INTERNATIONAL

A possible gas cylinder blast has killed at least eight people, most of them students, in a restaurant in the Indian city of Mumbai, police say. The blast occurred in the Kurla West area of India’s financial and entertainment capital, causing a fire that engulfed the building. Seven of those killed were students of the nearby Don Bosco Institute of ...

Five people have been killed and nine wounded in an attack on a Shia gathering hall in eastern Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry says. The killings, in Saihat in Eastern Province on Friday, come two days after the start of Ashura commemorations, a holy occasion for Shia Muslims. A group claiming links to Islamic State (IS) said it carried out ...

Turkish officials have stressed that a plan agreed by EU officials for joint action with Turkey on the migrant crisis has not been finalised. The leaders agreed to speed up visa liberalisation talks for Turks if Turkey stems the influx. They also promised to “re-energise” talks on Turkey joining the EU and to consider more aid. However, Turkey’s Feridun Sinirlioglu ...

EU states have approved an action plan for Turkey, which it is hoped will ease the flow of migrants to Europe. Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year, many of them travelling from Turkey to Greece before seeking to head north. Turkey made a number of demands in exchange for helping to stem the ...

The United States is to extend its military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2016, administration officials say. President Barack Obama will outline the plans later. They are expected to include keeping 5,500 troops in the country when he leaves office in 2017. Originally all but a small embassy-based force were due to leave by the end of next year. But the ...

European leaders are to discuss measures to ease the region’s migration crisis, with Turkey the focus of their efforts in Brussels. Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year, most via Turkey, says the International Organization for Migration. Turkey is thought to be hosting some two million migrants, most of them fleeing the war in ...

Israeli forces have begun a major security operation in Arab areas of occupied East Jerusalem, after a surge in attacks by Palestinians. Police blocked on Wednesday morning entrances to Jabal Mukaber, a district where three men accused of killing three Israelis on Tuesday came from. The Israeli military also deployed hundreds of soldiers to assist. Later, police said they had ...

Hillary Clinton has attacked her main rival Bernie Sanders over US gun laws at the Democratic presidential debate. When asked if the Vermont senator was strong on gun control, she said “no, not at all” before vowing to go after the makers of guns used in shootings. Mr Sanders also attacked Mrs Clinton, saying her support for a no-fly zone ...

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 crashed as a result of a Russian-made Buk missile, the Dutch Safety Board says. The missile hit the front left of the plane causing other parts to break off, it said in a final report into the July 2014 disaster, which killed 298 people. The West and Ukraine say Russian-backed rebels brought down the Boeing 777, ...

The Dutch Safety Board is to publish a final report on why Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 broke up over Ukraine in 2014, killing all 298 on board. Preliminary findings say it was hit by “high-energy objects from outside the aircraft”, fuelling speculation that a surface-to-air missile was responsible. The West and Ukraine say Russian-backed rebels brought down the Boeing 777, ...