News Headlines - 28 August 2012

▽Isaac nears hurricane strength and heads for New Orleans - U.S. News

Tropical storm Isaac was on the verge of becoming a hurricane as it approached the Gulf Coast early Tuesday morning, forecasters warned. Its swirling winds and rain will be a major test of the region's new flood control systems seven years after Hurricane Katrina sent walls of water crashing inland.

▽An end to war? Colombian government seeks peace with FARC rebels - World News

Colombia's government is seeking peace with the country's biggest rebel group, the FARC, and could consider also holding talks with a second guerrilla movement to end five decades of war, the country's president said on Monday.

▽Israeli court rules military not at fault in US activist’s death - The Washington Post

An Israeli court ruled Tuesday that the military was not at fault for killing a U.S. activist crushed by an army bulldozer during a 2003 demonstration, rejecting a lawsuit filed by her parents.

▽BBC News - Japan seeks China probe into ambassador's car flag attack

Japan has called an incident in which an unknown man ripped the flag off a car carrying its ambassador in Beijing "very regrettable".

▽Japan cuts economic assessment as global slowdown bites | Reuters

Japan's government cut its assessment for the export-reliant economy for the first time in nearly a year as slowing global growth weighed on exports, clouding recovery prospects and adding pressure on the central bank for further stimulus.