News Headlines - 30 September 2014

▽RAF planes bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq for the first time | The Guardian

RAF Tornado GR4 aircraft on Tuesday launched attacks on Islamic State (Isis) targets in Iraq for the first time in strikes which the Ministry of Defence described as successful.
It was the first time, after five missions, that the Tornados, based in Cyprus, have dropped bombs.

▽Israel’s PM: ISIS, Hamas Branches of Same Tree

Israel’s prime minister urged the international community not to allow Iran to develop its nuclear capabilities, and tied the Jewish state's fight against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip to the larger global fight against Islamic State militants. The U.S. disagreed. A State Department spokeswoman said Washington believes the Islamic State group poses a different threat.

▽In a Shift, British Sharpen Their Tone on Hong Kong Protests - NYTimes.com

Britain on Tuesday sharply criticized the handling of pro-democracy demonstrations in its former colony, Hong Kong, with the deputy prime minister summoning the Chinese ambassador in protest and warning that the territory’s prosperity was at risk if freedoms were suppressed.

▽Japan's Economy Remains Fragile Ahead of Tax Decisions - WSJ

Japan's economy continued to stagnate in August after a pullback induced by a sales tax increase earlier in the year, raising difficult questions for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who needs to decide whether to raise the tax again.
Government data released Tuesday showed that production slowed and consumption remained sluggish, which economists say will likely weigh on economic growth in the third quarter.

▽Sumitomo to Probe $1.8 Billion in Shale And Coal Losses - Bloomberg

Sumitomo Corp. (8053) will set up a special investigation into how it lost almost $1.8 billion in Texas shale oil and Australian coal mining.
The probe comes after the company, Japan’s fourth-biggest trading house, cut its annual profit forecast by 96 percent after writing down the value of the two investments. Most of the losses were incurred at the shale oil project it shares with Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) of the U.S.