US accused of making deceptive statements
Russia's defence ministry on Thursday denied a claim by United States officials that four of its Syria-bound cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea had crashed in Iran on Wednesday. Both the Russian government and Iranian state-run media accused the US of making deliberately deceptive statements. Earlier on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter criticised Russia’s "unprofessional conduct" in its Syria incursion and said that Moscow had fired the cruise missiles with no advance notice.
Svetlana Alexievich wins Literature Nobel
Svetlana Alexievich, a Belarusian journalist and prose writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time". She is known for her deeply researched writings about female Russian soldiers in World War II and the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Alexievich, 67, is the 14th woman and the first non-fiction writer in 50 years to win the literature prize. Alexievich will pick up around $960,000 in prize money and will most likely see a spiked interest in her journalistic work, which has occasionally forced her to live outside of her country.
Fifa top bosses suspended
Fifa's ethics committee on Thursday provisionally suspended its president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini for 90 days on corruption allegations. Blatter has been under extreme pressure since May when Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber opened a criminal investigation against him on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation. Blatter is also alleged to have made an unsanctioned payment of 1.3 million euros to Platini in 2011. Blatter's lawyers said the president was disappointed that the ethics committee had not allowed him an opportunity to be heard, while Platini rejected the "astonishingly vague allegations".
Mecca stampede toll rises to 1,399, claims report
The toll in last month's stampede outside Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage was at least 1,399, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday. The number is 630 more than Saudi Arabia's official toll. The report claimed that the Kingdom has been hesitant to release updated casualty figures, even as hundreds remain missing. The Associated Press count is based on numbers from 18 countries through their officials or state media broadcasts and are said to only include those killed in the disaster at Mina, near Mecca.
Indonesia asks for help to extinguish forest fires
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Thursday that his government has asked for foreign help to extinguish forest fires that have caused a thick haze across Southeast Asia. The country has been unable to put out the intense forest and land fires in the Indonesian part of Borneo island. “We have asked for help yesterday and have been assisted by Singapore,” Widodo told reporters, adding that the country is expecting aid to arrive from Russia, Malaysia and Japan.
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Russia's defence ministry on Thursday denied a claim by United States officials that four of its Syria-bound cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea had crashed in Iran on Wednesday. Both the Russian government and Iranian state-run media accused the US of making deliberately deceptive statements. Earlier on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter criticised Russia’s "unprofessional conduct" in its Syria incursion and said that Moscow had fired the cruise missiles with no advance notice.
Svetlana Alexievich wins Literature Nobel
Svetlana Alexievich, a Belarusian journalist and prose writer, won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday "for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time". She is known for her deeply researched writings about female Russian soldiers in World War II and the aftermath of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Alexievich, 67, is the 14th woman and the first non-fiction writer in 50 years to win the literature prize. Alexievich will pick up around $960,000 in prize money and will most likely see a spiked interest in her journalistic work, which has occasionally forced her to live outside of her country.
Fifa top bosses suspended
Fifa's ethics committee on Thursday provisionally suspended its president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini for 90 days on corruption allegations. Blatter has been under extreme pressure since May when Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber opened a criminal investigation against him on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation. Blatter is also alleged to have made an unsanctioned payment of 1.3 million euros to Platini in 2011. Blatter's lawyers said the president was disappointed that the ethics committee had not allowed him an opportunity to be heard, while Platini rejected the "astonishingly vague allegations".
Mecca stampede toll rises to 1,399, claims report
The toll in last month's stampede outside Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage was at least 1,399, according to an Associated Press report on Thursday. The number is 630 more than Saudi Arabia's official toll. The report claimed that the Kingdom has been hesitant to release updated casualty figures, even as hundreds remain missing. The Associated Press count is based on numbers from 18 countries through their officials or state media broadcasts and are said to only include those killed in the disaster at Mina, near Mecca.
Indonesia asks for help to extinguish forest fires
Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Thursday that his government has asked for foreign help to extinguish forest fires that have caused a thick haze across Southeast Asia. The country has been unable to put out the intense forest and land fires in the Indonesian part of Borneo island. “We have asked for help yesterday and have been assisted by Singapore,” Widodo told reporters, adding that the country is expecting aid to arrive from Russia, Malaysia and Japan.
