JERUSALEM -- The U.S. State Department has authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and their families from Israel due to safety concerns, the U.S. Embassy in Israel said Friday.
The embassy said in a statement that individuals should consider departing while commercial flights are still operating.
The latest development comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Iran and a U.S. military buildup in the Middle East. Earlier reports indicated President Donald Trump was considering an initial strike to pressure Iran in nuclear negotiations, following a third round of talks held in Geneva on Thursday. (Iran-U.S.-Nuclear Talks)
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ASTANA -- Seven people were killed and 19 others injured in a powerful gas explosion that ripped through a cafe in the resort town of Shchuchinsk in northern Kazakhstan, local media reported Friday.
According to the reports, a gas-air mixture is believed to have ignited in the cafe, causing the blast that occurred overnight between Feb. 26 and 27. The explosion was followed by a fire in the one-story cafe attached to a residential building in Burabay district of Akmola region. (Kazakhstan-Gas Explosion)
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JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday rejected Israel's expansion of settlements during an emergency meeting of its Executive Committee at the level of foreign ministers.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the organization strongly condemned the measures by Israel to expand settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories. (Saudi Arabia-Israeli expansion)
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NEW DELHI -- At least six people died, and nine others were injured when the private bus they were traveling in rammed into a trailer in India's western state of Rajasthan on Friday, confirmed a local cop.
The road accident occurred on a national highway in Rajasthan's Balotra district. Those injured were admitted to a local hospital. (India-Accident) ■
