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As many as 47 people are reported dead and 113 wounded as bombs and shooting erupted across Iraq Sunday. Baghdad and Baquba, particularly, each sustained multiple blasts. The United Nations says violence in Iraq July killed over 1,000 people, more than in any other month since 2008. Sunni militants are reportedly gaining strength in Iraq. Amongst the incidents: A car bomb near a Baquba housing complex killed 11 and wounded 34, according to police. Military sources said five soldiers were killed at a fake checkpoint near Qiyara, north of Ba

German non-profit organization Definetz announced on Friday the development of the 'Defikopter': a medical drone, launched by smartphone app, designed to be able to fly defibrillators to heart attack victims in remote areas quicker than an ambulance. The Defikopter is to be launched by an app that sends out the GPS coordinates of the victim. With the ability to fly at 70km per hour in all weather conditions, the eight-armed octocopter could reach any patient within a ten kilometre radius. The invention has received cautious praise from Germa

At least five people have died and sixteen were injured in a train derailment in Tabasco, Mexico yesterday, according to the director of Tabasco civil protection. The cargo train is often used by migrants. The derailment occurred at approximately 3:00 a.m local time (8:00 a.m UTC), with eight of the twelve cars overturning. The state government reported that at least 250 Honduras citizens were traveling on the train, which had a scrap metal cargo. The train company and rescue workers continue to search the wreckage and treat survivors, but th

According to state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), during a battle with rebels yesterday the Syrian army seized a stockpile of chemicals, canisters, weapons and gear located in a warehouse tunnel in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus. In a post on the social networking website Twitter, SANA claims some soldiers involved in the battle were exposed to some kind of chemical agent and in some cases "suffocated," but the number of those killed, if any, was not reported. "Army heroes are entering the tunnels of the terrorists and saw chemical agents",

42 or more people have died, the Lebanese health ministry says, and over 500 wounded, from two car bomb explosions yesterday in the largely Sunni Muslim Lebanese city of Tripoli. The blasts occurred outside of the Taqwa and al-Salam mosques while hundreds of worshipers were gathered for Friday noon prayer. There has been reportedly no claim for responsibility as yet. The first explosion, near the Taqwa mosque, reportedly occurred at 1:50pm local time (1050 UTC) killing 14 or more. The second, in which further deaths were reported, was caused

After the Syrian government denied the army used chemical weapons against the densely populated eastern Ghouta region of Damascus on Wednesday, armed forces heavily bombed the neighborhood yesterday. Reports say anywhere between 100 and 1,300 people were killed in Wednesday's alleged chemical attack, but there are no reports of injuries or deaths in yesterday's bombings. Many of those killed appeared to be children. Some of the pictures and video coming out of the country don't show blood and dismembered bodies, but instead show, according to

New Zealand yesterday legalised same-sex marriage, with a surge in marriage applications, according to New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealand is now the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to legalise same-sex marriage, and the fourteenth country to do so worldwide. After passing a bill in April of this year, the New Zealand parliament amended the country’s previous marriage act that had stood since 1955. The bill was approved with a majority vote of 77 to 44 in favour of amending the marriage act to allow same-sex marr

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif put all state executions on hold on Sunday, having been urged to do so by President Asif Ali Zardari. "In due deference to the wish of the president, it has been desired that all executions of death sentences may be held in abeyance till the discussion takes place," a statement from the government said. Information Minister Pervaiz Rasheed on Sunday said Sharif and Zardari will meet when the President returns to Pakistan from a trip, to discuss state execution in Pakistan. More than 8000 Pakistani prisone

Cotton Tree Oval, Maroochydore, Queensland — Noosa won its way into the Sunshine Coast Rugby Union Grand Final yesterday at Cotton Tree Oval, Maroochydore, Australia. They achieved this in all three grades — Under 19s, Reserve grade, and A-grade. Their opponents — Caboolture, Maleny, and Maroochydore respectively — now play the winner of the minor semi final at Sunshine Beach next Saturday, while Noosa go straight to the August 31 Grand Final. In the Under 19s, top-place Noosa defeated second placed Caboolture 28 points to 7 after leading 21–

The Indian Navy has said that two explosions yesterday on INS Sindhurakshak, a Russian-built Kilo-class submarine, have trapped up to eighteen of its sailors. Navy officials have warned the families of trapped sailors to "prepare for the worst". The stricken vessel sank in its berth in Mumbai with only a small portion still visible on the surface. The cause of the explosion is still unclear. A fire that started as a result of the explosions has been brought under control and other sailors that managed to escaped received attention from emerge

Tirunesh Dibaba won her first World Championship title in six years, coming first in the 10,000 meter race at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, Russia last night. Dibaba finished with a time of 30 minutes and 43.37 seconds, giving her the third World Championship victory of her career. Dibaba’s victory last night ended a six-year drought for the athlete on the World Championships stage, having been unable to win a World Championship title since 2007. In that period of time, Dibaba had more luck in the Olympics, winning the 10,000 meter f

Immigration policy and same-sex marriage have been among the issues discussed in the first debate that took place yesterday between Australian Prime Minister and Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd and Liberal leader Tony Abbott. In the lead-up to the federal election on September 7, both leaders were focused on refugee policy with Abbott attacking Rudd for failing to effectively protect the country’s borders by disbanding border protection agreements implemented by the previous Liberal government. "It's because Mr. Rudd closed it all down that we