WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that the U.S. military had conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria.

"At President (Joe) Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted airstrikes against infrastructure utilized by Iranian-backed militant groups in eastern Syria," the Pentagon said in a statement. (US-Syria-Air Strikes)

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NIAMEY -- At least two people, including a member of the national guard, were killed and 468 others were arrested in violence that erupted in Niger following the second round of presential elections earlier this week, Minister of Interior and Security Alkache Alhada said on Thursday.

Violence erupted on Tuesday after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared Mohamed Bazoum, the candidate of the Nigerian Party for Democracy and Socialism, the winner in Sunday's second round of voting with 55.75 percent of the vote against Mahamane Ousmane of the Democratic and Republican Renewal, with 44.25 percent of the vote. (Niger-Presidential Election)

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SYDNEY -- Papua New Guinea (PNG)'s first prime minister Michael Somare has died at the age of 84, local newspaper Post Courier reported on Friday.

The founding father of PNG, who led the country to independence in September 1975, died on Friday morning in the national capital of Port Moresby after being diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer this February. (PNG-Michael Somare-Death)

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BEIJING -- China and India should firmly follow the right path of mutual trust and cooperation between neighboring major countries, and not go astray with suspicion and distrust nor fall back on a road of negative retrogression, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Thursday.

Wang made the remarks in a telephone conversation with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, stressing that the two sides should maintain the strategic consensuses reached by their leaders. (China-India-Ties)