News / News Bulletin

Former US House speaker accused of child sex abuse

Saturday, 09 April 2016 12:55 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 09 April 2016 12:55 PM ]

File photo of former US House speaker Dennis Hastert

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

An Iranian top commander says the missile capabilities are the backbone of the nation's survival and glory, and that they are non-negotiable. The second-in-command of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Brigadier-General Hossein Salami, made the comment after US Secretary of State John Kerry’s asserted willingness to hold talks on Iran’s missile program.
The UN says more than 120 Palestinians have been left homeless in the occupied West Bank due to Israeli demolitions in a single day. A UN report says 60 children were among those who lost their shelter. Israel demolished over 50 structures in the West Bank on Thursday.
The sole power plant in the besieged Gaza Strip has stopped working due to fuel shortages. The halt has resulted in power outages across the Palestinian territory. The blackout has affected water supply and hospital services. Gazan people have been grappling with Israel’s aerial and naval blockade since 2007.
Residents of Palmyra and al-Qaryatayn are returning home after the Syrian army liberated both cities from Daesh terrorists in the past two weeks. Palmyra's liberation dealt a heavy blow to the terror group which used it to connect to the eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.
Iraqi military forces have pushed Daesh terrorists out of the center of Hit, a city in the western Anbar province. They're now trying to cut off the terror group’s lifelines, laying the ground for the decisive battle to retake the northern city of Mosul.
Iran's foreign minister says the extremism and terrorism in the Middle East emanate from years of US occupation of Iraq. In an interview with Russian news agency TASS, Mohammad Javad Zarif said the aftermath of the US occupation is also threatening Central Asia and the Caucasus region.
Police brutality in the United States once again comes under the spotlight as a video emerges of a school officer body-slamming a 12-year-old girl. Janissa Valdez was thrown to the concrete floor at Rhodes Middle School in San Antonio and then taken away by the officer.
Prosecutors at the US Justice Department are seeking a six-month prison term for former House speaker Dennis Hastert over his child sexual abuse case. Government lawyers say Hastert agreed to pay 3.5 million dollars in hush-money to a victim of sexual encounters. Hastert is accused of having abused five people.