20 October 2014 Last updated at 08:37
Monrovia, Liberia
Kobane: US drops arms and aid to Kurds battling IS
US military aircraft have dropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) militants in the key Syrian town of Kobane.
US Central Command said C-130 transport aircraft had made "multiple" drops of supplies provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.
US air strikes have helped push back IS in the town near the Turkish border.
Correspondents say the airdrops are likely to anger key US ally Turkey.
The drops of supplies provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq were "intended to enable continued resistance against Isil's attempts to overtake Kobane," CentCom said in a statement. IS is also referred to as Isil and Isis.
All the aircraft involved had returned safely, it added.
China’s Communist party expected to remain above the law after conference
Theme for annual meeting will be ‘rule of law’ but only small local reforms expected from party that operates above the constitution
The conundrum of bolstering the rule of law in Communist party-run China was on the agenda for its leaders on Monday at the start of a four-day conclave to guide policy for the coming year.
Rule of law is a tricky notion in China because the party operates above the law and has never appeared inclined to change. However, the ruling party and the government it controls are under pressure to improve the court system to address citizens’ unease that they have no real recourse in conflicts, including with local officials they accuse of unfairly seizing property and other wrongdoing.
Communist party leaders have set “rule of law” as the theme for this year’s annual meeting of its central committee.
In Japan, ministers picked by Abe quit over scandals
In what looks to be the biggest set back for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to date, the trade and justice ministers have resigned on the same day. The two women are accused of politicial misdeeds.
Japanese Trade Minister Yuko Obuchi (pictured) and Justice Minister Midori Matsushima resigned within hours of each other on Monday, amid claims over separate scandals. Both are members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's governing conservative Liberal Democratic Party.
The ex-ministers were two of five women appointed by Abe in a Cabinet reshuffle last month, with the key aim of boosting women's presence in politics and business in Japan. That agenda continues to be hindered, with two other female Cabinet members having also been criticized for suspected ties with racist groups.
Obuchi, who was tipped by some to be the future prime minister, resigned in the early hours of Monday, saying she needed to focus on an investigation into discrepancies in accounting for election funds. About 26.4 million yen (190,000 euros/$246,000) in funds relating to two political organizations was unaccounted for.
Aussies go home, Iraqi militias say
October 20, 2014 - 12:16PMPaul McGeough
Chief foreign correspondent
Baghdad: Even before a formal announcement, the deal for Australia to help Iraq battle the so-called Islamic State which now controls swaths of Iraq and Syria, drew sharp criticism from forces allied to the Baghdad government.
As Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was finalising the deal for Australian Special Forces to be deployed in Iraq to "advise and assist the government of Iraq in building up the capacity of the Iraqi security forces", it was condemned by senior figure in three of the Shiite volunteer militias that now prop up the Iraqi Army on the battlefield.
Ms Bishop was speaking in Baghdad, at the end of two days of meetings with Iraqi officials.
Inside the world's worst Ebola outbreak
October 20, 2014 -- Updated 0618 GMT (1418 HKT)
Monrovia, Liberia
A doctor at a government-run Ebola treatment center in Monrovia is too busy to mince words.
"You have so many patients in agony. Patients are crying in pain," said Soka Moses.
"They are dying and all you do is you watch them die sometimes. You pray for them and do the little you do, and just hope that something miraculous happens," he said.
Moses got just one day's training before jumping in to treat high-risk Ebola patients, which he says is typical.
You simply do what needs to be done here, he said.
At his center, one patient is too weak to hold up his own head. He writhes in pain as he's given water to drink.
Gaza plan 'relieves Israel of responsibility' |
Complicated mechanisms could risk prolonging the Gaza reconstruction efforts, critics argue. |
Gaza City - A massive UN-supervised project to rebuild Gaza got underway earlier last week, but officials in Gaza and Ramallah are already doubtful that it will bring immediate aid to residents of the battered strip. The reconstruction plan calls for a highly intricate monitoring system, with restrictive measures on the import and distribution of building materials.
This comes at the behest of the Israelis, who have long barred the entry of basic construction materials - including cement, metal pipes and steel - into Gaza, insisting that they are 'dual use' items that Hamas could use to build underground tunnels for military purposes.
A new monitoring system will place security personnel and video cameras at distribution points for construction materials, and will vet both suppliers and buyers. And a central database, linked to the Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs, but available to Israeli intelligence agencies, will track material entering the Gaza Strip.
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