A world united against terrorism

September 12, 2014 - Daily News Briefing

Like Al Qaeda, the Islamic State group gained quick notoriety. Now virtually all of the world stands against it.

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The judge in Oscar Pistorius' murder trial appeared to be heading for a culpable homicide finding, likely on Friday, after ruling out both premeditated murder and murder verdicts in the shooting death of the double-amputee Olympic athlete's girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa said prosecutors have not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Pistorius, 27, is guilty of premeditated murder. "Culpable homicide is a competent verdict," the judge said, but did not deliver any formal verdicts in the shooting death of Pistorius' 29-year-old girlfriend before calling for a lunch break in the proceedings.

Al Qaeda-linked Syrian rebels on Thursday released all 45 Fijian peacekeepers they had held captive for two weeks, the United Nations said, bringing an end to a crisis that had pulled the UN monitoring force into the chaos of Syria's civil war. Fighters from the Nusra Front captured the Fijian troops late last month in the Golan Heights, where a 1,200-strong UN force patrols the disputed buffer zone between Syria and Israel. The area along the frontier has been engulfed in heavy clashes since then between the rebels and the Syrian military.

Separatists in northeastern Spain swarmed into Barcelona by the busload Thursday, waving independence flags as they demanded a secession sentiment vote that the Spanish government insists is illegal. Many sported yellow-and-red shirts with the phrase "Now is the time" and shouted "Independencia!" in Catalan as they joined a mass protest getting a boost from Scotland's upcoming independence vote. Catalonia regional leader Artur Mas said his government is not wavering from plans to hold a Nov. 9 referendum in the region of 7.6 million people, even though experts say any attempt is sure to be blocked by Spain's Constitutional Court. Mas has repeatedly said he will not call an illegal vote.

An international human rights group on Thursday called for Thailand's ruling military to end what it says is a "disturbing pattern of repression" in the country since the Army seized power in a May coup. Amnesty International made the appeal in a new report, saying it has received credible reports that detainees have been tortured. The military has denied such allegations.

The seizure of 1,639 coca plants in southern Mexico marks the first known instance of the raw ingredient for cocaine being cultivated in the country, Mexican and UN officials said Wednesday. Mexico is home to various drug cartels that traffic large quantities of cocaine toward the United States, but coca itself is typically grown in the Andean region. The find raised concerns that it could be a test of the viability of reducing dependence on South American suppliers.

RadioShack says it may need more capital to help complete its turnaround efforts. CEO Joseph Magnacca said in a statement on Thursday that the consumer electronics company is actively exploring options for overhauling its balance sheet and is in advanced talks with "a number of parties." RadioShack Corp. is also working with its lenders, bondholders, shareholders and landlords to try to find a long-term solution. Magnacca said this could include debt restructuring, consolidating stores and other measures to help lower costs.

“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!

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