27 August 2013 Last updated at 09:02 GMT
Evidence clearly suggests that Syria's president has deployed chemical weapons. The latest poison gas attack should set aside once and for all any reservations about military intervention. The credibility of Western countries is on the line.
Indeed, the use of weapons of mass destruction to kill a handful of civilians or rebels instead of against masses of people contradicts the common conception of these types of weapons.
Syria crisis: Russia warns of 'catastrophic' strike
Russia has said military intervention in Syria would have "catastrophic consequences" for the region.
The warning from Moscow came as the US and its allies considered launching strikes on Syria in response to deadly attacks last week.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday there was "undeniable" evidence of a chemical attack.
UN chemical weapons inspectors are due to start a second day of investigations in the suburbs of Damascus.
The UN team came under sniper fire as they tried to visit an area west of the city on Monday.
Philippines hit by anti-corruption protests
Protesters call on Benigno Aquino's government to abolish 'pork barrel' funds used for legislators' pet projects
Tens of thousands of Filipinos angry at official corruption have marched through the centre of Manila and other cities to demand the abolition of a misused fund for legislators' pet projects, the biggest protest aimed at Benigno Aquino's government.
Protesters, responding to a call to wear white, converged on Manila's largest park on Monday, angry at the misuse of "pork barrel" funds under the priority development assistance fund (PDAF).
The money is frequently channelled to projects solely to impress voters, though many have turned out to be non-existent.
Uncertain times for Istanbul’s Christians during Turkey’s ‘modernisation’ drive
Churches seemingly no obstacle as historical buildings make way for malls
Stephen Starr
In the Karakoy quarter of bustling Istanbul, Christian crosses abruptly appear on window frames along an aged red brick wall. At first glance there are few signs of a Christian presence in the area; instead the narrow streets are replete with electrical shops.
It’s not until one sees a cluster of cross-topped domes viewed from a nearby rooftop that Karakoy’s importance to Istanbul’s Christians becomes clear.
A treasure trove of chapels and churches makes Karakoy one of this ancient city’s most important Christian districts. But a government-led drive to rejuvenate the area may see this tiny population lose out.
Assad's Cold Calculation: The Poison Gas War on the Syrian People
Evidence clearly suggests that Syria's president has deployed chemical weapons. The latest poison gas attack should set aside once and for all any reservations about military intervention. The credibility of Western countries is on the line.
Why exactly, Syrian President Bashar Assad asked in mid-June, were so few people killed in the chemical weapons attacks he had allegedly ordered? The United States government had cited a death toll of 100 to 150 a few days earlier. But it would be "illogical," Assad pointed out, to kill such a small number of enemies with chemical weapons, since they could easily be killed "using conventional weapons" instead.
Tepco sidelined by Japanese government as Fukushima reactors leak radioactive water
August 27, 2013 - 11:16AMJulian Ryall
The Japanese government has lost patience with the efforts of the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to get the crippled reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant under control.
Toshimitsu Motegi, the minister of trade and industry, visited the plant on Monday to determine progress on decommissioning three reactors damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in March, 2011.
Tepco admitted last week that hundreds of tons of highly radioactive water had leaked from a steel tank at the plant and that as much as 300 tons of contaminated water has been escaping into the sea every day since the earthquake.
Zimbabwe to build $300m 'Disneyland in Africa'
Eager to rebrand the country, Zimbabwe's tourism minister has outlined a scheme to build an entertainment complex near Victoria Falls.
The formula has worked in California, Florida and Paris. Now officials in Zimbabwe, eager to rebrand a country notorious for economic collapse and political controversy, want to build a "Disneyland in Africa".
Walter Mzembi, the tourism and hospitality minister, told news agency New Ziana, that the government was planning a $300-million theme park near Victoria Falls, the country's top tourist attraction.
Mzembi was quoted as saying the resort would be a "Disneyland in Africa", although he did not appear to suggest that the statue of explorer David Livingstone, which overlooks the falls, would be supplanted by a jobbing actor in a Mickey Mouse costume.
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