Claims Iraq bombing responsibility
ISIS claims responsibility for an attack targeting a gathering of Shiite militias in Khan Bani Saad, which is in Diyala province, about thirty five kilometers north of Baghdad. Most of the residents are Shiites. Videos posted on social media show a large swath of fire at the scene, with bodies and debris over a wide area. Several multistory buildings appeared to have been heavily damaged by the blast.
Boy beheads soldier
An Islamic State video shows a boy who seems to be no older than ten beheading of a Syrian Officer in the ancient city of Palmyra. This is the first time the Islamic State has publicly filmed one of its young recruits beheading a captive.
Cajon Pass fire jumps highway, burns cars
After destroying several homes with the potential to spread to at least 50 more homes, a fast moving wildfire jumps the 15 freeway setting over 20 vehicles on fire as it advances through the Cajon Pass. At this time more than 3,500 are burning and the 15 freeway has been completely shut down. Multiple casualties have been reported. Spokesman:
Seventy to 80 vehicles were left on the pavement, some without keys. The agency was trying to get the vehicles out of the fire’s path, but officers were awaiting tow trucks from the Victorville area.
350,000 evacuated
The Japanese government has requested 350,000 people in the storm’s direct path to evacuate, due to maximum storm gusts of 126 kilometers per hour. Two people have died and 39 people have been injured, and domestic flight have been grounded due to torrential rain and high winds.
Amnicola Highway attack
About eight miles away, and 30 minutes later, Abdulazeez opens fire on a recruiting center in, Amnicola Highway, Chattanooga. Four marines are killed, and Abdulazeez is killed.
Lee Highway recruitment center attack
Abdulazeez opens fire from a white Ford Mustang on a military recruiting office on Lee Highway, Chattanooga. Witnesses say one man is shot in the back of the leg, but there are no fatalities. Witness:
I looked out of our window and I seen the guy in his car, a silver Mustang, drop top, a white guy and he had a high-powered rifle and was just firing shots into the Air Force, Navy and Marines office. I don’t even know how many shots he fired, but it was a lot. … After he got done opening fire, he pulled out really quick.
Explosion video
A witness captures a huge explosion at a petrochemical plant in east China’s Shandong province on Thursday. Reports say that more than 200 firefighters and 40 fire trucks are battling the fire after tanks containing liquefied hydrocarbon leaked and caused the blast. The plant is situated in Rizhao.
27 pilgrims killed in stampede
At least 27 pilgrims die in a stampede in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh while gathering at the Godavari river at the start of the Maha Pushkaralu festival. Pilgrims believe that taking a bath in the river will rid them of their sins. Police:
The incident happened as the first set of worshipers were coming out of the river after taking a dip and then got in the way of others who wanted to be in the water at an auspicious time. It was a frightening situation, with women and children crying for help. The policemen on duty were helpless and it took more than an hour to bring the situation under control.
U.S. airstrike kills leader
A U.S. airstrike kills Abu Kahlil al-Sudani, a high-ranking commander in al Qaeda, in the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika on the Pakistani border. Al-Sudani was the head of al Qaeda’s suicide and explosive operations and has been directly linked to plans for external attacks against the U.S. Defense Secretary Carter:
This operation underscores the work that . . . all of our forces in Afghanistan do each day to take the fight to al Qaeda. We will continue to counter violent extremism in the region and around the world.
Suicide bomber kills 15
A man dressed in a burqa blows himself up in the main market of the capital N’Djamena, killing 15 people and injuring 80. No group claims responsibility, but Chad blames Boko Haram. Police:
The suicide bomber was a man disguised in a burqa. He tried to enter the market when he was intercepted by police. That is when he detonated the bomb.
One dies in bomb blast
A car bomb explodes outside the Italian Consulate in Cairo. One person is reported dead. At least nine are injured. A few foreign journalists are detained on suspicion, but are released. Italian foreign minister:
There were no Italian victims in the blast.
CDC security failures
A report shows CDC fails to prevent power outages between January 2013 and July 2014, leading to staff evacuation to prevent pathogen exposure. The report indicates one incident in Building 23 of Atlanta, Georgia where a lightning strike lead to airflow failures, the inability to open hallway doors, and loss of phone communication. The report also includes instances of worker pathogen exposure by needles, maintenance workers opening doors to restricted areas, and malfunctions in gear that protect scientists from pathogens. However, the report lacks comprehensive details. Biosafety Consultant:
This is not a comprehensive list. I look at these documents, and it’s very clear to me that leadership has not defined for the workforce what is a reportable incident or accident.
Colorado Representative:
It is unacceptable that the CDC, our nation’s premier institution committed to preventing the spread of infectious disease, has not resolved these problems after years of oversight and attention. It is more vital than ever that the CDC, from leadership on down, commit to a strategy that will prevent future lapses in safety.
WHO can’t handle Epidemics
A 28 page report by a panel led by Dame Stocking says the World Health Organisation unable to handle public health emergencies judging from its performance in the Ebola epidemic. The report suggests fault in WHO’s financial preparedness, reliance on diplomacy, and lack of decisive actions by director general Chan. Furthermore, the report recommends regional and country representatives to play a more active role in pushing their governments to take immediate action to epidemics; this is in response to WHO’s delayed declaration of an Ebola crisis only after the death of 1,000 people.
WHO does not currently possess the capacity or organisational culture to deliver a full emergency public health response.
WHO accepts the report’s criticism and prepares improvements to its workforce and financial reserves. Medecins Sans Frontieres Dr. Liu:
The question is how will this translate into real action on the ground in future outbreaks?
13-year-old suicide bomber killed
A girl aged about 13 is killed when explosives strapped to her body goes off near a major mosque in northern Nigeria’s largest city Kano. No one else is caught up in the blast. Police:
She blew up killing herself. Nobody else was hurt in the incident, It’s very likely the mosque was her target, but the explosives went off prematurely.
66 passengers rescued
Firefighters rescue 66 people from The Eye after it wheel stops working due to a computer malfunction. Passengers are stuck for three hours while park officials revert to a backup generator that slowly moves the ride’s gondolas to the platform, two at a time. Rescuers then climb in through hatches at the top of each gondola, using a special tool to open the doors and help the passengers escape. There are no injuries.
Ferry capsizes
36 people die after a boat capsizes near the central Philippines. The 27 meter boat is carrying 173 passengers and had just left the shore when it capsizes in high winds. Red Cross staff are on the pier in Ormoc assisting those who make it back to shore with blankets and meals.
A380 grounded
A Qantas A380 flight is grounded in Los Angeles following a failure in its hydraulic system. There appears to be a contamination of the fluid in the system. Engineers find thick contaminants clogging the filters. Passengers are being flown back in a Boeing 747 and alternative arrangements are being made till the problem is sorted.
C-130 crash, 89 killed
Military personnel and their family members, civilians and some students are among the passengers on-board a C-130 Hercules plane that departs from Soewondo Air Force Base in Medan, Indonesia, and crashes into a busy road five miles into the flight, near a residential neighborhood. 86 bodies have been recovered from the crash site. The plane took off with 122 people aboard, 110 passengers and 12 crew members.
Rocket explodes after launch
A SpaceX rocket on a mission to resupply the International Space Station explodes two minutes and thirty seconds into its flight from Cape Canaveral Florida. The Falcon 9 is carrying about 5,000 pounds of cargo for the space station’s astronauts, including a docking port that would allow future crew missions to dock with the station more easily. The launch was planned to be been the third attempt to land the first-stage booster safely on a barge in the Atlantic ocean. Initial reports said the vehicle had an “anomaly on ascent”, with Musk reporting that the craft experienced a problem shortly before first-stage shutdown related to an “over-pressure event in the upper-stage liquid oxygen tank”. NASA:
SpaceX has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first six cargo resupply missions to the station, and we know they can replicate that success. We will work with and support SpaceX to assess what happened, understand the specifics of the failure and correct it to move forward. This is a reminder that spaceflight is an incredible challenge, but we learn from each success and each setback.
Three die in crash
A tractor-trailer, two SUVs, and a pickup truck are involved in an accident that kills three people. The Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office identifies the victims as 31-year-old John Daniel Fink, his 9-year-old son, James Landon Fink, and Donna Renee Bailey. The Fink’s are from Zirconia, North Carolina. Ms. Bailey lived in Marysville, Tennessee.