A pivotal moment on the Syrian border

October 08, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Turkey has so far held back from intervening. But a twist of history might change that.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

To read this post and thousands more articles, subscribe today!

London police have arrested four suspected Islamic terrorists in several raids throughout the British capital. The four suspects are aged 20 and 21. Police say they were arrested on suspicion of preparing or instigating acts of terrorism. The suspects remain in custody, and homes and vehicles in west and central London are being searched as part of what police called an ongoing investigation into Islamic-related terrorism.

A strong, shallow earthquake shook southwestern China's Yunnan province late Tuesday evening, killing at least one person, sending thousands fleeing into the streets and damaging buildings, officials and reports said. The US Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 6.0 and was centered 11 miles from Weiyuan city at a depth of 6.3 miles. Its shallow focus was likely to cause greater damage, but there were no immediate reports of serious destruction. China's national earthquake monitoring agency gave the quake's magnitude as 6.6 and said it struck 3.1 miles below the surface. It said the quake was followed by eight aftershocks, the strongest of which registered at magnitude 4.2.

Defense officials in Ukraine said Tuesday there has been no letup in efforts by pro-Russia separatist fighters in the east to capture the airport in the main rebel-held city of Donetsk. Security spokesman Andriy Lysenko said rebels fired on the terminal from tanks, artillery systems and multiple rocket launchers. A cease-fire that nominally came into effect one month ago has been routinely flouted, with substantial shelling concentrated in the area around Donetsk airport. Fighting has also been reported in numerous other parts of the Donetsk region.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Tuesday that the U.S. economy is strengthening, but he is concerned that other nations are not doing their part to boost global growth. The United States took decisive steps after the 2008 financial crisis to get its economy growing, he said. In contrast, he described a less determined response by other nations to their own economic problems. Lew stressed a "need for more action in quite a number of parts of the world," although he didn't single out specific countries. "I don't think the United States alone can pull the global economy to where it needs to be," Lew said during an appearance at the Peterson Institute to preview this weekend's meetings of the 188-nation International Monetary Fund and its sister lending agency, the World Bank. The IMF on Tuesday trimmed its outlook for global growth, reflecting weaker expansions in Europe, Japan and Latin America. It also warned that the United States, Europe and Japan could face years of sluggish growth unless government took steps to accelerate activity.

US home prices increased in August, yet the pace of these gains continues to slow, helping to improve affordability for would-be buyers. Prices rose 6.4 percent in August compared with a year ago, real estate data provider CoreLogic said Tuesday. That marks a decline from an annual gain of 6.8 percent in July. Home prices had been rising as much as 12 percent yearly toward the end of last year.

It probably won't cost as much to stay warm this winter because a repeat of the deep freeze that kept much of the United States shivering last winter is so unlikely. The Energy Department's annual prediction of winter heating costs released Tuesday says that Americans won't have to crank up the heat as much, so they'll pay less for energy.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

“The object of the Monitor is to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.” – Mary Baker Eddy

The Daily News Briefing is published Monday through Friday by The Christian Science Publishing Society in Boston, Massachusetts.

Subscribe Now to read this post!

Are you sure?

Forgot to add folder?

Tags Error