ANKARA, Turkiye: Floods caused by torrential rains hit two Turkish provinces that were devastated by last month’s catastrophic earthquake, killing at least 16 people and increasing the misery for thousands who were left homeless, officials said Wednesday.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said rescue teams were still searching for five people reported missing in three locations, after the flash floods turned streets in Adiyaman and Sanliurfa provinces into rivers, swept away cars, inundated homes and drenched campsites sheltering earthquake survivors.

BAGHDAD: A magnitude 5 earthquake struck the Iraqi-Iranian borderline, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported on Thursday.
There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties caused by the quake, it added.

BAGHDAD: Iraqi journalist Muntazer Al-Zaidi gained fame for hurling his shoes at President George W. Bush in a news conference to show his anger at the corruption and chaos that followed the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He is still furious.

“The same people who entered 20 years ago with the occupier are still ruling despite failures and corruption. The United States knows very well that it brought in pseudo politicians,” he said, recounting his actions back in 2008 during the Baghdad media briefing.

DUBAI: Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Ali Shamkhani will visit the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, Nour News, which is affiliated with the Iranian top security body, reported.

His visit to Abu Dhabi comes at a time of growing rapprochement between Iran and Gulf countries. Last week, Shamkhani took part in talks brokered by China that resulted in Saudi Arabia and Iran resuming diplomatic ties after they were suspended in 2016.

AL-MUKALLA, Yemen: The Iran-backed Houthis were on Wednesday slammed for abducting a Yemeni oil magnate from a Sanaa street and placing him in detention.

Yemeni government officials, journalists, and family members condemned the kidnapping of Abdullah Ahmed Al-Hutheily, the owner of a major oil transportation, logistics, and oil-related services company.