Paris / AFP France and Egypt will hire two private firms to help in the hunt for the black boxes from the EgyptAir plane that crashed last week on route from from Paris to Cairo, the French foreign ministry has said. ‘We are in talks with two private companies… in coordination with the Egyptian authorities,’ a ministry spokesman said, ...

  BAGHDAD / AP Iraq’s prime minister appealed on Thursday to Iraqis to postpone weekly Friday protests so that security forces can focus on a key military operation aimed at retaking the city of Fallujah from the IS group. For months, anti-government protesters, mainly followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr, have been holding protests every Friday outside Baghdad’s heavily ...

  Ise-Shima / AFP Turkey must uphold its side of a deal made with the European Union over stemming the flow of migrants, a top EU official said on Thursday, warning ‘threats’ against the bloc will not work. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Ankara must ease strict anti-terror laws if it wants its citizens to enjoy visa-free travel on ...