Israeli aircraft struck dozens of militant sites across the Gaza Strip early Saturday as militants fired some 30 rockets into Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire between the bitter enemies in several weeks. The fighting followed a bloody day of border protests, in which Israeli forces shot and killed four Palestinians protesting along the perimeter fence dividing Hamas-ruled Gaza ...

The White House has formally invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to Washington, US National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Friday, returning to an idea that was put on hold in July amid anger in the US over the prospect of such a summit. President Donald Trump held a summit with Putin in Helsinki, the Finnish capital, and then issued ...

The death toll in an eastern China coal mine collapse has risen to 11, with 10 miners still trapped underground, state media reported. One week after the disaster, rescue crews were clearing fallen rock from the shaft, with the remaining miners believed to be located 74 meters (242 feet) below the surface, the official Xinhua News Agency said late Friday. ...

Global markets remained in sell-off mode on Friday, as investor worries sent shares in Asia, Europe and the US tumbling. The benchmark S&P 500 index in the US slid more than 1.7%, closing down almost 10% from its September high.   The Dow Jones fell 1.2%, while the Nasdaq slumped more than 2%.   The falls extended losses earlier in ...

Offering its over two billion monthly users new ways to express themselves, Facebook has introduced new music features, including an option to add a song to photos and videos they share to Facebook Stories.   “And, we’re bringing it to News Feed, too!,” Facebook said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that users would soon be able to add songs ...

Chinese police report 14 children have been injured in an attack by a knife-wielding assailant at a kindergarten in the western city of Chongqing. The report posted on the police force’s microblog said the early Friday morning assault at the Xinshiji Kindergarten was carried out by a 39-year-old woman identified only by her surname, Liu.   China has suffered a ...

Polls will open in the Republic of Ireland later on Friday as voters elect their president. Mr Higgins is the first incumbent in 50 years to face a challenge in his bid for a second seven-year erm.   The president is Ireland’s “first citizen”, but has limited power – the role is mainly symbolic and he or she cannot get ...

Floods sweep away students, teachers near Dead Sea, 18 dead   Flash floods unleashed by heavy rains swept away middle school students and teachers visiting hot springs near the Dead Sea on Thursday, killing 18 and injuring 35 as the torrent carried some for several kilometers, a civil defense official said.  Thirteen people escaped without injuries, said Brig. Gen. Farid ...

Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green has been named in Parliament as the leading businessman accused by a newspaper of sexual and racial harassment. Peter Hain, who identified him in the Lords, said it was his duty to name him, given the “serious and repeated” nature of the allegations.   The Telegraph accused but did not name the businessman on Tuesday. ...

Google said Thursday it fired 48 employees in the past two years, including 13 “senior” executives, as a result of sexual harassment allegations, citing “an increasingly hard line” on inappropriate conduct.   The US tech giant issued the statement from chief executive Sundar Pichai in response to a New York Times report that one senior Google employee, Android creator Andy ...