US accuses Russia of backing Ukrainian rebels
Russian President Vladimir Putin may consider a request to meet with US President Barack Obama when both of them are in New York for a United Nations gathering next month, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Larvov said on Wednesday. Relations between Russia and the West have frayed after Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Washington and the European Union have accused Russia of financially and military backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. However, Putin has denied arming the rebels, and has refuted allegations that Russia sent its troops to fight on the rebels' behalf in eastern Ukraine. The West has imposed sanctions on Russia over its alleged role in the conflict.
Isis executes Palmyra antiquities chief
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants beheaded a renowned antiquities scholar in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Tuesday and hung his mutilated body on a column in a main square of the historic site, news reports said. The reports said that professor was murdered after he refused to reveal where various valuable artifacts had been moved for safekeeping. Islamic State-affiliated social media accounts later posted an image online allegedly showing his decapitated body. The Islamic State captured Palmyra and the neighbouring city of Tadmur in May.
Pistorius release put on hold
South Africa's Justice Ministry on Wednesday suspended the release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison and sent back the decision to a parole board for review. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Under South African law, Pistorius was eligible for release under correctional supervision as he had served a sixth of his sentence. "One sixth of a five year sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made, Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence," the justice ministry said in a statement.
Erawan shrine attacker part of network
According to latest updates from Thailand's chief of police, the bomb attack that killed 20 people at Bangkok's Erawan shrine on Monday was carried out by a network. Police officials released a sketch of the main suspect that was filmed by security cameras at the shrine. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has described the incident as the worst attack on Thailand. The Hindu shrine was reopened on Wednesday.
Suicide bomber kills 16 in Syria
A suicide bomber killed at least 16 people on Wednesday in an attack on Kurdish security forces in northeastern Syria. According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the blast in the city of Qamishli killed 10 members of the Kurdish forces and six civilians. "A suicide bomber in a vehicle targeted the Asayish's local headquarters in Qamishli," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based Observatory. The Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on the internet.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin may consider a request to meet with US President Barack Obama when both of them are in New York for a United Nations gathering next month, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Larvov said on Wednesday. Relations between Russia and the West have frayed after Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014. Washington and the European Union have accused Russia of financially and military backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. However, Putin has denied arming the rebels, and has refuted allegations that Russia sent its troops to fight on the rebels' behalf in eastern Ukraine. The West has imposed sanctions on Russia over its alleged role in the conflict.
Isis executes Palmyra antiquities chief
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants beheaded a renowned antiquities scholar in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra on Tuesday and hung his mutilated body on a column in a main square of the historic site, news reports said. The reports said that professor was murdered after he refused to reveal where various valuable artifacts had been moved for safekeeping. Islamic State-affiliated social media accounts later posted an image online allegedly showing his decapitated body. The Islamic State captured Palmyra and the neighbouring city of Tadmur in May.
Pistorius release put on hold
South Africa's Justice Ministry on Wednesday suspended the release of athlete Oscar Pistorius from prison and sent back the decision to a parole board for review. Pistorius was convicted of manslaughter last year for killing his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Under South African law, Pistorius was eligible for release under correctional supervision as he had served a sixth of his sentence. "One sixth of a five year sentence is 10 months and at the time the decision was made, Pistorius had served only over six months of his sentence," the justice ministry said in a statement.
Erawan shrine attacker part of network
According to latest updates from Thailand's chief of police, the bomb attack that killed 20 people at Bangkok's Erawan shrine on Monday was carried out by a network. Police officials released a sketch of the main suspect that was filmed by security cameras at the shrine. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has described the incident as the worst attack on Thailand. The Hindu shrine was reopened on Wednesday.
Suicide bomber kills 16 in Syria
A suicide bomber killed at least 16 people on Wednesday in an attack on Kurdish security forces in northeastern Syria. According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the blast in the city of Qamishli killed 10 members of the Kurdish forces and six civilians. "A suicide bomber in a vehicle targeted the Asayish's local headquarters in Qamishli," said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the British-based Observatory. The Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on the internet.
