innosreport

United States  investigators believe to have identified the "Islamic State" member who beheaded two American journalists, reports DW. Meanwhile, Iraqi and US officials are looking into claims of a terrorist plot aimed at New York and Paris . Speaking to reporters on Thursday, FBI chief James Comey announced a significant step in the hunt for the "Islamic State" militant responsible for the deaths of American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff. "We believe we have identified the executioner," Comey said.

The police chief of the Missouri town where unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead has apologised, reports DW. Brown's death sparked violent riots and a debate in the United States on race relations. The police chief of the small town of Ferguson , Missouri , used a video message to say he was sorry for the mistakes his force made after the killing of Michael Brown.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has kicked off day two of the United Nations General Assembly with a promise to carry out nuclear talks "in good faith" with Western powers - which he blamed for "blunders" in the Middle East, reports DW. In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday, Rouhani said a deal on Iran 's contested nuclear program was possible before November's deadline. Tehran and world powers have been trying for almost a year to negotiate a permanent solution to the program, after extending their deadline this July.

Lawmakers in Nigeria on Thursday approved a request from President Goodluck Jonathan for a more than $1 billion loan to fight Boko Haram extremists, reports AFP. Members of the Senate upper chamber of parliament approved the request, which was made earlier this month to beef up the military fighting the insurgents in the northeast.

( Nigeria ) All courts in Ekiti State have been shut down indefinitely on the orders of the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayo Daramola, reports NAN . The Chief Registrar of the state judiciary, Mr Obafemi Fasanmi, stated this in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday.

Nigeria 's police on Thursday claimed that one of more than 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram militants nearly six months ago had been found, but elders rejected the claim, reports APF. National police spokesman Emmanuel Ojokwu said the girl was "dropped off by suspected Boko Haram militants at Mubi in Adamawa state" at about 5:00 p.m., on Wednesday.

The Ukrainian Interior Ministry initiated a criminal probe in regard to a group of the country’s lawmakers who last week traveled to Moscow, met with their Russian colleagues and attended a session of the Russian parliament’s lower house, Zoryan Shkiryak, an adviser to the Ukrainian interior minister, said on Thursday, reports Itar-Tass. “The main investigative department of the Interior Ministry launched a criminal probe into the reported case of (Ukrainian) lawmakers’ participation in a session of the (Russian) State Duma,” Shkiryak said.