Beijing holds air defence drill

Beijing, Sep 20 (IANS) Beijing Saturday conducted anti-air strikes drill to enhance measures to handle such attacks. Over 1,800 people from 30 units participated in the manoeuvre, described by authorities as a success. They practiced acts like issuing warnings, evacuation and sheltering, self-care and buddy aid and protection of important economic targets, Xinhua reported. Three suburbs […]

House okay’s Obama’s plan to train, equip Syrian rebels

Washington, Sep 18 (IANS) The US House of Representatives Wednesday approved President Barack Obama’s plan to train and equip Syrian rebels as part of efforts to fight the Islamic State militant group. The chamber voted 273-156 to give the president the authority to offer more support for the rebels fighting both the Syrian government and the […]

Australian police raid terror suspects

Sydney, Sep 18 (IANS) Australian police and the nation’s spy agency launched raids in homes in Sydney and Brisbane Thursday. More than 600 officers from multiple police departments swooped on homes in the early hours of the morning in an operation that is believed to be linked to extremist terror group Islamic State (IS), Xinhua reported. […]

NASA spacecraft to reach Mars this weekend

Washington, Sep 18 (IANS) US space agency NASA said Wednesday its Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft will enter orbit around the Red Planet this weekend. The spacecraft has completed a 10-month space journey spanning 442 million miles (711 million km), Xinhua reported. “The team, the flight system, and all ground assets are ready for […]

Ebola epidemic spiraling out of control: Obama

Washington, Sep 17 (IANS) The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is “spiraling out of control” and posing a potential threat to global security, US President Barack Obama warned Tuesday. “If the outbreak is not stopped now, we could be looking at hundreds of thousands of people infected, with profound political and economic and security implications for […]

US does not rule out sending ground troops to Iraq

Washington, Sep 17 (IANS) Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that US ground troops could be called into battle against the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria if circumstances require. So far, US President Barack Obama has deployed about 1,600 military advisors to Iraq, but has stressed that “boots […]

69th session of UN General Assembly begins

United Nations, Sep 17 (IANS) The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) started its 69th session at the UN Headquarters in New York Tuesday. Sam Kahamba Kutesa, Uganda’s foreign minister who was elected president of the 69th UNGA session June 11, said in his opening remarks that the coming year will be a momentous time for the […]

Spanish minister warns against Catalonia independence vote

Madrid, Sep 17 (IANS) Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo warned that if Catalonia region continues with plans to hold an independence referendum Nov 9, the regions status as an autonomous community could be at risk. The Catalan Parliament is pressing on with plans to hold the referendum, despite warnings from Madrid that the […]

Dutch Supreme Court upholds sentence in child abuse case

The Hague, Sep 17 (IANS) Dutch Supreme Court Tuesday upheld the 19 years jail sentence of a man, who abused 67 young children in a child care centre. In April last year Robert M. was sentenced to 19 years in prison and compulsory treatment for committing 80 sexual offenses, abusing 67 children while working at a […]