Portal:Current events/2015 October 3

Current events of October 3, 2015 (2015-10-03) (Saturday)

Armed conflicts and attacks Syrian Civil War, Foreign involvement in the Syrian Civil War The Obama Administration weighs the option of using military force to protect the U.S.-backed rebels fighting the Assad regime. (Fox News) British Defense Secretary Michael Fallon says only five percent of Russia's airstrikes in Syria have targeted Islamic State extremists. Instead, other Syrian rebel groups, including the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, have been attacked. "Our evidence indicates they are dropping unguided munitions in civilian areas, killing civilians," Fallon added. (Voice of America), (Reuters) War in Afghanistan (2015–present) A prolonged series of American military airstrikes hit a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Kunduz, killing twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, with 37 seriously injured and many more people still missing. (MSF), (The Washington Post), (Reuters) Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ISIL claims responsibility for the killing of a 65-year-old Japanese citizen in Bangladesh. This attack comes after the recent murder of an Italian, Cesare Tavella, in Bangladesh, which was also claimed by ISIL. (Al Arabiya) Disasters and accidents Hurricane Joaquin As Hurricane Joaquin, still a Category 3 storm, heads northeast, a Tropical Storm Warning and a Hurricane Watch are in effect for Bermuda. Winds will begin to strengthen early Saturday with thunderstorms and more significant showers around midnight. Joaquin should turn toward the north-northeast Sunday and pass around 125 nautical miles (232 kilometres; 144 miles) west of Bermuda that evening. (WCVB5 Boston), (NHC), (Bermuda Royal Gazette) Joaquin's eastward turn away from the United States could send the storm across the Atlantic Ocean toward the United Kingdom. Current weather models predict Joaquin, powered by the jet stream, will reach the British Isles on the October 10th weekend. (Daily Mail), (Daily Express) A double-decker bus crashes into a Sainsbury's supermarket in Coventry city center killing two people, including an eight-year-old boy; six others are also seriously hurt, including the bus driver according to West Midlands Police. (BBC) Sports 2015 Rugby World Cup England becomes the first host nation and first former finalist to be knocked out of the Rugby World Cup during the group stages following their defeat to Australia. (BBC)