Free Republic

Syrian troops are now at the gates of the Islamic State-besieged city of Deir ez-Zor, the governor of the province said, as the government forces continue to press forward, obliterating terrorist positions in the vicinity and on the outskirts of the city. “The heroes of the army will arrive at Deir ez-Zor in 24-48 hours at the most,” the governor of Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, Mohammed Ibrahim Samra, told Reuters, adding that the Syrian Army was only 18-20 kilometers (11-12 miles) away from the city. Earlier, an elite unit of the Syrian Army, called the Tiger Forces, came within 18...

Port Moresby [New Guinea] - Thousands of villagers fled their homes in the Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea after a volcanic eruption triggered a tidal wave that flattened homes and sowed panic among residents, reports said on Tuesday. No casualties were reported, but ocean surges destroyed four houses and a boat after a volcano on Ritter Island exploded into life at the weekend spewing ash and smoke over islands off eastern Morobe province, The National newspaper said.