Monday, January 4, 2016

Febrosel world news (February 2016)

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

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108 comments:

  1. Cuba's Castro in France for historic visit...

    Cuba's President Raul Castro began an official state visit to France on Monday, his first ever to Europe, which is being seen as a key step in rebuilding his island nation's ties with the West.

    The Cuban leader was welcomed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris before being driven down a virtually deserted Champs-Elysees avenue, decked out in Cuban flags.

    Police severely restricted access to spectators, and just a few groups of supporters of the Cuban regime were present.

    Castro, 84, is on his first official trip to the European Union since taking over from his elder brother Fidel in 2006, and spent the weekend in the French capital on a private visit.

    France has led the way in welcoming Cuba back into the diplomatic fold since it restored relations last year with the United States after they were broken off for more than half a century.......http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/101334-160201-cuba-s-castro-in-france-for-historic-visit
    1/2/16

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    1. Hollande appelle Obama à effacer "pleinement" l'embargo à Cuba...

      Au cours de la visite officielle du président cubain Raul Castro à Paris, François Hollande a appelé Barack Obama à "effacer l'embargo commercial américain qui frappe Cuba", un "vestige de la guerre froide" selon le chef de l'État français.

      François Hollande apporte son soutien franc et massif à Cuba, et pour cela, il n’hésite pas à interpeller directement le président américain Barack Obama. Lors de la visite de Raul Castro à Paris, une première pour un président cubain depuis la venue de son frère Fidel en 1995, le président français a appelé les États-Unis à lever pleinement l'embargo commercial qui frappe Cuba depuis 1962..........http://www.france24.com/fr/20160202-francois-hollande-appelle-barack-obama-effacer-embargo-cuba-visite-raul-castro-france
      2/2/16

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  2. NATO refused to provide evidence of violations of Turkish borders Su-34...

    NATO refused to provide evidence of violations of the Turkish border by Russian Su-34. The representative of the Alliance who requested anonymity said that the evidence of violation by Russian bomber air borders of Turkey are secret. He made this Monday February 1 informed RIA Novosti .

    “According to our information Russian combat aircraft violated the Turkish border on Friday. Images violations secret “- a spokesman said.....http://rushincrash.com/forces/army-force-structures/nato-refused-to-provide-evidence-of-violations-of-turkish-borders-su-34/
    1/2/16

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  3. UN Says Talks with Syria Government ’Rescheduled’...

    Talks between the UN special envoy for Syria and government representatives tentatively planned for Monday 11:00 am (1000 GMT) in Geneva have been "rescheduled" to allow talks with the opposition first, the UN said.

    Khawla Mattar, spokeswoman for special envoy Staffan de Mistura, told AFP there was "the need to meet" with opposition first, and that a meeting with the government would happen "maybe another day".

    Discussions with the opposition umbrella group the so-called High Negotiations Committee (HNC) were still expected to take place at the UN's European headquarters at 5:00 pm (1600 GMT), the UN said.....AFP
    1/2/16

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  4. The Russian presidency has denied the reported violation of Turkish airspace by a Russian warplane on Jan. 29, in line with the country’s defense ministry’s refutation immediately following a statement by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry on Jan. 30 that an airspace violation had occurred...

    “We proceed from the information declared by our defense ministry. Let me remind you that defense ministry officials dismissed Turkish claims there had been a violation of Turkish airspace by one of our planes,” Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russia’s TASS news agency.

    The Russian defense ministry had said on Jan. 30 that no Russian aircraft had violated Turkish airspace.

    “There were no violations of Turkish airspace by aircraft of the Russian air group in the Syrian Arab Republic. Turkish authorities’ statements of an alleged violation of Turkish airspace by a Russian Su-34 jet are naked propaganda,” spokesperson Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying by Russia’s Sputnik news agency.

    Peskov also said Russian President Vladimir Putin had been informed of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s request for meeting immediately following the incident.

    “Putin was informed of this wish of the president [Erdoğan],” Peskov said, without elaboration....hurriyetdailynews.com
    1/2/16

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  5. War crimes should not be part of any Syria amnesty: UN...

    The United Nations has said that there should be no amnesty for people suspected of committing war crimes as talks aimed at ending Syria's war continued to struggle in Geneva.

    Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the top UN human rights official, maintained on Monday that the deliberate starvation of Syrians was a potential war crime and a crime against humanity that should be prosecuted and not covered by any amnesty that may be agreed as part of a peace deal.

    "In the case of Syria, we are there to remind everyone that where there are allegations that reach the threshold of war crimes or crimes against humanity, that amnesties are not permissible," he told reporters in Geneva.....aljazeera.com

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  6. A senior U.S. official has visited Kurdish-controlled northern Syria in what appeared to be the first declared trip to Syrian territory for several years by an official from U.S. President Barack Obama's administration...

    Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, said his weekend trip aimed to review the fight against Islamic State, the jihadist group that controls swathes of Syria and Iraq....todayonline.com

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  7. La crise pétrolière dirige la Russie vers une situation budgétaire "critique" ...

    La Russie ne peut plus attendre face à la déroute des cours du pétrole: selon son ministre de l'Economie, la situation budgétaire, "critique", rend urgente la mise en œuvre de privatisations longtemps retardées en dépit des turbulences des marchés.

    "Il n'est plus possible d'attendre"

    Le gouvernement russe cherche à réduire sa participation dans certains groupes publics -sans nécessairement en céder le contrôle- afin de combler le trou béant laissé dans ses comptes par la chute des cours des hydrocarbures, qui représentent la moitié des rentrées budgétaires.

    "En 2014-2015, le marché était orienté à la baisse et nous attendions que la situation change, mais maintenant on se rend compte qu'il n'est plus possible d'attendre", a déclaré le ministre de l'Economie Alexeï Oulioukaïev, cité par les agences russes.

    "La situation budgétaire est critique et les turbulences des marchés financiers ne donnent pas de raison d'espérer un quelconque rebond", a-t-il ajouté.

    "Le défi consiste à conclure des transactions de qualité et rentables sur des marchés extrêmement défavorables", a poursuivi M. Oulioukaïev......rtbf.be
    2/2/16

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  8. The United States will spend $3.4 billion next year to counter "Russia's aggression" and boost the US presence in eastern European nations, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday...

    "We're reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression," Carter said, noting that the $3.4 billion was a quadrupling of funds from last year.

    "That'll fund a lot of things. More rotational US forces in Europe, more training and exercises with our allies, more prepositioned war fighting gear, and infrastructure improvements to support it."
    almanar.com.lb

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  9. Espagne: le roi propose au socialiste Sanchez de tenter de former un gouvernement ...

    Le roi d'Espagne a proposé mardi au chef du parti socialiste (PSOE) Pedro Sanchez de tenter de former un gouvernement, a-t-on appris de source officielle, mission que le socialiste avait acceptée à l'avance.

    "J'ai proposé Monsieur Pedro Sanchez Castejon comme candidat à la présidence du gouvernement", a écrit le roi dans un texte lu par le président du Congrès (chambre basse parlement) Patxi Lopez, un mois et demi après les élections du 20 décembre.

    La droite l'a emporté avec 28,7% des suffrages, suivie des socialistes (22%), mais depuis le scrutin le chef du gouvernement sortant, le conservateur Mariano Rajoy, n'a pas réussi à obtenir les soutiens nécessaires à l'investiture au parlement...AFP

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  10. Argentina strikes preliminary accord with Italian creditors...

    Argentina announced Tuesday that it reached a $900 million preliminary accord to settle its pending debt with 50,000 Italian holders of defaulted Argentine government bonds.

    "It represents approximately 15 percent of the debt that remained outside the (rescheduling) accords," Finance Minister Alfonso Prat-Gay told a press conference.
    EFE
    3/1/16

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  11. L'émissaire spécial de l'ONU sur la Syrie, Staffan de Mistura, a mis en garde mardi soir contre un "échec" des discussions de Genève, après des débuts poussifs marqués par la difficulté de réunir les belligérants...

    Alors que M. de Mistura avait déclaré officiellement lancées les discussions, la journée de mardi a offert une image de confusion totale, illustrant le fossé entre diplomatie et réalité sur le terrain.

    D'un côté, le régime syrien affirme ne pas avoir de partenaire pour négocier, tandis que l'opposition exige des mesures immédiates en faveur des civils et accuse la communauté internationale d'être "aveugle" face à la tragédie.

    Staffan de Mistura a fini par mettre en garde contre un "échec" à Genève, "toujours possible, particulièrement après cinq ans d'une guerre horrible". "Mais s'il y un échec cette fois-ci (...), il n'y aura plus d'espoir", a-t-il déclaré à la Radio télévision suisse....rtbf.be
    3/2/16

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  12. The risk of open war between Russia and Ukraine is greater than it was a year ago and Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun an "information war" against Germany, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told the German newspaper Bild...

    Poroshenko, who met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday, said Russia had implemented "not one single point" of the Minsk accord, which includes a ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

    Russia was building up its military presence on the border with Ukraine, he said.

    "The danger of an open war is greater than last year," Poroshenko told Bild, in an interview published in its Wednesday edition. "Russia is investing a great deal in war preparations.".....reuters.com
    3/2/16

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  13. Australia's offshore asylum policy ruled legal by High Court...

    Australia's High Court has ruled that the government's policy of detaining asylum seekers offshore is legal.

    The court rejected a challenge brought by lawyers for one detainee who argued the policy was unconstitutional.

    The ruling paves the way for more than 250 people, including 37 babies, to be deported to a detention camp on the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru.

    PM Malcolm Turnbull said the borders had to be secure, and repeated the view that the policy prevents deaths.

    "Our commitment today is simply this: the people smugglers will not prevail over our sovereignty. Our borders are secure. The line has to be drawn somewhere and it is drawn at our border," he said.

    Rights groups have reported harsh conditions, violence and abuses at the camps, while Australian senators have said Nauru is not safe for children....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-35479173

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  14. An Indian pharmaceutical firm claimed on Wednesday to have developed the world's first vaccine against mosquito-borne Zika virus...

    Biotech International Limited, the company, based in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh's capital Hyderabad, said it has already filed for a patent for the Zika vaccine.

    "On Zika, we are probably the first vaccine company in the world to file a vaccine candidate patent about nine months ago," Dr. Krishna Ella, head of the pharma firm, told the media.

    The firm has sought the Indian government help for carrying out human and animal trials for the two candidate vaccines, which have been developed by its scientists, using a live Zika virus.

    The claims came a day after the World Health Organization said the Zika virus poses a global public health emergency requiring a united response.....http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/967171.shtml

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  15. Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region should hold a non-binding referendum on independence, its president said on Tuesday, despite the numerous crises it is facing...

    Massoud Barzani has previously called for a referendum but set no timetable for a proposed vote.

    The chaos created by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) occupation of swathes of Iraq and Syria has given Kurds a chance to further their long-held dream of independence. But the region is currently struggling to avert an economic collapse.

    "The time has come and the situation is now suitable for the Kurdish people to make a decision through a referendum on their fate," Barzani said in a statement on his website..Reuters...todayszaman.com
    3/2/16

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  16. Syrie: le processus enlisé à Genève, Moscou n'a aucune intention d'arrêter ses bombardements...

    Le chef de l'opposition Riad Hijab est arrivé mercredi à Genève, où les pourparlers de paix sur la Syrie sont totalement enlisés, l'opposition réclamant un arrêt des bombardements russes, que Moscou n'a nullement l'intention de stopper.

    M. Hijab, qui dirige le Haut comité des négociations (HCN), regroupant des politiques et des militaires de l'opposition, devait rejoindre sa délégation, réunie dans un hôtel genevois pour décider de la suite à donner à sa participation ou non aux pourparlers.

    Ancien gouverneur de la province de Deir ez-Zor (est), puis ministre de l'Agriculture du régime de Bachar al-Assad pendant un an et demi, M. Hijab avait été nommé Premier ministre en juin 2012 avant de faire défection trois mois plus tard et de s'enfuir en Jordanie.....rtl.be
    3/2/16

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  17. Laut Berichten in russischen Medien und westlichen Luftfahrtmagazinen wie "The Aviationist" ist vor kurzem einer der besten und modernsten "Raubvögel" der russischen Luftfahrtindustrie in den Kriegsschauplatz Syrien eingeflogen: die Suchoi Su-35S "Flanker-E", ein Mehrzweckkampflugzeug mit Schwerpunkt als Luftüberlegenheitsjäger, das in seiner aktuellen Gestalt erst seit etwa 2009 produziert wird....

    Die vier konkret nach Syrien überstellten Maschinen (via Iran und Irak) seien sogar erst im Herbst an Russlands Luftwaffe ausgeliefert worden und sohin nagelneu, teilte der russische Generalstab diese Woche mit.

    Die vier Jets sind auf den vorigen Herbst etablierten russischen Luftwaffenstützpunkt nahe Latakia überstellt worden; zuvor waren dort schon etwa 36 Düsenkampfflugzeuge verschiedenster Modelle und etwa 20 Hubschrauber stationiert, die Russen sprechen gar von mindestens 70 Flugzeugen und Hubschraubern......diepresse.com
    3/2/16

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  18. NATO does not comment on Turkey’s denial of an observation flight for the Russian Federation under the Open Skies Treaty, the North Atlantic alliance told TASS...

    The Turkish authorities should be asked about it, NATO said.

    A senior Russian Defense Ministry official said Wednesday Turkey has denied the Russian Federation an observation flight over its territory that was to be held within the framework of the Open Skies Treaty.

    Sergey Ryzhkov, chief of the ministry’s department for control of implementation of treaties, recalled that the flight was to be held above Turkey on February 1-5, 2016 on board an An-30B aircraft and “no preliminary conditions or restrictions for Russia’s surveillance flight were voiced by the Turkish side.”

    “The route supposed, among other things, observation of areas adjacent to the Syrian border and airfields where NATO aircraft are concentrated. But after the arrival of the Russian mission in Turkey and the announcement of the planned route of the observation flight, the Turkish military denied the opportunity to conduct it citing an instruction from Turkey’s Foreign Ministry,” Ryzhkov said.

    “In this way, as a result of violations of the requirements of the Treaty and unconstructive actions on the part of Turkey, a dangerous precedent was created of an uncontrolled military activity of an Open Skies Treaty member state,” he said.

    “We are not going to leave without proper attention and relevant reaction violations of the Open Skies Treaty on the part of the Turkish Republic,” Ryzhkov said.......therussophile.org

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  19. Cologne met l'accent sur la sécurité pour son carnaval...

    Plus d'un mois après la nuit du Nouvel An marquée par de nombreuses agressions sexuelles, Cologne a prévu de déployer d'importants moyens sécuritaires pour la tenue de son carnaval qui débute jeudi, avec une manifestation consacrée aux femmes.

    Secouée par des violences attribuées à des migrants le soir du Nouvel An, la ville allemande de Cologne enfile son costume sécuritaire pour garantir que son carnaval, qui s'ouvre jeudi 4 février, se déroulera dans le calme.

    Le coup d'envoi des festivités sera donné, comme le veut la tradition, à 11 h 11 locales (10 h 11 GMT), et elles débuteront par la "Weiberfastnacht", le carnaval des femmes, invitées à couper les cravates des hommes en signe de dépossession du pouvoir.

    À l'image de la maire, Henriette Reker, qui a encore répété lundi que "tout le monde doit pouvoir fêter le carnaval sans danger", les autorités locales ont multiplié ces derniers jours les interventions pour rassurer les "Jecken" (les "fous" du carnaval) qui vont descendre par milliers dans la rue.......france24.com

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  20. Seoul’s Defense Ministry warned Thursday that it was ready to “intercept” a rocket from North Korea, echoing a similar statement from the Japanese government hours earlier -- as a spokesperson also confirmed that South Korea was aware of preparations at the North’s Dongchang-ri launch site...

    North Korea’s neighbors have been on heightened alert since Tuesday, when Pyongyang informed a United Nations maritime agency that it would launch a satellite between Feb. 8-25 -- despite being barred from using ballistic missile technology under UN resolutions.

    South Korea’s presidential office said Wednesday that Pyongyang will have to “pay a harsh price” if it goes ahead with its plan....http://aa.com.tr/en/politics/skorea-ready-to-intercept-nkorean-rocket/514977
    4/2/16

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  21. The Guardian has learned about the possible coordination of the Saudis and the Turks in the operation in Syria...

    Saudi Arabia can send to Syria several thousand soldiers of special units within the framework of the ground operation. They are likely to be deployed in coordination with Turkey according to The Guardian citing sources in the kingdom.

    According to Brigadier General Ahmad Asiri Saudi Arabia is ready to participate in any ground operation which is a coalition formed to fight the “Islamic state” may agree to take place in Syria. The relevant decision can be made at the NATO summit in Brussels next week.

    Saudi General noted that recent progress in the fight against-housitov rebels in Yemen allows Saudi Arabia to free up forces to be deployed in Syria.......http://rushincrash.com/world/the-guardian-has-learned-about-the-possible-coordination-of-the-saudis-and-the-turks-in-the-operation-in-syria/
    4/2/16

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  22. Turkey is not planning a military incursion into Syria and Russian talk of such action is propaganda, a senior Turkish government official said on Friday...

    "Turkey does not have any plans or thoughts of staging a military campaign or ground incursion in Syria," the official told Reuters, adding Russia was stepping up its own military campaign in Syria every day instead of working for a solution.

    "Turkey is part of a coalition, is working with its allies, and will continue to do so. As we have repeatedly said, Turkey will not act unilaterally," the official said.
    REUTERS
    5/2/16

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  23. Bahrain is ready to commit ground troops to Syria as part of a US-led coalition against Islamic State group, the Gulf island state said on Friday, a day after its larger neighbour and close ally Saudi Arabia announced a similar pledge...

    Bahraini ambassador to Britain Sheikh Fawaz bin Mohammed al-Khalifa said in a statement that Bahrain would commit troops to operate "in concert with the Saudis" under what he called a unified military command of Gulf Arab States.

    He added that the United Arab Emirates, a fellow member of the Saudi-dominated Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), was also ready to commit troops, echoing an assertion made late last year by UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash.

    Saudi Arabia said on Thursday it was ready to participate in any ground operations in Syria if the US-led alliance decides to start such operations, an adviser to the Saudi defence minister said...REUTERS
    6/2/16

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  24. The Pentagon has released nearly 200 pictures previously withheld from the public that document prisoner abuse in some Iraq and Afghanistan detention centers from 2001 to 2009...

    The photos come from independent criminal investigations into allegations of misconduct by U.S. personnel, according to a Defense Department spokesman.

    Fourteen of these investigations substantiated allegations, and 65 service members were disciplined for misconduct.

    The American Civil Liberties Union, a U.S. human rights group, had filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request demanding the government reveal the abuse records......http://www.voanews.com/content/pentagon-photos-prsioner-abuse-iraq-afghanistan/3179002.html
    6/2/16

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  25. Deadly Suicide Blast Hits Southwest Pakistan ...

    A suspected suicide bombing in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta Saturday killed at least eight people and wounded many more, officials said.

    Baluchistan Provincial Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told reporters a man riding a bicycle approached a truck carrying personnel of the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) while it was parked in a busy part of the city and detonated the bomb. He said an investigation has been launched into the attack.

    Hospital officials have confirmed receiving at least 20 people who were wounded by the powerful blast. They include 10 FC personnel while the rest are said to be civilians.

    Pakistani Taliban claims responsibility

    A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying it was carried out by a member of its special suicide squad.

    In addition to the extremist violence, separatist ethnic Baloch militants are blamed for assaults on security forces and government installations in Baluchistan.......http://www.voanews.com/content/deadly-suicide-blast-hits-southwest-pakistan/3179660.html
    6/2/16

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  26. Ecuador has protested to Turkey over an incident in which demonstrators were violently ejected during a speech by visiting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital, Quito...

    Three women protesters were thrown out of the venue by Turkish security. An Ecuadorean MP was also reportedly injured during Thursday's incident.

    Ecuador's foreign minister says the guards' behaviour was "irresponsible".

    Mr Erdogan was in Quito to boost diplomatic and trade ties with Ecuador.

    As Mr Erdogan prepared to hold a news conference at the National Higher Studies Institute, protesters demonstrated against recent operations by Turkey against the Kurdistan Workers's Party (PKK) militant group.

    Inside the hall, when the three women heckled Mr Erdogan, they were set upon by his personal guards and a scuffle ensued. One protester was momentarily placed in a headlock......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35512926
    6/2/16

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  27. UN Security Council meets to condemn N. Korea rocket launch...

    The UN Security Council met Sunday to condemn North Korea's rocket launch, just weeks after Pyongyang carried out its fourth nuclear test.

    "We have consensus to condemn this kind of violation of sanctions," Venezuela's Ambassador Rafael Ramirez, who holds the council presidency, said ahead of the closed-door talks.

    North Korea said Sunday it had successfully put a satellite into orbit, with a rocket launch widely condemned as another defiant step towards a missile capable of striking the US mainland.

    "This is a ballistic missile technology test and as such it is a violation of four Security Council resolutions," said British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson, who called for a "strong and swift response"........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/asia-pacific/102058-160207-un-security-council-meets-to-condemn-n-korea-rocket-launch
    7/2/16

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  28. Turkey to Open Its Border to Syrian Refugees ’if Necessary’...

    Turkey is ready "if necessary" to let in tens of thousands of Syrian refugees gathered on its border after fleeing the military battles, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

    Thousands of Syrians, mostly women and children, have fled toward the Turkish border since Friday from the northern Syrian city of Aleppo to escape the military battles in the area.

    The Syrian army has now blocked a part of Aleppo, and Turkey is under threat, Erdogan told reporters on his plane returning from Senegal on Saturday...AFP...almanar.com.lb

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  29. After Rocket Launch, South Korea Fires Warning Shots At North's Navy ...

    A day after Pyongyang's controversial rocket launch, South Korea fired warnings shots at a patrol boat from North Korea's navy that briefly crossed into South Korean territorial waters.

    The incursion early on February 8 came amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula following North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket that carried a satellite into space and raised concerns about Pyongyang's nuclear program.

    South Korea, Japan, and the United States consider the launch to be a missile test in disguise that violates several UN Security Council resolutions.

    On February 7, the UN Security Council met in an emergency session and strongly condemned the rocket launch, saying it would adopt a resolution with "significant" new sanctions......http://www.rferl.org/content/korea-tensions-navy-rocket-launch-un-sanctions/27537895.html
    8/2/16

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  30. la Turquie prête à ouvrir sa frontière aux Syriens fuyant Alep...

    La Turquie a annoncé être prête à ouvrir ses frontières aux dizaines de milliers de Syriens qui attendent dans le froid après avoir fui l'offensive des troupes du régime de Damas à Alep, mais Ankara n'a pas précisé quand son poste-frontière d'Oncupinar (sud) serait ouvert.

    Dans l'attente d'une décision du gouvernement turc, la situation humanitaire est de plus en plus "désespérée" pour les civils, principalement des femmes et des enfants, qui se pressent dans le nord de la Syrie, selon Médecins sans frontière (MSF).

    Si les Syriens poussés à l'exode "sont à nos portes et n'ont pas d'autre choix, nous devons laisser entrer nos frères et nous le ferons", a déclaré samedi le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Il n'a cependant pas précisé quand les Syriens pourraient entrer.......rtl.be
    8/2/16

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  31. Jabha al-Shamiyah rebels agree with IS to stop Syrian Arab Army's advance in Aleppo ...

    The Jabha al-Shamiyah, or Levant Front, rebel group has concluded a truce with the Islamic State (IS) and decided to join force to face the advance of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in the northern province of Aleppo, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported on Sunday.

    Both rival parties have agreed to a cessation of hostility, exchange of prisoners, and allowing the flow of weapons and fighters between areas under their respective control in northern Aleppo, according to the report.

    The agreement came to stop the advance of the Syrian army and allies fighters in the northern countryside of Aleppo, which is witnessing intense battles coupled by the sweeping progress of the Syrian army backed by the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah group.

    The Jabha al-Shamiyah is a coalition of northern Aleppo-based rebel factions involved in the Syrian Civil War. Its membership includes the major Sunni Islamist groups operating in northern Syria, representing a spectrum of ideologies from hardline Salafism to apolitical factions linked to the Western-backed Free Syrian Army rebels. It was formed in December 2014............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/967784.shtml
    8/2/16

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  32. Canada to end bombing missions in Iraq and Syria...

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday Canada would pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in Iraq and Syria, ending Canada's controversial combat role in the effort against Islamic State.

    Canada will end its bombing missions by Feb. 22 but keep two surveillance planes in the region as well as refueling aircraft, and triple the number of soldiers training Kurdish troops in northern Iraq to about 200, from about 70 currently, the government said.

    "In any mission, you need to make choices. We can't do everything. In our decision, we were guided by our desire to do what we could do best to help in the region and to do it in the right way," Trudeau said during a news conference.

    "The people terrorized by ISIL every day don't need our vengeance, they need our help.".....Reuters
    8/2/16

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  33. North Korea nuclear: Plutonium reactor 'restarted'...

    North Korea has restarted a plutonium production reactor that could provide a stockpile for nuclear weapons, US intelligence chief James Clapper says.

    He also said the North had taken steps towards making an intercontinental ballistic missile system.

    It comes days after the North launched a long-range rocket, which critics say is a test of banned missile technology.

    Last September Pyongyang said its main nuclear facility at Yongbyon had resumed normal operations.

    The reactor there has been the source of plutonium for its nuclear weapons programme....BBC
    9/2/16

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  34. The death toll from a head-on collision between two commuter trains in southern Germany has risen to nine, with two people still missing, police said...

    Around 100 people were injured in the crash, 55 of whom are said to be in a critical condition.

    The incident happened at 6.48am local time (5.48am Irish time) near Bad Aibling in Bavaria, about 60km southeast of Munich.....rte.ie
    9/2/16

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  35. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday Russia had proposed a “concrete” plan to resolve the Syria crisis to the United States, RIA news agency reported...

    Lavrov said Washington was studying the proposal.

    In the same time, Secretary of State John Kerry also made statements on Tuesday, urging Russia to help agreement on ceasefire in Syria.

    Kerry said Russian activities in Syria are making it difficult to hold peace talks on ending the Syrian conflict.

    “Russia’s activities from Aleppo and in the region are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and be able to have a serious conversation,” Kerry told reporters.
    REUTERS

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  36. Explosives, suicide belts found on suspects at Turkey-Syria border...

    Turkish soldiers have seized explosives and four suicide vests in the baggage of a group of suspects stopped at the border with Syria, the Turkish army said on Wednesday.

    “Between 12 and 15 kilos of explosives and four belts that could be used for suicide attacks were found in two bags,” the army said in a statement.
    AFP
    10/2/16

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  37. The Supreme Court has agreed to halt enforcement of President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to address climate change until after legal challenges are resolved...

    The surprising move on Tuesday is a blow to the administration and a victory for the coalition of 27 mostly Republican-led states and industry opponents that call the regulations "an unprecedented power grab."

    By temporarily freezing the rule the high court's order signals that opponents have made a strong argument against the plan. A federal appeals court last month refused to put it on hold.

    The plan aims to stave off the worst predicted impacts of climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions at existing power plants by about one-third by 2030.

    Appellate arguments are set to begin June 2.
    http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2016-02/10/content_37766911.htm
    10/2/16

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  38. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has expressed concern over Seoul’s plans to plunge into talks with the United States on the deployment of missile defense syetems...

    Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov expressed the concerns to South Korea’s Ambassador to Moscow Pak Ro-byug who was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

    “The sides exchanged view on the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Northeastern Asia,” the foreign ministry said. “The Russian side expressed concern over reports on South Korea’s decision to begin talks with the United States about placing Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems in its territory.”.....NEWZ.GR

    ReplyDelete
  39. Kurds liberate Menagh Airbase in Aleppo...

    Local sources on the ground claim that Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces captured Menagh Airbase in Aleppo province earlier today. YGP sources were not immediately available for comments. The reports have to be confirmed yet.

    Menagh Air Base (or Minnigh airport, Minakh Air Base ) was a Syrian Air Force installation located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Azaz, Aleppo Governorate, Syria.

    The air base became a major target of the armed opposition in the Syrian civil war’s Battle of Aleppo. The air base was under siege by opposition forces from August 2012 until it fell to the militants of al-Nusra Front on 6 August 2013.
    kurdishdailynews.org
    10/2/16

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  40. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Wednesday he was going to leave office, as had been widely expected, in a move that is set to trigger a wider reshuffle of the unpopular government...

    Fabius, 69, told reporters Wednesday was his last participation in the government's weekly cabinet meetings and that he expected the full reshuffle to be announced later this week.

    "I will be leaving office," Fabius said.

    President Francois Hollande is expected to nominate Fabius on Wednesday to head the country's top constitutional court.

    The reshuffle is an opportunity for Hollande to re-shape his team ahead of the 2017 presidential elections, as he seeks to improve his very low approval ratings....france24.com
    10/2/16

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  41. Wounded Syrian rebels say Russia crippling their insurgency...

    In a field hospital in the Turkish border town of Kilis, wounded Syrian opposition fighters say Russian air strikes have brought their campaign against President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Islamic State militants to the brink of collapse.

    A major offensive in the countryside around Aleppo by Syrian government forces, backed by Russian bombardment and Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, has choked opposition supply lines and left the rebels at risk of losing their northern power base.

    A last-ditch intervention by Sunni Muslim backers including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar could save their insurgency, they say, in a strategically critical part of Syria divided for years between government and rebel control.....reuters.com
    10/2/16

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  42. Syria conflict: Powers divided over ceasefire...

    A US push for an immediate ceasefire in Syria has run into Russian opposition ahead of talks aimed at reviving peace negotiations on the conflict.

    Russia proposed a 1 March ceasefire, but the US believes Moscow is giving itself and the Syrian regime three weeks to crush rebels, reports quoting Western officials said.

    World powers are meeting in Munich later for talks on the Syria conflict.

    Discussions come amid fresh warnings of a worsening humanitarian situation......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35547441
    11/2/16

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  43. NATO Asked To Help Track Refugees Crossing Aegean Sea ...

    Germany, Greece, and Turkey have asked NATO to play a role in tracking refugees who seek asylum in Europe by crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey to Greece.

    At a meeting in Brussels on February 10, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he will give "very serious consideration to the joint request to monitor the Aegean along with European border security agencies to get a "clear view" of how people-smugglers are operating on the Turkish coast.

    It would be a first time the military alliance has gotten involved in Europe's migrant crisis.......http://www.rferl.org/content/nato-asked-to-track-refugees-aegean-greece-turkey/27544821.html
    11/2/16

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  44. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that U.S. aircraft had carried out a bombing attack on the Syrian town of Aleppo on Wednesday, which the U.S. later said had been carried out by Russian planes, the TASS agency reported...

    TASS cited a defense ministry spokesman as saying that two U.S. A-10 ground attack aircraft, flying from Turkey, had bombed objects in Aleppo.

    The spokesman also said that a Pentagon spokesman had accused Russia of bombing two hospitals in the town on Wednesday.
    REUTERS

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  45. Japan's markets traded sharply lower on Friday, following global markets, and as a stronger yen against the dollar hurt the country's big exporters...

    In early trade, the benchmark Nikkei 225 fell as much as 5.4%. By the close, it had recovered slightly, but was still down 4.85% to 14,952.61 points.

    That was below the psychologically important level of 15,000 points and its lowest close since October 2014.

    Friday's losses end what has been a turbulent week of trade for Japan....BBC
    12/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  46. CIA: Islamic State Has Chemical Weapons ...

    The director of the Central Intelligence Agency said Islamic State fighters in Syria have used chemical weapons.

    John Brennan said there are a number of instances where the terrorist group has used "chemical munitions on the battlefield." His comments were featured in excerpts from the television news show 60 Minutes. The full interview with Brennan will air Sunday on CBS.

    Brennan told the news show the jihadist group has the capacity to make small quantities of chlorine and mustard gas.

    The CIA director also warned that IS may be looking to sell the chemicals to the West. Brennan said "there's always the potential for that."

    The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons oversaw the removal and elimination of the chemical weapons of the of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government after a 2013 sarin attack outside Damascus that much of the international community blamed on the Assad's government.....http://www.voanews.com/content/cia-islamic-state-has-chemical-weapons/3187923.html
    12/2/16

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  47. The US, denying a media report that it and India had held talks about conducting joint naval patrols including in the disputed South China Sea, said that there are currently no such plans...

    ”The United States and India do have a shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity in Asia,” State Department spokesperson Mark C. Toner told reporters on Thursday when asked about the media report.

    “We’re committed to work together with others in the region to achieve our shared goals in an open, balanced, and inclusive security structure,” he said. ”But at this time, I can say there’s no plans for any joint naval patrols,” Toner added.
    IANS
    12/2/16

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  48. More major attacks in Europe are a "certainty", French Prime Minister Manuel Valls told an audience at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday...

    "We have entered -- we all feel it -- in a new era characterised by the lasting presence of 'hyper-terrorism'," said Valls, whose country was hit by two Islamist attacks last year.

    "We must be fully conscious of the threat, and react with a very great force and great lucidity. There will be attacks. Large-scale attacks. It's a certainty. This hyper-terrorism is here to stay," he said.

    Valls was speaking at the three-day security conference in the southern German city, speaking alongside Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

    "The force of the ideological fascination is formidable, and if we have changed era it is because this hyper-terrorism is in the heart of our societies."

    Islamic State jihadists wrought havoc on the streets of Paris on November 13, killing 130 in a series of attacks on bars, a football stadium and the Bataclan concert hall.

    That came after 12 people were killed in a January attack on the Charlie Hebdo satirical news weekly, which had been in the jihadists' sights since publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in 2006.
    (AFP)

    ReplyDelete
  49. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls rejected on Saturday the idea of a permanent quota system for distributing refugees across Europe, putting Paris at odds with Germany ahead of a summit to discuss the EU crisis over migration...

    Speaking to reporters at a security conference in Munich, Valls said France would stick to its pledge to take on 30,000 of the 160,000 refugees European countries have agreed to divide among themselves, but would not accept additional numbers.

    "We won't take any more," Valls said. He expressed admiration for Germany's readiness to take on more refugees, but added: "France never said 'come to France'."....REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  50. U.S. Senator Blasts Syria Truce Deal, Says Serves Putin's Purposes ...

    U.S. Senator John McCain has sharply criticized an international agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria, calling it "diplomacy in the service of military aggression" by Russia.

    McCain spoke on the final day of a prominent security conference in Munich on February 14, where U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and diplomats from other countries in the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) reached the agreement early on February 12.

    "I wish I could share the views of some of my friends who see this agreement as a potential breakthrough, but unfortunately, I do not," said McCain, a Republican critic of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.......http://www.rferl.org/content/syria-us-mccain-truce-serves-russia-purposes/27551373.html
    14/2/16

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  51. Two Kurdish civilians killed in Turkish terror attacks on Syrian Kurdistan ...

    As Turkish military continues to shell the rural areas of Azaz and Efrîn Canton with heavy weaponry since yesterday, gang groups are also attacking the emplacements of Jaysh Al-Thuwar (The Army of Revolutionaries).

    Turkish troops deployed in an outpost at the border to Efrîn’s Yazıbağı village have today bombed Mayramia and Enabê villages with howitzer and heavy artillery today.....http://kurdishdailynews.org
    14/2/16

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  52. Türkei will Angriffe auf syrische Kurden fortsetzen ...

    Der türkische Ministerpräsident Ahmet Davutoglu hat eine Fortsetzung der Militäraktionen gegen Kurden im Norden Syriens angekündigt. In einem Telefongespräch mit Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel habe Davutoglu am Sonntag gesagt, die Sicherheitskräfte des Landes würden auch weiterhin auf Angriffe der kurdischen YPG-Miliz reagieren, verlautete aus dem Büro des Ministerpräsidenten. Die USA hatten die Türkei zuvor aufgefordert, ihre Angriffe auf syrisches Gebiet einzustellen.

    Die türkische Armee hatte in den vergangenen zwei Tagen Ziele bei Asas im Norden Syriens beschossen. Dort hatten kurdische Kämpfer mit Unterstützung russischer Kampfflugzeuge einen Militärflughafen von den gegen Präsident Baschar al-Assad kämpfenden Rebellen erobert. Die Türkei verlangt, dass sich die kurdischen Kämpfer von dort zurückziehen.
    (Reuters)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Assad 'will be removed by force' if peace talks fail: Saudi foreign minister...

    Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be removed by force if the Syrian peace process fails, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has said.

    "Bashar al-Assad will leave - have no doubt about it" Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN. "He will either leave by a political process or he will be removed by force."

    Saudi Arabia has sent troops and fighter jets to a Turkish military base ahead of a possible ground invasion of Syria.

    Jubeir said Saudi Arabia is prepared to contribute ground troops to the fight in Syria, but only as part of a US-led coalition.

    He added: "We will push as much as we can to ensure that the political process works. But if that doesn't work, it will be because of the obstinance of the Syrian regime and that of its allies.

    "And should that prove to be the case, then it becomes clear that there is no option to remove Bashar al-Assad except by force."

    On Sunday, he told a press conference in Riyadh that previous efforts to prop up Assad by Iran had failed.


    "Now, [President Assad] has sought the help of Russia, which will fail to save him," he added......http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

    ReplyDelete
  54. The Saudi-led coalition fired US-made cluster bombs, banned by international treaties, on civilian areas in Yemen, a rights watchdog said Sunday...

    “Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, as well as their US supplier, are blatantly disregarding the global standard that says cluster munitions should never be used under any circumstances,” said Steve Goose, arms director at Human Rights Watch and chair of the international Cluster Munition Coalition.

    “The Saudi-led coalition should investigate evidence that civilians are being harmed in these attacks and immediately stop using them.”

    The report included photographs from Yemen allegedly showing unexploded remnants of American cluster weapons....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/102905-160215-saudi-led-coalition-drops-us-made-cluster-bombs-in-yemen-report
    15/2/16

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  55. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview that Moscow does not plan to maintain its military presence in Syria indefinitely...

    In an interview with Time magazine Medvedev was asked if Russia would help its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his stated aim of restoring his control over all of Syria.

    "We have no plans... for such a never-ending presence in Syria. We are there pursuing an entirely limited, concrete objective," Medvedev said, according to a transcript of the interview released by the government.

    Last week, Medvedev said all powers must sit at the negotiating table to forge an end to the war in Syria “instead of unleashing a new world war.”..REUTERS...alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  56. EU calls on Turkey to halt military action in Syria...

    European Union officials are calling on Turkey to halt its military action in Syria after Turkish forces shelled positions held by a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia over the weekend.

    The EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said Monday that "only a few days ago, all of us including Turkey, sitting around the table decided steps to de-escalate and have a cessation of hostilities."

    She said more fighting "is obviously not what we expect."

    Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said "we have the plan for a cessation of hostilities and I think everybody has to abide by that."....AP

    ReplyDelete
  57. The United States on Monday urged Turkey and Russia to avoid any further escalation after the two traded verbal blows over their respective military actions in war-torn Syria...

    "It is important that the Russians and Turks speak directly, and take measures to prevent escalation," a State Department spokesperson told AFP.
    AFP
    15/2/16

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  58. Doorstep remarks of High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini upon arrival at the Foreign Affairs Council...

    Good morning.

    Let me start with two good news. The first one is that we will receive just now the membership application from Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is something on which the Bosnian authorities together with us have worked very hard and I believe this is a moment that is going to be important for all the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also for the European Union. In the moment where the European Union is questioned from within, it is still very attractive from the outside. This is a sense of energy and a positive sign that we welcome very much.


    The second good news comes from Libya where this night the Presidency Council adopted a list of ministers. We met the President of the House of Representatives just two days ago in Munich, discussing modalities and timing of the endorsement of the Government by the House of Representatives. I hope that Libya can have a fully operational government in place very soon.....http://eeas.europa.eu/statements-eeas/2016/160215_03_en.htm
    15/2/16

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  59. Turkish artillery has returned fire "in kind" into Syria, military sources told Reuters on Tuesday, marking the fourth straight day of shelling by the Turkish military...

    Turkey on Monday warned Kurdish militia fighters in northern Syria they would face the "harshest reaction" if they tried to capture a town near the Turkish border.

    Turkey also accused Russia of an “obvious war crime” after missile attacks in northern Syria killed scores of people, and warned Kurdish militia fighters there they would face the “harshest reaction” if they tried to capture a town near the Turkish border..REUTERS..alarabiya.net
    16/2/16

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  60. EU President Donald Tusk said Tuesday that Russia's aerial bombardments in Syria had dealt a blow to hopes of a ceasefire in the war-torn country...

    "Russian bombing leaves little hope" for a solution to the five-year conflict in Syria, Tusk said on a visit to Athens, with days to go until an internationally agreed "cessation of hostilities".
    AFP

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  61. Greek dockworkers began a two-day strike on Tuesday to protest against the sale of the country's two biggest ports, which Athens has promised to international lenders, disrupting operations at cargo terminals...

    Privatizations, a key feature of Greek bailouts since 2010, have generated only 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) so far against an initial target of 50 billion euros in the face of resistance from politicians and unions as well as bureaucratic snags.

    The plans to sell the ports, stalled when a leftist government took power early last year, was reactivated after Athens signed up to a third bailout of up to 86 billion euros last summer.

    Greece last month named China's Cosco as the highest bidder for a 67 percent stake in its biggest port, Piraeus (OLP).....http://www.voanews.com/content/greek-dockworkers-walk-out-over-port-selloffs/3193153.html

    ReplyDelete
  62. China 'has deployed missiles in South China Sea' - Taiwan...

    China has deployed surface-to-air missiles on a disputed island in the South China Sea, Taiwan says.

    Satellite images taken on 14 February and published by Fox News appear to show two batteries of eight missile launchers and a radar system on Woody or Yongxing Island in the Paracels.

    The presence of missiles would significantly increase tensions in the acrimonious South China Sea dispute.

    China's foreign minister Wang Yi said reports were a Western media invention.

    But Mr Wang defended "the limited and necessary self-defence facilities" on islands inhabited by Chinese personnel as "consistent with the right for self-preservation and self-protection.... under the international law"....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35592988
    17/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  63. The US laid down plans several years ago to carry out a cyberattack against Iran if the nuclear peace talks failed, according to a new documentary film covered in the Times of Israel...

    The plan, under the name Nitro Zeus, would have taken down Iran's communication systems, air defenses and critical parts of its power grid. The plan was put on ice, however, following the nuclear deal signed between Iran and six major world powers last July.

    Nitro Zeus was developed in the early years of the Obama presidency, according to the New York Times, and was a contingency plan in the event that Iran somehow attacked the US or one of its Middle East allies.

    The plan was thought to be an alternative to launching an all-out war and was invested in heavily by the US administration.....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/103175-160217-us-planned-cyberattack-on-iran-if-nuclear-deal-failed
    17/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  64. China's foreign minister downplays reports of missile deployment in South China Sea...

    Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday sought to downplay reports that China had positioned anti-aircraft missiles on a disputed South China Sea island, accusing the media of hyping the issue and saying more attention should be paid to what he called "public goods and services" provided by China's development of its maritime claims.

    Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence said in a statement it had "grasped that Communist China had deployed" an unspecified number of missiles on Woody Island in the Paracel group. The Philippines said the development increased regional tensions.

    The move would follow China's building of new islands in the disputed sea by piling sand atop reefs and then adding airstrips and military installations. They are seen as part of Beijing's efforts to claim virtually the entire South China Sea and its resources, which has prompted some of its wary neighbours to draw closer to the U.S...AP...http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/china-s-foreign-minister-downplays-reports-of-missile-deployment-in-south-china-sea-1.2780984

    ReplyDelete
  65. Turkey wants humanitarian aid strip on Syrian side of border: Deputy PM...

    Turkey wants the establishment of a secure humanitarian aid strip 10 kilometers deep into the Syrian side of its border, including the town of Azaz, in order to prevent “attempts to change the demographic structure” of the area, Deputy Prime Minister Yalçın Akdoğan stated on Feb. 17.

    “We want to create a humanitarian aid corridor, including Azaz, 10 km deep inside Syria. This zone should be free from clashes,” Akdoğan said in an interview on broadcaster AHaber.

    Syrian government forces backed by Russian air strikes have advanced towards the Turkish border in a major offensive in recent weeks. Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) forces, regarded by Ankara as a terrorist organization, have taken advantage of the violence to seize territory from Syrian rebels, thus taking the Menagh air base north of Aleppo.

    Azaz is the last rebel stronghold before the border with Turkey north of Aleppo, part of what was, before the Syrian government offensive, a supply route from Turkey to the rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad...Reuters..hurriyetdailynews.com
    17/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  66. An aid convoy entered on Wednesday the towns of Kafraya and Foua in Idleb countryside which are besieged by the terrorist organizations...

    Ahmad al-Najem, coordinator of field operations in (SARC) said in a statement to SANA reporter that a convoy of humanitarian aid including 18 trucks containing various food aid and 8000 flour bags in addition to a medical team headed to the towns of Kafraya and Foua.

    Two aid convoys entered Kafraya and Foua on January 14th and distributed aid to the locals who number more than 20000 in implementation of the plan agreed among the Syrian government, the United Nations, the SARC and the International Red Cross.

    The towns of Kafraya and Foua which are located 10 kilometers to the north of Idleb city are besieged by Jaish al-Fateh terrorists and suffer from mortar and rocket terrorist attacks and car bombs in a desperate attempt to break the will of locals.

    Meanwhile, a 35-lorry convoy of relief aid has entered al-Moaddamiyeh town in Damascus Countryside.

    SANA correspondent said that 35 trucks loaded with food, medical and relief aid entered the town under the supervision of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations.......http://sana.sy/en/?p=69727
    18/2/16

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  67. Au moins 6 soldats ont été tués jeudi matin dans le sud-est à majorité kurde de la Turquie dans une attaque attribuée par les autorités aux rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), a-t-on appris auprès des services de sécurité...

    Cette attaque a visé un convoi militaire dans la localité de Lice, dans la province de Diyarbakir, a-t-on précisé de mêmes sources. Elle intervient au lendemain d'un attentat à la voiture piégée qui a fait au moins 28 morts dans la capitale turque Ankara, dont le gouvernement a rendu responsables le PKK et les milices kurdes de Syrie. (Belga)
    18/2/16

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  68. Syrian army says it captured strategic town in coastal area...

    The Syrian army backed by heavy Russian aerial bombing said on Thursday it had captured the town of Kansaba in the northern countryside of the coastal province of Latakia.

    The capture of the town in the northeastern mountainous region allows the army and its Iranian-backed allies to begin wider operations to regain rebel held town of Jisr al Shughour, northeast of Kansaba in Idlib province.

    The army said the recapture of the Latakia countryside allows it to begin a major operation to regain the northwestern province of Idlib, which is mainly in the hands of hardline Islamist groups.....reuters.com
    18/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  69. At least 500 Takfiri militants entered the Syrian border town of Azaz via Turkey in a bid to help insurgents in Aleppo, a UK-based monitoring group reported...

    The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the Takfiri militants entered Syria on Wednesday under the supervision of the Turkish authorities.

    "At least 500 rebels have crossed the Bab al-Salameh border crossing on their way to the town of Azaz, from which they want to help the insurgents in the face of gains made by Kurdish forces in the north of the province," said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the monitoring group.

    The Wednesday's crossing marks the second time a large group of militants have crossed the Turkish border and entered Syria in less than a week. On Sunday, 350 heavily armed terrorists entered Syrian soil via the Atme border crossing with Turkey.

    The move comes as Turkey is trying to prevent the Kurdish forces, who are securing military achievements in the border area there, from seizing control of Azaz.

    Earlier on Monday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Ankara “won’t allow the fall of Azaz.”.....http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=255858&cid=23&fromval=1

    ReplyDelete
  70. Russia warns Assad on vow to retake all of Syria...

    Russia's envoy to the UN on Friday warned long-term ally President Bashar al-Assad over his vow to retake all of Syria, saying he faced dire consequences if he did not comply with Moscow over the peace process.

    "Russia has invested very seriously in this crisis, politically, diplomatically and now also militarily," Vitaly Churkin told Kommersant newspaper, referring to an international agreement to cease hostilities sealed in Munich last week.

    "Therefore we would like Assad also to respond to this," he said, adding that the Syrian leader's stance "is not in accord with the diplomatic efforts that Russia is making."......http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/103408-160219-russia-warns-assad-on-vow-to-retake-all-of-syria
    19/2/16

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  71. US says cannot ‘confirm or deny’ YPG responsibility in Ankara blast...

    U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby has said Washington cannot “confirm or deny” whether the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) were responsible for the Feb. 17 attack on Ankara that claimed 28 lives.

    “We’re in no position to confirm or deny the assertions made by the Turkish government with respect to responsibility,” Kirby told reporters during a daily press briefing session on Feb. 18, while adding that there was no question into the nature of the attack.

    “[It was] clearly a terrorist attack, clearly taking innocent lives,” he said.

    Kirby said the U.S. administration recognized Turkey’s right to protect its people in the face of terrorist attacks “like every nation around the world.” However, in response to a question asking whether it would be “warranted or acceptable” for Turkey to respond to the attack by hitting the YPG in Syria, Kirby said this was an “open question.”

    “Nothing’s changed about our view that we’d like to see those tensions [between Turkey and the YPG] continue to de-escalate,” Kirby told reporters, underlining he would not speculate about “hypothetical responses by the Turks.”

    The spokesperson also stressed that the U.S. kept communicating with the YPG to “not do things that are counterproductive” to the effort against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) while urging Turkey not to engage in cross-border shelling.......hurriyetdailynews.com
    19/2/16

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  72. US warplanes have carried out attacks on militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Libya, killing at least 38 people...

    The strikes hit an IS camp in Sabratha, around 70km (43 miles) west of Tripoli.

    US officials said it was "likely" that the strikes had killed senior Tunisian extremist, Noureddine Chouchane.

    Chouchane has been linked to two attacks that took place in Tunisia last year, including an attack that killed 30 Britons.

    The IS group has been active in Libya for over a year, and the US estimates it has up to 6,000 fighters there.

    Libya remains in chaos more than four years after the overthrow of former leader Muammar Gaddafi, and is being fought over by a number of groups, including the self-styled IS....BBC
    19/2/16

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  73. Russia's foreign ministry said it intends to call a session of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss the Turkish government's statements about a possible ground operation in Syria...

    Russia plans to table a Security Council resolution demanding an end to actions that undermine Syria's sovereignty, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement posted on the ministry's Internet site.
    Reuters

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  74. Saudi Arabia said Friday it has halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group fighting in support of Syria’s regime...

    In light of positions taken by Hezbollah the kingdom proceeded to “a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic”, an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency.

    It added that the remainder of a $1 billion financing package for Lebanese security forces had been suspended, in a separate decision.

    The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided by France.

    A Lebanese military source told AFP that the “Lebanese army command hasn’t been informed” of the Saudi aid halt.

    Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against miliatnt threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles.

    Alleged leaders of Lebanon-based Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia.

    Hezbollah is supported by Iran.....alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  75. British air strikes in Syria have killed or injured just seven Islamic State fighters, according to estimates released by the Ministry of Defence...

    David Cameron won the support of MPs for strikes in the terror group's Syrian strongholds in December.

    But the MoD figures show by the end of January just four attacks had resulted in the jihadist group suffering
    casualties.

    MoD sources said strikes targeting ISIS fighters were only carried out if there was no risk of civilians being injured.

    Details of the estimated casualties were released by the MoD in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Huffington Post UK......dailymail.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  76. Terre traditionnelle d'émigration, le Portugal propose aux pays européens subissant "une forte pression migratoire" d'accueillir jusqu'à 10.000 réfugiés, se posant en modèle tout en voyant une opportunité pour repeupler ses régions de l'intérieur...

    Le Portugal doit "donner l'exemple", a fait valoir depuis Bruxelles, vendredi, le Premier ministre socialiste Antonio Costa, refusant "une Europe qui ferme ses frontières pour bloquer l'accès aux réfugiés". L'arrivée de réfugiés "sera positive pour les régions touchées par la désertification rurale", a précisé à l'AFP une source gouvernementale....rtl.be
    20/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  77. Bomb blasts in the Syrian cities of Homs and Damascus have left more than 100 people dead, monitors and state media say...

    In Homs, at least 57 people, mainly civilians, were killed in a double car bombing, a monitoring group reported.

    At least four blasts later struck the southern Damascus suburb of Sayyida Zeinab, causing at least 50 deaths, state media said.

    So-called Islamic State has said it carried out the Damascus blasts.

    Both Damascus and Homs have been targeted by Islamic State (IS) militants in the past.

    Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry has said a "provisional agreement" has been reached with Russia on a partial truce in the conflict......http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35624654
    21/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  78. The militants of the terrorist group “Islamic state” (IG) was cut by the only track which is supplying the Syrian army in Aleppo. About it reports on Monday, 22 February, Al Masdar...

    The terrorists, according to TV channel, on the evening of 21 February attacked positions of the national defence Forces (militia — CA. “The tape.ru”) in the area of the settlement of Rasm EN-Natal in the South-East of Aleppo governorate. As a result, government forces were forced to retreat.

    In the next few hours, as expected, Syrian army starts a counterattack to dislodge the militants from the village.....http://rushincrash.com/world/the-militants-cut-the-lifeline-of-the-syrian-army-in-aleppo/
    22/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  79. More than 10 million people in India's capital, Delhi, are without water after protesters sabotaged a key canal which supplies much of the city...

    The army has took control of the Munak canal after Jat community protesters, angry at caste job quotas, seized it.

    Keshav Chandra, head of Delhi's water board, told the BBC it would take "three to four days" before normal supplies resumed to affected areas.

    All Delhi's schools have been closed because of the water crisis.

    Sixteen people have been killed and hundreds hurt in three days of riots...BBC

    ReplyDelete
  80. NSA belauschte Gespräch zwischen Merkel und Ban ...

    Der mutmaßliche Lauschangriff von US-Spionen auf die deutsche Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat neuen Informationen zufolge noch größere Ausmaße als bisher bekannt. Die Enthüllungsplattform WikiLeaks veröffentlichte in der Nacht zum Dienstag mehrere als geheim eingestufte Dokumente.

    Denen zufolge hörte der US-Geheimdienst National Security Agency (NSA) unter anderem ein Gespräch Merkels mit UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki-moon im Dezember 2008 ab. Darin lobte Ban in dem Gespräch Merkels Anstrengungen im Kampf gegen den Klimawandel und ihre Überzeugungsarbeit bei den EU-Kollegen: Die Welt erwarte, dass die Europäische Union ihre Führungsrolle beibehalte - denn ohne diese Impulse werde es sehr schwierig, bei folgenden Klimakonferenzen Fortschritte zu erzielen.....http://kurier.at/politik/ausland/wikileaks-nsa-belauschte-gespraech-zwischen-merkel-und-ban/182.742.201
    23/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  81. The Pentagon is expected to submit to Congress on Tuesday United States President Barack Obama’s long-awaited plan for closing the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, setting up a battle with lawmakers who oppose his efforts...

    Obama, whose pledge to shut the facility at the U.S. naval base in Cuba dates back to the start of his presidency in 2009, is seeking to make good on his promise before he leaves office next January.

    Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the administration intended to meet Tuesday’s deadline to present its detailed proposal for closing the facility. There are still 91 prisoners detained there.

    “We understand the deadline is tomorrow and it’s our intent to meet it,” Davis told reporters...REUTERS..http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2016/02/23/Pentagon-to-submit-Guantanamo-closure-plan.html
    23/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  82. Amnesty says Austria asylum cap violates human rights...

    Human rights group Amnesty International accused Austria on Tuesday of violating human rights by capping the number of asylum requests it accepts per day with the government saying it was acting within the law.

    Austria angered other EU states and pushed the European executive to say it was breaking the law by announcing this month it would not receive more than 80 asylum requests a day via the main migrant route from Slovenia.

    "The Geneva Convention (for refugee rights) does not know the terms quota or admission limit... and the Geneva Convention is binding law in Austria. We are breaking international law," the head of Amnesty International Austria, Heinz Patzelt, said on ORF radio...REUTERS...http://www.todayonline.com/world/amnesty-says-austria-asylum-cap-violates-human-rights
    23/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  83. Syrians at mercy of greedy smugglers after Turkey's border closure...

    After a harrowing 15-hour journey by minibus, dodging gunfire and explosions, a group of Syrian refugees reached a village near Turkey, desperate to cross the recently shut border into safety.

    "The people smugglers are there and they're shouting 'Turkey! Who wants to go to Turkey?'" Fatima al-Ahmed recalled, after reaching the town of Kilis on the Turkish side of the frontier.

    "They are mean, violent, and only think about money. They push us like beasts, hitting the women who don't walk fast enough, even when they are carrying babies.

    "It's terrible, it's the law of the jungle."

    The 27-year-old woman told AFP about her clandestine escape from Aleppo to Kilis in southern Turkey a week ago -- a journey that in peacetime would have taken little more than 90 minutes.

    Turkey's decision to close its border with Syria has become a boon for smugglers who are charging refugees to secretly cross over....AFP....http://english.ahram.org.eg
    /News/188297.aspx
    23/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  84. Greece has filed a formal protest with Austria over its decision to call a meeting of Balkan states on the migrant crisis without including Greece, its Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, calling it an "non-friendly move" by Vienna...

    The Austrian ambassador to Athens was summoned to the ministry on Monday where the diplomatic protest was filed, it said.

    The move was a "unilateral and non-friendly act" towards Greece on a matter in which Athens had a direct interest, the ministry said.

    Vienna has invited Balkan states to a meeting on the migration crisis on Wednesday, following the country's move to limit asylum applicants last week.

    The meeting includes interior and foreign ministers from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

    ReplyDelete
  85. The fourth round of the key Quadrilateral meeting on Afghan peace process and preparing roadmap to find political solution to the lingering Afghan crisis kicked off in Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday...

    "The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan would spare no efforts to ensure embracing lasting peace and honorable peace to the country," Afghan foreign minister Salahudin Rabbani said in his opening remarks.

    Rabanni also hoped that the four-nation talks could help facilitate the direct talks with authorized representatives of the Taliban and Afghan government.

    The third round of the four-nation talks was held in Islamabad on Feb. 6 with calling upon the Taliban to join the peace process.

    The fourth round of the key four-nation talks which include Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the United States of America have reportedly planned to announce the roadmap for bringing the Taliban into negotiating table with Afghan government to find negotiated settlement to the lingering Afghan crisis.

    Afghan officials are hopeful that the fourth round of the four-nation talks could set a date for holding direct dialogue between Afghan government and Taliban militants.

    The hardliner Taliban militants, however, have yet to express any green light to join the peace talks......http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/969957.shtml
    23/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  86. Belgium has announced it has imposed controls on its border with France amid fears of an influx of migrants...

    Up to 290 police officers would be deployed along the border, said Interior Minister Jan Jambon.

    The move comes as a French court deliberates over the legality of plans imminently to evict thousands of migrants from part of the "Jungle" camp in Calais.

    "They're already on their way here," Mr Jambon was quoted as saying.

    He said the controls, which entail a suspension of the EU's Schengen accord allowing passport-free travel, would last "as long as necessary".

    The controls did not mean the border would be closed, he said, but "targeted checks" would be carried out - and those caught immediately deported.

    "We are going to guard the border in strategic places, chosen and known by police as potential smuggling routes."...BBC

    ReplyDelete
  87. European Union leaders will hold a special summit with Turkey on the migration crisis on March 7, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the European Parliament on Wednesday...

    "We will organise a special meeting with Turkey on 7 March," Tusk also said in a tweet.

    The meeting comes at a time when EU is struggling to produce a common solution to deal with the migrant crisis amid persistent splits and divisions among member states.

    The German government is stressing that it still views finding a pan-European solution to the migrant crisis as the priority as neighboring Austria and several Balkan countries discussed the influx in Vienna.

    Germany, where most migrants are headed, wasn't included in the Vienna meeting. Neither was Greece, where most first enter the European Union...REUTERS...todayszaman.com
    24/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  88. Le Koweït appelle ses ressortissants à quitter le Liban ...

    Le Koweït a appelé mercredi ses ressortissants à quitter le Liban, rejoignant le mouvement lancée la veille par l'Arabie saoudite en réaction aux positions inspirées par le Hezbollah chiite libanais et jugées hostiles à son égard, notamment sur le conflit syrien.

    L'ambassade du Koweït au Liban a également exhorté les Koweïtiens à reporter tout voyage vers le pays du Cèdre, selon un communiqué cité par l'agence officielle KUNA. Elle demande aussi à ceux qui résident au Liban de n'y rester "qu'en cas d'absolue nécessité" et d'éviter les lieux dangereux.

    Le communiqué ne donne pas les motifs de cette décision...rtbf.be
    24/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  89. The UN says it has carried out its first air drop of aid in Syria to help civilians in an eastern city besieged by Islamic State (IS) militants...

    UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told the Security Council that the plane dropped 21 tonnes of humanitarian items on a government-held part of Deir al-Zour.

    Initial reports indicated that the aid had successfully reached the target area, Mr O'Brien said.

    The UN says 200,000 civilians are living under siege in Deir al-Zour.

    In a recent report, the UN said those trapped in the besieged areas were facing "sharply deteriorating conditions" with reports of "severe cases of malnutrition and deaths due to starvation"....BBC
    24/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  90. La France mène des opérations secrètes en Libye...

    La France procède en Libye à des frappes ponctuelles très ciblées, préparées par des actions discrètes voire secrètes. Face à la menace de l’organisation Etat islamique (EI), la ligne fixée par le président François Hollande repose, pour l’heure, sur des actions militaires non officielles. Elles s’appuient sur des forces spéciales – leur présence, dont Le Monde a eu connaissance, a été repérée dans l’est de la Libye depuis mi-février par des blogueurs spécialisés.

    Ce n’est pas tout. Plusieurs sources ont indiqué au Monde que la lutte contre les terroristes pouvait couvrir des opérations clandestines, menées par le service action de la Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure (DGSE). Les premières engagent la France car leurs soldats, même très discrets, agissent sous l’uniforme. Les secondes sont aussi assurées par des militaires mais restent invisibles.....http://www.lemonde.fr/international/article/2016/02/24/la-france-mene-des-operations-secretes-en-libye_4870605_3210.html#Dx8vAAom0fySMog2.99
    24/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  91. Syria’s Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) should be excluded from a recently declared cessation of hostilities in Syria, just like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said...

    “The PYD and the YPG need to be out of the scope of the cease-fire, just like Daesh is,” Erdoğan said during a speech to village headmen in Ankara on Feb. 24, using an Arabic acronym for ISIL.

    “Everybody should accept that the PYD and the YPG are offshoots of the PKK [outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party],” he said. “Should this organization detonate its bomb somewhere other than Ankara in order to be recognized as a PKK offshoot?”.....hurriyetdailynews.com

    ReplyDelete
  92. U.N. considers resolution to back Syria ceasefire...

    U.N. Security Council diplomats are discussing a draft resolution that would endorse the deal on cessation of hostilities in Syria, diplomats said Wednesday.

    Russia and the United States, which negotiated the ceasefire deal, are working on a text that could be adopted on Friday, a council diplomat said.

    “I think there will be a resolution that we will agree then to welcome the cessation of hostilities negotiated by the U.S. and Russia,” he said.

    U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura will report to the council on Friday, a few hours before the ceasefire is due to go into effect.....AFP....alarabiya.net
    25/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  93. Krise im Pazifik: Australien rüstet massiv auf ...

    Als Reaktion auf Chinas Machtdemonstrationen im Südchinesischen Meer erhöht Australien seine Militärausgaben massiv. Die USA kündigen ebenfalls militärische Aktivitäten an.

    Angesichts der Terrorbedrohung und wachsender Spannungen im Südchinesischen Meer will Australien massiv aufrüsten. Die Regierung legte am Donnerstag ein Weißbuch vor, das über die nächsten 20 Jahre Ausgaben in Höhe von 195 Milliarden Australischen Dollar (126 Milliarden Euro) vorsieht.

    Unter anderem sollen zwölf neue U-Boote angeschafft werden, um deren Bau sich auch die deutsche Werft ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems beworben hat. Zudem sollen neue Fregatten und Raketen angeschafft werden, um das Militär umfassend zu modernisieren. "Dieses Weißbuch ist ein Plan, um schlagkräftigere, agilere und einsatzbereitere Verteidigungskräfte zu schaffen, die zur Stelle sein können, wenn unsere Interessen bedroht sind oder unsere Hilfe benötigt wird", sagte Regierungschef Malcolm Turnbull. Australien sei anfällig für Bedrohungen durch Konflikte, Klimawandel, Cyberangriffe, Pandemien und Terrorismus.
    USA will Aktivitäten in Pazifik erhöhen

    Doch die Aufrüstung scheint vor allem eine Antwort auf die wachsenden Spannungen mit China zu sein: Erst vor wenigen Tagen war es zwischen China und den USA erneut zu einem Streit über die Machtverteilung im Südchinesischen Meer gekommen. Peking hatte dort nach einem Luftabwehrsystem offenbar auch Kampfjets auf einer Insel stationiert. China beansprucht 90 Prozent des Gewässers für sich.....DiePresse.com
    25/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  94. Ankara has refused to consider a ceasefire in Syria is obligatory for yourself...

    The truce in Syria is not compulsory for Turkey, if there is a threat to its security. This was stated by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, reports Channel News Asia.

    “We will take all measures to deal with people’s self-defence Units (YPG) and the terrorist group “Islamic state” (IG), if the need arises (…) Ankara is the only place where the issues concerning the security of Turkey,” he said....http://rushincrash.com
    25/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  95. Orban accuses Merkel of importing terrorism, crime to E.U...,

    Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused German Chancellor Angela Merkel of importing to the European Union "crime, terrorism and homophobia" with her refugee policy.

    Orban said in an interview published on Thursday by the German newspaper Bild, that admitting migrants from the Middle East without being recorded also imports terrorism, crime and homophobia.
    EFE
    25/2/16

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. German parliament approves new measures to tighten asylum law...

      The lower house of the German Parliament (Bundestag) approved on Thursday a new package of measures to tighten asylum legislation, including restrictions on family reunification for refugees already in Germany.

      The legal project designed by conservatives and Social Democrats was approved with 429 votes in favor, 147 against and 4 abstentions.
      EFE
      25/2/16

      Delete
  96. Russian warplanes continued bombing Syrian rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria and government forces also pounded a suburb of the capital on Thursday, ahead of a planned halt to fighting that rebels predicted Damascus and Moscow would ignore...

    The "cessation of hostilities" agreed to by the United States and Russia is due to take hold on Saturday morning from midnight. But opponents of President Bashar al-Assad say they expect the government to press on with its advance, by branding opposition fighters al Qaeda militants unprotected by the truce.....alarabiya.net
    26/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  97. The al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front on Friday rejected the cessation of hostilities in Syria due to begin at midnight, and urged insurgents to intensify attacks against President Bashar Assad and his allies...

    Leader Abu Mohamad al-Golani said in an audio message played on Orient News TV that if Syria's war was not resolved, the consequences would spread to Sunni Muslims in other parts of the region including the Arabian Peninsula.
    REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  98. A top Israeli official has denied reports that Israel and Turkey are in talks to build a seaport in the Gaza Strip, according to a Saudi news site...

    Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the coordinator of government activities in the territories (COGAT), told Elaph that there was no truth in reports quoting Hamas and Turkish officials saying that Israel had agreed to the building of a Gaza seaport.

    Mordechai said that if and when Israel did agree to the construction and operation of a seaport in Gaza, it would only be as part of understandings reached with the Palestinian Authority.....http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/104351-160227-israel-denies-reports-it-s-in-talks-with-turkey-to-build-seaport-in-gaza

    ReplyDelete
  99. Afghanistan: 10 civils tués dans un attentat près d'un marché...

    Au moins 10 civils ont été tués et 40 blessés lors d'un attentat suicide commis samedi matin près d'un marché d'Asadabad, chef-lieu de la province de Kunar, à l'est de l'Afghanistan, a-t-on appris auprès des autorités.

    "Le kamikaze était à moto lorsqu'il s'est fait exploser près d'un marché d'Asadabad. Les dix personnes tuées étaient des civils", a précisé Ghani Mosamem, porte-parole du gouverneur.

    De son côté, Sayed Maqsoud Pacha, le chef adjoint de la police provinciale, a parlé de 11 morts et 40 blessés...AFP...rtbf.be
    27/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  100. Erneute Explosion in Russland: 36 Tote bei Grubenunglück ...

    In dem russischen Bergwerk, in dem seit Tagen nach verschütteten Kumpeln gesucht wurde, hat es eine weitere Explosion gegeben. Mehrere Rettungskräfte wurden in den Tod gerissen. Auch für die 30 noch vermissten Bergleute sehen die Behörden keine Überlebenschance mehr.

    Bei dem seit Tagen andauernden Grubenunglück in Russland sind nach Einschätzung der Behörden 36 Menschen ums Leben gekommen, darunter sechs Rettungskräfte. Schon am Donnerstag hatten zwei Methangas-Explosionen das Bergwerk Workutaugol in der Region Komi erschüttert, als 110 Bergleute unter Tage waren. 80 von ihnen wurden gerettet. Nun ereignete sich eine dritte Explosion, die die Mine einstürzen ließ, wie Bergwerksdirektor Denis Paikin sagte. Angesichts der Gaskonzentration und des Feuers unter Tage sei davon auszugehen, dass alle vermissten Kumpel und Retter tot seien......http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/russland-grubenunglueck-101.html
    28/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  101. Palestinian Authority rejects direct Iran aid to 'intifada' families...

    The Palestinian Authority on Sunday said direct financial assistance by Iran to the families of Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces in a five-month wave of violence would be unacceptable.

    Tehran announced last week assistance would be offered to families of Palestinians killed in the wave of violence that erupted in October, but the PA says such aid must follow official channels.

    Palestinian presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina, cited by local media, said bypassing the authority in handing out such funds would constitute illegal interference in internal Palestinian affairs.

    Iran should "send this money through official channels to the (PA's) Martyrs and Prisoners Foundation rather than relying on informal and circuitous routes," Abu Rudeina said..AFP..http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/188746.aspx
    28/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  102. Air strike targets suspected ISIS convoy in Libya...

    Aircraft attacked a convoy carrying suspected ISIS militants near the northwestern Libyan town of Bani Walid early on Sunday, an official said.

    No group claimed responsibility for the attack, though both the United States and Libyan government forces have launched airstrikes on militant in recent months.

    A Pentagon official said the U.S. military was not involved in the action but provided no other details. It was not clear whether the airstrikes could have been carried out by drones operated by other U.S. government agencies.

    Three huge explosions rocked the area around dawn, the member of Bani Walid’s municipal council told Reuters.

    People living in Ras al-Tbel, about 80 km southeast of Bani Walid, had seen the same convoy of up to 15 vehicles carrying the black flags of ISIS over the past two days, the official added.

    It was not immediately clear if the convoy was hit...REUTERS...alarabiya.net
    29/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  103. Philippines asks China to respect outcome of arbitration in territorial dispute...

    The Philippines on Monday urged China, as a responsible member of the international community, to respect a forthcoming ruling by an arbitration court in the Hague on a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

    China claims almost the entire South China Sea, believed to have huge deposits of oil and gas. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims on the waters, through which about $5 trillion in trade is shipped every year.

    China refuses to recognize the case lodged by the Philippines with the tribunal and says all disputes should be resolved through bilateral talks.

    Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario's comments came after China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, on a visit to the United States, accused the Philippines of "political provocation" in seeking arbitration to resolve the dispute......reuters.com
    29/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  104. Turkish government seeks to mend ties with Israel, Egypt...

    A nine-hour-long Turkish cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Feb. 22 focused on foreign policy, with the future of Ankara’s bilateral relations Israel and Egypt as well as its position regarding the Syrian conflict reviewed in a bid to update its roadmap on these thorny issues.

    The cabinet meeting last week was the first chaired by Erdoğan following the Nov. 1, 2015, parliamentary elections, in which the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) secured a single-party government.

    The participants agreed Turkey’s stance vis-à-vis the policies of other countries, foremost the United States, regarding Syria’s Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its militia force, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), has been felicitous, sources said.

    Since mid-February, Turkey has repeatedly shelled Kurdish fighters in Syria. Ankara contends the YPG is a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

    Turkey should better explain its thesis to its allies and the international community with presenting documents, Erdoğan and the cabinet decided.

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Feb. 15 backed a call from Turkey for a no-fly zone over parts of Syria, saying it would alleviate the situation of displaced Syrians.

    Recalling Merkel’s support, Erdoğan and the cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu agreed it would be appropriate for Turkey to continue its policy of campaigning for “secure zone and disarmed zone,” said sources speaking under condition of anonymity...........hurriyetdailynews.com
    29/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  105. 25,000 Syrian refugees are here, life begins anew ...

    The federal government met its goal over the weekend to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada. As the new arrivals adjust to life in this country, one refugee father and his Canadian sponsor describe how the resettlement process worked out for them.

    Arsho Zakarian helped sponsor Kevork Manougian and his family, who arrived in Canada on Feb. 19.

    In total, Zakarian sponsored Manougian, his mother, his wife, and their young son. She said she didn't know the family beforehand, but was matched with the family through an Armenian community group......http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/25-000-syrian-refugees-are-here-life-begins-anew-1.2796916
    29/2/16

    ReplyDelete
  106. Aid workers on Monday began carrying out the first delivery of humanitarian assistance to Syrians since a landmark truce came into effect at the weekend, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent said...

    The Red Crescent said that 10 trucks of aid including blankets and hygiene supplies provided by the United Nations had entered the besieged Syrian town of Moadamiyet al-Sham southwest of Damascus.
    almanar.com.lb
    29/2/16

    ReplyDelete

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