SYRIA   –  An airstrike that hit a hospital in Syria killed 27 people, including children and one of the last few pediatricians in Aleppo, rights groups said. Al Quds field hospital was hit by a missile from a fighter jet Wednesday, witnesses said. It’s unclear whom the fighter jet belonged to.

Fatalities in the attack included three children and three doctors, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The hospital was supported by Doctors Without Borders, which uses its French acronym, Médecins Sans Frontières. The hospital was “well known locally,” the charity group said. It’s not clear what type of support the facility received from MSF. The group condemned the attack. In recent months, northern Syria has been the scene of intense fighting, with government forces backed by Russian air power pursuing a major offensive on Aleppo. In February, CNN visited Aleppo and found a city under siege.(CNN.COM/photo: www.independent.co.uk)...[+]

THAILAND – Three British holidaymakers were ruthlessly beaten by a gang of men of Thailand, leaving them hospitalised. CCTV footage captured the extremely violent attack in the popular tourist resort of Hua Hin, where the elderly couple and their middle-aged son were celebrating Thai New Year. The row appears to escalate from nowhere, with one of the two men being punched to the ground. A melee ensues between passersby and the gang members, with the British woman, who is believed to be in her 60s, approaching one of the gang and appearing to try to reason with him. But the man instead punches her in the face and knocks her to the ground, while both are being kicked and punched. As she tries to sit back up, one of the gang kicks her violently in the jaw and knocks her out.(dailymail.co.uk)…[+]

USA – Police hailed the largest gang takedown in New York history on Wednesday after a major operation snared 120 people from two rival street gangs. Authorities swooped in the early hours on dozens of members of the Bronx gangs, who are accused of as many as 39 homicides, use of firearms, robbery, bank fraud, racketeering and drug dealing. Capping a years-long pursuit by authorities to smash the two gangs, hundreds of police officers and federal agents went after the ‘Big Money Bosses,’ or BMB gang, which officials say has infiltrated various parts of New York, and its rival ‘2Fly’, which operates nationwide in the United States. The office of the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, said the operation was ‘believed to be the largest gang takedown in New York City history.’ In total, 120 members and associates of the gangs were charged with racketeering, narcotics, and firearms offenses.(dailymail.co.uk)…[+]