Bhilai plant, has now been controlled, SAIL said. There was no immediate comment from the company on whether production was affected.
Fire and explosions erupt at Ukraine arms depot
AFP, Zaudaika
More than 12,000 people were evacuated after ammunition stored at an arms depot in northern Ukraine began exploding early Tuesday and set off a huge fire, authorities said.
Security services said they were investigating “possible sabotage” in the incident at a defence ministry depot near the village of Druzhba, around 135 kilometres (84 miles) northeast of Kiev.
Indonesia prepares for end of disaster search
AP, Palu
Indonesia plans to halt the search this week for victims of an earthquake and tsunami that have left more than 2,000 dead and thousands feared missing.
Authorities will hold prayers Thursday to mark the end of the search effort in neighborhoods of Sulawesi island’s Palu city where the quake caused loose soil to swallow houses and bury residents.
Turkey police round up 90 Kurdish militants
AFP, Diyarbakir
Turkish police detained dozens of people over alleged links to Kurdish militants in an operation carried out in nine cities including Kurdish-majority Diyarbakir, the local prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.
The police detained 90 out of 151 suspects they were seeking during the raids carried out at 183 addresses.
