Obama and Putin to follow up on talks held in New York
Moscow on Tuesday said Russia and the United States intended to build on a key meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama in New York, and look for ways to fight the Islamic State group. At the United Nations General Assembly, the Russian president had called for a broad United Nations-backed coalition to fight Islamic State jihadists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the two leaders had agreed to follow up their meeting with talks to find a common position on the Syrian conflict. Putin had held talks with US President Barack Obama in their first formal bilateral meeting in two years.
Afghanistan mounts offensive to retake Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan troops, backed by American air support, launched a counter offensive on Tuesday to retake the city of Kunduz a day after Taliban insurgents overran the strategic city in their biggest victory since being ousted from power in 2001. The Taliban had captured government buildings and freed hundreds of prisoners there on Monday, raising their trademark white flag throughout the city. The fall of the provincial capital dealt a major blow to Afghanistan's Nato-trained security forces and highlighted the insurgency's potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds.
Nepal blocks Indian TV channels
Cable television operators in Nepal have blocked 42 Indian channels in protest against what they call an unofficial blockade of goods into Nepal. The president of the Nepal Cable Television Association said the blackout will be indefinite. Massive protests and a diplomatic confrontation between India and Nepal over the latter’s new Constitution resulted in trucks carrying goods and fuel from India to halt at various checkpoints at the Nepalese border. This has forced Nepal to ration fuel amidst growing fears of a shortage.
Super typhoon kills three in Taiwan
Super typhoon Dujuan has killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan after it swept across the island before making landfall in eastern China, the authorities said on Tuesday. It hit the Chinese coastal city of Putian on Tuesday afternoon. Severe winds uprooted trees and smashed windows while heavy rains triggered multiple landslides. More than 12,000 people were evacuated and almost 3,000 are in temporary shelters.
Air strike on wedding party kills 131 in Yemen
The death toll from an air strike on a wedding party in Yemen has jumped to 131, medics said on Tuesday. The attack, one of the deadliest strikes on civilians in Yemen's war, drew strong condemnation from the United Nations secretary general. The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to restore Yemen's government in exile strongly denied any role in the wedding party carnage. A coalition spokesman suggested that local militias may have fired the projectiles. On Monday two missiles tore through tents in the Red Sea village of Al-Wahijah, where a local man affiliated with the Houthis was celebrating his wedding.
ISIS kills Italian aid worker in Bangladesh
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting of an Italian citizen in the diplomatic section of Dhaka, according to an intelligence group. This marks the group’s first attack in the South Asian nation. The extremist group, which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, is intent on expanding its influence across the Muslim world.
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Moscow on Tuesday said Russia and the United States intended to build on a key meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama in New York, and look for ways to fight the Islamic State group. At the United Nations General Assembly, the Russian president had called for a broad United Nations-backed coalition to fight Islamic State jihadists. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the two leaders had agreed to follow up their meeting with talks to find a common position on the Syrian conflict. Putin had held talks with US President Barack Obama in their first formal bilateral meeting in two years.
Afghanistan mounts offensive to retake Kunduz from Taliban
Afghan troops, backed by American air support, launched a counter offensive on Tuesday to retake the city of Kunduz a day after Taliban insurgents overran the strategic city in their biggest victory since being ousted from power in 2001. The Taliban had captured government buildings and freed hundreds of prisoners there on Monday, raising their trademark white flag throughout the city. The fall of the provincial capital dealt a major blow to Afghanistan's Nato-trained security forces and highlighted the insurgency's potential to expand beyond its rural strongholds.
Nepal blocks Indian TV channels
Cable television operators in Nepal have blocked 42 Indian channels in protest against what they call an unofficial blockade of goods into Nepal. The president of the Nepal Cable Television Association said the blackout will be indefinite. Massive protests and a diplomatic confrontation between India and Nepal over the latter’s new Constitution resulted in trucks carrying goods and fuel from India to halt at various checkpoints at the Nepalese border. This has forced Nepal to ration fuel amidst growing fears of a shortage.
Super typhoon kills three in Taiwan
Super typhoon Dujuan has killed three people and left more than 300 injured in Taiwan after it swept across the island before making landfall in eastern China, the authorities said on Tuesday. It hit the Chinese coastal city of Putian on Tuesday afternoon. Severe winds uprooted trees and smashed windows while heavy rains triggered multiple landslides. More than 12,000 people were evacuated and almost 3,000 are in temporary shelters.
Air strike on wedding party kills 131 in Yemen
The death toll from an air strike on a wedding party in Yemen has jumped to 131, medics said on Tuesday. The attack, one of the deadliest strikes on civilians in Yemen's war, drew strong condemnation from the United Nations secretary general. The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting to restore Yemen's government in exile strongly denied any role in the wedding party carnage. A coalition spokesman suggested that local militias may have fired the projectiles. On Monday two missiles tore through tents in the Red Sea village of Al-Wahijah, where a local man affiliated with the Houthis was celebrating his wedding.
ISIS kills Italian aid worker in Bangladesh
Islamic State claimed responsibility for the shooting of an Italian citizen in the diplomatic section of Dhaka, according to an intelligence group. This marks the group’s first attack in the South Asian nation. The extremist group, which controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, is intent on expanding its influence across the Muslim world.
