Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Breaking News - Flash News - Latest news [October 2014(B)]

Breaking News - Flash News - Latest news

[October 2014(B)]
POZZO : Il ne peut plus supporter ma présence. Je suis sans doute peu humain, mais est-ce une raison ? Réfléchissez, avant de commettre une imprudence. Mettons que vous partiez maintenant, pendant qu'il fait encore jour, car malgré tout il fait encore jour. Bon. Que devient en ce cas - je suis éteint - en ce cas... en ce cas... que devient en ce cas votre rendez-vous avec ce... Godet... Godot... Godin... enfin vous voyez qui je veux dire, dont votre avenir dépend... enfin votre avenir immédiat..................En attendant Godot
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174 comments :

  1. Turkish jets strike Kurdish PKK rebels near Iraq...

    Turkish fighter planes launched air strikes on Tuesday against positions of the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) following attacks by militants on Turkish military outposts, Turkish media reported.

    The escalation is the first since a 2013 ceasefire and the start of peace talks and came on the backdrop of tensions between the government in Ankara and the country’s Kurdish population. Kurds are angry at Ankara’s lack of action to save the Syrian border town of Kobane.....http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/14/Turkey-bombs-Kurdish-rebel-targets-in-southeast-.html
    14/10/14

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  2. UN Chief Decries Gaza’s Vast Destruction...

    U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon lamented the vast destruction in Gaza as he visited the area on Tuesday for the first time since the war, urging a speedy reconstruction effort.

    He also announced that Israel was permitting a first truckload of construction materials to enter the enclave. It has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since before Israel began its offensive July 8 to counter rocket fire by Palestinian militants..............http://www.voanews.com/content/un-chief-decries-gaza-destruction-urges-speedy-reconstruction/2483128.html
    14/10/14

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  3. Inter-ethnic tension in Crimea inadmissible — Putin...

    Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday one could not admit inter-ethnic tension in Crimea.

    “We should take into account the fact that apart from Crimean Tatars, Greeks, Ukrainians, Germans and Russians live there. This is a very sensitive sphere there. There is no clear interpretation among people of what has happened in this sphere,” Putin said at a meeting with members of the Presidential Council for Human Rights.

    This is not an idle problem because “nationalist moods can exist somewhere inside”, he said.

    He called for working carefully. Putin said among Crimean Tatars there are people with Ukrainian citizenship. Some of them are deputies of the Rada and take part in international events on behalf of Ukraine. However, they pretend to protect the interests of people living in Crimea and have obtained Russian citizenship, he said.

    “These are complicated issues. I’d like these people not to speculate on the past in order to make provision for today and tomorrow for their own,” Putin said................http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/754372
    14/10/14

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  4. Seoul: Pyongyang Sanctions Unchanged...

    South Korea says its position on North Korean sanctions has not changed despite speculation that Seoul might consider lifting its unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang.

    An official in Seoul who did not want to be named told reporters Tuesday that the South's position is consistent with remarks made Monday by President Park Geun-hye.

    The South Korean president said her government is open to the idea that the North and South try to resolve the issue through dialogue.................http://www.voanews.com/content/seoul-pyongyang-sanctions-north-korea/2483942.html
    14/10/14

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  5. ISIS Likely Captured Iraqi Chemical Weapons, New York Times Confirms...

    A New York Times report confirms that the U.S. government knew that an Iraqi facility now controlled by the Islamic State militant organization likely contained deadly chemical weapons -- a finding reported by The Huffington Post on Monday.

    The Huffington Post's report suggesting that ISIS may have gained control of chemical weapons in Iraq was based on a report released Sunday by the Global Research in International Affairs Center at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel. The center's analysis suggested that ISIS had used the weapons on Kurdish soldiers in the embattled Syrian region of Kobani over the summer, after capturing the massive former chemical weapons facility of Muthanna in Iraq in June...............http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/14/isis-chemical-weapons-_n_5987106.html
    15/10/14

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  6. Football Match Between Serbia, Albania Halted After Drone Interrupts....

    A Euro 2016 qualifying match between Serbia and Albania was called off at the 41st minute after a Albanian flag carried by a drone was pulled to the ground by Serbian player Stefan Mitrovic at Partizan stadium, reports BBC Sport.

    "One small stupid situation made an explosion - that is the shortest way to describe the incident of the night,” said Serbian B92 journalist Milos Saranovic in an interview with BBC Sport.

    Albanian fans had been banned from attending the UEFA match in Belgrade, however the drone appeared over the pitch in the first half carrying an Albanian flag and political message saying “autochthonous”, meaning indigenous.

    When Serbian defender Stefan Mitrovic pulled the flag to the ground, he was confronted by several Albanian players who tried to forcibly take the flag from Mitrovic. At this point, several Serbian fans rushed the field in defense. Numerous fights broke out between the players and people in the stands. Havoc and chaos ensued and the Albanian team had to flee the pitch for safety. At this point, referee Martin Atkinson stopped play, ordered everyone off of the field and after 30 minutes the match was called off at 0-0.

    UEFA spokesman Harry Bean said regretfully, “You all saw what happened and I cannot comment on who is to blame or what to blame. I will submit a report with my colleagues to Uefa and Uefa will decide what will happen further.”

    The incident has renewed old tensions between the two nations, as Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo.

    According to Reuters, the drone was piloted by Olsi Rama, the brother of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. He was arrested at the VIP box and a remote was found on his person. “He was arrested on suspicion that he masterminded and executed the incident in which a flag with a map of greater Albania was flown over the pitch and the terraces, after which the match between Serbia and Albania was abandoned” Serbian state news RTS reported.
    http://en.ria.ru/sports/20141015/194100937/Football-Match-Between-Serbia-Albania-Halted-After-Drone.html
    15/10/14

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  7. Turkish cemetery attacked in Russia-annexed Crimea...

    A cemetery created in the honor of Turkish soldiers fallen during the 19th century Crimean War between the Ottoman Empire and Russia has been attacked in Sevastopol in the Russia-annexed Autonomous Crimean Republic in Ukraine, local activists have said.

    The star and crescents on dozen of tombs were demolished and Ukrainian and English signboards on Sapun Mountain directing people to the cemetery were also removed, the Crimean Azerbaijani Association leader Rahim Humbatov said Wednesday.

    Lenur Usmanov, another activist from Sevastopol, said repairing the cemeteries would take time and need volunteers.

    "I can help for God's sake, because these are the tombs of our Muslim brothers," he said.

    Russia annexed Crimea in March following political crisis in Ukraine, after a controversial referendum in the strategic peninsula led to a declaration of unilateral independence and integration with Russia.

    About 35 tombs at the cemetery, created in 2004 in memory of soldiers who died in the 1853-56 Crimean War fought between the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain against Russia.

    Meanwhile, a statement from the "Russian Interior Ministry Branch in Sevastopol" stated that the removed signboards would be replaced with Russian ones, and the attack on the cemetery would be investigated.
    http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/404636--turkish-cemetery-attacked-in-russia-annexed-crimea
    15/10/14

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  8. Russia asks Kiev to prove it exports non-EU food by October 21...

    Russia’s consumer rights protection watchdog asked the Ukrainian veterinary service for proof to be presented by October 21 that food imported to Russia is of Ukrainian origin, and not re-exported from EU countries, the authority said in a statement Wednesday.

    Director of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Control Sergey Dankvert said earlier that Russian regions bordering Ukraine have recently seen an abrupt growth in imports of apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, pears and plums passing across the border without identification marks, which might signify foreign origin of the imported products, he said................http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/754560
    15/10/14

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  9. Putin says gas transit to Europe via Ukraine still problematic ...

    Russian natural gas transit through Ukraine to Europe is still problematic and alternative supply routes, such as the planned South Stream pipeline, should be used to solve the issue, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview.

    Moscow halted gas supplies to Ukraine in June over unpaid debts and pricing disagreement.

    This has sparked concerns about the possible disruption of Russian gas supplies which transit Ukraine en route to Europe, something which has occurred twice in the past decade..............http://www.todayonline.com/world/putin-says-gas-transit-europe-ukraine-still-problematic?singlepage=true
    15/10/14

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  10. Les militaires américains ont désigné le nom pour une opération militaire en Syrie et en Irak contre les militants du groupe Etat islamique. L'opération sera nommée Inherent Resolve, a déclaré un responsable du Pentagone....

    En septembre, l'Armée de l'air des États-Unis, avec le soutien de cinq pays arabes, a réalisé les premières frappes contre les positions de l’Etat islamique en Syrie. Les Forces aériennes du Royaume d’Arabie Saoudite, des Emirats arabes unis, de l’Etat de Jordanie, du Bahreïn et du Qatar ont participé à ces raids.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_16/Le-Pentagone-a-designe-le-nom-pour-une-operation-militaire-en-Irak-et-en-Syrie-9708/
    15/10/14

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  11. An officer of the Polish army has been detained on suspicion of spying for Russia, a spokesman for the chief military prosecutor’s office confirmed on Wednesday....

    He refrained from further details, saying the investigation was just at an initial stage. He only said that the officer had been detained by Poland’s Internal Security Agency.

    Local media said that the man’s office at one of the defence ministry’s departments had been searched.

    According to the television channel TVN24, it was a top-ranking officer who had access to big amounts of information.
    http://en.itar-tass.com/world/754622
    15/10/14

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  12. Merkel urges EU to keep up reforms as crisis not over...

    (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told parliament on Thursday that Europe must push ahead with efforts to cut public deficits and improve competitiveness because the euro zone debt crisis has not yet been overcome and its causes have not been eliminated.

    Speaking to the background of nervousness in financial markets about signs of a global slowdown, Merkel said European Union leaders must bear in mind, as they debate ways to boost growth, that painful fiscal reforms have begun to pay off.

    "Early successes prove that we chose the right path from the start," she said, citing improved productivity and finances in some euro zone states and what she termed the "successful" exit of Ireland, Portugal and Spain from their bailout programs.

    "But - and I will say this again and again - we are still far from our goal," Merkel said................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/16/us-germany-europe-idUSKCN0I50O420141016?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    16/10/14

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  13. EU-Russia sanctions, countersanctions should end — Cypriot official....

    A wave of sanctions and countersanctions between the European Union and Russia should immediately stop, the government spokesman of the Republic of Cyprus said in an interview with TASS on Thursday.

    “We need to do everything possible to avert the cycle of sanctions and then countersanctions from Russia which have negatively affected all of us and especially the strategic value of the relationship between the European Union and Russia,” Nicos Christodoulides said.

    “We believe that Russia has a strategic partnership of the European Union and we should safeguard it,” Christodoulides said...............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_16/EU-Russia-sanctions-countersanctions-should-end-Cypriot-official-8089/
    16/10/14

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  14. U.S. held first direct talks with Syrian Kurdish party: State Department...

    A U.S. State Department official held direct talks for the first time over the weekend with the main Syrian Kurdish political party as the United States builds a coalition against Islamic State militants, a State Department official said on Thursday.

    "We have for some time had conversations through intermediaries with the PYD (Kurdish Democratic Union Party). We have engaged over the course of just last weekend with the PYD," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a briefing.

    Psaki said the meeting involved a State Department official and took place outside the region.

    The PYD has close ties to the PKK, a Turkish Kurdish party that waged a militant campaign for Kurdish rights and has threatened to abandon a peace process with Turkey in response to the current attack on the Syrian town of Kobani by Islamic State militants.

    The PKK is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States...............http://www.todayonline.com/world/us-held-first-direct-talks-syrian-kurdish-party-state-department

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  15. Turkey opposes Germany sending arms to PKK...

    Turkey decides who to help [arm] within its own territories, Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir told reporters on Thursday in Brussels where he announced Turkey's new EU strategy.

    His remarks came after Germany, on Thursday, said they can send arms to the outlawed PKK that is fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Kobani.

    Turkey opposes Germany to arm the PKK to fight ISIL in the Syrian town of Kobani at the Turkish-Syria border.

    Bozkir said that both the PKK and ISIL were terrorist groups adding that the PKK was also on the terror lists of the U.S., NATO and Turkey.

    Turkey has launched what is publicly known as "the solution process" to end more than three decades of fighting with the PKK, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

    "It is out of question to send arms to some groups [in Turkey] secretly," Bozkir said.

    He criticized Germany for debating whether to accept 16 thousand refugees into the country, while Turkey has allowed nearly 200 thousand people from Kobani fleeing ISIL attacks.............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/405735--turkey-opposes-germany-sending-arms-to-pkk
    16/10/14

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  16. The Russian navy will conduct exercises with rocket launching inside Cyprus’ EEZ, opposite Barbaros....

    According to an announcement by the Russian Navy, the exercises will begin on Monday, October 20, in the waters east of Cyprus and of the Apostle Andrew.

    As stated in the newspaper Fileleftheros, Russia has committed a total of 4000 square kilometers, for the exercises, during which rockets will be fired, until October 22.
    http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/10/16/russian-navy-to-have-exercises-in-the-cypriot-eez/
    16/10/14

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  17. Abe sends ritual offering to Yasukuni; several lawmakers visit shrine...

    Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to Yasukuni Shrine, officials there said Friday, a move likely to draw angry responses from China and South Korea.

    Abe dedicated a “masakaki” tree branch in his capacity as prime minister for the Tokyo shrine’s autumn festival running from Friday to Monday.

    The Shinto shrine honors convicted Class-A war criminals alongside the nation’s war dead.

    Abe is currently visiting Italy for the Asia-Europe Meeting. He is scheduled to return home Saturday...........http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/17/national/politics-diplomacy/abe-sends-ritual-offering-yasukuni-shrine/#.VECOelfQqt8
    17/10/14

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  18. Poroshenko signs law on special status for Donbass...

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a law on a special status for Donbass (Donetsk and Lugansk regions), according to a statement on the presidential website posted Thursday.

    “Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law ‘On special procedure of local self-government in separate districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions’,” the report said........http://en.itar-tass.com/world/754873
    17/10/14

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  19. India successfully test-fires its first nuclear capable cruise missile...

    India successfully test-fired on Friday the subsonic nuclear-capable cruise missile Nirbhay, a state-of-the-art missile developed by the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), the Press Trust of India agency said.

    The launch of the ground-to-ground missile was carried out from the missile test range in Chandipur in the eastern state of Orissa to the maximum range of 1,000 kilometers.

    The development of the Nirbhay missile started in 2007. The missile, designed for the Indian Air Force, Navy and Ground Forces is capable of carrying various types of warheads, including nuclear.

    The first launch of Nirbhay in March 2013 ended in failure as the missile wandered off course.
    http://en.itar-tass.com/world/754908
    17/10/14

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  20. Belarus president blames ex-president Yanukovych for crisis in Ukraine...

    Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych is responsible for the crisis in Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko told a news conference for the Russian media on Friday.

    “President Yanukovych is the only one to blame for what has happened in Ukraine. To blame is my very former good friend - Yanukovych,” he said. Lukashenko noted that an unconstitutional coup and a seizure of power happened in Ukraine.“.............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/754959
    17/10/14

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  21. United States tactics in Iraq and Syria cannot be justified...

    "Islamic State" is threatening to start a new war in the Persian Gulf. Militants have placed on the Internet a video showing the British hostage John Cantley, who declared on behalf of the jihadists their intention to unleash a full-scale world war.

    This video statement was another response to the air strikes which the Air Force of the international coalition led by the Pentagon has been carrying out on the positions of the militants of the "Islamic state" (IS) in the territory of Iraq and Syria.

    Nevertheless, the military coalition has had to admit that they will not succeed without a ground operation to suppress the IS. In this regard, Washington intends to resort to the favorite tactics – instead of sending its own army, the US will train and equip local forces in the war zone. To do this, President Barack Obama has approved the program of arming Syrian rebels or the so-called moderate opposition, which is aiming to overthrow the regime of Bashar al-Assad, but does not intend to submit to the IS. The American leadership is not worried over the CIA report that similar action was not successful earlier............. http://indian.ruvr.ru/2014_10_17/United-States-tactics-in-Iraq-and-Syria-cannot-be-justified-6909/
    17/10/14

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  22. Nach Informationen des syrischen Beobachtungszentrums in London ist die Terrormiliz Islamischer Staat im Besitz von drei Kampfflugzeugen....

    Die Beobachtungsstelle beruft sich auf Augenzeugenberichte. Die Flugzeuge seien in der Nähe des Flughafens der nordsyrischen Stadt Aleppo gesichtet worden. Rami Abdulrahman vom Beobachtungszentrum sagt: "Sie haben Ausbilder, irakische Offiziere, die zuvor Piloten für Saddam Hussein waren. Leute sahen die Flüge, sie sind viele Male vom Flughafen gestartet." Informanten gaben laut der Beobachtungsstelle an, sie hätten mehrfach Kampfjets im Tiefflug gesichtet. Damit wollten die IS-Terroristen offenbar dem Radar der Streitkräfte von Syriens Machthaber Baschar al-Assad entgehen. Ob die Islamisten ihre erbeuteten Flugzeuge mit Raketen bestücken können, konnte zunächst nicht herausgefunden werden, heißt es weiter.............http://www.welt.de/politik/article132981126/IS-Terroristen-sollen-drei-Kampfjets-besitzen.html
    17/10/14

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  23. Severe Hurricane Heads Towards Hawaii....

    A storm that was inching towards the Hawaiian islands has turned into a category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 75 miles per hour, the US National Weather Service said.

    Hurricane Ana is just 230 miles south of the island of Hilo, Hawaii and is expected to cause heavy rain Friday afternoon before passing over the rest of the islands through the weekend.

    Hawaii's Governor Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation on Wednesday that will allow Hawaii to use state funds for protective measures and permit the state to suspend certain laws if needed for emergency purposes.

    Large swells are expected to hit the eastern end of the Hawaiian island chain from Friday to Saturday and could cause rain between 6 and 12 inches high on the island of Hawaii.

    Back in August, Hurricane Iselle that was also headed towards the island of Hawaii, weakened to a tropical storm by the time it hit the island causing some damages.

    In 1992, a deadly category 4 Hurricane hit the island of Kauai that killed six people and destroyed thousands of homes.
    http://en.ria.ru/world/20141018/194237293/Severe-Hurricane-Heads-Towards-Hawaii.html
    18/10/14

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  24. Суд Лимасола освободил россиянина, подозреваемого в причастности к краже картины Дега..

    Суд города Лимасол принял решение выпустить из-под стражи российского предпринимателя Сергея Тюленева, который был задержан в начале месяца полицией Кипра по подозрению в причастности к делу о краже картины Эдгара Дега из дома 70-летнего кипрского коллекционера.

    Об этом сообщила газета Cyprus Mail.

    Россиянин был освобожден из-за отсутствия свидетельств, подтверждающих обоснованность его содержания под арестом.

    Под арестом по этому делу по-прежнему находятся три киприота. Согласно судебному решению, вынесенному в пятницу, они предстанут перед уголовным судом Лимасола 27 ноября............http://itar-tass.com/proisshestviya/1516651
    18/10/14

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  25. China ships in disputed waters after Japan shrine visits...

    Chinese coastguard ships entered waters off disputed islands in the East China Sea on Saturday (Oct 18), the Japan coastguard said, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe angered Beijing by sending an offering to a controversial war shrine.

    Three Chinese vessels sailed into territorial waters that extend 12 nautical miles around one of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands, which China also claims and calls the Diaoyus, shortly after 10am (9am, Singapore time), the Japanese coastguard said. Relations between Japan and China have been in deep freeze for two years over the ownership of the islands and what Beijing views as Japan's rewriting of history - especially concerning World War II.............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-ships-in-disputed/1422302.html
    18/10/14

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  26. The Palestinian UN ambassador said Friday his government wants the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution before the end of the year that would set November 2016 as the deadline for Israeli troops to withdraw from all Palestinian territories....

    Riyad Mansour said Friday that if the resolution is defeated — which is almost certain because of opposition from Israel's closest ally the United States and others — the Palestinians have other options.

    "This is not going to be an open-ended exercise," he said. "The main option is to go with a vote." ..........http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.621354
    18/10/14

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    Replies
    1. Palestinians slow to win support for end-of-occupation bid at UN...

      A senior Palestinian official says the PA is waiting for a change in the Security Council’s makeup to get the nine votes it needs.

      The Palestinians are having problems in their efforts to urge nine members of the UN Security Council to support a motion for a timetable mandating the end of the occupation, chief negotiator Saeb Erekat has told Palestinian media.................http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.621212
      17/10/14

      Delete
  27. Alevis in the German state of Bremen have gained an equal legal status as Christians and Jews after signing an official contract....

    Bremen’s Alevis have signed an “Equality of Rights Agreement” with the Bremen state government that will grant Alevis important rights such as officially celebrating religious holidays, being exempt from compulsory religion classes at schools and educating clerics.

    The contract is the third contract to have been signed by Alevis with a German state authority, after a contract with Hamburg and a preliminary contract with Lower Saxony were also signed.

    The agreement was signed in the Bremen Municipality building by Bremen Mayor Jens Böhrsen, the Federation of Alevi Unions in Germany (AABF) Head Hüseyin Mat, AABF Belief Board President Cafer Kaplan, and Confederation of European Alevi Unions (AABK) Head Turgut Öker.

    Around 10,000 Alevi origin citizens live in Bremen and around 800,000 live in Germany as a whole...............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/alevis-in-germanys-bremen-win-equal-status-as-other-religious-communities.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73141&NewsCatID=351
    17/10/14

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  28. В ДНР выдача паспортов может начаться на следующей неделе. Об этом заявил премьер-министр ДНР Александр Захарченко....

    "На следующей неделе будет назначен министр юстиции и, думаю, на следующей неделе начнутся выдавать паспорта ДНР по аналогии с документами по регистрации бракосочетания. Это будут паспорта ДНР", - сказал Захарченко.

    Комментируя вступивший в силу закон об особом статусе Донбасса, премьер ДНР заявил, что власти Украины фактически признали независимость провозглашенной республики.

    "Они фактически признали, что эту территорию (Донецкой области) не контролируют. Таким образом, они признали нашу независимость", - сказал Захарченко.

    Министр также пояснил, что границы "ДНР - это старые границы Донецкой области"............http://itar-tass.com/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/1516899
    18/10/14

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  29. US President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Americans to avoid hysteria over Ebola, and played down the idea of travel bans from Ebola-ravaged countries in West Africa, explaining that restrictions could make things worse...

    Lawmakers this week urged Obama to bar people from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea from entering the United States. Obama has said he is not philosophically opposed to travel bans, but in his weekly address made it clear that he is not leaning toward them...............http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Obama-says-Ebola-travel-ban-could-make-things-worse-379116
    18/10/14

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  30. Kurdish forces in the Syrian town of Kobane repulsed a new attempt by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants to cut off the border with Turkey Oct. 18 as troops battled the jihadists in neighbouring Iraq....

    A Kurdish official reported five new U.S.-led strikes around Kobane overnight as the coalition kept up its air support for the town’s defenders.

    But the U.S. military said that while it saw some "encouraging" signs, the strikes might not prevent Kobane’s fall and its priority remained the campaign against ISIL in Iraq.

    Heavy ISIL mortar fire hit the Syrian side of the border crossing with Turkey which is the Kurdish fighters’ sole avenue for resupply and the only escape route for remaining civilians, Kurdish official Idris Nassen told AFP.

    The jihadists launched a fierce attack from the east towards the border gate before being pushed back, he added........http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian-kurds-thwart-new-jihadist-bid-to-cut-off-border-with-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73152&NewsCatID=352
    18/10/14

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  31. Закон об особом статусе Донбасса вступил в силу...

    Украинский парламент 16 сентября принял закон об особых полномочиях местных властей и восстановительных мерах в ряде районов Донбасса, перечень которых определят украинские спецслужбы. В тот же день президент Украины Петр Порошенко подписал данный закон, который известен так же как закон об особом статусе Донбасса.

    Согласно документу, здесь гарантируется свобода использования любого языка и поощряется трансграничное сотрудничество с Россией. Участники конфликта в Донбассе будут амнистированы, а также не будут преследоваться и наказываться за участие в действиях на территории Донецкой и Луганской областей. 7 декабря планируется проведение местных выборов.

    Закон имеет силу на протяжении трех лет...........РИА Новости http://ria.ru/world/20141018/1028915140.html#ixzz3GVPzxnF5
    18/10/14

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  32. Greece's anti-bailout party leads conservatives, margin slips: poll...

    ATHENS - Greece's radical leftist Syriza party would beat Prime Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy party if an election were held today, but its lead has slipped, said an opinion poll published on Saturday.

    Syriza is deeply opposed to an international bailout that has allowed Greece to avoid a debt default in return for a package of tough austerity measures and economic reform.

    A Metron Analysis survey for Parapolitika newspaper said support for Syriza was running at 32.9 percent against 26.1 percent for New Democracy and 4.7 percent for the Socialist PASOK party, which is in Samaras' coalition government.

    A previous Oct. 6-8 poll showed backing for Syriza at 34.1 percent, while New Democracy was at 26.2 percent.

    Most recent surveys have suggested that if elections were held now, there would be no outright winner......http://www.todayonline.com/world/greeces-anti-bailout-party-leads-conservatives-margin-slips-poll
    18/10/14

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  33. At least seven mortar shells landed in Turkey’s southern Sanliurfa province Saturday during an intense battle between two militant groups in the Syrian town of Kobani....

    According to an Anadolu Agency correspondent near the Turkish-Syrian border, the shells landed inside the Turkish territory when the battle for Kobani waged on between the Kurdish Democratic Union Party, or the PYD, and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or the ISIL.

    The explosions from the shells were heard in Sanliurfa’s Suruc district.

    Meanwhile, the ISIL reportedly also carried out a suicide car bomb attack in central Kobani Saturday.

    The U.S.-led coalition forces also continued to carry out airstrikes on the ISIL targets in Kobani.

    More than 180,000 Syrian Kurd refugees from Kobani have crossed into Turkey since Ankara opened its border crossing on September 19 after the ISIL militants besieged the Syrian town.

    The Iraqi army has been engaged in battles with ISIL militants since the extremist group took control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, in mid-June, in addition to other large swathes of the country.

    According to the U.N., at least 24,015 civilians have been killed or injured in Iraq during the first eight months of 2014.
    http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/406639--mortar-shells-from-kobani-battle-land-inside-turkey
    18/10/14

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  34. Russia denies submarine incident off Sweden...

    The Russian defence ministry has denied reports that one of its submarines got into trouble in the waters off Sweden.

    The Swedish military has been searching the sea since Friday, following what the military said was foreign underwater activity.

    It has denied looking for a submarine, and said that it was conducting an intelligence operation.

    However, a local newspaper said Sweden had intercepted a distress signal in Russian.

    Soviet submarine sightings during the Cold War caused security alerts in Sweden in the 1980s..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29680960
    19/10/14

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  35. Lavrov: sanctions aim to make Russia accept West’s position...

    Russia and Europe are neighbors, they have a centuries-long common history, and they can’t escape each other, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding that the current policy of Europeans designed to punish Russia with sanctions is pernicious.

    “Our partners who actually imposed sanctions make no secret that the measures are not aimed at Ukraine. In essence, their statements and acts are constantly showing the true goal of the restrictions - to change Russia and its position on the key issues that are a matter of principle for us, forcing the country to accept the West’s position,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian television channel NTV.

    “It’s a relic of the past, inertia thinking dating back to colonial times,” the minister emphasized. “Generally speaking, we are told to change our policy and approaches. It would be a different matter if we were offered to seek something jointly. But we are told: ‘We know how to act and you must do so’.”

    Lavrov said that earlier Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested starting a serious conversation with the European Union on the establishment of a common economic and humanitarian space from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

    “A few years ago, we were told: ‘let’s wait’, which meant ‘no’,” he said. “Now that several years have passed, the EU leadership is saying it is necessary to think and start talking about that in practical terms.”...........http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/755206
    19/10/14

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  36. 2 Koreas exchange gunfire along border...

    SEOUL, South Korea: Troops from the rival Koreas exchanged gunfire on Sunday along their heavily fortified border in the second such shooting in less than 10 days, South Korean officials said. There were no reports of injuries or property damage, but the 10 minutes of shooting highlighted rising tensions between the divided countries.

    The Koreas' first exchange of gunfire came after North Korea opened fire at balloons carrying anti-Pyongyang leaflets that were floating across the border from the South. Sunday's shootout began after North Korea sent soldiers close to the border line. The move was an attempt by the North to increase worries in the South about what might happen if leafleting continues, analysts say............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/2-Koreas-exchange-gunfire-along-border/articleshow/44878772.cms
    19/10/14

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  37. Kobane: US drops arms and aid to Kurds battling ISIS/ISIL ...

    US military aircraft have dropped weapons, ammunition and medical supplies to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) militants in the key Syrian town of Kobane.

    US Central Command said C-130 transport aircraft had made "multiple" drops of supplies provided by Kurdish authorities in Iraq.

    US air strikes have helped push back IS in the town near the Turkish border.

    Correspondents say the airdrops are likely to anger key US ally Turkey............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29684761
    20/10/14

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  38. Russia should be ready for 2nd Ukrainian refugee wave in winter - ombudswoman...

    Russia should be ready in winter for a second wave of migration of refugees from Ukraine, and not only from the country’s embattled southeast, Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Ella Pamfilova told Russian government daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta during a Business Lunch.

    Pamfilova said that “the first wave of refugees is now on a decline as people are inspired with a possible truce”....................http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/755235
    20/10/14

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  39. Источник: переоценка режима санкций ЕС в отношении России намечена на 28 октября...

    Очередная переоценка режима санкций ЕС в отношении России намечена на 28 октября. Об этом сообщил ТАСС европейский источник в кулуарах плановой встречи глав МИД 28 стран ЕС в Люксембурге.

    "Переоценка ситуации на Украине для определения возможностей пересмотра санкций состоится на заседании комитета постоянных представителей ЕС, которое намечено на 28 октября. В зависимости от анализа ситуации будут приниматься решения о сохранении или изменении ограничительных мер в отношении РФ", - сообщил
    http://itar-tass.com/ekonomika/1518654
    20/10/14

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  40. Russia to ban imports of cars, heavy equipment, metallurgy products...

    Russia is preparing to bar state-run companies from importing vehicles, heavy equipment and metallurgy products, an influential Russian daily said Sunday.

    According to the data, obtained by the Kommersant newspaper from the Russian ministries of industry and trade, and economic development, Russia's state-owned companies will be prohibited from buying certain foreign-made industry products that have Russian analogues.

    The Ministry of Industry and Trade confirmed to the paper it had drafted a "general directive," which will apply to companies that are 50 percent or more owned by the Russian government, although no list was revealed.

    "The restrictions will be recommended to state companies by state representatives on their boards of directors," a source in the Ministry of Economic Development told the Kommersant............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/2014_10_20/278919615/
    20/10/14

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  41. Israeli settlers move into two East Jerusalem buildings overnight ...

    Dozens of Israeli settlers moved into two homes in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Silwan in East Jerusalem overnight Sunday. ..........http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.621688
    20/10/14

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  42. The main Syrian Kurdish armed group defending the Syrian border town of Kobani against an Islamic State offensive hopes for more support after the United States air-dropped arms to its fighters for the first time, a spokesman said on Monday....

    The US military said on Sunday C-130 aircraft had delivered small arms, ammunition and medical supplies provided by the Kurdish authorities in Iraq...........http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Kurds-hoping-for-more-military-support-from-US-379274
    20/10/14

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  43. Des exercices régionaux de l'OTAN impliquant 12 pays partenaires de l'Alliance se dérouleront du 20 au 24 octobre à Istanbul, lit-on dans une déclaration de l'Etat-major turc diffusée lundi...

    "Les exercices visent à renforcer le potentiel des pays participants pour le travail commun et la coopération", indique l'Etat-major.

    Selon le document, parmi les partenaires de l'Alliance atlantique impliqués dans les manœuvres figurent l'Algérie, l'Azerbaïdjan, la Bosnie-Herzégovine, la Jordanie, le Kazakhstan, la Macédoine, le Monténégro, la Moldavie, la Mauritanie, le Pakistan, la Serbie et l'Ukraine.

    Au total, 143 personnes, dont 84 représentants de la Turquie, 11 militaires d'autres pays de l'OTAN, et 48 soldats des pays partenaires prendront part aux exercices.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_20/Turquie-debut-dexercices-de-lOTAN-avec-12-pays-partenaires-5092/
    20/10/14

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  44. Lavrov Calls ‘Scandalous’ Moldova's Abuse of Anti-EU Integration Parties...

    Moscow considers the Moldovan Constitutional Court's decision on the unconstitutionality of all political forces that are against European integration to be "scandalous," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

    "The Chisinau authorities at this level are clearly attempting to move in a nondemocratic direction. This is shown in the recent decision by the Constitutional Court that any party whose goal is against integrating with the European Union is anti-constitutional. I was taken aback when I read this news," Lavrov said.

    "This is a scandalous decision," the minister added.

    On October 9, Moldova’s Constitutional Court confirmed that the country’s Association Agreement with the European Union, signed and ratified in summer, was constitutional. In a press release, the court stressed that any political orientation opposing the process of Moldova's European integration is "unconstitutional a priori." The statement triggered fears that the authorities could ban political forces protesting the country's orientation toward the West.
    http://en.ria.ru/russia/20141020/194329135/Lavrov-Calls-Scandalous-Moldovas-Abuse-of-Anti-EU-Integration.html
    20/10/14

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  45. EU may impose new sanctions on Russia — Lithuanian FM ...

    The European Union may consider the possibility of the introduction of new sanctions against Russia if the situation in the east of Ukraine aggravates, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said on Monday.

    “No breakthrough has been observed (in the fulfilment of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine). The situation is not improving. Therefore, there are no grounds for changing the policy or lifting any sanctions (on Russia). If the situation deteriorates further, we will have to discuss additional pressure measures. New sanctions are also not excluded,” Linkevicius said on arrival at a meeting of foreign ministers of 28 EU member states.

    Earlier Monday, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council will hold a session on Monday to assess the fulfillment of the Minsk accords on the ceasefire in Ukraine and decide on a possible review of sanctions against Russia.

    "We’ll analyze the situation and decide what our next steps will be," Ashton said after arriving in Luxembourg at a meeting with the foreign ministers of the 28-nation bloc.
    http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755316
    20/10/14

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  46. EU Commission releases its first report on the progress Turkey has made towards lifting visa obligations for Turkish citizens ...

    A European Union Commission report has stated Turkey has been "effective" in its efforts to meet the bloc's requirements for allowing Turkish citizens to be able to travel to the 28-nation bloc without a visa.

    The comment by Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström came as the EU's first progress report on Turkey’s visa liberalization "roadmap" was released Monday, which acknowledged the progress the country has made in developing its civil registry system and reforms adopted in the field of migration and international protection.

    Malmström said in a statement: ''I am convinced that Turkey will keep a steady pace towards the fulfillment of the benchmarks by bringing forward several essential legislative and administrative reforms."

    However, more steps were needed to be taken in order for Turkey to achieve its goal, such as the of issuing passports with biometric data and developing cooperation with EU member states in detecting forged and fraudulent travel documents, the statement added.

    The report also said Turkey needed to adopt national legislation in line with Europe and to continue to enhance its justice system while safeguarding its independence.

    Turkey’s EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir said during his visit to Brussels last week that six reform packages had been made with respect to the judiciary....................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/407496--turkey-effective-in-bid-for-visa-free-travel-eu
    20/10/14

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  47. Sanctions Against Russia Should Remain Unchanged: Danish Foreign Minister ...

    The European Union should not ease its sanctions against Russia at this point, given the situation in Ukraine, Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said Monday.

    "I don't think we should … decrease the pressure right now," Lidegaard said prior to the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

    "We still have accidents, we still have unacceptable behavior by the Russian Federation, so we should be exactly where we are with the high pressure," he added.

    However, the Danish foreign minister noted that efforts were made to resolve the situation in a peaceful manner via negotiations....................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141020/194334290/Sanctions-Against-Russia-Should-Remain-Unchanged-Danish-Foreign.html
    20/10/14

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  48. Russian lawsuits may create new difficulties for EU — Barroso ...

    Outgoing European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said on Monday the lawsuits filed by Russian companies over the EU sanctions against Moscow may create new problems for Brussels.

    Speaking at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, known as Chatham House, in central London, Barroso commented on the move by Russia’s state oil company Rosneft and businessman Arkady Rotenberg to launch legal proceedings against the European Council.

    Rosneft filed a lawsuit in the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice's General Court on October 9 against the EU sanctions that prohibit Russian energy companies and state banks from raising capital in European markets.

    Rotenberg, a co-owner and chairman of board of directors of SMP Bank, who was slapped with an EU visa ban on July 30, filed two lawsuits against the sanctions on October 10 in the same court.

    In late September, the Italian authorities arrested several houses on the island of Sardinia, a hotel in Rome, shares and banking accounts belonging to Rotenberg and totaling €30 million.................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755367
    20/10/14

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  49. UN humanitarian chief calls for urgent political solution in Syria...

    The United Nations humanitarian chief has drawn attention to the gravity of the plight of Syrian refugees in Turkey, as well as the Turkish government’s struggle to meet the needs of these people, underlining the number of Syrians seeking refuge is near 1.6 million and called for an urgent political solution.

    “I would like to thank the government and the people of Turkey for their generosity in welcoming Syrians seeking safety – to date, nearly 900,000 registered refugees, along with an estimated total of 1.6 million Syrians are seeking refuge here. 170,000 civilians fled Kobane into Turkey in a matter of weeks and the Turkish authorities responded immediately,” said U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, at a press conference on Oct. 20..................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/un-humanitarian-chief-calls-for-urgent-political-solution-in-syria-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73252&NewsCatID=359
    20/10/14

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  50. Islamic State produced $2 million of oil daily before U.S. strikes, firm finds...

    Islamic State militants were producing about $2 million worth of crude oil per day in Iraq and Syria before recent U.S.-led air strikes, possibly more than double the amount heard in U.S. congressional testimony last month, the research firm IHS said on Monday.

    The Sunni extremist group controlled as much as 350,000 barrels per day of crude oil, but was able to produce only about 50,000 bpd to 60,000 bpd, said IHS, a provider of global market and economic information.

    "This fraction of pre-war capacity is the result of warfare, shut-ins and (Islamic State's) limited technical prowess operating the fields," IHS said in a paper called "Spoils of War: Who's in charge of what oil resources in the conflict zones of northern Iraq and Syria." ............http://www.haaretz.com/news/world/1.621830
    20/10/14

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    Replies
    1. ISIL is raising $1 million per day just from illicit oil sales, the Treasury Department said Thursday...

      David Cohen, Treasury’s under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said that the department estimates the group has had that level of revenue from oil sales since mid-June. But ISIL has still managed to raise some $20 million in ransom payments in 2014 alone.

      "With the important exception of some state-sponsored terrorist organizations, ISIL is probably the best-funded terrorist organization we have confronted," he said in prepared remarks released by Treasury before delivery at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington.

      ISIL has taken possession of numerous oil facilities as it has seized large swaths of land in Syria and Iraq.

      Cohen said that ISIL sells the oil at "substantially discounted prices" through middlemen. Some of that is sold to Kurds in Iraq who then resell it to buyers in Turkey, he said.

      But he added that regional partners, including Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government, are "determined" to stop the flow of ISIL oil across their borders.......................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/409324--isil-raising-1m-dollars-per-day-from-oil-sales
      23/10/14

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  51. Turkey’s EU accession bid has not progressed properly, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said during an address to the Chatham House think tank on Oct. 20 in London, holding both parties responsible for the lack of progress....

    “The move toward Turkey joining has not evolved as it should, partly because of what has happened in Turkey and partly because of what has happened in the EU,” Barroso said.

    However, he asserted that “we should keep the door open to Turkey’s joining,” underlining that the EU would benefit from strong relations with Turkey.

    Although he said he could not give a guarantee that Turkey would become an EU member, Barroso said he was hopeful, while also admitting that "many things had happened in Turkey over the summer" that caused concern in some EU capitals.
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-eu-bid-has-not-developed-right-eu-president.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73228&NewsCatID=510
    20/10/14

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  52. UN official says no agreement on 'buffer zone' in Syria...

    The UN's head relief official expressed doubts about the chances for the creation of a 'buffer zone' for refugees in Syria on Monday.

    "I don't see the UN Security Council agreeing to a resolution on a 'buffer zone' inside Syria at this point in time," warned Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

    At a press conference during her visit to Ankara, Amos said that a such a protective zone inside Syria would also require the creation of some kind of formal independent force in the country,

    Turkey has originated efforts at the UN and in the international community to establish a no-fly zone and a safe haven for refugees inside Syria near the Turkish border.

    Children need psycho-social assistance

    Amos warned that crisis was becoming even more acute with refugee families needing protection from the cold. She urged for continued and unhindered access to Syria so to deliver more assistance to those in need...................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/407562--un-official-says-no-agreement-on-buffer-zone-in-syria
    20/10/14

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  53. Human Rights Watch: Ukrainian government forces use cluster munitions in Donetsk...

    Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in populated areas in Donetsk city in early October 2014. The use of cluster munitions in populated areas violates the laws of war due to the indiscriminate nature of the weapon and may amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said late on Monday.

    “The evidence points to Ukrainian government forces’ responsibility for several cluster munition attacks on Donetsk.
    21/10/14

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  54. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed to Poland's then leader that they divide Ukraine between themselves as far back as 2008, Poland's parliamentary speaker Radoslaw Sikorski said in an interview published by the U.S. Politico website.....

    According to Sikorski, who until September served as Poland's Foreign Minister, Putin made the proposal during Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk's visit to Moscow in 2008.

    "He wanted us to become participants in this partition of Ukraine ... This was one of the first things that Putin said to my prime minister, Donald Tusk, when he visited Moscow."

    "He (Putin) went on to say Ukraine is an artificial country and that Lwow is a Polish city and why don't we just sort it out together," Sikorski was quoted as saying in the interview dated Oct. 19.

    Before World War Two, Poland's territory included parts of today's western Ukraine, including some major cities such as Lwow, known as Lviv in Ukraine.

    According to Sikorski, who accompanied Tusk on his trip to Moscow, Tusk did not reply to Putin's suggestion, because he knew he was being recorded, but Poland never expressed any interest in joining the Russian operation.

    "We made it very, very clear to them - we wanted nothing to do with this," Sikorski said.

    Sikorski's account is not the first suggestion that Russia was seeking Poland's support in partitioning Ukraine.

    Following the annexation of Crimea, Russian parliamentary speaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky sent a letter to the governments of Poland, Romania and Hungary, proposing a joint division of the country........Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2014/Oct-20/274744-putin-offered-to-divide-ukraine-with-poland-polish-ex-minister.ashx#ixzz3GkcvcXfE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Putin’s aide dismisses media report on proposal to divide Ukraine as ‘red herring’...

      President Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov has dismissed has article in the U.S.-based POLITICO magazine on an alleged proposal by Putin to divide Ukraine as ‘red herring’.

      “In the first place, we don’t know the oeuvre of that publication well enough but on the whole this information looks like sheer red herring,” he told Gazeta.ru news portal.

      Somewhat earlier, Poland’s former foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski told POLITICO that Putin ostensibly make hints to Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in 2008 at a possibility of dividing Ukraine.
      http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/755442
      20/10/14

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  55. Total CEO de Margerie killed in Moscow plane accident...

    The chief executive of French oil major Total, Christophe de Margerie, was killed in an airplane collision with a snowplow at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport, airport spokeswoman Elena Krylova said today.

    "Tonight, a plane crashed when it collided with a snow-clearing machine. Three crew members and a passenger died. I can confirm that the passenger was Total's head de Margerie," she said.............http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/172669/total-ceo-de-margerie-killed-in-moscow-plane-accident
    20-21/10/14

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  56. US Approves Sale of $600 Million in Tank Ammunition to Iraq ...

    The US had approved the sale to Iraq of $600 million in tank ammunition, Washington announced on Monday.

    The arms deal would help the Iraqi government establish an integrated ground defense capability, the government said.

    Congress now has 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since arms deals are usually vetted carefully before a congressional notification...............http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=177208&cid=18&fromval=1
    21/10/14

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  57. Twelve people killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine over last 24 hours...

    Shelling and clashes in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, have left 12 people dead and 27 injured over the last 24 hours, the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Tuesday.

    Five militiamen and seven civilians died. Nineteen militiamen and eight civilians were wounded, the ministry said................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755541
    21/10/14

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  58. Ukrainian government forces have once again used incendiary bombs in the city of Donetsk, a spokesperson for the Vostok battalion in the Donetsk People's Republic told RIA Novosti....

    "In the night, incendiary shells were fired at Vostok battalion positions located in the southwestern outskirts of Donetsk. Several fires occurred," the spokesperson stated.

    He said that artillery and mortar fire continued in other areas of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). Specifically, a mortar attack was launched on the Donetsk militia near the village of Nikishino in the Shakhtarsky district.

    The spokesperson also said that artillery shells were fired at the southern outskirts of the village of Petropavlovka. As a result of the shelling, a residential building and two cars were damaged. Ukrainian subversive groups have been seen engaging in activities in the village of Stryukovo, the spokesperson said..........http://en.ria.ru/world/20141021/194379693/Ukrainian-Government-Forces-Using-Incendiary-Bombs-in-Donetsk.html
    21/10/14

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  59. Denmark acknowledges $680 million loss from Russia’s food embargo ...

    Danish pig farmers will lose $680 million this year from Russia’s food embargo or twice as much as was earlier expected, Denmark’s Agriculture and Food Council said on Tuesday.

    Danish Foreign Minister Martin Lidegor admitted that many farmers were affected by Russia’s food embargo. “This is also bad for the Danish economy. This is bad for people who may lose their jobs both in Russia and certainly in Denmark. Such is the situation, which we want to overcome as soon as possible,” he said........http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/755613
    21/10/14

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  60. Russia calls for wider involvement of Quartet in settling Palestinian-Israeli conflict ...

    Russia thinks the Quartet of international Middle East settlement mediators (Russia, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union) should be more widely involved in settling the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said on Tuesday.

    “We think it is a mistake to underuse the Middle East Quartet,” he said at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, adding that Russia had always stood for its wider involvement in solving issues of peace settlement.

    He said that at a forthcoming Quartet meeting due on October 24 in Brussels, Russia planned to focus on the discussion of the situation "on the Palestinian track."
    http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755653
    21/10/14

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  61. Kiev se dotera d'armes de précision et de missiles de croisière (Porochenko)...

    L'armée ukrainienne se dotera d'armes de précision et de missiles de croisière, a déclaré mardi le président ukrainien Piotr Porochenko lors d'une visite de travail à Dniepropetrovsk.

    "J'ordonne de modifier la commande militaire d'Etat pour 2015 et de prévoir des fonds pour la production d'armes de précision, de missiles de croisière", a indiqué M.Porochenko............http://fr.ria.ru/world/20141021/202776368.html
    21/10/14

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  62. Consumed by Islamic State, Iraq's Anbar province a key battleground again ...

    (Reuters) - In recent weeks, the world has watched the battle to save Syria’s border town of Kobani from Islamic State. But the radical jihadists have for longer been engulfing another strategically more vital target - Iraq’s western Anbar province and its road to Baghdad.

    The vast desert region - where Sunni tribes rose up in 2006 and 2007 to drive out al-Qaeda with the Americans - has throughout 2014 been parcelled up, city by military camp, before the Iraqi government and U.S. forces could act.

    Now Anbar's largest airbase Ain al-Asad, the Haditha Dam – a critical piece of infrastructure - and surrounding towns are encircled by Islamic State to the west from the Syrian border and to the east from militant-controlled sections of Ramadi.................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-anbar-idUSKCN0IA1PY20141021?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    21/10/14

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  63. Depuis plusieurs mois, la Grèce et la communauté archéologique internationale ont les yeux braqués sur la colline de Kasta, à Amphipolis -un haut lieu de la guerre du Péloponnèse-, en Macédoine centrale...

    Dominant la plaine, l'étrange tumulus abrite dans ses profondeurs un tombeau monumental qui daterait du dernier quart du IVe siècle avant Jésus-Christ. A vingt mètres de profondeur, ce sépulcre exceptionnel est flanqué d'un mur d'enceinte en pierres calcaires recouvertes de marbre, de 497 mètres de circonférence et de trois mètres de haut, également enseveli sous les gravats. Une infime partie de celui-ci avait été découverte en 1965, mais ce n'est qu'à partir de 2012 que les fouilles des archéologues l'ont entièrement dégagé. Leurs recherches les ont aussi conduits à identifier la partie haute du monument: un lion de pierre, dont les fragments avaient été retrouvés et reconstitués en statue dans les années 1930, et qui dominait autrefois la vallée d'Amphipolis. La qualité du monument laisse penser qu'il pourrait être l'œuvre de l'architecte grec Deinokratis, chargé par Alexandre le Grand de concevoir le plan de la ville d'Alexandrie............http://www.lefigaro.fr/histoire/culture/2014/10/21/26003-20141021ARTFIG00163-amphipolis-l-enigme-du-tombeau-macedonien.php
    21/10/14

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  64. European Parliament vote on Juncker European Commission to go ahead on October 22 ...

    Votes by European Parliament committees to approve a final two candidate European Commissioners after an 11th-hour reshuffle have opened the way for MEPs to vote on October 22 whether to approve Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission.

    If the European Parliament plenary vote approves European Commission President-designate Juncker’s commission, the EU’s new executive body will take office on November 1 2014 for a five-year term.......http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/10/21/european-parliament-vote-on-juncker-european-commission-to-go-ahead-on-october-22/
    21/10/14

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  65. Canadian fighter jets have left the Cold Lake military base in Alberta to join an international combat mission against Islamic State extremists in Iraq...

    The CF-18 Hornets are heading to Kuwait, which will serve as Canada's base of operations.

    About 600 personnel -- along with the jets, two surveillance planes and an aerial tanker -- are to be based in Kuwait............Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canadian-fighter-jets-leave-alberta-for-kuwait-1.2064061#ixzz3Go2MP3ku
    21/10/14

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  66. ISIS fighters seize weapons airdrop meant for Kurds...

    Syrian activists claim militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) seized earlier this week a cache of weapons airdropped by U.S.-led coalition forces that were meant to supply Kurdish fighters battling the extremist group.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the militants seized at least once cache, but may have seized more, the Associated Press reported..............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/21/ISIS-fighters-seize-weapons-airdrop-meant-for-Kurds.html
    21/10/14

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  67. In Benghazi, Libya's army liberates a ghost town ...

    (Reuters) - Sitting in one of the last buildings still intact after months of fighting near Benghazi's airport, Libyan army special forces commander Wanis Bukhamada presides over a world of destruction.

    His forces managed to stop an offensive of Islamist armed groups trying to take the airport in Benina, some 25 km (miles) south of the eastern city -- just one battle in wider chaos gripping the major oil producer three years after the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi.

    "We've liberated Benina," Bukhamada said, working from a farm-turned-office equipped with a fax machine and Thuraya satellite phone..............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/us-libya-security-idUSKCN0IA23N20141021?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    21/10/14

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  68. Turkey plans to build third nuclear power plant ...

    "Turkey will build a third nuclear power plant by 2018-2019, when we have sufficiently qualified people to build it as a national project," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Tuesday.

    Davutoglu was briefed on the recent studies of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. The three-hour presentation was closed to the press.

    He said after the meeting that the third nuclear power plant in Turkey will be built by Turkish experts by 2018-2019.

    Turkey already has two ongoing nuclear power plant projects.

    One is to be built in Mersin, the Mediterranean region of the country, by Akkuyu Nuclear. The agreement on the project was signed between the governments of Russia and Turkey in Ankara on May 12, 2010.

    The second project will be built through Japanese-Turkish cooperation in Sinop, in the Black Sea Region of the country. The deal for the project, based on a build-operate-transfer basis, was signed between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on May 3, 2013.
    http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/408186--turkey-plans-to-build-third-nuclear-power-plant
    21/10/14

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  69. Turkey won't bow to unfair criticism from West: Erdogan ...

    Turkey will not bow to double standards and unfair criticism from the West while taking the same level of security precautions as them, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday.

    Speaking at the second International Ombudsman Symposium in Ankara, Erdogan defended the introduction of a bill granting more powers to law enforcement agencies in Turkey. The bill comes after the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, -led demonstrations during the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday at the beginning of October resulted in the deaths of 36 people.

    Demonstrators took to the streets under the pretext that the Turkish government was allegedly doing nothing to halt the advance of militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant who were advancing on the Turkish-Syrian border town Kobani.

    "We are currently taking the same measures as Europe and the U.S. I personally know the way the security forces in the West take measures in the face of vandalism," he said.

    "Would the West call such vandalism in their own country freedom? But a double standard is very clear when it comes to Turkey." ......http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/407917--turkey-wont-bow-to-unfair-criticism-from-west-erdogan
    21/10/14

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  70. ISIL 'launches fierce new assault' on Kobane ...

    Kurdish fighters in the battle for the Syrian town of Kobane weathered a fresh onslaught by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as they awaited promised reinforcements from Iraq.

    The Kurdish militia faced fierce attacks on Tuesday, fresh from heavy battles on Monday evening in which ISIL appeared to be trying to cut off the border with Turkey before the reinforcements could arrive.

    This account is according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who also reported that coalition forces carried out further air strikes overnight, following weeks of attacks in and around Kobane............http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2014/10/isil-launches-fierce-new-assault-kobane-201410219413238741.html
    21/10/14

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    Replies
    1. The Pentagon said on Wednesday two bundles of military supplies for Kurdish fighters in the Syrian town of Kobani went astray during an air drop earlier this week, with one destroyed later by an air strike and the other taken by Islamic State militants.

      "Yesterday we announced that one resupply bundle went astray and was destroyed. We have since relooked at that and we have determined that a second bundle also went astray and probably fell into enemy hands," said Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman.

      Twenty-six other bundles of supplies were dropped to Kurds in the besieged city and reached their targets, he said.
      [jpost.com]
      22/10/14

      Delete
  71. China calls on Israel to create conditions for peace talks with Palestine ...

    A Chinese envoy on Tuesday called on Israel to create necessary conditions for the resumption of peace talks with Palestine.

    At an open debate of the Security Council on the situation of the Middle East, Liu Jieyi, China's permanent representative to the UN, urged Israel to put an end to the construction of settlements on occupied territories, lift the blockade on Gaza, and release Palestinian prisoners as soon as possible.

    Liu said despite the ceasefire of Gaza, things on the ground remain fragile and humanitarian situation is worrying. To change it, the envoy said, it requires Palestine and Israel to work together with the rest of the international community.

    "The recurrent conflicts between Palestine and Israel in Gaza shows once again that deadlock in talk is bound to aggravate tensions and drag both parties down into a cycle of violence," he said..............http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/22/ARTI1413935747082997.shtml
    22/10/14

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  72. Libya orders army to advance on capital ...

    Libya’s internationally recognized government ordered on Tuesday its military, led by renegade General Khalifa Haftar, to advance on the capital Tripoli and called for a civil disobedience there against armed Islamist groups.

    Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thani’s cabinet said in statement posted on Facebook that the armed forces have the green light to “liberate” Tripoli “and state institutions from the grip of armed groups.”

    The cabinet also urged Tripoli residents to launch “a civil disobedience campaign until the arrival of the army.”

    In an interview with AFP Saturday, Thani said military forces in the strife-torn country had united to try to recapture Tripoli and second city Benghazi from Islamist militias.............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/22/Libya-orders-army-to-advance-on-capital.html
    22/10/14

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  73. Japan, US to carry out military cooperation in space to counter Chinese threat — media ...

    Japan and the United States will carry out joint space observation in order to counter possible attacks of China. As reported by the Asahi news daily, these plans are indicated in the main updated principles of Japan–US of defense cooperation, which will be published by the end of a year. The newspaper quotes Frank Rose, Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State, as saying that the US is concerned about increasing capabilities of the Chinese armed forces.

    According to the government official, China carried out an anti-satellite missile test in July.

    He added that joint space observation is a crucially important aspect of Japan–US cooperation under the emergence of new threats and challenges..................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755720
    22/10/14

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  74. EU seeks talks with Israel over ‘red lines’ in West Bank ...

    Israeli officials fear that proposed negotiations are prelude to further European sanctions.
    The European Union is interested in opening negotiations with Israel with the aim of preventing a series of Israeli moves in the West Bank deemed “red lines” which may jeopardize the possibility of a future Palestinian state alongside Israel, an internal EU document obtained by Haaretz reveals. Officials in the Israeli Foreign Ministry are concerned the negotiations are a prelude to further European sanctions against Israel................http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.622099
    22/10/14

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  75. US weighs 'Iraqi request for more advisers'...

    The request came up in meetings that Antony Blinken, deputy national security adviser, and other US officials had with senior Iraqi officials last week on a trip to Baghdad and other parts of Iraq, a senior Obama administration official said on Tuesday.

    The senior official, who briefed a small group of reporters on condition of anonymity, did not say how many more advisers were requested.

    The US has about 1,400 military advisers and diplomatic security personnel in Iraq...........http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2014/10/us-weighs-iraqi-request-more-advisers-201410222753267255.html
    22/10/14

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  76. Peace talks in new phase, hopeful PKK leader says ...

    Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), reportedly said Oct. 21 that the peace talks with the Turkish government had entered a new phase since Oct. 15 and he was upbeat over the chances of success.

    The mid-October date had been seen by some as a deadline for the shaky peace negotiations, which took a blow two weeks ago when at least 35 people died in the worst unrest in Turkey’s southeast in years...........http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/peace-talks-in-new-phase-hopeful-pkk-leader-says-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73311&NewsCatID=338
    22/10/14

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  77. La «république populaire» de Donetsk exportera du charbon vers la Crimée ...

    La "république populaire" de Donetsk compte procéder à des livraisons de charbon vers la Crimée avant la fin de la semaine en cours, a annoncé mercredi le ministre de l'Energie de l'entité autoproclamée Alexeï Granovski.

    "Nous avons conclu des accords nécessaires avec la Crimée. Le premier ministre Alexandre Zakhartchenko a donné l'ordre de commencer d'exporter du charbon vers la Crimée avant la fin de la semaine", a fait savoir M.Granovski.

    Il n'a pas cependant précisé le volume des livraisons et le prix du charbon exporté.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_22/La-republique-populaire-de-Donetsk-exportera-du-charbon-vers-la-Crimee-6844/
    22/10/14

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  78. Russia not dropping plans for WTO lawsuits over Western sanctions — minister ...

    Russia has not dropped the idea of filing lawsuits to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to challenge Western sanctions, Russia’s Economic Development Minister Alexey Ulyukayev told reporters on Wednesday.

    “No, we have not dropped the plans, but we have not filed the lawsuits. This is a complex work which demands being thoroughly worked out. That’s why the whole process is at a working stage,” Ulyukayev said.......................http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/755743
    22/10/14

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  79. EU's Juncker pledges investment plan for jobs ...

    The incoming head of the EU executive, Jean-Claude Juncker, told the European Parliament on Wednesday that he would present his 300-billion-euro plan for investment to bolster growth and jobs by the end of this year.

    Switching significantly to German during a keynote address ahead of a parliamentary vote to endorse his new European Commission, Juncker said investment was vital to restoring growth and creating jobs. Germany, Europe's dominant economy, is resisting calls for it to spend more to kick-start growth..............http://www.todayonline.com/world/eus-juncker-pledges-investment-plan-jobs
    22/10/14

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  80. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that current relations between Israel and Palestine were "unsustainable" and that the United States was conscious of the urgency of the situation...

    "The current situation, the status quo, is unsustainable," he said at a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.

    He added that it was necessary to find a way to negotiate and said the US would continue with these efforts: "Obviously we understand the urgency of it," he said.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Kerry-says-status-quo-between-Israel-Palestinians-unsustainable-379483
    22/10/14

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  81. Private Australian Plane Downed by Indonesian Fighter Jets for Air Space Violation ...

    The Indonesian air force has intercepted an Australian light aircraft with two people on board, which had violated the country’s air space, the Australian media reports on Wednesday.

    The civilian plane was detected this morning by radar off southern Maluku in eastern Indonesia, ABC news quoted Indonesian air force spokesperson, First Air Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, as saying.

    The light aircraft Beechcraft 95, owned by South Australian businessman Richard Maclean, was on its way to the Philippine island of Cebu from the Australian city of Darwin.

    The owner was on board, though another individual operated the plane. Both passengers were interrogated by military investigators.

    "They don't have a letter of clearance allowing them to enter Indonesian airspace," ABC news quotes another air force spokesperson, Hadi Cahyanto, as saying.

    "But because they are civilians, not military, we have handed them over to the airport authorities for investigation," he added.

    It remains unclear whether the passengers will face any charges.............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141022/194445357/Privatel-Australian-Plane-Downed-by-Indonesian-Fighter-Jets-for.html
    22/10/14

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  82. Germany says cannot verify data on use of cluster munitions in Ukraine ...

    Germany takes account of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report, which spoke of the combat use of cluster munitions by the Ukrainian military near the city of Donetsk, but officials in Berlin cannot verify these charges for the time being, Steffen Seibert, the German government’s official spokesman, said on Wednesday.

    He indicated that the German government had also taken account of the refutations made by the authorities in Kiev, adding that the charges with using cluster munitions were very grave. “The use of cluster bombs is inhumane,” Seibert said..............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/755908
    22/10/14

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    Replies
    1. Germany calls for clarification on Ukraine cluster bomb accusations ...

      Germany called on Wednesday for closer examination of allegations that Ukraine government forces used cluster munitions in their military campaign against pro-Russian separatists.

      The allegations were contained in a report by Human Rights Watch, which said evidence pointed to Kiev's forces using cluster bombs this month in Donetsk, the rebels' main stronghold in eastern Ukraine. The report said the rebels may have used similar weapons..........http://www.todayonline.com/world/germany-calls-clarification-ukraine-cluster-bomb-accusations
      22/10/14

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  83. Canada's prime minister says Wednesday's fatal shooting of a Canadian soldier in Ottawa and a hit-and-run that killed another earlier this week are grim reminders that Canada is not immune to terrorism....

    "But let there be no misunderstanding, we will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a televised address to the nation.

    Harper says the two, separate attacks will strengthen Canada's resolve to work to keep Canada safe and work with allies around the world to fight terrorist organizations.

    Harper spoke hours after a gunman shot a soldier guarding a war memorial then stormed Parliament before he was killed. On Monday, a man allegedly inspired by radical Muslim beliefs rammed his car against two Canadian soldiers, one of whom died.
    http://www.china.org.cn/world/2014-10/23/content_33846857.htm
    23/10/14

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  84. Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem ...

    Jen Psaki
    Department Spokesperson
    Washington, DC
    October 22, 2014
    ------
    The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem. We express our deepest condolences to the family of the baby, reportedly an American citizen, who was killed in this despicable attack, and extend our prayers for a full recovery to those injured. We urge all sides to maintain calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of this incident.
    http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2014/10/233279.htm
    22/10/14

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  85. Bennett to Netanyahu: Unfreeze settlement building or we'll destabilize coalition ...

    Habayit Hayehudi warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that if construction in the West Bank settlements is not expedited, the party’s MKs may absent themselves during a no-confidence vote scheduled for Monday, the first day of the Knesset’s winter session, a political source said............Habayit Hayehudi warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday that if construction in the West Bank settlements is not expedited, the party’s MKs may absent themselves during a no-confidence vote scheduled for Monday, the first day of the Knesset’s winter session, a political source said.
    23/10/14

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  86. ISIL Terrorists Using Chemical Weapons in Kobani ...

    ISIL militants have used chemical weapons in Kobani, Kurdish fighters who are defending the Syrian city against the Takfiri terrorists say.

    Kurdish officials and doctors said on Wednesday that the terrorists released a sort of toxic gas in the eastern side of the Kurdish city late on Tuesday................http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=177549&cid=23&fromval=1
    23/10/14

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  87. Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament Approves Sending Forces to Kobani: Kurdish Political Party ...

    The Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament has approved sending Kurdish Peshmerga forces to the Syrian town of Kobani, besieged by Islamic State (IS) militants, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) said on its official website Thursday.

    According to the website, the parliament's decision made during an emergency meeting on Wednesday night, allows Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani to send Peshmerga forces and advisors to the town on the Syria-Turkey border which Kurdish locals continue to defend against the IS.

    On Monday, US cargo jets and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq sent medical supplies, weapons and ammunition to Kobani as part of the Kurdistan Region's ongoing efforts to support Western Kurdistan, according to an official statement from Kurdistan Region Presidency..............http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20141023/194473116/Iraqi-Kurdistan-Parliament-Approves-Sending-Forces-to-Kobani.html
    23/10/14

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  88. White House Pressuring Journalists in Name of National Security: Media Workers Union...

    The administration of US President Barack Obama is fighting hard against data leaks and is thus pressuring journalists all in the name of national security, president of the Newspaper Guild-CWA Bernard Lunzer told RIA Novosti.

    “In the name of national security, the administration has fought hard to go after leakers, and as a result they have pushed on journalists,” Lunzer said, commenting on a recent report that says freedom of the press in the United States has deteriorated sharply.

    The Inter-American Press Association’s (IAPA) Freedom of the Press and Information Committee has issued the “Conclusions of its 70th General Assembly” report following its review of the state of press freedom in the Americas over the past six months. The report states that “freedom of the press and of expression in the hemisphere underwent a marked deterioration in the last six months due to a significant increase in direct and indirect censorship and physical attacks on journalists.”

    “One Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, James Risen, is under threat of being sent to jail for contempt of court because he has refused to divulge his source in a matter going back to 2006 and the Bush administration. He has lost all of his appeals,” Bernard Lunzer told RIA Novosti.....................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141023/194483702/White-House-Pressuring-Journalists-in-Name-of-National-Security.html
    23/10/14

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  89. Implementation of Minsk agreements going uneasy — Lavrov ...

    The implementation of Minsk agreements in south-eastern Ukraine is going uneasy, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

    The sides continue exchanging fire and the Kiev regime is using military hardware, destroying the infrastructure in the south-east of the country, he explained..............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_23/Implementation-of-Minsk-agreements-going-uneasy-Lavrov-2654/
    23/10/14

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    Replies
    1. Donetsk Forces Plan to Retake Slaviansk, Kramatorsk, Mariupol ...

      Self-defense forces in eastern Ukraine are planning to retake cities of Slaviansk, Kramatorsk and Mariupol, said prime minister of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), Alexander Zakharchenko, Thursday.

      "Periods of intense hostilities will follow. We will retake Slaviansk, Kramatorsk and Mariupol. Unfortunately, it was impossible to make peaceful settlement the focus of negotiations. We are the only ones who comply with the regime of silence," he stressed.

      Earlier this week Zakharchenko noted that the heavy shelling of Donetsk was undermining the negotiation process between Kiev and DPR. "No more talks about ceasefire, of course we are not going to sit [at the negotiating table] with Kiev," he said on Monday.

      The DPR authorities repeatedly stated that the self-proclaimed people's republic would never become part of a united Ukraine and last week Zakharchenko announced plans to issue the DRP's own passports....................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141023/194479030/Donetsk-Forces-Plan-to-Retake-Slaviansk-Kramatorsk-Mariupol.html
      23/10/14

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  90. International observers to be present at polling stations in Donetsk, Lugansk regions ...

    International observers will be present at polling stations in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on the day of parliamentary elections, the Central Election Commission (CEC) staff told media on Thursday.

    However, the CEC staff and representatives of international organizations cannot say how much observers will stay there.

    The CEC secretary’s deputy head, Sergey Dubovik, said, “Observers will be at polling stations in the areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions that are controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.”..........Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_23/International-observers-to-be-present-at-polling-stations-in-Donetsk-Lugansk-regions-3898/
    23/10/14

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  91. The borders of the Middle East are bound to change, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon declared during an interview with National Public Radio during his five-day tour of the United States....

    Moreover, the borders have already changed, according to Ya'alon. "Can you unify Syria? [President] Bashar Assad is controlling only 25 percent of the Syrian territory," Ya'alon told Steve Inskeep of NPR's Morning Edition while in Washington. "We have to deal with it."

    Defense Minister Ya'alon met with UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon in New York on Monday to discuss this Israel's summer offensive in Gaza and with U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel on Tuesday in Washington to discuss relations between the two allies...........http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.622437
    23/10/14

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  92. Russia to claim discount on Mistral contract if it is not fulfilled - Sergei Ivanov ...

    Russia will turn to court to claim a discount if France fails to deliver Mistral helicopters under the contract, Kremlin Administration Chief Sergei Ivanov told journalists on Thursday.

    “If the contract is not fulfilled, /Russia/ will claim a discount in court like everywhere in a civilized world. It is up to Paris rather than Moscow to decide whether or not the contract should be fulfilled,” Ivanov said, adding that the Russian-French relations had long-standing traditions and history.

    He urged the French partners not to sacrifice long-term reciprocal interests to momentary considerations.
    http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/756152
    23/10/14

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  93. U.S. not to levy punitive duties on steel product from China, Russia, Korea, Czech...

    The U.S. trade authority ruled Thursday that a U.S. industry is "neither materially injured nor threatened with material injury" by imports of grain-oriented electrical steel (GOES) from China, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Korea and Russia.

    The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) voted against the U.S. Commerce Department's determination that imports of GOES, a flat-rolled alloy steel product used in the electric power industry, from the four countries were sold in the United States at less than fair value and that those from China were subsidized.

    As a result of the USITC's negative determinations, "no antidumping duty or countervailing duty orders will be issued on imports of this product from China, Czech Republic, Korea, and Russia," the bipartisan trade panel said in a statement................http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/24/ARTI1414108327150419.shtml
    24/10/14

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  94. Kosovo FM Makes First-Ever Official Visit to Serbia ...

    Kosovo's foreign minister, Enver Hoxhaj, has made what he calls a historic first-ever official visit to Serbia for European Union-sponsored talks.

    This is the first time Kosovo's top diplomat has gone to Belgrade since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008.

    The Serbs still do not recognize an independent Kosovo.

    Hoxhaj says his country is ready to open a dialogue with Serbia which he says should result in a peace treaty that includes recognition.

    He says this would open the door to such major achievements as United Nations membership...........http://www.voanews.com/content/kosovo-fm-makes-first-ever-official-visit-to-serbia/2494486.html
    23/10/14

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  95. We’re not asking Serbia to recognize Kosovo, says EU Enlargement Commissioner Fule...

    Outgoing EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fule, declared yesterday (23.10) in Belgrade that the EU has not asked and will not ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo, but it has only asked for relations to be normalized.

    “The EU position remains the same as last year, when we started the talks. At that time we said that we expect relations between Kosovo and Serbia to be normalized. We didn’t demand the recognition of Kosovo then and we’re not demanding it now”, said Fule. ..........- See more at: http://www.balkaneu.com/were-serbia-recognize-kosovo-eu-enlargement-commissioner-fule/#sthash.wRnmVJPX.dpuf
    24/10/14

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  96. Three nations absent as China launches world bank rival in asia ...

    Under pressure from the US for some time, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea skipped the launch of a China-backed Asian infrastructure bank on Friday as the United States said it had concerns about the new rival to Western-dominated multilateral lenders.

    China's proposed $50 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is seen as a challenge to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, both multilateral lenders that count Washington and its allies as their biggest financial backers.
    China, which is keen to extend its influence in the region, has limited voting power over these existing banks despite being the world's second-largest economy........Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_24/Three-nations-absent-as-China-launches-world-bank-rival-in-asia-1639/
    24/10/14

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  97. Iran president optimistic over nuclear deal before deadline ...

    TEHRAN, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said he saw a comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers within reach before a November 24 deadline, Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday.

    "The remaining time (for possible agreement) is not long, 30 days are left and we predict there is a possibility for the final agreement, because we have reached a consensus on many outstanding issues," Rouhani was quoted as saying.

    "Good steps" have been taken toward the long-awaited comprehensive accord, he said, adding that "We have reached agreement on the generalities, and have had discussions about details that are also important."

    Also, head of Iran's expert-level nuclear negotiating team Hamid Baeedinejad said that during two days of nuclear talks that concluded in Vienna on Thursday, the representatives of Iran and the world powers held "serious, intensive and useful negotiations. "

    Baeedinejad told official IRNA news agency that the participant delegations believe that the expert-level negotiations were effective and useful to find a final solution to certain issues.

    In July, Iran and the P5+1 group (including five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) agreed to extend negotiations over Iran's controversial nuclear program for another four months till Nov. 24 as they could not narrow down the significant gaps on core issues during the past six months.

    After the deal between Iran and the P5+1 group on November 24 last year, both sides have held several rounds of talks to work out a final agreement aimed at ending the long-standing dispute over Tehran's nuclear program.
    http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/24/ARTI1414107230795822.shtml
    24/10/14

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  98. Italie: La justice autorise les victimes des nazis à poursuivre l'Allemagne ...

    La Cour constitutionnelle italienne a de nouveau autorisé les victimes de crimes nazis à poursuivre l'Allemagne devant les tribunaux italiens, une décision qui a provoqué vendredi une forte réaction de Berlin.
    "L'arrêt de la Cour internationale de justice de La Haye du 3 février 2012 a fixé que les crimes de guerre et les crimes contre l'humanité ne constituaient pas une exception à l'immunité des Etats. De ce fait, les plaintes déposées devant les tribunaux d'autres pays contre l'Allemagne sont totalement irrecevables", a rappelé une porte-parole du ministère allemand des Affaires étrangères, Sawsan Chebli. "Nous allons étudier et analyser ce qu'a fait la Cour constitutionnelle italienne mais nous disons dans le même temps que pour nous, l'immunité d'Etat découle de la décision de la Cour internationale, c'est un principe", a-t-elle ajouté...........http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/europe/1135749/italie-la-justice-autorise-les-victimes-des-nazis-a-poursuivre-l-allemagne
    24/10/14

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  99. Syrian Kurds seem to accept Free Syrian Army in Kobani ...

    Turkey's president said Friday that Syrian Kurdish militants have agreed to accept 1,300 Free Syrian Army troops in Kobani to help fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

    However, President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Syrian Kurdish fighters -- who belong to the Democratic Union Party, or PYD -- could change their minds in the future.

    He also said peshmerga forces, Kurdish fighters from Iraq, would be joining the fight to save Kobani, a Syrian town near the Turkish border...........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/409598--erdogan-syrian-kurds-seem-to-accept-fsa-in-kobani
    24/10/14

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  100. La Russie exige le respect de ses intérêts (Poutine) ...

    La Russie ne prétend pas au leadership mondial, mais veut que ses intérêts soient respectés, a déclaré vendredi le président russe Vladimir Poutine devant les membres du club de discussion international Valdaï.

    "La Russie ne prétend à aucun leadership mondial. La thèse selon laquelle la Russie prétend à l'exclusivité est complètement fausse", a indiqué le chef de l'Etat russe.

    "Nous ne réclamons pas de place particulière au soleil, mais estimons que tous les participants de la communication internationale doivent respecter les intérêts mutuels. Nous sommes prêts à respecter les intérêts de nos partenaires et comptons sur une attitude tout aussi respectueuse envers nos propres intérêts", a affirmé Vladimir Poutine.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_24/La-Russie-exige-le-respect-de-ses-interets-Poutine-7900/
    24/10/14

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  101. Putin: Russia helped Yanukovych to flee Ukraine ...

    Russia helped ousted Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych to flee from violent protests in February, Russian leader Vladimir Putin has said.

    It is the first time Mr Putin has said openly that he helped his ally to flee.

    Russian speakers in Ukraine's east mostly backed Mr Yanukovych and were enraged at his overthrow, which helped to fuel months of violence............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29761799
    24/10/14

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  102. NATO continues claims that Russia has troops in Ukraine...

    NATO continues claims that Russia still has troops stationed in Ukraine, Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told journalists in Mons, Belgium, on Friday.

    We watched a pretty good Russian withdrawal from Ukraine but you may be sure that some of the Russian troops remain in the territory of Ukraine, he said.

    According to Breedlove, some Russian troops are still deployed near Russia’s border with Ukraine. The forces that are staying there and are showing no intention to leave are extremely combat-capable,” he added.............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/756466
    24/10/14

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  103. U.S. says Palestinian-American killed by Israeli forces ...

    (Reuters) - Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian-American youth during clashes on Friday, the U.S. State Department said, calling for a quick and transparent investigation.

    Orwah Hammad, 14, was shot in the head in the village of Silwad, north of the Palestinian seat of government in Ramallah.

    An Israeli army spokesman told Reuters Israeli forces "managed to prevent an attack when they encountered a Palestinian man hurling a molotov cocktail at them on the main road next to Silwad. They opened fire and they confirmed a hit."

    The military said it would investigate the shooting, which occurred amid other clashes in Arab areas in and around Jerusalem in which several people were lightly injured.............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/24/us-mideast-shooting-idUSKCN0ID1ZJ20141024?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    24/10/14

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    1. US wants inquiry into death of Palestinian near Ramallah ...

      The U.S. called for a “speedy” and “transparent” investigation into the West Bank shooting death of a Palestinian-American on Friday.

      Arrawa Hammad, 14, was shot in the head with live ammunition by an Israeli sniper during clashes in Silwad village in the Ramallah province, according to Ahmed al-Beitawi, director of the Ramallah Medical Center, speaking to The Anadolu Agency.

      The boy succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, al-Beitawi added.

      Hammad was an American citizen, prompting the U.S. State Department to call for an investigation into his death.

      “We call for a speedy and transparent investigation, and will remain closely engaged with the local authorities, who have the lead on this investigation,” department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

      She also urged that calm be restored “in the wake of the tragic recent incidents in Jerusalem and the West Bank.”..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/409964--us-wants-inquiry-into-death-of-palestinian-near-ramallah
      25/10/14

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  104. Lavrov: le azioni degli USA provocano danni alla stabilità internazionale ...

    Gli Stati Uniti, interferendo negli affari interni di altri Stati, infliggono danni alla stabilità internazionale, ha detto il Ministro degli Esteri russo Sergei Lavrov.

    "Purtroppo, vediamo i tentativi da parte degli Stati Uniti e di altri Paesi occidentali di imporre le loro ricette a tutti, di interferire negli affari interni di Stati sovrani per raggiungere i loro obiettivi geopolitici, ribaltando volontariamente i principi fondamentali del diritto internazionale" ha detto in un'intervista con il quotidiano norvegese Verdens Gang. Secondo lui, la soluzione ai problemi del mondo moderno può essere trovata solo attraverso uno sforzo collettivo della comunità internazionale.
    Per saperne di più: http://italian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_25/Lavrov-le-azioni-degli-USA-provocano-danni-alla-stabilita-internazionale-8350/
    25/10/14

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  105. Russia speaking in favor of contacts btw Kiev govt, East-Ukrainian republics - Lavrov...

    Russia speaks in favor of establishing contacts between the Kiev government and representatives of the East-Ukrainian self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics for the purpose of national concord in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang.............http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/756492
    25/10/14

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  106. Lavrov: Russia Never Questioned Ukraine’s Right to Partner Up With EU ...

    Russia never put the right of Ukraine to develop partnership relations with the European Union at question, it only warned of the economic risks that such relations entail, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

    "I want to stress that we never questioned Ukraine's right to develop partnership relations with the European Union. What's at issue here is that it should not harm Russia, its partners in the Customs Union and all members of the CIS free trade zone, which includes Ukraine," Lavrov said in an interview with the Verdens Gang (VG) Norwegian newspaper.

    The Russian Foreign Minister added that Ukraine's trade relations with the European Union "should not create side paths for the duty-free entry of cheap European goods into our territory".................http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141025/194566715/Lavrov-Russia-Never-Questioned-Ukraines-Right-to-Partner-Up-With.html
    25/10/14

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  107. Pentagon confirms ‘1st US soldier’ dead in Iraq anti-ISIS campaign ...

    A 19-year-old mortarman has become the first US soldier to die in the fight against ISIS in Iraq, albeit from a “non-combat injury,” the Pentagon acknowledged.

    The death of Marine Lance Corporal Sean P. Neal of Riverside, California, which occurred on Thursday in Baghdad, is under investigation, according to the Pentagon. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, and was one of 1,600 US troops serving in Iraq. Pentagon officials confirmed his death Friday night.

    Neal is the “first casualty announced by the Department since Operation Inherent Resolve was announced,” said Maureen Schumann, a spokeswoman for the US Defense Department, according to the Guardian...........http://www.rt.com/usa/199184-us-soldier-dead-iraq/
    25/10/14

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  108. Καταγραφή ζημιών από τη νεροποντή στην Αττική...

    Σε εξέλιξη βρίσκεται από το πρωί του Σαββάτου η καταγραφή των ζημιών από τη νεροποντή που έπληξε την Αττική χθες ιδιαίτερα στο Ίλιον, το Περιστέρι, την Κοκκινιά, τη Νίκαια, το Μενίδι και άλλες περιοχές. Ο πρωθυπουργός, που αργά χθες το βράδυ προήδρευσε σύσκεψης στο Κέντρο Επιχειρήσεων Πολιτικής Προστασίας, ανακοίνωσε ότι όσοι έχουν υποστεί ζημιές θα αποζημιωθούν όσο το δυνατόν πιο γρήγορα. Ειδικότερα, είπε ότι έχει δοθεί εντολή για τη Δευτέρα στο υπουργείο Οικονομικών να αποδεσμεύσει αμέσως τα χρήματα που είναι αναγκαία για κάθε πληγέντα δήμο...............http://www.enet.gr/?i=news.el.ellada&id=454083
    25/10/14

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  109. A Kiev dicono che la tregua è necessaria per la fabbricazione di armi ...

    Il Consigliere del Presidente ucraino Yuri Lutsenko ha detto che il cessate il fuoco nella parte orientale permette alle autorità del Paese di fabbricare nuove armi e di ricevere un aiuto finanziario da parte dell'Occidente.

    "Tutti e quattro gli stabilimenti blindati lavorano su tre turni. Diverse centinaia di veicoli corazzati realizzati velocemente dal nulla sono arrivati ​​nella zona ATO. Abbiamo bisogno di questo per ottenere un cessate il fuoco più lungo possibile, per ricevere strumenti di alta precisione ed aiuti finanziari e militari dall'Occidente" ha detto Lutsenko. Inoltre, il consigliere ha aggiunto che durante il cessate il fuoco Kiev è riuscita a ottenere non solo il sostegno finanziario dell'Occidente, ma anche aiuto tecnico e consulenti.
    Per saperne di più: http://italian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_25/A-Kiev-dicono-che-la-tregua-e-necessaria-per-la-fabbricazione-di-armi-6007/
    25/10/14

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  110. Lavrov: Norway Joined EU Sanctions Against Russia for External Reasons ...

    Norway joined the sanctions, imposed by the European Union against Russia because of external reasons, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated Saturday.

    "These relations [between Norway and Russia] are today experiencing some stress due to the fact that Norway has joined the... unilateral measures against the Russian Federation, as we understand, for reasons lying outside Norway," Lavrov said after talks with his Norwegian counterpart Borge Brende.
    http://en.ria.ru/world/20141025/194579843/Lavrov-Norway-Joined-EU-Sanctions-Against-Russia-for-External.html
    25/10/14

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  111. Three soldiers killed in gunfire in southeastern Turkey ...

    Three Turkish soldiers were killed in a gun attack in the Yüksekova district of the southeastern province of Hakkari, Doğan News Agency has reported.

    The three soldiers, who were not uniformed, were wounded at the Oct. 25 attack on the central Cengiz Topel Street in the afternoon, and died at the hospital Doğan said.

    Hakkari Governor Yakup Canbolat said then victims were specialist sergeants Ramazan Gülle, Yunus Yılmaz and private Ramazan Köse.

    The police have launched an operation to catch the two attackers, reports said.............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/three-soldiers-killed-in-gunfire-in-southeastern-turkey.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73465&NewsCatID=509
    25/10/14

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  112. Bulgarie/chute de neige : l'état d'urgence déclaré dans certaines régions ...

    Les autorités bulgares font face aux conséquences d'une forte chute de neige, ce qui a entraîné le barrage des routes et l’endommagement des lignes électriques dans certaines régions du pays. Le niveau rouge, le plus haut niveau de danger est déclenché dans cinq régions du Sud-ouest du pays.

    Environ 33 000 foyers restent actuellement sans électricité. L’équipement spécial n’arrive pas à déblayer la neige.

    Le port de Varna est fermé en raison de vents forts, une tempête importante fait rage dans la zone du port de Burgas.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_25/Bulgarie-chute-de-neige-letat-durgence-declare-dans-certaines-regions-5533/
    25/10/14

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  113. A top Israeli official admitted Saturday that a “crisis” exists in relations between his country and the United States, the Associated Press reported...

    Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s comments came a day after U.S. officials said the Obama administration refused Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s requests to meet several top national security aides...................http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/26/Top-Israeli-official-U-S-Israel-relations-in-crisis-.html
    26/10/14

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  114. Kurdish forces thwarted a new attempt Oct. 26 by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters to cut off the Syrian town of Kobane from the border with Turkey before Iraqi Kurdish reinforcements can deploy....

    The pre-dawn assault marked the fourth straight day the jihadists had attacked the Syrian side of the border crossing as the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters prepare to head for Kobane, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

    Kurdish forces, backed by U.S.-led air strikes, have been holding out for weeks against an ISIL offensive around Kobane, which has become a high-profile symbol of efforts to stop the jihadist advance.

    The U.S. military said in its latest update that American warplanes carried out five air strikes near Kobane on Oct. 25 and Oct. 26, destroying seven ISIL vehicles and an ISIL-held building........................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/kurds-thwart-new-isil-bid-to-cut-off-syrias-kobane.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73498&NewsCatID=352
    26/10/14

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  115. Bulgaria’s bad weekend weather: Woman found drowned in Bourgas, situation still serious in three regions ...

    The situation in most of Bulgaria on October 26 was normalising after the heavy snowfall, torrential rains and strong winds of the previous day, but the bad weather had taken its toll, with a woman found drowned in the Bourgas area.

    In Gabrovo, Sevlievo and Lovech, the situation remained dire, public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television said.

    After the heavy snowfall, a third of the households in Lovech had no electricity. Fifty villages in the Gabrovo region also had powercuts...............http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/10/26/bulgarias-bad-weekend-weather-woman-found-drowned-in-bourgas-situation-still-serious-in-three-regions/
    26/10/14

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  116. Tymoshenko: pro-European parliament to be formed in Ukraine for the first time in 25 years ...

    Power in Ukraine has been given to two parties - Petro Poroshenko Bloc and the People’s Front led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the Batkivshchyna Party leader, Yulia Tymoshenko, said on Sunday.

    “A pro-European parliament will be formed in Ukraine for the first time in 25 years,” she said.

    Tymoshenko did not comment on her party’s results. It got less than 6%. The Batkivshchyna party is ready to help the power the people will form by all possible means and resources, she said.

    According to the first results of the exit-polls, Petro Poroshenko’s Bloc is leading Ukraine’s parliamentary polls with 22.2%.....................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/756606
    26/10/14

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    1. Voter Turnout in Ukrainian Parliament Elections 52%: Central Election Commission...

      Ukraine’s Central Election Commission said Monday that voter turnout in the country’s parliamentary elections stands at 52.42 percent after compiling data from all 198 districts.

      The largest voter turnout was noted in the Lviv region with 70 percent turnout and the regions showing the lowest turnout were in the Donetsk (32.4 percent) and Lugansk (32.87 percent) regions. Voter turnout in the country’s capital of Kiev stands at 55.86 percent.

      Voter turnout in Ukraine’s parliamentary elections in 2012 were at 57.98 percent, and in 2007 stood at 57.93 percent.

      Earlier on Monday the Ukrainian Civil Network Opora said that according to its results, the turnout in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada throughout Ukraine was 51.2 percent with the highest results of 59.7 percent in the west of the country, including the cities of Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk, and the lowest turnout of 41.1 in the eastern Ukraine....................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141027/194654901/Girl-Wounded-in-US-School-Shooting-Dies-in-Hospital-Bringing.html
      27/10/14

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  117. Pro-Europe parties set for Ukraine election victory ...

    Pro-Europe parties led by a group backing President Petro Poroshenko swept a parliamentary election in Ukraine on Sunday, an exit poll showed, giving him a mandate to end a separatist conflict and pursue democratic reforms.

    The survey, issued after voting stations closed in the ex- Soviet republic, gave Poroshenko’s bloc 23 percent of the votes cast for the 29 competing parties, ahead of the party of his ally, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, on 21.3 pcernt.

    A third pro-Europe party was in third place but a surprise was the strong performance of a group representing allies of ousted president Viktor Yanukovich. The Opposition Bloc, led by former Fuel Minister Yuri Boiko, secured 7.6 percent - enough to put his party into parliament................http://www.france24.com/en/20141026-pro-europe-parties-set-ukraine-election-victory/
    26/10/14

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  118. Jordan warned Israel on Sunday the 20-year-old peace treaty with Israel would be threatened by continued Jewish settlement building on occupied land and any effort to change the religious status of a key Muslim shrine in Jerusalem....

    "All such acts are incompatible with international law and international humanitarian law and if allowed to continue will ultimately imperil the treaty," Jordan's ambassador to Israel, Walid Obeidat, said at an anniversary event in Tel Aviv................http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Jordan-warns-settlements-may-imperil-peace-treaty-with-Israel-379894
    26/10/14

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  119. Poroshenko's Bloc to Form Core of Future Parliamentary Coalition ...

    President Poroshenko said Sunday that his bloc would form the core of the parliamentary majority coalition in the newly-elected Ukrainian parliament.

    Poroshenko also said he invited all political forces that will form the new Verkhovna Rada to join the parliamentary majority, but stressed that the People's Front, led by Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, will be the key ally of his bloc in future parliament coalition.

    The president said the coalition talks would be completed in ten days to coincide with the official announcement of the election's outcome.

    "Ten days allowed by law to announce the [election] results are enough to complete talks on the candidature for prime minister, coalition, and Rada leaders," Poroshenko said...............http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141026/194640196/Poroshenkos-Bloc-to-Form-Core-of-Future-Parliamentary-Coalition.html
    26/10/14

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  120. Dilma Rousseff re-elected Brazilian president ...

    Dilma Rousseff has been re-elected president of Brazil, after securing more than 51% of votes in the closest election race in many years.

    An official count showed her rival, centrist candidate Aecio Neves, taking just over 48% of the vote.

    In her victory speech, Ms Rousseff said she wanted to be "a much better president than I have been until now"...............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29782073
    27/10/14

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  121. 3 years after Arab Spring, Tunisia holds first poll ...

    Tunisians expressed tentative hope for the future as they lined up on Sunday to choose their first five-year parliament since they overthrew their dictator in the 2011 revolution that kicked off the Arab Spring.

    The past three and a half years have been marked by political turmoil, terrorist attacks and a faltering economy which has brought disillusionment to many over the democratic process, even though Tunisia is widely seen as the country that has the best chance for democracy in the Arab world..............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/3-years-after-Arab-Spring-Tunisia-holds-first-poll/articleshow/44943842.cms
    27/10/14

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  122. Three IS Boats Sunk After Attempting to Attack Iraqi Military Base: Interior Ministry ...

    Iraqi troops have sunk three boats with Islamic State (IS) fighters on board, who were attempting to attack a military base in Iraq's western Anbar province, the country's Interior Ministry said in a press release Monday.

    The boats were full of arms and explosives, according to the statement.

    "Three boats did not heed the coast guard's demand to stop and were fired upon. After their sinking it was revealed that the boats were loaded with explosives and weapons," the press release said.

    The military base that was being targeted is located at Habbaniyah lake, some 12 miles from the major city of Ramadi. The IS have been fighting for territories in the Anbar province, on the border with Syria to the west since December 2013.................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141027/194672190/Three-IS-Boats-Sunk-After-Attempting-to-Attack-Iraqi-Military.html
    27/10/14

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  123. In Europe refugees are guilty until proven innocent ...

    Between October 13 and this Sunday October 26, more than 18,000 police officers were deployed all across Europe in an operation cryptically labeled “Mos Maiorum” which translates into “according to our forefathers’ custom.”

    The operation initiated by the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union sought to record migration movements in the hope to crack down on human trafficking and smuggling rings operating within the EU’s borders.

    In reality the police action amounted to nothing less than a racial profiling exercise on an unprecedented scale. Migrants and refugees without valid papers or residence permits were detained and faced blanket criminalization. Ironically, even FRONTEX distanced itself from this operation...............http://rt.com/op-edge/199687-refugees-migrants-europe-politics/
    27/10/14

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  124. Japan holds military drills with Russia, US as gesture of balance ...

    Japan is set to begin its joint military exercise with the US Army on its northernmost island of Hokkaido, the day after it started its maritime drills with Russia in the seas off Vladivostok in Russia’s Far East.

    The exercises are set to illustrate the country’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s desire to pursue a balanced defense policy which doesn’t favor either of the two countries versus the other..............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_27/Japan-holds-military-drills-with-Russia-US-as-gesture-of-balance-6847/
    27/10/14

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  125. Suicide bomber kills 27 militiamen in Iraq, all eyes on Kobani ...

    A suicide bomber killed at least 27 Shia militiamen on the outskirts of the Iraqi town of Jurf al-Sakhar on Monday after security forces pushed Islamic State militants out of the area over the weekend, army and police sources said.

    The attacker, driving a Humvee vehicle packed with explosives and likely stolen from defeated government troops, also wounded 60 Shia militiamen, who had helped government forces retake the town just south of the capital...............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Suicide-bomber-kills-27-militiamen-in-Iraq-all-eyes-on-Kobani/articleshow/44949473.cms
    27/10/14

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  126. Turkish fighter jets in military exercise to protect historic site in Syria from ISIL...

    The commander of the Turkish Air Force, Gen. Akın Öztürk, inspected a military exercise on Oct. 21 aimed at protecting frontier military posts, including the Tomb of Süleyman Şah in Syria.

    The tomb has recently come into focus as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) made incursions into the region, according to both Turkish and U.S. officials.

    “Gen. Öztürk flew over with pilots deployed at the Diyarbakır 181st Squadron command and inspected a military exercise planned [designed to] protect the Süleyman Şah military post and for the task of the Air Force in supporting military posts,” a written statement by the Turkish Air Force said on Oct. 27.

    Öztürk inspected joint exercises with the Land Forces on the border with Iraq and Syria, according to the statement................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-fighter-jets-in-military-exercise-to-protect-historic-site-in-syria-from-isil.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73545&NewsCatID=359
    27/10/14

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  127. Moscow hopes that Ukrainian authorities will adopt a pragmatic and non-aggressive approach in dealing with the issue of the status of the self-proclaimed people's republics, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said....

    "One can hope, and that's what we're doing – we are hoping for a thoughtful, pragmatic, non-aggressive approach," Lavov said in an interview with the Life News TV channel and the Izvestia newspaper, answering a question on whether or not an effective and fast decision can be expected from the Ukrainian authorities on the issues of the status of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR).
    http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141028/194698538/Lavrov-Russia-Hopes-Ukraine-Authorities-Adopt-Peaceful-Approach.html
    27/10/14

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  128. Jordan calls for Security Council meeting on Jerusalem ...

    Following Palestinian request, Amman’s envoy to ask UN council president to convene emergency meeting to discuss Israeli construction over Green Line

    The Jordanian request came on the heels of a Palestinian request submitted Monday by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. A letter from Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour to the council president on Monday called on the international community to demand that Israel “cease forthwith all of its illegal settlement activities” in East Jerusalem and elsewhere.

    According to the communique, the Palestinian leader is calling for international intervention to stop “Israeli violations” in Jerusalem, and alleged “attacks” by “settlers” at the al-Aqsa Mosque........http://www.timesofisrael.com/jordan-calls-for-security-council-meeting-on-jerusalem/#ixzz3HPdPYnrR
    28/10/14

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    1. Netanyahu: No Palestinian State Without Peace With Israel ...

      Israel will not concede a Palestinian state without assurances of a comprehensive peace agreement between the two nations, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of the winter parliamentary session Monday.

      "Some people tell us 'draw a map, outline a border with the Palestinian Authority and it will be okay.' Okay? Okay like it was when we left Gaza and Lebanon? What is the point of drawing a border if we don't know what country we will get on the other side?" the prime minister has been cited by the Jerusalem Post as saying.

      He stressed, "I am not prepared to accept general statements about security. What will decide are not nice words on paper, but soldiers on the ground."...............http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141027/194697530/Netanyahu-No-Palestinian-State-Without-Peace-With-Israel.html

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  129. La campagne contre "EI" coûte 8,3 millions par jour aux Etats-Unis ...

    Les Etats-Unis déboursent chaque jour 8,3 millions de dollars pour financer leur campagne aérienne contre l'organisation Etat islamique en Syrie et en Irak, un chiffre en augmentation, a-t-on appris auprès de responsables du Pentagone lundi.

    Depuis le début des raids aériens américains le 8 août en Irak, puis en Syrie, les opérations ont coûté 580 millions de dollars, selon le capitaine de frégate Bill Urban, un porte-parole du ministère américain de la Défense. Jusqu'à maintenant, le Pentagone chiffrait le coût quotidien de sa campagne aérienne à quelque 7 millions de dollars, mais, selon un responsable qui s'exprimait sous couvert d'anonymat, le rythme des missions s'est intensifié ces dernières semaines.

    Plus cher que prévu .......http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_etat-islamique-la-campagne-aerienne-contre-le-groupe-ei-coute-8-3-millions-par-jour-aux-etats-unis?id=8388322
    28/10/14

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  130. apan Nuclear Plant Gets Approval to Restart ...

    A town in southwest Japan on Tuesday approved the restart of a nuclear power station, another step forward in Japan's fraught process of reviving an industry left idled by the Fukushima catastrophe in 2011.

    Satsumasendai, a town of 100,000 that hosts the two-reactor Kyushu Electric Power Co plant, is 1,000 km (600 miles) southwest of Tokyo and has long relied on the Sendai plant for government subsidies and jobs.

    Nineteen of the city's 26 assembly members voted in favor of restarting the plant while four members voted against and three abstained, a city assembly member told Reuters.

    The restart is unlikely until next year, as Kyushu Electric still needs to pass operational safety checks.

    All 48 of the country's nuclear reactors were gradually taken offline following Fukushima, the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986............http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-japan-nuclear-plants-gets-approval-to-restart/2498834.html
    28/10/14

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  131. Ukraine’s new parliament to be strongly influenced by radical forces - Russian expert ...

    Ukraine’s new Verkhovna Rada (parliament) will be strongly influenced by radical forces, Tamara Guzenkova, a deputy director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies /RISS/, a thinktank, and head of the RISS centre for problems of the former Soviet republics, said.

    “One of specifics of the Ukrainian parliament is that even if it has few representatives of armed groups and radical nationalists, they will all the same exert rather big influence on the balance of political forces in the Rada and ultimately on its work,” she said. “The matter is that such radicals are present in various parties: in Oleg Lyashko’s Radical Party, in /President/ Pyotr Poroshenko’s force, and in others. The current Ukrainian authorities simply have to reckon with these forces, for at the moment they have physical force, weapons, combat experience. They cannot be disregarded and not reckoned with, because they can take up arms at any moment and this is a real threat.”................http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/756807
    28/10/14

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  132. US used at least 1,000 Nazis as Cold War spies: Report ...

    In the decades after World War II, the CIA. and other United States agencies employed at least a thousand Nazis as Cold War spies and informants and, as recently as the 1990s, concealed the government's ties to some still living in America, newly disclosed records and interviews show.

    At the height of the Cold War in the 1950s, law enforcement and intelligence leaders like J Edgar Hoover at the FBI and Allen Dulles at the CIA aggressively recruited onetime Nazis of all ranks as secret, anti-Soviet "assets," declassified records show. They believed the ex-Nazis' intelligence value against the Russians outweighed what one official called "moral lapses" in their service to the Third Reich..............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-used-at-least-1000-Nazis-as-Cold-War-spies-Report/articleshow/44957473.cms
    28/10/14

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  133. US Assessing Claims That Islamic State Militants Possess MANPADS: US Department of State ...

    The Unites States is examining the claims that Islamic State (IS) militants could possess modern anti-aircraft missile systems that can down passenger jets, Spokesperson for the US Department of State Jen Psaki said.

    According to German media reports, the German foreign intelligence agency BND reportedly briefed the country's parliament at the end of last week on the new threat coming from the violent IS grouping, which is believed to be in possession of MANPADS, a type of portable surface-to-air systems.

    "We're assessing these claims. There's clearly significant potential threat to aviation operating in Iraqi and Syrian airspace due to ongoing fighting," Psaki said Monday.................http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20141028/194704999/US-Assessing-Claims-That-Islamic-State-Militants-Possess-MANPADS.html
    28/10/14

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  134. Tensions between Russia and the West contribute to growth of terrorism — CSTO ...

    The tensions in relations between Russia and the West contribute to the growth of terrorism and the terrorist groups’ zone of influence has recently increased, the chief of a post-Soviet security bloc said on Tuesday.

    “We need to immediately restore relationship in all directions with the United States and the European Union, otherwise we will come to the point when people will not feel safe and we will get a new series of terrorist attacks,” Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha said............http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/756859
    28/10/14

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  135. Only Syrian opposition and peshmerga can save Kobani: Turkish PM ...

    urkey cannot be expected to send troops to defend the besieged Syrian border town of Kobani and only Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Syria's own moderate opposition can save it, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

    U.S. warplanes have been bombing Islamic State positions near Kobani for weeks, but air strikes alone will not be enough to repel the insurgents, Davutoglu said.

    "Saving Kobani, retaking Kobani and some area around Kobani from ISIS, there's a need for a military operation," he said in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Tuesday.

    But made clear neither Turkey nor Western allies would commit troops.............http://www.todayonline.com/world/only-syrian-opposition-and-peshmerga-can-save-kobani-turkish-pm
    28/10/14

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  136. Iraq Kurd fighters leave base for Syria deployment: report ...

    More than 150 Kurdish peshmerga fighters left a base in northern Iraq on Oct. 28 headed for the battleground Syrian town of Kobane, an AFP journalist reported.

    The journalist saw dozens of military trucks leaving the base northeast of Kurdish regional capital Arbil from which officers said fighters bound for Kobane would depart.

    Earlier, the fighters loaded machineguns and mortars into the trucks and packed bags for the trip.

    "Forty vehicles carrying weapons, artillery and machineguns with 80 of the peshmerga forces will head to Dohuk (province) and then cross the border today," a Kurdish officer told AFP..............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-kurd-fighters-leave-base-for-syria-deployment-report.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73569&NewsCatID=352
    28/10/14

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  137. France, UK trade blame over Calais migrant crisis ...

    The worsening migrant crisis at the French port town of Calais has raised tensions between the UK and France, prompting officials on both sides to accuse the other of not doing enough to tackle the influx.

    Natacha Bourchart, the mayor of Calais, faced heated questions from British MPs as she visited parliament on Tuesday to discuss the flow of illegal immigrants from France to the United Kingdom.

    Bouchart told parliament that her city was being "taken hostage" by migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa who are attempting to cross the English Channel to enter Britain.

    The number of refugees arriving in Calais has risen sharply in recent weeks – from around 1,500 in August to around 2,300 today, according to police figures – and British leaders, worried about an avalanche of new migrants heading to the UK, are placing the blame squarely on France..............http://www.france24.com/en/20141028-britain-points-finger-france-over-calais-migrants-ukip-parliament-bourchart/
    28/10/14

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  138. Un politique bulgare appelle à lever les sanctions « idiotes » ...

    Le chef de file du parti bulgare Ataka Volen Siderov a appelé, du haut de la tribune de l'Assemblée nationale, à annuler les sanctions imposées par les pays de l'Union européenne à la Russie. Il les a qualifiées d'idiotes.

    Selon le politique, deux fois dans son histoire la Bulgarie a été entraînée dans une guerre contre la Russie et chaque fois cela aboutissait pour elle par une « catastrophe nationale ». Volen Siderov est convaincu que les dirigeants européens doivent commencer à appliquer une politique dans l'intérêt de leurs propres Etats et abandonner leur comportement de valets de Washington.
    Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_28/Un-politique-bulgare-appelle-a-lever-les-sanctions-idiotes-0974/
    28/10/14

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  139. Unmanned NASA rocket explodes seconds after launch ...

    An unmanned Antares rocket exploded seconds after lift-off from a commercial launch pad in the US state of Virginia, marking the first accident since NASA turned to private operators to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.

    The 14-story rocket, built and launched by Orbital SciencesCorp, blasted off its seaside launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility at 6.22pm EDT (10.22pm GMT) carrying a Cygnus cargo ship for the space station.

    It exploded in a huge fireball moments later..............http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1028/655453-nasa-rocket-explosion/
    29/10/14

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  140. Kiev's Suggestion of Holding Elections in E Ukraine in December Breach of Minsk Protocol ...

    Kiev's suggestion of holding elections in eastern Ukraine on December 7 instead of the November 2 date scheduled by independence supporters breaches the Minsk agreement, the deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said Wednesday.

    "Calls from Kiev and Washington to Russia and Donbas to abide by the Minsk Agreements is blatant hypocrisy," Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin told reporters.

    "The suggestion of holding elections in Donbas in accordance with Ukrainian law on December 7 instead of November 2 is clearly absurd," he added.

    Purgin explained that Kiev's law on the special status of its breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions does not specify the exact territories that were granted increased powers. "Besides, this has been done deliberately. The law on the special status seemingly exists. But it is not known on which territories it operates. Thus, Kiev directly breaches the Minsk protocol," he concluded.............http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141029/194766635/Kievs-Suggestion-of-Holding-Elections-in-EUkraine-in-December.html
    29/10/14

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  141. 200 missing as mudslides swamp Sri Lanka tea region ...

    Mudslides triggered by monsoon rains swept through a tea-growing region of Sri Lanka on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and leaving around 200 more missing, disaster officials said.
    Some of the worst damage was recorded at a well-known tea plantation several hours' drive to the east of the capital Colombo. Rescue efforts were being hampered by damage to roads in the region.

    "We have reports of 140 houses getting washed away in the mudslides," Sarath Kumara, a spokesman for the national Disaster Management Centre, told AFP.

    "There are reports that up to 200 people may be missing." .................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/200-missing-as-mudslides-swamp-Sri-Lanka-tea-region/articleshow/44970304.cms
    29/10/14

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    1. No hope for survivors in Sri Lanka landslide, over 100 dead ...

      All hopes of finding survivors under the mud and rubble of a landslide in south-central Sri Lanka had run out by first light on Thursday, though a government minister cut the estimated death toll to more than 100 from 300 the previous night.

      "I don't think there could be any survivors," Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera told Reuters, after visiting the disaster site in the tea-plantation village of Haldummulla, 190 km (120 miles) from the capital, Colombo.

      "It is about 100 people who have been buried as there were some children and some estate workers who were not at their houses at the time of the disaster," he added, explaining why the death toll could be lower than feared the day before.

      However, the Disaster Management Center's last estimate for the number killed was still 300................http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/No-hope-for-survivors-in-Sri-Lanka-landslide-over-100-dead-380233
      30/10/14

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  142. Assailants throw stones in capital, cause damage to car ....

    Rocks were thrown at a private car near Jerusalem's District Court on Wednesday, in a scene that has become all too familiar in the capital, as tensions between Jews and Arabs continue to rise.

    Police said there were no injuries in the incident, but damage was caused to the vehicle.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Assailants-throw-stones-in-capital-cause-damage-to-car-380132
    29/10/14

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  143. France denies Russia warship delivery reports ...

    France has denied reports that it is ready to go ahead with the controversial delivery of a helicopter carrier to the Russian navy.

    Dmitry Rogozin, a senior Russian defence official, tweeted earlier that an invitation had been received to a November handover ceremony.

    The Vladivostok warship was due to have been handed over in October.

    France has previously said conditions were "not right" for the deal - a reference to Russia's role in Ukraine.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29822007
    29/10/14

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  144. Iraqi Kurds arrive in Syria for fight against IS group ...

    Iraqi Kurd Peshmerga forces crossed from Turkey into Syria on Wednesday on their way to join Syria's Kurds in their fight against Islamic State (IS) militants for control of the embattled town of Kobane.

    Kobane, nestled on the border with Turkey, has been besieged by the Islamic State (IS) group, also known as ISIS or ISIL, for more than a month. Weeks of airstrikes on the extremists’ positions and the deaths of hundreds of their fighters have failed to break the siege............http://www.france24.com/en/20141029-syria-iraqi-peshmerga-forces-turkey-syria-kobane-islamic-state-group/
    29/10/14

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  145. U.S. airdrops ‘7,000 halal meals’ to Iraqi refugees ...

    The U.S. Air Force dropped on Tuesday “more than 7,000 halal meals” to Iraqi refugees who had fled their homes following attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the city of Hit, Anbar province, the U.S. defense department said in a statement........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/29/U-S-airdrops-7-000-halal-meals-to-Iraqi-refugees.html
    29/10/14

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  146. ONU, Ban Ki-moon chiede di fermare le elezioni nel Donbass ...

    Il segretario generale dell'ONU Ban Ki-moon ha chiesto di fermare le elezioni del 2 novembre in Novorossiya, ha riferito il portavoce delle Nazioni Unite Stefan Duzharrik.

    "Queste elezioni violano gravemente il protocollo e il memorandum di Minsk, necessari da attuare urgentemente," - ha detto oggi in una conferenza stampa Stefan Duzharrik.
    Per saperne di più: http://italian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_29/ONU-Ban-Ki-moon-chiede-di-fermare-le-elezioni-nel-Donbass-3930/
    29/10/14

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  147. The European Union expresses regret over Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement saying Moscow will recognise the elections in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy said on Wednesday.

    Ban Ki-moon's spokesman earlier said the elections in eastern Ukraine scheduled for November 2 will seriously undermine implementation of the Minsk agreements on the peaceful settlement of the conflict. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed regret with militias’ plans to hold their own elections in contravention of the Constitution and national legislation, he said.

    The UN Secretary-General emphasises the fundamental importance of restoring stability and ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said....................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/757226
    29/10/14

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  148. NATO reports 'large scale' Russian air activity in European airspace ...

    NATO said on Wednesday (Oct 29) it had tracked and intercepted four groups of Russian warplanes "conducting significant military manoeuvres" in European airspace over the past two days.

    "These sizeable Russian flights represent an unusual level of air activity over European airspace," NATO said.

    The planes, which included strategic bombers, fighters and tanker aircraft, were detected over the Baltic Sea, North Sea/Atlantic Ocean and the Black Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday, it said.

    NATO allies sent up aircraft to intercept and identify the Russian planes which were continually tracked on the ground as well, it said in a report from its SHAPE military headquarters in Mons, western Belgium.............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/nato-reports-large-scale/1442480.html
    29/10/14

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  149. British jets intercept Latvian plane over southern England ...

    Two British Royal Air Force Typhoon jets were scrambled on Wednesday to intercept a Latvian cargo aircraft over southern England and escort it in to land at Stansted airport, but no security threat was found, officials said.

    Britain raised its terrorism alert in August to the second-highest level with Prime Minister David Cameron saying that Islamic State militants operating in Syria and Iraq posed the greatest threat to the country's security risk................http://www.todayonline.com/world/british-jets-intercept-latvian-plane-over-southern-england
    29/10/14

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  150. Iraqi Kurdish leader thanks Turkey for Kobani support ...

    The Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government’s prime minister has thanked Turkey for allowing peshmerga forces to enter Syria to combat ISIL militants in Kobani.

    The Kurdish regional government in Iraq sent its peshmerga Wednesday to fight alongside the Kurdish groups in Kobani under a special arrangement with Turkey.

    Peshmerga troops arrived early Wednesday in Turkey’s Sanliurfa province.

    According to a statement in the KRG's website, Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani said on Wednesday: "I hope the peshmerga's departure will bring victory for Kobani."..................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/412364--iraqi-kurdish-leader-thanks-turkey-for-kobani-support
    29/10/14

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  151. Russian military planes fly close to Norwegian airspace ...

    Eight Russian military planes including four Tupolev-95 bombers were seen flying on Wednesday over the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea close to Norwegian airspace, reported the Norwegian news agency NTB.

    Two Norwegian F-16 fighter jets took off at 0300 GMT on Wednesday morning from Bodo in northern Norway to watch and take pictures of the Russian warplanes flying in international airspace.

    The other four Russian planes were tankers which flew from Kola with the bombers.

    Six of the Russian planes turned after cruise over Norwegian Sea while two bombers continued south to the North Sea following a route in parallel to the Norwegian border.............http://www.china.org.cn/world/2014-10/30/content_33917120.htm
    30/10/14

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  152. Jerusalem holy site closure 'declaration of war' - Abbas ...

    A spokesman for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has described the closure of a disputed Jerusalem holy site as a "declaration of war".

    The move came amid tension and violence after the shooting of a Jewish activist. Israel's PM urged calm, saying Mr Abbas was stoking unrest.

    The holy site will reopen on Friday, Israel's economy minister says..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29828547
    30/10/14

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    1. Israel reopens Al-Aqsa mosque ahead of Muslim prayers ...

      JERUSALEM: Israel reopened Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound on Friday ahead of the weekly Muslim prayers, after a rare closure following clashes sparked by the killing of a Palestinian by police.

      The streets of east Jerusalem were calm ahead of the prayers at midday, following an Israeli clampdown on the shrine, which is holy for Muslims and Jews alike.

      Clashes erupted when Israeli police on Wednesday night shot dead a Palestinian accused of trying to kill a Jewish hardliner...................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Israel-reopens-Al-Aqsa-mosque-ahead-of-Muslim-prayers/articleshow/44993117.cms
      31/10/14

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  153. EU Prolongs Belarus Sanctions due to Alleged Human Rights Violations ...

    The EU announced the prolongation of its sanctions against Belarus until October 31, 2015 due to concerns about human rights violations in the country, NewEurope reported Wednesday.

    “The Council reiterates its calls for the immediate release and rehabilitation of all remaining political prisoners,” said a statement by the Council of the European Union. “The Council [also] calls upon the Belarusian authorities to stop the harassment of civil society, the political opposition and the independent media.”

    The sanctions imposed on Belarus by European countries include travel bans for certain persons and the freezing of their financing assets. The list of persons non grata currently embraces 232 individuals.

    Unlike Ukraine, Belarus has not considered political and free trade agreements with the European Union, entering the Eurasian Economic Union (consisting of Russia and Kazakhstan) instead, NewEurope reports. The pro-Russian position held by Belarusian authorities, as well as numerous reports about the country’s alleged human rights violations, have exacerbated relations between the EU and Belarus..................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141030/194850795/EU-Prolongs-Belarus-Sanctions-due-to-Alleged-Human-Rights.html
    30/10/14

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  154. Russia and Ukraine agree gas supply deal ...

    Russia has agreed to resume gas supplies to Ukraine over the winter in a deal brokered by the European Union.

    The deal will also ensure gas supplies to EU countries via Ukraine are secure.

    "There is now no reason for people in Europe to stay cold this winter,'' said European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

    European Union energy chief Guenther Oettinger said he was confident that Ukraine would be able to afford to pay for the gas it needed.

    He added that the agreement might be the "first glimmer" of hope in easing tensions between Russian and Ukraine...............http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29842505
    31/10/14

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  155. Russian Emergencies Ministry convoy delivers relief supplies to Ukraine’s Donetsk region ...

    After crossing the border with Ukraine at the Donetsk-Izvarino checkpoint on Friday, one part of the convoy headed for Donetsk and another — for Luhansk. A total of 1,000 tons of humanitarian supplies will be delivered to these eastern Ukrainian regions. The Russian Emergencies Ministry’s truck convoy departed from Noginsk near Moscow on October 28.

    Russian Deputy Emergencies Minister Vladimir Stepanov said previously that the ministry’s truck convoys would deliver to the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine up to 3,000 tons of humanitarian cargoes.

    This is the fourth Russian humanitarian aid convoy to Ukraine. The previous three convoys have delivered to Donetsk and Lugansk 6,000 tons of cargoes — food products, including cereals and canned food, as well as medicines, electricity generators, warm clothes and bottled drinking water.............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/757574
    31/10/14

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  156. Syria’s supreme mufti says natives of 83 countries fight on opposition’s side ...

    Descendants of 83 countries, including Europe and the North Caucasus republics, are fighting against the government in Syria, the country’s supreme mufti said on Thursday.

    “We are fighting against 83 states whose representatives have come to fight against our own people,” Sheikh Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun said during his visit to Moscow.

    The mufti said the foreigners come from Austria, as well as Dagestan and Chechnya.

    Syria is alone combating the terrorist threat posed by the Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while the “West has convened a coalition of 40 countries but has not been successful in the effort.”

    “We thank our friends from Russia and Venezuela for helping us in this fight,” he said............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_31/Syria-s-supreme-mufti-says-natives-of-83-countries-fight-on-opposition-s-side-4206/
    31/10/14

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  157. Indonesia urges Israel to open access to Al Aqsa mosque ....

    Indonesia strongly condemned Israel' s move to close down the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, urging Israel to reopen the mosque, a statement issued by Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Friday.

    "Closure on worship place, like Al-Aqsa mosque, is a violation against human rights, particularly religious freedom for Muslims in Jerusalem,"the statement said.

    Israel, that oversees the territory, must reopen the access to mosque and guarantees the safety of Muslims carrying out their pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque, it said.

    Indonesia also conveyed its deepest concerns over the escalation tension and violence in Jerusalem, asking all parties to restrain themselves, particularly Israeli security apparatus to end their violent acts against civilians in Palestine.................http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/889356.shtml
    31/10/14

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  158. US dismisses report that US-Turkish relations “crumbling” ...

    A media report claiming that U.S.-Turkish relations are in a dire strait should not be believed, the State Department said Thursday.

    The Washington Post’s Beirut Bureau Chief, Liz Sly, reported that there is an “increasingly hostile divergence of views” between Ankara and Washington, forcing a wedge between the NATO allies as the U.S. leads an international coalition against ISIL.

    “At stake is a six-decade-old relationship forged during the Cold War and now endowed with a different but equally vital strategic dimension,” she wrote. Tensions have risen to a point where “some are starting to question whether the two countries still can be considered allies at all.”

    In a marked departure from the typical refusal to confirm or deny, the response from the State Department was summarily dismissive.

    “Let me first say that don’t believe everything you read because Turkey remains not only an important NATO ally but a partner in these efforts to degrade and defeat ISIL,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. “We work with Turkey on a range of issues. So I don’t think that is the view or experience of this building in any way.”............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/412950--us-dismisses-report-that-us-turkish-relations-crumbling
    30/10/14

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  159. Syrie: Erdogan reproche à la coalition de concentrer ses bombardements sur Kobané ...

    Le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a vivement reproché vendredi à la coalition internationale luttant contre l'offensive des jihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) en Syrie et en Irak de concentrer ses bombardements sur la ville syrienne de Kobané.

    "Pourquoi les forces de la coalition bombardent continuellement cette ville de Kobane (...) pourquoi pas d'autres villes, pourquoi pas Idlib", a affirmé M. Erdogan à l'Elysée où il était reçu par le président François Hollande. "On ne parle que de Kobane qui est à la frontière turque et où il n'y a presque plus personne à part 2.000 combattants", a-t-il ajouté.
    http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1137718/syrie-erdogan-reproche-a-la-coalition-de-concentrer-ses-bombardements-sur-kobane
    31/10/14

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    1. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took aim at Western leaders in Paris on Oct. 31 for focusing “too much” on the battle over the Syrian border town of Kobane, drawing nods from his host, President François Hollande, who highlighted Aleppo...

      “Why are coalition forces continually bombing this town of Kobane?” Erdoğan asked while speaking to reporters after a meeting with his French counterpart.

      “I have to highlight one particular issue, Kobane. Why [do we focus on] Kobane but not Idlib, Hama, Homs or Iraq, 40 percent of which is under occupation? Why is no action being taken or no operations being conducted for these places but Kobane?” he asked, adding that Turkey had already welcomed 200,000 people from the border city.

      “Since there are no civilians in Kobane, where there are only 2,000 fighters, why is that place constantly being bombed? It is impossible to understand,” he said.

      The battle over the border town, which is strategic for both the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants and Kurdish militia, has been continuing for more than a month................http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-france-say-isil-war-is-not-limited-to-kobane-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=73743&NewsCatID=359
      31/10/14

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  160. At least eight Palestinians were wounded, one seriously, in clashes with IDF troops at the Kalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported on Friday...

    According to Palestinian sources, IDF troops used live fire and rubber-coated bullets against rioters in hopes of dispersing the mob.

    Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke by telephone with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday, according to the Wafa news agency.

    Abbas urged Kerry to “put an end to Israel’s actions and escalations,” according to Wafa.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/At-least-8-Palestinians-wounded-one-seriously-in-clashes-with-IDF-troops-in-West-Bank-380436
    31/10/14

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  161. Bulgaria’s coalition drama: Borissov ‘not optimistic’ about forming a government ...

    In spite of signs of progress towards a possible coalition government that could muster sufficient support in Bulgaria’s new Parliament, GERB leader Boiko Borissov said on October 31 that he was not optimistic about forming a government because of the messages he was hearing from the Reformist Bloc.

    Borissov, whose party holds the most seats in the National Assembly and who would be prime minister should coalition negotiations succeed, expressed misgivings about progress in the talks with the Reformist Bloc, which GERB’s current scenario sees as its coalition partner in a government supported by a few other minority parties....................http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/10/31/bulgarias-coalition-drama-borissov-not-optimistic-about-forming-a-government/
    31/10/14

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  162. Germany ready to train Iraq's Sunnis as well as Kurds to fight ISIS/ISIL ...

    Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday that Germany was ready to help train Sunni Muslim soldiers in Iraq to fight Islamic State insurgents in addition to aid it is already giving to Iraqi Kurdish fighters.

    Merkel praised Baghdad for appointing a Sunni defense minister alongside Shi'ites and Kurds as part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's efforts to improve national unity and loosen the grip of Islamic State militants on Sunni areas of the country to the north and west...............http://www.todayonline.com/world/germany-ready-train-iraqs-sunnis-well-kurds-fight
    31/10/14

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