By: Meredith Francis ~Campus News Editor~

Family confirms ISIS hostage killed

According to her family, Kayla Mueller, an American hostage held by ISIS, is confirmed dead. The confirmation comes after ISIS claimed that the 26-year-old aid worker was killed in a coalition airstrike in Syria. ISIS recently released a statement saying that Mueller had been buried in rubble following an attack by Jordanian aircraft. U.S. officials have yet to confirm Mueller’s cause of death. Mueller was kidnapped in Aleppo in August 2013.

TransAsia Airways flight crashes

A TransAsia passenger aircraft crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei, Taiwan, on Feb. 4, killing at least 39 people. Preliminary investigations reveal that the pilot may have shut off one of the plane’s engines during the flight. This prompted TransAsia officials to cancel 90 flights, as all 71 pilots who operate TransAsia aircraft will undergo proficiency tests in the wake of the crash.

Leaders meet to discuss crisis in Ukraine

Leaders from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France will meet in Belarus on Feb. 11 to discuss possible solutions for the escalating crisis in Ukraine. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande are attempting to encourage a peace deal between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to put a stop to the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed over 5,000 lives. Pro-Russian separatists have ramped up attacks in eastern Ukraine in recent weeks. Leaders are hoping to encourage a ceasefire.

Brian Williams suspended amid controversy

“NBC Nightly News” Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams was suspended for six months without pay after admitting he gave a false account of his reporting during the early years of the Iraq War. Williams claimed he was traveling with U.S. troops in a helicopter that had been hit by enemy fire. Williams recanted his statement on air after several U.S. veterans said Williams was on a helicopter behind the one that had been hit.