News Watch

A police convoy in northern Sinai, Egypt, was struck by roadside bombs and fired upon by gunmen on Sept. 11. At least 18 police officers were killed. Daesh claimed responsibility.

The US Department of State warns that a number of terrorist groups, including Daesh, have committed multiple deadly attacks in Egypt and that northeastern Sinai Peninsula remains a particularly dangerous area, with frequent attacks on security forces and civilians.

An improvised explosive device created a fireball on an Underground train at the Parsons Green station in southwestern London on Sept 15, injuring 20 people. Authorities believe that the device was meant to explode more violently but had been poorly built.

As the suspected perpetrator, police arrested an 18-year-old Iraqi national who had been in the UK foster-child system since arriving in England a few years ago after his parents died during the conflict with Daesh. No group has...

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In Marseille, southern France, two women were killed on Sept. 30 when a man armed with a knife attacked them at the Marseille-Saint-Charles train station. After the first killing, the attacker fled the scene only to return later to stab the second woman. The attacker was then shot and killed by security forces. 

Police described the attacker as a “known petty criminal” but had not identified him as of press time. Reports indicate that he had been detained by police...

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In knife and car attacks, five people were injured after a Canadian football game in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Oct. 1.

The attacker, identified as a Somali-born refugee, struck a police officer with a car, then stabbed him before fleeing on foot. Police found a flag of Daesh in the car. Police broadcast the name of the owner of the vehicle, and at a police checkpoint later that night, he was identified driving a U-Haul truck. The driver sped off in the truck and, while being...

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The US Department of State warns of the risks of travel in Ethiopia, due to the potential for civil unrest and arbitrary detention. There continue to be reports of unrest, particularly in the Gondar region and Bahir Dar in Amhara State and in parts of Oromia State. 

Visitors should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings, continuously assess their surroundings and evaluate their personal level of safety. Be aware that the government may use force and live fire in response to...

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Following several months in which numerous employees of the US Embassy in Havana had been targeted in specific attacks, on Sept. 29 the US Department of State ordered the departure of nonemergency US government embassy employees and their family members from Cuba, and it warned US citizens against traveling to Cuba. 

The governments of the US and Cuba have been unable to identify the source or nature of the attacks or the responsible party, but embassy employees have suffered...

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A strain of drug-resistant malaria is spreading across Southeast Asia. Originally discovered in Cambodia, the “super” malaria is now present in Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. 

Malaria is caused by a single-celled organism that is transmitted by mosquitoes. It infects roughly 212 million people each year, killing about 400,000 of them. It is usually treated with a combination of two drugs: artemisinin and piperaquine. The super-malaria strain has proven resistant to both...

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At least 22 people were killed and more than 30 others were injured when a human stampede occurred at the Elphinstone train station in Mumbai on Sept. 29. On a covered bridge overcrowded with people trying to escape the monsoon rains, the stampede occurred as people trying to push through to reach their departing trains started a panic in the crowd.