BBC News with Nick Kelly.
The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has urged the Asia-Pacific nations to join together to help fight Islamic State. He was speaking after President Obama approved the deployment of additional 450 US military personnel to Anbar Province in Iraq where IS has made major gains. John Donaldson reports from Sydney.
Tony Abbott told the summit attended by ministers and officials from more than 25 nations that groups such as Islamic State had global ambitions. He described IS as a death cult with far-reaching tentacles.
“The only really effective defense against terrorism is persuading people that it’s pointless. We have to convince people that God does not demand death to the infidel.
In a video interview, he said Australia was facing a hydra-headed monster, trying to tackle online recruiting of Jihadists. The conference has also been attended by representatives from Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.
South Korea central bank has cut interest rates to a record low of 1.5%. The move is seen as an attempt to tackle the economic fallout from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS. Nine people have died. Here’s our Korea Correspondent Steve Evans.
The number of new cases is up on yesterday, but lower than it was at the end of last week. So it’s too early to say whether the outbreak is being contained. With MERS still uncontrolled, 54,000 tourists have canceled trips to South Korea. There are fears too of an economic impact as Koreans stay at home rather than going out and spending. The Governor of the Bank of Korea said his staff had monitored the economic situation over the past two weeks. And there were now concerns that consumption could fall quickly.
Late night talks on the Greek debt crisis between the leaders of France, Germany and Greece have ended with little sign of an agreement. Damian Grammaticas reports from Brussels.
This was the third time in recent weeks that leaders of France and Germany have sat late into the night searching for a deal to avert a possible Greek debt default. A German spokesman said there wasn’t agreement with Greece that negotiations over its bailout should be intensified, but that represents no progress. And as he left, the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras indicated he’s stopped his demand for some debt relief, saying Greece’s debts need to be sustainable and its economy needed to return to growth. But European leaders won’t countenance writing off debts before Greece commits to reforms.
There have been violent clashes in the Chilean capital Santiago between police and students calling for reform of the country’s education system. The police used tear gas after protesters threw stones at them. The students say the university system favors private institutions.
World News from the BBC.
Lawyers for a Texas police officer filmed confronting black teenagers aggressively at a pool party say his actions are caused by stress not racism. Video footage of Eric Casebolt pinning a girl in the bikini to the ground and pulling out a gun on other bystanders caused widespread anger in the US. He resigned from the police on Tuesday.
International talks in Germany on the new global climate deal are due to end later today amid concern of the slow progress made by negotiators. With momentum building towards a key UN climate summit in Paris in December, countries are working on options to limit greenhouse gas emissions from 2020. But delegates of the talks in Bonn have been criticized by campaigners from the charity Christian Aid for wasting time on unimportant details.
The former Brazilian international footballer Zico has confirmed that he intends to stand for election to succeed Sepp Blatter as President of FIFA. Football’s world governing body is currently engulfed in a corruption scandal. Zico is once considered one of the world’s greatest players. He said he felt it was his duty to stand for the top job.
“I think it helps the fact that I was a player who’s worked across many continents and built a history in some of them. They know my style, my attitude as an athlete, as a professional.”
Canada’s state broadcaster says it has dismissed a popular TV presenter over allegations, that he used his journalistic contacts to broker art deals and collect commission. CBC said he had breached its ethics policy and ignored the standards expected of journalists. Mr Soloman has denied any wrongdoing.
And Brazil’s Supreme Court has voted unanimously to overturn a controversial law on unauthorized biographies, which allowed the subjects to block publication. Court ruled that the law was constitutional. It was used mainly by celebrities and public figures to prevent publication of material they didn’t like.