Sunday, April 5, 2015

Aprovlepto El Kratos News (April 2015 - B)

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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.
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146 comments :

  1. Grèce: S&P abaisse la note d'un cran à CCC+, avec perspective négative...

    L'agence Standard and Poor's a abaissé mercredi la note de la dette grecque d'un cran à CCC+ et l'a assortie d'une perspective négative, en raison notamment du flottement entourant les discussions entre Athènes et ses créanciers internationaux.

    Cette décision reflète le fait que les conditions économiques et financières nécessaires à la solvabilité de la Grèce "se sont détériorées en raison de l'incertitude entourant les négociations prolongées entre le gouvernement grec depuis bientôt trois mois à la tête du pays et ses créanciers officiels", écrit l'agence dans un communiqué.

    Sans conclusion prochaine de ces négociations, dont dépend le versement d'une dernière tranche de prêts du programme d'assistance international au pays, "les perspectives économiques" de la Grèce "pourraient se dégrader encore davantage", alors que, selon S&P, le PIB s'est déjà contracté de 1% sur les six derniers mois.

    L'agence situe à la mi-mai le délai maximum pour un accord entre Athènes et ses créanciers afin de laisser le temps au parlement grec de voter les réformes qui conditionneront le déboursement de la dernière tranche d'aide........rtbf.be
    15/4/15

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  2. Deadly FARC assault puts Colombia peace talks in jeopardy...

    Eleven soldiers were killed and 19 injured in an attack by leftist guerrillas in Colombia, likely a major violation of the rebels’ pledge of a unilateral ceasefire that throws into doubt the future of peace talks.

    The attack occurred around midnight Tuesday in the volatile southwest department of Cauca when an army unit on a routine patrol was surprised by guerrillas firing homemade explosives and grenades. A corporal and 10 others were killed during the ambush by a unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the army’s third division said in a statement.....france24.com

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  3. UN peace envoy to Yemen resigns...

    The UN peace envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, has resigned, a UN official said on Wednesday, after losing support from Gulf countries for his mission in the conflict-riven nation.

    The Moroccan diplomat had been UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for Yemen since 2012.

    Benomar has "indicated his willingness to leave his post" as Yemen envoy, a UN official told AFP on condition of anonymity....AFP...timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    16/4/15

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  4. EU Parliament calls for Turkey to recognise 'genocide'...

    The European Parliament has called on Turkey to recognise the "Armenian genocide", sparking condemnation from Ankara, which says the move is "inconsistent with international law".

    "Armenia and Turkey should use the centenary of the Armenian genocide to renew diplomatic relations, open the border and pave the way for economic integration," a statement by the EU legislature said on Wednesday after it adopted a non-binding resolution on the issue.

    The Members of the European Parliament (MEP) also called on Turkey to open its archives and “come to terms with its past”.

    The EU institution praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials for "offering condolences and recognising atrocities against the Ottoman Armenians".

    Ankara agrees that many Armenians died in ethnic fighting and the deportation process between 1915 and 1917, during World War I, putting its estimate at 300,000 causalities.

    Armenia says 1.5 million died in the whole process, including the march to Syria, in what they claim to be genocide. The accusation is denied by Turkey, who says there was no systematic attempt to destroy Armenians.

    The centenary of the 1915 killings is to be commemorated on April 24.

    MEPs invited Armenia and Turkey to use examples of successful reconciliation between European nations by ratifying and implementing, without preconditions, the protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations, opening the border and actively improving their relations...........aljazeera.com

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  5. Immigration: Rome demande à l'UE un soutien financier aux opérations de secours...

    (Belga) L'Italie demande à l'Union Européenne un soutien financier accru aux opérations de secours des migrants en Méditerranée et une "réponse claire" sur les lieux où ceux-ci, une fois secourus, doivent être conduits, a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie italienne Paolo Gentiloni.

    "La surveillance et les secours en mer pèsent à 90% sur nos épaules: là-dessus nous n'avons pas obtenu de réponse adéquate de l'Union européenne", a affirmé le ministre dans une interview jeudi au quotidien Corriere della Sera. "Et puis, il y a un problème plus délicat: le secours en mer implique de savoir où les personnes secourues doivent être envoyées. Dans le port le plus proche? Dans le pays de provenance du bateau qui les récupère? L'UE doit répondre avec clarté". Des associations humanitaires ont dénoncé l'incurie des autorités européennes face aux naufrages de migrants en Méditerranée, après la disparition présumée en mer, dimanche, d'environ 400 d'entre eux malgré les recherches des garde-côtes italiens......rtl.be
    16/4/15

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  6. Search Area for MH370 to Double ...

    Malaysia, China and Australia say the search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner MH370 will be doubled if no trace of the plane is soon found. The announcement followed a joint meeting of government ministers in Kuala Lumpur.

    Amid the continuing and, so far, fruitless search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the primary interested parties have been contemplating what to do next if nothing is discovered in the current area of exploration.

    Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Australian and Chinese officials Thursday, Malaysia Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai announced an expanded search will commence to the north of the current sector in the Indian Ocean, off Australia's west coast.

    “If the aircraft is not found within the current 60,000 square kilometer search area we have collectively decided to extend the search by an additional 60,000 square kilometers within the highest probability area,” said Liow..........voanews.com
    16/4/15

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  7. Chinese military products present at defense-security expo...

    Four Chinese state-owned military firms, organized by China's State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, are participating in the four-day 2015 Latin America Aerospace and Defence (LAAD) international exhibition, which kicked off on Tuesday and has attracted some 700 exhibitors worldwide.

    At the expo, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation is featuring 64 products for different ship systems with aircraft carrier Liaoning as a highlight, while Poly Technologies Inc. has a 46-meter-long patrol ship and Rainbow 4 UAV on display.

    Meanwhile, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation is exhibiting several models of Chinese-made rockets, as China National Electronics Import and Export Corporation (CEIEC) is showing multi-function radars and anti-mine equipment....Xinhua..china.org.cn
    16/5/15

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  8. Dozens die in latest migrant sinking...

    More than 40 people have drowned off Sicily in the latest sinking of a migrant boat between Libya and Italy, Italian media reports.

    Almost 10,000 migrants have been rescued trying to reach the Italian coast in recent days. Hundreds have died since the start of the year.

    Italy has called for more help from the European Union in handling the crisis.

    Earlier this week, about 400 people were believed to have drowned when their boat capsized.

    Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Italy had "not had an adequate response from the EU".

    But the European Union has said it has no "silver bullet" for the problem of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe.
    bbc.com
    16/4/15

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  9. Serbia descarta su ingreso en la OTAN...

    Serbia no aspira a ser miembro de pleno derecho de la OTAN, ha declarado el ministro de Defensa de este país, Bratislav Gasic.

    Además ha subrayado que el país no va a modificar su clara posición en relación con la política de neutralidad militar.

    "Quiero hacer hincapié en que Serbia no busca convertirse en miembro de pleno derecho de la OTAN", ha recalcado el titular de cartera al intervenir en la Conferencia de Seguridad de Moscú.

    Según los últimos sondeos de opinión, solo un 10% de la población serbia apoya la adhesión del país a la OTAN.
    http://sptnkne.ws/dQ9
    16/4/15

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  10. Ue alla Grecia: Non siamo soddisfatti...

    Le parole del portavoce di Jean Claude Juncker: il lavoro deve intensificarsi. Ieri la bocciatura di Standard & Poors, che ha declassato a CCC+ il rating sovrano ellenico. L'ipotesi default senza uscire dall'euro.

    Dopo le parole di ieri di Mario Draghi, che aveva parlato di decisioni "tutte nelle mani di Atene", è di oggi un altro segnale di impazienza da parte dell'Europa nei confronti della Grecia. Se il governatore BCE ha infatti detto ieri che "la liquidità alla Grecia non ha scadenza", un termine temporale ben preciso ci sarebbe, il prossimo 24 aprile. In quella data è previsto una riunione dell'Eurogruppo a Riga, dove come anticipato anticipato alla stampa europea da fonti diplomatiche europee, la Grecia non dovrebbe ottenere altri aiuti. Oggi le parole del portavoce di Jean Claude Juncker, che ha parlato dei risultati raggiunti finora.

    "Il lavoro prosegue ma non siamo soddisfatti del livello di progressi raggiunto finora".........http://sptnkne.ws/dNn
    16/4/15

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  11. Russia will not penalize France over Mistral decision: Putin...

    (Reuters) - Russia will not impose penalties against France over its failure to fulfill a 1.2 billion euro contract to supply two Mistral helicopter carriers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday

    "We do intend to seek any penalties or fines ... but it is necessary that all costs we have incurred are covered," Putin said during his annual televised call-in show.

    "I assume the current French leadership and the French generally are good people and will return our money," he said.

    France last year suspended indefinitely the delivery of the first of the two warships ordered by Russia because of Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis.

    Putin said Russia's defense capability would not be hurt by France's decision.
    reuters.com
    16/4/15

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  12. Ukrainian journalist with pro-Russian views shot dead in Kiev...

    A prominent Ukrainian journalist known for his pro-Russian views was shot dead on Thursday in Kiev by two masked gunmen, the interior ministry said, a day after a former lawmaker loyal to ousted president Viktor Yanukovich was also killed.

    Oles Buzina, 45, was known for his pro-Russian opinion pieces published in Ukraine's Sevodnya daily newspaper, which is part of the media empire of Ukraine's richest businessman Rinat Akhmetov. He ran in last year's election for a parliamentary seat for the Russian Bloc party, but was not elected......Reuters......timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    16/4/15

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  13. Saudi Arabia is Yemen's Israel: Hezbollah...

    Hezbollah censured the U.N. Security Council decision to impose an arms embargo on Yemen’s Houthis Thursday, comparing the Saudi-led military campaign to the Israeli wars on Gaza.

    “What Saudi Arabia is committing [in Yemen] is identical to what Israel commits in Gaza,” Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem told France 24 in an interview Thursday. “It is about attacking infrastructure and shelling civilians.”

    The Hezbollah no. 2 said it was time for Saudi Arabia to “learn” and push for a political solution through national dialogue in Yemen.

    The Security Council resolution adopted Wednesday imposes an arms embargo on the Houthi rebels and calls on them to withdraw from areas they had seized, including the capital Sanaa...............The Daily Star
    16/4/15

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  14. "Thaci will be detained if he comes to Belgrade"...

    BELGRADE -- Serbian Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic has said that Deputy Kosovo PM and former KLA leader Hashim Thaci will be detained if he comes to Belgrade.

    "If Thaci comes to Belgrade the police will act in accordance with the law and bring him to justice," Stefanovic told reporters on Thursday after his meeting with visiting EU Commissioner Christ Stylianides.

    On Wednesday, Thaci's deputy Petrit Selimi confirmed for the Beta agency that an NGO had invited Thaci to take part in a gathering in Belgrade on April 24, and that it was "the task of Serbian authorities to guarantee his safe stay."
    b92.net
    16/4/15

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  15. Al-Qaeda seizes Yemen airport...

    Militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have seized an airport in southern Yemen, officials say.

    Troops guarding the site in the major port city of Mukalla, Hadramawt province, have fled, they said.

    AQAP has exploited the chaos gripping the country, overrunning Mukalla earlier this month and freeing inmates from a prison.

    A Saudi-led coalition has been bombing Shia Houthi rebels, who have been advancing across the country.

    The Houthis swept into the capital Sanaa last September, eventually forcing President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee abroad.............bbc.com

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  16. Police in Italy say Muslim migrants threw 12 Christians overboard on crossing from Libya...

    Italy's migration crisis took on a deadly new twist Thursday as police in Sicily reported that Muslim migrants had thrown 12 Christians overboard during a recent crossing from Libya, and an aid group said another 41 were feared drowned in a separate incident.

    Palermo police said they had detained 15 people suspected in the high seas assault, which they learned of while interviewing tearful survivors from Nigeria and Ghana who had arrived in Palermo Wednesday morning after being rescued at sea by the ship Ellensborg.

    The 15 were accused of multiple homicide aggravated by religious hatred, police said in a statement.............ctvnews.ca

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  17. Sous les tirs des rebelles et du régime, Alep se sent abandonnée...

    Après leurs succès à Idleb, les rebelles menés par le Front al-Nosra poursuivent leur avancée sur Alep et ciblent les quartiers ouest tenus par le régime. Les habitants des deux côtés de la ville se sentent abandonnés à leur sort.

    "Sommes-nous réellement abandonnés ? Le monde a-t-il complètement oublié Alep ?" Sur Facebook, les Alépins n’ont de cesse de s’interroger sur leur sort tout en criant au secours. Alep, ancien poumon économique de la Syrie, est restée plus d’un an à l’écart du conflit syrien. Depuis juillet 2012, la partie est de la ville est ravagée par les combats et les bombardements. Devenue aujourd’hui l’une des principales lignes de front de la guerre, la ville intra-muros est divisée en deux : les quartiers de l'est sont entre les mains des rebelles et ceux de l’ouest sont tenus par le régime............france24.com
    17/4/15

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  18. Les ressortissants des pays scandinaves ayant adhéré au groupe djihadiste Etat islamique (EI) et devenus par la suite ses leaders, représentent le plus grand danger pour la Syrie, selon Bachar el-Assad...

    Les ressortissants des pays scandinaves ayant adhéré au groupe djihadiste Etat islamique (EI) et devenus par la suite ses leaders, représentent le plus grand danger pour la Syrie, a déclaré le président Bachar el-Assad.

    "Les leaders les plus dangereux de l'EI dans notre région sont des Scandinaves (…) Nous disposons de cette information", a indiqué le chef de l'Etat syrien dans une interview accordée au quotidien suédois Expressen.

    Le président syrien a souligné que le terrorisme constituait un problème mondial et non plus un problème intérieur ou régional.

    Par ailleurs, M.Assad a remercié la Suède pour octroyer un asile aux réfugiés syriens......http://sptnkne.ws/ed3
    17/4/15

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  19. Italian navy takes back fishing boat seized near Libya...

    (Reuters) - Italian navy personnel on Friday boarded a Sicilian fishing boat and took custody of a Libyan soldier on board after the vessel was seized overnight off the coast of the North African state, the defense ministry said.

    The Mediterranean has grown increasingly deadly as hundreds of thousands of people put themselves in the hands of migrant traffickers for harrowing journeys on overloaded boats to Europe to escape conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East.

    A defense ministry statement said a tugboat apparently belonging to Libyan security forces had stopped an Italian trawler early on Friday, around 90 km (55 miles) from the port of Misrata.

    Italy's navy subsequently intercepted and took control of the vessel, encountering no resistance from the sole Libyan soldier on board, who was transferred to an Italian ship.

    One fisherman suffered minor injuries, the ministry said.........reuters.com
    17/4/15

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  20. Ukraine wants global court to investigate crimes in Crimea and east...

    Ukraine wants the International Criminal Court to investigate all alleged recent war crimes in Crimea and eastern Ukraine, Foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin said in an interview, broadening an existing probe.

    Ukraine has already given the global court the authority to investigate crimes on its territory from November 21, 2013, to February 22, 2014, the period leading up to the fall of Ukraine's former president Viktor Yanukovich. The crises in Crimea and the east emerged later in 2014.

    "We are quite optimistic about more, definitely more, engagement of the ICC," Pavlo Klimkin told Reuters before meeting the court's president and prosecutor on Friday.

    An ICC referral would cover "everything under the (ICC) mandate, including crimes against humanity", he said.

    Klimkin named the attack on the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine which killed 30 in January as an example of a crime against humanity........Reuters...........http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    17/4/15

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  21. Iran submits four-point Yemen peace plan to United Nations...

    Iran's foreign minister on Friday submitted a letter to U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon outlining a four-point peace plan for Yemen, where Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been targeted for weeks by Saudi-led air strikes.

    The plan, which Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced in Pakistan earlier this month, calls for an immediate ceasefire and end of all foreign military attacks, humanitarian assistance, a resumption of broad national dialogue and "establishment of an inclusive national unity government."

    "It is imperative for the international community to get more effectively involved in ending the senseless aerial attacks and establishing a ceasefire, ensuring delivery of humanitarian and medical assistance to the people of Yemen and restoring peace and stability to this country through dialogue and national reconciliation without pre-conditions," said Zarif's letter, which was obtained by Reuters.
    Reuters
    dailystar.com.lb
    17/4/15

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  22. Obama, Italy's Renzi say military strikes not answer to Libya...

    U.S. President Barack Obama and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Friday urged a political solution to the conflict in Libya, saying foreign military operations were unlikely to solve the crisis there.

    "Libya is obviously an area of great concern," Obama said. He earlier said he and Renzi did not discuss possible drone strikes during their meeting at the White House.

    "We will not be able to solve the problem with just a few drone strikes or a few military operations," he said at a joint news conference with Renzi after their talk.

    "We will combine counterterrorism efforts in cooperation with Italy and other like-minded nations with a political effort," Obama said.

    Renzi said separately that peace in Libya must be achieved internally among the parties there.
    REUTERS
    dailystar.com.lb
    17/4/15

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  23. La crise grecque s’invite en arrière plan du G20 Finances...

    Les craintes d’un retour d’une crise de l’euro ont resurgi à Washington en marge des réunions de printemps du FMI. Les ministres des Finances du G20 s’inquiètent aussi des risques d’instabilité sur les marchés financiers.

    Si le vice Premier ministre turc, Ali Babacan, dont le pays assure cette année la présidence du G20, a assuré qu’une sortie de la Grèce de la zone n’avait pas été abordée lors de la rencontre des ministres des Finances du G20, vendredi à Washington, l’ombre d’une crise majeure dans ce pays a toutefois occupé les esprits. A une semaine de la réunion de l’Eurogroupe, à Riga, la nervosité des marchés boursiers - l’indice Eurostoxx 50 s’est replié de 2,07% et à Paris l’indice CAC 40 a abandonné 1,55% - est venu leur rappeler les inquiétudes des investisseurs...........lesechos.fr
    17/4/15

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  24. Teenagers planned Australian terror attack for ANZAC centenary: police...

    Teenagers inspired by the hardline Islamic State militant group planned a major terrorism attack in Melbourne to mark the centenary next week of the ANZAC landings at Gallipoli during World War I, Australian police said on Saturday.

    "This particular matter was ISIS inspired," a senior police spokesman told a news conference.
    REUTERS
    todayonline.com

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  25. Gun battle kills three in Mexican border city of Reynosa...

    Gun battles have left at least three people dead on the streets of Reynosa, a Mexican city on the border with the US that has been plagued by drug cartel violence.

    Fighting broke out after the arrest of a leader of one of the main gangs in the area.

    "The same criminal group reacted by attacking federal forces," officials said in a statement.

    The statement described the dead men as "armed civilians".

    Officials said parts of the city had been blocked with vehicles set on fire by gunmen. Authorities issued an urgent notice warning residents not to use various main roads because of shooting and blockades..........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-32363587
    18/4/15

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  26. Drohende Staatspleite von Griechenland: Athen plant Milliarden-Deal mit Russland...

    Ein Milliarden-Deal mit Russland soll Griechenland vor dem Bankrott retten. Beamte der Syrizia-Partei sind enthusiastisch und sich sicher, dass sich "das Blatt nun wenden wird".

    Das von der Staatspleite bedrohte Griechenland will nach Informationen von "Spiegel Online" durch ein Energieabkommen mit Russland bis zu fünf Milliarden Euro einnehmen.......n24.de
    18/4/15

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    1. La Grecia pronta a firmare con Russia affare miliardario per costruzione gasdotto “Turkish Stream” (in qualità di anticipo) ...

      Se l'affare andrà in porto, Atene si aspetta entrate da 3 a 5 miliardi di euro, che saranno versate in qualità di anticipo per il transito di gas russo verso la UE attraverso il territorio greco.

      La Grecia e la Russia intendono firmare un accordo bilaterale, in base al quale a titolo di pagamento anticipato per la costruzione del gasdotto "Turkish Stream" Atene può incassare fino a 5 miliardi di euro, scrive oggi il giornale tedesco "Spiegel" citando un membro di Syriza, partito di sinistra al governo in Grecia......ellanodikis.net
      18/4/15

      Delete
  27. Indian troops fire at Kashmir protesters; teenager killed...

    Police say a teenage student was killed when Indian government forces fired on protesters on the second day of violent clashes in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

    The protesters had gathered Saturday morning as shops, businesses and public transportation shut down for a strike called by separatists challenging India's sovereignty in Kashmir.....AP.......dailystar.com.lb
    18/4/15

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  28. 30 detained as xenophobic violence spreads in South Africa...

    South African police have detained more than 30 people as a wave of violence against Africans and other immigrants spread to Johannesburg.

    The xenophobic violence that erupted in the country's eastern port city of Durban several weeks ago has so far left at least six people dead and displaced thousands.

    Overnight, small groups attacked shops in several areas around Johannesburg, police said.

    "More than 30 people were arrested last night. At this stage the situation is calm but we plan to increase our deployment," a police spokesman said.

    Police had to use rubber bullets to disperse looters in Alexandra, an impoverished township north of the city.

    Several thousand foreigners have fled their homes to shelter in makeshift camps amid the violence, and neighbouring Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique announced plans to evacuate their citizens............rte.ie
    18/4/15

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  29. Pope asks Europe to do more for migrants flooding into Italy...

    Pope Francis is asking the European Union to do more to help Italy with the mounting numbers of desperate people needing rescue in the Mediterranean on risky boat journeys to flee war, persecution or poverty.

    After meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the Vatican Saturday, Francis said it's "evident the proportions of the phenomenon require much boarder involvement." He urges tireless appeals to "solicit a more extensive commitment at the European and international level."

    Francis thanked Italy for rescuing and sheltering the refugees and other migrants whose numbers approach 200,000 since the start of 2014. More than 10,000 arrived in the past week alone......AP..ctvnews.ca

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    1. Pope Francis urges more international action on migrants...

      Pope Francis has called on Europe and the international community to do more to tackle the rising number of migrants making desperate and often deadly journeys across the Mediterranean.

      The Pope thanked Italy, which has borne the brunt of the rescue efforts, and urged a "broader involvement".

      Some 10,000 migrants have been rescued in the past week by Italy's coastguard, but 400 were feared drowned on Monday.

      Last year, a record 170,000 people made the crossing to Italy.

      Most were fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East.

      Earlier this week, an EU spokeswoman said there was no "silver bullet" for the situation.........bbc.com

      Delete
  30. Violences xénophobes en Afrique du Sud: un étranger poignardé à Johannesburg...

    Un étranger a été tué dans un township en Afrique du Sud. La police enquête pour savoir si ce meurtre est en lien avec les violences xénophobes survenues récemment.

    La police a confirmé samedi la mort d'un étranger dans le grand township d'Alexandra, à Johannesburg, où des casseurs xénophobes se sont livrés à des pillages durant la nuit de vendredi à samedi, mais refusant de faire le lien immédiat avec ces violences......rtl.be
    18/4/15

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  31. Israel, Palestinians 'reach accord' on frozen taxes...

    Israel has agreed to transfer in full hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes collected for the Palestinian Authority but frozen in a row over the International Criminal Court, the Palestinian premier said.

    Rami Hamdallah, in a statement from his office late yesterday, said Israel pledged at a meeting with Palestinian officials to hand over the taxes collected between December and March, amounting to almost half a billion dollars.

    Israeli media said the transfer of 1.8 billion shekels would take place on Monday.

    The Palestinians had threatened to turn to the International Criminal Court over Israel's decision in early January to retain the taxes in retaliation for the Palestinians joining the ICC.

    The monthly funds account for two-thirds of the Palestinians' annual budget, excluding foreign aid......AFP....http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    18/4/15

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  32. Le président de la BCE fait monter encore la pression sur la Grèce...

    (Belga) Le président de la BCE Mario Draghi a assuré samedi que la réponse à la crise en Grèce était "dans les mains du gouvernement grec", ajoutant qu'"il faut beaucoup plus de travail et c'est urgent"......rtl.be

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  33. "Hécatombe" redoutée en Méditerranée après le naufrage d'un bateau de migrants...

    Un chalutier transportant environ 700 migrants aurait fait naufrage en mer Méditerranée, apprend-on dimanche. Le naufrage pourrait avoir fait jusqu'à 700 morts, a annoncé dimanche le Haut-commissariat aux Nations unies pour les réfugiés (HCR). L'Union européenne a annoncé la tenue prochaine d'une réunion d'urgence pour prendre mes mesures.

    Ce chalutier a chaviré à environ 110 km des côtes libyennes avec à son bord plus de 700 personnes, selon le récit de 28 survivants récupérés par un navire marchand, a indiqué aux télévisions italiennes, Carlotta Sami, porte-parole du HCR en Italie. Si ces chiffres étaient confirmés, il s'agirait de la "pire hécatombe jamais vue en Méditerranée", a-t-elle déclaré.

    Quelque 21 cadavres ont été récupérés, selon les médias italiens. Il n'a pas été possible dans l'immédiat d'obtenir confirmation de cette information.....rtbf.be

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  34. ISIS ‘executes’ Ethiopia Christians in Libya...

    The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Sunday released a video purporting to show the executions of some 30 Ethiopian Christians captured in Libya.....http://english.alarabiya.net/

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  35. Australia and Iran will share intelligence to fight IS...

    Australia and Iran have agreed to share intelligence about Australians fighting with militant groups in Iraq.
    Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has said the deal will help both countries in their efforts to tackle Islamic State (IS).
    She added that Australia would have access to information gathered by Iranian operatives in Iraq.
    Ms Bishop spoke after her meeting with President Hassan Rouhani, during her first visit to Iran.
    About 100 Australians are believed to have travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with IS, with authorities warning they present a serious threat to domestic security.
    There are also concerns about supporters of IS and other radical groups within Australia.
    At the weekend, five teenagers were arrested over an alleged plot to carry out an attack at a World War One centenary event.......bbc.com

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  36. A strong earthquake rattled Taiwan and small islands in the far south of Japan on Monday, official monitoring sites said, briefly prompting a warning for a 1-meter tsunami for the Okinawa island chain....

    There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in either country after the quake, which shook office buildings in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei.

    The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a warning for a 1-meter tsunami in small islands that are part of Okinawa, including Miyakojima, popular with tourists for diving. There was no warning issued for the main Okinawa island, which hosts U.S. military bases.....Reuters

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  37. Egypt sentences 11 men to death over football riot...

    An Egyptian court has sentenced 11 men to death for their involvement in a 2012 football riot in the city of Port Said in which 73 people died and at least 1,000 were injured.
    However, Sunday's decision still requires the approval of Egypt's most senior religious authority, the Grand Mufti, and the men can also appeal, a process that may take several years.
    "With the agreement of all members, the case will be sent to the Grand Mufti to give his Islamic opinion on the defendants' fate," Judge Mohamed al-Saeed Mohamed said, in a court session shown on television.
    A later court hearing will be held on May 30.
    In Egypt, the Grand Mufti's decision is not binding but referral is needed in order to impose the death sentence......aljazeera.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. Saudi-funded French arms arrive in Lebanon...

    The first shipment of French weapons and military equipment arrived in Lebanon on Monday under a Saudi-funded deal worth $3 billion to bolster the Lebanese army's fight against militants encroaching from neighbouring Syria.

    Lebanese news channels showed a military plane at Beirut International airport with green boxes of weapons and missiles laid out in front. Saudi and French flags waved and the French and Lebanese ministers of defence attended the ceremony.

    Lebanon, whose sectarian divisions have been exacerbated by the war over the border in Syria, has said it needs more resources and better hardware........france24.com
    20/4/15

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  39. La Hongrie, la Grèce, et Chypre pourraient être prochainement autorisés à exporter des fruits et légumes sur le marché russe, rapporte lundi le journal Rossiïskaïa Gazeta...

    Les autorités sanitaires russes réalisent actuellement des vérifications des fournisseurs de ces pays, ainsi que de l'Inde, a déclaré Alexeï Alexeïenko, directeur de Rosselkhoznadzor (Service fédéral russe de contrôle vétérinaire et phytosanitaire).
    "Environ 20 compagnies seront vérifiées en Grèce, et autant en Hongrie. En Inde, il s’agit de 4 à 5 entreprises. Chypre a demandé un délai pour des raisons techniques, les vérifications commenceront le 27 avril, il s’agit de 7 à 8 entreprises", a indiqué le responsable............http://sptnkne.ws/e3p
    20/4/15

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  40. Troops from the United States and Ukraine kicked off joint training exercises Monday intended to help bolster Ukraine's defenses against incursions from Russian-backed separatists in the east...

    Speaking under driving rain at a military base in the western region of Lviv, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the country's armed forces needed to be rebuilt from scratch to deter foreign threats.....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  41. Russian Defence Ministry units have fully restored the supply of fresh water to south-eastern Crimea...

    The area experienced water shortages after Kiev shut off the supply of water from the Dnieper River via the North Crimean Canal, a source meeting up to 85% of the peninsula’s demand for fresh water.
    Earlier on Monday, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Dmitry Bulgakov has summed up the preliminary results of work to lay the pipelines delivering fresh water to the population. To date, the Russian military laid 14 pipelines with a total length of over 212 kilometers, he said. As of this month, the volume of fresh water delivered to the Black Sea peninsula has exceeded 150,000 cubic meters............http://tass.ru/en/russia/790555
    20/4/15

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  42. A vessel carrying approximately 200 irregular migrants sank off the coasts of Rhodes island in southeastern Aegean Sea on Monday, local authorities said......Xinhua
    20/4/15

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  43. EU to charge Russia's Gazprom with market abuse...

    The European Union will launch a legal attack on Russian gas giant Gazprom this week, ramping up tensions with Moscow, when antitrust agents will accuse it of overcharging buyers in eastern Europe, EU sources told Reuters on Monday.

    Russia's state-controlled biggest company, a vital supplier of energy to Europe despite frequent political disputes, could receive a full charge sheet from European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday, one source said.

    More than two years after Brussels started investigating Gazprom, the move comes just a week after the new EU antitrust chief charged U.S. tech giant Google with abusing its market power after five years of hesitation by her predecessor....Reuters.....todayonline.com

    ReplyDelete
  44. 'Spy charge' for US reporter in Iran...

    A Washington Post journalist who was detained nine months ago in Iran is facing four charges including espionage, according to his lawyer.

    The paper's Tehran correspondent, Jason Rezaian, is accused of "collaborating with hostile governments" and spreading "propaganda", his lawyer said.

    Mr Rezaian was arrested in July and charged in December but the accusations against him were not known until now.

    The Washington Post has called the charges "absurd and despicable"....bbc.com
    20/4/15

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  45. Boat with dozens of migrants runs aground off Greek island, at least three dead...

    A wooden sailboat carrying dozens of immigrants ran aground on Monday off the coast of the Greek island of Rhodes and at least three people have drowned, the Greek coast guard said.

    More than 90 people were rescued and 30 of those taken to hospital. The boat was totally wrecked, the coasr guard said.

    "We have recovered three bodies so far - that of a man, a woman and a child," a Greek coast guard official said.

    The incident followed the drowning of hundreds of migrants after their boat capsized off the Libyan coast on Sunday.

    Greek TV footage showed parts of the boat in the latest disaster floating in the water off Rhodes and people holding on to it or swimming to the shore.......REUTERS.......channelnewsasia.com
    20-21/4/15

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  46. Germany, defying Turkey, to call 1915 Armenian massacre 'genocide'...

    The German government backed away on April 20 from a steadfast refusal to use the term "genocide" to describe the massacre of Ottoman Armenians 100 years ago after rebellious members of parliament forced its hand.

    In a major reversal in Turkey's top trading partner in the European Union and home to millions of Turks, Germany joins other nations and institutions including France, the European parliament and Pope Francis in using the term condemned by Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan.

    Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the government would support a resolution in parliament on April 24 declaring it an example of genocide.

    Germany had long resisted using the term "genocide" even though France and other nations have. But the coalition government came under pressure from parliamentary deputies in their own ranks planning to use the word in a resolution.

    "The government backs the draft resolution...in which the fate of the Armenians during World War One serves as an example of the history of mass murders, ethnic cleansings, expulsions and, yes, the genocides during the 20th century," Seibert said.........hurriyetdailynews.com
    20/4/15

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  47. The U.S. Navy has sent an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile cruiser into the waters near Yemen to conduct maritime security operations, a Pentagon spokesman said on Monday, but he denied the ships were on a mission to intercept Iranian arms shipments...

    The U.S. Navy sent the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its escort cruiser, USS Normandy, from the Gulf into the Arabian Sea on Sunday. Army Colonel Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, denied reports the ships were on a mission to intercept Iranian arms shipments to Yemen.

    The ships will join seven other U.S. warships in the waters near Yemen, which is torn by civil strife as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels battle forces loyal to the U.S.-backed president........REUTERS....dailystar.com.lb

    ReplyDelete
  48. Kurdish security forces on Monday fought back the Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq's oil-rich province of Kirkuk, while the Iraqi forces continued their battles against the extremist militants in the country's central province of Salahudin, security source said...

    In Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk, the Kurdish security forces, known as Peshmerga, repelled an attack by the IS militants on two villages near the town Daqouq, some 40 km south of the provincial capital city of Kirkuk, leaving at least five Peshmerga members killed and 16 others wounded, a Kurdish security source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.......china.org.cn

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  49. Mediterranean migrant shipwreck leaves 800 dead...

    The United Nations refugee agency has confirmed 800 migrants died in a shipwreck off Libya on Sunday after speaking to survivors of the disaster.

    “We can say that 800 are dead,” said Carlotta Sami, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy on Tuesday.

    Representatives from the U.N. agency and the International Organization for Migration said they had interviewed the majority of 27 survivors, who described the moment the trawler carrying them capsized after a Portuguese merchant ship approached the vessel, causing a stampede.

    One other survivor was taken to hospital in Catania, on Sicily’s east coast.

    “There were a little over 800 people on board, including children aged between 10 and 12. There were Syrians, about 150 Eritreans, Somalians... They had left Tripoli at about 8 am on Saturday,” Sami said............AFP......alarabiya.net
    21/4/15

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  50. Egyptian Court Set to Announce Morsi Verdict...

    An Egyptian court will announce Tuesday its verdict against former President Mohamed Morsi on charges that he incited the killing of three protesters in 2012.

    If convicted, the country's first democratically elected president could face the death penalty in what is one of the several cases pending against him.

    Morsi came to power nearly four years ago promising a brighter future for Egypt after the popular uprising that ended the longtime rule of Hosni Mubarak.

    But his policies, including declaring that his decisions could not be challenged by the courts, brought on massive protests that led then-military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to oust him......voanews.com
    21/4/15

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    Replies
    1. Former Egyptian leader given 20-year prison sentence...

      An Egyptian court has sentenced ousted president Mohammed Mursi to 20 years in prison without parole for the killing and torture of protesters in December 2012, in a decision broadcast on state television.

      It was the first ruling against Muslim Brotherhood leader Mursi since the army toppled him in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.

      The court acquitted Mursi on murder charges that could have seen him sentenced to death for the killings of a journalist and two protesters.

      12 other Muslim Brotherhood leaders have also been sentenced to 20 years in prison without parole for their roles in the events.....rte.ie
      21/4/15

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  51. UN Security Council demands aid access for Syria's Yarmouk camp...

    The U.N. Security Council on Monday demanded all parties to the Syrian war allow humanitarian aid to reach without obstruction the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus, a site that Islamist militants had recently seized.

    The unanimous appeal by the 15-nation council came after Pierre Krahenbuhl, head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, told the council behind closed doors about "extreme circumstances and hardship" in the camp, a diplomat who attended the meeting said..........Reuters........dailystar.com.lb
    21/4/15

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  52. Greece asks public agencies to hand over reserve cash...

    Greece has ordered its public sector bodies to hand over any reserve cash to help it meet a payment due to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The country is running out of cash and must repay the IMF nearly €1bn in May.

    It comes after the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, said that Greece needed to do much more if it wanted access to bailout funds.

    Negotiators are trying to strike a deal ahead of a meeting of eurozone finance ministers on Friday.

    There are mounting fears that Greece could default on its debts and exit the eurozone.....parikiaki.com
    21/4/15

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  53. Des navires américains font route vers le Yémen...

    Selon le Pentagone, la Marine américaine a dépêché un porte-avions et un croiseur porte-missiles vers les côtes du Yémen.

    La Marine américaine a dépêché un porte-avions et un croiseur porte-missiles vers les côtes du Yémen afin d'assurer la sécurité dans la région, annonce mardi l'agence Reuters se référant à un porte-parole du Pentagone.......http://sptnkne.ws/eFf
    21/4/15

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  54. Des dizaines de milliers d'Irakiens ayant fui l'EI bloqués aux portes de Bagdad...

    Fuyant les combats contre les jihadistes dans la province d'Anbar, plus de 90 000 personnes tentent de gagner Bagdad. Mais les autorités irakiennes veulent contrôler l'afflux de déplacés en imposant des conditions à l'entrée dans la ville.

    Les combats contre les jihadistes de l'organisation de l'État islamique (EI) autour de Ramadi, à l'ouest de Bagdad, ont jeté sur les routes près de 100 000 personnes.

    "Les organisations humanitaires tentent d'apporter leur soutien à plus de 90 000 personnes fuyant les combats dans la province d'Anbar", dont Ramadi est le chef-lieu, ont récemment indiqué les Nations unies dans un communiqué.

    "Notre principale priorité est de livrer de l'aide d'urgence - nourriture, eau et abris - aux populations en fuite", a indiqué Lise Grande, coordinatrice humanitaire pour l'ONU en Irak........france24.com
    21/4/15

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    Replies
    1. Anger mounts among Anbar’s displaced stalled at Baghdad’s gates...

      Tens of thousands of people fleeing Iraq’s western Anbar province have been stopped from entering Baghdad due to a security rule that has sparked frustration among the mostly Sunni displaced civilians.

      Over the past few days, Anbaris fleeing the latest fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State (IS) group militants have been blocked at checkpoints leading into Baghdad due to a security rule requiring them to name a relative or friend inside the capital as a guarantor.

      Iraqi authorities maintain the guarantor system is necessary to ensure IS militants do not infiltrate the Iraqi capital.

      But the Sunni civilians stuck at Baghdad’s gates complain that they are being treated as foreign security threats in a deeply divided predominantly Shiite country.

      At the Bzaibiz bridge checkpoint, weary Anbaris voiced frustration over the security rule.

      "When we reached Bzaibiz bridge we found that the government had obstructed our advance in Iraq, and is discriminating between this person and that," said Ahmed Abdulrahman in an interview with Reuters........france24.com
      21/4/15

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  55. Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday ordered the Saudi Arabian National Guard, widely regarded as the kingdom's best equipped military ground force, to take part in Riyadh's campaign against Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen...

    Military operations in the campaign have so far been carried out by the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Royal Saudi Land Forces, which answer to the Defence Ministry. The national guard is a separate military structure run by its own ministry.
    jpost.com
    21/4/15

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    Replies
    1. Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday ordered the Saudi Arabian National Guard to take part in Riyadh's campaign against Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen, Saudi state media reported...

      Military operations in the campaign have so far been carried out by the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Royal Saudi Land Forces, which answer to the Defence Ministry.

      The national guard, which is widely regarded as the kingdom's best equipped military ground force, is a separate military structure run by its own ministry.

      A number of Arab countries have been contributing to the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthi rebels with air and naval strikes.

      The National Guard Ministry is tasked with supporting the armed forces in the defence of national security and the protection of the royal family.........ahram.org.eg
      21/4/15

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  56. South Africa deploys army to quell xenophobic violence...

    Soldiers have been deployed to volatile areas in Johannesburg and KwaZulu-Natal in a bid to quell anti-immigrant violence that has killed at least seven people in several weeks of unrest, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa's defence minister, has said.

    The government had vowed to crack down strongly on the unrest, but the decision to put soldiers on the streets on Tuesday came after two nights of relative quiet in both cities.

    "We come in as the last resort, the army will serve as a deterrent against the crime that we see," Mapisa-Nqakula told reporters, declining to give details on how many troops would be involved.

    "There are people who will be critical but those who are vulnerable will appreciate this decision," she said.

    "Now we deploying because there is an emergency.".....aljazeera.com
    21/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  57. Turkey expects 'positive' remarks from US leader on 1915...

    Turkey expects a positive remark from U.S. President Barack Obama over the 1915 events in his upcoming speech on April 24, Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkir has said.

    Bozkir spoke while visiting Kocamustafapasa Surp Kevork Armenian Church in Istanbul on Tuesday along with AK Party Turkish-Armenian election candidate Markar Esayan.

    Referring to the ongoing controversy over 1915 he said: “Our goal is a fair and common memory.”

    Bozkir touched on Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s latest remarks, claiming that the premier’s statement had been one of the most important announcements made by the Turkish Republic.

    On Monday, Davutoglu offered his condolences to the grandchildren of Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during World War I.....aa.com.tr

    ReplyDelete
  58. European Union leaders should agree on concrete funding for stepped-up Mediterranean search and rescue operations for migrants at a special summit this week, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Tuesday...

    "In terms of funding needed for rescue missions at sea I expect that we don't ask questions Thursday but offer funding," Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told a joint news conference with Juncker, who added: "I see this exactly so."

    The EU has proposed doubling the size of such rescue operations after as many as 900 people were feared killed in the deadliest known shipwreck of migrants trying to reach Europe.
    Reuters
    dailystar.com.lb
    21/4/15

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    Replies
    1. EU leaders gathering in Brussels on Thursday will consider launching a military operation against human traffickers in Libya, held responsible for deaths of hundreds of migrants this year in the Mediterranean, a draft statement showed...

      In the draft statement seen by AFP on Wednesday, leaders will commit to "undertake systematic efforts to identify, capture and destroy vessels before they are used by traffickers."

      The EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini "is invited to immediately begin preparations for a possible security and defence policy operation to this effect, in accordance with international law," the draft added.
      AFP
      ahram.org.eg
      22/4/15

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  59. Poland to buy US Patriot missiles amid Russia tensions...

    Poland has announced a deal to buy US Patriot surface-to-air missiles, amid rising tension with Russia.

    President Bronislaw Komorowski said Poland would start talks with the US to finalise the multibillion contract.

    The move follows reports that Russia has deployed missiles in its exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Poland.

    Russia's annexation of Crimea last year and its support for rebels in eastern Ukraine have caused great concern among Nato states, notably in Eastern Europe.

    Russia denies accusations by Nato that it is arming the rebels and sending troops into Ukraine.
    Missile gap

    The Patriot is an advanced missile system intended to defend against aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles........bbc.com
    21/4/15

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  60. US national security adviser urges Turkey to "improve relations with Armenia"...

    US National Security Adviser Susan Rice has discussed fighting Islamic State (IS) extremist group and relations with Armenia with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, spokeswoman for US National Security Council Bernadette Meehan said on Tuesday.

    Meehan said Rice and Cavusoglu discussed concrete steps in strengthening US-Turkish cooperation in fighting IS. Rice also encouraged Cavusoglu "to take concrete steps to improve relations with Armenia and to facilitate an open and frank dialogue in Turkey about the atrocities of 1915," the White House said.

    On Tuesday, chief of staff Denis McDonough and Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes met with Armenian-American leaders to discuss the 100th anniversary of the massacre of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. US officials did not use the word "genocide" in their official statements, which was met with discontent from the Armenian community in the US..........http://tass.ru/en/world/790885

    ReplyDelete
  61. U.S. senators call for humanitarian safe zones in Syria...

    Republican and Democratic U.S. senators called on President Barack Obama on April 21 to create and enforce humanitarian safe zones in Syria, amid international concerns about the dire conditions faced by millions of people displaced by the war.

    "The staggering human displacement, killing and destruction are an affront to the civilized world and must be stopped," Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham and Democrats Richard Durbin and Tim Kaine wrote to Obama in a letter seen by Reuters...........hurriyetdailynews.com
    22/4/15

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  62. US Secretary of State expresses hope for real progress in Cyprus in 2015...

    US Secretary of State John Kerry expressed hope for “real and lasting progress” in the Cyprus issue in 2015.

    In statements with Turkey`s Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, before their meeting at the State Department, Kerry said that Cyprus would be part of their talks.

    The United States and Turkey both support the UN lead negotiations to reunify the island as a bizonal bicommunal federation, Kerry noted.

    He added that the problem “just goes on for far too long and it is begging for international efforts to try to help bring about a resolution, a lasting settlement”.

    Kerry said that he has discussed the issue at length with Cavusloglu`s predecessor, and now Turkey`s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

    “We believe that the parties can make real and lasting progress in the year 2015. And that will be very positive for the region and obviously a terrific boost and opportunity for a better life for all Cypriots” the US Secretary of State noted.

    Cavusoglu said from his part that Cyprus was included in the agenda of his talks with Kerry, along with a series of international issues, including Yemen, Syria, Iraq, ISIS, and the crisis in Ukraine.

    He noted that his side aims at reaching a lasting solution in Cyprus this year and referred to comments by UN SG Special Adviser on Cyprus, Espen Barth Eide on the possible resumption of settlement talks.........parikiaki.com
    22/4/15

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  63. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Wednesday pressed the European Union to help shoulder the burden of curbing migrant trafficking in African countries, after more than 800 migrants drowned when a ship capsized Sunday in the Mediterranean Sea...

    And, overnight, the U.N. Security Council urged a more muscular response to combat trafficking and encouraged more financial aid and assistance to Italy and other southern European countries on the crisis’ front lines.

    Renzi, addressing Italian lawmakers in Rome on Wednesday, said the 28-member European Union must prioritize the migrant crisis if it “wants to be more than a simple assembly of countries that are members of an economic club,” the Associated Press reported.

    While Italy has rescued 200,000 migrants since early 2014, its “noble generosity alone isn’t enough,” Renzi said. “We are asking Europe to be Europe, not just when it’s time to devise a budget.”.....voanews.com
    22/4/15

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  64. Terrorist suspect arrested in Paris: minister ...

    French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Tuesday that a student, 24, was arrested here Sunday morning for being suspected of planning a massive terrorist attack in Paris.

    The student, possessing a significant arsenal of weapons, was allegedly planning "imminent" terrorist attacks against "one or two churches" in Paris, Cazeneuve said.

    The suspect, who is believed to be an Islamic radical, is known to the anti-terrorist service for intentions to leave for Syria to join the jihadists, the minister said.

    He also said the police found an arsenal "of several military weapons, handguns, ammunition, bullet-proof vests and mobile phones."

    Moreover, the student is suspected of killing a woman in Villejuif, south Paris.

    In January, two terrorist attacks against the weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket killed 17 people.
    Xinhua-china.org.cn
    22/4/15

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  65. Turkey recalled its ambassador to Austria on Wednesday in protest over the Austrian parliament's condemnation of the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turk forces 100 years ago as "genocide"...

    "The declaration by the Austrian parliament permanently scarred the friendship and relations between Turkey and Austria," the Turkish foreign ministry said, announcing it was recalling ambassador Hasan Gogus "for consultations".
    AFP
    dailystar.com.lb
    22/4/15

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  66. North Korea could already possess up to 20 nuclear warheads and have a capacity to double its arsenal by next year, according to Chinese nuclear experts, the Wall Street Journal reports. Previous US estimates had put the total between 10 and 16...

    In April, the head of the US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, Admiral William Gortney, said the US military believes Pyongyang is capable of launching an ICBM with a nuclear warhead from a hard-to-track mobile launcher at the US West Coast.....rt.com
    23/4/15

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  67. Chile's Calbuco volcano erupts, leading to evacuations...

    The Calbuco volcano erupted Wednesday for the first time in more than 42 years, billowing a huge ash cloud over a sparsely populated, mountainous area in southern Chile.

    Authorities ordered the evacuation of the 1,500 inhabitants of the nearby town of Ensenada, along with residents of two smaller communities.

    The National Mining and Geology Service issued a high alert, barring access to the area around the volcano, which lies near the cities of Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt, a little more than 1,000 kilometres south of Chile's capital, Santiago......ctvnews.ca
    23/4/15

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  68. Nikolic: la Serbie a prouvé sa volonté d’adhérer à l'UE

    Selon le président serbe, Belgrade attend des mesures réciproques de la part de Bruxelles.

    La Serbie a déployé des efforts résolus en vue de prouver qu'elle souhaitait adhérer à l'Union européenne et attend des mesures réciproques de Bruxelles, a déclaré le président serbe Tomislav Nikolic.

    Selon lui, l'adhésion à l'UE devrait "inspirer le peuple serbe" et faire avancer le pays sur la voie d'une vie "moderne et meilleure".

    Ces déclarations ont été faites lors d'un entretien entre le chef d'Etat serbe et le ministre letton des Affaires étrangères Edgars Rinkēvičs. Ce dernier a pour sa part estimé que la Serbie avait rempli des conditions qui n'avaient jamais été posées à d'autres pays candidats à l'UE......http://sptnkne.ws/fjc
    23/4/15

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  69. Turkish Recognition of Genocide ‘Shortest Path’ to Reconciliation, Sarkisian Says...

    In an interview with Euronews, Armenia’s President Serzh Sarkisian reiterated his country’s view that the mass killings and deportations of Armenians under Ottoman Turkish rule should be termed a genocide.

    “Without a doubt, the recognition of the genocide by the Turks is the shortest path to the reconciliation of our nations. And it is my strong conviction that, if it is done sincerely, I believe, in a short period of time, relations between Armenia and Turkey could reach a new and quite a high level.”

    “The events that will commemorate the victims of the genocide contain in themselves a few messages,” President Sarkisian said.

    “The first one is the message of remembrance. We think the crimes against humanity cannot be forgotten with time. The second message during the events is gratitude, which is directly linked to the message of remembrance. It is gratitude to those individuals, organizations and nations and states that at the most difficult moment for us spoke up and extended a helpful hand to us and helped some of our people to survive. The third message is a mix of both remembrance and gratitude that leads towards prevention against the recurrence of such crimes and it is our duty to find out and point out the patterns and the causal relations that can later turn into this type of crime. With this we say that it is necessary to fight against these particular phenomena in order to be able to prevent future genocides and other crimes against humanity from recurring. And a final general message, the fourth one, is the message of a nation rising from the ashes. We say that those who wished us harm did not succeed in erasing us from the Earth.”....asbarez.com
    23/4/15

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  70. Poroshenko wants referendum on NATO...

    Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said on Wednesday that his country should decide on joining NATO in a nationwide referendum.

    "I think that it's the people of Ukraine who should decide on whether to join NATO, because this issue is fundamental as far as the country's defense and security is concerned," Poroshenko said during his visit to France.

    Sputnik is quoting Poroshenko's statement for France's iTele that he believes he will organize a referendum, "and my people will have a say on the issue."
    b92.net
    23/4/15

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  71. A newly announced division of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group calling itself the “Green Brigade” on Thursday claimed a bombing in Yemen that it said had killed five Shiite rebels...

    In a message on Twitter, the group said it had struck a vehicle of the Houthi rebels in Yarim in the central province of Ibb on Wednesday.

    Al-Qaeda has traditionally been the dominant jihadist group in Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition has carried out a month of air strikes against the Huthis and their allies.

    ISIS claimed its first attack in Yemen on March 20 -- multiple suicide bombings targeting Houthis at Shiite mosques in Sanaa that killed 142 people and wounded more than 350.......AFP......alarabiya.net
    23/4/15

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  72. US admits two hostages killed in al-Qaeda raid...

    The White House has said that a US counterterrorism operation in January killed two hostages who were being held by al-Qaeda.

    Warren Weinstein, an American, and Giovanni Lo Porto, an Italian, were killed in the raid in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

    President Barack Obama described it as a painful loss he profoundly regretted.

    Two other Americans thought to be al-Qaeda members were also killed, one of them in the same raid.

    The White House said Ahmed Farouq, an al-Qaeda leader, was killed in the January operation.

    And Adam Gadahn, once regarded as a spokesman for the militant group, was killed in a separate raid............bbc.com
    23/4/15

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  73. Deux otages occidentaux d'Al-Qaïda, un Américain et un Italien, ont été tués par erreur lors d'une opération américaine à la frontière pakistano-afghane, tandis qu'une autre opération a permis d'éliminer le porte-parole du réseau extrémiste, l'Américain Adam Gadahn, a annoncé la Maison Blanche jeudi...

    "C'est avec une infinie tristesse que nous avons conclu qu'une opération américaine antiterroriste menée en janvier a tué deux otages innocents d'Al-Qaïda", a expliqué la présidence américaine, citée par l'AFP............http://sptnkne.ws/fsv
    23/4/15

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  74. Russian Foreign Ministry: delivery of S-300 systems to Iran is not a matter of near future...

    The delivery of S-300 air defense systems to Iran is not a matter of near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told the media on Thursday.

    "I do not think that it is a matter of near future. It is far more important that a political and legal decision has been taken to open up such an opportunity," Ryabkov said.

    He pointed out that the situation had changed drastically after the Russian president’s decision taken on April 13 to lift the freeze from the sale of S-300 to Iran.....TASS
    23/4/15

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  75. Iraq expects F-16s in July to boost ISIL fight...

    Iraq will at long last be getting the first batch of F-16 fighter jets it ordered four years ago, its air force commander said April 23, a shipment that is expected to boost Iraq’s capabilities in battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

    Lt. Gen. Anwar Hama Amin said the fighters would arrive on July 12 along with the U.S.-trained Iraqi pilots and spare parts and would immediately begin carrying out operations, according to a statement posted late on April 22 on the Defense Ministry’s web site.

    The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad did not confirm the date, and only said the planes were expected by the summer.

    Iraq first ordered the 18 jets for $3 billion in 2011 to supplement its almost nonexistent air force. A year later, then-Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki complained over the delays in delivering the planes......hurriyetdailynews.com
    23/4/15

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  76. U.S. troops are in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine and are training Ukrainian forces, Interfax news agency quoted a spokesman for Russia's Defense Ministry as saying Thursday...

    A day earlier, Washington accused Russia of building up air defense systems inside eastern Ukraine and of involvement in training exercises of pro-Russian rebels in breach of a European-brokered truce.

    Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying that U.S. troops were training Ukrainian forces not only in western Ukraine "as Ukrainian TV channels show, but directly in the combat zone in the area of Mariupol, Severodonetsk, Artyomovsk and Volnovakha."

    The Defense Ministry confirmed the report.
    REUTERS
    dailystar.com.lb
    23/4/15

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  77. European leaders are to triple funding for search-and-rescue operations aimed at migrant boats in the Mediterranean following crisis talks in Brussels...

    The EU will also look at ways to capture and destroy smugglers' boats and deploy immigration officers to non-EU countries, officials said.

    Several EU member states have promised more ships and other resources....BBC

    ReplyDelete
  78. L'UE va tripler le budget du sauvetage des migrants en Méditerranée...

    Réunis à Bruxelles jeudi pour un conseil européen extraordinaire consacré à la crise des migrants en Méditerranée, les chefs d'État de l'Union européenne ont décidé de tripler les fonds alloués aux opérations de sauvetage en mer.

    Moins d’une semaine après le naufrage qui a fait 700 morts au large des côtes libyennes, les dirigeants européens n’avaient pas d’autre choix que d’apporter des solutions. Réunis à Bruxelles jeudi 23 avril, les 28 se sont donc mis d'accord pour tripler les fonds alloués à la mission "Triton" qui orchestre les opérations de recherche et de sauvetage de migrants en Méditerranée.....france24.com

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  79. Indonesia asks foreign embassies to go to prison where foreign convicts will be executed...

    (Reuters) - Indonesia has asked foreign embassies to go to a maximum security prison for the expected execution of 10 mainly foreign drug convicts, although an official 72-hour notice of execution has not been given yet, foreign officials said on Friday.

    Among the convicted drug offenders set to face the firing squad are nationals from Australia, Brazil, France, Nigeria, and the Philippines, and the case has strained relations between the governments of those nations and Indonesia.

    "It's true, we have been told to be there on Saturday," said a foreign embassy official who asked not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the media.

    "We still don't know when the actual date of execution will happen but we expect that it will be in days," she said.

    The Indonesia Supreme Court this week rejected the final appeals of a French prisoner and another from Ghana, according to media reports.....Reuters

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indonesia signals executions near...

      Indonesia has summoned foreign embassy officials to the prison where nine convicted foreign drug smugglers and one Indonesian are due to be executed.

      Diplomats confirmed to the BBC that they had been told to go to the island prison of Nusakambangan on Saturday.

      The request could suggest the executions, which include the two Australia ringleaders of the Bali Nine heroin-smuggling gang, are imminent.

      An execution date has not been set - convicts must be given 72 hours notice....bbc.com

      Delete
  80. Iranian ships turn back from Yemen: U.S. officials ...

    An Iranian convoy of ships suspected of carrying weapons for Houthi rebels in Yemen has turned around and headed north, away from the war-torn country, U.S. defense officials said Thursday.

    The move came after the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and other American warships deployed off Yemen’s coast to track the Iranian flotilla and possibly prevent any arms deliveries to the Iran-backed Shiite rebels.

    The nine-ship Iranian convoy is “no longer on the same course” and is now south of Salalah, Oman, the official said.

    The flotilla included two “armed vessels,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was possible the Iranians “could make a turn to Yemen at any time,” the official added.

    The convoy was moving “slowly” and the United States was closely monitoring the ships, the official said.

    The U.N. Security Council earlier this month imposed an arms embargo on the Houthi forces in Yemen......alarabiya.net
    24/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  81. Missing MH370: Aviation expert claims wreckage lying in the Bay of Bengal between India and Malaysia...

    LONDON: An aviation technology expert has reportedly claimed that he has spotted the remains of missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 but needs 1.3 million pounds to find it.

    Andre Milne, who has been investigating the case independently since the flight disappeared in March last year, has said that he located the wreckage in the ocean between Malaysia and India, reported The Mirror.

    He insisted that the debris in the Bay of Bengal must be probed......http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    24/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  82. Migrant influx strains Greece as economy suffers...

    Shortly after taking power in January, Greece’s new government opened the gates of one of the main detention centres where thousands of undocumented migrants had been held against their will after arriving on the country’s Mediterranean shores.

    Many of the inmates, including refugees and children, were driven to Athens and released, in what Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's leftist government hailed as the beginning of the end of inhumane migrant policies of the past.

    Now the move has created other problems. With the influx of migrants from Africa and the Middle East rising this year, hundreds have ended up like 40-year-old Syrian Dia Qasem and her three sons: stuck in the Greek capital’s public squares with nowhere to sleep and little eat...Reuters....channelnewsasia.com
    24/4/15

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  83. Finanzminister verzweifeln an Griechenland.... Janis Varoufakis wird in Riga verspottet...

    Die Euro-Finanzminister verlieren die Geduld mit Griechenland. Auf ihrem Gipfel in Riga bekam das Athens Ressortchef Janis Varoufakis zu spüren. Er wird kaum noch ernst genommen.

    So viel also zur positiven Kraft, die Gebäude entfalten können. Wer in der Nationalbibliothek in Riga eine Tagung abhält, kann mit einer "einzigartigen kreativen Synergie" rechnen, werben die Betreiber für das erst im vergangenen Jahr fertiggestellte Gebäude. Doch das Treffen der Euro-Finanzminister an diesem Freitag verlief alles andere als harmonisch.

    Nachdem wieder einmal keine Fortschritte in den laufenden Gesprächen mit Griechenland vermeldet werden konnten, platzte einigen Teilnehmern der Kragen. "Ich will offen sein", sagte Euro-Gruppen-Chef Jeroen Dijsselbloem nach der Sitzung. "Ja, es war eine sehr kritische Diskussion.".............n24.de
    24/4/15

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  84. Varoufakis als Spieler, Amateur und Zeitverschwender attackiert...

    Die Euro-Finanzminister haben ihren griechischen Kollegen Varoufakis beim Treffen in Riga scharf angegriffen. Eine Reformliste liegt noch immer nicht vor, die Verhandlungen mit den Gläubigern stocken. „Die Zeit läuft ab“, sagte Eurogruppen-Chef Dijsselbloem.....faz.net
    24/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  85. Valls: "Les chrétiens d'Orient sont en train d'être éradiqués"...

    Manuel Valls a dénoncé vendredi le sort des chrétiens d'Orient, qui sont "en train d'être éradiqués", et a appelé à "mettre un terme à l'entreprise d'extermination conduite par Daech", notamment en Irak et en Syrie.

    "La France est toujours du côté des victimes" et "les victimes aujourd’hui, ce sont aussi les chrétiens d’Orient. Là encore, nous devons nommer les choses, établir la vérité: les chrétiens d’Orient – c’est le cas aussi d’autres minorités – sont en train d’être éradiqués dans cette région à travers ce terrorisme effrayant", a déclaré le Premier ministre lors d'une cérémonie à Paris de commémoration du centenaire du génocide arménien....rtl.be
    24/4/15

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  86. Iran will be invited to consultations on Syria to start in early May in Geneva, United Nations Secretary General’s envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Friday after a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council...

    He reminded that Iran was a member country of the United Nations and an important player in the region enjoying influence of the Syrian developments. So, he said, the United Nations and he himself had all the rights to invite that country.
    Tass
    25/4/15

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  87. Turkey 'condemns' Putin comments on Armenia genocide...

    Turkey has condemned Russian president Vladimir Putin for referring to genocide during commemorations of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians during World War I.

    The foreign ministry said "we reject and condemn... (Putin's)characterisation of 1915 events as genocide despite all our warnings and calls".

    At a ceremony in Armenia, Putin referred to "mass" killings, but also once used the word "genocide" -- which Turkey strongly objects to -- while mentioning that Moscow is party to several international legal initiatives, including a convention against genocide.

    "Such political statements which represent a clear violation of law is considered null and void by Turkey," the ministry said........AFP....timesofindia.indiatimes.com
    25/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  88. Australia and New Zealand Remember Sacrifice at Gallipoli ...

    Anzac Day commemorations have been held across Australia and New Zealand. In Canberra, 120,000 people attended a dawn service to remember the ill-fated allied landing at Gallipoli in 1915.

    To many Australians and New Zealanders the slaughter at Gallipoli in northwestern Turkey saw their fledgling nations come of age.

    Both were former British colonies and had gone to war as independent countries for the first time.

    The sacrifice and heroism of the Anzacs - the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps - are widely credited with instilling a sense of national self-confidence.....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  89. Australians get 72-hour notice of execution in Indonesia - source...

    Two Australian drug convicts were notified on Saturday that they will be executed by firing squad in 72 hours at the Indonesian prison island of Nusakambangan, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

    "A 72 hours notice of execution was given to Bali 9 death row inmates Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran on Saturday," the source told Reuters, declining to comment further.

    A total of seven convicts have received notifications of their imminent execution, said a lawyer for a Nigerian death row inmate who is among the group.

    (Reporting by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
    - Reuters

    ReplyDelete
  90. Car bombs hit Iraq-Jordan border crossing at Tureibil, killing 4 ...

    Three suicide car bombs exploded at the Tureibil border crossing between Iraq and Jordan on Saturday, killing at least four security forces and wounding 18 others, a witness and a source in the border police said.

    The police source said the attack targeted an army barracks nearby and was perpetrated by Islamic State. There was no initial claim of responsibility from the group of radical jihadists.
    jpost.com
    25/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  91. Egypt said Saturday it had extended by three months a state of emergency imposed on parts of northern Sinai in October after Islamist militants stepped up attacks in the peninsula bordering Israel, Gaza and the Suez Canal...

    Insurgents have killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen in Sinai since mid-2013, lashing out after then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ousted Islamist President Mohammad Morsi following protests. Sisi went on to be elected president last year.

    The decision, announced in a statement from the presidency, will be implemented in Rafah, al-Arish, Sheikh Zuweid and surrounding areas starting on Sunday. It also extends a night-time curfew in place in the same areas.....Reuters.....dailystar.com.lb

    ReplyDelete
  92. Hay indicios de deuda ilegítima, según miembro Comité auditoría de deuda griega...

    La deuda externa de Grecia es ilegítima y existirían pruebas que así lo demostrarían, según Sergi Cutillas, miembro del Comité de auditoría de la deuda griega, en declaraciones a Sputnik Nóvosti.

    "Hay indicios más que claros", dijo.

    Según explicó Cutillas a esta agencia, el Comité citó a varios ministros griegos "que habían encontrado algunas evidencias" del carácter ilegítimo de la deuda externa del país, aunque rehusó dar detalles y emplazó a la presentación del informe.

    "Cuando presentemos el informe a finales de junio podremos dar una imagen más nítida, más clara de lo que consideramos ilegal, ilegítimo, odioso e insostenible (de la deuda externa)", afirmó........http://sptnkne.ws/fDf
    25/4/15


    ReplyDelete
  93. Russian hackers 'accessed Obama's unclassified emails'...

    Russian hackers who gained access to the White House computer system last year were able to read President Obama's unclassified emails, the New York Times has reported.

    It said the breach was far more intrusive than previously admitted.

    Officials have conceded that sensitive information was in the unclassified system the hackers accessed.

    The discovery of the hacking in October led to a partial shutdown of the White House email system.
    Highly secure

    "The hackers, who also got deeply into the State Department's unclassified system, do not appear to have penetrated closely guarded servers that control the message traffic from Mr Obama's BlackBerry, which he or an aide carries constantly," the New York Times said........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32471408
    26/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  94. Cyprus – USA to hold joint Search & Rescue exercise...

    Cyprus and USA are set to hold a joint Search & Rescue exercise on Sunday morning near the coast of Cyprus.

    Titled “CYPUSA-01/15” the exercise will be held with the participation of SAR Units and Personnel from the Republic of Cyprus and the United States of America, an official press release says.

    “The USS Ross, which is a U.S. Navy destroyer and Helicopters of the Republic of Cyprus will take part in the Aeronautical SAR Exercise under the operational control and full coordination of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) Larnaca”, it adds.....parikiaki.com
    26/4/15

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  95. Air raids and ground clashes rage in Yemen...

    Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition battling Shia rebels in Yemen have struck targets in several provinces, including the capital Sanaa, security officials said, as fighting raged across the country.

    The Sunday airstrikes began just after midnight, officials said, hitting a military base known to be an arms depot on the outskirts of Sanaa, as well as sites near the presidential palace where weapons were being moved.

    There were at least five airstrikes on military positions and an area near the presidential palace compound in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa at dawn, while foreign warships shelled the rebels' positions near the main commercial port of the southern city of Aden, residents said.

    "The explosions were so big they shook the house, waking us and our kids up. Life has really become unbearable in this city," a Sanaa resident who gave his name as Jamal told the Reuters news agency...........aljazeera.com
    26/4/15

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  96. Two Saudi Air Force pilots were killed on Sunday when their training aircraft crashed, the defence ministry announced...

    "A training aircraft from the King Faisal Air Academy has had an accident. The aircraft crashed, killing an instructor and a student pilot," the official SPA news agency quoted a ministry spokesman as saying.

    No details were given on the type of aircraft involved or the site of the accident. The air academy is in Riyadh.
    AFP
    dailystar.com.lb
    26/4/15

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  97. UN officials urge joint effort in Nepal's quake rescue operations...

    UN officials called on Sunday for joint effort in the search and rescue operations in the wake of a powerful earthquake that shook Nepal on Saturday and killed thousands.

    "The actions of the government of Nepal and local communities themselves have already saved many lives," said Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, in a statement issued here. Amos is also the UN emergency relief coordinator.

    "Teams from India, Pakistan, China and Israel have started work, and more are on their way from the U.S., the UK, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union and elsewhere," she said.

    The latest number of the killed is 3,218, Nepalese authorities said Monday morning......cntv.cn
    27/4/15

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  98. UN: Refugee toll in Turkey may hit 2.5 million in 2015...

    “We haven’t seen the worst,” said Helen Clark, the head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), regarding the refugee crisis across the world as we were talking right after the inauguration of a new regional hub in Istanbul on April 23.

    Impressed by a major Turkish refugee camp in Gaziantep by the Syrian border (“the best in the world,” she says), Clark underlined that Syria was now the biggest crisis in the world and “getting worse.”

    She said it was likely that more than 800,000 people might flee Syria in 2015 and that the toll in Turkey might hit an alarming 2.5 million, together with refugees from Iraq......hurriyetdailynews.com
    27/4/15

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  99. Spot Report by OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:00, 26 April: Intense fighting in Shyrokyne and amassing of forces...

    On 26 April, the SMM observed what it assessed to be the most intense shelling in Shyrokyne (20km east of Mariupol) since fighting began in the area in mid-February 2015. For the last 12 hours, and on-going at the time of this report, the SMM has observed sporadic to continuous exchanges of fire involving small arms, machine gun, rocket propelled grenade and automatic grenade launcher.

    Throughout the day, from two adjacent observation posts, located 1,5km west and 4,5km north-west of Shyrokyne, the SMM observed 69 outgoing tank shots, originating from 600 metres south-east and 800 metres north of its position, 191 outgoing mortar rounds (82mm) and 153 outgoing mortar rounds (120mm), originating from 600 metres south-east, 300 and 1,500 metres north-west and 800 metres north of the its position.

    At 07:20hrs, the SMM heard two loud explosions, most likely caused by 122mm incoming artillery rounds, impacting about 300 metres from the SMM observation post in the eastern outskirts of Berdianske (government-controlled, 18,5km east of Mariupol, 1,5km west of Shyrokyne) and forcing the SMM to relocate to another observation post.

    In the early afternoon, between 15:00 and 16:30hrs, the shelling was heard all the way to Mariupol.....osce.org
    27/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  100. First Saudi National Guards reach Yemen border zone...

    The first troops from Saudi Arabia's National Guard have been deployed on the border with Yemen, official media said late on Sunday.

    They will join members of the border guard and the army who have reinforced the frontier since March 26 when a Saudi-led coalition began air strikes against Shia Houthi rebels and their allies in Yemen.

    The vanguard of National Guard troops "have arrived in Najran region to participate in the defence of the southern borders... so as to confront any possible threats," the official Saudi Press Agency said.

    King Salman announced on April 21 the National Guard's mobilisation, just hours before the coalition declared an end to its air campaign dubbed "Operation Decisive Storm".

    Despite that declaration, the coalition has continued daily air strikes in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels are allied with army units loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh....AFP.....ahram.org.eg
    27/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  101. Kiew droht OSZE-Beobachtern im Donbass - Moskau äußert Empörung...

    Moskau hat seine Empörung über gesetzwidrige Kontrollen von OSZE-Beobachtern in der Ostukraine und über die Drohungen geäußert, die die ukrainischen Einsatzkräfte gegen Mitglieder der OSZE-Mission äußern.

    Wie es in einem am Montag veröffentlichten Kommentar des russischen Außenministeriums heißt, fiel es dem Außenamt auf, dass in den Berichten der OSZE-Beobachterkommission in der Ukraine immer häufiger davon die Rede ist, dass ihre Autos und die Papiere der Beobachter durch ukrainische Militärs und Freiwilligentrupps kontrolliert werden. Die Beobachter werden oft direkt gefragt, ob es unter ihnen auch Bürger Russlands gibt.

    Ende März wurde in der Nähe des Dorfes Muratowo im Gebiet Lugansk der Fall registriert, dass ukrainische Militärangehörige die Drohung äußerte, jeder OSZE-Beobachter mit russischer Staatsbürgerschaft werde getötet........http://sptnkne.ws/fV4
    27/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  102. France probes Assad’s uncle for amassing $98 mln ...

    The uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is under investigation in France for amassing a 90-million-euro fortune, including a stud farm and luxury apartments, despite being kicked out of Syria “with nothing” 30 years ago.

    French investigators have provided details to AFP of their year-long probe into the finances of Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of late dictator Hafez al-Assad.

    Rifaat has spent more than 30 luxurious years moving between homes in Paris, London and the southern Spanish city of Marbella since he was forced into exile for trying to seize power from his brother.

    His family’s assets, outlined by French customs in a May 2014 report, are valued at around 90 million euros ($98 million) -- much of it held through a web of businesses based in Luxembourg......AFP.....alarabiya.net
    27/4/15

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  103. Former Romania president admits allowing CIA site....Ion Iliescu said he approved so-called CIA 'black sites' but would have refused had he known their purpose...

    A former Romanian president has acknowledged approving the CIA's request for a site in Romania, but said he would have refused had he known how it would be used.

    Ion Iliescu, president from 2000 to 2004, wrote on his blog on Monday that he believed Romania had hosted CIA "black sites'' where prisoners were held and subjected to torture.

    Romanian authorities had long denied reports they hosted a CIA secret prison, but Iliescu said last week he approved a request for a site in 2002-2003. He was widely criticised for his remarks.

    Iliescu wrote on this blog on Monday that "I would surely have taken another decision'' if he had known what the CIA was doing.

    He did not mention the location of the site, its size or whether there was more than one......AP.....aljazeera.com
    27/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  104. UN report: Israel responsible for Gaza shelter attacks...

    A U.N. inquiry has found that at least 44 Palestinians were killed and at least 227 injured by "Israeli actions" while sheltering at U.N. locations during last year's Gaza war.

    Secretary Ban Ki-moon said Monday he deplores the deaths and calls U.N. locations "inviolable."

    The independent board of inquiry also found that weaponry was found at three empty U.N. schools in Gaza and that in two cases Palestinian militants "probably" fired from the schools. Ban called that "unacceptable.".................AFP.........dailystar.com.lb
    27/4/15

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    Replies
    1. Inquiry says Israel fired on seven UN Gaza schools in 2014 war...

      (Reuters) - Israel fired on seven United Nations schools during the 2014 Gaza war, killing 44 Palestinians who had sought shelter at some sites, while Palestinian militants hid weapons and launched attacks from several empty U.N. schools, a U.N. inquiry found.

      "I deplore the fact that at least 44 Palestinians were killed as a result of Israeli actions and at least 227 injured at United Nations premises being used as emergency shelters," U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote in a letter on Monday accompanying a summary of the inquiry's findings.

      "I am dismayed that Palestinian militant groups would put United Nations schools at risk by using them to hide their arms," Ban wrote, adding that in two cases, the militants had probably fired from the schools.

      The U.N. Security Council is due to discuss the report on Tuesday, diplomats said.........reuters.com
      27/4/15

      Delete
  105. Grecia 'margina' a Varoufakis de las negociaciones con la Troika ...

    El Gobierno griego liderado por Syriza ha decidido cambiar a su grupo negociador con la Troika, así como reducir el papel de su ministro de Finanzas, Yanis Varoufakis, aunque formalmente él seguirá siendo el responsable de supervisar al nuevo equipo negociador griego, informa 'The Wall Street Journal'.

    Alexis Tsipras ha nombrado al número dos del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Euclid Tsakalotos, como coordinador del grupo.
    rt.com
    27/4/15

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  106. An Australian convicted drug smuggler has married his girlfriend in an Indonesian prison ahead of his expected execution....

    Andrew Chan married Febyanti Herewila on Monday in a ceremony attended by family and friends.

    Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, also Australian, were convicted in 2006.

    The two, along with six other foreigners and an Indonesian, could be executed by firing squad as early as Tuesday.

    They were formally notified on Saturday that they would be executed. Under Indonesian law, convicts must be given 72 hours' notice of execution.

    A French drug trafficker is appealing against his conviction.........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-32491975
    28/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  107. UN says eight million affected by Nepal earthquake...

    Up to eight million people have had their lives disrupted after a deadly earthquake shook Nepal, the United Nations said tonight.

    It added that there was an urgent need for relief materials ranging from tarpaulin sheets and clean water to soap and medicines.

    "According to initial estimations and based on the latest earthquake intensity mapping, eight million people in 39 districts have been affected, of which over two million people live in the 11 severely affected districts," said the latest assessment from the UN Office of the Resident Coordinator......rte.ie

    ReplyDelete
  108. State of emergency declared in Baltimore after riots...

    A state of emergency has been declared in Baltimore after violent protests over the death of a black man who was fatally injured while in police custody.

    The US National Guard is to be deployed after 15 police officers were injured when rioters looted businesses and set buildings and vehicles ablaze.

    The protests followed the funeral of 25 year-old Freddie Gray, who died of serious spinal injuries.

    Former Maryland governor and Baltimore mayor Martin O’Malley has cancelled his two-day trip to Ireland to return to the city..........rte.ie
    28/4/15

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  109. National Guard Deployed as Violence Engulfs Baltimore ...

    Police officials in Baltimore say National Guard troops are taking up positions in parts of the eastern U.S. city, which was engulfed by rioting after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died from injuries sustained while in police custody earlier this month.

    Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called it "one of the darkest days" Baltimore has ever faced." She declared a weeklong nighttime curfew, while Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.

    "I understand anger. What we see isn't anger, it's the destruction of a community," the mayor told reporters late Monday, calling the protesters "thugs."

    At least 15 officers were hurt in Baltimore, including six who remained hospitalized late Monday, police said. Two dozen people were arrested.....voanews.com
    28/4/15

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  110. Death toll in Nepal’s earthquake may reach 10,000 — prime minister...

    Seismologists have registered 67 aftershocks after the 7.9 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, the Indian Meteorological Department told TASS on Saturday.

    The magnitude of aftershocks varied from 3.2 to 6.9, most of them were felt on the territory of India, Myanmar and Bangladesh.

    The last aftershock of 4.5 magnitude occurred at 04.50am local time today, on April 28. Its epicenter was located at 50 kilometers to the north of Nepal’s capital Kathmandu.

    The devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal on Saturday. At least 50 aftershocks were registered after it, with the strongest one measuring up to 6.6. According to the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC), at least 6.6 million citizens have been affected by the disaster.

    According to the latest data, the death toll of the disaster has reached 4,347 people, while 8,154 others were injured. Kathmandu suffered the most from the earthquake, the death toll in Nepal’s capital stands at 1,039 people. The death toll in Nepal’s earthquake may reach 10,000, the country's prime minister said Tuesday.
    http://tass.ru/en/world/792123
    28/4/15

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  111. Iranische Marine hielt einen US-amerikanischen Frachter auf und begleitet ihn in den Hafen von Bandar Abbas im Süden Irans, berichtet der TV-Sender Al-Arabiya am Dienstag. Der Frachter hat 34 US-Bürger an Bord...

    Vor dem Aufbringen soll die iranische Marine Warnschüsse in Richtung des Frachters abgegeben haben.

    Der Frachter wurde laut der iranischen Nachrichtenagentur Fars im Persischen Golf wegen der Verletzung iranischer Hoheitsgewässer angehalten. Eine offizielle Bestätigung aus den USA gibt es vorerst nicht.
    http://sptnkne.ws/gtv
    28/4/15

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    Replies
    1. Iran 'seizes' American cargo ship...

      The Iranian navy has seized a US cargo ship and escorted it to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas, media reports say.

      There has been no official confirmation of the incident from either Iranian or American officials.

      Reports say the vessel had 34 crew aboard at the time.

      Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said the vessel had been detained "for trespassing on Iran's territorial waters".
      bbc.com

      Delete
  112. Saudi says arrests 93 Islamic State suspects, foils U.S. embassy attack...

    (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has arrested 93 people suspected of belonging to the Islamic State militant group, including two people who planned a failed suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.

    The 93 included at least 77 Saudi nationals, a ministry statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency said.

    "Activities are ongoing against the deviant group which seeks to undermine the security of this country...They are ceaselessly seeking to achieve this through their criminal plans," the statement said.

    A cell involving two Syrians and a Saudi planned a suicide car bombing against the U.S. embassy in Riyadh but the plot was detected in March. One of the two Syrian suspects and the Saudi suspect were among the 93 arrested, the ministry said...reuters.com
    28/4/15

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  113. Saudi Arabia security forces have arrested 93 extremists with ties to Islamic State (IS) organization, the Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday...

    The arrested extremists planned attacks on foreign countries’ embassies and administrative buildings, the statement said. "Ninety-three terrorists belonging to several Islamic State cells have been arrested on the territory of Saudi Arabia, they planned extremist attacks in the kingdom, including attacking authorities and foreign countries’ embassies," the Saudi Interior Ministry noted. In particular, extremists planned to detonate cars in front of US Embassy in Riyadh, it added.

    Among the arrested extremists were citizens of Saudi Arabia and other countries, the statement said.
    TASS
    28/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  114. Iran plane breaches Yemen no-fly zone...

    Coalition forces have carried out a bombing raid on the runway at Sanaa airport on Tuesday, to prevent an Iranian civilian plane from landing there, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.

    The raid took place after the plane defied the coalition-enforced no-fly zone over Yemen entering the airspace from Oman. The no-fly zone has been in force since March 25, 2015 when Operation Decisive Storm began.
    alarabiya.net
    28/4/15

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  115. Syrian opposition to meet UN envoy for Geneva talks...

    Representatives from Syria's opposition National Coalition will meet the UN's Syria envoy in Geneva next month as he seeks to revive peace talks, the group's president said Tuesday.

    Coalition president Khaled Khoja said he had informed UN envoy Staffan de Mistura that a delegation from the exiled opposition body would attend bilateral talks in Geneva in May.

    "The coalition reasserted its commitment to a political solution and the resumption of negotiations where they left off," the statement said.

    Any new talks should proceed on the basis of "the formation of a transitional government body with full powers", it added....AFP....ahram.org.eg
    28/4/15

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  116. Chypre réussit une levée de dette de 1 milliard...

    Le gouvernement chypriote a placé 1 milliard d’euros d’obligations à 7 ans au taux de seulement 4 %.

    L’annonce de la mise à l’écart du flamboyant ministre des Finances grec , Yanis Varoufakis, dans les négociations avec les créanciers d’Athènes, a peut-être profité au voisin chypriote. Le marché a en effet très bien accueilli l’émission de dette effectuée par Nicosie, qui revenait pour la première fois devant les investisseurs depuis juin 2014.

    Ainsi, alors qu’au même moment Athènes voit ses taux à 3 ans dépasser les 20 %, Chypre a réussi à placer des obligations d’Etat à 7 ans au taux de seulement 4 %. La demande des investisseurs a en outre atteint 1,9 milliard d’euros, pour un emprunt fixé à 1 milliard....lesechos.fr

    ReplyDelete
  117. Syria accuses Turkey of 'direct aggression' alongside militants...

    (Reuters) - Syria has accused Turkey of providing supporting fire and logistical help to enable "terrorist groups" to capture the Syrian city of Idlib and the strategic town of Jisr al-Shughour, state television said on Tuesday.

    "The terrorist groups' attacks on Idlib city and Jisr al-Shughour... were carried out by logistical and fire support from the Turkish army," Syrian television quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

    "This is direct Turkish aggression on Syria."

    Syria has recently stepped up its accusations that Turkey is aiding opposition fighters in its civil war and allowing thousands of foreign jihadi fighters into the country.

    Ankara has rejected such charges....reuters.com
    28/4/15

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  118. Athens Zusagen werden immer unglaubwürdiger..

    Alexis Tsipras spricht von einem Kompromiss im Schuldenstreit bis Anfang Mai. Macht die griechische Regierung jetzt ernst und setzt die Reformen ins Werk? Unter den Finanzministern der Eurozone überwiegt weiterhin der Zweifel....faz.net
    28/4/15

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  119. Palestinians in Israel demand end to home demolitions...

    Hundreds of people are protesting in Tel Aviv against demolitions targeting Palestinian-owned houses.

    Protests by Israel's Palestinians occur frequently, but seldom have they taken place in Tel Aviv, in a central square that typically hosts demonstrations for causes championed by Jewish Israelis.

    In Tuesday's demonstration, the protesters are demanding that Israel cease home demolitions and provide housing solutions for the Palestinian minority. They say Israel has ignored the housing needs of Palestinians....AP.....dailystar.com.lb
    28/4/15

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  120. Harper to announce military training, humanitarian aid for Jordan ...

    Prime Minister Stephen Harper is set to announce new counter-terrorism measures aimed at preventing Islamic State militants from spilling into Jordan, CTV News has learned.

    Harper will announce the new measures when he hosts Jordanian King Abdullah II, who is visiting Ottawa on Wednesday.


    Enhanced monitoring equipment to detect multiple passports and identification fraud
    Canadian special forces training to spot improvised explosive devices (IEDs) over the next two years
    Biological and chemical warfare training

    Harper is also expected to provide additional humanitarian aid for Syrian refugee camps. When he visited Jordan last year, the Prime Minister pledged $105 million to help the country cope with its influx of refugees.....ctvnews.ca

    ReplyDelete
  121. El-Sisi flies to Cyprus as part of Euro tour ...

    Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi flew to Nicosia, Cyprus on Wednesday as part of a two-day tour of Europe that will include a stop in Spain, state news agency MENA said.

    El-Sisi will hold talks with his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Anastasiades and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in the Cypriot capital. A tripartite summit will be held between the three officials, followed by talks between the delegations of the three countries and a press conference.

    El-Sisi will then head to Spain where he is scheduled to meet with King Felipe VI and his prime minister in a visit that will see a number of agreements signed, MENA added.

    The Eyptian leader will also hold meetings with executives from fifteen of Spain's corporate giants.

    Accompanying El-Sisi on his tours are the ministers of investment, foreign affairs, electricity and transport.
    ahram.org.eg
    29/4/15

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  122. North Korea 'executed 15 people'...

    North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the execution of 15 people this year, including several top officials, South Korean intelligence says.

    The agency told a parliamentary meeting on Wednesday that they were executed by firing squad on spying charges.

    Those killed include two vice ministers who challenged Mr Kim over his policies and members of an orchestra, intelligence officials said.

    Mr Kim purged and executed his once-powerful uncle for treachery in 2013.....bbc.com
    29/4/15

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  123. Hungary PM revives death penalty debate, draws EU concern...

    (Reuters) - Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party, under pressure from a eurosceptic right, said on Wednesday it wanted to raise the question of a possible reintroduction of the death penalty with its European Union partners.

    A European Parliament member dismissed the idea as barbaric.

    Hungary scrapped the death penalty shortly after the fall of Communism, in 1990. Orban raised the matter anew after the recent murder of a young tobacconist in southern Hungary that stirred anger in the country.

    Fidesz's parliament caucus leader said the party was aware European rules precluded capital punishment but a debate was still necessary.

    "Even in an EU member state, if that country's public wants to have the death penalty ...then a substantial debate can be raised on the EU level," caucus leader Antal Rogan told public radio....reuters.com
    29/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  124. Georgia's government will face a confidence vote in parliament after the South Caucasus country's sports minister on Wednesday became the seventh cabinet member to quit in less than a year...

    Levan Kipiani's resignation after a dispute with other members of the Georgian Dream coalition triggered a constitutional clause under which a confidence vote is needed if more than one-third of the government is replaced......todayonline.com
    29/4/15

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  125. Saudi Arabia trains Yemeni tribal fighters in war against Houthis: Sources...

    Saudi Arabia is providing military training for hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen to fight the Iranian-allied Houthi militia, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

    A Saudi-led alliance has been bombing the group from the air for over a month, but it remains Yemen's dominant force.

    The kingdom announced last week it would rein in its strikes to give aid and reconciliation efforts more space, but the warring sides have made no visible progress toward talks.

    "You cannot win a war against the Houthis from the air - you need to send ground forces in, but now there's a programme to train tribal fighters on the border," said a Doha-based military source familiar with the matter.

    This week 300 tribal fighters trained in Saudi Arabia were deployed back to their home area in the Sirwah district of central Marib province to fight the Houthis and managed to push the militia back, a Yemeni official source told Reuters.....ahram.org.eg
    29/4/15

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  126. Ukraine bears economic responsibility for Donbass - White House...

    The White House believes that the Ukrainian government bears the economic responsibility for Donbass, National Security Council Senior Director for International Economics Rory MacFarquhar told a seminar on the Ukrainian economy in Washington on Wednesday.

    The eastern Ukrainian region currently lives in the conditions of a financial and economic blockade on the part of the Kiev authorities. Lifting the blockade is one of the provisions of the package of measures on implementing the Minsk agreements.

    "That’s a very easy question. Donbass is Ukrainian territory and Russians have signed a sequence of agreements recognizing Donbass as Ukrainian territory. And there needs to be a process that reintegrates Donbass into Ukrainian control. That process is laid out in the Minsk agreements and that means what the international community including Russia has committed itself to supporting," he said........http://tass.ru/en/world/792565

    ReplyDelete
  127. Weapon depot blast kills 25 IS militants in eastern Syria ...

    Powerful blast at a weapon depot in eastern Syria killed at least 25 militants with the Islamic State (IS) militant group on Wednesday, a monitor group reported.

    Several explosions rattled the city of Mayadeen in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zour province, in what appeared to be blasts in a weapon depot belongs to the IS group, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    It said 20 others were wounded and the death toll could rise due to the large number of severely wounded militants.

    The UK-based watchdog group said it is not clear what caused the explosion, whether it was a result of a bombing or a technical malfunction.

    The IS group has captured large swathes of the oil-rich province of Deir al-Zour over the span of the four-year-old conflict due to its location on the borderline with Iraq and its oil plants.
    china.org.cn
    30/4/15

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  128. Russia against EU plan to destroy people-smugglers’ boats — UN envoy...

    Russia does not support European Union’s plans to seek a military mandate to destroy people-smugglers’ boats in the Mediterranean, but is ready to work on the problem at the UN Security Council, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told TASS on Wednesday.

    Churkin said he had discussed the migrant boat crisis with EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. "She said they were in touch both with the African Union and with Arab countries, what we had urged for in essence," he said.,,,,http://tass.ru/en/world/792574

    ReplyDelete
  129. China: US-Philippines drill bad for regional peace ...

    China on Thursday said a military drill by the United States and the Philippines is "muscle flexing", and not good for the region's peace and stability.

    "Some countries consolidate their military alliances, hold large-scale military exercises and create tension in the region. This goes against the trend of the times of peace, development, cooperation and reciprocity," said Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng at a regular press briefing.

    "To reinforce military alliances and flex muscles is not good for regional peace and stability," Geng said while commenting the "Balikatan", (shoulder-to-shoulder) maneuvers that began on April 20.

    According to Philippine media, this year's annual drill involved more than 11,000 U.S. and Philippine military personnel and 61 Australian soldiers, the largest in 15 years.....china.org.cn

    ReplyDelete
  130. Turkey's EU ambitions complicated by row over Armenia genocide: Hahn...

    Turkey's backlash against European countries that call Ottoman Turks' 1915 massacre of Armenians genocide will complicate Ankara's ambitions to join the European Union, the commissioner in charge of EU enlargement told a newspaper on Thursday.

    Turkey denies that the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in what is now Turkey, at the height of World War One, constitutes genocide and relations with Armenia are still blighted by the dispute.

    Turkey has also rebuked EU members including Germany and Austria whose parliaments used the word in resolutions marking the 100th anniversary of the event this month.

    Commissioner Johannes Hahn told Austrian newspaper Der Standard that Ankara's "very harsh" reaction should be seen in the context of elections coming up in June.

    "This may be quite popular in parts of the country and among certain parts of the population. But what worries me are the long-term consequences," he was quoted as saying in an interview.

    "The seeds of an anti-European and anti-Western stance are thus sown, which from today's perspective makes a future (EU) entry very difficult."

    The European Parliament this month also backed a motion that called the massacre genocide, days after Pope Francis provoked fury in Turkey by using the same term.
    Reuters

    ReplyDelete
  131. Small earthquake felt by hundreds in Los Angeles...

    A small earthquake has rattled a wide swath of greater Los Angeles, shaking buildings downtown.

    The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-3.7 quake hit at 7:01 a.m. near Carson. The significant depth of 7 miles (11 kilometres) meant fewer people were likely to feel it.

    Agency seismologists say the quake was near the Newport-Inglewood fault, but it was too small to determine exactly which fault caused it.

    Los Angeles police say there have been no immediate reports of damage or injuries, and seismologists say none should be expected for a quake of this size.

    There were hundreds of reports on the Geological Survey's website of people feeling the quake.
    AP
    ctvnews.ca
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  132. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has canceled his planned trip to Moscow for Russia's Victory Day, according to the Kremlin...

    "He has decided to stay in Pyongyang," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday, saying Moscow received the information via "diplomatic channels."

    The visit, which would have been Kim Jong Un's first overseas trip since taking power, was called off due to unspecified "internal North Korean issues," Peskov added.

    Russia invited world leaders, including Kim, to the May 9 ceremony in Moscow marking the 70th anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

    Until Thursday, Russia had said it was preparing for Kim to make the trip, telling VOA's Korean service recently it was "working through all the logistical questions."....voanews.com
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  133. US soldiers arrive in Turkey for training Syrian rebel ...

    US soldiers have arrived in Turkey to start training Syrian rebels to fight Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, daily Hurriyet reported on Thursday.

    The US soldiers, all members of the Special Forces, will join their Turkish colleagues to train Syrian rebels in a military base in the central Anatolian province of Kirsehir, the paper said, citing unidentified sources.

    The paper said training will start in 10 days and that the rebels will be trained in groups of 400.

    Ankara and Washington signed an agreement in February to train some 2,000 members of the Free Syrian Army in one year, and 5,000 fighters in three years inside Turkey.....ellanodikis.net
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  134. Russia wants to divide NATO, European blocs: US general...

    Supplying offensive weapons to Ukraine should be used as an option to curb Russian actions that threaten Europe’s security, the top commander for U.S. forces in Europe said Thursday.

    “Mr. Putin and his forces have taken and used every tool to their great advantage including the military tool,” said Gen. Philip Breedlove. “I support the consideration of using offensive weapons to change the decision calculus on the ground and to facilitate bringing our opponent to the table.”

    Breedlove’s comments came as he briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee on the European Command’s program and 2016 budget.

    “Russia is blatantly challenging the rules and principles that have been the bedrock of European security for decades,” he said. “This is global. It's not regional, and it is enduring, not temporary.”

    Russia’s motivation is not only limited to dismembering Ukraine, he said, but Russia wants to divide the European Union NATO as a economic and military blocs.

    Russia has supported separatists in eastern Ukraine since the armed conflict began in early 2014.

    The U.S. and European powers have a placed series of sanctions on Russia for its destabilizing actions in eastern Ukraine and for annexing the Crimean peninsula last March....aa.com.tr

    ReplyDelete
  135. A ruined Hagia Sophia dating back to the 12th century in the western border province of Edirne will be renovated as a mosque, despite former statements made about the possibility of restoring it as a museum...

    Following the conversion of two Hagia Sophia into museums, which were initially built as churches and then turned into mosques and, subsequently, museums, the third Hagia Sophia in Edirne’s Enez district will be reconverted into a mosque, according to Foundations General Director Adnan Ertem, despite previous debates on turning it into a museum after reconstruction....hurriyetdailynews.com
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  136. ISIS jihadists claim killing of 15 Yemen soldiers...

    Jihadists of the Islamic State group claimed they beheaded four Yemeni soldiers and shot dead another 11 execution-style in a video posted online Thursday, a monitoring group said.

    The soldiers were shown in front of the camera before jihadists were seen sharpening their knives and killing four of them, according to SITE Intelligence Group, a US website monitor.

    The heads of the four young men were then seen on the ground, in the video said to have been filmed in the southern province of Shabwa.

    The footage shows 10 more soldiers, blindfolded and crouching with their hands bound, being shot once each in the forehead, while another is riddled with bullets from behind.

    According to SITE, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has denied responsibility for the killings which took place in mid-April......AFP......dailystar.com.lb
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete
  137. La Cina e la Russia effettueranno esercitazioni navali nel Mediterraneo a maggio, ha riferito il portavoce del ministero della Difesa della Cina...

    "Secondo i piani di Russia e Cina, le forze navali dei due Paesi effettueranno a metà maggio esercitazioni militari congiunte nel Mar Mediterraneo denominate Joint Sea 2015",

    — ha detto a Pechino il portavoce del ministero della Difesa cinese Geng Yansheng.

    Nelle manovre saranno coinvolte 9 navi di entrambi i Paesi. Tre di esse sono navi della Marina cinese che sono ora impegnate nella missione internazionale contro i pirati al largo delle coste della Somalia.

    Il programma delle manovre comprende l'elaborazione di operazioni di salvataggio in mare, di rifornimento di carburante e spari.

    Secondo il rappresentante cinese, le esercitazioni non sono dirette contro Paesi terzi.
    http://sptnkne.ws/gMJ
    30/4/15

    ReplyDelete

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