While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 8
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Handout footage from Russia reportedly shows a Russian drone attack on Ukrainian armoured vehicles outside the town of Sudzha, in Russia's Kursk region.
PHOTO: AFP
Thousands evacuated as Russia battles border incursion
Russia on Aug 7 battled a major cross-border incursion from Ukraine for a second day, the most serious attack on Russian territory by Ukraine’s forces in months that prompted both countries to evacuate several thousand civilians.
A local state of emergency was introduced in Russia’s Kursk region on the evening of Aug 7, 36 hours after Ukrainian soldiers, tanks and armoured vehicles stormed into the western border region.
Russia said it launched air and artillery firepower to repel the attack throughout Aug 7, after having rushed reinforcements to the region in a bid to halt Ukrainian advances.
After two days of fighting, both the extent of the damage and the depth of the Ukrainian advance into Russian territory was unclear - though several reports from both Ukrainian and Russian military bloggers suggested the fighters had gained several kilometres.
ISIS sympathiser eyeing Swift concerts arrested in Austria
AFP
Austrian authorities said on Aug 7 they have arrested a 19-year-old man for allegedly planning an Islamist attack in the Vienna region, in connection with concerts by US star Taylor Swift later this week.
The man, who had pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group “in recent weeks”, was detained in Lower Austria about an hour from the capital early on Aug 7, Austria’s top security chief Franz Ruf told a press conference.
“We have established corresponding preparatory acts and also that there is a focus of the 19-year-old perpetrator on the Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna,” Mr Ruf said.
US urges Israel to probe video of prison sex abuse
NYT
The United States on Aug 7 urged Israel to investigate and implement accountability after a video appeared to show soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian prisoner.
A leaked surveillance video, broadcast on Israel’s Channel 12, appeared to show soldiers picking out a prisoner at the Sde Teiman base, where Israel has been holding Palestinians detained during the Gaza war.
The Israeli soldiers seem to be performing sexual acts on the prisoner behind shields, with at least one of the troops with his hand on his own groin.
Main suspect in Johor child abduction faces charges
PHOTO: BERNAMA
The main suspect involved in the abduction of a six-year-old girl will face a total of 15 charges, said Johor police chief M. Kumar.
He added that the suspect would be brought to the Johor Bahru court and the Kulai Magistrate’s Court on Aug 8 to be charged.
On Aug 4, the suspect was re-arrested following the discovery of various sex toys, adult pornographic material, and child sexual abuse material at his residence in Kulai.
Fast-finishing Quincy Hall takes Olympic 400m gold for US
REUTERS
Quincy Hall produced an incredible late surge to overhaul Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith and take a first Olympic 400 metres gold for the United States since 2008 in another scintillating race on Aug 7.
Hudson-Smith seemed on course to win his country’s first gold over the distance since “Chariots of Fire” Eric Liddell in the Paris Games 100 years ago, but he tied up at the end and Hall swept past to win in a personal best 43.40 seconds and give the US their first triumph since LaShawn Merritt in Beijing.
Hudson-Smith bettered his own European record with 43.44 for silver and Zambia’s 21-year-old Muzala Samukonga set his second successive national record with 43.74 to take bronze.
