International Headlines
Aug 16: China’s Air Pollution
A recent study has shown that China’s air kills 4,000 people a day, the main sources of the air pollution being coal and industrial emissions. Coal is used as the main source of fuel, especially in northeastern China where the pollution is the worst. The research also shows that China is taking massive steps to reduce the usage of coal and to combat air pollution.
Aug 15: Hunger Striker Unconscious
Mohammed Allan, a Palestinian held in Israel without charge since November, has lost consciousness after spending two months on hunger strike in protest at his detention. Israel alleges that he is an activist for the Islamic Jihad militant group. There are public demonstrations against his detention. A recent Israeli law authorises force-feeding hunger strikers while the Israeli Medical Association says force-feeding is a violation of a patient's rights.
Aug 14: New Taliban Chief
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Al-Qaeda leader, has pledged allegiance to the new Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour. Zawahiri had regarded the former Taliban head Mullah Omar, who died last month, to be the leader of the global jihadist movement. Zawahiri said: "As emir of al-Qaeda, I pledge to you our allegiance, following the path of Sheikh (Osama) bin Laden and his martyred brothers in their allegiance to Mullah Omar."
Aug 13: Explosions
China's northern city of Tianjin has been hit by massive explosions, with more than 300 people injured and at least seven dead. A shipment of explosives blew up in the port city; the force of the first explosion was equivalent to three tons of TNT and triggering further explosions. The second, half a minute later, was equivalent to 21 tons. It is thought to be an industrial accident.
Aug 12: Photos of the Homeless
Photographs of homeless people in New York are being taken by police union members and posted online in a Flickr album. The union says they want to bring attention to an increase in "quality-of-life offenses" in the city and are also photographing other offenses such as people urinating in public or engaging in open-air drug activity. The city’s homeless population has risen in recent years to about 75,000.
Aug 11: Children Freed
Around 70 children have been freed from a house in Cameroon where they had been held captive, some in chains, and were beaten as well as suffering from disease and hunger. The head of an Islamic school, who owned the house, has been arrested; he said parents willingly sent their children to his "correctional centre". The children are getting medical help before being reunited with their families.
Aug 10: Ai Weiwei in UK
Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei is in England and, interviewed by the Irish Times, said he thinks his homeland will “explode” unless the communist regime allows managed transition to democracy and that the Beijing leadership is in denial about the scale of the problems China is facing. He told the German Süddeutsche Zeitung that China has “achieved a lot economically but it cannot suppress the longing for freedom”.
Aug 9: Bombing Remembered
The Japanese city of Nagasaki held a memorial service on the anniversary of the American atomic bomb dropped there 70 years ago during World War Two. At least 70,000 people died in the attack which came three days after the bombing of Hiroshima. Speeches at the ceremony criticised Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for his plans to widen the scope of Japan's military operations.
Aug 6: Sharing With Refugees
A couple from Turkey shared their wedding feast with 4,000 refugees from Syria who have made Kilis, a Turkish border town, their home. The idea was the groom’s fathe's; he is an active volunteer at the Turkish Charity Kimse Yok Mu. He said that he thought sharing meal with family and friends was unnecessary knowing that there are so many people in need living next door.
Aug 5: Russia Claims Arctic
Russia has renewed its claims to 1.2 million sq km (463,000 sq miles) of the Arctic shelf and is petitioning the United Nations to recognise its claim. All other countries bordering the Arctic - Norway, Denmark, Canada and the US - reject Moscow's claim, they are all trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the Arctic, which is believed to hold massive undiscovered resources of oil and gas.
Aug 4: Twin Train Tragedy
Two passenger trains derailed on the same spot near Harda, Madhya Pradesh. It is reported that the tragedy killed 28 people leaving over 40 injured and more than 25 people missing. The incident took place around 11:30 pm on Tuesday. The Kamayani Express going from Mumbai to Varanasi and the Janata Express going from Jabalpur to Mumbai derailed within just a few minutes of each other.
Aug 4: Migrant Dies
A 27-year-old Moroccan man suffocated to death in a suitcase when his brother tried to smuggle him into Spain in the boot of his car. They were on board a ferry from Spain's north African enclave of Melilla to the mainland Spanish city of Almeria. The surviving brother, who has a French passport, has since been charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Jul 31: Visa Denied
Britain initially denied the dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei a six-month visa, claiming that he lied on his visa application form. Ai did not declare a “criminal conviction” because although he was detained in China for 81 days he was never charged or convicted of a crime. Britain granted him a 20-day visa to attend the opening of his London show but then apologised and issued the six-month visa.
Jul 30: Channel Tunnel Security
France is stepping up security at their Calais end of the Channel Tunnel in an attempt to control the migrants entering the tunnel to reach Britain. Fences are being erected and security personnel deployed. Migrants are determined to reach the UK, often travelling in groups of 400 or more, despite the deaths of nine people since June. There are severe delays to travel.
Jul 28: Former President Dies
APJ Abdul Kalam, the former Indian President and prominent scientist, has died while delivering a scientific lecture. He was 83. He served as India's 11th president from 2002 to 2007, pioneering the country's military missile programme which earned him the nickname "Missile Man". India has declared seven days of national mourning.