Trump says Iran "more serious" in talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington and Tehran are in talks and that he believes Iran is getting "more serious."
"I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason, but we are talking to them right now," Trump told reporters at the White House.
"I think they are being by far the most serious that we've seen. But that doesn't mean we get there," he added.
Trump offered few details about whether he would order a major escalation of U.S. attacks on Iran as it remained unclear whether behind-the-scenes negotiations could revive diplomatic efforts.
He made the remarks hours after meeting with his top advisers and officials at the White House to discuss options regarding the conflict with Iran, according to a CNN report that cited a source familiar with the matter.
Explosive-laden drone shot down near U.S. consulate in Iraq's Erbil: security source
A booby-trapped drone was shot down on Saturday over Erbil, the capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, a Kurdish security source said.
The drone was intercepted in the afternoon by the air defense system at the U.S. Consulate in Erbil, with no casualties reported, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
Erbil has come under a series of drone attacks in recent days, with the U.S. consulate and the international coalition base near Erbil International Airport among the apparent targets.
The incident came amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following recent exchanges of strikes between the United States and Iran.
DR Congo Ebola cases top 3,000
The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has surpassed 3,000, according to official figures released on Saturday.
The DRC's health authorities said the outbreak has now recorded 3,075 confirmed cases, including 1,354 deaths and 556 recoveries, while 755 patients remain in hospital or isolation.
The outbreak is affecting five provinces, namely Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo.
Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said on Friday that researchers were working to develop a treatment and a vaccine against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the virus strain responsible for the current outbreak in the DRC.
1 killed, 16 injured after car crashes into crowd in Berlin: police
One person was killed and 16 others were injured, including several with life-threatening injuries, after a car drove into a crowd at a large Pride celebration in central Berlin on Saturday evening, a police spokesperson said.
The incident occurred during the Christopher Street Day (CSD) parade, Berlin's largest Pride celebration. Police said on social media platform X that shortly before 10 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), the driver of a white vehicle drove into the crowd.
The event was called off and the area was cordoned off as a major police operation got underway. Numerous police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel were deployed to the scene, where the injured were being treated.
According to German news agency dpa, witnesses told police that some people had suffered stab wounds. Police said investigators were examining whether there had been a second phase of the attack after the vehicle drove into the crowd.
Police said an intensive search was underway for one or more suspects. The motive and circumstances of the incident remained under investigation.
Israeli army detains at least 80 Palestinians in latest West Bank raid: NGO
The Israeli army launched a large-scale arrest campaign in the West Bank from Friday evening to Saturday morning, detaining at least 80 Palestinians, less than a day after four Palestinians and an Israeli were killed in clashes in the town of Tell, south of Nablus.
In a press statement, non-governmental organization the Palestinian Prisoners Club said those targeted in the campaign included former prisoners, adding that most of the recent arrests were carried out in response to Palestinians confronting settler attacks and attempting to protect their towns and lands.
More than 3,600 Palestinians in the West Bank have been arrested so far this year, it said.
In response to Friday's clashes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced in a joint statement measures including intensifying military operations, establishing more checkpoints in the West Bank, and establishing new farms, among others.
Meanwhile, Nablus Governor Ghassan Daghlas said the Israeli army continues to close all entrances to the city and is besieging it, leaving thousands of Palestinians unable to return to their homes in the northern West Bank.
Death toll from bus collision in C. Syria rises to 35
The death toll from a collision involving two passenger buses on the Damascus-Deir al-Zour highway in central Syria on Saturday has risen to 35, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a health official.
Najib al-Naasan, director of the Referral, Ambulance and Emergency Directorate at Syria's health authorities, said 30 other people were injured from the collision.
The accident occurred between the areas of al-Sukhna and Palmyra in the eastern countryside of Homs province. The cause of the collision was not immediately known.
Syria's defense authorities have dispatched several helicopters to assist in the medical evacuation of the injured and victims to Homs Military Hospital, according to a SANA correspondent.
Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage
Jingdezhen, China's "porcelain capital" where kiln fires have blazed for over 2,000 years, has once again drawn the world's gaze with its story etched in fire, clay and endless creativity of the human hand.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) added China's Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites to the World Heritage List on Saturday during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Busan, the Republic of Korea.
The inscription brings the total number of World Heritage sites in China to 61.
It marks the first time that China has nominated an industrial heritage site for World Heritage status, and it is also the first World Heritage site themed around porcelain.■
