(By Bonny Apunyu)

Up to 450 additional U.S military personnel will be sent to Iraq to train local forces combating Islamic State militants, the White House has said. Xinhua reported Wednesday that U.S President Barack Obama has authorized the deployment of up to 450 additional troops to train, advise, and assist Iraqi Security Forces at Taqaddum military base in Iraq's Anbar province, aiming to improve the capabilities and effectiveness of partners on the ground, the White House said in a statement.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

Police in Sweden have arrested two 13-year-old boys in connection to the  murder of a 65-year-old man on a farm in southwestern Sweden, AFP reported Wednesday.

Sweden’s police investigator Cecilia Bergsten  reportedly said in a statement that "It's highly unusual that such young people are suspected of such a serious crime as murder,"

(Bonny Apunyu)

Several UN agencies have warned that some 20 million people in Yemen urgently need humanitarian assistance, as the conflict continues to take its toll in what was already the poorest country in the region, UN News Centre reported Monday.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

Sunstroke has killed at least 40 people over the past few days in the eastern Indian state of Orissa, said officials on Monday. Xinhua reported that  India’s capital Delhi registered an average of 42 degrees Celsius on Monday, and hot weather was also reported in many other parts of the country despite the arrival of the Monsoon rains in south India last weekend.

Meanwhile, at least 2,360 have died of heat wave across India since late May, mostly in south eastern India, Xinhua reported  officials as saying.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

A UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Monday that  nearly 1,000 civilians were killed in Afghan conflict during the first four months of this year, according to Xinhua.The UN official reportedly added that the Afghan  conflict has injured many others while forcing families to leave their homes and seek refuge in neighboring communities.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

A local police in Montana said on Monday that a man shot dead his wife and three young children, then set fire to the family’s rural cabin before committing suicide, according to Reuters.

Before the bizarre event, authorities in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County were reportedly alerted on Sunday morning after the shooter called an acquaintance and said he planned to kill his family, and himself.

“The home is located in a remote, rugged area, and we didn’t immediately know where it was,” said Anaconda-Deer Lodge Police Chief Tim Barkell.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

Members of the G7, formerly G8 before the exclusion of Russia, arrived Sunday in Germany to begin a two-day summit where U.S President, Barack Obama is expected to tackle issues of Russia and Islamic State.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

At least 431 deaths have been confirmed as of 11 a.m. Sunday from a Chinese cruise ship that capsized on the Yangtze River. Xinhua reported that only 14 people have been found alive so far, while another 11 people remain missing, according to the rescue headquarters in Jianli, central China's Hubei Province.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Sunday in Turkey to elect the 550 parliament members with Xinhua saying the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) looks to a fourth consecutive election win.

(By Bonny Apunyu)

At least 3,480 people had been rescued on Saturday as of 11 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) across the Mediterranean, the Italian Coast Guard officer said, according to BBC. According to reports, European naval ships rushed to help thousands of migrants stranded at sea. BBC quoted an Italian coast guard officer as saying about a dozen ships from several countries, along with at least one private ship, were involved in rescue operations at four locales.