It’s not Middle East drama, this time it’s Pacific. The US has said it will use its “considerable military forces” on North Korea “if we must”, following Tuesday’s long-range missile test. US ambassador Nikki Haley said a new resolution will also be tabled against Pyongyang at the United Nations.

Meanwhile in Iraq, unlike the Gulf countries, bridges are being built –literally. Construction of the Khazir bridge, which ISIS blew up in 2014, has been completed and is now open. The bridge was unveiled on Wednesday and now connects Erbil to Mosul, replacing the light and narrow temporary bridge previously used to cross the Great Zab River.

Lastly, the Babylon team would like to extend its congratulations to French journalist Samuel Forey who has been awarded a prestigious award in France for his journalism work. Forey won the Albert Londres award as best reporter for French-language press for his coverage of the Mosul liberation and comes only a few weeks after he was wounded in a landmine explosion in Mosul, which ended in the death of three of his colleagues. It is the highest recognition in French journalism, considered to be equivalent to the Pulitzer Prize.