Syria conflict: Turkish jets 'intercept Russian plane'
Turkish F-16 fighter jets have been scrambled after a Russian warplane violated Turkey's air space on Saturday, the foreign ministry says.
The Russian fighter plane "exited Turkish airspace into Syria" after being intercepted, the ministry said.
The Turkish foreign minister has spoken to his Russian counterpart, as well as ministers from other Nato countries.
Russia has been carrying out air strikes in Syria in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
The Russian air campaign began on Wednesday with Moscow insisting it was targeting Islamic State (IS) positions. But Syrian activists say Russian planes have also targeted other Syrian groups opposed to President Assad.
Last week Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the Russian intervention in Syria as a grave mistake that would further isolate Moscow.
Saturday's interception took place south of the Yayladagi/Hatay region, Turkey says.
The foreign ministry in Ankara summoned the Russian ambassador to issue a "strong protest" against the incident, it said.
Binyamin Netanyahu vows 'harsh offensive' on Palestinian violence
Prime minister orders tough measures after four Israelis killed in two attacks related to tensions over Jerusalem holy site
Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, promised a “harsh offensive” against Palestinian violence as he flew home from New York to confront an escalating crisis that has seen four Israelis killed in two attacks on the occupied West Bank and in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Amid an unprecedented closure of the Old City to all Palestinians not resident there, thousands of largely ultra-orthodox Jewish mourners gathered in Jerusalem to bury the most recent victims, a rabbi and an off-duty soldier, who were stabbed to death in the Old City on Saturday night.
Ahead of a meeting with security officials on Sunday to decide his response, Netanyahu vowed a “harsh offensive on Palestinian Islamic terror”, according to a statement posted on his Facebook page. He added: “We are in an all-out war against terror.”
Sneezing monkeys and walking fish among 200 new Himalayan species discovered
The region’s rich diversity is largely down to a landscape of steep mountains and valleys
A snub-nosed monkey that sneezes when it rains, a walking fish and a jewel-like snake are among more than 200 new species discovered in the eastern Himalayas, according to a new report.
It reveals that 133 new species of plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish and 10 amphibians have been found there since 2009 – a scale of discovery which confirms the region, spanning Bhutan, north-east India, Nepal, north Burma and southern Tibet, as among the most biologically diverse in the world.
One new bird – the spotted wren-babbler – was also discovered in the region over the period, as well as one reptile and one mammal species – bringing the total new species discovered in the region in the past 15 years to 550.
Asian haze set to become worst on record
Lindsay Murdoch
South-East Asia correspondent for Fairfax Media
Malaysia has ordered all schools to close for two days as choking haze blanketing a large swathe of south-east Asia is on track to become the worst on record.
The fog-like grey smoke caused by slash and burn techniques used to clear Indonesian forests has for weeks caused health problems, flight delays and school closures in Singapore and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.
Hundreds of thousands of people are suffering acute respiratory infections as the region has struggled to find an effective response to the problem.
Malaysia's deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took a swipe at Indonesia as his country cancelled sporting events including a marathon for 30,000 runners and local soccer matches.
ISIS destroys Arch of Triumph in Syria's Palmyra ruins
Updated 0841 GMT (1541 HKT) October 5, 2015
ISIS militants have destroyed the iconic Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, the latest cultural treasure of the ancient site that they have reduced to rubble, Syrian authorities said.
The 1,800-year-old monumental arch, which framed the approach to the Roman city, was blown up Sunday, Syria's Directorate General for Antiquities and Museums said, citing eye witnesses in the local community.
ISIS jihadists seized control of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the surrounding area from Syrian government forces in May. Since then, the Islamic extremists have beheaded the antiquities expert who looked after the ruins and set about demolishing their architectural riches.
Cubans brace for the American invasion
They await the arrival of America's capitalist masses with both desire and dread. Can the world's most committed egalitarian experiment hold?
HAVANA — Elisabeth Montero Espinosa is troubled. Her kitchen has become a cherished anchor in her Havana neighborhood, a tiny cafe where workers can get a home-cooked lunch and families can afford to eat out once in a while. She wants to keep it that way.
But she knows “the flood” is coming.
As the United States starts to ease the restrictions on travel and commerce with Cuba, a swell of American tourists is expected to arrive with fat wallets. New eating places are already opening every week, poised to greet them. A high-rise apartment building looms over Ms. Espinosa’s Paladar Los Amigos– “The Friends’ Restaurant.” Young men in suits invite tourists from the street to an avant-garde dining room on the 10th floor. They find an airy perch over the city offering gourmet meals that run $30 served by a smart waitstaff.
That’s cheap by tourist standards. Impossible for most Cubans. It’s more than the monthly average wage here.
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