A police helicopter that was reportedly monitoring the protests and violence in Charlottesville, Virginia has crashed in a wooded area. Footage shows smoke rising from the scene.

Two people died in the crash, Virginia State Police confirmed, adding that police are investigating the incident. No injuries on the ground have been reported, according to RT.

Fire units and police are at the scene.

The helicopter crashed near Old Farm Road in Albemarle County, which is just outside the city.

LONDON- Hundreds of residents in the Syrian city of Raqqa were killed by US-led Coalition's airstrikes allegedly  on ISIS stronghold amid changes in targeting policy under Trump.

The Guardian newspaper reported on Friday that concerns are mounting over the civilian cost of the US-led coalition’s campaign to reclaim what it called "Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa", with reports of airstrikes killing and wounding hundreds of Syrians.

United States is considering many options in relation to Caracas including a military one if it was necessary.

The U.S. President Donald Trump says a military option is not being ruled out for Venezuela.

Speaking from Bedminster, New Jersay, according to Telesur, Trump told reporters, "We have many options for Venezuela and by the way I'm not going to rule out military options. We have many options ..this is our neighbour. We are all over the world and we have troops all over the world in places that are very, very far away. Venezuela is not very far away and the people are suffering. They're dying. We have many options for Venezuela including a possible military option, if necessary."

DVORIKI VILLAGE /Vladimir region/The so-called "Islamic State" terror group will undoubtedly be defeated but it is hard to say yet when it will happen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting with participants in the national Educational Youth Forum dubbed Terra Scientia on Klyazma River.

"There are a lot of signs that some external players have been protecting the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group, while the US has been silently encouraging them," Lavrov said, according to Itar Tass.

Senior Japan Foreign Ministry official said on Wednesday that Tokyo supports full implementation of nuclear deal between Iran and G5+1(the US, the UK, Russia, China and France plus Germany).

Japan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance TarōAsōmade the remarks in a meeting with visiting Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araqchi.

Japan is committed to develop economic relations with Iran and remove obstacles in the way of elevation of cooperation, the Japanese official added.

Real power in the US resides in the military generals appointed by President Donald Trump, and they all share the view that the US "must maintain its global hegemony at all costs," says a foreign policy expert.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly are three retired generals hand-picked by Trump that “form a triumvirate at the seat of power,” said Professor Dennis Etler, a professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

The escalating tensions between the US and North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests highlights that Washington cannot tolerate a nuclear rival on the Korean Peninsula, Etler said.

MOSCOW- Situation in Syria and Iraq, as well as issues of countering international terrorism were in focus of a telephone conversation between Chief of Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov and Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford, the press service of the Russian defense ministry said on Tuesday.

"The sides exchanged views on the situation in Syria and Iraq and discussed further actions to counter international terrorist organizations, as well as issues of the functioning of the de-escalation zone in the southwest of Syria," the press service said, according to Itar Tass.

The office of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the conversation focused on issues of bilateral concern, without giving any further details.

ASTANA— Agenda of the 6th round of Astana talks on Syrian reconciliation will be defined after the meeting of the experts from Russia, Turkey and Iran, set to be held in Tehran on Tuesday and Wednesday, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said, according to Sputnik.

"As scheduled, the meeting of experts from guarantor states of the Astana process is taking place these days in Tehran. Following the meeting, agenda of the next round of talks in Astana will be defined," Abdrakhmanov told reporters on Tuesday.

The previous round of Astana talks on Syria was held on July 4-5. The next meeting is expected to be held by the end of this month.