SYRIA: AIR STRIKE ON ISLAMIC STATE HOLDOUT KILLS 54, MANY CIVILIANS

BEIRUT: An air strike on one of the last holdouts of the Islamic State in Syria has killed 54 people, more than half of them civilians, a war monitor said on Friday. The Us-led coalition fighting the jihadists said it or its allies may have carried out air raids in the area, and it was investigating the alleged civilian deaths. The raid late on Thursday on an ice factory near the village of Al-soussa close to the Iraqi border killed 28 civilians and 26 IS jihadis, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The IS fighters were Syrians and Iraqis, the Observatory said. It was not immediately clear if the raid on the eastern Deir Ezzor province was carried out by an Iraqi plane or the coalition, the monitor said.

Indonesia’s Aceh carries out public canings

BANDA ACEH: Indonesia’s deeply conservative Muslim province of Aceh on Friday publicly caned 15 people found guilty of violating Shariah law, despite pledging not to carry out the punishment in public. Several hundred people including a group of tourists from Malaysia watched the caning after Friday prayers outside the Baiturrahim Mosque in provincial capital Banda Aceh. AP

Blast at Chinese chemical plant kills 19 people

BEIJING: An explosion at a chemical plant in southwest China left 19 dead and injured another 12, authorities said on Friday, the latest industrial accident in a country where lax regulations often lead to tragedy. The blast occurred at 6.30 pm on Thursday night at an industrial park in Sichuan province’s Yibin city, according to a statement on the website of the local work safety administration. The company that owns the building where the fire occurred is a chemical manufacturer named Hengda, according to the official Xinhua news service.

Report: Kushner’s security clearance is limited

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, does not have a high-enough security clearance level to gain access to some of the most sensitive US government secrets, the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing two people familiar with his access. Kushner, who was named by Trump as a senior adviser on a wide range of issues, was granted a permanent security clearance in late May, but only at the “top secret” level, a status that does not provide access to closely guarded intelligence, the Post said. A White House spokeswoman said the White House did not comment on security clearances. REUTERS

Turkey to sell Pak attack helicopters worth $1.5 bn

ANKARA: Turkey’s deal with Pakistan to sell 30 Turkish T129 attack helicopters is worth around $1.5 billion, sources told Reuters on Friday. Anadolu agency said the deal for the sale of the helicopters was signed between Turkish Aerospace Industries, and Pakistan’s defence production ministry. AGENCIES