Fresh scuffles break out between pro and anti government protesters
Hong Kong witnessed fresh scuffles on Saturday between pro-democracy protesters and those opposed to the week-long demonstrations. Largely peaceful demonstrations turned violent on Friday after unidentified men assaulted protesters and tore down their encampments at the Mong Kok suburb, where some criminal gangs are suspected to be based. In the wee hours of Saturday morning thousands faced off on the streets of Mong Kok, with no uniformed policeman in sight. Protesters said that authorities had colluded in the attacks on them in Mong Kok and as a result they will not enter into talks with the government.
Record number of polio cases reported in Pakistan
Pakistan on Saturday recorded the highest number of polio cases in 12 years, as militants continued to attack vaccination teams around the country and accuse doctors of being spies. Eight more incidents of the polio virus were confirmed from Quetta and Karachi, taking to 202 the total number of cases between January and October 3. The previous record was 199 cases in 2001. "We are sad to announce that the number of polio cases is now all-time high in Pakistan," said Rana Mohammad Safdar, a senior official at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Top North Korean officials participate in talks with South Korea
In a progressive step towards achieving peace and harmony in the Korean peninsula, three top North Korean government officials on Friday attended the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Incheon and participated in high-level talks with their southern counterparts. Top aides to the North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un, Hwang Pyong-so and Choe Ryong-hae, along with Kim Yang-gon, a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party, met with senior South Korean government officials to improve cross-border ties.
Islamic State militants close in on key Kurdish town in Syria close to Turkish border
Islamic State militants on Friday began to close in on the strategic Kurdish town of Kobani in Northern Syria towards the Turkish border, piling pressure on Ankara to intervene. IS militants armed with tanks edged closer on the town's outskirts and were relentless in pounding the area with artillery fire. The offensive has forced Kurdish forces in Korbani to issue a plea to their kinsmen across the region to intervene and help their forces. United States-led air strikes have been ineffective on the ground and Syrian government forces have diverted their focus on other rebel groups in the country.
Cameron and Obama condemn beheading of British national by IS militants
British Prime Minister David Cameron and United States President Barack Obama on Saturday condemned the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning by Islamic State militants, and vowed to "hunt down" his perpetrators. On Friday night Islamic State militants released another video that showed them beheading Alan Henning in Syria. This is the fourth killing that IS militants have carried out in retaliation for air strikes on their bases around Iraq and Syria by United States-led forces.
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Hong Kong witnessed fresh scuffles on Saturday between pro-democracy protesters and those opposed to the week-long demonstrations. Largely peaceful demonstrations turned violent on Friday after unidentified men assaulted protesters and tore down their encampments at the Mong Kok suburb, where some criminal gangs are suspected to be based. In the wee hours of Saturday morning thousands faced off on the streets of Mong Kok, with no uniformed policeman in sight. Protesters said that authorities had colluded in the attacks on them in Mong Kok and as a result they will not enter into talks with the government.
Record number of polio cases reported in Pakistan
Pakistan on Saturday recorded the highest number of polio cases in 12 years, as militants continued to attack vaccination teams around the country and accuse doctors of being spies. Eight more incidents of the polio virus were confirmed from Quetta and Karachi, taking to 202 the total number of cases between January and October 3. The previous record was 199 cases in 2001. "We are sad to announce that the number of polio cases is now all-time high in Pakistan," said Rana Mohammad Safdar, a senior official at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad.
Top North Korean officials participate in talks with South Korea
In a progressive step towards achieving peace and harmony in the Korean peninsula, three top North Korean government officials on Friday attended the closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Incheon and participated in high-level talks with their southern counterparts. Top aides to the North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-Un, Hwang Pyong-so and Choe Ryong-hae, along with Kim Yang-gon, a senior official of the ruling Workers' Party, met with senior South Korean government officials to improve cross-border ties.
Islamic State militants close in on key Kurdish town in Syria close to Turkish border
Islamic State militants on Friday began to close in on the strategic Kurdish town of Kobani in Northern Syria towards the Turkish border, piling pressure on Ankara to intervene. IS militants armed with tanks edged closer on the town's outskirts and were relentless in pounding the area with artillery fire. The offensive has forced Kurdish forces in Korbani to issue a plea to their kinsmen across the region to intervene and help their forces. United States-led air strikes have been ineffective on the ground and Syrian government forces have diverted their focus on other rebel groups in the country.
Cameron and Obama condemn beheading of British national by IS militants
British Prime Minister David Cameron and United States President Barack Obama on Saturday condemned the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning by Islamic State militants, and vowed to "hunt down" his perpetrators. On Friday night Islamic State militants released another video that showed them beheading Alan Henning in Syria. This is the fourth killing that IS militants have carried out in retaliation for air strikes on their bases around Iraq and Syria by United States-led forces.
