Monday

October 26, 2015

Armed conflicts and attacks

A suicide-bomb attack at a Shia mosque in the Saudi Arabian city of Najran accounts for over a dozen casualties. (BBC)

Syrian Civil War

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports at least 120,000 people have been displaced in Syria this month because of fighting. These displaced Syrians need tents, basic household items, food, water and sanitation services. The agency's humanitarian partners are scaling up their response. (AP)

Spillover of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey–ISIL conflict

Four Islamic State militants and two Turkish policemen are killed during a raid on a house used by militants in the city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. Four other police officers were injured. (AP via Fox News) (Reuters)

Russian military intervention in the Syrian Civil War

According to the Wall Street Journal an official from the Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed it has deployed special forces to Syria over the past weeks supporting its mission to back-up the Bashar al-Assad regime. Alleged Russian Defence Ministry official added that the special forces, who are "akin to the Delta Force of the United States", had been operating in pro-Russian rebel held areas of Ukraine before being called off to Syria. (Business Insider) (The Wall Street Journal)

Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)

At least 50 people are killed, including seven civilians, in heavy fighting between Houthi rebels and forces loyal to ousted President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi near the city of Taiz. (Al-Jazeera)

Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017), American-led intervention in Iraq, Syrian Civil War, American-led intervention in Syria

United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter indicates a more robust role ahead for the United States military in bolstering indigenous forces countering ISIS and in response to Russia’s increasing role in Middle East conflicts. (WSJ)

Colombian conflict (1964–present)

At least 11 Colombian Army soldiers and one policeman have been killed in an ELN attack in northeast Colombia. (Colombia Reports)

Business

MTN Group is fined $5.2 billion by the Nigerian Communications Commission for failing to disconnect non-registered SIM cards. (BBC)

Toyota is once again the world's largest carmaker with 7.5 million units sold thus far in 2015, compared to Volkswagen's 7.43 million and General Motors' 7.2 million. (BBC)

Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone announced it would buy US auto parts retailer Pep Boys for $835 million. (Reuters)

Duke Energy announced it would buy Piedmont Natural Gas for $4.9 billion. (Reuters)

USAA, one of the largest financial services companies in the U.S., announced the ending of its long-term relationship with MasterCard. The tenth-largest credit card issuer in the U.S. will replace the old credit cards with Visa cards next year. (WSJ)