Ebola death toll nears 4,000 as global effort steps up
The World Health Organisation said the recorded number of deaths from Ebola has almost reached 4,000 worldwide, but warned the real number could be more than this as overwhelmed hospital staff were experiencing “profound” problems recording data. Britain is to send more than 750... read more »
Kobane: Syrian Kurds ‘launch operation against IS’
Fighting has continued overnight around the Syrian border town of Kobane, with reports of Kurdish forces launching an operation against Islamic State At least 12 people were killed in protests by Kurds in Turkey on Tuesday over the lack of Turkish military support. Three weeks of fighting over... read more »
Islamic militants seize Catholic priest in Syria
A long-serving Franciscan priest and 20 other Christians have been seized by militants from from the al-Qaeda affiliate the al-Nusra Front in a village in northwestern Syria. Father Hanna Jallouf of the Custody of the Holy Land, who has worked is parish priest for Qunyeh, was snatched along with... read more »
Federal court overturns ban on same-sex marriages in five more US states
A federal court has struck down gay marriage bans in several western US states, effectively raising the number of states in which same-sex couples can marry from 19 to 35 over just two days. The ruling by the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals applied specifically to gay marriage prohibitions in... read more »
