20 hostages killed, 13 saved in Bangladesh restaurant attack

Bangladeshi forces stormed an upscale Dhaka restaurant to end a hostage-taking by heavily armed militants early Saturday, killing six of the attackers and rescuing 13 captives including foreigners. The military said 20 of the hostages had been killed during the 10-hour standoff, and officials from Japan said seven of its citizens were unaccounted for.

The Latest: Bangladesh official says 20 hostages were killed

DHAKA, Bangladesh - The Latest on the attack on a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka : A top Bangladesh military official says 20 hostages were killed in the attack on a Dhaka restaurant where heavily armed militants held dozens of people hostage in a 10-hour standoff. Nayeem Ashfaq Chowdhury said six of the attackers were killed in the rescue operations early Saturday.

Gunmen take hostages at Bangladesh restaurant; 2 dead

As many as nine gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in a diplomatic zone of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Friday night, taking hostages, killing two officers and wounding at least 26 people in a gunbattle with security forces, authorities and a witness said. Police said the two officers died at a hospital after being wounded in the exchange of gunfire with the attackers, who also hurled bombs.

First Chinese-made regional jet makes maiden passenger flight

China's first locally built regional jet made its maiden commercial flight on Tuesday, carrying 70 passengers from the western city of Chengdu to Shanghai on the east coast in what state-owned planemaker Commercial Aircraft Corp of China Ltd hailed as a milestone. Chengdu Airlines flight EU6679 took two hours and 12 minutes and was "an important milestone in the development of civil aviation in China", COMAC said in a statement.

Barletta moves to block Russian energy

While U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-11, Hazleton, was successfully amending the Defense Appropriations bill to prevent U.S. military installations - regardless of their locations - from purchasing energy from Russia, thereby aiding Pennsylvania coal producers and employees, U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17, Moosic, was introducing legislation that would prohibit the practice of self-bonding of coal companies nationwide. Mr. Barletta debated on the House floor that Russian President Vladimir Putin has a history of using his energy reserves to gain political influence over other nations, and that the U.S. armed forces should not be subjected to similar pressure.

Tsai Ing-wen makes first overseas appearance in Panama as Taiwan…

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen made her first public appearance overseas at the opening ceremony of the expanded Panama Canal on Sunday as the island woos its Latin American ally amid Beijing's growing influence there. Tsai was shown on television posing for a picture with Panama's President Juan Carlos Varela and other foreign dignitaries including Jill Biden, wife of US Vice-President Joe Biden.

Lone Hacker’ Posts Campaign Documents Purportedly Stolen From DNC

A document posted online by a self-styled 'lone hacker' included a purported May 2015 DNC strategy document on dealing with the GOP presidential candidates. Documents posted on the Internet Wednesday by a self-described "lone hacker" were presented as examples of some of the material hacked from the Democratic National Committee's computer systems, including opposition research on Donald Trump, suggested campaign talking points for Hillary Clinton, and strategies for confronting Republican candidates.

Trump says he would host Kim Jong Un in US

Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would receive North Korea's dictator for a visit to the United States and again rejected criticism over his willingness to sit down with Kim Jong Un. "What the hell is wrong with speaking?" Trump asked during a campaign event here, while conceding that he would have a very slim chance of convincing the North Korean leader to abandon his country's nuclear weapons program.

Senate approves defense bill, defies White House veto threat

Defying a White House veto threat, the Senate voted decisively Tuesday to approve a defense policy bill that authorizes $602 billion in military spending, bars shuttering the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and denies the Pentagon's bid to start a new round of military base closings. The GOP-led Senate's version of the National Defense Authorization Act passed 85 to 13, with all but seven members of the Democratic caucus backing the legislation.

Building Bridges of Peace instead of Fear-Citizen Diplomacy with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko want world peace. Russia is the largest country in the world , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth's inhabited land area, nearly twice as large as the United States and has extensive mineral and energy resources, the largest reserves in the world.