Islamic State and Iraq battle over key town
Iraqi combat forces stepped up their offensive against Islamic State militants on Monday to recapture Amariya al-Falluja, a strategic town 40 km west of Baghdad. Iraqi airstrikes were followed by clashes to halt the extremist group's advance towards the capital. In another development, Turkish tanks were deployed along Turkey's border with Syria as IS fighters closed in on Kobane, a Kurdish border town.
Hong Kong leader calls for immediate end to protests
Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-ying on Tuesday appealed to pro-democracy demonstrators to withdraw their protests, as tens of thousands remained on the streets despite repeated police threats. The appeal marks the leader's first public comment after protesting crowds were teargassed by the police early Monday. The Occupy Central movement along with student groups fighting for electoral reforms in the city, dismissed Leung's demands and called for his resignation.
Iran bigger threat than Islamic State, says Israel PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that a nuclear-armed Iran posed a greater threat than the extremist Islamic State group in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He described Iran, Islamic State and the militant group Hamas as part of a single team, and warned that pursuing IS militants while ignoring Iran's nuclear ambitions would be dangerous to the international community. Iran has been in dialogue with Western powers to lift economic sanctions as part of its nuclear deal.
Spanish court suspends Catalonia independence vote
Spain's constitutional court on Monday suspended an independence referendum for the country's Catalonia province, which was scheduled for November. The court declared the vote illegal on the grounds that it breaches the country's constitution, which barred any region from unilaterally making decisions on sovereignty that affected the entire nation. Catalan president Artur Mas signed a decree on Saturday calling for a referendum on November 9 to decide whether the region should break away from Spain.
Japanese rescue mission halted as volcano eruption intensifies
Japan's Mount Ontake continued to spew ash and toxic gases into the atmosphere, suspending search operations to recover bodies of more than 20 hikers. The meteorological agency warned of another steam explosion after detecting strong volcanic tremors in the mountain rage. At least 36 people are reported to have died in the volcano eruption on Saturday.
Iraqi combat forces stepped up their offensive against Islamic State militants on Monday to recapture Amariya al-Falluja, a strategic town 40 km west of Baghdad. Iraqi airstrikes were followed by clashes to halt the extremist group's advance towards the capital. In another development, Turkish tanks were deployed along Turkey's border with Syria as IS fighters closed in on Kobane, a Kurdish border town.
Hong Kong leader calls for immediate end to protests
Hong Kong's chief executive Leung Chun-ying on Tuesday appealed to pro-democracy demonstrators to withdraw their protests, as tens of thousands remained on the streets despite repeated police threats. The appeal marks the leader's first public comment after protesting crowds were teargassed by the police early Monday. The Occupy Central movement along with student groups fighting for electoral reforms in the city, dismissed Leung's demands and called for his resignation.
Iran bigger threat than Islamic State, says Israel PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that a nuclear-armed Iran posed a greater threat than the extremist Islamic State group in his address to the United Nations General Assembly. He described Iran, Islamic State and the militant group Hamas as part of a single team, and warned that pursuing IS militants while ignoring Iran's nuclear ambitions would be dangerous to the international community. Iran has been in dialogue with Western powers to lift economic sanctions as part of its nuclear deal.
Spanish court suspends Catalonia independence vote
Spain's constitutional court on Monday suspended an independence referendum for the country's Catalonia province, which was scheduled for November. The court declared the vote illegal on the grounds that it breaches the country's constitution, which barred any region from unilaterally making decisions on sovereignty that affected the entire nation. Catalan president Artur Mas signed a decree on Saturday calling for a referendum on November 9 to decide whether the region should break away from Spain.
Japanese rescue mission halted as volcano eruption intensifies
Japan's Mount Ontake continued to spew ash and toxic gases into the atmosphere, suspending search operations to recover bodies of more than 20 hikers. The meteorological agency warned of another steam explosion after detecting strong volcanic tremors in the mountain rage. At least 36 people are reported to have died in the volcano eruption on Saturday.
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