INTERNATIONAL

Russia has begun carrying out air strikes in Syria against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. The strikes reportedly hit rebel-controlled areas of Homs and Hama provinces, causing casualties. The US says it was informed an hour before they took place. Russian defence officials say aircraft targeted the Islamic State group, but an unnamed US official told Reuters that so far ...

Russia’s upper house of parliament has voted to allow the military to be deployed in Syria, paving the way for air strikes on the militant Islamic State (IS) group. The vote followed a request from Syria for military aid, senior Kremlin official Sergey Ivanov said. Mr Ivanov ruled out the use of ground troops and said the step involved only ...

The capital of the Central African Republic is under a night-time curfew after days of intense fighting between Christian and Muslim groups. Fierce clashes between the two groups erupted after the killing of a Muslim taxi driver in Bangui on Saturday. At least 36 people have died in the violence, and the UN says it has forced nearly 30,000 people ...

Heavy fighting is continuing in the Afghan city of Kunduz, one day after government forces launched a counter-attack to reclaim it from the Taliban. Two US air strikes on Tuesday halted an attempt by insurgents to seize the airport, the army’s stronghold. Afghanistan’s spy agency says the strikes killed the Taliban leader in the province and his deputy, but the ...

Officials from several countries have said that more than 1,000 people died in last week’s stampede near Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. A Nigerian official told the BBC 1,000 bodies of victims had been taken to morgues in the city of Jeddah. Indian, Pakistani and Indonesian officials have also been quoted as saying they think more than 1,000 died. ...

Afghan forces have arrived at Kunduz airport in preparation for a counter-attack on the embattled city, which was seized by the Taliban on Monday. An operation would be launched in the coming hours, a spokesman for the Kunduz provincial police told the BBC. Troops and officials retreated to the airport after militants overran the northern city capturing buildings and freeing ...

President Barack Obama has said the US is prepared to work with any nation, including Russia and Iran, to resolve the conflict in Syria. He told the UN General Assembly in New York compromise would be essential for ending the long civil war. But he said realism required a “managed transition” away from Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad to an inclusive ...

People around the world are watching the skies to observe a rare celestial event, as a lunar eclipse coincides with a so-called “supermoon”. A supermoon occurs when the Moon is in the closest part of its orbit to Earth, meaning it appears larger in the sky. The eclipse – which made the Moon appear red – has been visible in ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a regional “co-ordinating structure” against Islamic State (IS). Mr Putin reiterated his support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who Western countries and the Syrian opposition have said must go. The crisis is expected to be high on the agenda as world leaders gather at the UN in New York. Mr Putin will hold ...

Pope Francis has met and prayed with a small group of victims of child sexual abuse in the US, saying “God weeps” for their suffering. Speaking after the meeting, the Pope promised to hold accountable those responsible for the scandal in the Church. Many abuse survivors are angry at how the Vatican has dealt with allegations. The Roman Catholic Church ...