Facebok-news Japan scrambles jets over Chinese flight

Japan says it scrambled fighter jets on Sunday after eight Chinese military aircraft flew between Japanese islands. The planes, thought to be bombers, surveillance planes and one fighter jet, flew along the Miyako Straits, between Okinawa and Miyakojima. China said about 40 of its aircraft had been involved in what it said was a routine drill. The planes did...

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The Malaysian 'Pokemon soft toy uncle' rescued by the internet

It began as just another heartbreaking story on the internet of an elderly, cancer-stricken soft toy seller left despairing after a mystery buyer never showed up to collect a bulk order of toys. This is what happened. 'Uncle David' has a regular spot peddling soft toys For the last 15 years, a man known affectionately as "Uncle David" has frequented a corner of the Malaysian...

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Charlotte police under mounting pressure to release video

Officials in Charlotte, North Carolina, are fending off mounting pressure to release video of a fatal shooting. Family members of Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American man who was shot by a black officer, were allowed to watch the footage on Thursday. Their lawyers say they want the video to be made public because it raises "more questions than answers". He was the...

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Syria conflict: UN suspends all aid after convoy hit

The UN has suspended all aid convoys in Syria after a devastating air attack on its lorries near Aleppo on Monday. The strikes destroyed 18 of the 31 lorries, which were bringing wheat, clothes and medical kit to the area. A senior local official of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent was among about 20 civilians killed, aid officials said. The convoy had received proper permits,...

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Australian PM 'read riot act' to missing ministers

Australia's prime minister has said he "read the riot act" to three ministers after they went home early, meaning his government lost a series of votes. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's conservative coalition holds a majority of one seat in the parliament. The opposition Labor Party came within a single vote of calling for a royal commission into Australian banks. Coming...

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News-Hurricane Hermine becomes first to hit Florida in 11 years

Hurricane Hermine has made landfall in northern Florida, becoming the first hurricane to hit the state in 11 years. Hermine hit the Florida Gulf Coast early on Friday as a category one hurricane, bringing with it a heavy storm surge. Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 51 counties as residents were braced for the dangerous storm. Wind gusts reached...

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Croc of gold: Kenya's booming crocodile farm industry

If you are working in an enclosure full of crocodiles, don't turn your back on them to answer your mobile phone. Sadly that is what one member of staff did in May at Collins Mueke's crocodile farm in eastern Kenya. "He was talking on his phone not aware of his surroundings," says Mr Mueke, 62. "He died while getting treatment in hospital. "Another worker lost his index...

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SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch

A rocket operated by the aerospace company SpaceX has exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral where it was being test-fired ahead of a launch. In a statement, the company blamed the blast on "an anomaly" and said no-one had been injured. It said the rocket's payload, a satellite due to be launched on Saturday, was also destroyed. The force of the blast shook buildings...

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Venezuela prepares for huge opposition march in Caracas

Venezuelan opposition leaders have called on their supporters to gather in the capital on Thursday for what they have dubbed the "Takeover of Caracas". Their goal is to put pressure on the electoral authorities to allow a recall referendum this year, aimed at ousting President Nicolas Maduro. The country is in a deep economic crisis which the opposition blames on government...

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Explosion at Kennedy Space Center as SpaceX prepares launch

here has been an explosion on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where the aerospace company SpaceX was readying a rocket for launch. The cause of the blast is not clear and it is not known if anyone was hurt. Pictures from the scene show a huge plume of smoke rising above the complex. SpaceX has used its Falcon-9 rocket to take supplies to the International...

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