The British government raised its terror threat level to ‘severe’ on Friday, reports the BBC.

The new alert level deems the risk of an attack on the UK as “Highly likely” although there was no evidence to suggest an “imminent” attack said the British Home Secretary.

The water situation in the US city of Detroit has been described by the UN as “an affront to human rights”.

Around a third of the total population in the city, which declared bankruptcy last year, are faced with having their water supply cut off as they are unable to pay their bill, The Times reported.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has condemned a planned referendum on the independence of Catalonia, as a senior independence movement leader warned Madrid that it faced an international backlash from investors.

Rajoy criticised the proposed vote, saying,

“I have not changed my opinion on the subject... There is and there will not be a referendum... It’s crazy what is being planned right now and it is deeply negative for Catalan society and Spanish society.”

India expressed its intention of discussing the issue of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan during future bilateral talks, reports The Economic Times of India.

More than a thousand Russian troops are operating inside Ukrainian territory according to NATO, who released satellite images showing forces with heavy weaponry.

"Over the past two weeks we have noted a significant escalation in both the level and sophistication of Russia's military interference in Ukraine," Dutch Brigadier-General Nico Tak, head of NATO's crisis management centre said reports Reuters.

"We assess well over 1,000 Russian troops are now operating inside Ukraine," he said, referring to Russia's actions as "incursions" rather than an invasion. "They are supporting separatists (and) fighting with them."

"We have also detected large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks and armoured personnel carriers being transferred to separatist forces in eastern Ukraine," he said.

The UN Security Council met in an emergency session, and NATO and EU leaders said they will will consider a response on Friday, but Russia denied that its troops where in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Peter Poroschenko also said that Russians were supporting pro-Moscow rebels, who captured Novoazovsk and other parts of southeast Ukraine.

Members of the UN Disengagement Observer Force (Undof) in Syria’s Golan Heights are being held by an “armed group” according to the UN.

A UN spokesperson said the 43 peacekeepers were detained "during a period of increased fighting beginning yesterday between armed elements and Syrian Arab Armed Forces within the area of separation".

"The United Nations is making every effort to secure the release of the detained peacekeepers, and to restore the full freedom of movement of the force throughout its area of operation."

Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria executed over 150 Syrian troops that were captured in the North-East of the country, reports the Independent.

The Britain based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 120 government troops were killed near the Tabqa airfield by IS fighters.

The US President in a press brief today said that though a strategy was yet to be decided, the US Defense Secretary had been instructed to formulate a plan to combat Islamic State (IS) militants.

Three people have been killed after a United Nations helicopter crashed in South Sudan, with unconfirmed reports that it had been shot down.

The helicopter crew were all Russian citizens. The helicopter’s owners, Russian airline UTair, stated that,

"According to preliminary information, the helicopter was shot down with surface-to-air fire."

One crew member survived and is currently reciving hospital treatment.