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A US military jet crashed in mountainous territory in eastern Afghanistan, where there is a heavy Taliban presence, the Pentagon confirmed Monday, rejecting the insurgents´ suggestions that it was shot down. Afghanistan US Forces spokesman Colonel Sonny Leggett confirmed in a statement that the aircraft was a US Bombardier E-11A, a type of jet used as a military airborne communications node in the region. "While the cause of crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire," Leggett said. Leggett gave no information on casualties in the crash. Earlier, a Taliban spokesman said the plane had crashed and there were no survivors, but another version of the statement from the insurgents said they had brought the plane down. "An aircraft of American occupiers has crashed in Ghazni province," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a Pashto-language statement, adding that all crew members onboard had been killed. ...

The coronavirus claimed its first victim in Beijing, Chinese officials said on Tuesday, as the death toll from the deadly virus hit 106, while United States warned its citizens against travelling to the country and financial markets recoiled again at the potential impact on the world’s second-biggest economy. Amid mounting concern about the virus on Chinese social media, the National Health Commission said in a statement that all but six of those killed by the previously unknown flu-like virus were in Wuhan, Hubei province. Though cases of the virus have been confirmed in other countries, no fatalities have been reported outside China. The city of 11 million, where the virus emerged late last year, is now under effective lockdown. Footage shared on China’s Twitter-like Weibo social media platform showed residents of apartment compounds in the city chanting “Wuhan, you can do it!” and singing the national anthem out of their windows. Also read: Global spread of the lethal coron...

We all know a lot of food lovers around us who never leave the food and never hesitate to eat any food item. But have you ever heard about a man who loves to eat but not an actual food lover? We reckon you haven’t. Well there is a guy named Michel Lotito , who is fond of eating airplane and other non food items. For an appetite like this Lotito earned himself the name of ‘Monsieur Mangetout’ (“Mr. Eat Everything”). Over the course of 40 years, Frenchman Michel Lotito ate an estimated 9 tons of metal. In his youth, Lotito suffered from pica, a mental disorder in which people compulsively eat non-food items such as dirt and plastic. (Lotito’s condition was first diagnosed around age 9, when he started munching on parts of the family TV set.) But once he started experimenting with more dangerous items like nails and glass, he learned that the incredibly thick lining of his stomach and intestines allowed him to consume almost anything. Soon, Lotito turned his afflic...

Health officials fear the transmission rate will accelerate as hundreds of millions of Chinese travel at home and abroad during week-long holidays for Lunar New Year, which begins on Saturday. The previously unknown virus strain is believed to have emerged late last year from illegally traded wildlife at an animal market in China’s central city of Wuhan. Cases have been detected as far away as the United States, stoking fears the virus is already spreading worldwide. Wuhan’s local government said it would shut down all urban transport networks and suspend outgoing flights from 10 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Thursday, state media said. Domestic media said some airlines were operating after the deadline, however. State media broadcast images of one of Wuhan’s key transport hubs, the Hankou rail station, nearly deserted, with gates blocked or barred. The government is urging citizens not to leave the city, except in special circumstances. Guards were patrolling major highways, one res...

At least 80 people have been killed as Iran fired missiles Wednesday at Iraqi bases used by the US military, Tehran media claimed, in the first act of the Islamic republic s promised revenge for the US killing of a top Iranian general. Earlier today, Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on US forces in Iraq in retaliation for the US drone strike on an Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Tehran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory against at least two Iraqi facilities hosting U.S.-led coalition personnel at about 1:30 a.m. local time, the U.S. military said on Tuesday. The Pentagon said it was still “working on initial battle damage assessments” after “Iran launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against US military and coalition forces in Iraq.” “It is clear that these missiles were launched from Iran and targeted at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US military and coalition personnel at Al-Assad and Irbil,” the Pentagon ...

The attack marked a dangerous escalation in the spree of rocket attacks in recent months that have targeted the embassy or Iraqi military bases where American troops are deployed. None of the attacks has been claimed but Washington has repeatedly blamed Iran-backed military factions in Iraq. On Sunday, one rocket hit an embassy cafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security source . A senior Iraqi official told at least one person was wounded, but it was not immediately clear how serious the injuries were and whether the person was an American national or an Iraqi staff member working at the mission. The US embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The US State Department called on Iraq late Sunday to “fulfil its obligations to protect our diplomatic facilities”. The attack took place earlier in the day than usual, hearing the booms on the western bank of the river Tigris at precisely 7:30 pm (1630 GMT). Iraqi Prime Minister A...

Beijing and Washington have portrayed their “Phase 1” agreement as a momentous step after months of start-stop talks punctuated by tit-for-tat tariffs that uprooted supply chains and stoked fears of a further slowdown in the global economy. “Together we are righting the wrongs of the past and delivering a future of economic justice and security for American workers, farmers and families,” U.S. President Donald Trump said as he touted the deal in rambling, partisan remarks at the White House alongside Chinese Vice Premier Liu He and other officials. The centerpiece of the deal is a pledge by China to purchase at least an additional $200 billion worth of U.S. farm products and other goods and services over two years, over a baseline of $186 billion in purchases in 2017. The deal would include $50 billion in additional orders for U.S. agricultural products, Trump said, adding he was confident that U.S. farmers would be able to meet the greater demand. He also said China would buy...