Saturday

January 16, 2016

Arts and culture

From the Diocese of Tonga, Catholic Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi is welcomed at the Co-Cathedral of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus in Honolulu, Hawaii. Appointed by Pope Francis, Mafi is the first and youngest cardinal from the small South Pacific nation of Tonga. (Hawaii Catholic Herald)

Armed conflicts and attacks

Two Australians, a doctor and his wife, have been abducted in northern Burkina Faso. The Al Qaeda-linked, Mali-based "Emirate of the Sahara" is responsible, according to SITE. (AP) (AFP via Yahoo! News)

2016 Ouagadougou attacks

Burkina Faso security forces storm the Hotel Splendid which had been under attack by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb militants. Over 126 people have been freed and at least 29 people have died. (AP via the Daily Mail) (BBC) (CNN) (AFP via Daily Star)

At least 10 bodies have also been found in the Cappucino cafe which was also attacked by the militants. (AP via Miami Herald)

2016 Jakarta attacks

Indonesia blocks access to radical Islamist websites and social media sites after the recent terror attacks in Jakarta. (Reuters)

Syrian Civil War

2016 Deir ez-Zor massacre

At least 75 Syrian Army soldiers and pro-Assad militiamen are killed following a multi-front attack on the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports ISIL fighters had advanced into the northern tip of Deir ez-Zor city, and captured the suburb of Al-Baghaliyeh. The pro-government Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reports that government forces had repelled an attack on the city leaving dozens of militants dead. (AFP via the Daily Mail)

Hundreds of civilians are reportedly killed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants throughout the city of Deir ez-Zor. Syria's state news agency SANA, quoting residents, said "around 300 civilians" were killed. If confirmed it would be one of the deadliest days in Syria's nearly five-year war. (AFP via Yahoo!)

Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen, Drone strikes in Yemen

A U.S. drone strike on a vehicle in Yemen's Shabwah Governorate kills three suspected Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) militants. (The Guardian)