In the US, her children could have "played under the sun". But trapped in Syria's Eastern Ghouta, Michigan native Deana Lynn and her eight children are living out a nightmare underground.
At 44, US-born Lynn has spent nearly half of her life in Douma, a sprawling town at the heart of the now-infamous Ghouta suburbs, east of the Syrian capital.
Air raids and rocket and artillery fire have pounded Ghouta for more than a month as Syrian troops, their Russian ally and loyalist militia battle to capture the last rebel bastion on the doorstep of Damascus.
Douma, where Lynn lives with her Syrian husband, children, and grandchildren, has been hit hard.
"Now, we're living under bombardment daily, every day. My children are in a state of hysteria," she tells AFP in her living room, where thick green curtains block out sunlight and the boom of bombardment can be heard.
"The children are screaming. The parents are screaming. When the bomb comes close, it's just terrible," says Lynn, in a ...

American mother in Syria's Ghouta urges Trump to 'do something'

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Austria's foreign ministry has summoned an attache from its embassy in Israel after he posted a picture of himself on social media wearing a T-shirt bearing the name of a Nazi tank division.
A screenshot of the post on Juergen-Michael Kleppich's Facebook page shows him in the green shirt with the words "Stand your ground" and "Frundsberg", the Falter weekly reported.
The last name of Georg von Frundsberg, who was a mercenary in the 15th century, was used by the Nazis during World War II for its 10th SS Panzer division.
The garment is sold by Phalanx Europa, an online shop that sells "patriotic" clothing for followers of the nativist Identitarian movement.
The episode is the latest embarrassment for a member of the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) since it came to power in December in a coalition with the centre-right People's Party.
Kleppich, who is also an FPOe local councillor in a district of Vienna, had previously posted a photo of his grandfather in a Nazi uniform, complete with ...

Austrian diplomat summoned from Israel over 'Nazi' shirt

The Vatican's communications chief resigned today amid controversy over the release of a letter by retired pope Benedict XVI about Pope Francis.
"After carefully reflecting and thinking over the reasons for your request... I respect your decision and I accept with some difficulty your resignation," the pope wrote to Monsignor Dario Vigano in a letter made public by the Vatican.

Vatican communications chief quits amid Benedict letter row

The EU today approved the proposed blockbuster buyout of US agri-giant Monsanto by German chemical firm Bayer after securing concessions in order to win approval.
"We have approved Bayer's plans to take over Monsanto because the parties' remedies, worth well over 6 billion euros (USD 7.4 billion), meet our competition concerns in full," said Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, the EU's anti-trust chief.
Brussels launched an in-depth investigation in August into the USD 66 billion (56-billion-euro) deal, which would create the world's largest integrated pesticides and seeds company and raised alarm among activists.
The European Commission, which serves as the powerful anti-trust regulator for the 28-nation European Union, at the time cited concerns it could reduce competition in key products for farmers.
Brussels made the decesion despite opposition by environmentalists who fear that the deal gives too much power to the world's leading manufacturers of genetically modified organisms ...

EU greenlights controversial Bayer-Monsanto takeover

Jordi Sanchez, a separatist civic leader in jail over his alleged role in Catalonia's secession bid, has dropped his bid to lead the region, the Catalan parliamentary speaker said today.
"Faced with the repeated violation of his fundamental rights... the lawmaker Jordi Sanchez sent me a letter announcing he was renouncing his candidacy," Roger Torrent said in a televised statement.

Jailed Catalan separatist Sanchez drops leadership bid

The British ambassador will snub a meeting that the Russia foreign ministry called to explain Moscow's view on the poisoning of an ex-double agent in England, the embassy said today.
"The ambassador will not be attending the meeting," Zeenat Khanche, spokeswoman for the British embassy in Moscow, told AFP.
Instead, the diplomatic mission considered sending to the meeting an official at the "working level," added Khanche, declining to provide further details.
The head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Russia will also not attend because "he is not the country," its  spokeswoman, Luca Eszter Kadar, told AFP.
Instead, his deputy, Sven-Olov Carlsson, will attend the gathering, she said.
On Tuesday, Moscow had invited all ambassadors to Russia to a meeting with foreign ministry experts to hear Russia's views on the poisoning of a former double agent in England.
Vladimir Yermakov, director of the ministry's non-proliferation and arms control department, will brief foreign ...

British ambassador to snub Moscow meeting on spy attack: embassy

The Kremlin said today the absence of the British ambassador from a Moscow meeting over the poisoning of a Russian double agent in the UK showed London's unwillingness to "hear answers".
"Perhaps this is another eloquent demonstration of the absurdity of the situation when questions are being asked but the unwillingness to hear some answers is being shown," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The British embassy said earlier that its ambassador will not attend the meeting called by the Russian foreign ministry to explain Moscow's view on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter earlier this month.

Kremlin slams UK's 'unwillingness to hear answers' over spy poisoning

Google has launched a new initiative, committing USD 300 million to help news publishers get more paid subscribers while stemming the flow of misinformation.
The internet giant described the Google News Initiative as part of an "effort to help journalism thrive in the digital age."
The announcement in New York followed a series of commitments to help the troubled sector by Google, which has been accused by some in the news industry of sapping revenues from the digital ecosystem.
"I have always believed that the future of Google and the  future of our publishing partners were linked,"Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler said in announcing the initiative.
"If you are not successful, we are not successful."
Google will enable its users to subscribe to news sites in as little as two clicks through their Google accounts, and will step up efforts to help news organizations add paying subscribers.
The initiative was developed with some 60 media partners including the Washington ...

oogle boosts efforts to help news organizations, with USD 300 mn

Two Reuters journalists reached their 100th day in detention in Myanmar today as pre-trial hearings drag on over charges under the Official Secrets Act in a case that has incensed global opinion.
Myanmar nationals Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, attended their 11th pre-trial date at the Yangon court that could jail them for up to 14 years if the pair are convicted over the possession of classified documents.
The courthouse was packed with family members, media and diplomats offering their support to the detainees as they listened to Wa Lone's younger brother make an impassioned defence of his sibling.
"He is a good man in my family and he works hard," Thura Aung said, adding that his brother "helps people and teaches children".
The reporters had been investigating the killing by security forces and ethnic Rakhine locals of 10 unarmed Rohingya Muslim men in the country's crisis-hit northern Rakhine State.
The army has acknowledged extradjudicial killings took place of the Rohingya ...

Reuters journalists clock up 100 days in jail in Myanmar

A man being sought over the Austin parcel bombings blew himself up today inside his car as police moved in to arrest him, police said.
"The suspect is deceased," Austin police chief Brian Manley told a news conference.
Manley said the suspect is believed to be responsible for all five bomb explosions that have killed two and wounded several more and put people on edge in the Texas capital since March 2.
Police traced the man's car to a hotel outside Austin.
As authorities waited for tactical teams to arrive, the man started to drive away. And as police moved to stop and arrest him the man detonated a bomb inside his car and was killed, Manley said.
The suspect's motive is not known, he added. Manley said the suspect was a 24-year-old white man.

Suspect in Austin bombings has blown himself up: police

Australian captain Steve Smith has criticised the decision to overturn a ban on South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for making physical contact with him.
Smith said ahead of today's pre-Test press conference that a "line in the sand" had been drawn regarding physical contact and said he was surprised he had not been asked his opinion during the appeal hearing.
Having been banned for the remaining two Tests in the series for brushing against Smith's shoulder after taking his wicket in the second Test, Rabada was cleared to play in the third Test starting tomorrow after a successful appeal.
Australia spin bowler Nathan Lyon had said the team had "no dramas" with the decision, but Smith has told cricket.com.au website: "I certainly think he (Rabada) bumped me a little bit harder than it actually looked on the footage."
Although Smith claimed "it didn't bother me too much," he went on to say, "they've obviously decided what's deliberate contact and what's not and apparently it ...

Australia captain Smith criticises Rabada ruling

Boko Haram Islamists who kidnapped more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, northeast Nigeria, just over a month ago have returned the students to the town, two parents said today.
A senior government source in Abuja and police in Yobe state also confirmed the girls' return although it was not immediately clear how many of the 110 students had been freed.
The Dapchi kidnapping on February 19 brought back painful memories of a similar abduction in Chibok in April 2014, when more than 200 girls were taken.
Bashir Manzo, who heads a parents' support group in Dapchi, said: "The girls have been brought back. They were brought in nine vehicles and dropped outside the school at about 8:00 am.
"I have the list of the missing girls with me, so I am now heading to the school to take a roll call of the returned girls to determine if any of them is still missing.
"These girls were not accompanied by any security personnel. Their abductors brought them, dropped them outside the school and left, ...

Abducted Nigeria schoolgirls 'brought back' by Boko Haram: parents

The British ambassador will not attend a meeting the Russia foreign ministry called to explain Moscow's view on the poisoning of an ex-double agent in England, the embassy said today.
"The ambassador will not be attending the meeting," Zeenat Khanche, spokeswoman for the British embassy in Moscow, told AFP. The embassy considered sending to the meeting an official at the "working level," added Khanche, declining to provide further details.

British ambassador will not attend Moscow meeting on spy attack: embassy

A suicide bomber today killed at least 26 people, many of them teenagers, in front of Kabul University, officials said, as Afghans took to the streets to celebrate the Persian new year holiday.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack -- the fifth suicide bombing in the Afghan capital in recent weeks -- but the Taliban denied involvement on Twitter.
Another 18 people were wounded in the blast, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said, "all of them civilians".
A suicide attacker on foot detonated himself in front of a hospital, Rahimi said. The hospital is opposite Kabul University.
The bomber was less than 200 metres from Karte Sakhi shrine where many Afghans gather every year to mark Nawrooz, which is the traditional Persian new year holiday.
The same shrine was attacked in October 2016 when Islamic State gunmen killed 18 people gathered to mark Ashura, an important date for many Muslims, especially Shiites.
A man who was standing metres from where ..

Suicide bomber kills 26 in Kabul attack: interior ministry

Singapore's parliament today passed a controversial law giving authorities the power to block all electronic communications at the scene of a terror attack, despite protests it will erode media freedom.
The law allows police to stop anyone within the vicinity of what they deem to be a "serious incident", including a terror attack, from taking photos and video or communicating about police operations through text and audio messages.
The government says the affluent financial hub is a prime target for militants, and that during attacks elsewhere live broadcasts unwittingly helped attackers to anticipate moves against them.
However activists argue the law risks further damaging an already poor record what it comes to press freedom in the tightly-controlled city-state.
Josephine Teo, the second minister for home affairs, told MPs the measure would only be used in a specific area and would be lifted when security operations are over.
"Reporting is still allowed, just not live reporting. We 

Singapore passes terror attack blackout law

A suicide bomber blew himself up in Kabul today, killing at least eight people, officials said, as Afghans celebrate the Persian new year holiday.
Another 20 people were wounded in the blast, health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP.
The interior ministry said a suicide attacker on foot had detonated himself in front of Kabul University.

Suicide bomber kills eight in Kabul attack: officials

Boko Haram Islamists who kidnapped more than 100 schoolgirls in Dapchi, northeast Nigeria, just over a month ago have returned the students to the town, two parents said today.
"The girls have been brought back. They were brought in nine vehicles and dropped outside the school at about 8:00 am," said Bashir Manzo, who heads a group set up to support parents whose children were abducted.

Abducted Nigerian schoolgirls 'brought back' by Boko Haram: parents

One crew member was killed and 14 others, most of them Chinese, were missing today after a sand-dredging vessel capsized off Malaysia, with some believed trapped alive inside the sunken hull.
The coastguard said authorities in the southern state of Johor were alerted at 8:50 am that the vessel, the JBB Rong Chang 8, had sank.
Two boats were sent to the scene and found one Chinese national dead and three others alive, the coastguard said.
A search is continuing for the 14 sailors --12 Chinese, one Indonesian and one Malaysian -- still missing, said a coastguard statement.
Sanifah Yusof, a senior coastguard official, told AFP that divers searching for the missing crew believed some could still be alive inside the overturned boat.
"We believe there are some crew trapped in the ship. The divers knocked on the body of the ship and got a response," he told AFP.
It was not clear what caused the accident in Muar district. The weather in the area was fine.
Dredging sand from coastal areas is a 

One dead, 14 missing in Malaysia sand dredger capsize

Nineteen people were killed and 21 others injured when a bus veered off the road and plunged down a ravine in the central Philippines, police said today.
The bus was heading to the capital Manila when it crashed through the railing of a bridge on Mindoro island late last night, said regional police spokeswoman Imelda Tolentino.
"The survivors said the driver lost control of the vehicle and that is why it fell," she told AFP.
"Police are investigating why the driver lost control -- whether there was mechanical trouble or the driver fell asleep," she said.
The bus driver was among the deceased, she added.
Police photos showed rescue workers clambering down the cliff to reach the bus, which lay on its side amongst trees and grass about 15 metres below the road.
The accident occurred near Sablayan town, which is about 195 kilometres south of Manila.
Road accidents are common in the Philippines, where inadequately maintained buses and poorly trained drivers form the backbone of land ...

19 dead as bus plunges off Philippine cliff

An explosion in Kabul today killed at least two people, an official said, as people in the Afghan capital celebrated the Persian new year holiday.
Two others were wounded in the blast and have been taken to hospital, health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh told AFP.

Multiple casualties in Kabul blast: health ministry

China's sole aircraft carrier has passed through the Taiwan Strait, the island's defence ministry said today, as Beijing warned against any move to "separate the country".
The Liaoning and accompanying vessels entered Taiwan's air defence zone on Tuesday and left around noon Wednesday, the ministry said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a blistering nationalist speech on Tuesday, warning against what he called any attempts to split China.
"All acts and tricks to separate the country are doomed to fail and will be condemned by the people and punished by history," Xi said in an address ending the annual session of the National People's Congress.
China still sees Taiwan as its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary, even though the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war and have been ruled separately ever since.
Ties have turned frosty since Taiwan's Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen came to power. Her government refuses to acknowledge that the island is ...

AFP

AFP

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