CAIRO, Sept 21 (NNN-MENA) – Egypt condemned yesterday, the deadly Israeli raids on occupied Palestinian territories, the latest of which was in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said, “Such attacks against the Palestinians and their properties, violate the rules of international law and Israel’s obligations as the occupying force.”

BANOVCE NAD BEBRAVOU, Slovakia, Sept 21 (Reuters) - "We are a peaceful country. We will not send a single round to Ukraine."

That was Robert Fico's blunt message for some 300 supporters at a political rally last week in the western Slovakian town of Banovce nad Bebravou, ahead of a Sept. 30 election that the populist former prime minister is favourite to win.

VELIKY NOVGOROD, September 21. /TASS/: The Direct Line with Russian President Vladimir Putin may take place in some format before the end of the year, but its exact date has still not been set, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"No, not yet. We expect to have it in some format by the end of the year," he said when asked about the prospects of holding the traditional Direct Line question-and-answer session.

PARIS, Sept 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — People in poorer countries are disproportionately suffering from air pollution spewed from the increasing scourge of fires in forests and fields around the world, according to new research published Wednesday.

Landscape fires include blazes in forests, shrub, grass, pastures and agricultural lands, whether planned or uncontrolled such as the wildfires that have ravaged countries including Algeria, Canada and Greece this year.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A woman walking her dog on a wooded trail in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains spooked a cow moose Wednesday and it charged, headbutting the hiker and stomping on her before she escaped back down the trail, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Authorities said the woman was taken to a hospital but they declined to provide information on the woman’s injuries or condition. They said the moose had stomped on her “several times” and that the dog had minor injuries.

BEIJING, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, his first visit to China since 2004 and his latest bid to end more than a decade of diplomatic isolation under Western sanctions.

Assad arrived aboard an Air China plane in heavy fog, which Chinese state media said "added to the atmosphere of mystery", a nod to the Syrian leader's infrequent trips abroad since 2011, when a civil war erupted that has killed more than half a million people.

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani military said on Thursday that security forces had killed eight terrorists and arrested five others in two separate operations in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said in a statement that security forces conducted intelligence-based operations in Bannu district and North Waziristan district.

MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has apologized and expressed deep condolences over the death of the Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh on September 20, the Kremlin press service reported.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a telephone conversation at the initiative of the Azerbaijani side," the press service said.

DHAKA, Sept 21 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh suffered its worst day yet of the dengue this year, as deaths of the disease reached the previous record, yesterday.

Bangladesh reported 3,015 new dengue cases and 21 new deaths yesterday, taking the tally to 176,810 and the death toll to over 850, so far, this year, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) under the Ministry of Health, said.

Previously, on Sept 2, the DGHS reported the highest daily death toll with 21 fatalities.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a whirlwind return visit to Washington on Thursday to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine, this time facing some Republicans who are now questioning the flow of American dollars that for 19 months has helped keep his troops in the fight against Russian forces.

NEW YORK (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to have his long-coveted meeting with President Joe Biden on Wednesday — bringing together the two leaders for the first time since the Israeli leader took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.

TEHRAN/DOHA, Sept 19 (NNN-IRNA/QNA) – Iran and the United States, yesterday, conducted a much-anticipated prisoner swap, each releasing five detainees, Iranian and Qatari media reported.

Two released Iranians arrived in the Qatari capital, Doha, yesterday, while three others were released in the U.S. under the deal brokered by Doha, Mizan news agency of Iran judiciary, reported.