Friday

November 20, 2015

Armed conflicts and attacks

A newly released ISIS video threatens attacks on the White House in the U.S., monuments in France, U.S. President Obama, French President François Hollande, and targets in Italy. (Reuters) (CNN)

Military intervention against ISIL

Cyprus offers France the use of its airbase facilities to bomb the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria. Cypriot airbases are already being used by British and Canadian air forces for military operations. (The Guardian)

Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War

Russian warships launch cruise missiles from the Caspian Sea against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant positions in Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor. Russian Defense Minister, Sergey Shoigu, reported over 600 terrorists were killed in the strikes. Video footage also emerged of Russian ground crew servicemen writing the words "For Paris" on bombs to be dropped on ISIL targets in a show of solidarity with France in the wake of the November 13 terror attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris. (RT) (Sky News)

2015 Bamako hotel attack

Ten gunmen storm the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel in the Malian capital Bamako, taking 170 hostages with at least 27 people killed. The grenade-toting assailants free captives who are able to recite the Quran. The hotel is "often used" by Air France staff. (France 24)[permanent dead link] (NBC News) (The New York Daily News) (Reuters via Yahoo! News)

Mali security forces launch an assault on the gunmen and all surviving hostages are freed. (UPI) (BBC)

Mali declares a 10-day state of emergency following the attack. (i24 News)

African militant jihadist organization Al-Murabitoun and al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claim responsibility. (CNN) (Reuters)

Xinjiang conflict

Chinese security forces have killed 28 members of a supposed terrorist group in the mainly ethnic Uyghur Xinjiang region. (BBC)

November 2015 Paris attacks

Officials report three people died in the Saint-Denis raid. The body of a second woman is found at the apartment where a woman and Paris attacks ringleader Abdelhamid Abaaoud were killed. (Sky News)

The French Senate approves President François Hollande's request to extend the state of emergency until the end of February 2016. The National Assembly passed the three-month extension yesterday. (AP) (Radio France Internationale)

Fugitive ISIS gunman Salah Abdeslam called three friends saying he is hiding in the Brussels area and is desperately trying to get to ISIS territory in Syria. He said local ISIS members are unhappy with him since he failed to detonate his suicide vest. His brother Mohamed Abdeslam has publicly pleaded with Salah to turn himself in. (ABC News)

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)

Two attacks on security checkpoints by ISIS militants in Yemen's historic Shibam town and Al Qatn District in the central Hadhramaut Governorate leave at least 15 pro-Hadi government soldiers dead. (The National)

Art and culture

A New York City businesswoman, who wanted to bring a "grander scale" to her yearly charitable giving, bought a toy store's entire inventory to donate to homeless kids. (UPI)

The world’s second-largest diamond of gem quality, Karowe AK6, is found in the Karowe mine located north of the Botswanan capital Gaborone by the Lucara Diamond Corp. The 1,111-carat diamond is second only to the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond (Star of Africa) found in South Africa in 1905. (Forbes)