Hello, I'm Jerry Smit.
The Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the United Nations general assembly that it will be a huge mistake not to cooperate with the Syrian President Bashar Assad to defeat Islamic State militants. President Obama said the United States was prepared to work with any nation to end the conflict in Syria. But he talked of a managed transition away from Mr. Assad. Here is our Middle East editor Jeremy Bryon.
“It's clear now that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is determined to take the initiative on the war in Syria,especially the fight against the Jihadists of Islamic State. And in his speech of the UN, President Putin said Russia would push for a resolution to coordinate the fight against the IS. But in a speech in latest with rebukes to Russia, President Obama told the general assembly that President Assad had no part of Syria's longer term future.”
Speaking at the UN, President Obama says its peacekeepers remained one of the world's most important tools to address armed conflict. And more nations needed to bear the burden of providing troops. “At this summit, more than 50 countries, from Bangladesh to Colombia, from Finland to China, are making commitments total in more than 30, 000 new troops and police.And they’re serving up with critical contributions like medical units,helicopters and capabilities to counter IEDs( Improvised Explosive Devices ) which will help peacekeepers be able to stay safe and succeed in their missions.”
The Taliban in Afghanistan say they have captured the government headquarters in the northern city of Konduz and are advancing towards the city's airport. A senior government official confirmed the headquarters had fallen. Johnny Dymond reports.
“Around dawn, Taliban fighters attacked Konduz from three directions. After the initial assault, one resident says that they were told the battle was over. But by late afternoon,the Taliban banner was flying in the city's main square. A spokesman said that they had taken the governor’s house and were marching on the airport. Thepolice say that half the city is in Taliban hands. The Afghan government is sending reinforcements. But if the Taliban dig in, they will be difficult to dislodge.”
NASA says it's obtained the strongest evidence yet that water flows on the surface of Mars. Images from the Mars reconnaissance orbiter have found the long gullies inside crates and slopes are most likely to have been formed by salty water with rounds along the surface to this day. The latest study says different kinds of salts have been identified in these channels which by melting ice could enable it to flow.
News from the BBC.
Reports from the Central African Republic say several hundred inmates have escaped from the main prison in the capital Bangui. The Security Services says there was no one left at the Ngaragba jail. Earlier, United Nations peacekeepers fired shots in the air to disperse thousands of protesters calling for the rearming of the military and resignation of President Catherine Samba-Panza.
The military in Burkina Faso says members of the presidential guard that staged a short live coup earlier this month are refusing to lay down their weapons. The joint chief of staff issued a statement saying the disarmament process had reached an impasse. Last week, the army agreed to withdraw from the capital while members of the presidential guard were supposed to be disarmed.
Officials in the eastern Indian state of Assam say as many as 50 people may have drowned after an overcrowded riverboat hit a bridge and capsized. Survivors said more than 20 people were trapped below deck.
A search has begun for the lost tomb of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. The British archaeologist Nicholas Reeves believes he's detected the outline of two doors hidden behind the decoration of the wall to the tomb Tutankhamun. Alan Johnston has more details.
“Doctor Reeves reckons that Tutankhamun was buried in what amounts to an entrance way to the tomb of Nefertiti, the woman who was his stepmother. So this raises a question,did the great archaeologist Howard Carter, who discovered Tutankhamun’s grave,actually miss what would probably have been a much greater prize, the resting place of the famous queen. For now, Doctor Reeves' theory is just that. But soon when he's put his radar, sonar and other equipment to work, we'll find out whether he has indeed made what would be one of the greatest archaeological finds of our time.”