INTERNATIONAL

Syria crisis: US attacks Moscow welcome for Assad

The White House has strongly condemned a visit to Moscow by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. A spokesman criticised Russia for putting on a “red carpet welcome”. The Syrian leader’s trip on Tuesday came three weeks after Russia began air strikes in Syria against Islamic State militants and other forces. It was Mr Assad’s first overseas trip since civil war broke ...

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Syria conflict: Assad in surprise visit to Moscow

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has visited Moscow on his first overseas trip since the civil war broke out in his country in 2011. During the surprise visit, he held talks with President Vladimir Putin. Russia launched air strikes in Syria last month against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and other militant groups battling Mr Assad’s forces. Mr Assad said Russia’s ...

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Vatican denies report that Pope has brain tumor

The Vatican is forcefully denying a report in an Italian newspaper on Wednesday that Pope Francis is ill with a brain tumor. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman, said Wednesday that he had personally spoken to the Pope who “is in good health.” Lombardi called the Italian article “inexcusable and unconscionable.” In a front page story published on Wednesday, ...

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Xi Jinping to sign Hinkley Point nuclear power deal in UK

China’s leader is expected to put the seal later on its contribution to what will be the first UK nuclear power plant to be built in a generation. The plant could be opened by 2025 at Hinkley Point, in Somerset, with China likely to cover about 30% of the cost. President Xi Jinping is meeting Prime Minister David Cameron later, ...

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Canada election: Liberals sweep to power

Canada’s Liberal Party has decisively won a general election, ending nearly a decade of Conservative rule. The centrist Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, started the campaign in third place but in a stunning turnaround now command a majority. Mr Trudeau, the 43-year-old son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, said Canadians had voted for real change. Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen ...

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Canada election: Liberals sweep to power

Canada’s Liberal Party has decisively won parliamentary elections, ending nine years of Conservative rule, partial results show. The Liberals, led by Justin Trudeau, are leading in 185 electoral districts. The son of late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau is now poised to form a majority government, Canada’s CBC and CTV networks predict. Incumbent Conservative PM Stephen Harper – whose party is ...

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Boy , 6, shoots brother dead: Dad charged

A Chicago father who bought a gun to protect his family from former street gang associates is facing charges after one of his boys accidentally killed the other with the weapon. Such incidents are rare — children are about 19 times as likely to die in traffic accidents and nine times as likely to drown as they are to be ...

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Ebola nurse Pauline Cafferkey’s condition ‘has improved’

The condition of a Scottish nurse who contracted Ebola while working in West Africa has improved, according to the hospital where she is being treated. Pauline Cafferkey was readmitted to a specialist isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in London this month. She was being treated for complications after tests showed the infection was still present in her system. ...

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Migrant crisis: Thousands enter Slovenia after Hungary closes border

Thousands of migrants are crossing into Slovenia from Croatia after Hungary closed its border to them. Around 2,700 arrived in Slovenia on Saturday and more were expected overnight. Most aim to travel on to Austria, Germany and other countries. Slovenia’s army has been placed on standby to help police deal with the influx, Prime Minister Miro Cerar said. He said ...

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Philippines battered as Typhoon Koppu barrels in

Homes have been flattened, power lines toppled, and thousands of people have fled their homes as Typhoon Koppu swept into the northern Philippines. Disaster agency officials said the storm was also whipping up coastal surges 4m (12ft) high. The huge, slow-moving typhoon made landfall near the town of Casiguran on the island of Luzon on Sunday morning. Koppu is predicted ...

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