IS seeking an alliance with al Qaeda: Iraqi VP
Reuters, Baghdad
Islamic State is talking to al Qaeda about a possible alliance as Iraqi troops close in on IS fighters in Mosul, Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi said in an interview on Monday.
Allawi said he got the information on Monday from Iraqi and regional contacts knowledgeable about Iraq. “The discussion has started now,” Allawi said.
24 dead as Philippine bus plunges into ravine
AP, Manila
At least 24 people died Tuesday when their bus apparently lost its brakes and plunged into a deep ravine in a northern Philippine mountain town, in one of the country’s deadliest vehicular accidents in years, officials said.
The rest of the estimated 45 passengers were plucked by rescuers who struggled with ropes to descend down the ravine to reach the bus wreckage in Nueva Ecija province’s Carranglan town, disaster-response officer Mark Raymond Cano told The Associated Press.
Iran shows off homemade stealth fighter jet
AP, Tehran
Iranian defense industry leaders presented the natively-built Qaher F-313 jet during a ceremony attended by high-ranking government officials.
The jet is a stealth platform previously dismissed as a “hoax” by Western observers due to several aesthetic irregularities. It was showcased during an exhibition hosted by the Iranian Helicopter Support and Renewal Company. RT reports the plane did not fly during the demonstration.
Family see shark kill teenage daughter off Australia
AFP, Wylie Bay
A 17-year-old girl has died after being mauled by a shark in full view of her parents on Australia’s southwest coast, authorities said Tuesday.
Laeticia Brouwer was on holiday and went surfing with her father near Wylie Bay late Monday afternoon, police said. The girl had lost a leg and was bleeding heavily when she was pulled from the water and rushed to hospital in the Western Australian town of Esperance.
