Africa
Nigerian soldiers ‘killed by Boko Haram’ in ongoing violence
Several Nigerian soldiers have been killed by suspected Islamist militants in the north-eastern town of Potiskum. The town has seen days of violence, with 31 reported killed and hundreds of residents fleeing since Thursday. China has made a diplomatic protest over the killing of a Chinese construction worker in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri – the second Chinese national to be killed in the country this month. Maiduguri has also been affected by recent violence between the army and the Islamist group Boko Haram, who are fighting to overthrow the government and impose Sharia law. On Friday, the Nigerian army said it had detained a senior commander of the group at a senator’s home in Maiduguri, where Boko Haram was founded. The claim has fuelled suspicion that politicians are helping the militants.
Asia
South Korea blocks leaflet launch after threat of strikes from the North
South Korean police have blocked activists from sending propaganda leaflets over the border after threats of military action from North Korea. A group of North Korean defectors now living in the South had planned to launch balloons carrying the leaflets near the border town of Paju. On Friday, Pyongyang threatened to open fire on South Korean territory if the launch went ahead. Police sealed off the intended launch site early today. An unnamed police official told AFP news agency that the site would remain sealed off until the activists “give up their plan”. Activists have sent leaflets over the border on several prior occasions.
Middle East
Gaza militants killed in Israeli air strikes
Two Palestinian militants have been killed in Israeli air strikes on the northern Gaza Strip, according to officials. The Israeli military said it targeted the militants after they fired mortars at an Israeli ground patrol. One of the dead militants was a member of Hamas and the other was from the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC). There has been an increase in cross-border violence in recent weeks, with militant factions other than Hamas carrying out a lot of the recent rocket attacks against Israel. The Israeli military said three rockets had been fired from Gaza into southern Israel earlier this morning, with no reports of any injuries or damage.
Europe
Watchdog accuses Turkey of ‘cracking down’ on press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), an international media watchdog, has accused Turkey of waging “one of the world’s biggest anti-press campaigns in recent history”. The CPJ says it has identified 61 journalists imprisoned because of their work – more than in any other country in the world. Those detained face charges including terrorism and denigrating Turkishness. Turkey claims most of them are being held for crimes that have nothing to do with journalism and describes the CPJ’s claims as exaggerated. About 70% of the journalists being held are Kurdish – an ethnic minority which has been seeking self-rule in areas of the south and east of the country. “Turkish authorities conflate support for the Kurdish cause with terrorism itself”, according to the CPJ. More than 30,000 people have been killed in a 30-year conflict between the Kurdish rebels and the Turkish state.
North America
Three dead in shooting at Wisconsin beauty spa
Three people are dead and four injured at a beauty spa in the US state of Wisconsin following a gun attack. The suspect is Radcliffe Haughton, 45, the husband of one of the spa’s staff. Areas near the spa in Brookfield, including a shopping centre and hospital, were locked down as police searched for the gunman. Mr Haughton was later found dead at the scene. Brookfield Police Chief Daniel Tushaus has said “we are not seeking any additional suspects”. It was not immediately clear whether Mr Haughton’s wife was among the dead. Reports suggest the incident was triggered by a domestic dispute: Mr Haughton had recently been given a restraining order and ordered to hand in his firearms after being accused of slashing his wife’s tires. This is the second mass shooting in Wisconsin this year: in August US army veteran Michael Page, who had ties to white supremacist groups, killed six people as they prepared for service at a Sikh temple near Milwaukee.
Latin America
Five Colombian soldiers killed by Farc during peace talks
The Colombian army says five soldiers have been killed by Farc rebels in the first major incident since peace negotiations were launched on Thursday. The attack took place on Friday night in a Farc stronghold in the Putumayo region, near the border with Ecuador. The Colombian army said troops stationed at a patrol near the town of Puerto Assis were attacked by “unconventional explosives”. Before the talks took place Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos had made clear that he wouldn’t agree to a ceasefire that the rebels had offered, arguing a truce would give them time to rearm.
Eurasia
Two Pussy Riot members to be sent to prison camps
Two convicted women from the Russian punk band Pussy Riot are en route to two prison camps far to the east of Moscow, according to their lawyers and supporters. Conditions are reportedly tough at the camps in Perm and Mordovia, areas used for mass prison colonies in the Soviet era. Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, were each jailed for two years in August for singing an anti-government song in a cathedral. They will each leave young children. The third member of the band, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was freed earlier this month with a suspended jail sentence.
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