China has reportedly discovered a gas field in the northern part of the South China Sea.
International
New Yorker Kira Kazantsev ‘Happy’ to be crowned Miss America
By Carey Gillam Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:41am EDT (Reuters) – New Yorker Kira Kazantsev won the coveted 2015 Miss America Pageant crown on Sunday, a “three-peat” for contenders from the Big Apple. As part of the competition, Kazantsev, 23, sang Pharrell William’s song “Happy”, keeping time by tapping a red plastic cup. She said in a question-and-answer segment that sexual assault in the U.S. military was a problem that needed to be addressed by […]
Fresh shelling in Ukraine’s Donetsk puts ceasefire under more strain
By Richard Balmforth KIEV Mon Sep 15, 2014 4:57pm EDT (Reuters) – Fighting broke out again in Ukraine’s rebel-held city of Donetsk on Monday as President Petro Poroshenko prepared to unveil a risky plan to give the separatist-minded east “special status” in a bid to end a conflict that has killed over 3,000 people. The renewed fighting in the east’s main industrial hub, following a weekend in which at least six people were killed and […]
Odile batters Mexico’s Baja resorts, knocks out power to most area
By Gerardo Esquerre CABO SAN LUCAS Mexico Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:32pm EDT (Reuters) – Tropical Storm Odile ground its way up Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Monday, gradually losing strength after forcing the evacuation of thousands and smashing shops open to looters in the popular tourist area. The government said it would use military and commercial planes to airlift stranded tourists after the peninsula’s two major airports were closed on Sunday due to one […]
Brazil election poll shows very tight presidential race
By Anthony Boadle BRASILIA Mon Sep 15, 2014 8:50pm EDT (Reuters) – President Dilma Rousseff is running neck-and-neck with her main rival, Marina Silva, less than three weeks before Brazil’s presidential election that will likely go down to the wire in a runoff, a poll published on Monday showed. The new survey was consistent with polls last week that showed Rousseff had recovered from an initial surge by environmentalist Silva and the race will go […]
Obama to ramp up U.S. response to Ebola with military mission
By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:04am EDT (Reuters) – The United States will ramp up its response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa with plans to build 17 treatment centers, train thousands of healthcare workers, and establish a military control center for coordination, U.S. officials said. The plan will be unveiled by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, senior administration officials told reporters. Obama, who has called the epidemic a national security […]
UN Peacekeepers in Golan Heights transferred due to rising tensions
UN peacekeepers in the Golan Heights, occupying four positions and a camp in the Syrian side of the Syria-Iraq border, were transferred due to rising tensions in the region. Peacekeeping staff in UN positions 10, 16, 31 and 37, as well as, the camp at Camp Faouar were relocated. Last month, 45 UNDOF peacekeepers were abducted by rebels.
India tightens Vietnam defense, oil ties ahead of China’s Xi’s visit
(Reuters) – India extended a $100 million export credit to Vietnam for defense deals and tightened energy ties on Monday, signaling a more confident foreign policy ahead of a visit this week by China’s President Xi Jinping. India’s new accords with one of China’s rivals for influence in the South China Sea came as Xi visited the nearby islands of Sri Lanka and the Maldives, a reminder of the geostrategic jostling that is becoming an […]
China and India’s growing strategic weight
By Peter Drysdale Editor, East Asia Forum The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India this week, so early in the term of India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, underlines the growing strategic weight of the relationship between the two countries. Modi’s prime ministership, with its ambition to re-invigorate India’s stalled economic reform and growth, more than any other single factor, promises to accelerate its potential growth radically. Modi has runs on the board […]
Post-war counseling awaits Gaza children going back to school
(Reuters) – Some 500,000 children returned on Sunday to school in the Gaza Strip, where many will be given psychological counseling before regular studies begin after a devastating 50-day war between Palestinian militants and Israel. The opening of the school year had been delayed for three weeks because of damage to more than 250 schools and the use of about 90 U.N. educational facilities as shelters for tens of thousands of residents displaced by fighting, the United […]
Obama, to detail plans on Ebola offensive
United States President Barack Obama will detail his plans to boost his country’s involvement in mitigating the Ebola outbreak in western Africa.
USA, FIBA World Cup Champion
USA was hailed as the 2014 FIBA World Cup champion. This is after their win against Serbia by 37 points. The game ended with a score of 129-92 which was held in Madrid, Spain. USA was also the champion last 2010.
