ABC NewsMail - Morning Edition

NewsMail Morning Edition Sat 18 Oct, 2014 Top Stories More Top Stories » Former Iraqi pilots training Islamic State rebels to fly captured war planes Former Iraqi pilots who have now joined Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria are training members of the group to fly captured fighter jets, a group monitoring the war says. It is believed to be the first time the militant group has taken to the air. The group had reportedly been flying three planes over the captured al-Jarrah Syrian military airport east of Aleppo, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights who were citing witnesses in Syria's northern Aleppo province. The countryside east of Aleppo city is one of the main bases for Islamic State militants in Syria. More » Bishop holds 'detailed discussion' with Putin on MH17 Nigeria reaches deal with Boko Haram over abducted schoolgirls: defence chief 16 South Korean concert goers killed at outdoor festival Pistorius should serve at least 10 years: Prosecutor Cruise ship passenger in isolation amid Ebola fears Dozens still missing following Himalayan mountain disaster Church abuse victim says past decade 'a living hell' Legal observers to patrol Brisbane during G20 Professor in racist email controversy suspended More Analysis » Is the cost of our symbolism worth it? Australia faces the same question over Islamic State as it does with climate change: is our symbolic contribution to the global effort worth the cost? Whether Islamic State is degraded, destroyed or continues to expand the territory under its control will not be significantly influenced by Australia's current contribution. So, if we want to be pragmatic, like in regards to climate change, we need to ask whether this symbolic gesture is worth it. More » Security laws: have we learned anything in 10 years? Offensive emails aren't a window into the soul Confused about women's jobs? Try this list Good luck keeping G20 focussed on economics After reporting in Syria, I felt something go wrong I'll eat a page from my Bible if Jesus didn't exist Three things must change for a healthier democracy Cheer up, it's not all doom and gloom Proof they don't understand their own security laws Just In More Just In » Bishop holds 'detailed discussion' with Putin on MH17 By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller, wires Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Italy, in the first direct contact between the countries since Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he intended to "shirtfront" the Russian leader. More » Police baton-charge Hong Kong democracy protesters Nigeria reaches deal with Boko Haram over abducted schoolgirls: defence chief Dozens still missing following Himalayan mountain disaster Cruise ship passenger in isolation amid Ebola fears Bono 'forced to wear shades because of glaucoma' 16 South Korean concert goers killed at outdoor festival Pay dispute ends West Indies' tour of India Gatlin dumped from top athlete shortlist AMA informs NT Govt about harm to asylum children World More World » Nigeria reaches deal with Boko Haram over abducted schoolgirls: defence chief Nigeria's government has reached a deal with Islamic militant group Boko Haram for a ceasefire and the release of around 200 girls kidnapped six months ago from a school in the northeast town of Chibok, a presidential source said on Friday. The girls were abducted from a secondary school in Chibok near the Cameroon border in April, sparking a worldwide outcry. They have remained in captivity ever since, although police and a parent of some of the missing students said last month one of the girls had been released. President Goodluck Jonathan has been criticised at home and abroad for his slow response to the kidnapping and for his inability to quell the violence by the Islamist militants. More » Dozens still missing following Himalayan mountain disaster Cruise ship passenger in isolation amid Ebola fears 16 South Korean concert goers killed at outdoor festival Pistorius should serve at least 10 years: Prosecutor Former Iraqi pilots training Islamic State rebels to fly captured war planes Business More Business » Shareholder activists target long-serving and over-committed directors By business reporter Stephen Letts Big proxy advisory firms are campaigning to ensure the majority of directors in a boardroom should be truly independent, leading to significant implications for corporate Australia and the structure of its boardrooms. So when does an independent director cease to be independent and how many directorships are too many? Regulators ASX and ASIC do not have definitive rulings but the trend will particularly target businesses where families or founders have large share holdings in the business. Shareholder activist Stephen Mayne says big companies will increasingly get strong protest votes against entrenched directors. More » Virgin agrees to pay $1 for remainder of Tiger Australia Share market closes higher with resurgent finance sector Grocery lobby welcomes ACCC action against Coles Ten Network posts $168 million loss IEA slashes oil forecasts amid staggering surge in supply Rio, BHP iron ore strategy crushes Barnett's budget Prospect of 'violent sell-off' rests on US interest rate mistake: Future Fund boss Politics More Politics » Bishop holds 'detailed discussion' with Putin on MH17 By Europe correspondent Barbara Miller, wires Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Italy, in the first direct contact between the countries since Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he intended to "shirtfront" the Russian leader. More » Committee recommends changes to Foreign Fighters Bill Hong Kong police remove barricades at Mong Kok site Clive Palmer's wife to run for election in Queensland Australian medical chiefs discuss Ebola preparedness Sport More Sport » Victory saved by late equaliser in Adelaide Fahid Ben Khalfallah scored in the 88th minute to see Melbourne Victory to a 1-1 draw with Adelaide United. More » Pay dispute ends West Indies' tour of India ASADA issues amended 'show cause' notices to Bombers players All Blacks are stronger than 2011: Henry Life after Hayne starts for Kangaroos Alex McKinnon leaves hospital to continue rehab Science and Technology More Science and Technology » Mobile phones engineered 'not to last', expert says By Malcolm Sutton A University of Sydney professor says mobile phones are being engineered with "built-in obsolescence" to fuel a fast product turnover. More » Saturn's moon may host another 'life-friendly' habitat Astronauts take spacewalk in race to fix ISS Greens, Labor critical of Government's growth centres plan Don't let moral panic about 3D printing stifle benefits, inquiry told Environment More Environment » Record-breaking students drive solar innovation Fed up with soaring petrol prices and mounting fuel bills? More » Growth in CO2 levels 17pc lower than predicted: study Sea levels steady for millennia before rapid rise: study More funding, icebreaker flagged in Antarctica strategy Feral cats tear through last wild bilby population About this email You received this email because you are subscribed to ABC News email alerts. This message was sent to you at starnewsposting@gmail.com Please add newslists@your.abc.net.au to your email address book to see images by default and stop the email being treated as spam. This email address is not monitored - Please don't reply to this email. 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