Monday, March 30, 2015

Aprosmeno and Intel agencies News in brief (April 2015 - A)

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Islamic State (IS) say its militants carried out suicide bombings on two mosques in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which killed at least 137 people.

The attacks are the first claimed by IS - a Sunni group - since it set up a branch in Yemen in November.

Both mosques were used mainly by supporters of the Zaidi Shia-led Houthi rebel movement, which controls Sanaa..................Yemen crisis: Islamic State claims Sanaa mosque attacks

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169 comments :

  1. Iran, powers to resume nuclear talks on Wednesday at level of political directors...

    Nuclear talks between six world powers and Iran will resume on Wednesday morning at the level of political directors, said Catherine Ray, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.

    Ray said foreign ministers from Iran and the so-called P5+1 - the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China plus Germany - had finished their meeting in the Swiss city of Lausanne. The negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program were expected to continue at the level of political directors early in the morning, she said, noting that another ministerial meeting would follow.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters that he hoped to finalise on Wednesday a framework nuclear agreement with world powers.

    "I hope that we can finalise the [preliminary] work and start the process of drafting [a final accord]," Zarif said, adding that negotiators needed to get some rest and would resume their work early in the morning.
    http://tass.ru/en/world/786332
    1/4/15

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  2. Taiwan, China Pursue New Trade Deal Despite Popular Opposition ...

    Taiwan and political rival China are negotiating this week what could be their farthest-reaching agreement ever after nearly eight years of warming relations. But the deal to cut tariffs faces opposition in Taiwan, while China has turned much of its attention to pacts with fellow exporters Japan and South Korea.

    Trade representatives from Beijing and Taipei are meeting in China from Tuesday through Thursday for a 10th round of talks on an agreement to cut import tariffs, potentially in thousands of key Taiwan sectors such as machinery and flat panels. Talks may wrap up this year.............http://www.voanews.com/content/taiwan-china-pursue-new-trade-deal-despite-popular-opposition/2702277.html
    1/4/15

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  3. Palestine becomes full-fledged member of International Criminal Court...

    Palestine has become a full-fledged member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday.

    Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour handed the documents on joining the Rome Statute of the International Criminal court to ICC secretariat on January 2, 2015. "In accordance with the rules of the International Criminal Court, the document enters into force on the first day of the month that follows the month when 60 days have passed from filing the signed application," ICC Chief of Public Information and Outreach Sonia Robla told TASS. "In this case, it’s April 1," she added.

    The Rome Statute was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1998 and entered into force in 2002................http://tass.ru/en/world/786358
    1/4/15

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  4. Iran's deputy foreign minister has asked United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to do everything possible to immediately halt Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen, state news agency IRNA reported....

    "The military path in Yemen is doomed to failure. National dialogue without external meddling is the only political solution," Hossein Amir Abdollahian was quoted as saying.

    Abdollahian and Ban spoke on the sidelines of an international conference in Kuwait aimed at addressing the humanitarian crisis in Syria, IRNA reported..........http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-01/292930-iran-asks-uns-ban-to-press-for-end-to-yemen-strikes.ashx
    1/4/15

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  5. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday it was not too late for world powers still locked in nuclear negotiations with Iran to demand a "better deal."...

    He made the comments before a planned meeting in Jerusalem with the speak of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, a leading Republican and strong critic of the White House's policy on Iran.

    "Now is the time for the international community to insist on a better deal," Netanyahu said in a televised statement delivered in English.

    "A better deal would significantly roll back Iran's nuclear infrastructure. A better deal would link the eventual lifting of the restrictions on Iran's nuclear program to a change in Iran's behavior," he said, citing threats to annihilate Israel and accusing Tehran of fomenting regional conflict.

    Netanyahu said Tuesday that a framework agreement sought by international negotiators to rein in Iran's nuclear program would leave it with the capability to develop atomic weapons within a year.......REUTERS........http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-01/292937-netanyahu-calls-for-better-deal-with-iran-over-nuclear-program.ashx
    1/4/15

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  6. Syrie: le camp palestinien de Yarmouk presque aux mains de l'EI...

    Les jihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) se sont emparés mercredi de la plus grande partie du camp palestinien de Yarmouk, dans le sud de Damas, a affirmé à l'AFP le directeur des affaires politiques de l'OLP en Syrie, Anouar Abdel Hadi.

    "Les combattants de l'EI ont pris d'assaut ce matin le camp de Yarmouk et se sont emparés de la plus grande partie du camp", a précisé ce responsable de l'Organisation de la Libération de la Palestine, faisant état de combats qui "se poursuivaient à l'intérieur avec des groupes armés".

    L'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH) a également confirmé que le groupe extrémiste contrôlait une "grande partie" du camp, après des combats contre un groupe armé palestinien hostile au régime de Bachar al-Assad. Ils se sont infiltrés à partir de la localité rebelle Hajar al-Aswad, contiguë au camp.

    Le camp de Yarmouk, le plus grand des camps palestiniens de Syrie, comptait près de 160 000 habitants syriens et palestiniens avant le début de la guerre en Syrie il y a quatre ans, contre seulement 18 000 personnes actuellement.

    En février 2014, les groupes rebelles syriens s'étaient retirés du camp à l'issue d'un accord avec les organisations palestiniennes armées anti-régime.

    Les habitants souffrent de pénuries de nourriture, d'eau et de médicaments en raison d'un siège presque total imposé depuis plus d'un an par le régime.
    AFP
    http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_syrie-le-camp-palestinien-de-yarmouk-presque-aux-mains-de-l-ei?id=8946583
    1/4/15

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  7. IS erobert Palästinenserlager...

    So weit drang der IS noch nie in die syrische Hauptstadt Damaskus vor: Ihre Einheiten eroberten weitere Teile eines palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagers in der Metropole. Wegen Kämpfen an der Grenze schloss Jordanien den letzten Grenzübergang.

    Einheiten der Terrormiliz "Islamischer Staat" (IS) haben große Teile des palästinensischen Flüchtlingslagers Dscharmuk bei Damaskus eingenommen. Die IS-Kämpfer hätten das Lager am Morgen gestürmt, sagte ein PLO-Sprecher der Nachrichtenagentur AFP. In dem Lager werde weiterhin gekämpft.

    Auch die Exil-Organisation Syrische Menschenrechtsbeobachter berichtete, dass IS-Kämpfer das Lager unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht hätten. Sollten die Berichte stimmen, wäre es der bislang umfassendste IS-Vorstoß in Syrien.................http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/is-syrien-129.html
    1/4/15

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  8. Al-Qaida in Syria signals sharia law for captured city ...

    The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front indicated on Wednesday that a Syrian city captured from the government in recent days would be ruled according to Islamic sharia law but the group would not seek to monopolize power there.

    Its leader, Abu Mohamad al-Golani, also said residents of the northwestern city of Idlib would be treated well by his fighters and other Islamist factions that captured it on Saturday.

    "We salute the people of Idlib and their stand with their sons, the Mujahideen, ... and God willing they will enjoy the justice of sharia, which will preserve their religion and their blood," Golani said in an audio recording posted on the internet.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Al-Qaida-in-Syria-signals-sharia-law-for-captured-city-395838

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  9. Turkey has called on Greece to avoid unilateral action in the Aegean Sea if Athens does not want to harm the “positive atmosphere” between the two countries....

    “We maintain the political will and determination needed for a comprehensive and lasting solution to all problems in the Aegean with methods stipulated in the U.N. charter for the peaceful resolution of disputes … based on common interests,” Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said in a written statement on April 1.

    Until those problems are resolved, Bilgiç said it was important “for both of the sides to avoid unilateral attempts that would have a negative impact on peace and stability in the region and would harm the positive atmosphere between the two countries.”

    Bilgiç also took umbrage with Greek Defense Minister Panos Kammenos’ recent statement in which he suggested the Aegean was a “Greek Sea.”

    “This distorted understanding, which underlines all problems about the Aegean, harms efforts to settle disputes in the Aegean and promote bilateral relations,” said Bilgiç............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-warns-greece-not-to-spoil-positive-atmosphere-over-aegean.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80446&NewsCatID=510
    1/4/15

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  10. One attacker killed, other held in assault on Istanbul police dept....

    Security guards at Istanbul Police Department in Vatan Street returned fire on two armed attackers Wednesday, killing one, while the other was caught soon after, said Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin.

    A female attacker, carrying bombs and a long-barrel firearm, was killed when the security guards launched a counterattack, the governor said, while another male attacker who fled was arrested in less than an hour.

    One of the guards was lightly wounded during the gunfire exchange, Sahin added.

    The incident comes a day after members of a Marxist terrorist group raided the Istanbul courthouse and killed Prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz after taking him hostage for hours............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/487242--one-attacker-killed-other-held-in-assault-on-istanbul-police-dept
    1/4/15

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  11. Take your holidays in Bulgaria, PM Borissov urges Bulgarians...

    Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has called on all Bulgarians – including MPs and members of his Cabinet – to take their Easter holidays in Bulgaria, adding a call to the domestic tourist industry to encourage the “holidays at home” option.

    Borissov was speaking in Parliament in response to questions about an expected significant downturn in the number of Russian tourists because of the weakened rouble............http://sofiaglobe.com/2015/04/01/take-your-holidays-in-bulgaria-pm-borissov-urges-bulgarians/
    1/4/15

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  12. Israel advances plans for largest Palestinian housing project...

    An Israeli committee has approved controversial plans for eventual construction of 2,200 Palestinian homes in occupied east Jerusalem, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, in the largest such project since 1967.

    NGO Ir Amim described the plan to develop the Arab Al-Sawahra neighbourhood as the largest planning procedure for east Jerusalem Palestinians since Israel seized the territory in the Six-Day War.

    Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher for Ir Amim, which works for an "equitable" sharing of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians, hailed the move, approved Monday by the interior ministry's district committee..........http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/126661.aspx
    1/4/15

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  13. Desvían de Saná a El Cairo un avión ruso, dice funcionario yemení...

    La coalición que combate contra los rebeldes hutíes en Yemen denegó el aterrizaje a un avión supuestamente ruso en el aeropuerto de Saná que en fin se vio obligado a dirigirse a El Cairo, dijo a la agencia Sputnik el director del aeropuerto, Khalid al Shaif.

    "La tripulación de la aeronave se puso en contacto con las fuerzas de la coalición cuando sobrevolaba el mar Rojo; pero la coalición acabó por denegarle el aterrizaje", señaló al precisar que el avión tuvo que dirigirse a la capital egipcia.

    Afirmó asimismo que ciudadanos rusos se reunieron en la sala de espera de la terminal para ser evacuados, lo que aún no fue confirmado por fuentes oficiales.

    Según la cadena árabe Al Mayadin, la llegada de la aeronave desde Rusia fue acordada de antemano.

    Sputnik Nóvosti aún no dispone de comentarios oficiales al respecto de las autoridades rusas..............http://mundo.sputniknews.com/rusia/20150401/1035979664.html#ixzz3W5Zzb4qM
    1/4/15

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    1. The coalition of Arab states which is carrying out a military operation against Houthi fighters in Yemen has banned a Russian plane to evacuate Russian nationals from the conflict-stricken country despite preliminary permission to do that, the Al Mayadeen TV channel said on its website on Wednesday...

      The website gives no further comments or explanations.
      http://tass.ru/en/world/786569
      1/4/15

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  14. Yemen Houthi fighters backed by tanks reach central Aden...

    A unit of Houthi rebels and allies backed by tanks pushed into central Aden, the main foothold of fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, witnesses said on Wednesday, despite a week of air strikes by Saudi-led coalition forces.

    The alliance of mainly Sunni Gulf Arab states has also attacked the northern Shi'ite Houthis from the sea but their advance toward the southern port city has been relentless.

    Hadi's aides expressed alarm.

    "What's happening now would be a disaster for Aden and its people, if Aden falls" Reyad Yassin Abdulla told Al Jazeera television.............http://www.todayonline.com/world/yemeni-houthi-fighters-tanks-reach-central-aden
    1/4/15

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    1. Pro-Houthi forces retreat from Yemen's Aden presidential palace....

      Forces loyal to the Shiite Houthi militant group have retreated from the presidential palace in Yemen's southern Aden city following dawn strikes by Saudi-led warplanes, according to security sources and eyewitnesses.

      The sources told The Anadolu Agency that pro-Houthi militants had abandoned Aden's presidential palace in the early hours of Friday following the airstrikes which left an unspecified number of militants injured.

      On Thursday evening, the Shiite militant group said that allied military forces had managed to seize Aden's presidential palace following intense clashes with vigilantes loyal to embattled President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi.

      Hadi fled to Aden in February from Houthi-held Sanaa in hopes of reinstating his embattled presidency from the southern city.

      However, the Gulf-backed president fled to Saudi capital Riyadh late last month after Houthi militants struck his Aden residence...............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/488049--pro-houthi-forces-retreat-from-yemens-aden-presidential-palace
      3/4/15

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  15. Eklat in Griechenland-Krise - Athen droht IWF mit Zahlungsstopp...

    Griechenland läuft die Zeit davon, dem Land droht der Bankrott. Nun steht die Rückzahlung eines IWF-Kredits an. Athen sperrt sich - und will erst eine versehentlich überwiesene Milliarde zurück.

    Im festgefahrenen Schuldenstreit Griechenlands mit der Euro-Zone und dem IWF hat der griechische Innenminister Nikos Voutzis mit einer verspäteten Rückzahlung eines Kredits des Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF) gedroht.............http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/6408574/alexis-tsipras-droht-iwf-mit-zahlungsstopp.html
    1/4/15

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  16. Iran nuclear talks extended ...

    Rollercoaster talks aimed at stopping Iran from getting a nuclear bomb went into extra time Wednesday amid cautious signs that after seven days of tough negotiations a framework deal may be near.

    Speaking after Iran and major powers missed a midnight deadline to agree on the outline of a potentially historic accord, Iran's chief negotiator appeared hopeful.

    "We believe that at the end of the day we will be able to come to a conclusion and a resolution for all issues," Abbas Araghchi said in a live interview with Iranian state television from Lausanne.

    Global powers resumed the talks in Switzerland on a seventh unscheduled day and are grappling for a framework deal. Complex technical details for a comprehensive accord will be finalized by June 30.

    Iran claimed that there will be no deal without a framework for removal of all sanctions........http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/915073.shtml
    1-2/4/15

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  17. Negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program will be extended for a second day beyond Tuesday’s deadline, as Secretary of State John F. Kerry announced he would stay in Switzerland to continue the talks into Thursday...

    State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said progress had been made, but she pointedly said Kerry would be staying “until at least Thursday morning.” The short time period appeared to reflect a sour turn in negotiations on Wednesday, as the six world powers negotiating with Iran failed to reach a preliminary agreement over restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in return for relief from crippling international sanctions imposed on Tehran.

    “We continue to make progress but have not reached a political understanding,” she told reporters.............http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/negotiators-prepared-to-start-drafting-preliminary-agreement-on-iran-talks/2015/04/01/b0e8646a-d7e8-11e4-bf0b-f648b95a6488_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

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    1. The White House on Wednesday said progress was still being made in crunch nuclear talks with Iran, but warned the United States would walk away if negotiations stall...

      "The sense that we have is that, yes, the talks continue to be productive and that progress is being made," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
      afp
      http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/126677.aspx

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  18. The death toll in the wreck of a Russian freezer trawler off the Kamchatka peninsula in Russia’s Far East has reached 54, region’s emergency services say...

    "According to updated reports, 54 bodies have been recovered, and 63 crewmembers have been rescued," a source said.

    Fifteen more people, who are still missing, are believed to have been in ship holds as the trawler sank.........http://tass.ru/en/russia/786629
    2/4/15

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  19. California Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday announced a series of restrictions on water usage by residents, farms and businesses to tackle the severe drought in the state on the US west coast....

    The measures, the first ever in California's history, impose mandatory water usage reductions in cities and towns across the Golden State by 25 percent.

    "Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet (1.5 meters) of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action," Brown said in a statement. "Therefore, I'm issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state."

    The state has recognized the snowpack as the lowest ever recorded and the drought, now in the fourth year, as having no end in sight, prompting the governor to step up efforts to save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use and streamline drought response by the state government...............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/915089.shtml
    2/4/15

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  20. La frontière avec la Jordanie totalement contrôlée par les rebelles syriens...

    Les forces armées du régime officiel syrien de Bachar al-Assad ne contrôlent plus du tout la frontière avec la Jordanie, après la prise du poste frontalier de Nassib, mercredi, par les rebelles syriens.

    Les rebelles en Syrie ont chassé, mercredi 1er avril, les forces du régime du dernier poste frontalier avec la Jordanie, prenant de facto le contrôle de la frontière entre les deux pays, selon une ONG.

    Dans une nouvelle victoire en une semaine face au régime sur le front sud, des groupes rebelles islamistes et modérés ont pris le passage frontalier de Nassib, a indiqué l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH).

    Une source de sécurité a confirmé que "l'armée syrienne s'est retirée" du poste qui a été fermé du côté jordanien en raison des combats. L’assaut pour le prendre avait commencé mardi. La branche syrienne d'Al-Qaïda, le Front al-Nosra, s'est jointe à la bataille mercredi, selon l'OSDH............http://www.france24.com/fr/20150402-frontiere-jordanie-rebelles-syrie-nassib-front-al-nosra-bachar-al-assad-osdh/
    2/4/15

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  21. Al-Qaeda militants on Thursday attacked a prison in southern Yemen and freed 300 prisoners, Sky News Arabia reported....

    Several guards were killed in the shooting during the attack on the prison located in the port city of Al-Mukalla, according to media reports. A local branch of the Yemeni central bank was attacked as well.

    Earlier in the day, a local source told Sputnik Arabic that members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group were conducting a major offensive in Al-Mukalla...........http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150402/1020356709.html#ixzz3W8qfNTpT
    2/4/15

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  22. Gunmen kill seven soldiers in Egypt's Sinai: security sources...

    (Reuters) - Gunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked several military checkpoints in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday, killing seven soldiers, security sources said, defying one of the toughest security crackdowns in the country's history.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but militants who support Islamic State, the ultra-hardline group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria, have carried out similar operations in Sinai.............http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/02/us-egypt-violence-idUSKBN0MT0HO20150402?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
    2/4/15

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  23. The death toll from attacks by gunmen with rocket-propelled grenades on military checkpoints in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Thursday climbed to 15 soldiers and two civilians, security and medical sources said...

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but a Sinai militant group that supports Islamic State has carried out similar operations.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Death-toll-in-Egypt-Sinai-attack-rises-to-17-security-sources-say-395940

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  24. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday that global powers and Iran were "only steps" from a negotiated deal aimed at cutting back Tehran's nuclear program, following marathon talks...

    "The matters that are being decided now are close to being agreed, literally there are only steps, and in some cases half-steps, some things have already been settled," Lavrov said at a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (STO), a Moscow-backed security organization, in the Tajik capital Dushanbe.............http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-02/293111-iran-deal-steps-away-russia.ashx
    2/4/15

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  25. UN under-secretary-general: 500 people killed over two weeks of hostilities in Yemen...

    More than 500 people have been killed as a result of hostilities in Yemen over the past two weeks, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said in a statement.

    "Reports from humanitarian partners in different parts of the country indicate that some 519 people have been killed and nearly 1,700 injured in the past two weeks - over 90 of them children. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, some by crossing the sea to Djibouti and Somalia," said Amos, who is also emergency relief coordinator.

    "Electricity, water and essential medicines are in short supply," she said..........http://tass.ru/en/world/786993
    3/4/15

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  26. Gunmen kill 147 in Kenya college attack, officials say...

    Al-Shabab gunmen rampaged through a university in northeastern Kenya at dawn Thursday, killing 147 people in the group's deadliest attack in the East African country. Four militants were slain by security forces to end the siege just after dusk.

    The masked attackers armed with AK-47s singled out non-Muslim students at Garissa University College and then gunned them down without mercy, survivors said. Others ran for their lives with bullets whistling through the air.

    The men took dozens of hostages in a dormitory for several hours as they battled troops and police before the operation was ended after about 13 hours, witnesses said...............http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/gunmen-kill-147-in-kenya-college-attack-officials-say-1.2308804
    3/4/15

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  27. Russian ships in old Arctic NATO base set alarms bells ringing...

    Russian ships docked at what was once a secret Norwegian naval base in the Arctic have prompted concern from the NATO country's former top military leaders, anxious about its resurgent eastern neighbour roaming nearby.

    Norway's jagged Arctic coastline has regained its strategic importance since tensions between Russia and NATO members have spiked to levels not seen since the fall of the Soviet Union.

    The rocky relations have led some to criticise the shutting down of Olavsvern Naval Base, a massive complex burrowed into a mountain near the northern town of Tromsoe, that has been closed since 2009.

    Shuttering it was driven by the then seemingly reduced threat from Moscow and its massive Northern Fleet based on Russia's nearby Kola Peninsula............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/russian-ships-in-old-arctic-nato-base-set-alarms-bells-ringing.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80530&NewsCatID=359
    3/4/15

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  28. Nach dem Zusammenbruch der Banken auf Zypern vor zwei Jahren kehrt der Inselstaat zur Normalität zurück. Am Montag sollen die letzten Kapitalkontrollen aufgehoben werden. Die Einschränkungen waren seit 2013 Schritt für Schritt gelockert worden...

    Auf Zypern können Bankkunden und Firmen ab Montag wieder frei über ihre Einlagen verfügen - die Kapitalkontrollen enden dann. Zypern hatte die Beschränkungen 2013 eingeführt, damit Anleger und Sparer ihr Geld nicht außer Landes bringen. Auf dem Höhepunkt der Krise konnten Bankkunden nicht mehr als 300 Euro pro Tag abheben. Das kurz vor der Pleite stehende Euro-Land musste damals von den europäischen Partnern mit Milliardenkrediten gerettet werden.

    Seitdem waren die Kontrollen Schritt für Schritt gelockert worden. Zuletzt war es nur noch Firmen verboten, große Summen nach Übersee zu transferieren. Außerdem durften bei Privatreisen nicht mehr als 10.000 Euro ausgeführt werden.

    "Die Aufhebung der letzten Einschränkungen beweist, dass das Vertrauen in die Banken des Landes wiederhergestellt ist", sagte Präsident Nicos Anastasiades. Er kündige außerdem ein Investitionsprogramm über 300 Millionen Euro an, um die Konjunktur zu beleben.
    http://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/zypern-kapitalkontrollen-101.html
    3/4/15

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  29. Al-Qaeda militants controlled large parts of a provincial capital in southeastern Yemen on Friday, a day after freeing 300 inmates in a jailbreak in the chaos-wracked country, residents said...

    Several hundred armed militants flying the black banner of the extremist network were seen patrolling and setting up roadblocks in central and western areas of Mukalla, the capital of Hadramawt province.

    "Fighters of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) control districts in Mukalla but not the whole city," a local official told AFP.

    Key state facilities in the east of the city, including army camps, the airport and the port, "are still under the control of government forces," he added.

    The Sunni extremists launched calls from mosques in the city for "jihad against Shias", according to residents................AFP..............http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/126797.aspx
    3/4/15

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  30. Poroshenko submits bill on martial law to Ukraine’s parliament...

    President Petro Poroshenko has submitted a draft law on legal procedures for introducing a martial law to the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament said on its website on Friday.

    The document stipulates rules for introducing and lifting martial law in the country.

    "A martial law is a special legal regimen that can be introduced in Ukraine or in parts of its territory in case of a military aggression or a threat of attack, a danger for Ukraine’s state independence and territorial integrity," the draft law says...........http://tass.ru/en/world/787162
    3/4/15

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  31. Iran president views nuclear deal as start of new relationship with world...

    (Reuters) - Iran's president said on Friday that a framework for a nuclear deal was just the first step toward building a new relationship with the world, after Iranians greeted the announcement of the accord with celebrations in the streets.

    U.S. President Barack Obama also hailed what he called a "historic understanding," although diplomats cautioned that hard work lies ahead to strike a final deal. That work will include efforts by Obama to sell an eventual accord to critics at home, and to close ally Israel, which denounced the interim agreement and pressed for more safeguards in coming negotiations.

    The tentative agreement, struck on Thursday after eight days of talks between Iran and six world powers in Lausanne, Switzerland, clears the way for a settlement to allay Western fears that Iran could build an atomic bomb, with economic sanctions on Tehran being lifted in return..........http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/04/us-iran-nuclear-idUSKBN0MQ0HH20150404?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

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  32. ISIL re-enters Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria's capital...

    Palestinian officials and activists say fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group have re-entered and taken control of most of a refugee camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus.

    Members of the ISIL stormed the Yarmouk camp on Wednesday but were expelled on Thursday before re-entering the camp on Friday.

    Palestinian official Khaled Abdul-Majid said the group was in control of half of the camp.The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict through a network of activists, also reported new advances by the group in the camp, the Associated Press news agency reported.............http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/isil-enters-yarmouk-refugee-camp-syria-capital-150403124537528.html
    4/4/15

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  33. Greece will pay a loan tranche due on April 9 to the International Monetary Fund on time, its deputy finance minister said Friday, seeking to quell fears of default after a flurry of contradictory statements on the issue in recent days...

    Greece is fast running out of cash and its eurozone and IMF lenders have frozen bailout aid until the new leftist-led government reaches agreement on a package of reforms.

    That prompted the interior minister to suggest this week that Athens would prioritize wages and pensions over the roughly 450 million euros ($489 million) payment to the IMF, though the government denied that was its stance..............http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Business/International/2015/Apr-04/293293-greece-says-ready-to-make-imf-payment-on-april-9.ashx

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  34. Athènes confiant dans sa capacité à payer tout son dû la semaine prochaine...

    La Grèce devrait être en mesure de faire face à toutes ses obligations financières la semaine prochaine, qu'il s'agisse d'une échéance de paiement au FMI ou des salaires et retraites des fonctionnaires, a assuré vendredi soir une source gouvernementale à l'AFP.

    "Tout ce qui doit être payé la semaine prochaine, le FMI, les salaires, les retraites, le sera", a déclaré cette source, alors que la situation financière de la Grèce fait l'objet d'une incroyable cacophonie ces derniers jours.

    Cette source ne s'est pas prononcée spécifiquement cependant sur le paiement de quelque 250 millions d'intérêts sur obligations restant à payer plus tard dans le mois, et sur le renouvellement de 2,4 milliards d'euros de bons du Trésor arrivant à échéance les 13 et 17 avril, mais une autre source, très au courant de ces questions, a indiqué à l'AFP n'avoir pas d'inquiétude sur le bon déroulement de ces autres opérations...............http://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detail_athenes-confiant-dans-sa-capacite-a-payer-tout-son-du-la-semaine-prochaine?id=8948796
    4/4/15

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  35. Turkey’s highly-debated domestic security law that gives enhanced powers to Turkish police among a host of other measures has entered into force...

    The domestic security law was published Saturday in the official gazette after it was passed by the Turkish parliament’s general assembly on March 27 and approved by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Friday.

    The domestic security package consists of 69 articles, according to the which, Turkish police will now be able to use weapons against those who attack schools, public buildings and places of worship with Molotov bombs, explosives, inflammable materials and other weapons..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/488471--turkeys-domestic-security-law-enters-into-force
    4/4/15

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  36. Over ten Lebanese truck drivers were detained at Naseeb crossing between Syria and Jordan by armed militants controlling said crossing, NNA reported on Friday...

    A number of other drivers fled the area which was under heavy shelling.

    At least 30 Lebanese truck drivers are stranded on the Syrian-Jordanian border after rebels seized the Syrian side, prompting Amman to close a frontier crossing, a union said Friday.

    "Between 30 and 35 Lebanese drivers and their trucks and refrigerated vehicles have been trapped in the free zone on the Jordanian-Syrian border since Wednesday," Omar Al-Ali, head of the Lebanese refrigerated truck union, told AFP.

    Ali said the drivers were trying to cross from Syria into Jordan, but were stranded after Amman closed the crossing.

    A Lebanese government source said contacts were underway with Amman to "facilitate the entry of the drivers."
    http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=204312&cid=23&fromval=1

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  37. An Egyptian court began a retrial on Saturday of former president Hosni Mubarak and his sons for allegedly diverting public funds earmarked for the renovation of presidential palaces to upgrade family properties...

    Mubarak, 86, toppled in a 2011 popular uprising, was sentenced to three years in prison last May and his two sons were given four-year jail terms in the same case.

    In January, Egypt's high court overturned the conviction against the frail Mubarak, who is currently being treated in a military hospital in Cairo.

    Egyptian state television aired brief footage of Mubarak and his sons inside a cage in the courtroom in the Police Academy.

    In November, a court dropped charges against Mubarak of conspiring to kill protesters in the 2011 uprising, raising fears among human rights activists that the old guard was making a comeback.

    In January an Egyptian court ordered the release of Mubarak's sons pending the corruption retrial. ......http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Egyptian-court-begins-retrial-of-Mubarak-in-corruption-case-396144
    4/4/15

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  38. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned on Saturday that the terrorism and extremist engulfing the Middle East may soon reach Israel without a solution to the Palestine question.

    In an interview with the website of the Arab-language newspaper Kul al-Arab, Abbas reaffirmed his commitment to a two-state solution.

    The Palestinian leader said that he does not hate Jews and that he has expressed his desire for peace with Israel in conversations with Jewish delegates from Israel and abroad.
    http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Abbas-Israel-to-face-terrorism-extremism-without-solution-to-Palestinian-issue-396155
    4/4/15

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  39. Au moins 15 terroristes ont été liquidés vendredi lors d'un coup de filet réalisé par les services de sécurité égyptiens dans le nord du pays...

    Au moins 15 personnes soupçonnées de terrorisme ont été liquidées vendredi par les services de sécurité égyptiens lors d'une opération effectuée dans le nord-est du pays, ont annoncé samedi les médias locaux..............http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150404/1015496158.html#ixzz3WMRYTZwo
    4/4/15

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  40. An armed person has attacked a bus carrying players of the Fenerbahce football club near Arakli, the Hurriyet newspaper reported on Sunday...

    The incident took place on Saturday after a Feberbahce’s match with Rizespor in the city of Trabzor. An unidentified man fired shots at the bus when the team was heading for the airport to fly to Istanbul. According to Hurriyet, players and crew suffered any injuries. The driver was injured and taken to hospital.

    Fenerbahce are the leaders of the Turkish Super Lig, they won the title 19 times. The club got to quarterfinals in UEFA Champions League of 2007/2008 and to semifinals in UEFA Europa League of 2012/2013.
    http://tass.ru/en/world/787281

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  41. L'Iran confirme la visite d'Erdogan malgré la polémique sur le Yémen...

    Le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan se rend mardi en visite officielle en Iran, a confirmé dimanche la présidence iranienne, malgré les tensions provoquées par ses propos sur l'intervention militaire arabe au Yémen...........http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_l-iran-confirme-la-visite-d-erdogan-malgre-la-polemique-sur-le-yemen?id=8949460
    5/4/15

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  42. Dura reazione del presidente della Repubblica Ceca alle critiche dell'ambasciatore USA...

    In precedenza nel suo recente discorso alla televisione nazionale, l'ambasciatore degli Stati Uniti in Repubblica Ceca Andrew Schapiro aveva criticato la visita pianificata del presidente ceco a Mosca per celebrare il 70° anniversario della vittoria sul nazifascismo.

    Il presidente ceco Miloš Zeman ha risposto a muso duro all'ambasciatore americano a Praga, che aveva criticato la volontà del capo di Stato di recarsi a Mosca per celebrare il 70° anniversario della vittoria sul nazifascismo.

    "Non posso immaginarmi che l'ambasciatore ceco a Washington consigli al presidente degli Stati Uniti dove recarsi o meno in visita",

    — ha detto Zeman. —

    Non permetto a nessun ambasciatore straniero di interferire nelle mie visite pianificate."

    Questa dichiarazione è stata fatta da Zeman dopo che in un intervento alla tv pubblica l'ambasciatore degli Stati Uniti in Repubblica Ceca Andrew Schapiro aveva criticato la prevista visita del presidente ceco a Mosca per celebrare il 70° anniversario della vittoria sul nazifascismo.
    http://it.sputniknews.com/politica/20150405/213150.html#ixzz3WSJxC3Xu
    5/4/15

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  43. Syria Talks in Moscow to Focus on Humanitarian Issues...

    The Syrian government and some opposition figures will start a second round of talks in Moscow on Monday focusing on humanitarian issues, although a broader agreement is unlikely as Syria's main opposition group continues to boycott the talks.

    
Participants say they do not expect any big breakthrough toward ending a conflict that has killed more than 220,000 people in Syria since early 2011.

    
January's unproductive first round of consultations in Moscow was shunned by the main political opposition group, the Western-backed Syrian National Coalition. It said it would take part only if the talks were to lead to the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad, an ally of Russia.

    
The Istanbul-based SNC has said it will also stay away from the second round of talks, due to last until Thursday. Russia says fighting terrorism in Syria should be the top priority now and has called on the opposition to work with Assad to that end...............http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/syria-talks-in-moscow-to-focus-on-humanitarian-issues/518632.html
    5/4/15

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  44. Italian navy and coast guard ships rescued around 1,500 migrants aboard five boats in the southern Mediterranean in less than 24 hours, officials said on Sunday...

    All of the migrants were rescued on Saturday by two coast guard ships and one navy ship in five separate operations, the coast guard said in a statement.

    Three of the migrants' boats were in difficulty and sent rescue requests via satellite phones while they were off the coast of Libya. The Italian vessels spotted the other two while heading for the others.

    The migrants were all transboarded onto the Italian ships and were being taken to either the island of Lampedusa or ports in Sicily, the statement said............http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-italy-rescues-1500-migrants-at-sea-in-less-than-24-hours/2707437.html

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  45. Iran's foreign minister said that Tehran would be able to return to its nuclear activities if the West withdraws from a pact that is to be finalised in June...

    Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, interviewed on a talk show on state-run TV, yesterday said, Iran has the power to take "corresponding action" and "will be able to return" its nuclear programme to the same level if the other side fails to honour the agreement.

    "All parties to the agreement can stop their actions (fulfillment of their commitments) in case of violation of the agreement by the other party," Zarif said...............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Iran-could-resume-nuclear-activities-if-West-withdraws-Zarif/articleshow/46811775.cms

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  46. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday Israel had released frozen tax revenues to the Authority but that he had ordered the funds to be returned because money had been deducted to cover debts to Israeli utility companies....

    Israel started withholding around $130 million (87 million pounds) a month in tax and customs revenues in December. The move came after the Palestinians announced that they were joining the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move finalised on April 1.

    Under international pressure, Israel agreed last week to resume the transfers, saying it would immediately pay around $400 million -- the withheld revenues minus the amount owed by the Palestinians for utilities supplied by Israel.

    Abbas said those deductions amounted to a third of the total sum that Israel owed the Palestinians.

    "We are returning the money. Either they give it to us in full or we go to arbitration or to the court (ICC). We will not accept anything else," he said in a speech...............Reuters...........http://www.todayonline.com/world/abbas-rejects-israels-partial-transfer-palestinian-tax-revenues
    5/4/15

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  47. Greece moves to quell default fears, pledges to meet 'all obligations'...

    (Reuters) - Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said on Sunday that Greece "intends to meet all obligations to all its creditors, ad infinitum," seeking to quell default fears ahead of a big loan payment Athens owes the IMF later this week.

    Following a meeting with the head of the International Monetary Fund, Varoufakis told reporters the government plans to "reform Greece deeply" and would seek to improve the "efficacy of negotiations" with its creditors.

    Greece has not received bailout funds since August last year and has resorted to measures such as borrowing from state entities to tide it over. It offered a new package of reforms last week in the hope of unlocking funds, but has yet to win agreement on the proposals with its EU and IMF lenders.

    Most urgently, Athens is on the hook for a roughly 450 million euro loan repayment to the IMF due this Thursday...............http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/06/us-eurozone-greece-imf-idUSKBN0MX01D20150406?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews

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  48. The second round of intra-Syrian consultations is opening in the Russian capital Moscow Monday and will last until April 9...

    The Moscow meetings reflect "Russia’s consistent viewpoint that the Syrian conflict may only be settled by political and diplomatic means," the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Unlike "Moscow-1" [January 26-29], this round’s agenda has been approved.

    The January 26-29 meetings were followed by the publication of the "Moscow principles", which in particular included Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, counteraction to terrorism and inadmissibility of outside interference. Shortly before the April round, the points have often been announced by Syrian officials.........http://tass.ru/en/world/787341
    6/4/15

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  49. Griechenland will IWF nicht enttäuschen...

    Selbstverständlich werde sein Land dem Internationalen Währungsfonds einen fälligen Kredit in wenigen Tagen zurückzahlen, versicherte Griechenlands Finanzminister Varoufakis. Und allen anderen Gläubigern versprach er noch mehr.

    Der griechische Finanzminister Giannis Varoufakis hat dem Internationalen Währungsfonds die Rückzahlung eines fälligen Kredits von rund 450 Millionen Euro am kommenden Donnerstag zugesagt. Das teilte IWF-Chefin Christine Lagarde am Sonntagabend nach einem Treffen mit Varoufakis in Washington mit. Bei den informellen Gespräch ging es um das griechische Reformprogramm.

    Anhaltende Unsicherheit über den Erfolg der Hilfsprogramme seien weder im Interesse des Landes, noch der Gläubiger, sagte Lagarde in einer schriftlichen Erklärung. Sie begrüße die Bestätigung des Ministers, dass der Kredit am 9. April zurückgezahlt werde. Weiter bekräftigte Lagarde bei dem Treffen nach eigenen Angaben, dass der IWF einer Zusammenarbeit mit den zuständigen Stellen verpflichtet bleibe, „um Griechenland zu helfen, auf einen dauerhaften Pfad des Wachstums und der Beschäftigung zurückzukehren“..............http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/eurokrise/griechenland/treffen-in-washington-griechenland-will-iwf-nicht-enttaeuschen-13523617.html
    6/4/15

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  50. Refugees in Palestinian Camp in Syria Flee Fighting ..

    A monitoring group said fighting between Islamic State and Palestinian militants, as well as shelling by government forces, caused hundreds of residents of a refugee camp near Damascus to flee early Sunday.

    An activist based in an area just south of Damascus said many residents started fleeing the camp after midnight as the fighting let up. The camp has been subjected to intense shelling and airstrikes by the government, according to the United Nations.

    Al-Dimashqi and Syrian state TV said as many as 2,000 people have left the camp............http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-talks-in-moscow-to-focus-on-humanitarian-issues/2707346.html

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  51. Kenya bombs Somalia al-Shabab bases after Garissa attack...

    Kenyan fighter jets have bombed positions of militant Islamist group al-Shabab in neighbouring Somalia, a military spokesman has told the BBC.

    The warplanes had targeted two camps in the Gedo region, used by al-Shabab to cross into Kenya, the spokesman added.

    This is Kenya's first response to an al-Shabab assault which left 148 people dead at Garissa University last week.

    President Uhuru Kenyatta had vowed to respond to the attack "in the severest way possible".

    Kenyan army spokesman David Obonyo told the BBC that the military had responded to "threats" by launching the air strike on Sunday night in the remote region.

    No further details of the operation were available at this stage, he said.
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32194722
    6/4/15

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  52. Rebels from the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group have taken 300 civilians hostage in northwestern Syria, the Lebanese Mayadeen television channel reported Monday.

    The terrorists captured the civilians, many of whom are children, in the village of Al-Dana, 38 kilometers (23 miles) to the west from Aleppo, the television station said.
    http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20150406/1020520459.html#ixzz3WWYcbcom
    6/4/15

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  53. Voting on the UN Security Council resolution on Yemen is expected in the middle of this week, a diplomatic source told TASS on Monday...

    Talks are being held on two drafts on of the document, one of them prepared by Russia, the source said. "Negotiations on two drafts continue. The possibility of converging them into one document is also discussed," he noted. "There will be no voting tomorrow. It may take place in the middle of the week, but everything will depend on how discussions proceed," the source added.............http://tass.ru/en/world/787361
    6/4/15

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  54. Saudi Arabia has asked Pakistan for military aircraft, warships and soldiers, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday, at the start of a parliamentary debate on whether Pakistan should get involved in a Saudi-led campaign in Yemen...

    Saudi Arabia, the Gulf's main Sunni Muslim power, has asked Sunni-majority Pakistan to join a Saudi-led military coalition that began conducting air strikes last month against largely Shi'ite Houthi forces in Yemen.

    Sharif has in turn hedged his bets. He has said repeatedly he will defend any threat to Saudi Arabia's "territorial integrity" without defining what action such a threat might provoke.

    "Saudi Arabia has asked for combat planes, warships and soldiers," Asif, who also visited Turkey to discuss Yemen, said, without specifying where Saudi wanted them deployed...............http://www.todayonline.com/world/saudi-request-help-yemen-puts-pakistani-pm-bind
    6/4/15

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  55. Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the Baghdad government would work with Kurdish authorities to liberate the northern province of Nineveh from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants...

    "Our visit to Erbil today is to coordinate and cooperate on a joint plan to liberate the people of Nineveh," Abadi said at a news conference during his first official visit to the Kurdish region since becoming prime minister last year.
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/iraq-pm-says-will-cooperate-with-kurds-to-liberate-nineveh.aspx?pageID=238&nID=80639&NewsCatID=352

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  56. Turkey Monday blocked access to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube over the publication of an image of a Turkish prosecutor being held by leftist militants during a hostage standoff which resulted in his death...

    The sites were inaccessible for many users in Turkey, with the Hurriyet newspaper saying that service providers got an order from prosecutors to block Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

    YouTube.com ran the text of a court ruling on its site saying an "administration measure" had been implemented by the country's telecommunications authority (TIB).
    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-06/293457-turkey-blocks-twitter-facebook-youtube-over-image-of-slain-prosecutor-media.ashx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Turquía desmiente información sobre bloqueo de Facebook, Youtube y Twitter...

      El portavoz del presidente de Turquía, Ibrahim Kalin, desmintió el bloqueo del acceso a Facebook, Youtube y Twitter, denunciado por algunos medios locales, pero reconoció que la Fiscalía ha obligado a estos a eliminar fotos y vídeos relacionados con el secuestro del procurador Mehmet Selim Kiraz.

      "La petición de la Fiscalía, por lo que yo entiendo, es que no se use en ninguna parte esta foto, no tiene nada que ver con restringir las libertades", afirmó en rueda de prensa Kalin.

      Añadió que la publicación de dichos materiales puede catalogarse de propaganda terrorista del grupo armado Partido-Frente de Liberación del Pueblo Revolucionario (DHKP-C, por sus siglas en turco), que llevó a cabo la semana pasada el secuestro y causó la muerte de Kiraz...............http://mundo.sputniknews.com/europa/20150406/1036107154.html#ixzz3WYCftP2D
      6/4/15

      Delete
  57. Turkey suggests transporting Iranian gas to Europe...

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss the prospects of transporting Iranian gas to Europe during his official visit to Iran on April 7, Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz said on Monday.

    The statement comes in the wake of positive shifts made in talks between Iran and the Group of Six world powers in Lausanne, Switzerland, last week on Iran’s controversial nuclear program, paving the way for the international community to gradually lift sanctions from the Islamic Republic.

    The Turkish authorities earlier said they viewed Iran as a possible supply source for the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline. The plans for building the pipeline designed to pump natural gas from the giant Shah Deniz gas field in the Azerbaijani portion of the Caspian Sea to Europe across Georgia and Turkey were announced in 2011. The Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline construction was planned to be completed in 2018.

    The Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline is part of the Southern Gas Corridor lobbied by the European Union as an alternative to Europe-bound supplies via Russian gas pipelines..........http://tass.ru/en/economy/787477
    6/4/15

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  58. Israel official: Military action against Iran still possible...

    A senior Israeli government minister says taking military action against Iran's nuclear program is still an option - despite last week's framework deal between world powers and the Islamic Republic.

    Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister for strategic affairs, told reporters Monday that the military option is still "on the table."

    Israel's government has harshly criticized last week's framework deal, which offers Iran relief from economic sanctions in exchange for scaling back its suspect nuclear program. Israeli leaders believe the deal leaves too much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure intact and would allow the country to easily gain the capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

    Steinitz said Israel favors a diplomatic solution and plans on lobbying the international community to improve the deal as its details are finalized in the coming months.
    http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-06/293478-israel-official-military-action-against-iran-still-possible.ashx
    6/4/15

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  59. Takeshima, Senkakus cited in all new social studies textbooks...

    All social studies textbooks that passed the education ministry’s latest screenings for use in junior high schools contain references to both the Senkaku Islands, which are claimed by China, and the Takeshima islets, which are controlled by South Korea and claimed by Japan, it was announced Monday.

    The screenings were the first to be conducted since the government revised textbook screening guidelines in January 2014 to require textbooks to reflect its stances on history and territorial issues.

    The newly approved books will be used in schools starting in April 2016............http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/04/06/national/politics-diplomacy/takeshima-senkakus-cited-in-all-new-social-studies-textbooks/#.VSK9LvApo9Q
    6/4/15

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  60. Les élections régionales prévues pour septembre prochain en Catalogne ne peuvent pas revêtir un caractère plébiscitaire comme le veulent les partisans de l’indépendance, estime le premier ministre espagnol Mariano Rajoy...

    L’Europe ne reconnaîtra jamais l'indépendance de la Catalogne si les autorités locales la proclament, a déclaré lundi à la radio nationale le premier ministre espagnol Mariano Rajoy.

    "Cette décision ne sera jamais reconnue par l’Europe. Une proclamation unilatérale de souveraineté n’est pas admissible en Europe. Ce processus servira à diviser le peuple et ne contribuera pas au rétablissement de l’économie", a dit M.Rajoy............http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150406/1015529944.html#ixzz3WYB6BhCE
    6/4/15

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  61. Political crisis in Pakistan as Saudi Arabia demands it join war against Yemen...

    Saudi Arabia’s demands that its long-time ally Pakistan participate in its US-backed war against Yemen have produced a political crisis in Islamabad.

    In the nearly two weeks since Riyadh declared that Pakistan was part of its war coalition, Islambad has undertaken a whirlwind of diplomatic activity, as it attempts to balance between Sunni monarchies in the Gulf and neighboring Iran. At the same time, Pakistan’s political and military establishment are fearful of a further outbreak of sectarian tensions within the country.

    Air attacks by the Saudi airforce and its allies—targeting Houthi rebels backed by Iran and forces loyal to former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh—continue to kill dozens of civilians on a daily basis in Yemen, while laying waste to towns and cities.

    Riyadh, encouraged by Washington’s backing, has not only spurned calls for a halt to its illegal war; it is also completing preparations for the coalition of states it leads to mount a ground invasion, with the aim of delivering a blow to its regional rival Iran, which has backed the Houthi rebels.............http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/04/06/paki-a06.html
    6/4/15

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  62. Mass graves in Tikrit might contain 1,700 bodies...

    Mass graves believed to hold Iraqi soldiers have been discovered in newly liberated Tikrit.

    Up to 1,700 bodies may be recovered. ISIS claimed to have executed that many soldiers captured in June outside Camp Speicher, a fortified Iraqi base near Tikrit.

    CNN's Arwa Damon saw nine bodies recovered by forensics experts at one of the excavation sites. Grieving Iraqis, apparently not related to the soldiers, gathered to pray over the bodies. When the first three bodies were found, 10 Iraqi soldiers saluted the dead by firing seven shots into the air. The national anthem was played while soldiers wept...........http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/06/middleeast/iraq-mass-graves/index.html
    6/4/15

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  63. Anspruch auf Nordpol: Russland stationiert Abwehrraketen in der Arktis...

    Bis heute ist das nicht geklärt, wem die Arktis gehört. Russland markierte schon 2007 seinen Anspruch, und unterstreicht ihn jetzt mit der Stationierung von Raketenabwehrsystemen. Kampfjets sollen folgen.

    Russland baut seine Militärpräsenz in der Arktis weiter aus. Die Armee habe in der rohstoffreichen Region Abwehrraketensysteme vom Typ Panzir stationiert, teilte Generalmajor Kirill Makarow Moskauer Medien zufolge mit. Es gehe um einen Schutz der „Nordflanke“ des Landes. Geplant sei auch die Verlegung von Kampfjets des Typs MiG-31, sagte Makarow. Zudem soll auf der Insel Nowaja Semlja im Nordpolarmeer ein Frühwarnsystem entstehen.............http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/anspruch-auf-nordpol-russland-stationiert-abwehrraketen-in-der-arktis/11600668.html
    6/4/15

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  64. The suspected mass graves of up to 1,700 captured Iraqi soldiers killed by the Islamic State group (IS) have been found in the city of Tikrit...

    The sites are near the former US Army base, Camp Speicher.

    Iraqi forensic teams have begun to excavate 12 graves following the city's recent liberation from IS.

    The June 2014 incident is notorious after IS posted videos and pictures of the execution of the mostly Shia soldiers on social media.

    Survivors say the militants questioned the victims to identity those who were Shia before killing them.

    The exhumations have began just days after Tikrit fell to a combination of the Iraqi army and Shia militias following a month long siege.

    DNA testing will be used to identify the bodies once they have been exhumed, as many families have never had confirmation of their relatives' death............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32199244
    7/3/15

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  65. Red Cross ‘evacuates staff’ from Sanaa...

    A Red Cross plane was used to evacuate a number of the organization’s staff from Sanaa on Monday, in coordination with the central command of the Saudi-led anti-Houthi campaign in Yemen, a spokesman for the coalition said.

    Operation Decisive Storm central command had scheduled two planes to head to Yemen on Sunday, but Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri - spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Defense - said the organization sent no one.

    Central command had set up a panel earlier this week dedicated to facilitating humanitarian aid into Yemen and evacuation out of the embattled country...........http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/04/06/Tribes-head-to-Aden-to-defend-city.html

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  66. Armenia wants to coordinate its foreign policy with Russia, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview aired by the Rossiya 24 TV news channel on Monday evening...

    "If we are joining unions, we are naturally taking on obligations," Sargsyan said when asked whether Russia could rely on Armenia’s support in international issues.

    "We have had relations with Russia and the Russian people for centuries, but now we have fixed them on paper in documents," Sargsyan said meaning both bilateral Russian-Armenian agreements and Armenia’s participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization /CSTO/.

    "First, we have always favoured integration processes; second, we have always wanted to coordinate our foreign policy efforts. Until recently, no one can give a single example that the Armenian side has tried to turn away from its direct commitments," the Armenian president stressed............http://tass.ru/en/world/787565
    7/4/15

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  67. Premier ministre d'Albanie: l'unification avec le Kosovo "inévitable"...

    L'unification de l'Albanie et du Kosovo est inévitable, mais la question est de savoir si elle s'opérera dans le cadre de l'Union européenne ou comme une réaction au refus de l'UE de prendre en compte cette velléité, estime le premier ministre albanais Edi Rama.

    L'unification de l'Albanie et du Kosovo est "inévitable", qu'elle s'opère au sein de l'Union européenne ou non, a déclaré mardi le premier ministre albanais Edi Rama.

    "L'unification de l'Albanie et du Kosovo est inévitable, et cela ne fait aucun doute", rapporte l'agence Reuters, citant les propos tenus par M. Rama sur la chaîne de télévision Klan Kosova.

    L'Albanie et le Kosovo affichent depuis longtemps leur désir de s'unir. Cependant, estime le premier ministre, la question n'est pas de savoir si cette union aura lieu, mais de savoir si elle prendra la forme d'un processus naturel au sein de l'Union européenne ou si elle constituera une "réaction à l'aveuglement et à la paresse de l'UE"...............Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150407/1015553123.html#ixzz3We8OsKwn
    7/4/15

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  68. Serbia has accused Albania of "inciting instability," after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the unification of his country and Kosovo was "inevitable," with or without the support of the European Union....

    In an interview with Kosovo broadcaster Klan Kosova, Mr Rama spoke about the urge for Albanians to unite with the majority-Albanian province of Kosovo, which controversially declared its independence from Serbia in 2008...........http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150407/1020578733.html#ixzz3WeFsWezf
    7/4/15

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  69. U.S. speeds up arms to Saudi-led coalition against Yemen's Houthis...

    The United States is speeding up arms supplies to a Saudi-led coalition battling Houthi fighters in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday.

    Speaking to reporters on a visit to Riyadh, Blinken called for all political parties to commit to what he called a consensus political solution, and said Washington was stepping up intelligence sharing with the anti-Houthi alliance.

    "Saudi Arabia is sending a strong message to the Houthis and their allies that they cannot overrun Yemen by force," he said, referring to Riyadh's leadership of a military campaign by several Arab states to prevent the Houthis from seizing Yemen..............http://www.todayonline.com/world/us-speeds-arms-supplies-saudi-led-coalition-official
    7/4/15

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  70. Jordan has circulated a United Nations resolution aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen, where Houthi rebels and their allies are fighting supporters of the country's embattled president....

    A U.N. diplomat said Tuesday the draft Security Council resolution would condemn aggression by the Houthis, who are trying to take over the country, and impose an arms embargo on targeted individuals.

    The draft also calls for a political solution to the conflict and urges delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid, said the diplomat, who is familiar with the text and spoke on condition of anonymity because the draft has not been made public........http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Apr-07/293643-jordan-circulates-un-resolution-aimed-at-ending-yemen-fight.ashx
    7/4/15

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  71. EU says new Ukraine, Russia gas talks for April 14 in Berlin...

    The EU said Tuesday it will broker a fresh round of Russian-Ukrainian talks next week in Berlin to secure gas supplies for Kiev next winter and onward deliveries to Europe.

    The talks, which opened March 20 in Brussels, come against the backdrop of a shaky ceasefire in a year-long war between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.

    "I can confirm the next round of trilateral talks between the Commission, Russia and Ukraine next Tuesday in Berlin," said Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, a spokeswoman for the European Commission, the executive arm of the 28-nation EU.

    In what the EU hailed as a positive sign, Moscow agreed last week to extend the current deal expiring March 31 by three months and at an increased discount of 247.18 dollars per one thousand cubic feet...............http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/127115.aspx
    7/4/15

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  72. The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, has arrived in Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a critical time for Athens...

    Mr Tsipras' government is embroiled in negotiations over its bailout and could run out of funds within weeks.

    The two are expected to discuss ties between the EU and Russia, which were badly strained by the Ukraine crisis.

    But Russia has too many economic problems of its own to rescue Greece, says the BBC's Kevin Connolly...............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32213161
    8/4/15

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  73. El primer ministro de Grecia, Alexis Tsipras, expresó nuevamente su desacuerdo con las sanciones impuestas a Rusia por Occidente a raíz de la crisis en Ucrania...

    "No estoy de acuerdo con las sanciones, es un camino que no lleva a ninguna parte (…) la guerra económica como continuación de la guerra real es una política sin salida", dijo en una entrevista a la televisión rusa Rossiya 24...........http://mundo.sputniknews.com/politica/20150407/1036153666.html#ixzz3WgeRj88M

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  74. Japanese Emperor Akihito heads on Wednesday for the island nation of Palau where he will visit a World War Two battlefield, the latest journey in his efforts to soothe the wounds of a conflict that haunts Asia 70 years after its end...

    Some 10,000 Japanese defenders, fighting in the name of Akihito's father, Emperor Hirohito, died in a two-month battle in 1944 on Palau's tiny Peleliu island along with about 1,600 American troops. Unaware Japan had surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, 34 Japanese soldiers hid in the jungle until April 1947...............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

    ReplyDelete
  75. Putin: Greece did not seek financial aid from Russia...

    Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras did not ask for financial aid from Russia during talks in Moscow, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said.

    There had been speculation that Mr Tsipras would seek Russian aid to ease Greece's debt crisis, and to counter pressure from its creditors in the EU.

    Mr Putin said Russia would consider loans to Greece for big joint projects, potentially in the energy sector.

    But analysts say Russia's own economic woes mean any help would be limited.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32213161
    8/4/15

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  76. Greek PM gets support, not money from Putin...

    (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin offered Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras moral support and long-term cooperation but no financial aid on Wednesday, leaving Athens to fend for itself in resolving urgent debt problems with Western creditors.

    The leftist-led Greek government, at loggerheads with its euro zone and International Monetary Fund creditors, risks running out of money within weeks unless it can reach a new cash-for-reform deal.

    "The Greek side has not addressed us with any requests for aid," Putin told a joint news conference after Kremlin talks. "We discussed cooperation in various sectors of the economy, including the possibility of developing major energy projects."

    Tsipras added: "Greece is not a beggar going around to countries asking them to solve its economic problem, an economic crisis that doesn't only concern Greece but is a European crisis." ...............Reuters
    8/4/15

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  77. Athens welcomes Germany's response to demand for war reparations...

    Greece’s deputy defence minister says he feels Berlin is showing signs of agreement that compensation should be paid for atrocities committed by Nazi forces during second world war, ‘despite disagreeing with the figure’....theguardian.com
    8/4/15

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  78. The European Commission has received Bulgaria’s formal complaint against Greece’s plans to introduce a new tax on transactions with firms in countries with “preferential tax regimes” and was analysing it, EC spokesperson Annika Breidthardt said on April 8....

    “The European Commission is aware of the new Greek tax provisions and the concerns about the potential negative impact they may have on the single market. We confirm that we have received a letter from the Bulgarian authorities and we’re analysing it,” Breidthardt said during the daily mid-day press briefing.

    “We await the legal interpretations provided by the ministerial decree to clarify the scope of the new legislation and, once this assessment is made, the Commission will take the necessary decisions to ensure compliance with EU law, if need be,” she said.
    sofiaglobe.com
    8/4/15

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  79. Japan Emperor mourns Japanese, U.S. war dead on Pacific isle...

    (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two this year, offered flowers and prayers on Thursday at a memorial to those who died in a fierce fighting on the Pacific isle of Peleliu.

    About 10,000 Japanese defenders, fighting in the name of Akihito's father, Emperor Hirohito, died in a two-month battle in 1944 on Palau's tiny Peleliu island along with about 1,600 American troops. Unaware Japan had surrendered on Aug. 15, 1945, 34 Japanese soldiers hid in the jungle until April 1947.

    With the blue ocean sparkling in the background, Akihito, wearing an open-necked white shirt, and Michiko, clad in an ivory suit with a gray lapel, bowed deeply before laying bouquets of white chrysanthemums at a memorial erected by Japan's government to those who died in the region in the war. .....Reuters
    8/4/15

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  80. Russia may lift embargo on farm product imports from Greece introduced last year, Economic Development Minister Alexei Ulyukayev said Wednesday...

    "We are going to discuss that topic in details during a meeting held tomorrow between Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Ulyukayev as saying.

    He added the ministry has submitted detailed proposals for consideration.......Xinhua
    8/4/15

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  81. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday the United States is well aware of the support that Iran has been providing to Houthi forces who have driven Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the country...

    Kerry said the United States would support countries in the Middle East who feel threatened by Iran.

    "We're not looking for confrontation, obviously, but we're not going to step away from our alliances and our friendships and the need to stand with those who feel threatened as a consequence of the choices that Iran might be making," Kerry said in an interview with PBS Newshour.
    Reuters
    jpost.com
    9/4/15

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  82. The United States has started daily aerial refueling for warplanes in the Saudi-led coalition carrying out airstrikes in Yemen, the Pentagon said Wednesday...

    The first refueling flight took place on Tuesday night with a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker providing fuel for an F-15 fighter jet operated by Saudi Arabia and an F-16 flown by the United Arab Emirates, spokesman Colonel Steven Warren told reporters.

    “We will have a tanker sortie every day,” Warren said, adding that all flights will be outside of Yemeni air space........dailystar.com.lb
    9/4/15

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  83. 1 milliard de dollars disparaissent du pays, la Moldavie est sous le choc: "Ça risque de provoquer la faillite de l’Etat"...

    Procureurs anticorruption, parlementaires et même détectives financiers américains cherchent depuis des semaines la trace d'1 milliard de dollars qui se sont évaporés en Moldavie, un scandale bancaire à même de déstabiliser ce pays, le plus pauvre d'Europe.


    Le vol du siècle?

    "Disparition mystérieuse" ou "vol du siècle"? L'affaire a éclaté au grand jour lorsque la Banque centrale de Moldavie (BNM) a découvert que trois établissements, représentant environ un tiers des actifs bancaires du pays, avaient accordé des crédits pour un montant total de 1 milliard, soit 15% du Produit intérieur brut (PIB).....rtl.be
    9/4/15

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  84. Iranian President Hassan Rowhani called for an end to airstrikes in Yemen by Saudi Arabia and Arab allies, saying they could not succeed, and said countries in the region should work towards a political solution...

    “A great nation like Yemen will not submit to bombing. Come, let us all think about ending war. Let us think about a ceasefire,” Rowhani said in a televised speech on Thursday.

    Saudi Arabia and a coalition that includes four other Gulf Arab states have carried out airstrikes against the Iran-allied Houthi movement for the past two weeks to try to drive them back from the southern city of Aden.

    “Let us prepare to bring Yemenis to the negotiating table to make decisions about their future... Let us accept that the future of Yemen will be in the hands of the people of Yemen, not anyone else,” Rowhani said......Reuters......alarabiya.net
    9/4/15

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  85. Athènes parvient à payer son échéance d'avril au FMI...

    La Grèce a honoré le remboursement de plus de 450 millions d’euros au Fonds monétaire international en avril. Le pays n’est pas en défaut de paiement, mais des temps plus durs sont d’ores et déjà prévus par les analystes.

    Après plusieurs jours de suspense, la Grèce est parvenue à verser 459 millions d'euros au Fonds monétaire international (FMI), une somme équivalente à la tranche d'un prêt européen arrivant à échéance jeudi 9 avril. Il s'agit de la dernière tranche d'aide dans le cadre des plans Union européenne-FMI d'un montant total de 240 milliards d'euros lancés en 2010, en échange de réformes drastiques du pays. La Grèce peut donc souffler, mais après ?

    Mais des analystes bancaires ont déjà prévenu que les difficultés, notamment de paiement des salaires et des pensions de fonctionnaires, pourraient intervenir à la mi-mai, date à laquelle la Grèce devra rembourser 767 autres millions d’euros au FMI. Et pour cause : les ressources du pays se sont encore taries depuis l'arrivée au pouvoir fin janvier du gouvernement de gauche radicale Syriza...............france24.com
    9/4/15

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  86. Russian journalists denied entrance to Moldova — media...

    A shooting crew of Russia’s Zvezda TV channel was detained at passport control at Chisinu airport on Thursday. The airport guards stopped the journalists, including Zvezda’s correspondent Alexey Golovko, after learning that they were heading for Moldova’s unrecognized Transniestria Republic, Zvezda reported on its website.

    "We were supposed to arrive in Moldova today and go to Tiraspol by car straight from Chisinau airport. We were supposed to shoot a film about the foreign economic situation of Moldova’s Transniestria Republic, which, as you may know, is unrecognized and which has been living in a blockade ever since a war broke out in Ukraine. But we failed to reach Tiraspol," Golovko said by telephone......tass.ru
    9/4/15

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  87. Houthi fighters, backed by supporters of former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh entered the provincial capital of the mainly Sunni Shabwa province in eastern Yemen on Thursday, residents said, despite intense Saudi-led air strikes against the group...

    Residents said local tribal chiefs and security officials facilitated the entry of the Houthi forces to the city of Ataq, where they took control of the offices of the local government and security forces compounds......globaltimes.cn
    9/4/15

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  88. PLO backs Assad campaign to regain control of besieged refugee camp ...

    A Palestinian official said on Thursday he supported a Syrian army offensive to regain control of the war-battered Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus that has fallen into the hands of Islamic State.

    The radical Islamist group, which rules swathes of Syria and Iraq, seized almost all of Yarmouk in recent days, brushing aside local militia opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

    "They have tried to used the camp as a launching pad to expand their scope of clashes and their terror activities inside and outside the camp," said Ahmad Majdalani, a minister in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who was sent to Damascus by the PLO leadership to discuss the crisis with the government............Reuters............jpost.com
    9/4/15

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    Replies
    1. United Nations, United States: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for action to prevent a massacre of Palestinian refugees in Syria's Yarmuk camp...

      "What is unfolding in Yarmuk is unacceptable," Ban told reporters at UN headquarters.

      "We simply cannot stand by and watch a massacre unfold."
      AFP
      dailystar.com.lb
      9/5/15

      Delete
  89. Islamic State brought Iraq leaders together in common fight, Biden says ...

    The Islamic State brought Iraqi leaders together in a common fight since the militant group declared a "caliphate" in northern Iraq last summer, US Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday.

    Biden gave an upbeat assessment of Iraq's progress against the Sunni group in an address to the National Defense University before a White House meeting next week between US President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi.

    "ISIL's momentum in Iraq has halted and in many places flat out reversed," Biden said, using an acronym for the group.

    "There's still a long fight ahead," Biden said, but the group's "aura of invincibility" has been pierced...............jpost.com
    9/4/15

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  90. State Department recommends removing Cuba from terrorism list: Senate source...

    (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has recommended that President Barack Obama remove Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee aide said on Thursday.

    Obama, speaking while on a short visit to Jamaica, said only that the State Department had completed its review but that he was waiting for a recommendation from his advisers and would not announce a decision on Thursday.

    "State has recommended they be removed from the list," said the Senate aide, who spoke on condition of anonymity..............reuters.com
    9/4/15

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  91. Yemen conflict: Pakistan vote rebuffs Saudi call...

    Pakistan's parliament has decided against military involvement in the Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen, after days of debate.

    Lawmakers voted unanimously in favour of a resolution that "Pakistan should maintain neutrality" in Yemen.

    Saudi Arabia had asked Pakistan, an ally, to contribute ships, aircraft and troops to a military campaign it has launched against the Houthis.

    The UN estimates that more than 560 people have been killed since 19 March.

    The Saudi-led coalition says its aircraft have only targeted military camps, air bases, weapons depots and rebel headquarters, but civilian areas have often been hit............bbc.com
    10/4/15

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  92. Red Cross flies first medical aid into Yemen capital ...

    The Red Cross said it flew an aircraft into Sanaa on April 10, delivering its first medical aid to Yemen's capital since a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Shiite rebels.

    "This is the first ICRC plane to have landed in Sanaa. It is loaded with 16 tonnes of medical aid," said Marie Claire Feghali, spokeswoman in Yemen for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

    The shipment was made up of "drugs and surgical instruments," the spokeswoman said via telephone from Sanaa airport after the arrival of the plane.

    "Tomorrow, a second plane will be carrying 32 tonnes of medical supplies, generators and water purification equipment for hospitals in Sanaa," she added.

    On April 8, a Red Cross boat carrying medical aid and personnel docked at Yemen's southern city of Aden, the main battleground in the conflict between forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.......hurriyetdailynews.com
    10/4/15

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  93. Turkish authorities have turned away 1,200 people who were traveling through Turkey in an attempt to join the ranks of the Islamic State, local media reported Friday, citing country’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu...

    Turkey regularly detains foreign nationals, including Europeans, preventing them from traveling to Syria and Iraq to join extremist groups, such as the Islamic State. In March, Turkey urged the European Union to share more intelligence to contain foreign fighters trying to cross the Turkish border............http://sptnkne.ws/cHq
    10/4/15

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  94. Egypte: la peine de mort confirmée pour le chef des Frères musulmans...

    Un tribunal égyptien a confirmé samedi les peines de mort prononcées à l'encontre du chef des Frères musulmans Mohamed Badie et de onze autres personnes reconnues coupables d'avoir cherché à déstabiliser l'Etat et planifié des attaques.

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  95. Quatre soldats turcs blessés lors d'affrontements avec le PKK...

    (Belga) Quatre soldats turcs ont été blessés samedi lors d'affrontements dans le sud-est du pays avec des militants du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK), considéré comme une organisation terroriste par Ankara, a annoncé l'armée......rtl.be
    11/4/15

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  96. Su-27 Intercepts US Spy Plane Heading Into Russian Airspace...

    The US RC-135U reconnaissance plane was flying towards the Russian border with its transponder switched off, a Defense Ministry spokesman said in Moscow Saturday.

    Maj.-General Igor Konashenkov said that an unidentified airborne target was spotted over the Baltic Sea by Russian air defenders on April 7 flying directly towards the Russian border.

    A Su-27 fighter jet was scrambled to inspect the target. Moving up to the unidentified aircraft the Russian pilot flew around it several times, made sure it was a US RC-135U reconnaissance plane and reported its tail number to ground control.............http://sptnkne.ws/cN5
    11/4/15

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  97. Syria’s key military airport hit by deadly attack...

    Pro-government forces repelled an attack on a key Syrian airport during a fierce battle in which they lost 20 fighters but killed almost as many militants, a monitor said Saturday.

    “There was an attack on the outskirts of the Khalkhalah military airport in Sweida province on Friday,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    The forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had been able to maintain control over the airport and its surrounding areas despite losing 20 fighters. At least 15 militants were killed............alarabiya.net
    11/4/15

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  98. Pentagon claims Russia S-27 fighter intercepts US intelligence plane...

    U.S. authorities claim that Russia’s Sukhoi Su-27 fighter has flown dangerously close to a U.S. intelligence plane RC-135, Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen M. Lainez is quoted by the Washington Free Beacon online publication on Saturday.

    A Russia Su-27 jet fighter flew dangerously close and nearly collided with a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft this week in the latest aerial provocation by Moscow, defence officials said. The Su-27 conducted the close-in intercept of an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, said officials. The incident prompted a diplomatic protest.

    "On the morning of April 7th, a U.S. RC-135U flying a routine route in international airspace was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in an unsafe and unprofessional manner," said Eileen M. Lainez. "The United States is raising this incident with Russia in the appropriate diplomatic and official channels," she said in a statement........tass.ru
    11/4/15

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  99. Militiamen in Yemen's Aden say two Iranian officers captured...

    Local militiamen in the southern Yemeni city of Aden said they captured two Iranian military officers advising Houthi rebels, during fighting on Friday evening.

    Tehran has strongly denied providing any military support for Houthi fighters, whose advances have drawn Saudi-led air strikes in a campaign dubbed "Decisive Storm."

    If confirmed, the presence of two Iranian officers, whom the local militiamen said were from an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, would deepen tensions between Tehran and Riyadh, who are vying for influence in the Middle East.......Reuters....todayonline.com
    11/4/15

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  100. Turkey says sends more troops, aerial support to fight Kurdish militants...

    (Reuters) - Turkey sent extra troops, reconnaissance planes and armed helicopters into its eastern Agri province on Saturday after four soldiers were wounded in a clash with Kurdish insurgents, the military said.

    The fighting was centered in Agri's Diyadin district near the Iranian border, the military said on its website. The government said the PKK rebels were trying to destabilize the country before a parliamentary election in June.

    "Terrorists with rifles opened fire on our forces, who immediately returned fire," the military said. "We have sent reconnaissance planes, armed helicopters and additional ground troops to the region and the clash is still ongoing."

    No one from the PKK was immediately available for comment....reuters.com
    11/4/15

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  101. A rise in the number of migrant boats setting out across the Mediterranean for Italy sparked tension on Saturday, after rescue workers said some 1,000 people had been picked up in one day...

    "Italy's military ships are bringing to Sicily another 1,000 illegal immigrants, picked up 30 miles off the Libyan coast," Matteo Salvini, head of the Northern League party, wrote on Facebook.

    Prime Minister Matteo "Renzi and (interior minister Angelino) Alfano are continuing the 'taxi service' to help smugglers.

    "I would use the ships to defend our borders. You?" he said.

    Good weather in the Mediterranean has prompted an increasing number of boat migrants to set off for Italy this month, with some 1,500 people picked up from five different boats a week ago....
    AFP
    ahram.org.eg

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  102. NATO ships arrive in Scotland for massive joint exercises...

    NATO’s Standing Naval Forces have arrived in Scotland for the largest-ever Joint Warrior Drill, which will include 50 ships, 70 aircraft and 13,000 personnel from 14 countries.

    The biannual military drills will be conducted between the 11 and 24 April, according to a statement released by the alliance.

    "This exercise is a unique opportunity for us to work with our Allied shipmates. For most US Sailors, our training and qualifications are done with other US Navy ships; multinational exercises like this help our Sailors learn how to cooperate and excel with other navies in a challenging and multidimensional environment," said Lieutenant Commander Matthew Hamm, USS Vicksburg’s operations officer.....rt.com
    11/4/15

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  103. Prohíben a dos aviones rusos entrar en el espacio aéreo de Yemen...

    La coalición de los países árabes no autorizó a dos aviones rusos entrar en el espacio aéreo de Yemen, indicó una fuente del aeropuerto de Saná a la agencia Sputnik.

    Según la fuente los aviones tuvieron que regresar a El Cairo.

    Con anterioridad, un portavoz de la embajada de Rusia en Saná dijo a RIA Novosti que la evacuación de la capital yemení en un avión ruso, programada para este sábado, fue aplazada hasta el domingo debido a la situación difícil en la ciudad.

    Desde el 26 de marzo, la coalición de países del Golfo Pérsico y de África del Norte, liderada por Arabia Saudí lleva a cabo una operación militar en Yemen contra los rebeldes hutíes, que controlan la mayor parte de Yemen, incluida su capital, Saná............http://sptnkne.ws/cPF
    11/4/15

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  104. Armed conflicts registered among Ukraine’s army units in Donbass...

    Confrontation among Ukrainian Armed Forces’ units in Donbass has resulted in armed conflicts, the spokesman for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said on Saturday.

    "We have registered cases of a sharpening confrontation not just between Ukrainian regular army’s units and ‘volunteer battalions’ but also among units of Ukraine’s Armed Forces," the Donetsk news agency quoted Eduard Basurin as saying.

    On Friday reports came that Ukraine’s 93rd separate mechanised brigade had demanded from the battalion of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists to abandon their positions outside the village of Peski.

    "Today, on Saturday, regular army units got involved in an armed conflict," Basurin said.

    "I would like to attract your attention to the fact that Kiev’s authorities describe the episodes when Ukrainian units open fire on one another as DPR militia’s violations of the ceasefire. And [Kiev] systematically reports to the OSCE mission and Ukraine-controlled media about it," he said.
    tass.ru
    11/4/15

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  105. Iranian presence in Yemen not ‘ruled out’: spokesman...

    Saudi Arabia has not “ruled out” the possibility of an Iranian presence in Yemen, the spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition striking Houthi militias in the country said on Saturday, the same day two Iranian military officers were reportedly captured in the southern city of Aden.

    Speaking at a daily press briefing in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said the coalition found evidence of Iranian support to the Houthis and did not dismiss the possibility of Iranian forces fighting in Yemen.

    Earlier two Iranian military officers advising Houthi rebels were captured in Yemen’s southern city of Aden during fighting on Friday evening, Al Arabiya News Channel reported..... Al Arabiya News
    11/4/15

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  106. Yemeni govt bans entry into territorial waters...

    Yemeni Foreign Minister Riyadh Yassin said Saturday his country has banned entry into its territorial waters and has delegated countries participating in the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi militias to implement the decision.

    The step came after monitoring several Iranian attempts to smuggle aid to Houthi rebels and militias loyal to deposed leader Ali Abdullah Saleh, the minister told al-Hadath, Al Arabiya’s sister channel.

    Yassin stressed that ships carrying relief aid, food or medicine will be allowed to enter the territorial waters after passing inspection.

    The Yemeni foreign ministry also issued a statement earlier in the day which states that the ban has been imposed on the country’s maritime zones.......Al Arabiya News
    11/4/15

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  107. The president of the Czech Republic has decided not to participate in Russia's traditional Victory Day military parade when he visits Moscow in May...

    Speaking to reporters Friday, the president’s spokesman, Jiri Ovcacek, said that President Milos Zeman would not attend the parade, which commemorates the end of World War II in Europe. However, the spokesman said the Czech leader still planned to travel to Moscow to honor the Soviet soldiers killed during the war.....voanews.com
    11/4/15

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  108. Islamic State group attacks Iraq’s largest oil refinery...

    The Islamic State (IS) group launched a series of suicide attacks on Iraq's largest oil refinery on Saturday, a senior army officer said.

    The jihadist group claimed it broke in to the Baiji oil refinery but the Iraqi army said the site, which has been the scene of fierce battles since the IS group swept across the region last year, remained under its control.

    "Today Daesh (an Arab acronym for IS) launched an attack against the Baiji oil refinery," said a major general from Salaheddin province, in which Baiji is located.

    He described the attack on the refinery, which lies around 200 kilometres (120 miles) north of Baghdad, as "the fiercest since we broke the siege a few months ago."

    The officer and other military sources said the attack was launched around 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and led to clashes.

    He said IS group militants attacked the large complex from three fronts: Al-Bujwari village to the south, the housing compound for refinery employees to the west and one of the smaller plants producing derivatives to the east.

    "Three suicide attackers were able to reach the entrances of the refinery. Two were killed but one managed to blow himself up," the army officer said.......france24.com
    12/4/15

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  109. Biden Calls Serbian PM to Washington to Counter Cooperation with Russia...

    The US Vice President issued a hasty invitation for the Serbian Premier to come to Washington, after the Serbian government's decision to attend the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow.

    US Vice President Joe Biden sped up the process of issuing an invitation to Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to come to Washington, after the decision by the Serbian government to take part in the May 9 Victory Day commemoration in Moscow, which this year will mark 70 years since the surrender of Nazi Germany at the end of World War Two.

    Sources in western diplomatic circles told Blic.rs that the timescale of Vucic's visit to Washington, which was already slated for the coming year, was pushed forward due to US fears about Serbia's close ties and continued cooperation with Russia...........http://sptnkne.ws/cVj
    12/4/15


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  110. Saudi FM: ‘We are not at war with Iran’...

    Saudi Arabia is not at war with Iran, the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al Faisal said on Sunday, adding that he hoped the Islamic Republic ends its support of Houthi militias in Yemen.

    In a joint press conference with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius in Riyadh, Prince Faisal also said the 10-state anti-Houthi coalition launched on March 26 came after a request by the country’s president Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi for intervention.

    The role the Iranians have played in Yemen “exasperated the problem which led to an increase in violence in the country,” Prince Faisal added.

    "How can Iran call for us to stop the fighting in Yemen ... We came to Yemen to help the legitimate authority, and Iran is not in charge of Yemen," Prince Faisal said.............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/04/12/France-s-Fabius-in-Riyadh-to-support-Yemen-coalition-.html
    12/4/15

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  111. Saudi Arabia dismissed Iranian calls for an end to its air strikes on neighbouring Yemen on Sunday, saying Tehran should not interfere in the conflict...

    Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies began air strikes against Iranian-allied Houthi militia fighters in Yemen more than two weeks ago, to try and prevent them making further advances.

    "How can Iran call for us to stop the fighting in Yemen ... We came to Yemen to help the legitimate authority, and Iran is not in charge of Yemen," Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said in the Saudi capital Riyadh at a press conference with French counterpart Laurent Fabius.
    jpost.com
    12/4/15

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  112. An explosion targeting a military vehicle has killed five Egyptian soldiers near the town of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, Reuters news agency says quoting a security official...

    Security officials said on Sunday that the roadside bomb was planted in an area of the northern Sinai peninsula that is a stronghold of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

    Egypt has conducted a long-running campaign in the Sinai Peninsula against fighters from the group formerly known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis but who are now fighting under the banner of ISIL...........aljazeera.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Second Sinai blast raises death toll to at least 13...

      Two separate bomb attacks targeting security forces in Egypt's Sinai peninsula killed at least 13 people and wounded dozens on Sunday, the latest in a wave of violence in a region hit by an Islamist insurgency.

      Egypt’s military said a roadside bomb detonated by militants killed six soldiers and wounded two others in an attack on an armored military vehicle in the town of Sheikh Zuweid. Two of those killed were officers, it said.

      The army said in a statement that “terrorist and extremist elements” were behind the blast and that two of those killed were officers.

      A Twitter feed that describes itself as the official account for Sinai Province, a militant group that has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack............alarabiya.net
      12/4/15

      Delete
  113. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday urged U.S. lawmakers to allow talks with Iran on curbing its nuclear program to be completed without interference, amid threats of new sanctions...

    Kerry is planning to brief lawmakers Monday and Tuesday about the parameters of the deal reached after eight days of tough bargaining in Switzerland earlier this month.

    "I'll lay out the facts," Kerry told CBS's "Face the Nation" when asked about a different narrative emerging from Iranian leaders about what was agreed as they reach for a final comprehensive accord due by June 30.

    "Everything I have laid out is a fact. And I'll stand by them. In the end it's really the final agreement that will determine it."............AP..............dailystar.com.lb
    12/4/15

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  114. UN-mediated talks on resolution of the Libyan crisis will continue in Algiers on April 13, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said Sunday...

    "A meeting of Libyan political leaders and political activists facilitated by UNSMIL and hosted by Algeria will convene in Algiers on Monday 13 April 2015… The meeting is a followup to an earlier meeting in the Algerian capital on 10-11 March," UNSMIL said in a statement published on its website............http://sptnkne.ws/cZN
    12/4/15

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  115. Los incendios en Jakasia han causado al menos 10 víctimas mortales, según las autoridades de esta república situada en el sur de Siberia...

    "Hay por lo menos diez muertos, según los datos preliminares. Estamos comprobando todos los datos", dijo a RIA Novosti la portavoz del Gobierno regional, Irina Yemeliánova.

    El pasado domingo, los incendios en Jakasia se multiplicaron a causa de fuertes vientos, por lo que las autoridades declararon una situación de emergencia.

    Anteriormente se informó de cinco muertos y 120 heridos, además de unos 900 edificios que han sufrido daños.

    Las autoridades han habilitado 24 refugios para los damnificados............http://sptnkne.ws/daP
    13/4/15

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  116. Reconstruction of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in last summer's Israel-Hamas war in Gaza has barely begun and living conditions in the territory have only worsened six months after donor countries pledged $3.5 billion for the task, a coalition of international aid groups said Monday...

    The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) urged the international community to adopt a new approach to Gaza, including by pressuring Israel to lift its border blockade of the Hamas-controlled territory. The blockade, also enforced by Egypt, has been in place since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized Gaza in 2007.

    The report signed by 45 aid groups said only open borders and a durable Israel-Hamas cease-fire can bring economic, social and political stability to Gaza. Otherwise, "a return to conflict - and the cycles of damage and donor-funded reconstruction that accompany it - is inevitable," the report said..................alarabiya.net

    ReplyDelete
  117. A comparative analysis of the US and European reactions to the conflicts in Ukraine and Yemen is uncovering "double standards" in interpreting state coups, Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said in an interview with the Izvestia daily to be published on Monday...

    "I would like to emphasize the clear double standards, which the United States alongside the allegedly ‘progressive’ public traditionally apply to assess similar events," Patrushev said.............tass.ru

    ReplyDelete
  118. A bomb exploded at the gate of the Moroccan embassy in the Libyan capital early on Monday, a security official said...

    Nobody was wounded in the bomb attack, he said.

    The gate and a residential building next to the embassy were damaged, residents said.

    Militants claiming loyalty to Islamic State said on twitter they were responsible for the attack.
    Reuters
    jpost.com

    ReplyDelete
  119. A Muslim cleric has for the first time in 85 years recited the Koran in the Hagia Sophia, the world famous landmark of Istanbul which is now a museum after serving as a church and a mosque, reports said Saturday...

    The Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum accessible to all by the secular founders of modern Turkey in the 1930s and secular Turks are wary of any moves to re-Islamise the building.

    A passage from the Koran, the holy scripture of Islam, was recited late Friday at a ceremony in the Hagia Sophia to mark the opening of a new exhibition “Love of the Prophet.”.....AFP......parikiaki.com
    13/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  120. Ukrainian forces have violated the ceasefire regime in Donbass 66 times over the last 24 hours, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) defense ministry’s press service told the Donetsk News Agency on Monday...

    "Over the last 24 hours, settlements were shelled four times from self-propelled guns, seven times - from tanks, six times - from APCs [armored personnel carrier] and IFVs [infantry fighting vehicle], 35 times - from mortars, two times - from anti-aircraft installations, one time - from anti-tank guided missile, 11 times - from small arms and rocket-propelled grenades," the press service said..................tass.ru
    13/4/15

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  121. Die verschämte Armut in Griechenland...

    Vor einigen Jahren kamen in Athen noch überwiegend Migranten zu den Armenspeisungen. Heute sind es mehr und mehr Griechen, deren Rente nicht reicht. In der Innenstadt sind aber wenige Bettler zu sehen – denn viele Griechen verstecken ihre Armut...............faz.net
    13/4/15

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  122. Shenzhen residents will no longer receive multiple entry permits to enter Hong Kong after a policy was enacted to limit their travel to "one visit a week" on Monday...

    Shenzhen citizens holding annual entry permits to Hong Hong can now enter the city once a week with a maximum length of stay of seven days per visit, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Public Security.

    Previously, citizens of Shenzhen, Hong Kong's neighbouring city on the mainland, were allowed unlimited visits to Hong Kong with their entry permit.

    The decision was made by the central government after huge numbers of tourists from the mainland put a strain on Hong Kong's accommodation capacity, the circular said.
    Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
    13/4/15

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tensions between Hong Kong residents and visitors from mainland China will not be tolerated, the city's leader said Monday as he confirmed a limit on the number of visits which mainlanders can make...

      An influx of millions of Chinese visitors to Hong Kong has prompted rallies by residents angered by congested public transport and shop shelves emptied of daily necessities that are resold over the border.

      Critics in the semi-autonomous Chinese city say mainland visitors also push up prices, increase delays at border crossings and behave badly.

      Mainland authorities have now stopped allowing residents from the border city of Shenzhen to make unlimited visits to Hong Kong, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said, restricting them to one visit per week.

      "Anything that increases tension between Hong Kong and mainland society is not tolerated," Leung said.............AFP........dailystar.com.lb
      13/4/15

      Delete
  123. The United States and European powers pressed Libya's rival factions to set an "unconditional" ceasefire at talks restarting on April 13, as two attacks on foreign embassies were linked to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants...

    A bomb exploded outside the Moroccan embassy in Tripoli, causing no casualties but damaging nearby cars, a security official. Like many others in the Libyan capital, the embassy is currently inactive.

    Morocco is hosting a UN-backed dialogue between representatives of the two rival governments controlling the country, separate to talks that were to resume April 13 in Algeria.

    The bombing came hours after gunmen opened fire on South Korea's embassy compound from a passing car on April 12, killing two Libyan guards and wounding a third person..............hurriyetdailynews.com
    13/4/15

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  124. Human Rights Watch says Jewish West Bank settlements are using Palestinian child labor in farming...

    In a 74-page report issued Monday, the group says the farms employ children as young as 11, pay them low wages and subject them to dangerous working conditions. It says they often work in high temperatures, carry heavy loads and are exposed to hazardous pesticides.

    Israel captured the West Bank from Jordan in the 1967 war and has built dozens of settlements there since. Palestinians from nearby villages often find employment there in construction and agriculture.

    Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, says: "Israel's settlements are profiting from rights abuses against Palestinian children."

    Israel's Economy Ministry said they were looking into the report.
    AP
    dailystar.com.lb
    13/4/15

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  125. Italian coastguards have recovered nine bodies from the sea after a boat carrying more than 150 migrants sank off the coast of Libya, they said on Monday...

    Rescuers managed to save 144 of the migrants and were still searching for others after their vessel overturned 80 miles (128 kilometres) off the Libyan coast.

    The total number of passengers on the boat and their nationalities was not yet known.

    Late Sunday, the Italian coastguards said they had rescued a total of 2,782 people over the weekend from the Mediterranean, with the good weather prompting an increased number of migrant boats to set off for Italy.

    The number of migrants entering the EU illegally in 2014 almost tripled to 276,000, according to Frontex, nearly 220,000 of them arriving via the Mediterranean.

    The chaotic situation in Libya has sparked a rise in migrant boats setting out for Europe from its unpoliced ports carrying refugees fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East and Africa.
    AFP
    ahram.org.eg
    13/4/15

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  126. Nach der Einigung im iranischen Atomstreit hat Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin das vor fünf Jahren verhängte Verbot für die Lieferung der Flugabwehr-Raketensysteme S-300 an den Iran aufgehoben...

    Damit wird der Deal aus dem Jahr 2007 wiederaufgenommen, den Russland wegen der internationalen Sanktionen gegen Teheran auf Eis legen musste.

    Präsident Putin habe einen Erlass unterschrieben, der das Verbot für die Übergabe der Fla-Raketenabwehrsysteme an den Iran aufhebe, teilte das Presseamt des Kreml am Montag mit. Mit dem Erlass wird dem Transit der S-300-Systeme durch Russland und der Übergabe dieser Systeme an den Iran außerhalb Russlands grünes Licht gegeben...........http://sptnkne.ws/dgR
    13/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  127. Greece dismisses speculation of early elections: government official...

    (Reuters) - Athens dismissed media reports on Monday that the government was considering calling early elections.

    "Once again election scenarios have surfaced. The best answer to those is the popular mandate the government enjoys," a Greek government official said. "We continue to seek a mutually beneficial solution (with our lenders), respecting the people's mandate."

    German newspaper Bild reported earlier on Monday that some in the Greek government were looking at new elections.
    reuters.com
    13/4/15

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  128. Iran suspends Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia...

    Iran has decided to suspend the Umrah Haj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia until the perpetrators behind the sexual assault on two teenaged Iranian pilgrims are punished.

    Speaking at a local gathering on Monday, Iranian Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Ali Jannati confirmed that the Haj and Pilgrimage Organisation has been ordered to suspend all Umrah Haj pilgrimages until Saudi Arabia punished the perpetrators behind the sexual assault, according to Iran's official IRNA news agency............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    13/4/15

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  129. Isis has released a video which states there is now "no safety for any American on the globe'" and that there will be another 9/11-style attack against the US...

    The film features gruesome beheading scenes and clips of Isis forces in combat, in an attempt at displaying the strength of the Caliphate.

    The 11 minute long video, titled 'We Will Burn America', was dated 10 March.

    This is not the first Isis video aimed at the US - a video threatening to behead Barack Obama and turn the US into a Muslim province emerged online in January............timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    13/4/15

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  130. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday paved the way for long-overdue missile system deliveries to Iran and Moscow started an oil-for-goods swap with Tehran, showing the Kremlin's determination to boost economic ties with the Islamic Republic...

    The moves come after world powers, including Russia, reached an interim deal with Iran on curbing its nuclear programme and signal that Moscow may have a head-start in the race to benefit from an eventual lifting of sanctions on Tehran.

    The Kremlin said Putin signed a decree lifting Russia's own ban on the delivery of S-300 anti-missile rocket system to Iran, removing a major irritant between the two after Moscow cancelled a corresponding contract in 2010 under pressure from the West.............Reuters.....todayonline.com
    13/4/15

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  131. Iran cannot have good relations with the Western countries until they lift sanctions imposed on Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a press conference on Monday...

    "The Iranian people are not optimistic about future relations between Iran and the West, as Western countries were the reason of many difficulties that the Islamic Republic [or Iran] had to go through over the last years," Zarif said. "Sanctions and good relations are mutually exclusive," he added. "Until sanctions are in place, we cannot have good relations with those who imposed them," the foreign minister stressed.

    Zarif stressed that Iran does not want sanctions lifted at any cost. "We want sanctions lifted, but the cost of that is also important to us. We will not accept the cancellation of sanctions, the price of which is infringing on our national interests and dignity," he noted.
    tass.ru
    13/4/15

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  132. The UN's cultural agency issued a fresh condemnation Monday of jihadists' destruction of Iraq's Nimrud, once the jewel of Assyria and home to a treasure considered one of the 20th century's main archaeological finds...

    "I condemn this mad, destructive act that accentuates the horror of the situation," UNESCO head Irina Bokova said in a statement.

    The Islamic State group on Saturday circulated an undated video showing militants equipped with sledgehammers and power tools breaking artefacts before rigging the site with large barrels of powder.

    The subsequent footage shows a massive explosion and its aftermath, suggesting the ruins of Nimrud-- which lie on the Tigris about 30 kilometres (18 miles) southeast of IS-held Mosul -- were largely levelled......AFP.....dailystar.com.lb
    13/4/15

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  133. Ex-Blackwater guards face life, long sentences for Baghdad massacre...

    Four men who worked for the private military contracting firm formerly known as Blackwater are scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Monday, more than seven years after they massacred Iraqi civilians in Nisour Square, Baghdad.

    A sentencing hearing for the four men – Nicholas Slatten, Dustin Heard, Evan Liberty and Paul Slough – was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET in Washington, DC on Monday.

    Six months earlier, a jury convicted Slatten, a former Blackwater security guard, of first-degree murder for his role in the infamous September 2007 ambush. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, while his three colleagues are all subject to minimum sentences of 30 years behind bars as a result of firearms convictions they were handed last fall.........http://on.rt.com/38ds7n
    13/4/15

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  134. Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday that radiation in the primary containment vessel of the No. 1 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 power station gets as high as 9.7 sieverts per hour — enough to kill a human within an hour...

    The radiation levels at six locations in the western section of the first floor of the PCV ranged from 7.0 to 9.7 sieverts per hour, the beleaguered utility said in disclosing data collected by a remote-controlled robot on Friday.

    By contrast, the temperatures at the six locations monitored were cool, ranging from 17.8 to 20.2 degrees......japantimes.co.jp
    13/4/15

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  135. Ukraine crisis: Further weapons withdrawals agreed...

    Russia and Ukraine have agreed to call for the withdrawal of more types of weapons in Ukraine's east, as fresh clashes renew fears for a truce there.

    The deal was made at talks in Berlin involving foreign ministers from the two countries, and France and Germany.

    It reportedly covers mortars, tanks and heavy weapons below 100mm calibre.

    But Germany warned the talks had also emphasised differences over the year-old conflict between Ukraine's military and pro-Russian rebels.

    "It was again a very long, very intensive discussion which in parts was very controversial," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said..........bbc.com
    14/4/15

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  136. Berlin meeting shows stances of Moscow, Kiev differ (German foreign minister)...

    The talks of the Normandy Four in Berlin have confirmed that the positions of Moscow and Kiev on the crisis in eastern Ukraine differ, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the meeting on Tuesday.

    "We had an intense and a sort of contradictory conversation. It showed differences in the opinion of Kiev and Moscow," the German foreign minister said, adding that the meeting confirmed that nothing is easy in the Ukrainian crisis.

    "This will be a long way but if we do not go this way, the situation may run out of control," he said.
    Working sub-groups

    Steinmeier said Ukraine has agreed to appoint its representatives in the working sub-groups as part of the trilateral Contact Group.....http://tass.ru
    14/4/15

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  137. UNSC to Vote on Yemen Arms Embargo...

    The United Nations Security Council is due to vote Tuesday on a draft resolution that would impose an arms embargo on the leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebels and demand the group withdraw from Sana'a and other areas it has captured.

    The measure drafted by Jordan and Arab Gulf countries would also impose a travel ban and an asset freeze on rebel leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi as well as Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh, the son of Yemen's former president who supports the Houthis.

    The council has already imposed those bans against the former president and two senior Houthi leaders. The new resolution would place the arms embargo on all five men......voanews.com
    14/4/15

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  138. Japan court halts restart of two reactors...

    (Reuters) - A Japanese court on Tuesday issued an injunction to prevent the restart of two reactors citing safety concerns, in a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to return to atomic energy four years after the Fukushima crisis.

    It is the second court ruling in less than a year against reactors operated by Kansai Electric Power, the country's most nuclear reliant utility before Fukushima.

    Local residents had sought an injunction against the No. 3 and 4 reactors at Takahama, arguing that restart plans underestimate earthquake risks, fail to meet tougher safety standards and lack credible evacuation measures.

    A court official confirmed the ruling to Reuters, but did not provide details...........reuters.com
    14/4/15

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  139. UN passes arms embargo targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels...

    The UN Security Council has approved an arms embargo on leaders of Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels and their key supporters, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son.

    The vote Tuesday was 14-0, with Russia abstaining.

    The resolution is aimed at ending the Houthis military campaign against supporters of Yemen's embattled president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and the rebels' attempt to take over the strategic Mideast country.

    It demanded that all Yemeni parties, especially the Houthis, end violence and "resume and accelerate'' UN-brokered negotiations to continue the country's political transition.......france24.com

    ReplyDelete
  140. Griechenland weist Pleite-Gerüchte zurück ...

    "Am 24. April wird nicht das Ende der Welt kommen"...

    Trotz der stockenden Verhandlungen mit den Euro-Partnern, bleibt Griechenland optimistisch. Regierungskreise dementieren Bankrott-Gerüchte. ESM-Chef Regling bewertet die Liquiditätspuffer dagegen als sehr klein.

    Griechenland und die internationalen Geldgeber bereiten sich nicht auf einen griechischen Bankrott am 24. April vor. Kreise der Regierung in Athen dementierten am Dienstag einen Bericht der "Financial Times" (FT) vom Vortag, wonach sich die Partner in der EU und Griechenland auf eine Pleite Griechenlands vorbereiteten, sollte es bis dahin zu keiner Einigung über das laufende Spar- und Konsolidierungsprogramm kommen. "Wir werden sie (die FT) noch einmal enttäuschen. Wir bereiten keinen Bankrott vor. ... Am 24. April wird nicht das Ende der Welt kommen", hieß es aus Regierungskreisen weiter.....n24.de
    14/4/15

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  141. Méditerranée: 400 migrants disparus dans le naufrage de dimanche selon des survivants...

    Jusqu'à 400 migrants ont disparu dans le naufrage d'une embarcation de fortune dimanche en Méditerranée, selon des survivants débarqués mardi matin en Italie et interrogés par l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) et l'ONG "Save the children".

    Les garde-côtes italiens, qui ont porté secours à 42 bateaux chargés au total de plus de 6.500 migrants dimanche et lundi, avaient annoncé avoir sauvé 144 personnes et récupéré neuf corps après le naufrage de l'une de ces embarcations.
    AFP

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  142. La Grèce pourrait mettre ses bases militaires à la disposition de la Russie

    Rien n'empêche la Grèce d'accorder une assistance technique et militaire à la Russie, estime l'historien et philosophe grec Ilias Iliopoulos.

    Une coopération militaro-technique plus étroite avec la Russie est dans l'intérêt de la Grèce, et Athènes pourrait notamment, si besoin, mettre ses bases militaires à la disposition de Moscou, a indiqué Ilias Iliopoulos, professeur de géostratégie à l'Ecole de défense nationale de Grèce.

    Selon l'expert, ces questions pourraient être examinées lors de la visite en Russie du ministre grec de la Défense Panos Kamménos les 15 et 16 avrils.

    "Je salue la visite du ministre en Russie, estimant qu'elle aura une grande portée politique. En violation du droit international, l'Occident mène à présent une guerre non déclarée contre la Russie", a déclaré M.Iliopoulos...............http://sptnkne.ws/dy8
    14/4/15

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  143. The Algerian army has discovered a weapons cache near its border with Libya, the Algerian defence ministry said on Tuesday.

    Last year, Algeria closed its border crossings to Libya and put its military on high alert, fearing an influx of Islamist militants exploiting chaos in neighbouring Libya.

    The cache was found in a remote southern corner of the country, bordering Libya and Niger. It included two mortars, two rocket launchers, 45 rockets of different types and 225 kg of explosives and landmines, the ministry said in a statement.

    Algerian officials worry that militants from al Qaeda and Islamic State are building up a presence in lawless southern Libya to move fighters and weapons across porous borders with Algeria, Chad and Niger.

    Algeria, emerging from more than a decade of strife with militants during which 200,000 people died, is a key U.S. partner in the Sahel in its fight against Islamist armed groups.
    REUTERS
    dailystar.com.lb

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  144. Rebels call mass rallies to protest UN Yemen resolution...

    Yemen's rebel Supreme Revolutionary Committee has condemned a United Nations Security Council resolution imposing an arms embargo on the group, saying the decision supported "aggression".

    In a news flash on the group's official television channel on Tuesday, the Houthi rebels' governing body said it "calls on the masses of the Yemeni people to rally and protest on Thursday to condemn the Security Council resolution in support of the aggression".

    The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Yemen earlier on Tuesday, imposing an arms embargo on the Houthi rebels and calling on them to withdraw from areas they have seized, including the capital Sanaa.

    The 15-member council passed the resolution with 14 countries voting in favour while one - Russia - abstained.........aljazeera.com

    ReplyDelete
  145. US Senate Panel Approves Legislation on Nuclear Deal With Iran...

    A U.S. Senate panel has approved legislation that would give Congress a right to vote on a possible deal with Iran aimed at preventing Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on the bill Tuesday after Democrats and Republicans reached a compromise on the measure.....video.....http://www.voanews.com/media/video/2719604.html

    ReplyDelete
  146. SpaceX bid to recycle rocket fails again...

    SpaceX's latest attempt at recycling its Falcon 9 rocket by landing it upright on an ocean platform failed on Tuesday (Arp 14), after a successful launch of its cargo mission to space.

    "Ascent successful. Dragon en route to Space Station. Rocket landed on droneship, but too hard for survival,"SpaceX chief Elon Musk said on Twitter, after the rocket and Dragon cargo ship blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

    The California-based company headed by the Internet entrepreneur and billionaire is aiming to revolutionise the rocket industry by making the equipment as reusable as commercial planes, potentially saving millions of dollars.

    Currently, rocket pieces fall into the ocean after launch and cannot be salvaged for another flight. But SpaceX has a long way to go before it can hone the technology so that the first stage of the rocket can be flown back in a controlled manner and set down carefully on an ocean platform.

    The company's first public attempt in January also failed, when the rocket broke into pieces after colliding with the autonomous droneship, the floating platform which is marked with an X......AFP........channelnewsasia.com
    15/4/15

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  147. Egypt, Saudi Arabia agree to hold major military maneuver...

    Egypt and Saudi Arabia agreed on Tuesday to carry out a major strategic military maneuver in the latter's territory, which is to be joined by other Gulf and Arab states, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said in a statement.

    The statement came after a meeting between al-Sisi and visiting Saudi Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman, who had also held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sedqi Sobhi.

    "Egypt represents one of the main and effective forces to achieve security and stability in the Middle East region," the Saudi defense minister said.......Xinhua
    15/4/15

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  148. China issues white paper on Tibet, denouncing Dalai Lama's 'middle way' ...

    The Chinese government on Wednesday issued a white paper on southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, applauding its development path and denouncing the "middle way" advocated by the Dalai Lama.

    The white paper, under the title "Tibet's Path of Development Is Driven by an Irresistible Historical Tide", holds that Tibet's current development path is correct.

    Tibet's continual progress on its present path of development is an objective requirement of modern civilization. It accords with the progressive trend of human society, the prevailing conditions and the current reality in China, and the fundamental interests of all ethnic groups in Tibet, says the white paper, released by the Information Office of the State Council.

    However, the report points out that there is a party who cluster around the 14th Dalai Lama, representatives of the remnants of the feudal serf owners who have long lived in exile, driven by a political goal of "Tibetan independence" and a sentimental attachment to the old theocratic feudal serfdom.

    Having failed to instigate violence in support of their cause, they turned to the "middle way", which negates Tibet's sound development path and attempts to create a "state within a state" on Chinese territory as an interim step towards the ultimate goal of full independence.

    The report accuses the Dalai group of being opportunistic in the talks with the central government...........Xinhua
    15/4/15

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  149. A Senate committee on Tuesday unanimously approved a compromise bill that gives Congress more say in a final Iran accord...

    Lawmakers on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill in a bipartisan 19-0 vote.

    The agreement comes as Secretary of State John Kerry and other senior administration officials briefed Congress behind closed doors for a second consecutive day of ongoing nuclear talks.

    President Barack Obama has worked tirelessly to stop lawmakers from passing new sanctions legislation on Iran, which administration officials say could potentially derail ongoing negotiations with Iran and weaken international support for existing sanctions.

    He previously threatened to veto similar legislation.....www.aa.com.tr
    14/4/15

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  150. Cars with Palestinian plates allowed to enter Israel for 1st time in 15 years...

    For the first time in almost a generation a handful of vehicles with Palestinian plates have been allowed to enter Jerusalem. The exception so far has been made for Palestinian doctors from West Bank working in Israeli hospitals.

    During the first phase of the plan to loosen restrictions on Palestinian movements inside the ancient city, some 100 doctors from Bethlehem and Hebron in the West Bank will be allowed to enter Jerusalem in their private vehicles.

    Palestinian cars have been banned from entering Israel for “security reasons” since the outbreak of the second intifada in 2000. It has taken 15 years for them to return.

    The program began Tuesday and the first exception was made for doctors and medical personnel providing emergency treatment in Israeli hospitals, authorities announced. The chief of COGAT (Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories) Yoav Mordechai approved the order for doctors who “work shifts and other jobs that require heightened responsiveness.” .......rt.com
    15/4/15

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  151. Congress will not derail nuclear talks, Iran says...

    (Reuters) - Iran will not allow U.S. domestic politics to derail nuclear negotiations, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Wednesday, after U.S. President Barack Obama conceded that Congress will have the power to review any final deal.

    Republicans and some Democrats in Congress had pressured Obama to allow legislative oversight of the nuclear negotiations.

    "That is an issue related to their domestic affairs. We are dealing with the American government," Afkham said at a news conference carried by state television.......reuters.com
    15/4/15

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  152. US Citizens Fleeing Yemen on Ships Headed for Djibouti...

    Hundreds of American citizens and their families have fled Yemen on foreign ships, fleeing intense Saudi-US airstrikes, a US official said Tuesday.

    They have been brought to safety on board Indian, Korean and Russian ships sailing from Yemen across a narrow channel of the Red Sea, only 30 kilometers wide, to Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

    Last week the United States admitted it had no immediate plans to rescue its nationals stranded in war-hit Yemen and urged them to flee the raging conflict by sea, triggering angry claims that Yemeni-US dual nationals had been abandoned by Washington.

    Acting State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, who called such claims "offensive," said those arriving in Djibouti had been offered food, water and medical attention as well as shelter from the heat by US embassy officials as they waited to be screened and processed......almanar.com.lb
    15/4/15

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  153. Israel arrests 29 Hamas activists in West Bank...

    Israeli forces arrested 29 students, Hamas activists and a journalist overnight during fresh raids in the occupied West Bank, the army said on Wednesday.

    A Palestinian security source confirmed that "around 30 people" had been detained in and around the northern city of Nablus, most of whom were Hamas members.

    Among those arrested were university students and a journalist. Troops also confiscated computers and mobile phones, the source said...............dailystar.com.lb
    15/4/15

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  154. Litauen rüstet seine Streitkräfte massiv auf ...

    Litauen rüstet seine Streitkräfte derzeit massiv auf. Nach einer Studie des Stockholmer Friedensforschungsinstituts SIPRI hat das größte baltische Land seine Verteidigungsausgaben im vergangenen Jahr um 50 Prozent erhöht. Das ist die höchste Wachstumsrate in der Europäischen Union und der NATO. Litauen grenzt an die russische Exklave Kaliningrad und fühlt sich seit der russischen Annexion der Krim massiv von dem mächtigen Nachbarland bedroht.

    Deutschland unterstützt die Aufrüstung Litauens im Zuge der Ukraine-Krise mit zwölf Panzerhaubitzen. Die deutsche Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) sagte der litauischen Regierung die Lieferung der schweren Artilleriegeschütze am Mittwoch bei ihrem Besuch Vilnius fest zu. Sie sollen aus den Beständen der Bundeswehr für etwa 15 Millionen Euro verkauft werden.....kurier.at
    15/5/15

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  155. Die Bundeswehr wird im laufenden Jahr 400 Soldaten zur Festigung der Sicherheit der baltischen Staaten nach Lettland entsenden. Verteidigungsministerin Ursula von der Leyen zufolge werden sie zwischen drei und fünf Monate im Land bleiben und sich an Manövern beteiligen...

    Dies teilte die Ministerin am Dienstag in der lettischen Hauptstadt Riga mit, wo sie zu einem offiziellen Besuch eingetroffen war. Zuvor hatte sie Estland besucht. Am Mittwoch sind Gespräche im litauischen Vilnius geplant.
    http://sptnkne.ws/d6c
    15/4/15

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  156. Rouhani says nuclear deal possible only if sanctions lifted...

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Tehran will not accept a comprehensive nuclear deal with major powers if all sanctions imposed on Tehran were not lifted, state television reported.

    "If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement," Rouhani said in a televised speech in the northern city of Rasht.

    The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of cancelling the oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran."

    Rouhani also said the US Congress' power to review a nuclear deal with Iran was a domestic matter.

    "We are in talks with the major powers and not with the Congress," he said, adding Iran wanted to end its isolation by having "constructive interaction with the world and not confrontation".
    Reuters
    timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    15/4/15

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  157. Farc rebels 'kill 10 Colombian soldiers'...

    Ten Colombian soldiers have been killed in an attack by left-wing Farc rebels in west of the country, officials say.

    The government says 17 soldiers were also injured, four of them seriously, following an attack in the Farc stronghold of Cauca.

    President Juan Manuel Santos says he will travel to the area on Wednesday.

    There is currently a ceasefire between the Marxist guerrilla group and the government as they hold peace talks in Havana, Cuba.

    The soldiers were attacked at dawn at an army garrison in a small town of Cauca, according to local governor Temistocles Ortega.

    The army says the rebels used explosives, grenades and firearms.

    On Twitter, President Santos condemned the killing of soldiers, adding "this is why we want to end the war"........bbc.com
    15/4/15

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  158. Griechenlands Schuldenkrise: Staatsbankrott ohne Euro-Austritt?

    Griechenland geht das Geld aus. Lange kann das klamme Land seine Schulden nicht mehr ohne weitere Hilfe bedienen. Deswegen denken die Kreditgeber offenbar darüber nach, wie Hellas trotz Pleite im Euro bleiben kann......faz.net
    15/4/15

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  159. Iran behind rise of Houthis: coalition spokesman...

    Tehran is responsible for the rise of the Houthi militants in Yemen, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday adding that the Islamic republic set up and armed the Shiite militias.

    Saudi Arabia and the United States have accused Iran of arming the group, prompting the Security Council to adopt a resolution – drafted by the Arab bloc – which placed an arms embargo against the Houthis.

    Speaking to reporters in Riyadh, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said that naval ships operating under the coalition have not intercepted attempts to smuggle weapons into the country adding that both the Yemeni coast and airspace remains under their control........alarabiya.net

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  160. Griechenland-Krise: Schäuble stellt Ultimatum für Verbleib in Euro-Zone...

    Seit Wochen hat Schäuble zu Griechenland geschwiegen. Jetzt richtet er deutliche Worte Richtung Athen. Die neue Regierung habe "die Zahlen zerstört". Nun hänge es "ausschließlich an Griechenland"....welt.de

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  161. Iraq PM says Yemen could stoke regional war, slams Saudi operations ...

    Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said on Wednesday the fighting in Yemen could engulf the region in war, and suggested after talks in Washington that US leaders shared his concerns and "want to stop this conflict as soon as possible."

    Abadi, who met with US President Barack Obama on Tuesday, also said that convincing Iraq's neighbor Saudi Arabia to halt its offensive in Yemen could be difficult........jpost.com by Reuters

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  162. Russia demands investigation into facts of desecration of WWII Red Army monument in Sofia....

    Russian demands thorough investigation into the recent act of vandalism against the WWII Soviet Army memorial in central Sofia and punishment for the desecrators, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Wednesday.

    Vandals committed another act of vandalism against the Soviet Army memorial in central Sofia on the night to April 14. The monument symbolizes the Bulgarian people’s gratitude to Soviet soldiers and officers who liberated Europe from fascist slavery, the ministry went on to say.........http://tass.ru/en/russia/789544
    15/4/15

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