Headline News 2014 June 13

Militants seize new towns in Iraq Islamist militants in Iraq have seized two new towns, widening their control after threatening to move on Baghdad. The insurgents advanced into Saadiya and Jalawla in Diyala province and surrounding areas as security forces abandoned their posts. Earlier this week, militants led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant overran the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, but their advance has slowed down. The United States says it is looking at "all options", including military action, to help Iraq fight the insurgency. But the White House also insists it will not send in ground troops. Jet cruiser injuries rise to 70 in Macao Some 70 people have been injured in a jet cruiser crash in Macao. The airship en route from Hong Kong to Macao hit the southern embankment at Macao 's Outer Habor terminal. Around 70 of the 220 passengers on board sustained minor injuries. The cause of the accident remains unknown. Macao has seen a number of airship tragedies over the past years. 14 prosecuted in N. Vietnam province following May riot A total of 14 people have been prosecuted in Vietnam connected with the anti-China protests in May. Police in the northern province of Thai Binh say the 14 are accused of taking advantage of the protests to steal assets of a China-invested steel firm. In mid-May, a series of riots hit foreign companies in Vietnam, leaving four Chinese nationals brutally killed and over 300 others injured. Some 20 foreign factories were burned down in the riots. UNESCO accepts China's "comfort women" application China says the UN cultural organization UNESCO has accepted its application to register records of the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and Japan's use of 'comfort women' to its Memory of the World Register. The application has been accepted, despite strong opposition from Japan. The materials submitted in the application include a series of documents, photos and first-hand accounts of survivors of the Nanjing Massacre. The documents also include accounts of how the Japanese military conscribed so-called 'comfort women,' which is a euphemism for sexual slaves. UNESCO's Memory of the World Register was created in 1997 as a way to preserve historical documentation. Iran to resume 20 pct uranium enrichment if talks fail: official Iran has warned that it will resume high-grade uranium enrichment should talks with world powers fail to achieve a comprehensive deal over its nuclear program. Iran's senior nuclear negotiator Abbas Araqchi acknowledges that the two sides still have big differences on certain issues in the talks. He is calling for hard work, wisdom and creativity to dilute differences. But he also says if the talks fail, Iran will return to 20 percent uranium enrichment, which it agreed to suspend under an interim deal reached in November. A new round of talks between Iran and the so-called "P5+1" group is slated for next week in Vienna. Interim Thai government by August: military leader The head of the junta that took over power in Thailand last month says an interim government would be set up by August. It's the first time General Prayuth Chan-ocha has given a clear date on delegating any sort of power in the country. Prayuth also repeated that a temporary constitution would be drafted within three months. It would take at least a year until a new general election could take place. The army took power on May 22 after six months of sometimes violent street protests against the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. S. Korea reshuffles cabinet to regain public confidence South Korean President Park Geun-hye has reshuffled her cabinet to regain public confidence lost after the ferry sinking disaster. Seven ministers out of a total of 17 have been replaced, including the ministers of finance, education and public administration. It's the first major cabinet shake-up since Park took office in February last year. Her administration has been under harsh criticism for bungling the initial rescue operations after the deadly ferry disaster. Death toll in India steel plant gas tragedy rises to seven The death toll has risen to seven in Thursday's poisonous gas leak at one of India's biggest steel plants. Two more bodies have been recovered from the Bhilai Steel Plant in the central state of Chattisgarh. 40 others are receiving treatment at a local hospital where the condition of some are said to be critical. The poisonous gas leaked following an explosion in a pipeline at the plant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the tragedy and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. The steel plant was set up in 1955 with help from the Soviet Union. US soldier returns following prisoner swap The US soldier held by the Taliban for nearly five years has arrived at a Texas military base after flying in from Germany. Sgt Bowe Bergdahl was freed on May 31 in exchange for five Taliban commanders held at Guantanamo bay. The move has been criticized by the Republicans and some Democrats in the US. They have objected to the fact that Congress was not given notice of the deal and said that the Taliban detainees are too dangerous to free.