Media Wire

Heavily armed gunmen attacked a medium-security prison in Kogi State in southern Nigeria, killing two officials and freeing more than 260 inmates.

A fence will once again surround the US Capitol ahead of a planned rally by backers of the roughly 600 people facing criminal charges arising from the deadly January 6 riot by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

UN chief Antonio Guterres on Monday urged the world community to dig deep and provide desperately needed aid to Afghans, and to support women and others whose rights appear threatened by the Taliban.

Three Republican congressmen told Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday that he should resign over his handling of the US military pullout from Afghanistan.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly cancelled his upcoming visit to the Tajik capital to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to self-isolate as many coronavirus cases were recently detected among his acquaintances, the Kremlin reported on Tuesday. The Russian leader is still expected to appear at summits via video-link.

A third and a fourth fuel-laden vessel is expected to head out of Iran towards Lebanon in the future, Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah says.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in Russia on an unannounced visit on Tuesday and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.

Venezuela’s electrical system was targeted by another “terrorist attack” on Sunday, Minister of Electric Power Nestor Reverol announced, referring to power outages in the Caracas area and other parts of the country.

The Taliban on Monday denied speculations that its co-founder and acting Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had been killed or injured recently.

Russia called on all partners in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) known as the Iran nuclear deal, including Tehran as well as the United States, to return to the negotiating table as soon as possible.

The deposed leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has skipped her court hearings for health reasons, a member of her defense team says.

Several hundred Brazilians protested against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and demanded his impeachment in Sunday demonstrations called by conservative groups.

North Korea denounced the US-led war in Afghanistan as a "human rights crime", accusing Washington of committing "atrocities of mass destruction" against innocent people of the war-hit country.

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) plane touched down at Kabul airport, the first international commercial flight to land in the Afghan capital since the Taliban retook power in the country in mid-August.

Japan lodged a protest with Russia in connection with the alleged violation of Japanese airspace by the Russian aircraft and called on Moscow to prevent ‘repetition of the incidents.’

Iraqi President Barham Salih stated Baghdad will not normalize diplomatic relations with Israel. He stressed establishing regional peace would not be possible without recognizing the rights of the Palestinians.

Belarus is set to acquire over $1 billion worth of arms and military hardware from Russia, President Alexander Lukashenko said amid fresh tensions with NATO states. He added that the purchase of S-400 air defense system was discussed in Moscow.

The Israeli military launched a combined aerial blitz using warplanes and armed drones against the Gaza Strip. The military says, the aircraft attacked an outpost belonging to the resistance groups in southern Gaza to the east of the city of Rafah.

Qatar Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in a visit to Kabul, has held talks with acting Afghan prime minister. He is the most senior official to visit the war-torn country since the Taliban’s takeover in mid-August.

North Korea state media reported that Pyongyang has tested a new long-range cruise missile. The launch took place over the weekend, and saw the missile successfully hitting its target, according to the report.

New Delhi is preparing for visits by the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, Indian officials confirmed, as part of a series of engagements aimed at discussions on Afghanistan with partner countries as well as Tehran-Riyadh ties.

Al-Qaeda chief Ayman Al-Zawahri appeared in a video marking the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, after rumors spread that he was dead. Al-Zawahri is seen saying that “Jerusalem Will Never be Judaized".

Former US President Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, saying it made the Democrats look like a “fool". In a video message, Trump said the withdrawal has caused the US to lose 85 billion dollars in military equipment.

The Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Faisal Mikdad called for an end to the US and Turkish occupation of Syrian territory, saying all countries must respect Syria’s sovereignty.