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U.S. intelligence agencies

Echoing criticisms of the U.S. intelligence community in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, Derek Harvey, a former U.S. intelligence official, says that the U.S. intelligence community is failing in its assessments of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Another unnamed source says the U.S. intelligence community is “playing catch up“ regarding efforts to monitor ISIL activities in the U.S. These, following reports that U.S. Central Command intelligence analysts were instructed to give favorable spin on anti-ISIL efforts.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis, Minnesota (U.S.) police arrest three men suspected of involvement in Monday's shooting of five people, with non-life-threatening gunshot injuries, who had been protesting the recent police killing of Jamar Clark, a 24-year-old African-American man. Protesters, who had been told to watch out for white supremacists wearing masks or camouflage clothing, said that the shooting occurred after a group of people — three men and a woman, all wearing ski masks — were seen filming the protest. The two officers involved in Mr. Clark's shooting are on paid leave during the investigations, including one by the Justice Department's civil rights division.

United States

U.S. federal health officials are investigating an outbreak of deadly E. coli bacteria that has sickened 19 people in California, Colorado, Missouri, Montana, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Preliminary evidence suggests that rotisserie chicken salad made and sold in Costco Wholesale stores is the likely source. This follows a totally unrelated outbreak earlier this month connected to Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. Those restaurants have been cleaned, new ingredients ordered, and have been reopened. The Costco E. coli 157 strain, which has caused five people to be hospitalized- two of which developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS; which can readily lead to acute renal failure and sepsis), is more dangerous than the Chipotle E. coli 026 strain, though there have been no deaths yet.

Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa

A 15-year-old boy from Liberia's Paynesville district, who tested positive for Ebola last week, dies of the disease at a treatment center near the capital, Monrovia, just over 11 weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the country free of the virus. The boy's father and brother, who also tested positive, are at the center; his mother and two other siblings were admitted for observation. In addition, 160 people who came in direct contact with the boy, are being monitored.

Turkish F-16 fighter jets shoot down a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft that had allegedly infringed its airspace near the Syrian border. Russia's Ministry of Defence denies the Su-24 entered Turkish airspace and initially said it was shot down by ground fire over Syria's Latakia Governorate. A video emerged of one pilot killed as local rebel Turkmen fighters shot at him while he was parachuting and a video of his body, while the fate of the other pilot is unknown but is presumed dead. A combat search and rescue mission by Russian forces failed to reach them. It is the first time a NATO member has shot down a Russian plane since the 1950s.