Syria war: Civilians die as US-Russia plan falters
Coalition air strikes leave 28 dead as US attempts to partner with Russia against ISIL suffer major setbacks.
At least 15 civilians have been killed and dozens wounded in air strikes by the US-led coalition in Syria, amid setbacks to attempts by the US to partner with Russia against the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant (ISIL) group.
Thursday's air strikes hit the ISIL-controlled town of Ghandoura, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the Britain-based network of activists.
"Air strikes by international coalition fighter jets after midnight on the town of Ghandoura killed at least 15 civilians and wounded dozens," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the SOHR, said earlier in the day.
Tokyo turmoil: race to rule world's largest city mired in sex scandal and misogyny
Japan’s capital is electing a new governor – but the battle for the job has brought criticism over mudslinging tactics
It is a race to take charge of the world’s largest city - a metropolis with a population more than half the size of the United Kingdom and with a GDP greater than all but 10 countries.
But the election for the post of governor of Tokyo has piqued interest not only because of the size of the task which falls to its victor, but also for the mud slinging and misogyny which has characterised the fight between the candidates.
Voters in Tokyo will go to the polls on Sunday amid a campaign marred by events that some say highlights the worst of Japan’s male-dominated politics.Racism unleashed: True extent of the 'explosion of blatant hate' that followed Brexit vote revealed
Exclusive: Prime Minister accused of helping create the 'hostile environment' that paved the way for 'F*** off to Poland' messages, excrement through letter boxes, and racist abuse from children as young as ten
The full extent and true nature of the “blatant hate” that has beset post-Brexit Britain is today detailed for the first time after The Independent was given exclusive access to a database of more than 500 racist incidents compiled in the weeks since the EU referendum.
The hatred that has divided British society in the past month features “F*** off to Poland” letters in Tunbridge Wells, wealthy London diners refusing to be served by foreign waiters, dog excrement shoved through letter boxes in Rugby, and racist abuse from children as young as ten.
A picture of nationwide hatred emerged after The Independent was allowed exclusive access to a database of accounts collected by the social media sites PostRefRacism, Worrying Signs and iStreetWatch.
Al-Nusra chief in Syria announces break with al Qaeda
Latest update : 2016-07-29
The head of the al-Nusra Front in Syria said his jihadist group was breaking ties with al Qaeda and changing its name, in remarks broadcast Thursday by Al-Jazeera.
In a rare televised message, Abu Mohamad al-Jolani said the group had renamed itself Jabhat Fatah al Sham ("Conquest of the Levant" in Arabic) so that foreign powers could no longer use the pretext of its affiliation with al Qaeda to attack Syrians.
He expressed his gratitude to the "commanders of al Qaeda for having understood the need to break ties", adding that the new group "would have no links whatsoever with foreign parties".
The announcement came a week after US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said they had agreed on "concrete steps" to save a failing Syria truce and tackle jihadist groups like al-Nusra and the Islamic State (IS) group.
India's vanishing people
Amrit Dhillon
New Delhi: It is a fact that India's tiny Parsi community is dwindling but the latest census figures show the ethnic group hurtling towards extinction.
Parsis are Zoroastrians - one of the world's oldest religions - from Persia, where it was the official religion for centuries until the advent of Islam. Persecution forced them to arrive on the shores of India over 1000 years ago where, thanks to extraordinary success in business, they have always punched above their weight, making huge contributions to Indian life.
Why can’t the UN stop sexual violence in South Sudan?
The conflict in South Sudan is essentially an ethnic one. And sexual violence has been a common weapon.
Ethnic hostilities in South Sudan have left the country awash in sexual violence, and some of it may be happening under the nose of United Nations peacekeepers.
The UN said on Wednesday that there had been least 120 cases of sexual violence and rape in the South Sudanese capital of Juba since fighting broke out three weeks ago between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those answering to Vice President Riek Machar.
Government soldiers raped dozens of ethnic Nuer women and girls just outside of a UN camp set up to provide shelter for some 30,000 civilians, reported the Associated Press on Wednesday. Two of the victims died from their injuries.
Thailand to try opposition figures in military court
Arrests and detention of loyalists of ex-PMs Thaksin and Yingluck come ahead of August 7 charter referendum.
Eight Thai politicians are facing charges of sedition and for spreading "false information" about the draft constitution, local reports said, a development that creates "a climate of fear" in the country ahead of a referendum, according to a rights group.
Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said on Thursday that the politicians, who are loyalists of former Yingluck Shinawatra, would be tried in a military court, and that their detention would continue for at least a week.
But those who were detained, including a suspended provincial chief and a former member of parliament, told local media that the letters distributed to their supporters were only expressing "opinions" about the proposed new charter, which seeks to return the country to civilian rule in 2017.
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