President Barack Obama said that he will explain to American and congressional leaders this week his plans on going on the offensive against Islamic State militants.
International
House-sized asteroid to buzz Earth on Sunday
(Reuters) – A recently discovered asteroid about the size of a house will make a relatively close pass by Earth on Sunday, flying just past the communication satellites that circle the planet, scientists said. NASA said the asteroid, known as 2014 RC, poses no threat, though at its closest approach it will be only about one-tenth the distance to the moon, or roughly 25,000 miles (40,000 km) from Earth. Communications and weather satellites are generally […]
Islamic State says executes second Lebanese soldier
(Reuters) – Islamic State militants have beheaded a captive Lebanese soldier, images published on social media showed on Saturday, the second Lebanese soldier to be killed in captivity by the group since it raided a Lebanese border town last month. The men were among a group of 19 soldiers missing since the attack on Arsal by militants including fighters affiliated with Islamic State. The group routinely beheads people it deems its enemies and recently killed […]
Police violence, abiding grief for China families of missing on Malaysia jet
(Reuters) – Six months after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing, relatives of those lost, desperate for any hint of what happened, say Chinese authorities have become openly hostile toward them. In interviews, several relatives described how they had been detained and physically abused by police – seemingly in retaliation for publicly pressing Chinese and Malaysia Airlinesauthorities for information about the hunt for the plane. “In the beginning, Beijing police were protecting us, but their attitude has completely […]
Artillery attack challenges ceasefire in east Ukraine
(Reuters) – Ukrainian government forces came under artillery fire late on Saturday near the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, in the first serious violation of a ceasefire declared only about 30 hours earlier. The presidents of Russia and Ukraine had earlier said the ceasefire, part of a peace road-map intended to end five months of conflict, was largely holding across eastern Ukraine, where Kiev’s forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists. A Reuters reporter heard prolonged artillery fire […]
Iran official says crew of plane carrying Americans gave false information
(Reuters) – An Iranian official said on Saturday that an airliner carrying Americans from Afghanistan to Dubai had been forced to land in Iran because the crew had supplied “false information”. The chartered Fly Dubai plane, carrying about 100 Americans from the U.S. airbase at Bagram, Afghanistan, landed in Dubai early on Saturday morning after being diverted to Bandar Abbas, just across the Strait of Hormuz. “The crew used false information so the authorities became suspicious … Because the information […]
Syrian warplanes hit Islamic State-run bakery, training camp: monitor
(Reuters) – Syrian warplanes bombed a bakery run by Islamic State in the city of Raqqa, killing 25 people, in air raids on Saturday that also hit a major training camp used by the insurgent group for a second day running, a group monitoring the war said. The air strikes on Raqqa, Islamic State’s stronghold some 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Damascus, also hit a building used as an Islamic court, and another of […]
Former French hostage says Brussels attack suspect was among his captors in Syria
(Reuters) – A French journalist held hostage for months in Syria said on Saturday that one of his captors was a Frenchman suspected of killing four people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May. The reporter, Nicolas Henin, said he recognized Mehdi Nemmouche from video shown to him as part of an investigation. He did not elaborate on the nature of the probe, but mentioned that “a judicial procedure” had been launched while he was still […]
Dengue outbreak in Japan
Japan’s dengue outbreak spread out from the park where it started, with 70 cases already recorded.
UN reports 120 million girls in the world have been raped
The United Nations (UN) have released its latest report saying that 120 million girls or 1 in 10 have been raped.
NATO plans rapid reaction force
Leaders at the NATO Summit are expected to back plans for rapid reaction force in response to threats anywhere in the world.
NATO will stay united and strong
In the second day of its talks in Wales, NATO said that it will stay united and strong against the multiple problems faced by global security, including Russia’s actions in Ukraine and Islam extremists in the Middle East and North Africa.
