BEIRUT: US-backed fighters have seized 90 percent of Raqa from the Islamic State group, a monitor said Wednesday, as they announced they were in the "final stages" of capturing the jihadists' Syrian stronghold, reports AFP. Under siege in the northern city for three months, IS is struggling…

ZAGREB: Billboards featuring a glamourous image of US First Lady Melania Trump and the caption: "Just imagine how far you can go with a little bit…

MANILA: Philippine troops killed nine communist guerrillas Wednesday in what officials described as a firefight, as the decades-old insurgency rumbled on after President Rodrigo Duterte called off peace talks, reports AFP. Duterte in July shelved negotiations to end one of the world's longest insurgencies…

GOMA: At least 12 people died and 92 were missing after heavy rains caused flooding in two villages in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, an official said Wednesday, reports AFP. "The provisional toll after torrential rain hit the villages of Bihambwe and Matanda in Masisi Territory is 12 dead,…

LONDON: Two men were arrested on Wednesday over last week's London Underground terror attack in which 30 people were injured, bringing the total number of people in custody to five, police said, reports AFP. The men, aged 48 and 30, were arrested under anti-terrorism legislation in Newport in Wales,…

NEW YORK: Barack Obama has begun cashing in on his time in the White House with paid Wall Street speeches less than a year after leaving office, a practice which drew stinging rebukes for Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign, reports AFP. The former US president will appear Monday…

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Wednesday urged Iraqi Kurdish leader Massud Barzani to call off to planned referendum on independence for his autonomous region to avoid further "crises" in Iraq and the region, reports AFP. A Saudi government official said Barzani should drop plans to hold a referendum…