Saturday, December 5, 2015

Genarisphon eletos news from intel agencies (January 2016)

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Since Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet on Nov. 24, the United States has quietly put on hold a long-standing request for its NATO ally to play a more active role in the U.S.-led air war against the Islamic State group..........U.S. delays request for bigger Turkish air role against Islamic State until tensions with Russia ease
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139 comments:

  1. Munich stations evacuated over 'IS attack threat'...

    Police in Munich evacuated two major railway stations after an intelligence agency warned Germany of an imminent attack, officials said.

    Authorities received information that suicide bombers from so-called Islamic State (IS) could target the main station or Pasing station, Bavaria's interior minister said.

    Both stations have since reopened, police tweeted.

    Cities across Europe have been on alert for a possible New Year's Eve attack.

    "I am happy that nothing has so far happened and I hope it stays that way," said interior minister Joachim Herrmann.

    Between five and seven militants were thought to be planning an attack, Munich's police head Hubertus Andra said.....BBC
    1/1/16

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  2. L'Etat islamique soupçonné de préparer un "attentat suicide" à Munich...

    (Belga) Le groupe Etat islamique (EI) est soupçonné d'avoir préparé un "attentat suicide" à Munich (sud de l'Allemagne), ont indiqué vendredi les autorités allemandes.

    Les informations reçues par les autorités allemandes font état d'une menace "d'attentat suicide", a indiqué lors d'une conférence de presse à Munich le patron de la police munichoise, Hubertus Andrä, évoquant "cinq à sept" suspects potentiels. Selon les éléments fournis par des "services de renseignement amis", l'attaque était prévue par l'EI "vers minuit" dans l'une des deux gares principales de Munich, a indiqué de son côté Joachim Hermann, ministre de l'Intérieur de Bavière. (Belga)
    rtl.be
    1/1/16

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  3. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an updated national security paper describing Nato's expansion as a threat to the country...

    The paper says Russia's "independent domestic and foreign policy" has triggered a "counter-action" from the US and its allies.

    It accuses these countries of striving to dominate global affairs.

    The conflict in Ukraine, which began in 2014, has led to a sharp deterioration between Russia and the West.

    The updated National Security Strategy signed by President Putin on Thursday is the latest in a series that are critical of Nato.

    In 2014 Russia announced it was altering its military doctrine to take account of the Ukraine crisis and Nato's presence in eastern Europe.

    Kremlin adviser Mikhail Popov said at the time that Nato's enlargement in recent years meant the alliance was getting closer to [Russian] borders and presented an "external threat" to his country.

    Albania and Croatia joined Nato in 2009. In 2011, the alliance recognised four aspiring members - Bosnia, Georgia, FYROM, and Montenegro....BBC

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  4. Erdoğan says Hitler’s Germany an example of presidential system with unitary state...

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who is a strong advocate of a switch to presidential system in his country, has said implementation of a presidential system while keeping the unitary structure of the state is possible, reportedly showing Hitler’s Germany as an example.

    Speaking at a press conference following his return to the country after cutting short his trip due to death of pro-government journalist Hasan Karakaya, Erdoğan was asked whether a presidential system can be adopted while keeping the country’s unitary structure. “When we look [at other countries], we see that it is possible. You would see this when you look at Hitler’s Germany and other countries,” he was quoted as saying by T24 news portal.

    Speaking at a press conference following his return to the country after cutting short his trip due to death of pro-government journalist Hasan Karakaya, Erdoğan was asked whether a presidential system can be adopted while keeping the country’s unitary structure. “When we look [at other countries], we see that it is possible. You would see this when you look at Hitler’s Germany and other countries,” he said......todayszaman.com

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    1. Türkei Erdogan lobt Hitlers Deutschland...

      Der türkische Präsident strebt nach mehr Macht. Ein Regierungssystem, das in seinen Augen funktioniert hat, findet er in Deutschlands dunkelster Vergangenheit. Ein Regierungsvertreter versucht, die Äußerungen zu relativeren.

      Mit einem Verweis auf Hitler-Deutschland hat der türkische Präsident Recep Tayyip Erdogan sein Streben nach einem Ausbau seiner Machtbefugnisse verteidigt. „In einem Einheitssystem (wie in der Türkei) kann ein Präsidialsystem sehr gut bestehen. Es gibt aktuell Beispiele in der Welt und auch Beispiele in der Geschichte. Sie sehen das Beispiel dazu in Hitler-Deutschland“, sagte er am Donnerstagabend laut Zeitungsberichten vor Journalisten, nachdem er von einer Reise nach Saudi-Arabien zurückgekehrt war.

      Erdogan will eine umstrittene Verfassungsreform durchsetzen, um seine Position als Präsident zu stärken und die Türkei zu einem Präsidialsystem umzubauen. Ihm schwebt eine Rolle als Staatschef wie in den Vereinigten Staaten, Russland oder Frankreich vor.......faz.net
      1/1/16

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  5. Saudi Arabia carried out at least 157 executions in 2015, with beheadings reaching their highest level in the kingdom in two decades, according to several advocacy groups that monitor the death penalty worldwide...

    Coinciding with the rise in executions is the number of people executed for non-lethal offenses that judges have wide discretion to rule on, particularly for drug-related crimes.

    Rights group Amnesty International said in November that at least 63 people had been executed since the start of the year for drug-related offenses. That figure made for at least 40 percent of the total number of executions in 2015, compared to less than four percent for drug-related executions in 2010. Amnesty said Saudi Arabia had exceeded its highest level of executions since 1995, when 192 executions were recorded.....AP....http://www.voanews.com/content/saudi-beheadings-soar-in-2015-under-discretionary-rulings/3127389.html
    1/1/16

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  6. Entra en vigor en Texas una ley que permite portar armas abiertamente...

    Una nueva ley que permite portar abiertamente armas de fuego a personas con licencia para llevarlas entró el viernes en vigor en Texas, informaron las autoridades del estado norteamericano.

    "La nueva ley de portación abierta entra en vigor hoy (viernes)", anunció la oficina del sheriff del condado de Harris en su cuenta de Facebook.

    La norma "permite a los propietarios de pistolas llevarlas consigo enfundadas en el cinturón o en una pistolera de hombro", según explica un folleto informativo que acompaña el anuncio.........http://sptnkne.ws/awgx
    2/1/16

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    1. President Barack Obama, frustrated by Congress' inaction on gun control, will meet with U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Monday to discuss ways of reducing gun violence without congressional approval...

      Obama, in his weekly recorded address, said on Friday he has received "too many letters from parents, and teachers, and kids, to sit around and do nothing."

      He has repeatedly urged Congress to tighten gun laws. His calls grew louder following the 2012 massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, and again after mass shootings in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and San Bernardino, California in
      recent months.

      "A few months ago, I directed my team at the White House to look into any new actions I can take to help reduce gun violence," Obama said in the address. "And on Monday, I'll meet with our attorney general, Loretta Lynch, to discuss our options."

      The Washington Post, citing several individuals briefed on the matter, said Obama and Lynch would finalize executive actions, which do not require congressional approval, that he will unveil next week......http://www.france24.com/en/20160102-obama-may-bypass-congress-reform-gun-laws
      2/1/16

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  7. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a discount in the price of natural gas for Ukraine to bring Russian gas prices closer to prices in European markets...

    Russia will discount its previous gas price of $230 per 1,000 cubic meters (TCM) by $17.8, bringing it to $212.2 per TCM, an official Russian government notice said January 1.

    Ukraine's Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn previously said Ukraine was ready to buy Russian gas in the first quarter of 2016 if the price was reduced to under $200 per TCM.

    Currently, gas is trading at a price of around $170 per TCM in European markets............http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-discounts-gas-price-offered-to-ukraine/27462456.html
    2/1/16

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  8. Riyad exécute 47 personnes pour "terrorisme", dont un haut dignitaire chiite...

    L'Arabie saoudite a exécuté 47 personnes condamnées pour terrorisme dont le dignitaire chiite Nimr Baqer al-Nimr, figure de la contestation contre le régime saoudien, a annoncé samedi le ministère de l'Intérieur.

    L’Arabie saoudite a procédé à l’exécution de 47 personnes dont un imam chiite, Nimr Baqer al Nimr, accusées de terrorisme, a annoncé samedi 2 janvier le ministère saoudien de l’Intérieur dans un communiqué.

    La plupart des personnes exécutées étaient impliquées dans une série d’attaques organisées par Al-Qaïda entre 2003 et 2006. Le grand moufti saoudien Abdoulaziz Al al-Cheikh est apparu à la télévision pour expliquer que ces mises à mort étaient justes....rance24.com
    2/1/16

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    1. Iran warned on Saturday that Saudi Arabia will pay "a high price" for executing prominent religious figure, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr...

      Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari strongly condemned the execution, which came after the Islamic Republic repeatedly asked Riyadh to pardon the cleric.

      "The Saudi government supports terrorist movements and extremists, but confronts domestic critics with oppression and execution... the Saudi government will pay a high price for following these policies," he said, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

      "The execution of a figure like Sheikh al-Nimr, who had no means to follow his political and religious goals but through speaking out, merely shows the extent of irresponsibility and imprudence," said Ansari......http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=247773&cid=19&fromval=1
      2/1/16

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  9. Des soldats britanniques ayant combattu lors de la guerre en Irak pourraient être poursuivis pour homicide, a déclaré samedi Mark Warwick, patron de l'organe chargé d'enquêter sur ces allégations, l'Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT)...

    "Nous enquêtons sur des allégations graves dans le cadre de l'IHAT, dont des allégations d'homicide, pour lesquelles je pense qu'il y a des preuves significatives à soumettre à l'autorité en charge de poursuivre et d'inculper" des militaires (SPA), a indiqué M. Warwick dans une interview au quotidien The Independent.

    "Nous devrons discuter avec la SPA pour voir si (ces cas) peuvent être qualifiés de crimes de guerre", a ajouté cet ancien inspecteur de police. Selon le dernier rapport trimestriel de l'IHAT publié en novembre, cet organe gère des affaires concernant 1514 victimes (dont 280 victimes d'homicide illégal), soit dix fois plus que lorsqu'il a été lancé en 2010.......rtbf.be

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  10. The Saudi-led Arab coalition on Saturday declared the end of a ceasefire in Yemen that was agreed with Houthi rebels in mid-December, the state-run Saudi news agency said...

    "The alliance leadership supporting legitimate Yemeni authorities declares the end of the truce starting at 14:00 [11:00 GMT] on Saturday," the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Twitter.

    The ceasefire was declared on December 15 and prolonged after intra-Yemeni talks in Switzerland on December 20. All attempts to transform it into a lasting peace agreement have failed so far.

    The truce has been repeatedly violated by both forces loyal to President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the anti-government Houthi movement. New peace talks under UN auspices are expected to take place later this month.
    sputniknews.com
    2/1/16

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    1. The Saudi-led coalition that has been fighting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen has announced an end to the cease-fire declared last month that was violated frequently by both sides...

      The Saudi News Agency said Saturday that the coalition declared the truce is over as of Saturday, due to continuous attacks by the rebels.

      The truce was enacted December 15 after nine months of bombing by the coalition. But it has been violated by both sides, on a nearly daily basis.
      voanews.com
      2/1/16

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  11. Vietnam protests after China lands plane on disputed Spratlys...

    Vietnam formally accused China of violating its sovereignty and a recent confidence-building pact on Saturday by landing a plane on an airstrip Beijing has built in a contested part of the South China Sea.

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said China had conducted a test-flight to the airfield, "built illegally on Fiery Cross Reef, which is part of Vietnam's Spratlys".

    In a statement, he called it "a serious infringement of the sovereignty of Vietnam on the Spratly archipelago, contrary to the common perception of high-ranking leaders of the two countries and (to) an agreement on the basic principles for directly solving maritime issues between Vietnam and China".

    Vietnam handed a protest note to China's embassy and asked China not to repeat the action, Binh said.......http://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-china-protests-idUSKBN0UG0FA20160102?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    2/1/16

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  12. IS jihadists kill 12 in raid on Iraq police trainees...

    Suicide attackers from the Islamic State group killed at least 12 Iraqi forces in a brazen attack on police training at a military base Sunday, officials said.

    A commando of fighters equipped with rifles and suicide vests snuck into Speicher base, near the city of Tikrit, in the middle of the night.

    Their target was a large group of police forces from Nineveh, a northern province of which Mosul is the capital, who were undergoing training.

    "Under the cover of fog, they broke into Speicher," said Mahmud al-Sorchi, spokesman for the paramilitary force being set up to take back IS-held Nineveh.

    "Nineveh police managed to kill seven attackers but three were able to detonate their suicide vests," he said, adding that three officers were among the 12 policemen killed..........i24news.tv
    3/1/16

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  13. Sans majorité, la Catalogne va vers de nouvelles élections ...

    La formation indépendantiste et d'extrême gauche CUP a décidé de ne pas soutenir un gouvernement catalan dirigé par l'indépendantiste Artur Mas, rendant impossible son investiture faute des voix nécessaires, ont annoncé plusieurs médias espagnols. La figure du président sortant est restée problématique pour la CUP. Il incarne à leurs yeux toutes les coupes budgétaires et sociales qui ont frappé la Catalogne ces dernières années.

    Ainsi le candidat de Junts pel Sí (Ensemble pour le Oui, coalition indépendantiste) n'obtient pas sa majorité. La région catalane se dirige donc vers de nouvelles élections en mars prochain. Artur Mas avait obtenu 62 sièges sur 135 au Parlement catalan lors des élections de septembre 2015. Il avait besoin au minimum de deux des dix voix des députés de la CUP pour être investi......rtbf.be
    3/1/16

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  14. Indian security forces battled for a second day to secure an airbase that came under attack by unidentified gunmen on Saturday in the northern town of Pathankot, about 50 kilometers from the border with Pakistan...

    Officials say soldiers noticed the presence of two terrorists in a wooded area as combing operations were being carried out on Sunday to secure the base in Punjab state. Soon after, the sound of explosions and gunfire rang out as soldiers mounted an operation to nab them. Four gunmen were killed on Saturday.

    Saturday's attack on the airbase has claimed a total of 11 lives including seven Indian security personnel. Twelve others have been injured.

    The airbase houses dozens of fighter aircraft......http://www.voanews.com/content/indian-forces-work-to-secure-airbase-after-deadly-attack/3129266.html
    3/1/16

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  15. Saudi Arabia says it has broken off diplomatic ties with Iran, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a prominent Shia Muslim cleric...

    Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was speaking after demonstrators had stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

    Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others were executed on Saturday. Saudi Arabia found them guilty of "terrorism".

    Mr Jubeir said that all Iranian diplomats must leave Saudi Arabia within 48 hours.
    BBC

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  16. Indian consulate in Afghanistan attacked...

    The Indian consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif has come under attack as gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades rocked the surrounding area.

    Two loud explosions and gunshots were heard earlier as the gunmen launched an attack from a nearby house, Muneer Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the Balkh province governor said.

    Al Jazeera's Qais Azimy, reporting from Kabul, quoted police officials and said that four fully-armed gunmen had tried to enter the consulate.

    "They faced resistance from the guards and, instead, entered a house about 100 metres from the consulate and opened fire from there," he said. "The house has been surrounded by the Afghan special forces."

    Azimy added that some casualties had been reported but initial details were scarce.

    All Indian consular staff were safe, the Indian consul-general confirmed.......http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/indian-consulate-afghanistan-attacked-160103172951319.html
    3/1/16

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  17. Ex-président tchèque: un "tsunami migratoire" va déferler sur l'Europe...

    L'année 2016 marquera le début d'une puissante vague migratoire, qui est loin de se terminer, estime un ex-président tchèque.

    L'Europe sera confrontée en 2016 à un "véritable tsunami migratoire", estime l'ancien président tchèque Vaclav Klaus.

    "Nous sommes sur le seuil d'une nouvelle époque de mouvements migratoires. Certains (en Europe) pensent que la vague de migrations a déjà cessé. Mais elle ne fait que commencer, un véritable tsunami est sur le point d'arriver", a-t-il confié à la chaîne de télévision pragoise Prima TV.

    Selon M. Klaus, les Européens ont laissé leurs portes ouvertes et en récoltent les fruits. La vague migratoire, pense-t-il, ne peut pas être arrêtée au centre du continent, par exemple en Allemagne. "Les réfugiés doivent être stoppés aux frontières de l'espace Schengen", a-t-il souligné.....http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20160104/1020736058/migration-crise-europe-klaus.html#ixzz3wGgNOnpM
    4/1/16

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  18. Trading halted as Chinese stocks dive 6.9 percent...

    Shanghai's stock index plunged nearly 7 percent on Monday, sparking a halt in trading of Chinese shares, after weak manufacturing data and Middle East tensions weighed on Asian markets.

    The Shanghai Composite Index dived 6.9 percent to 3,296.66 on the first trading day of 2016. The index was at the lowest level in nearly three months.

    The official Xinhua News Agency said China halted trading on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets to stop steeper falls. It was the first time China used the "circuit breaker" mechanism it announced late last year.....france24.com
    4/1/16

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    1. Chine: les Bourses ferment pour la journée après une chute de 7%...

      Les cotations sur les Bourses chinoises de Shanghai et Shenzhen ont été arrêtées lundi pour la journée après une chute de 7% des cours consécutive à la publication de mauvais indicateurs sur l'économie chinoise.

      De son côté, la Bourse de Hong Kong a clôturé à l'horaire habituel, en recul de 2,68% pour le premier jour de cotation de l'année, dans le sillage des places boursières de Chine continentale et sur fond de tensions croissantes au Moyen-Orient.

      L'effondrement de l'indice CSI300, qui agglomère les performances des 300 principales entreprises cotées sur les Bourses de Shanghai et Shenzhen, a pour la première fois déclenché un arrêt anticipé des échanges, conséquence d'un nouveau règlement des autorités de régulation.

      Les échanges avaient déjà été interrompus une première fois lundi pour 15 minutes, ce qui n'avait pas permis d'empêcher la baisse......rtl.be
      4/1/16

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  19. Authorities in Afghanistan say a suicide car bomber struck a police check post near Kabul’s international airport Monday but reported no casualties...

    Police in the Afghan capital say the bomber apparently wanted to target a convoy of foreign forces and confirmed one of the vehicles was slightly damaged.

    The violence comes as several heavily-armed assailants were still holed up in a building just meters from India’s consulate in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif and a gunfight fight was underway with Afghan security forces......http://www.voanews.com/content/authorities-suicide-bomber-attacks-police-near-kabul-airport/3129998.html
    4/1/15

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  20. Réfugiés: le Danemark instaure des contrôles aux frontières avec l'Allemagne ...

    Le Danemark a instauré lundi des contrôles à ses frontières avec l'Allemagne pour empêcher l'entrée de réfugiés sans papiers, a annoncé lundi le Premier ministre danois Lars Løkke Rasmussen, le jour où la Suède faisait de même à la frontière danoise.

    "Cela peut avoir de grandes conséquences pour le Danemark que d'autres pays nordiques mettent le holà à leurs frontières. Cela peut provoquer plus de demandes d'asile", a déclaré lors d'une conférence de presse à Copenhague le chef de gouvernement libéral.

    M. Rasmussen est à la tête d'un exécutif qui cherche à limiter les arrivées sur son territoire, et qui avait déjà laissé entendre qu'il réagirait aux contrôles systématiques annoncés par la Suède.

    Les contrôles danois ne seront cependant pas systématiques, mais aléatoires. Ils sont instaurés pour une période de dix jours, qui pourra être prolongée.

    "Nous réagissons simplement à une décision prise en Suède. Nous instaurons des contrôles provisoires mais d'une manière équilibrée. Ce n'est pas un moment heureux du tout", a déploré M. Rasmussen.

    Tensions entre la Suède et le Danemark

    La vague de réfugiés, qui a pris des proportions inattendues entre août et novembre, a instillé des tensions entre la Suède, pays qui a reçu 163 000 demandes d'asile l'an dernier, soit la plus grande proportion par habitant de toute l'UE, et le Danemark, qui n'en a connu que quelque 18 000.

    La Suède, dépassée, exigeait à partir de ce lundi une pièce d'identité pour franchir en train ou en autocar le pont de l'Öresund, principale porte d'entrée des réfugiés dans le royaume.

    Le pays avait déjà rétabli le 12 novembre les contrôles à ses frontières, concentrés sur le pont de l'Öresund et les ferries en provenance des ports danois et allemands de la mer Baltique. Mais ils n'étaient réalisés qu'en certains points du trajet et de façon aléatoire.
    rtbf.be
    4/1/16

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  21. The UN peace envoy for Syria was traveling to Saudi Arabia on Monday ahead of a visit to Iran for talks aimed at defusing tensions between the two regional heavyweights, the UN spokesman said...

    Staffan de Mistura was due to arrive in Riyadh later Monday amid fears that the furore over the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric could undermine international peace efforts in Syria.
    AFP

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  22. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged his Pakistani counterpart to take "firm and immediate action" against those behind an attack on an Indian air base near the country's border with Pakistan...

    Modi "strongly emphasized the need for Pakistan to take firm and immediate action against the organizations and individuals responsible for and linked to the Pathankot terrorist attack," the Indian government said in a statement posted on January 5, after Modi spoke by telephone to Nawaz Sharif.

    Seven Indian soldiers were killed in the attack that began early on January 2 and dragged on for nearly four days as the troops struggled to contain the heavily armed attackers in the sprawling compound.

    Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said on January 5 that six attackers were killed and that a search operation was under way to make sure no militants remain on the facility.....http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-india-urges-action-after-base-attack/27468749.html
    5/1/16

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  23. U.S. officials say an unknown number of American Special Operations troops have been killed or wounded in southern Afghanistan...

    The officials told U.S. media on January 5 that the forces came under fire during an operation near the city of Marja in Helmand Province, where the Taliban has made recent gains.

    NBC News says early reports indicate that one American service member died and two others were wounded.

    A U.S. Defense Official said several Afghan troops were also wounded.

    Officials said a military helicopter that landed at the scene to carry out medical evacuations was grounded after a mortar exploded nearby..........http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us-special-operations-attack/27469121.html
    5/1/16

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  24. North Korea nuclear H-bomb claims met by scepticism...

    International scepticism and condemnation have greeted North Korea's claim to have successfully carried out an underground hydrogen bomb test.

    If confirmed, it would be North Korea's fourth nuclear test since 2006 and mark a major upgrade in its capabilities.

    But nuclear experts have questioned whether the size of the blast was large enough to have been from an H-bomb.

    South Korea called the test a "grave provocation" but said it was difficult to believe it was from such a device.

    Further analysis was needed, said South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who called it "a strong challenge to international peace and stability"........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35241686
    6/1/16

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  25. Le président islamo-conservateur turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a refusé mercredi de condamner l'exécution par Ryad d'un dignitaire chiite à l'origine d'une grave crise avec l'Iran, jugeant qu'elle relevait des "affaires intérieures" de l'Arabie saoudite...

    "Les exécutions relèvent des affaires intérieures de l'Arabie saoudite", a déclaré M. Erdogan devant des élus locaux à Ankara, en contradiction avec le porte-parole du gouvernement turc Numan Kurtulmus qui avait déploré lundi cette décision.

    Le chef de l'Etat turc s'est étonné de la forte réaction suscitée par l'exécution du dignitaire chiite Nimr el-Nimr, hostile au pouvoir saoudien. "Il y a avait ce jour-là 46 exécutions, dont 43 de Sunnites. Seulement 3 d'entre-eux étaient des chiites", a-t-il relevé.

    L'attaque de l'ambassade saoudienne à Téhéran, "inacceptable"

    "On a condamné des milliers de personnes à la mort en Egypte (après le putsch militaire de 2013), personne n'a rien dit. Pourquoi le monde n'y a pas réagi?", s'est indigné M. Erdogan, soutien de l'ex-président Mohamed Morsi destitué par l'armée.

    Le chef de l'Etat turc a par ailleurs qualifié d'"inacceptable" l'attaque de l'ambassade saoudienne à Téhéran par des manifestants......rtbf.be

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  26. Jordan summons Iranian ambassador over Saudi tensions: media...

    Jordan summoned Iran's ambassador in Amman on Wednesday to condemn an attack on the embassy of Saudi Arabia in Tehran and "Iranian interference" in Arab affairs, Jordanian state news agency Petra reported.

    Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have spiraled since the execution of a Shi'ite cleric in Saudi Arabia.

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  27. U.S. Suspects Russia Behind Cyberattack On Ukraine Power Grid ...

    U.S. security agencies are investigating whether Russian government hackers were behind a cyberattack on the Ukrainian power grid last month.

    Computer security experts at the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the Homeland Security Department are examining the malicious software found on the networks of a power company in western Ukraine, which said on December 23 that a large area of the country had been left without electricity due to “interference” in its systems, the Daily Beast and Washington Examiner reported.

    The attack in Ukraine could be a bad sign for the U.S. power grid, because malicious software known as BlackEnergy that was found on the networks of the Ukrainian power company, Prykarpattyaoblenergo, was also used in a campaign targeting power facilities in the United States in 2014.

    The 2014 attack caused no damage but it set off alarms among U.S. security and intelligence agencies......http://www.rferl.org/content/us-suspects-russia-behind-cyberattack-ukraine-power-grid/27473229.html
    7/1/16

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  28. A truck carrying explosives crashed into libyan a military training camp, causing a blast which killed at least 46 people and left 100 injured...

    According to preliminary reports, at least 46 people have been killed and another 100 injured after a blast ripped through a military training camp in the northwestern libyan city of Zliten, Al Hadath news agency reported citing sources on Thursday.

    According to the news outlet, the target of the blast was the Coast Guard’s training headquarters.

    Earlier in the day, Al Arabiya reported that a vehicle was detonated near the camp while more than 100 individuals were training.
    (Sputnik)
    7/1/18

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  29. US lawmakers are looking at possible formal congressional authorization to fight Islamic State group (ISIS), US House Speaker Paul Ryan told reporters on Thursday...

    House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce are "beginning the process of gathering ideas and having listening sessions with our members about whether and how we could do an AUMF (Authorization to Use Military Force) on ISIS," Ryan said at a news briefing.
    REUTERS
    7/1/16

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  30. Le silence de Washington le rend complice des crimes d'Erdogan...

    Washington doit cesser d'évaluer les actions de la Turquie sous l'autorité d'Erdogan comme à l'accoutumée, et doit désormais tenter de le faire de manière objective, a déclaré un politologue américain.

    Il est temps que la Maison-Blanche considère les faits sur lesquels il est déjà impossible de fermer les yeux, a annoncé David L. Phillips, le directeur du programme sur le renforcement de la paix et des droits de l'homme à l'Institut de l'étude des droits de l'homme auprès de l'Université de Columbia.

    Dernier fait d'armes de M. Erdogan: mentionner de manière favorable "l'Allemagne nazie" lors d'un récent discours. Il entrave également le travail des médias et la liberté d'opinion, ce qui est confirmé par le fait que 34 journalistes sont maintenant en prison, y compris ceux qui ont été accusés "d'insulte au président"....http://sptnkne.ws/ax8Z

    ReplyDelete
  31. European markets higher after Chinese shares rise...

    Chinese shares have risen and European markets have opened higher at the end of what has been a torrid first week of the year.

    It was a week in which trading in China's markets was twice halted by a circuit breaker, before the authorities decided to suspend the measure.

    The Shanghai Composite closed 2% higher on Friday, but still ended the week down by about 10%.

    In London, the FTSE 100 was up 55.4 points, or 0.93%, at 6,009.4.

    In Frankfurt, the Dax was up 1.0%, while the Cac 40 in Paris was up 0.7%.

    On Thursday, markets in Europe and the US recorded steep losses after trading in China's stock markets closed within the first 30 minutes....BBC
    8/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  32. Venezuela: l'armée réitère sa "loyauté absolue" au président Maduro ...

    L'armée vénézuélienne réitère sa "loyauté absolue" et son "soutien inconditionnel" au président Nicolas Maduro, a affirmé jeudi le ministre de la Défense Vladimir Padrino, en plein bras de fer entre le gouvernement et l'opposition désormais majoritaire au Parlement.

    "Le président est la plus haute autorité de l'Etat et nous réaffirmons notre loyauté absolue et notre soutien inconditionnel", a déclaré le ministre et général en chef des forces armées. Le ministre a manifesté son soutien au chef de l'Etat en présence de ce dernier, lors d'un événement solennel dans la caserne où repose le président défunt Hugo Chavez (1999-2013). Il a dénoncé l'initiative de l'opposition de décrocher les représentations de Chavez et certaines du héros de l'indépendance latino-américaine Simon Bolivar, de l'enceinte du Parlement et exprimé l'"indignation profonde" des forces armées.

    Mercredi, le Venezuela a basculé dans une crise institutionnelle provoquée par l'affrontement entre le gouvernement de Nicolas Maduro et l'opposition, alors que le pays traverse déjà de graves turbulences économiques. La coalition de l'opposition revendique la majorité des deux tiers au Parlement qui lui permet de convoquer un référendum, mettre en place une assemblée constituante, voire chasser le président Maduro via une réduction de la durée de son mandat. L'opposition se donne "six mois" pour le faire partir par la voie constitutionnelle.
    rtbf.be
    8/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  33. China has urged that all relevant parties should advance denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula under the framework of six party talks...

    Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying made the statement one day after North Korea announced its first successful hydrogen bomb test.

    "To achieve the denuclearization as well as the long-term peace and stability on Korean Peninsula is in the common interests of all the relevant parties, thus all parties should take responsibility and make joint efforts. Just like a tango dance needs two people's cooperation, six party talks require cooperative and conscientious dialogues. We hope that relevant parties get back onto the right path of settling the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue under the framework of six party talks in view of regional peace and stability."

    The spokesperson also said that China consistently advocates a peaceful settlement of relevant parties' concerns through dialogues and negotiations.

    The Six Party Talks involving North Korea, South Korea, China, the United States, Russia and Japan, were launched in 2003.

    The dialogue has been suspended since 2008.
    http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-01/08/content_37488778.htm
    8/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  34. At least two foreign tourists have been injured in an attack at a hotel in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada...

    Egyptian state TV says local security forces repelled the attack and one assailant has been killed.

    The attack took place at the Bella Vista hotel. Reports vary as to the nationalities of the victims, and whether they were shot or stabbed....BBC

    ReplyDelete
  35. China's central bank to maintain prudent monetary policy ...

    China's central bank has said it will continue to maintain a prudent monetary policy this year to create a sound financial environment and keep liquidity at a reasonable level.

    A combination of flexible tools will be used to ensure the banking sector's liquidity stays at a reasonably abundant level, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) said in a statement released on Friday after a work conference.

    The central bank will support commercial banks expand lending to key sectors and weak areas of the economy via multiples tools, including pledged supplementary lending and medium-term lending facility, according to the statement.

    The PBOC will push for continued optimization of credit structure to make the financial sector support growth of the real economy.

    It will also continue to make interest rates more market-based and improve the exchange rate formation mechanism to ensure a generally steady rate for the yuan, the statement said.
    globaltimes.cn

    ReplyDelete
  36. Saudi-Arabien: Regime geht mit deutschen Waffen gegen Demonstranten vor...

    In Saudi-Arabien sind offenbar Waffen einer deutschen Firma gegen die Protestbewegung eingesetzt worden. Das berichtet Spiegel-Online unter Berufung auf Fotos aus der Stadt Awamija, die im Dezember 2014 von saudischen Sicherheitskräften gestürmt worden ist.

    Auf den Bildern seien nichttödliche Blend- und Knallgranaten aus Produktion des Düsseldorfer Rheinmetall-Konzerns sowie eine ungenutzte Splittergranate vom Kaliber 40 Millimeter zu sehen, hieß es. Spezialeinheiten des Saudi-arabischen Innenministeriums hatten die Stadt Ende 2014 nach Protesten gestürmt. Laut Recherchen der Menschenrechtsorganisation "Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain" starben dabei fünf Einwohner. Auslöser der Proteste war das Todesurteil gegen den schiitischen Geistlichen Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, der in der vorigen Woche hingerichtet wurde......http://sptnkne.ws/axVQ

    ReplyDelete
  37. Humanitarian groups could begin delivering much-needed aid in three besieged Syrian towns as early as Sunday, spokesmen said on Friday...

    The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said they were preparing convoys packed with food and medical supplies for suffering populations in the towns of Madaya, al-Foua and Kefraya.

    As Syria reels from civil war, a six-month-long blockade of Madaya by the Syrian army and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, has trapped about 40,000 residents now enduring a harsh winter.

    Further north, the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya, in the Idlib governorate, are home to some 20,000 residents under siege by armed opposition groups.

    Twenty-three people have died of starvation in Madaya since Dec. 1 at health centers supported by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), the global medical aid group said...........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2016/01/09/Aid-to-be-delivered-to-starving-Syrian-towns.html

    ReplyDelete
  38. Chancellor Angela Merkel on Jan. 9 backed a sharp toughening of expulsion rules for convicted refugees, saying that even those who have been given suspended sentences should be required to leave Germany...

    "If a refugee flouts the rules, then there must be consequences, that means that they can lose their residence right here regardless of whether they have a suspended sentence or a prison sentence," she said.

    "If the law does not suffice, then the law must be changed," said Merkel, amid outrage over a shocking rash of sexual assaults on New Year's festivities in Cologne blamed on migrants.

    She argued that toughening the rules was "not only in the interest of citizens, but also in the interest of refugees who are here."

    Merkel was speaking after a meeting with leading politicians at her CDU party, when they adopted a motion to ease the expulsion process for criminal asylum seekers.

    Under current rules, convicted asylum seekers can only be expelled if they have received jail sentences of three years. In addition, their lives must not be at risk in their countries of origin.

    Any changes to laws would still have to be discussed within Merkel's grand left-right coalition, and some within junior partner the Social Democrats have already signaled opposition to any modifications.

    But public opinion has tipped towards backing tougher action against criminal migrants following the Cologne attacks.......hurriyetdailynews.com
    9/1/16

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  39. Poland summons German ambassador over politicians' comments...

    The Polish foreign ministry has criticised German politicians for what it calls "anti-Polish" comments but has given no details of which ones.

    However, both the German president of the European Parliament and the German EU commissioner have been sharply critical of Poland's new government.

    The German ambassador has been summoned to the Polish foreign ministry.

    The conservative and staunchly Catholic Law and Justice party won elections in October with a majority.

    It became the first party to be able to govern alone since democracy was restored to Poland in 1989.
    'Putinisation'

    A newly enacted media law gives control of Polish public radio and TV to a national media council close to the government.

    Thousands of Poles joined a demonstration on Saturday in Warsaw to protest against the law.....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35276531
    10/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  40. Iraqi Drone Strike Mistakenly Kills Nine Fighters ...

    An Iraqi drone strike has killed nine members of a pro-government militia force in an apparent case of so-called friendly fire.

    The militiamen were part of the Hashid al-Shaabi, known as the Popular Mobilization Force, an umbrella group of mostly Iran-backed Shi'ite militias.

    Ahmad al-Assadi, spokesman for the Hashid al-Shaabi, said the militiamen were responding to an Islamic State attack near the city of Tikrit.

    "The initial report is that an Iraqi strike erroneously identified our forces as enemy forces and carried out a strike," he told AFP......http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-drone-strike-mistakenly-kills-shiite-militia/27479674.html
    10/1/16

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  41. Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte arabische Koalition, die Angriffe im Jemen fliegt, hat offenbar ein weiteres Krankenhaus der internationalen Hilfsorganisation „Ärzte ohne Grenzen“ (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) bombardiert und mindestens fünf Menschen getötet...

    Zudem gibt es mehrere Verletzte. MSF hat den Angriff bestätigt.

    Die von Saudi-Arabien geführte arabische Koalition, die Angriffe im Jemen fliegt, hat offenbar ein weiteres Krankenhaus der internationalen Hilfsorganisation „Ärzte ohne Grenzen“ (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) bombardiert und mindestens fünf Menschen getötet. Zudem gibt es mehrere Verletzte. MSF hat den Angriff bestätigt........http://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20160110/306993625/krankenhaus-im-jemen-bombardiert.html#ixzz3wruOfI00

    ReplyDelete
  42. Lebanon and Iraq abstained from voting on Arab League's closing statement that accused Tehran of "provocative acts" as top Arab diplomats met Sunday for talks on Saudi Arabia's diplomatic row with Iran.

    The Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil expressed his objection for denouncing Iran's role in the region.

    Arab League Chief Nabil Arabi was addressing the foreign ministers gathered in Cairo for emergency talks requested by Riyadh on the dispute, which erupted after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Muslim cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

    Arabi called on diplomats meeting at the group's Cairo headquarters to "adopt a strong and clear common position calling on Iran to stop all forms of interference in the affairs of Arab nations."
    almanar.com.lb
    10/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  43. Pakistani army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif has reiterated that any threat to Saudi Arabia’s territorial integrity will evoke a response from Islamabad...

    Sharif made the remarks Sunday in a statement after Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman called on him in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, adjacent to the capital.

    Salman earlier arrived in Islamabad, making him the second top Saudi official to visit Pakistan in a week amid growing tension with Iran over Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr's recent execution.

    The prince is also expected to meet with other Pakistani leaders. The visits came after Saudi Arabia and several of its allies announced the severing or downgrading of diplomatic relations with Shiite powerhouse Iran.

    Pakistan, a predominantly Sunni state, also has a large Shiite population.
    AP
    alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  44. Spain's PM says he will fight for his country's unity...

    The majority secessionist lawmakers in Catalonia's parliament voted in a new leader Sunday, tasking him to oversee the wealthy region's breakaway from Spain in a last-minute show of unity after months of bitter infighting.

    Carles Puigdemont was elected regional president with 70 votes for, 63 against and two abstentions, giving Catalonia's high-profile independence movement a fresh lease of life.

    Catalonia's pro-independence faction that won regional parliamentary elections in September appointed him candidate on Saturday in a surprise move after months of in-fighting and divisions over who should lead the new local government.

    Spain's incumbent Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Sunday he would fight for his country's unity as the parliament in Catalonia prepared to vote in a new regional secessionist leader.

    "The government won't allow a single act that could harm the unity and sovereignty of Spain," he said in a live televised appearance in Madrid...........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/98673-160110-spain-pm-says-will-fight-for-unity-ahead-of-catalan-leader-vote

    ReplyDelete
  45. Des centaines de civils évacués de Ramadi par les forces irakiennes ...

    Les forces irakiennes ont évacué dimanche 635 civils de Ramadi, chef-lieu de la vaste province d'Al-Anbar, où elles poursuivaient leurs opérations de nettoyage deux semaines après avoir chassé les djihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) de la ville, selon des sources de sécurité.

    L'armée a repris la ville fin décembre après des mois de combats contre l'EI qui l'occupait depuis mai, mais l'ensemble de la cité n'est toutefois pas encore sécurisé.

    "Les forces d'élite du contre-terrorisme (CTS) et la police d'Al-Anbar ont évacué 635 civils", a indiqué le général Sami Kadhem al-Aridhi, un commandant du CTS à Ramadi. Selon lui, ces civils étaient pris au piège dans des secteurs où les djihadistes se trouvaient encore, comme Sichariyah et Sufiya, dans la banlieue est de la ville. Ils ont été évacués vers un camp à Habbaniyah, à l'est de Ramadi, où ils ont rejoint des centaines de familles déplacées par les combats......rtbf.be

    ReplyDelete
  46. U.S. President Barack Obama will not publicly endorse a candidate before the 2016 Democratic primary election, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said on Sunday...

    "We'll do exactly what has been done in the past," McDonough said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

    He said Obama will be "out there" campaigning after the primary election to help support the Democratic candidate.
    REUTERS
    10/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  47. Dozens of aid trucks en route to deliver food to starving Syrian villages..

    Around 40,000 people, mostly civilians, live in Madaya, many displaced from neighboring rebel strongholds

    A United Nations convoy of nearly 70 trucks filled with food and other aid have set out for the famine stricken Syrian towns of Madaya, Fuaa and Kafraya the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced on its Twitter page on Monday.

    Syria's government gave permission last Thursday for UN aid deliveries to three besieged towns, including Madaya near Damascus, where residents say people are starving to death.

    Alarming photographs of emaciated Syrians, accompanied with media reports of residents eating grass and pets to survive, have caused global outrage...http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/98716-160111-aid-convoy-of-70-trucks-en-route-to-deliver-food-to-starving-village-of-madaya
    11/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  48. U.S. forces in South Korea were put on their highest level of alert on Monday in case of any provocation from North Korea, following North Korea’s nuclear test last week...

    Curtis Scaparrotti, Commander, U.N. Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea (USFK), made the order during a visit to the Osan Air Base, operated jointly by the United States and South Korea, a USFK official said.

    The U.S. and its ally South Korea are in talks towards sending further strategic U.S. assets to the Korean peninsula, a day after a U.S. B-52 bomber flew over South Korea in response to North Korea’s nuclear test last week.

    “The United States and South Korea are continuously and closely having discussions on additional deployment of strategic assets,” Kim Min-seok, spokesman at the South Korean defense ministry said on Monday, declining to give specifics....REUTERS...alarabiya.net
    11/1/16

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  49. A hospital in central Yemen was hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike on Monday, the state news agency said, a day after aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported that a "projectile" had killed four people in one of its clinics...

    Saba, the Yemeni news agency run by the dominant Houthi movement since it seized the capital Sanaa last year, said the clinic in the Swadi district of Bayda province was destroyed.

    But an official in Yemen's government, now based in the southern port of Aden after being driven out of the capital Sanaa by Houthi forces, said the clinic was only damaged and that several Houthi fighters using it as a base were killed....AFP.....ahram.org.eg
    11/1/16

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  50. Die russische Luftwaffe hat Dutzende Angriffe zur Unterstützung von elf Einheiten der demokratischen Opposition unternommen, die gegen Terroristen in Syrien kämpfen, wie der Sprecher des russischen Generalstabs, General Sergej Rudskoj, am Montag mitteilte...

    „Die russische Luftwaffe unterstützt patriotische Streitkräfte, die gegen die internationalen Terroristen in Syrien kämpfen. Heute fliegen unsere Maschinen Luftangriffe im Interesse von elf Einheiten der demokratischen Opposition, die mehr als 7.000 Menschen zählen“, so Rudskoj....http://sptnkne.ws/ayAy

    ReplyDelete
  51. Syria and Russia must stop military operations against civilians and in particular put an end to the "ordeal" taking place in the besieged city of Madaya just two weeks before Syrian peace talks are scheduled, France's foreign minister said on Monday...

    "We discussed the absolute necessity that Syria and Russia end their military operations against civilians and in particular the ordeal in Madaya and other cities besieged by the regime," Laurent Fabius told reporters after meeting Syrian opposition coordinator Riad Hijab.

    Fabius reiterated that President Bashar al-Assad could not remain in power and said Paris would consult the U.N. Security Council to pressure Syria to end indiscriminate attacks.

    He is due to meet the U.N.'s special envoy to Syria later on Monday.
    REUTERS
    alarabiya.net
    11/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  52. Erdogan says Istanbul attack caused by suicide bomber of Syrian origin...

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said an attack on Istanbul's tourist heart on Tuesday that killed 10 people and wounded 15 was carried out by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin.

    "I strongly condemn the terror attack which was carried out by a suicide bomber of Syrian origin," Erdogan said in a speech in Ankara in his first reaction to the blast.
    AFP
    12/1/16

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  53. Japan said on Tuesday it has told China that any foreign naval vessel that enters Japanese waters for reasons other than "innocent passage" will be told to leave by a Japanese naval patrol, signalling a potential escalation in a long-running dispute...

    Japan had informed China of its decision in November, after Chinese navy ships sailed near disputed isles in the East China Sea known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference. Japan's government, Suga said, had approved the course of action last May.

    "If a foreign naval vessel transits our waters for [purposes] other than ‘innocent passage,’ we will order a sea patrol and take the step of having the Self-Defense Force unit order withdrawal," Suga told a news conference....REUTERS...http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-japan-warns-china-over-incursions-near-disputed-islands/3141258.html

    ReplyDelete
  54. Iran has not yet decommissioned the Arak heavy water reactor, one of its obligations under the nuclear deal with world powers to win a reprieve from sanctions, but expects to do so in the coming days, its nuclear body was quoted as saying...

    The comments carried by state news agency IRNA on Monday evening contradicted an earlier report by the Fars news agency, which cited an "informed source" as saying Iran had removed the core of the Arak reactor and filled it with cement.

    "Some preliminary steps have been taken, but removing the core of the Arak reactor has not been completed," IRNA quoted an unnamed senior ­official at the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran as saying.

    Iranian officials expect to finish implementing the July 14 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in the coming days.

    Iran has already shipped most of its enriched uranium stockpile to Russia, and must still mothball most of its centrifuges and decommission the Arak reactor...........http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/963277.shtml

    ReplyDelete
  55. Blast near consulate offices in eastern Afghan town ...

    An explosion and ensuing gunshots rocked near foreign consulate buildings in eastern Afghan Jalalabad town on Wednesday, sources and witnesses said.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gun and Bomb Attack Kills 6 in Eastern Afghanistan ...

      Officials in eastern Afghanistan say a gun and bomb attack Wednesday in Jalalabad has left six security personnel dead and wounded 17 people, including civilians.

      Afghan police and witnesses said the attack began with several massive explosions near the Pakistani consulate, which is located near India's consulate, a hospital and several schools.

      Pakistani diplomatic sources told VOA the gunfire and explosions were ongoing Wednesday afternoon, but that the attackers had not entered the consulate and the staff was safe..........http://www.voanews.com/content/deadly-attack-eastern-afghanistan-peace-efforts-resume/3142956.html
      13/1/16

      Delete
  56. Pakistan : explosion meurtrière devant un centre de vaccination...

    Au moins 15 personnes ont été tuées lors d'une explosion survenue devant un centre anti-polio du sud-ouest du Pakistan, pays où les campagnes de vaccination sont régulièrement prises pour cible par des groupes extrémistes.

    Une explosion devant un centre de vaccination anti-polio a fait au moins 15 morts, principalement des policiers, mercredi 13 janvier, à Quetta, grande ville du sud-ouest du Pakistan.

    Au moment de la déflagration, des policiers étaient en train de se réunir devant le centre afin d'accompagner les vaccinateurs à l'occasion de la troisième journée d'une campagne de vaccination contre la polio dans le Baloutchistan, province instable dont Quetta est la capitale.

    "Il y a 15 morts, dont 12 policiers, un membre des forces du ministère de l'Intérieur et deux civils," a indiqué à l'AFP un officier de la police locale, ajoutant qu'au moins 10 personnes avaient été blessées, dont neuf policiers et un civil. Un médecin de l'hôpital Sandeman à Quetta a confirmé le bilan.....france24.com
    13/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  57. Drei Russen nach Istanbul-Anschlag festgenommen...

    Die Männer sollen Verbindungen zum IS haben. Das russische Konsulat hat die Festnahmen bestätigt.

    Nach dem Bombenanschlag im Zentrum von Istanbul hat die türkische Polizei offenbar drei russische Staatsbürger mit angeblichen Verbindungen zur Extremistenmiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) festgenommen. Wie die die Dogan News Agency am Mittwoch berichtet, habe die Polizei in deren Unterkunft in der Mittelmeerstadt Antalya auch zahlreiche Dokumente und CDs sichergestellt.

    Der russischen Nachrichtenagentur RIA zufolge hat das russische Konsulat die Festnahmen bestätigt....kurier.at
    13/1/16

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  58. Bruxelles va lancer une enquête sur les récentes réformes menées en Pologne...

    L'UE va lancer une enquête préliminaire portant sur les récentes réformes conduites en Pologne par le nouveau parti conservateur au pouvoir et qui soulèvent à Bruxelles des questions sur le respect de l'État de droit dans le pays.

    C'est une première. L'Union européenne (UE) va lancer une enquête préliminaire portant sur les récents changements apportés en Pologne à la loi qui régit le Tribunal constitutionnel par le nouveau parti conservateur au pouvoir. Cette nouvelle a été annoncée mercredi 13 janvier par le vice-président de la Commission européenne Frans Timmermans.

    Il s'agit de la première étape - sur trois - de la procédure de sauvegarde de l'État de droit créée en mars 2014 par l'exécutif européen, encore jamais utilisée jusqu'à présent, a expliqué Frans Timmermans à l'issue d'un débat entre commissaires au cours de la matinée.....http://www.france24.com/fr/20160113-pologne-ue-union-europeenne-bruxelles-enquete-preliminaire-lois-reformes

    ReplyDelete
  59. Obama: «En cas de problème, on n'appelle pas à Moscou ou Pékin, mais nous»...

    Une "époque dangereuse" a commencé selon le président américain Barack Obama, qui prononçait son dernier discours devant le congrès en tant que chef de l’État. En cause, selon lui: les actions de la Russie en Ukraine et en Syrie, ou encore l'affaiblissement de l'économie chinoise.

    Le dirigeant américain a noté que ces "pays-satellites" s'éloignaient toutefois de la sphère d'influence russe. Il a souligné également que les États-Unis étaient "la plus grande puissance mondiale" et qu'à ce titre on se tournait vers elle pour régler les problèmes internationaux, pas vers la Russie ou la Chine......http://sptnkne.ws/azvd

    ReplyDelete
  60. Second aid convoy heads for besieged town...

    The second convoy of aid lorries in a week has set off for the rebel-held Syrian town of Madaya, which is under siege from government forces.

    About 50 trucks left the capital Damascus on Thursday, heading towards the town near the Lebanese border.

    The UN has said it has received credible reports of people dying of starvation in Madaya, where about 40,000 people have been trapped.

    On Monday the first aid was allowed into the town since October last year......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35309814
    14/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  61. Car Bomb Hits Police Station In Southeast Turkey, Killing Five ...

    A car bomb has hit a police station in southeastern Turkey, killing five people and injuring at least 39.

    Officials said the bomb was detonated late on January 13 at the entrance of a police station in the town of Cinar in the mostly Kurdish Diyarbakir Province.

    Two people were killed in the blast, while three more lost their lives when a nearby building collapsed.

    Reports said attackers then targeted the police station with rocket launchers and firearms.

    No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials blamed the blast on the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK)......http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey-car-bomb-cinar/27487132.html
    14/1/16

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  62. Indonésie : plusieurs explosions à Jakarta, au moins six morts...

    Au moins six personnes ont été tuées dans des explosions causées par des bombes dans le centre de Jakarta. Des coups de feu ont également été entendus à l'extérieur d'un café. Plusieurs assaillants sont toujours en fuite.

    Plusieurs fortes explosions suivies d'une fusillade ont retenti, jeudi 14 janvier, dans le centre de Jakarta, en Indonésie, où au moins six personnes ont été tuées, dont quatre assaillants, selon un bilan provisoire. Au moins une des explosions pourrait avoir été provoquée par un kamikaze, selon cette même source.

    La télévision indonésienne a évoqué un total de six détonations. L’une des attaques a pris pour cible un café de la chaîne Starbucks non loin d'immeubles abritant plusieurs agences de l'ONU et des ambassades. La correspondante de RFI en Indonésie, Jeanne Lefevre, était sur les lieux au moment des déflagrations. "Il était un peu moins de 11 h à Jakarta – 5 h à Paris – lorsqu’on a entendu une énorme détonation, comme un coup de tonnerre, puis trois plus petites détonation", raconte-elle....http://www.france24.com/fr/20160114-plusieurs-explosions-a-jakarta-moins-quatre-morts
    14/1/16

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  63. Le ministre autrichien des Affaires étrangères Sebastian Kurz a critiqué la coopération trop étroite de l'UE avec la Turquie et a noté que l’Europe ne réussirait pas à éviter des victimes lors de la crise migratoire actuelle...

    L'Union européenne a décidé de transférer une partie de sa responsabilité des réfugiés à la Turquie, pour ne pas se salir les mains, et Ankara, a son tour, a reçu trop de pouvoir, a déclaré Sebastian Kurtz, ministre autrichien des Affaires étrangères.

    "Nous ne devons transmettre à la Turquie que les tâches pour lesquelles sa participation est absolument nécessaire, notamment, l'octroi de l'asile aux migrants. Mais lorsque l'UE délègue à Ankara ses prérogatives de sécurité des frontières communes, une dépendance impressionnante se crée, qui, je pense, est très dangereuse", a indiqué M. Kurz au journal allemand Die Welt............http://sptnkne.ws/azF5

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  64. L'Ukraine veut récupérer ses territoires perdus dans l'Est et la Crimée en 2016...

    L'Ukraine ambitionne de reprendre dès 2016 le contrôle de l'Est rebelle prorusse et veut la création d'un mécanisme international impliquant Bruxelles et Washington pour récupérer la Crimée annexée par la Russie, a déclaré jeudi le président ukrainien Petro Porochenko.

    "En 2016, la souveraineté ukrainienne doit être rétablie sur les territoires occupés des régions de Donetsk et de Lougansk", où le conflit armé a fait plus de 9000 morts depuis avril 2014, a déclaré M. Porochenko, tout en promettant de n'utiliser que des moyens politiques et diplomatiques pour parvenir à cela.

    Quant à la Crimée, annexée par la Russie en mars 2014, Kiev prévoit de "proposer de créer un mécanisme international pour mettre fin à l'occupation de la péninsule", a ajouté le chef de l'État qui énumérait ses priorités pour 2016.

    "Le format optimal serait +Genève plus+ avec la participation de nos partenaires de l'Union européenne et des États-Unis et peut-être des pays qui ont signé le mémorandum de Budapest", la Russie, la Grande-Bretagne et les États-Unis, qui s'étaient portés garants de la souveraineté de l'Ukraine en 1994 après que cette ex-république soviétique eut renoncé à ses armes nucléaires, a-t-il précisé........http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/europe/detail_l-ukraine-veut-recuperer-ses-territoires-perdus-dans-l-est-et-la-crimee-en-2016?id=9185859


    Read more: http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160114/1033139750/eu-turkey-refugees-kurz.html#ixzz3xF1lMtK4

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  65. Meinungsfreiheit in Türkei: Erdogan verfolgt mehr als 1.000 „Akademiker für Frieden“...

    Nachdem mehr als 1000 Akademiker sich in einer Erklärung gegen die Gewalt des Staates im Südosten der Türkei ausgesprochen haben, hat der türkische Präsident sie als „Banausen“ und „Terrorförderer“ bezeichnet, Disziplinarverfahren und falls nötig auch Entlassungen gegen sie angekündigt.

    Am 10. Januar hatten 1128 türkischer Akademiker aus 89 türkischen Universitäten eine Erklärung („Akademiker für den Frieden“) veröffentlicht, in der sie die türkischen Behörden auffordern, die Gewalt gegen die kurdische Zivilbevölkerung im Südosten des Landes zu beenden und den Weg zurück zum Verhandlungstisch zu finden, um das kurdische Problem zu lösen. Diesen Aufruf haben auch weltbekannte Intellektuelle wie Noam Chomsky, Slavoj Žižek, Etienne Balibar und Judith Butler unterschrieben......http://sptnkne.ws/azMg
    15/1/16

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    Replies
    1. Turkey detains 12 academics accused of signing 'peace declaration': NTV...

      Turkish security forces detained 12 academics accused of signing a declaration calling for renewed efforts to end violence between government forces and Kurdish separatists, NTV said on Friday.

      The declaration - which criticized the government's handling of recent violence in the predominantly Kurdish southeast and called for the end of curfews - has been signed by more than 1,000 people, including the U.S. philosopher Noam Chomsky.

      Police were looking for seven others, also in western Turkey's Kocaeli Province - an industrial heartland near Istanbul, NTV reported........reuters.com
      15/1/16

      Delete
  66. EU extends Iran sanctions freeze by extra two weeks...

    The EU on Thursday extended a freeze on sanctions against Iran for another two weeks, clearing the way for their complete end once the U.N. certifies Tehran is complying with the terms of a historic nuclear deal.

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is expected to announce shortly, possibly as early as Friday, that Iran can no longer acquire nuclear weapons as agreed with world powers in July.

    “The (European) Council extended until 28 January 2016 the suspension of certain EU restrictive measures against Iran specified in the Joint Plan of Action of November 2013,” the EU’s foreign affairs service said in a statement...AFP....http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2016/01/15/EU-extends-Iran-sanctions-freeze-by-extra-two-weeks.html
    15/1/16

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  67. Al Shabaab fighters storm African Union base in Somalia...

    Somalia's al Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants stormed an African Union base Friday in the country's southwest, the Somali army said, with witnesses reporting several dead.

    "They launched an offensive on a military base at El-Adde and there was heavy fighting which caused casualties," Somali army colonel Idris Ahmed told AFP news agency.

    He said a Shabaab suicide commando blasted a way into the base in the Gedo region, which borders Kenya and Ethiopia.

    Both Somali troops and Kenyan soldiers with the AU force, AMISOM, are deployed at that base.

    "There was suicide attack followed by the fighting and it seems that the base was stormed," Ahmed said.

    "AMISOM can confirm that there was an attack on our troops in El-Adde," the force said in a brief statement, but gave no further details......http://www.france24.com/en/20160115-shabaab-fighters-storm-african-union-base-somalia

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  68. Syrie: une clinique mobile en route vers Madaya, réunion de l'ONU ...

    Une clinique médicale mobile était en route vendredi pour la localité assiégée de Madaya afin d'y soigner les habitants souffrant de malnutrition, à quelques heures d'une réunion du Conseil de sécurité pour réclamer la levée des sièges des villes en Syrie.

    Par ailleurs, au moment où les frappes russes ont permis aux forces du régime syrien de reprendre l'initiative face aux rebelles, Moscou a annoncé la poursuite du déploiement militaire, sans aucune limite de temps, dans ce pays ravagé par la guerre civile.

    "Une clinique mobile de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) et du Croissant-Rouge syrien est en route pour Madaya pour soigner sur place les personnes souffrant de malnutrition", a affirmé à l'AFP Rana Sidani, responsable régionale de l'OMS.

    "Les équipes ont pu examiner jeudi 350 personnes et beaucoup souffrent de malnutrition très sévère" dans cette ville située à une quarantaine de km de Damas, a-t-elle précisé.

    La situation est particulièrement dramatique à Madaya, soumise depuis six mois à un siège total des forces du régime, ses quelque 42.000 habitants, dont 20.000 enfants, manquant de tout et au bord de la famine..AFP..rtbf.be

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  69. Un test pharmaceutique tourne au drame: un volontaire en état de mort cérébrale...

    Le pôle santé publique du parquet de Paris a ouvert vendredi une enquête après l'accident qui a eu lieu au CHU de Rennes lors d'un essai thérapeutique, qui a causé l'hospitalisation de six personnes, dont une est en état de mort cérébrale.

    Une personne était en état de mort cérébrale et cinq autres hospitalisées vendredi à Rennes à la suite d'un accident rarissime lors de l'essai clinique d'un médicament, réalisé par un établissement privé autorisé. Le ministère de la Santé a été informé jeudi soir de cet accident survenu lors "d'un essai mené sur un médicament pris par voie orale, en cours de développement par un laboratoire européen", a-t-il indiqué dans un communiqué.


    Un médicament antidouleur

    Le produit testé est une molécule à "visée antalgique" (antidouleur) contenant du "cannabinoïde", a précisé à l'AFP une source proche du dossier. L'essai thérapeutique a été conduit par la société Biotrial, un centre de recherche médicale basé à Rennes, agréé par le ministère de la Santé, pour le compte du groupe pharmaceutique portugais Bial, a-t-on appris auprès d'une autre source proche du dossier.......rtl.be

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  70. En direct : assaut terminé à l'hôtel Splendid, une seconde opération en cours...

    L'assaut des forces de l'ordre est terminé sur l'hôtel Splendid à Ouagadougou, au Burkina Faso, où une attaque revendiquée par al-Qaïda au Maghreb islamique a fait au moins 23 morts. Une opération est en cours sur un second hôtel.

    Un total de 126 personnes, dont 33 blessées, ont été libérées de l'hôtel Splendid à Ouagadougou, la capitale du Burkina Faso, lors de l'intervention des forces de sécurité, samedi 16 janvier, a affirmé à l'AFP le ministre de l'Intérieur Simon Compaoré.

    Vendredi soir, un commando armé a mené une attaque sanglante sur ce restaurant et hôtel du centre de Ouagadougou, faisant au moins 23 morts de 18 nationalités différentes. Quatre assaillants ont été tués dans l'assaut des forces de l'ordre. Deux femmes appartenaient à ce commando.

    L'attaque a été revendiquée par le groupe jihadiste Al-Qaïda au Maghreb Islamique (Aqmi), qui l'a attribuée au groupe Al-Mourabitoune du chef jihadiste Mokhtar Belmokhtar, rallié à Aqmi, selon SITE, une organisation américaine qui surveille les sites internet islamistes.....http://www.france24.com/fr/20160116-direct-assaut-forces-ordre-hotel-splendid-ouagadougou-burkina-faso-aqmi-terrorisme
    16/1/16

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  71. Wahlen in Taiwan: Oppositionskandidatin voran ...

    Nach acht Jahren der Annäherung an China drohte der bisherigen Regierungspartei der Kuomintang (KMT) damit eine Niederlage. Die Herausforderer Eric Chu von der Kuomintang und James Soong von der Volkspartei (PFP) lagen deutlich hinter der 59-jährigen, die erste Präsidentin der demokratischen Inselrepublik werden könnte.

    Ein Wahlsieg der Vorsitzenden der Fortschrittspartei, die ihre Wurzeln in der Unabhängigkeitsbewegung hat, könnte die Spannungen mit der Führung in Peking verschärfen. Die Kommunisten betrachten Taiwan nur als abtrünnige Provinz und drohen mit einer gewaltsamen Rückeroberung. Während die Kuomintang am Ein-China-Grundsatz festhält und die Kooperation mit China vorangetrieben hat, ist die Fortschrittspartei aus der Unabhängigkeitsbewegung entstanden.......http://diepresse.com

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  72. ISIS entführt offenbar 400 Zivilisten in Ostsyrien...

    Die Jihadistengruppe "Islamischer Staat" (IS) hat nach Angaben von Aktivisten mehr als 400 Zivilisten in Syrien entführt. Die Menschen seien bei Angriffen des IS in von Regierungstruppen gehaltenen Bezirken der Stadt Deir ez-Zor in die Gewalt der Extremisten geraten, berichtete die "Syrische Beobachtungsstelle für Menschenrechte" am Sonntag mitteilte. Unter ihnen seien Familien von Kämpfern, die aufseiten der syrischen Regierung stünden.

    Unter den Entführten seien auch Frauen und Kinder, erklärte der Leiter der in Großbritannien ansässigen syrischen Nichtregierungsorganisation, Rami Abdel Rahman. Sie seien aus dem Vorort Al-Baghalijeh und umliegenden Gebieten gekidnappt und in vom IS kontrollierte Gebiete gebracht worden. Die staatliche syrische Nachrichtenagentur Sana meldete, bei den Kämpfen seien mindestens 300 Menschen getötet worden.

    Die "Beobachtungsstelle" beruft sich auf ein dichtes Netz von Aktivisten in Syrien. Ihre Angaben können wegen der unübersichtlichen Lage in dem Konfliktgebiet von unabhängiger Seite nur schwer überprüft werden.....diepresse.com
    17/1/16

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  73. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has hailed the nuclear deal with world powers, implemented late the previous evening, as a "golden page" in the country's history...

    He said he looked forward to an economic future less dependent on oil.

    Yesterday, the Islamic Republic emerged from years of economic isolation when world powers lifted crippling sanctions after confirming that Tehran had curbed its nuclear programme as part of a deal agreed last year.

    "The nuclear deal is an opportunity that we should use to develop the country, improve the welfare of the nation, and create stability and security in the region," Mr Rouhani said as he presented a draft budget for the next fiscal year to parliament.

    Tehran also announced the release of five Americans including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian as part of a prisoner swap with the United States, to reduce decades-old hostility.

    As tens of billions of dollars worth of Iranian assets were due to be unfrozen and barriers to international business comedown, the Iranian President said the deal was a "turning point" for the economy of 80 million people.......http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0117/760795-rouhani-iran-deal/
    17/1/16

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  74. Florida tornado leaves multiple residents dead, injured...

    Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube says that two adults were killed and five people injured, including four children, when a tornado touched down in central Florida.

    Steube said two adults, their adult son, and their four grandchildren were inside the mobile home when the twister hit.....http://wqad.com/2016/01/17/florida-tornado-leaves-residents-dead-injured/

    ReplyDelete
  75. Les autorités américaines recherchaient dimanche plusieurs Américains portés disparus en Irak, a confié un diplomate du département d'Etat, à la suite de rumeurs du rapt de trois ressortissants américains dans le sud de Bagdad...

    Ce responsable a indiqué que "des Américains avaient disparu" en Irak, mais sans préciser leur nombre ni le lieu de leur disparition. "Nous travaillons en pleine coopération avec les autorités irakiennes pour localiser et retrouver ces individus", a ajouté le diplomate.
    https://francais.rt.com/international/14104-irak-responsable-americains-disparus-irak

    ReplyDelete
  76. Proyectiles de mortero lanzados por el EI impactan sobre una escuela en el sur de Turquía ...

    Al menos una persona ha muerto este lunes debido a una explosión sucedida en los alrededores de la escuela secundaria Eyup Gokce, situada en la provincia turca de Kilis, en el sur del país. Se cree que fueron proyectiles de mortero los que cayeron en la zona, fronteriza con Siria, a las 9:30 de la hora local, informa el periódico turco 'Daily Sabah'. Asimismo, se reporta que ha habido tres heridos.

    Según medios locales, los radares militares turcos han mostrado que el origen de los lanzamientos se ubica en los territorios sirios ocupados por el grupo terrorista Estado Islámico. Anteriormente, Hasan Kara, representante de la provincia afectada, ha declarado que los proyectiles "muy probablemente" fueron lanzados desde territorio sirio y que las autoridades turcas están investigando los hechos.

    Algunos medios apuntan que fueron dos los proyectiles lanzados, uno de los cuales habría caído en las cercanías de la escuela afectada y otro en tierra vacía. Kara ha indicado que por el momento no existe información precisa sobre estos datos.

    Según Reuters, la explosión ha tenido lugar en un centro médico cercano a la escuela. Los equipos sanitarios y de rescate han sido enviados a la zona. Las escuelas situadas en los alrededores han sido evacuadas por razones de seguridad.
    https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/197146-muertos-proyectiles-escuela-turquia
    18/1/16

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    Replies
    1. One person was killed and a student was wounded after a mortar shell which appeared to have been fired from Syria struck a school in Turkey's southeastern border province of Kilis on Monday, the Kilis governor's office said.

      The blast reportedly took place at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 18 near the Nazlı Ömer Çetin primary school in the center of Kilis, where four schools are located.

      While the exact cause of the explosion was not initially know, the governor’s office announced one of three rocket projectiles fired from across the nearby Syrian border dropped in the school’s courtyard.

      In a statement released on its website, the Kilis governor's office said that two of three mortar shells believed to be fired from Syria landed in an uninhabited area while the third mortar shell hit a school. A school janitor was killed and a female student was wounded during the incident, it said.

      Two other rocket projectiles hit empty spaces and inflicted no harm on life or property, the governor’s office added.
      [todayszaman.com - hurriyetdailynews.com]
      18/1/16

      Delete
  77. Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said Turkey was not doing enough to reduce the number of migrants arriving in Europe and accused Turkish port officials of helping people smugglers, drawing a denial from Ankara on Monday...

    Turkey reached a deal with EU officials late last year to keep more refugees inside its borders and stop them travelling onto Europe. Thousands fleeing civil war in Syria have made the perilous journey from Turkey, across the Aegean Sea to Ankara's long-term regional rival Greece, many of them dying on the way.

    "I greatly fear that Turkish people smugglers are getting support from the authorities," Pavlopoulos said in an interview with the Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on Monday.

    "In particular, the port authorities act as if they don't notice anything. There are cases in which smugglers have supposedly been helped. We have evidence for this," he said.

    A senior Turkish official strongly denied the allegations, saying Ankara was determinedly fighting irregular migration.

    "Allegations that Turkish authorities have closed their eyes to human trafficking and helped smugglers are baseless and slander," the official told Reuters...
    todayszaman.com with Reuters
    18/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  78. German defense minister raises prospect of sending troops to Libya...

    Recent advances by Islamist militants in Libya pose a new threat to Europe and could cause a new wave of refugees streaming into the continent, Germany's defense minister said on Monday, adding she did not rule out deploying German troops in the failed north African state.

    "Germany will not be able to evade responsibility for contributing its share," Ursula von der Leyen told the German Bild newspaper.

    She didn't give further details a possible German involvement in the country, but said that implementing law and order was the most important goal in Libya......http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/99689-160119-german-defense-minister-raises-prospect-of-sending-troops-to-libya
    19/1/16

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  79. A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle struck a crowded police checkpoint on the outskirts of the Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday, killing 11 people in an attack claimed by the Taliban...

    Another 21 people were wounded in the blast, which took place on a road leading to neighbouring Afghanistan, police official Iqbal Khan said. Peshawar is on the edge of Pakistan's volatile tribal regions, a stronghold of the Taliban and other Islamic militants.

    Khan said the dead include four police and seven civilians, including two children and a local journalist, Mahboob Shah Afridi, who was president of Tribal Union of Journalists in the neighbouring Khyber region.

    A local Pakistani Taliban commander, Maqbool Dawar, claimed the attack, which took place as a local police chief arrived at the checkpoint. Dawar said it was in response to the killing of his comrades by security forces....AP....http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/11-killed-after-suicide-bomber-targets-police-checkpoint-in-pakistan-1.2742827
    19/1/16

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  80. Israel’s ex-PM Olmert avoids extra jail term...

    Israeli former prime minister Ehud Olmert, who begins serving a prison sentence in February for corruption, struck a deal Monday with the prosecution to avoid another jail term, radio said.

    Public radio said Olmert’s lawyer reached the agreement on behalf of the 70-year-old with the prosecutor general who had accused Olmert of obstructing justice.

    According to the report, Olmert had tried to persuade his former secretary Shula Zacken not to testify against him in the corruption case and offered her money in exchange for her silence.

    Zacken had made a secret recording of his attempt.

    The prosecutor agreed Monday that Olmert will concurrently serve six months for obstructing justice with his 18-month sentence for corruption, radio said.

    Olmert had been sentenced in May 2014 to six years in prison on two separate charges of taking bribes in the early 2000s in connection with the construction of Jerusalem’s massive Holyland residential complex.

    But in December the Supreme Court reduced his sentence to 18 months in prison and acquitted him of one of the charges...AFP...alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  81. China accused the Philippines on Tuesday of deliberately trying to scare people by saying China had warned a small civilian plane carrying Philippine officials it was trespassing as they inspected an island in the disputed South China Sea...

    The Philippines said the incident happened on Jan. 7 to an aircraft inspecting Thitu Island in the Spratlys, where Manila plans to set up surveillance equipment this year, as their aircraft flew near a Chinese man-made island.

    Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei repeated that China has sovereignty over the Spratlys and that the Philippines had illegally occupied eight islands there since the 1970s, including Thitu, and had been building on them.

    "The Philippines' comments are just frightening words to scare people, deliberately exaggerating regional tensions with treacherous intent, and its plots will not succeed," Hong said, when asked about the warning to the Philippine aircraft.

    The Philippines plans to install a $1 million satellite-based system on Thitu to track commercial flights over the South China Sea, after China landed its first test flights this month on a reef it built in the Spratly islands.

    Hong said that any activities by the Philippines on the islands it occupies were illegal......reuters.com

    ReplyDelete
  82. Europe has "no more than months" to get the migration crisis under control, or else its Schengen passport-free travel zone will collapse, the chairman of European leaders Donald Tusk told European Parliament on Tuesday...

    "We have no more than two months to get things under control," Tusk said, adding Schengen would otherwise fail.

    Tusk also said the EU would "fail as a political project" if the bloc could not exercise proper control of its external borders.

    The European Union is facing its biggest migration challenge since the World War Two, with more than 1 million refugees and migrants entering the 28-nation last year alone.
    JPOST.COM BY REUTERS
    19/1/16

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  83. Le journaliste turc emprisonné dénonce l'accord de l'UE avec «le fasciste Erdogan»...

    Can Dündar, persiste et signe en assurant que la Turquie arme les rebelles islamistes en Syrie et que l'Union européenne trahit ses valeurs démocratiques en collaborant avec Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    Le rédacteur en chef de Cumhuriyet, le journal dissident le plus influent de Turquie a déclaré dans une interview depuis sa cellule de prison que la répression qu'exerce la Turquie sur ses journalistes est «la pire de son Histoire».......https://francais.rt.com/international/14190-journaliste-turc-can-dundar-denonce-accord-turquie-ue

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  84. Vietnam says China has moved an oil rig into disputed waters in the South China Sea that could be a repeat of the 2014 standoff between the communist neighbors...

    Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Hai Binh said in a statement posted on the ministry's website late Tuesday that Vietnam had raised concerns with China over the movement of the Haiyang Shiyou oil rig and has demanded that China stop any drilling and remove the oil rig from the area where the two countries' continental shelves overlap.

    He says Vietnam wants to protect its legal rights and interests in the area in line with international law.

    The oil rig was at the center of a standoff between the countries in May 2014. The incident sparked deadly anti-China riots in Vietnam.
    AP
    voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  85. Ukraine plans to raise the fees for Russian natural gas transit via its territory by half, the country's Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn said in Kiev Tuesday...

    "The tariffs would be raised to about 4.5 US dollars per 100 kilometers. That is around 50 percent higher than before," Demchyshyn told a media conference.

    He said that the transit fees will be hiked after Kiev introduces the new tariff formation scheme, which is tied to Ukraine's newly-adopted energy law, rather than a contract between Ukraine's state-run energy firm Naftogaz and Russia's gas-giant Gazprom.

    Naftogaz plans to hold negotiations with Gazprom over amending the contract, which expires in 2019, Demchyshyn said, adding that the talks are going to be "difficult."

    Last year, Russian gas transit rate through the Ukrainian territory was about 2.7 dollars per 100 km.
    http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/964592.shtml
    20/1/16

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  86. A gun attack on a university in Charsadda, north-west Pakistan, has left at least 14 people dead, including four attackers...

    Nearly three hours after the attack began, an army official said firing had stopped but troops continued to search Bacha Khan University campus.

    It is unclear whether there are any more gunmen at large.

    More than 130 students were killed by Taliban militants at a school in the nearby city of Peshawar in 2014.

    Charsadda is about 50km (30 miles) from the city......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35359072
    20/1/16

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  87. Une université pakistanaise attaquée par des hommes armés...

    Un groupe d'hommes armés a fait irruption, mercredi, dans une université du nord-ouest du Pakistan, et a ouvert le feu sur les étudiants et les professeurs, a rapporté la police. Pour l’heure, le bilan fait état de plus de 10 morts.

    Des assaillants armés non identifiés ont attaqué, mercredi 20 janvier, l'université de Bacha Khan à Charsadda, dans le nord-ouest du Pakistan, a indiqué le vice-président de l'établissement, Fazal Raheem Marwat.

    Pour l'heure, le bilan est de 12 morts, a annoncé un responsable de la police.......http://www.france24.com/fr/20160120-pakistan-universite-bacha-khan-attaque-peshawar-taliban-terrorisme
    20/1/16

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  88. Deadly explosion rocks Afghan capital Kabul...

    An explosion has hit near the Russian embassy in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, killing at least seven people and wounding 24 others, the country's interior ministry said.

    A witness who works in the Afghanistan Ministry of Home Affairs told Al Jazeera that the suicide bomber rammed his motorbike on the vehicle before detonating himself, in the attack on Wednesday afternoon,

    There were conflicting reports about the identities of the victims. Sources earlier told Al Jazeera that the passengers were government personnel, but other reports indicated they were civilians.

    The attack happened during rush hour along a busy road leading to the country's parliament.

    So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.....http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/afghan-capital-kabul-rocked-explosion-160120131352851.html
    20/1/16

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  89. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruled out any return to peace efforts with the PKK Kurdish rebel group, telling village representatives that the organization will be liquidated...

    Erdogan said neither the separatist terror organization nor the party under its control nor other Kurd structures will ever be accepted as counterpart. The time for negotiating is over, he said.

    Under Erdogan's leadership, a process existed with the PKK that resulted in a two-year cease-fire, which collapsed in July amid mutual recrimination....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  90. Jordan is willing to create economic zones to give refugees more financial independence, according to Queen Rania Al Abdullah who spoke on Wednesday during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland...

    Panellists at the WEF annual Meeting in Davos called for a paradigm shift to help the world’s 60 million refugees, and said that traditional ways of helping refugees no longer work on their own as the world faces the worst crisis of displaced persons since World War II.

    “We are willing to create economic zones where refugees can find employment,” said Queen Rania of Jordan, whose country hosts 1.3 million refugees. Foreign and domestic investors can relocate supply chains there and equip refugees with skill sets needed to later bring back to their home countries once peace is achieved.

    Refugees need to have independence and economic self-sufficiency, Queen Rania added, or else they open themselves up and become vulnerable to recruitment by extremists......alarabiya.net
    21/1/16

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  91. US offers Turkey technology to block ISIS at Syria border ...

    The United States is accelerating efforts to help Turkey clamp down on its border with Syria, senior US officials said, and for the first time will offer technologies to Ankara to help it secure the frontier.

    Washington and Ankara have been discussing for months how to seal the last piece of unsecured border, a 98-kilometer-long (60 mile-long) stretch that has served as a thruway for Islamic State fighters, black-market goods and war materiel.

    Islamic State controls the Syrian side of the border, and the effort to secure it assumed new urgency after November's deadly Paris attacks. Some of the Paris attackers used or attempted to use the Syria-Turkey border to travel between Islamic State-held territory and Europe, the officials said.
    jpost.com by Reuters
    21/1/16

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  92. Suspected ISIS militants attacked oil installations close to Libya's Ras Lanuf terminal on Thursday, an engineer at the port and an energy official allied with the country's eastern government said...

    They said at least two storage tanks from the Harouge Oil Operations company had been set on fire near Ras Lanuf, where militants also launched attacks earlier this month.
    Reuters
    ahram.org.eg

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  93. A bomb blast killed six people including three policemen Thursday as a team of officers raided an apartment in the Egyptian capital suspected to be a militant hideout, police said...

    The explosion near a road that leads to the site of the ancient Egyptian pyramids in the Cairo suburb of Giza, came ahead of Monday's anniversary of the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

    The bomb attack killed three policemen and three others, security sources said. Fifteen people were wounded.

    "Six people have been killed in the blast, including three policemen. The others include a civilian and two unidentified men," a police officer told AFP.

    Egyptian police cordoned off the blast site, Al Arabiya's correspondent reported.

    Security officials said the impact of the explosion damaged part of the residential building housing the apartment.

    Islamist militants have stepped up attacks on Egyptian soldiers and police since the army toppled president Mohammed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013 after mass protests against his rule. Civilians have also been killed.
    (with Reuters and AFP)
    alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  94. Markets in Asia have rallied, picking up on a rebound in oil prices and a strong lead from the US and Europe...

    The recovery comes after a sharp sell-off earlier in the week.

    Hints from European Central Bank on Thursday that it might consider more monetary easing helped lift investors' confidence.

    In Japan, the Nikkei 225 jumped 5.9% to close at 16,958.53, after hitting at 15-month low the previous day.

    Markets in China also managed to recover some of the past days' heavy losses......http://www.bbc.com/news/business-35378896
    22/1/16

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  95. Residents of the U.S. East Coast are frantically preparing for a major snow storm expected to begin Friday afternoon and continue until early Sunday...

    Heavy snow is expected in at least 15 states, with perhaps historical blizzard conditions in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and New York City metro areas.

    Weather officials forecast between 30 and 90 centimeters of snow. Residents have also been warned of strong, possibly damaging winds, significant icing and coastal flooding.

    Major roads were treated with saltwater solution while residents rushed to grocery stores ahead of the storm. Hardware stores were running out of snow melt, shovels and even snow blowers on Thursday........http://www.voanews.com/content/us-east-coast-prepares-for-gigantic-snowstorm/3157301.html
    22/1/16

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  96. North Korea said it has detained a U.S. student on suspicion of carrying out an unspecified "hostile act against the state."...

    The Korean Central News Agency said the student, identified as Otto Frederick Warmbier from the University of Virginia, entered North Korea as a tourist with the aim "to destroy the country's unity."

    KCNA did not lay out the student's alleged crimes, but said his acts were "tolerated and manipulated by the U.S. government." It did not elaborate, but said an investigation was under way.

    According to his LinkedIn page, Warmbier is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia where he is studying economics and global sustainability....http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-detains-us-student-for-anti-state-crimes/3157309.html

    ReplyDelete
  97. A senior Syrian opposition official on Friday ruled out even indirect peace talks with the government before a halt to Russian air strikes and the lifting of government blockades on populated areas...

    George Sabra, deputy head of the opposition delegation, also said the opposition council he represents was due to discuss diplomatic efforts with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday.
    REUTERS

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  98. Russia sanctions could be lifted 'in months': Kerry...

    US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday held out the prospect of lifting Western sanctions against Russia within months if the Minsk peace accord to end the conflict in Ukraine is fully implemented.

    "With effort and with bona-fide legitimate intent to solve the problem on both sides, it is possible in these next months to find those Minsk agreements implemented," Kerry said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    This would allow Russia "to get to a place where sanctions can be appropriately -- because of the full implementation -- removed," he said.

    The Minsk peace deal is a package of measures agreed by the leaders of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia in the Belarusian capital...AFP....http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/185659.aspx
    22/1/16

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  99. Syria conflict: 'US expanding air strip' in Kurdish north...

    Satellite imagery appearing to show the US expanding a formerly disused air strip in Kurdish-controlled northern Syria has been seen by the BBC.

    The images, from the security analysts Stratfor, show a runway near the town of Rmeilan being extended from 700m (half a mile) to 1.3km.

    That would be long enough for a larger aircraft such as a transport plane.

    A spokesman for the US Department of Defence said its small team in Syria needed "occasional logistical support"....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35387388

    ReplyDelete
  100. Cinq personnes ont été tuées et deux autres ont été "gravement blessées" vendredi au Canada lors d'une fusillade dans un lycée d'une communauté autochtone du centre du pays, a annoncé le Premier ministre Justin Trudeau...

    Un jeune homme a ouvert le feu vers 13h00 locales (20h00 en Belgique) dans l'établissement scolaire de la bourgade amérindienne de La Loche, au nord de la province de la Saskatchewan (centre), selon des témoins interrogés par la presse locale. "Il y a eu une fusillade dans cette collectivité, cinq personnes sont mortes, deux autres sont dans un état grave", a déclaré Justin Trudeau depuis Davos (Suisse) où il participe au Forum économique mondial. La personne soupçonnée d'être le tireur "a été placée en détention", a-t-il souligné. Il s'agit de la pire fusillade dans un établissement scolaire au Canada en 26 ans......rtl.be

    ReplyDelete
  101. Three people test positive for Zika virus in New York...

    Three people in New York have tested positive for the Zika virus, which has been blamed for a surge in babies born with abnormally small heads in Latin America, city officials said Friday.

    All three had traveled to areas outside the United States where the mosquito-borne ailment is spreading rapidly, the New York State Department of Health said, without specifying where.

    Officials said one person has completely recovered, while the others are still getting better.....i24news.tv
    23/1/16

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  102. Schwerer Schneesturm an US-Ostküste: Wegen "Jonas" sollen alle zu Hause bleiben...

    Einer der schwersten Schneestürme der vergangenen Jahre hat den Osten der USA erreicht. Zehntausende Menschen sind ohne Strom. Auf den verschneiten und vereisten Straßen gab es zahlreiche Unfällen. Mehrere Menschen kamen ums Leben.

    Der angekündigte Schneesturm hat den Osten der USA erreicht. Medienberichten zufolge kamen mindestens acht Menschen bei witterungsbedingten Verkehrsunfällen ums Leben. Die Behörden befürchten bis zu 60 Zentimeter Neuschnee und forderten Millionen Menschen auf, sich in Sicherheit zu bringen.

    "Schwerer Schneefall, zunehmender Wind, Gefahr von Blitzeinschlägen", twitterte der Wetterdienst NWS und warnte vor "einer Bedrohung für Leben und Besitztümer". Die Blizzard-Warnung galt für ein Gebiet von Washington bis New York. Bis zu 85 Millionen US-Bürger - rund ein Viertel der Gesamtbevölkerung - könnten betroffen sein. Tausende Flüge wurden gestrichen.....http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/usa-blizzard-101.html
    23/1/16

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  103. The White House said it was deeply concerned about reports of harm to civilians amid escalating violence in Yemen, and called on all sides involved in the conflict to resume peace talks...
    "The United States takes all credible accounts of civilian deaths seriously and we again call on all sides of the conflict in Yemen to do their utmost to avoid harm to civilians," said National Security Council spokesman Ned Price in a statement yesterday.
    Price noted recent attacks that killed an ambulance driver associated with Medecins Sans Frontieres in Dahyan, a freelance journalist near Sana'a, and civilians in Sana'a and at the Ras Isa oil terminal.
    http://www.uniindia.com/white-house-raises-concerns-about-harm-to-civilians-in-yemen/world/news/355398.html#JpkELf7PfHmldktr.99
    24/1/16

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  104. Le Parti socialiste espagnol a refusé samedi de négocier, dans l'immédiat, la formation d'un gouvernement avec le parti de gauche radicale Podemos...

    Le PSOE a accusé celui-ci de "chantage" pour avoir imposé d'avance ses conditions.

    Après que le chef du gouvernement sortant, le conservateur Mariano Rajoy, a renoncé vendredi à former un gouvernement, le Parti socialiste espagnol n'a pas saisi la perche tendue par la gauche radicale pour former un gouvernement de coalition. Le PSOE a en effet refusé samedi 23 janvier de négocier, dans l'immédiat, la formation d'un gouvernement avec le parti anticapitaliste Podemos, qu'il a accusé de "chantage" pour avoir imposé d'avance et publiquement ses conditions.

    Podemos avait fait une entrée fracassante au Parlement espagnol après un score historique aux élections législatives du dimanche 20 décembre (20,6 % des voix), mettant un terme au bipartisme espagnol....france24.com

    ReplyDelete
  105. US relies heavily on Saudi Arab money to support Syrian rebels...

    When President Barack Obama secretly authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to begin arming Syria's embattled rebels in 2013, the spy agency knew it would have a willing partner to help pay for the covert operation. It was the same partner the CIA has relied on for decades for money and discretion in far-off conflicts: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

    Since then, the CIA and its Saudi counterpart have maintained an unusual arrangement for the rebel-training mission, which the Americans have code-named Timber Sycamore. Under the deal, current and former administration officials said, the Saudis contribute both weapons and large sums of money, and the CIA takes the lead in training the rebels on AK-47 assault rifles and tank-destroying missiles....http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-relies-heavily-on-Saudi-Arab-money-to-support-Syrian-rebels/articleshow/50704066.cms
    24/1/16

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  106. No immediate injuries after magnitude 6.8 earthquake hits Alaska...

    A magnitude-6.8 earthquake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region. But there were no immediate reports of injuries.

    The earthquake struck about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and was centred 53 miles west of Anchor Point in the Kenai Peninsula, which is about 160 miles southwest of Anchorage, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. About two hours later, a magnitude-4.3 aftershock hit the Cook Inlet.

    The earthquake was widely felt by residents of Anchorage. But the Anchorage and Valdez police departments said they have not received any reports of injury or significant damage...AP...http://www.ctvnews.ca/no-immediate-injuries-after-magnitude-6-8-earthquake-hits-alaska-1.2749748
    24/1/16

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  107. Heavy snow hits western, central Japan, and even Okinawa feels chilly...

    A cold air mass gripped the Japanese archipelago, bringing heavy snow and gusty winds to a wide area of western and central Japan on Sunday, forcing airlines to cancel many flights and West Japan Railway Co. to reduce the speed of bullet trains on sections of the Sanyo Shinkansen lines.

    The blanket of snow reached as far as southwestern Japanese cities such as Nagasaki and Kagoshima and the temperature in Naha, the prefectural capital of Okinawa, dropped to 8.9 C on Sunday morning, far below the average low for January.....http://www.eco-r.eu/2016/01/heavy-snow-hits-western-central-japan.html
    24/1/16

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  108. Bombendrohung: Turkish-Airlines-Flug umgeleitet...

    Ein Turkish-Airlines-Flug von US-Flughafen Houston nach Istanbul ist am Sonntag aufgrund einer Bombendrohung auf den irischen Shannon Flughafen nahe Limerick umgeleitet worden. Die Boeing 777 sei sicher gelandet, alle Passagiere hätten die Maschine verlassen, berichtete der amerikanische TV-Sender "CNN".

    Das Flugzeug werde nun durchsucht. An Bord der Maschine befanden sich laut "CNN" 207 Passagiere, darunter zwei Kinder. Flugbegleiter hatten zuvor einen handgeschriebenen Drohbrief gefunden.
    (APA)

    ReplyDelete
  109. Yatsenyuk: people have to say what should be the new Constitution...

    Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk in favor of a referendum on amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine.

    ReplyDelete
  110. An underwater sonar vehicle used in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370 has now been lost to the deep ocean floor after hitting an undersea volcano, Australian officials said Monday...

    The "towfish", pulled behind a search ship and fitted with survey instruments, plunged to the bottom of the remote southern Indian Ocean on Sunday.

    "The towfish collided with a mud volcano which rises 2,200 meters from the sea floor resulting in the vehicle's tow cable breaking," the Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) announced.

    "The towfish and 4,500 meters of cable became separated from the vessel and are now resting on the sea floor," the statement added.

    Australia is leading the search for the Boeing-777 that vanished on March 8, 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people onboard...AFP....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/asia-pacific/100449-160125-mh370-hunt-loses-hi-tech-sonar-probe-to-undersea-volcano
    25/1/16

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  111. Australian authorities searching for a missing Malaysia Airlines passenger jet said on Monday they had lost a deep-water sonar detector being used to scour a patch of the ocean floor where the plane is believed to have gone down almost two years ago...

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared with 239 people on board during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in March 2014, sparking one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

    On Saturday, a piece of suspected plane wreckage was found off the east coast of southern Thailand but aviation experts and Thai officials said it was unlikely to belong to MH370.

    A piece of the plane washed up on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean in July 2015 but no further trace has been found....REUTERS....http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Search-for-missing-MH370-hits-another-snag-with-sonar-detector-lost/articleshow/50715143.cms

    ReplyDelete
  112. No reports of casualties, major damage after Spain earthquake...

    There were no immediate reports of any casualties or major damage across Spain's southern coast early on Monday after a major earthquake of magnitude 6.3 struck about 162 km (100 miles) southeast of Malaga.

    The quake hit at 11.22 p.m. ET on Sunday (0422 GMT), the Spanish National Geographic Institute said, and was followed by six lesser aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey had earlier reported the tremor had a magnitude of 6.6 and was registered at 33 km (20 miles) deep.

    Emergency services in the southern region of Andalucia said in a statement on their Twitter feed they had received 250 calls from alarmed residents.

    The tremors and aftershocks were felt throughout the region, including in the cities of Malaga, Cordoba, Seville and Granada.

    In Melilla, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan coast, emergency services said they had received more than 200 calls from people warning of damage to properties. Schools would remain shut on Monday so buildings could be inspected.

    Media in Melilla said power was being restored to areas where it had been cut.
    REUTERS
    25/1/16

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  113. Libya's internationally recognised parliament voted Monday to reject a UN-backed unity government, in a major blow to international efforts to end the country's unrest...

    The United Nations and Western diplomats have urged Libyans to back the unity government formed last week as a step toward ending the political chaos that has gripped the country since the 2011 ouster of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

    Libya currently has two rival administrations and parliaments, with the internationally recognised authorities based in the east and a militia-backed authority holding power in Tripoli.

    A national unity government headed by businessman Fayez al-Sarraj and comprising 32 ministers was formed last week, but the recognised parliament needs to approve it for it to start working.

    "We voted against endorsing the government and ask... to be presented with another government," parliamentarian Ali al-Gaydi said......http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/185897.aspx
    25/1/16

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  114. Le Kremlin rejette les accusations de corruption américaines ...

    Le Kremlin a rejeté mardi comme "pure diffamation" les accusations de corruption proférées à l'encontre du président Vladimir Poutine par le Trésor américain dans un reportage de la BBC, défiant Washington d'apporter des "preuves concrètes" à ses allégations.

    "Ce n'est que pure invention et diffamation, sans rapport avec la réalité. Nous sommes devenus familiers de ce genre de bidonnages journalistiques liés à l'incompétence, à la chasse au sensationnel ou à une mise en scène", a déclaré aux journalistes le porte-parole du Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov.

    "Tout ne serait qu'un nouvel exemple de ce journalisme irresponsable typique s'il ne comportait des commentaires officiels du Trésor américain", a-t-il ajouté. "Proférer des accusations pareilles de la part d'une institution telle que le Trésor américain sans apporter de preuves concrètes jette une ombre sur cette institution", a poursuivi Dmitri Peskov...........http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_le-kremlin-rejette-les-accusations-de-corruption-americaines?id=9196304

    ReplyDelete
  115. Asian Markets Close Sharply Lower Tuesday ...

    Tuesday promises to be another nerve-racking day for investors, with Asian stock markets sustaining another round of large losses certain to ripple across the globe.

    China's Shanghai and Shenzhen indexes led the way, each losing 6 percent at the end of the day's trading session, the lowest marks 14 months.

    The indexes in Hong Kong and Japan lost 2 percent each, while markets in Taiwan, Singapore and Thailand also sustained losses.

    Tuesday's declines were once again triggered by losses a day earlier on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and NASDAQ indexes all losing shares thanks to oil prices once against falling below $30 a barrel due to an oversupply of crude on the global market and slowing growth in China.

    Energy shares have plunged as a result, and caused concern among investors about a slowdown in the global economy.
    http://www.voanews.com/content/asian-markets-close-sharply-lower-tuesday/3162806.html
    26/1/17

    ReplyDelete
  116. Danish MPs to vote on seizing valuables from refugees...

    Denmark's parliament is to vote on a bill that allows the confiscation of refugees' cash exceeding 10,000 kroner ($1,450), a move that has drawn international consternation.

    The bill, which politicians will vote on on Tuesday and is expected to pass, has raised alarm among human rights organisations.

    The Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog, said that the law could violate fundamental property rights......http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/danish-mps-vote-seizing-valuables-refugees-160126055035636.html
    26/1/16

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Danish parliament has backed a controversial proposal to confiscate asylum seekers' valuables to pay for their upkeep...

      Denmark says the policy brings migrants in line with jobless Danes, who must sell assets above a certain level to claim benefits.

      MPs also backed plans to delay family reunions for asylum seekers.

      The bill was expected to be approved even though it had been criticised by human rights groups.

      Under the new law, refugees entering the country will only be allowed to keep possessions up to a value of about 10,000 kroner (1,340 euros; £1,000) - a figure raised from 3,000 kroner following objections.

      Items of sentimental value, such as wedding rings, will be exempt. ..
      BBC
      26/1/16

      Delete
  117. Turkey remains strongly opposed to the participation of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Syrian Kurdish grouping, in the opposition ranks at peace talks planned for this week, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Tuesday...

    If the US-allied PYD, which is battling Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is to join the talks aimed at resolving the five-year Syrian civil war, its place should be on the same side as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Davutoğlu said in parliament.
    todayszaman.com - REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  118. Islamic State 'enjoyed Turkish money for oil': Israeli minister...

    Israel's defense minister said on Tuesday that Islamic State militants had been funded with 'Turkish money', an assertion that could hinder attempts to mend fences between the two countries after years of estrangement.

    "It's up to Turkey, the Turkish government, the Turkish leadership, to decide whether they want to be part of any kind of cooperation to fight terrorism. This is not the case so far," Moshe Yaalon told reporters in Athens.

    "As you know, Daesh (Islamic State) enjoyed Turkish money for oil for a very, very long period of time. I hope that it will be ended," Yaalon, a right-wing former armed forces chief, told reporters after meeting his Greek counterpart, Panos Kammenos..........http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-israel-turkey-idUSKCN0V421N?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    26/1/16

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  119. The European Union is discussing imposing travel bans and asset freezes on at least two Libyans seen as blocking efforts by the United Nations to form a government of national unity, diplomatic sources said on Tuesday...

    Nouri Abusahmain, the head of Libya's General National Congress, one of two rival parliaments, and Khalifa al-Ghwell, who heads one of Libya's two rival governments, could face the sanctions early next month if diplomats reach agreement soon, the sources said.

    Other names are also being discussed, the sources said. REUTERS
    26/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  120. Ukraine Declares Flu Epidemic as Death Toll Rises to 83...

    Authorities declared a flu epidemic in Ukraine on Tuesday as the outbreak of the virus has already claimed 83 lives. Health Minister Alexander Kvitashvili said the country is now dealing with a flu outbreak and noted that the epidemic threshold has been surpassed in 18 regions.

    Kvitashvili added over 2.6 million flu cases have been reported throughout the country between early October 2015 and the end of January this year. The figure represents 6 percent of Ukraine's population.

    Later in the day, Kiev city officials stated that 19 patients succumbed to influenza in the Ukrainian capital since the cold season started and that 12 of them passed away over the past week.

    The Health Ministry had previously stated that majority of the reported influenza cases were caused by the H1N1 strain. In order to prevent the spread of the disease, most schools have been closed since January 16 and the public has been advised to wear protective masks in crowded areas.
    http://www.ubalert.com/f4fc
    27/1/16

    ReplyDelete
  121. French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira has stepped down from her job, shortly before MPs are due to debate plans to strip people convicted of terrorism of their citizenship...

    Ms Taubira was known to disagree with the controversial proposals,

    The citizenship plans were put forward after the 13 November Paris attacks in which 130 people were murdered.

    "Sometimes staying on is resisting, sometimes resisting means leaving," she tweeted.

    Ms Taubira, one of France's few senior black politicians, has been replaced by Jean-Jacques Urvoas who is seen as a supporter of the constitutional change.

    Born in French Guiana, Ms Taubira has suffered racist taunts from the far-right during her time as justice minister....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35417732

    ReplyDelete
  122. U.S. slams Taiwan president's planned visit to contested South China Sea island...

    Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's planned trip to the Taiwanese-held island of Itu Aba in the disputed South China Sea is "extremely unhelpful" and won't do anything to resolve disputes over the waterway, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.

    Ma's office earlier announced that the president, who steps down in May, would fly to Itu Aba on Thursday to offer Chinese New Year wishes to residents on the island, mainly Taiwanese coastguard personnel and environmental scholars.

    But Ma's one-day visit to Itu Aba, known as Taiping in Taiwan, comes amid growing international concern over rising tensions in the waterway and quickly drew the ire of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

    "We are disappointed that President Ma Ying-jeou plans to travel to Taiping Island," AIT spokeswoman Sonia Urbom said in an email to Reuters.

    "Such an action is extremely unhelpful and does not contribute to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.".....reuters.com
    27/1/16

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  123. China will honor its commitment not to militarize the disputed South China Sea and will not accept any allegation that its words are not matched by actions, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday...

    Wang was speaking to reporters after meeting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is visiting Beijing.
    REUTERS

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  124. The Dutch cabinet will discuss a US request to join coalition air strikes against jihadists in Syria within “the coming days”, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said, amid speculation a decision may come as early as Friday...

    “The cabinet will now decide. We’ll discuss it in the coming days,” Koenders told Dutch news program Nieuwsuur late Tuesday night.

    Late last year the Dutch government received a request from its allies the United States and France to broaden its campaign of air support against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (IS) group from Iraq into Syria......i24news.tv

    ReplyDelete
  125. Turkey Threatens Military Action Against Syrian Kurds ...

    Turkey's Security Council announced Thursday that the PYD Syrian Kurdish group and its YPG militia have no future in Syria. Ankara has warned it could intervene militarily.

    Observers say Turkey has become alarmed about increasing Russian and U.S. support for the group and militia in their fight against Islamic State.

    Ankara accuses the PYD/YPG of being offshoots of the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which Turkish forces are currently battling both domestically and by air in Iraq. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this month promised to eradicate the PKK from the region.

    The threats should be taken seriously, said political columnist Semih Idiz of Turkey's Cumhuriyet newspaper.....http://www.voanews.com/content/turkey-threatens-military-action-against-syrian-kurds/3167056.html

    ReplyDelete
  126. Dutch discussing plan to ferry refugees back to Turkey...

    Senior Dutch government officials are discussing a plan to ferry refugees arriving in Greece back to Turkey to stem the flow of migrants seeking refuge in Europe, Labour Party leader Diederik Samsom said on Thursday.

    Samsom said in an interview with the daily Volkskrant that European countries would have to agree in exchange to take several hundred thousand refugees each year out nearly 2 million currently in Turkey.

    He also told Reuters that the plan was close to becoming government policy and that the Netherlands, which currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, would seek to push for Europe-wide agreement on the proposal.....reuters

    ReplyDelete
  127. Syria's opposition insists it will not attend talks on a political solution to the war in the country despite the UN announcing they will begin on Friday...

    Opposition leaders say representatives will not travel to Geneva unless steps are taken to alleviate the plight of civilians under siege and bombardment.

    But UN envoy Staffan de Mistura plans to proceed with indirect "proximity" talks with the Syrian government.....BBC

    ReplyDelete
  128. China will join the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 by sending a ship to the search area in the southern Indian Ocean...

    Australia's deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss announced on Friday that the Chinese ship, Dong Hai Jiu 101, will be deployed in February to assist in the Australian-led search operation.

    "The Australian government welcomes the Dong Hai Jiu 101 to the search effort and thanks the government of the People's Republic of China for its generous contribution," Truss said in a statement on Friday.

    "The ship, offered to (Australian) Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull by Premier Li Keqiang of the People's Republic of China in November 2015, will undertake search operations in the southern Indian Ocean."

    "The ship has recently been refitted and will be equipped with the ProSAS-60 - a 6000-meter depth-rated synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) towed system to be used in search operations."..........http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-01/29/content_37693113.htm

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  129. A US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other nations in the South China Sea on Saturday, in an operation the Pentagon said aimed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation...

    China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

    Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands.

    "This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants -- China, Taiwan and Vietnam -- to restrict navigation rights and freedoms," Davis said, reflecting the US position that the crucial sea lane should be treated as international waters.

    The Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China's manmade islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing...REUTERS...http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com

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  130. Wenn sich Flüchtlinge nicht anderweitig aufhalten lassen, müssten sie an der Grenze gestoppt werden - notfalls mit der Schusswaffe. Das fordert AfD-Chefin Petry...

    Die Grenzen müssten umfassend kontrolliert werden, damit nicht weiter so viele Menschen unregistriert einreisten.

    AfD-Chefin Frauke Petry verlangt angesichts des großen Flüchtlingsandrangs umfassende Kontrollen an den deutschen Grenzen. Es müsse verhindert werden, dass "weiter so viele unregistrierte Flüchtlinge über Österreich einreisen können, sagte die Vorsitzende der rechtspopulistischen Alternative für Deutschland dem "Mannheimer Morgen". Die Polizei müsse "notfalls auch von der Schusswaffe Gebrauch machen".

    "Kein Polizist will auf einen Flüchtling schießen. Ich will das auch nicht. Aber zur Ultima Ratio gehört der Einsatz von Waffengewalt", sagte Petry. "So steht es im Gesetz".

    Entscheidend sei es jedoch, die Flüchtlingszahlen zu verringern. Hierfür seien Abkommen mit Österreich und Kontrollen an EU-Außengrenzen erforderlich......http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/petry-119.html

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