ABUJA, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a stampede during an election campaign rally on Tuesday in Nigeria's southern state of Rivers has risen to 15, a hospital spokesman revealed Wednesday.

Kem Daniel-Elebiga, a spokesman of the Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, said in a statement that casualty data from the hospital's emergency department indicated a total of 15 bodies were brought in dead, including three men and 12 women.

He said 12 injured people rushed to the hospital received timely treatment, and three of them had been discharged.

NAMPO, North Korea (AP) — Power-strapped North Korea is exploring two ambitious alternative energy sources — tidal power and coal-based synthetic fuels — that could greatly improve living standards and reduce its reliance on oil imports and vulnerability to sanctions.

NEW DELHI, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A MiG-27 fighter jet belonging to Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in India's western state of Rajasthan on Tuesday evening, officials said.

The fighter jet crashed during a training mission above Pokhran in Jaisalmer district, about 452 km west of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.

"A MiG-27 aircraft crashed during a routine mission today evening," a local government official said, adding "the pilot ejected safely."

A police team rushed to the crash area.

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. The Moscow city court has found legal the prolongation till April 24 of the arrest of another four Ukrainian sailors charged with the illegal crossing of the Russian border in the Kerch Strait. Sixteen of the 24 Ukrainian military servicemen involved remain in custody, the court told TASS.

Islamabad, Feb 14 (PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday embarked on a visit to Germany to attend an international security conference in Munich where leaders and defence experts from across the world will discuss security issues.

Speaking to reporters prior to his departure, Qureshi said he will present Pakistan's point of view on different issues of regional peace and security in the conference from February 15-17, the Radio Pakistan reported.

WARSAW, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Polish President Andrzej Duda said an increase in the presence of U.S. armed forces on Polish territory was to be expected, following a bilateral meeting with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence here Wednesday.

"I hope that our joint efforts aimed at increasing the presence of U.S. armed forces in Poland are going to bring effects soon," Duda said in a joint statement following the meeting with Pence.

"In the nearest future, commitments are going to come. This is what we should expect," Duda said.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A key House committee approved a bill Wednesday to require background checks for all sales and transfers of firearms, a first step by majority Democrats to tighten gun laws after eight years of Republican rule.

The House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill 23-15, sending it to the House floor. If approved by the full House, the bill would be the most significant gun-control legislation approved by either chamber of Congress in at least a decade.

MOSCOW, February 13. /TASS/. Russia and Saudi Arabia are due to draw up a program of bilateral cooperation in the space industry, Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, wrote in his Twitter post on Wednesday.

"Along with His Royal Highness Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who chaired Saudi Arabia’s Space Agency at the end of last year, we have decided to draw up a program of bilateral cooperation in space," Rogozin tweeted recalling that the prince had flown in orbit earlier.

New Delhi, Feb 14 (PTI) The Supreme Court Thursday delivered a split verdict on the contentious issue of control of services in the National Capital Territory in the tussle between the Delhi government and the Centre and referred the matter to a larger bench

A two-judge bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan, however, agreed on their views on disputes pertaining to the anti-corruption branch, setting up of commission of inquiry, control over electricity boards, land revenue matters and appointment of pubic prosecutors.

KATHMANDU, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Nepali government launched the much-awaited "Prime Minister Employment Program" on Wednesday aimed at providing jobs to the capable youth force in public sector.

At a special function held at the City Hall in Kathmandu, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli launched the program which will create a minimum of 100,000 jobs annually.

The campaign aims to create job opportunities within the country and to end dependency of the youths on foreign jobs, said the prime minister.

KIEV, February 13. /TASS/. Ukraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) registered 90 observers from the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) to monitor the upcoming presidential election in the country at its meeting on Wednesday.

"Having considered the relevant request, the commission registered 90 official observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to monitor the upcoming presidential election in Ukraine," the commission’s press service said. There are no Russian nationals among them.

14 Feb 2019; AFP: Sergio Garcia apologised for his spectacular meltdown at the Saudi Arabia International on Wednesday, blaming his tantrum for "emotional, personal news" that he had received earlier in the week.

The Spanish star was thrown out of the tournament after damaging several putting greens in frustration and caught on camera wildly attacking a bunker after a poor shot at the Royal Greens course.