07/16/18

BBC News with Neil Nunes. NATO leaders will today discuss cyber threats, Islamic State and security in the Black Sea region and Afghanistan.

The summit opened on Wednesday with President Trump pressing the case for all the members to contribute much more to the alliance. The Croatian football team will prepare in its first ever world cup final after beating England in the semi-final in Moscow.

Croatian funs celebrated late into the night in the capital Zagreb, chanting and even jumping into the ornamental fountains. The Israeli military has confirmed that it has attacked Syrian army positions near the occupied Golan Heights.

Israel said it retaliated after shooting down a Syrian drone which had infiltrated 10 kilometers into Israeli territory. The World Health Organization has launched an investigation into the death of two infants in Samoa shortly after they have been vaccinated.

The two children have been given the MMR injection which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. The cause of the death has not been confirmed.

Scientists studying islands in the Indian Ocean say rats are dramatically reducing the health of coral reeds, threating their survival. The creatures are killing the sea birds that fertilize the reeds with their nutrient rich droppings.

Fear of heights can be overcome using virtual reality therapy according to new research. The patients were immersed into a virtual world where they simulated rescuing a cat from a tree,

stepping out into a platform with no safety barriers and riding a flying whale. They are reported a reduction in their fear of heights after the therapy.

The company at the center of a live animal trade scandal in Australia has again been denied permission to send tens of thousands of sheep to the Middle East. In June, the government suspended the export license of Emanuel Exports after more than 2,000 sheep died on board one of its ships.

BBC world news.