Monday, May 9, 2016

Juniphone agencies flash News (June 2016)

 -
Cameron said that while Europe had largely been at peace since the end of World War II, it was barely two decades since the Bosnian war, while the continent was facing a "newly belligerent Russia".

"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly-tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe," he said......Prime Minister David Cameron warned Monday that a British exit from the EU would threaten peace on the continent
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129 comments :

  1. At least 20,000 children trapped in Iraq's Fallujah: UN...

    At least 20,000 children remain inside besieged Fallujah in Iraq, a stronghold of the self-styled Islamic State near Baghdad, the United Nations' children's agency has said.

    The children face the risk of forced recruitment in the fighting and separation from their families, UNICEF added.

    "We are concerned over the protection of children in the face of extreme violence," UNICEF Representative in Iraq Peter Hawkins said in a statement.

    "Children face the risk of forced recruitment into the fighting" inside the besieged city, and "separation from their families" if they manage to leave, he added.

    Backed by Shia militias and air strikes from the US-led coalition, the Iraqi armed forces launched on 23 May an offensive to recapture Fallujah, 50km west of Baghdad.

    The assault on Fallujah has begun in what is expected to be one of the biggest battles ever fought against Islamic State....rte.ie
    1/6/16

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    1. Irak: au moins 20.000 enfants bloqués à Fallouja sous la menace jihadiste...

      Au moins 20.000 enfants sont bloqués dans Fallouja et risquent le recrutement forcé par les jihadistes qui contrôlent cette ville d'Irak assiégée par les forces armées, a indiqué mercredi le Fonds de l'ONU pour l'enfance (Unicef).

      Après avoir pendant des mois resserré l'étau autour de Fallouja, les forces irakiennes ont lancé le 23 mai une offensive pour rependre la ville, située à 50 km à l'ouest de Bagdad, au groupe Etat islamique (EI). Lundi elles sont entrées dans la cité où elles font face à une forte résistance des jihadistes.

      "L'Unicef estime à au moins 20.000 le nombre d'enfants pris au piège dans la ville", a indiqué le représentant de l'Irak à l'Unicef Peter Hawkins dans un communiqué....AFP
      1/6/16

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  2. Egypt will open the Rafah border crossing into Gaza in both directions from Wednesday, allowing movement in and out of the coastal enclave ahead of Ramadan, the Times of Israel reports, citing a report in Ma'an...

    The decision, taken by the Egyptian authorities, was announced by the Palestinian borders and crossings committee.

    There is a waiting list of over 30,000 Palestinians waiting to leave Gaza via Rafah, meaning that the four-day window would principally apply to medical and humanitarian cases, Ma'an says.

    The other crossing points out of Gaza are controlled by Israel, which does not permit most Gazans to leave the Strip unless under medical or humanitarian conditions. Small numbers of exit permits are also occasionally granted for worshipers to visit Jerusalem, or for students to go and study overseas.

    The last time the Rafah crossing was open was in May, for two days. Only a few hundred people were able to cross into Egypt.

    Egypt's military siege on the Gaza Strip has been in place for most of the last three years, according to Ma'an. Israel's blockade on the Strip began in 2007, after Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip.
    i24news.tv
    1/6/16

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  3. Vor Völkermord-Resolution Armenien appelliert an Bundestag...

    Im Streit um die Bundestags-Resolution zu den Massakern an den Armeniern hat sich nun deren Präsident Sargsjan geäußert: Er forderte die deutschen Abgeordneten auf, sich nicht einschüchtern zu lassen. Aus Ankara kamen unterdessen neue Drohungen.

    Kurz vor der geplanten Völkermord-Resolution zu den Massakern an den Armeniern hat der armenische Präsident Sersch Sargsjan die Bundestagsabgeordneten aufgerufen, sich vom türkischen Staatschef Recep Tayyip Erdogan nicht einschüchtern zu lassen. "Es ist nicht fair, wenn man den Völkermord an den Armeniern nicht Völkermord nennen darf, nur weil der Staatschef eines anderen Landes dann wütend wird", sagte Sargsjan der "Bild"-Zeitung.

    Der neue türkische Regierungschef Binali Yildirim bezeichnete die geplante Resolution wiederum als "lächerlich". Sie werde die Beziehungen zwischen der Türkei und Deutschland beschädigen, sagte der Erdogan-Vertraute. Am Vortag hatte bereits Erdogan selbst gegen die Bezeichnung Völkermord protestiert und Kreisen im Präsidialamt zufolge in einem Telefonat Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel seine Bedenken mitgeteilt.
    Schwierige Aufarbeitung

    Der Bundestag will morgen eine Resolution von Union, SPD und Grünen beschließen, in der die Massentötung und Deportationen von Armeniern im Osmanischen Reich zur Zeit des Ersten Weltkriegs als Völkermord eingestuft werden. Nach Schätzungen wurden damals zwischen 800.000 und 1,5 Millionen Angehörige der christlichen Minderheit getötet. Die osmanische Führung hatte sie verdächtigt, mit dem Kriegsgegner Russland zu kollaborieren.....http://www.tagesschau.de/inland/armenien-145.html

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  4. Poland constitution: EU warns over threat to rule of law...

    The European Union has issued a formal warning to Poland for threatening the rule of law - one of the founding principles of the EU.

    Critics of the right-wing Polish government have been angry at changes it has made to the country's top court, leaving it, they say, in effect unable to review and veto legislation.

    The warning from the European Commission could lead to Poland being stripped of its EU voting rights.

    Poland has two weeks to respond.....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36429325
    1/6/16

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  5. A military court in southern Russia Wednesday held the first full hearing in the trial of four Crimean Tatars accused of joining a radical Islamist group...

    Armed officers from Russia's FSB security service detained the men in raids on homes in the Crimean town of Bakhchysaray on May 12.

    The Russian authorities have cracked down on the Crimean Tatars since annexing the Black Sea peninsula in 2014 in a move opposed by the most of the indigenous Muslim community who were deported to the region under Stalin.

    The investigation found "all four of the defendants took part in the activities of the terrorist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir until they were detained by FSB (security service) officers," the court said in a statement.

    Hizb ut-Tahrir (Party of Liberation) seeks to establish a pan-Islamic state called a caliphate. The group is not illegal in Ukraine, but has been banned in Russia since 2003......AFP
    1/6/16

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  6. Rebuilding after deadly Ecuador quake to cost at least $3.3 billion...

    The cost of reconstruction after the earthquake last April that killed 663 people in Ecuador will total at least $3.344 billion, the government here said, adding that the funds will be raised from international entities, the private sector and the public.

    The head of the National Planning and Development Secretariat, Sandra Naranjo, discussed the matter on Wednesday, noting that the estimated reconstruction costs include reconstituting the assets that were lost as well as the value of the goods that were not produced and the services that were not provided as a consequence of the quake.
    EFE
    1/6/16

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  7. The United States took steps Wednesday to lock North Korea out of the world financial system as it officially branded the country a "global money laundering concern."...

    The move, which if finalized would block any North Korean financial activities from the US banking system, comes in parallel to a recent United Nations Security Council resolution that could require all UN members to cut off banking relations with Pyongyang.
    AFP

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  8. Europe floods: Five dead amid fears of fresh heavy rainfall...

    There are fears that more heavy downpours forecast across a swathe of Europe may worsen floods that have already left five people dead.

    Four people drowned in southern Germany, with two more missing and thousands of homes without electricity.

    Some parts of central France have seen their worst floods in over a century. The body of an elderly woman was found in her flooded home.

    Thousands were evacuated in France and thousands of emergency call-outs made.

    Heavy showers are forecast right through the weekend across a band of central Europe from France to Ukraine, with as much as 50mm (2in) of rain falling in some parts in just a few hours.
    'Totally under water'

    After a day of respite on Wednesday in central France, the region is braced for a further rise in already exceptionally high river levels.

    The Loiret department, south of Paris, is on red alert, with seven others one level lower.

    Nearly 10,000 homes are without electricity....BBC
    2/6/16

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  9. La Turquie rappelle son ambassadeur à Berlin après le vote allemand sur le génocide arménien...

    La Turquie a rappelé son ambassadeur en Allemagne en réaction à l'adoption jeudi par les députés allemands d'une résolution reconnaissant le génocide arménien par l'Empire ottoman, qu'Ankara nie catégoriquement, a annoncé le Premier ministre turc Binali Yildirim.

    "L'ambassadeur de Turquie en Allemagne a été rappelé pour des consultations", a dit M. Yildirim, cité par l'agence de presse progouvernementale Anatolie.

    Cette résolution du Bundestag "va sérieusement affecter les liens turco-allemands", a pour sa part déclaré le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

    "La reconnaissance par l'Allemagne de certaines allégations infondées et déformées constitue une erreur historique", a réagi le porte-parole du gouvernement turc Numan Kurtulmus sur son compte Twitter, ajoutant que "pour la Turquie, cette résolution est nulle et non avenue".

    Dès l'annonce du vote la Turquie avait fustigé la décision des députés allemands, estimant qu'elle constituait une "erreur historique" et était "nulle et non avenue".

    Erevan jubile

    De son côté l'Arménie a salué jeudi l'adoption par les députés allemands d'une résolution reconnaissant le génocide arménien qui a eu lieu à la fin de l'Empire ottoman, un vote contesté avec véhémence par la Turquie qui rejette ce terme. "L'Arménie salue l'adoption de la résolution du Bundestag sur la reconnaissance du génocide commis contre les Arméniens et d'autres peuples chrétiens", a déclaré le ministère arménien des Affaires étrangères dans un communiqué.....http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_les-turcs-fulminent-apres-la-reconnaissance-du-genocide-armenien-par-l-allemagne?id=9314653

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    1. Armenien-Resolution: Erdoğan kündigt ernsthafte Folgen an...

      Die türkische Regierung hat die Armenien-Resolution des Bundestags als "null und nichtig" bezeichnet. Als erste Konsequenz berief sie ihren Botschafter nach Ankara.

      Die Türkei ruft als Reaktion auf die Armenien-Resolution ihren Botschafter aus Berlin zu Konsultationen zurück. Dies hat die Regierung in Ankara bekannt gegeben. Botschafter Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu werde zu Beratungen nach Ankara reisen, sagte Ministerpräsident Binali Yıldırım nach Angaben der staatlichen Nachrichtenagentur Anadolu.

      Der türkische Staatspräsident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sagte bei seinem Besuch in Nairobi, er habe wegen der Bundestagsresolution mit Yıldırım telefoniert. "Die Entscheidung, die das deutsche Parlament getroffen hat, ist eine Entscheidung, die die Beziehungen zwischen Deutschland und der Türkei ernsthaft beeinflussen wird." Nach seiner Rückkehr in die Türkei werde über die Angelegenheit beraten werden, sagte Erdoğan.....zeit.de
      2/6/16

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  10. Humanitarian aid drops to be decided by Syria and UN...

    Presidential Political and Media Adviser, Bouthaina Shaaban, said on Thursday that “humanitarian aid drops” in Syria should be decided by the Syrian government and the UN.

    “We are in need to eliminate terrorism and I wish the western countries think more about combating terrorism,” Sputnik news agency quoted Shaaban as saying via a video call during a conference in Washington on fighting ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra.

    She added that the Syrian government works with the UN to find best means to deliver the food and medical assistance to all Syrians.

    In a relevant context, Shaaban said the Syrian army has been able, with the help of Russian air forces, to defeat terrorists in large parts of Syria.
    http://sana.sy/en/?p=79113

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    1. The United Nations will on Sunday present a formal request to the Syrian government to approve airdrops of humanitarian aid to besieged areas where civilians are at risk of starvation, diplomats said...

      UN aid chief Stephen O'Brien told a closed meeting of the Security Council on Friday that consent from the Damascus regime was needed to carry out the airdrops of food and medicine, diplomats at the meeting told AFP.

      The 15-member council was discussing UN plans for airdrops to reach areas under siege where trapped civilians face dire shortages in the five-year war.

      World powers decided last month that if aid continued to be blocked, the United Nations would begin airdrops on June 1, although such an operation would require Syrian approval and pose high risks.

      "What is at stake here is the necessity to put an end to a humanitarian disaster," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters ahead of the meeting....AFP
      3/6/16

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  11. River Seine to set to keep rising as Louvre closes its doors...

    The River Seine in Paris surged to its highest level in more than 30 years on Thursday, shutting down the famed Louvre and Orsay museums, and is set to continue to rise on Friday as more bad weather arrives in flood-hit France.

    Some towns in central France have been hit by their worst floods in over a century, with more than 5,000 people evacuated since the weekend and around 19,000 homes without power, after several days of torrential rain.

    In Evry-Gregy-sur-Yerre, south of Paris, a man on horseback drowned on Thursday, the prefecture said in a statement. Le Parisien newspaper said the 74-year-old had been trying to cross a flooded field. The horse survived with minor injuries......france24.com

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  12. Major Powers Meeting in Paris, Seek to Revive Mideast Peace Talks ...

    U.S., European and Arab diplomats meeting in Paris Friday are hoping to find enough common ground to revive stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

    Washington's response to the French effort has been tepid, with Secretary of State John Kerry agreeing to attend simply to listen to ideas proposed by France and others. Still, senior U.S. officials stressed the sense of urgency of working to advance the goal of a negotiated two state solution.

    "We're not here to propose any kind of specific agenda," a senior State Department official said. "While the U.S. is open-minded about ideas, we haven't made any decisions about what, if any, our role would be in that initiative going forward."

    Despite the recent escalation in violence between Israelis and Palestinians, and the fact that representatives of these two parties are not even scheduled to attend the French-brokered resumption of talks aimed at ending the conflict, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon with the swearing in Monday of ultranationalist Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said he supports a two-state solution....voanews.com
    3/6/16

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  13. Hollande sur le Proche-Orient: "l'ensemble de la région" doit être pris en compte...

    Le président français François Hollande a jugé vendredi que la paix au Proche-Orient devait prendre en compte les "bouleversements" intervenus dans "l'ensemble de la région" mais qu'il revenait in fine aux seuls Israéliens et Palestiniens de faire le "choix courageux de la paix".

    "La discussion sur les conditions d'un règlement définitif entre Israéliens et Palestiniens doit prendre en compte l'ensemble de la région", a déclaré le chef de l'Etat, ouvrant une conférence internationale à Paris devant une trentaine d'acteurs du dossier.

    "Nous ne pouvons nous substituer" aux parties en conflit, a ajouté François Hollande, estimant qu'il reviendrait aux Israéliens et Palestiniens de "faire le choix courageux de la paix".

    M. Hollande a souligné qu'en cas d'échec du processus de paix, "le vide sera forcément rempli par les extrémistes"....rtl.be/AFP
    3/6/16

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  14. Russian ground operation in Syria 'under discussion' (Al Jazeera)...

    President Vladimir Putin may deploy special operations forces on the ground in Syria, a former official told Al Jazeera, a move that might be made to ensure "a decisive victory".


    It's been more than eight months since Russia intervened in the Syrian conflict, and at the time Putin said there were no plans to participate in ground operations - but he also said "for now".

    The Russian president is reportedly discussing with military commanders the possibility of deploying combat troops on the battlefield.

    "This is under discussion, there are plans for this," Andrei Fyodorov, a former deputy minister for foreign affairs, told Al Jazeera.

    The reinforcements could be special forces or volunteer soldiers who are willing to fight alongside the Syrian army and its allies.

    "This is a delicate issue for our military. There are serious doubts that any participation by Russia on the ground would be favourable or complicate the negotiation process and lead to further disagreements with the US," Fyodorov explained.

    But there are those in political and military circles who believe this deployment is needed......http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/russian-ground-operation-syria-160602094724997.html
    2/6/16

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  15. Au moins 104 corps de migrants retrouvés sur une plage libyenne...

    La marine libyenne a annoncé vendredi qu'au moins 104 corps de migrants ont été retrouvés sur les plages de Zouara, une ville de l'ouest de la Libye.

    "Jusqu'à jeudi soir, nous avons retrouvé 104 corps de migrants mais nous nous attendons à ce que ce chiffre augmente", a indiqué vendredi à l'AFP le colonel Ayoub Qassem, porte-parole de la marine libyenne. "Un bateau peut porter entre 115 et 125 passagers", a-t-il précisé.

    1370 migrants ont déjà perdu la vie en 2016 en Méditerranée

    Près de 700 migrants, dont une quarantaine d'enfants, qui tentaient de gagner l'Italie auraient trouvé la mort, dans des conditions atroces, au cours de la semaine écoulée dans trois naufrages au large de la Libye, d'après l'ONU et des témoignages de survivants....rtbf.be

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  16. US drops weapons to rebels battling ISIL in Syria...

    The US has reportedly dropped weapons to rebel fighters in Syria as the UN Security Council considers dropping food and medicine by air to civilians.

    Witnesses say the US delivered the weapons to armed units battling the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group in Syria.

    The developments come as a former Russian diplomat tells Al Jazeera that his country is seriously considering putting boots on the ground in Syria.

    The weapons supplies were airdropped to rebels in Marea, a town in the northern province of Aleppo, on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said....aljazeera.com

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  17. Germany is investigating 180 suspects with Syrian militant links...

    Germany is investigating about 180 terror suspects who have returned from Syria or have links to militant groups there, the Justice Ministry said on Friday, a day after three Syrians were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks in Duesseldorf.

    An Interior Ministry spokesman said it was too early to draw conclusions about the seriousness of the threat after the arrests over plans for a large-scale attack in the western city. But the security alert remained high, he said.

    "At present the Chief Federal Prosecutor is conducting some 120 investigations into more than 180 suspects in connection with the civil war in Syria due to membership or support of a terrorist group," a Justice Ministry spokesman said.

    German media have quoted security officials as saying the three arrested Syrians were registered at shelters for asylum seekers....Reuters

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  18. The U.S. military has announced several counterterrorism strikes in Yemen that were previously unreported and that killed a total of 15 al-Qaida militants...

    That brings the total number of U.S. counterterrorism strikes in Yemen this year to nine, according to the Pentagon.

    Col. Pat Ryder, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command which overseas military operations across the Middle East, told reporters Friday one of the airstrikes occurred May 19 in the Shabwah Governorate of central Yemen.

    A February 3 strike in the same governorate killed six al-Qaida operatives. Two other strikes, one in February and one in March, targeted al-Qaida militants in eastern and central Yemen......http://www.voanews.com/content/pentagon-reveals-four-strikes-in-yemen/3360782.html
    3/6/16

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  19. Paris floods: Seine level starts dropping after 30-year high...

    The levels of the River Seine in Paris have started dropping slightly after reaching a 34-year high on Friday.

    The river level rose to 6.1m (20ft) above its normal height overnight.

    Floods also forced parts of the metro system and major landmarks to close, while the Louvre and Orsay museums were shut while staff moved art to safety.

    Despite the water level falling on Saturday morning, Paris remains under the second-highest alert, which warns of a "significant impact".

    Forecasters had warned the river could reach as high as 6.5m above it normal level.

    France's environment ministry said the floods now appeared to have peaked and would remain stable over the weekend before retreating further.

    Prime Minister Manuel Valls said four people had died and 42 were injured across the country...BBC
    4/6/16

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  20. Resort collapse kills 1, traps 6 in E. Thailand ...

    One tourist was killed and six others were trapped under debris on Saturday morning after a resort building in Koh Chang Island, east Thailand, collapsed following heavy rainfall, local media reported.

    The accident occurred at around 6:00 a.m. local time in torrential rains. The Siam Beach Hotel on Koh Chang Island in Trat Province, 350 km away from Bangkok, tumbled down when the guests were sleeping.

    The victim was killed instantly, and six others, including a child, were trapped under the debris.....http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-06/04/content_38603567.htm

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  21. Erdogan says Armenian genocide charges 'blackmail' of Turkey...

    President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Saturday that Turkey would never accept charges the Ottoman Empire committed genocide against Armenians in World War I, saying the accusations were being used as "blackmail" against Ankara.

    In his most bitter reaction yet to the vote by the German parliament Thursday to recognise the killings from 1915 as genocide, Erdogan threatened to leave Europe "to its own worries" if such disputes were not resolved.

    "The issue here is not the Armenians.... The Armenian issue is used all over the world as a convenient blackmail against Turkey and has even started to be used as a stick," he said in a televised speech.

    "I am addressing the whole world. You may like it, you may not. Our attitude on the Armenian issue is clear from the beginning. We will never accept the accusations of genocide."

    He said that during World War I, what remained of the Ottoman Empire was "under siege from all sides" and "of course a number of measures were taken to restore order in Anatolia"....AFP
    4/6/16

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  22. Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to introduce a guaranteed basic income for all...

    Final results from Sunday's referendum showed that nearly 77% opposed the plan, with only 23% backing it.

    The proposal had called for adults to be paid an unconditional monthly income, whether they worked or not.

    The supporters camp had suggested a monthly income of 2,500 Swiss francs (£1,755; $2,555) for adults and also SFr625 for each child.

    The amounts reflected the high cost of living in Switzerland. It is not clear how the plan would have affected people on higher salaries.

    The supporters had also argued that since work was increasingly automated, fewer jobs were available for workers.

    Switzerland is the first country to hold such a vote....BBC

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  23. On Tuesday, June 7, after complaints of pain in the region of the heart was admitted 79-year-old Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, reports Reuters...

    A few years ago, the court of Milan appointed the health of Berlusconi, convicted of repeated application of the scheme to evade taxes when buying rights to films for his Italian media group Mediaset. Then, during the trial on the case mistress of ex-Prime Minister Karima El-Marug (also known as «ruby»), Berlusconi became ill and he was hospitalized.

    The examination then showed that Berlusconi has a disease threatening his life.
    israel-today.ru
    7/6/16

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  24. A rush-hour car bomb targeted a bus carrying riot police in Istanbul on Tuesday, killing 11 people and wounding 36 others, Istanbul's governor said...

    Speaking at the scene of the blast in the Beyazit district, Istanbul Gov. Vasip Sahin said the dead included seven police officers and four civilians. At least three of the wounded were in serious condition.

    The bomb was placed inside a car and detonated as the police vehicle passed by, Sahin said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and Sahin wouldn't comment on who may be behind the attack.

    Several groups have issues with the Turkish government. Rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, have targeted police and military personnel since July, when a fragile peace process between the rebels and the government collapsed. The Islamic State group has also been blamed for a series of deadly bombings in Turkey, which is part of the U.S.-led coalition against IS....france24.com
    7/6/16

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  25. Tens of ISIS vehicles destroyed in army airstrikes in Raqqa...

    The army continued operations against terrorist organizations, launching strikes on their positions in various areas, destroying their vehicles and equipment and killing many of their members.

    Raqqa

    The Syrian army’s air force carried out sorties targeting gatherings and fortified positions of ISIS terrorists in the vicinity of al-Rasafeh city in the northeastern Raqqa province, a military source said on Wednesday.

    Tens of vehicles, some of which were armored and others equipped with machine guns, were destroyed in the airstrikes, which also left large numbers of ISIS terrorist dead.
    SANA
    8/6/16

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  26. Lieberman met with settler leaders and promised to support...

    On Tuesday, June 7, defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met in the Knesset with the heads of regional councils and mayors of the cities of Judea and Samaria. During the meeting the Minister discussed with municipal leaders on a number of issues regarding the cooperation between the defense Ministry and the local authorities in Judea and Samaria.

    Avigdor Lieberman promised to do everything possible so that the residents of Judea and Samaria feel safe and could lead a normal lifestyle. In conclusion of the meeting the defense Minister and heads of local councils agreed that such meetings will be held on a regular basis.....israel-today.ru
    8/6/16

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  27. A car bomb ripped through a police station on Wednesday in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Turkey, a day after 11 people were killed in an attack in the heart of Istanbul, state-run Anatolia news agency said...

    A bomb attack hit the main police station in the town of Midyat near the Syrian border, said Anatolia, which blamed "terrorists" in a reference to militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

    Several people were injured and ambulances were dispatched to the scene after the powerful explosion, privately owned NTV television reported.

    Local Turkish media reported that at least two police officers were killed in the attack, and Sky News network cited hospital sources as saying that more than 20 people had been wounded.....i24news.tv

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  28. Spats among Iraqi forces delay Fallujah advance...

    After securing the southern edge of militant-held Fallujah, seven battalions of Iraqi Special Forces units have been unable to advance for two days — a delay that commanders say isn’t due to counterattacks or difficult terrain, but rather to disagreements about battlefield strategy among the disparate Iraqi forces fighting ISIS.

    Unlike previous anti-ISIS operations, the fight for Fallujah involves an array of Iraqi security forces. A battle plan that was initially cast as an example of how those fighters can work together has instead revealed just how fractured Iraq’s security forces are.

    “I wouldn’t say the different forces in the Fallujah operation are cooperating: They’ve just divided up the battlefield,” said Patrick Martin, an Iraq analyst with the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington.

    Since ISIS overran Mosul in the summer of 2014, two groups have come to dominate the fight against the militant group in Iraq: The country’s elite counterterrorism special forces and the government-sanctioned, largely Shiite militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces..AP..alarabiya.net

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  29. Migrant smuggling 'general' extradited to Italy...

    An Eritrean dubbed "the general", suspected of controlling a migrant trafficking network responsible for shipping thousands of people to Europe and sending some to a watery grave, has been extradited to Italy.

    Medhanie Yehdego Mered, 35, who had been on a wanted list since 2015 for international people smuggling, was arrested in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and flown to Italy late Monday.

    He is "the accused ringleader of one of the four largest criminal migrant trafficking organisations", the Sudanese interior ministry said in a joint statement with the country's British and Italian embassies.

    Referred to in wiretapped conversations between his subordinate alleged traffickers as "the general" for his control over a large area and number of "troops", Mered is accused of organising the smuggling of up to 8,000 people a year on migrant boats.

    Investigators believe his organisation was responsible for packing migrants onto a boat that sank in 2013 off the Italian island of Lampedusa, claiming at least 360 lives in one of the worst disasters in the Mediterranean.

    He reportedly described the sinking as "Allah's will" in a wiretap....AFP
    8/6/16

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    1. Suspect extradited for people smuggling 'is wrong man'...

      Friends of a man extradited to Italy on Tuesday on people smuggling charges say police have the wrong man.

      Prosecutors believe Mered Medhanie, known as The General, is at the heart of the operation to smuggle migrants from Africa to Europe.

      An Eritrean man authorities say is Mr Mered was held in Sudan in May and flown to Rome on Tuesday.

      But the man's friends told the BBC there had been a case of mistaken identity and he was innocent.

      He was named by friends as Mered Tesfamariam.

      A woman in Norway identified herself as the sister of the man arrested, telling the BBC's Newsnight programme her brother was "completely innocent".

      A spokesman for Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA), that was involved in the operation, told the Press Association they were "liaising with our partners".

      It added: "This is a complex multi-partner operation and it is too soon to speculate about these claims."...BBC

      Delete
  30. On Tuesday, June 9, in the Golan heights will exercise control rear, in which in the settlements of the region, the siren will sound early warning of missile attacks...

    Alarming siren will sound at 11:00 hours in the village of Kfar Haruv, at 12:00 o’clock in Eliade and 13:00 hours in Hachure.
    israel-today.ru
    9/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  31. Portaaviones estadounidenses se unen a lucha contra ISIS ...

    El USS Eisenhower y el USS Truman apoyarán operaciones de la coalición que lidera EE.UU. en la lucha contra el Estado Islámico.

    Estados Unidos envió dos portaaviones al Mediterráneo para apoyar los intereses europeos y las operaciones contra el Estado Islámico.

    El USS Dwight D. Eisenhower llegó al occidente del mar Mediterráneo el miércoles. El USS Harry S. Truman, se encuentra en el este del Mediterráneo, informó la teniente de la Armada Loren Terry.

    El Truman y el Eisenhower alternarán responsabilidades "territoriales" durante dos semanas y media antes de que el Truman regrese a Estados Unidos, indicó a la Voz de América la vocera del Pentágono, teniente coronel Michelle Baldanza.

    El Eisenhower ha sido emplazado como parte de la Quinta Flota de la Armada, responsable de las fuerzas navales en el Medio Oriente.

    Un funcionario de defensa, dijo a la Voz de América que el Eisenhower apoyará la operación "Inherent Resolve" de la coalición liderada por EE.UU. que lucha contra los militantes del Estado Islámico en Irak y Siria....voanoticias.com

    ReplyDelete
  32. Japan protests after Chinese warship sails near disputed East China Sea islands...

    Japan summoned the Chinese ambassador early on Thursday to express concern after a Chinese navy ship sailed close to what Japan considers its territorial waters in the East China Sea for the first time, increasing tensions over the disputed area.

    Japan said a Chinese frigate sailed within 24 miles (38 kms) of the contested territory, the islands known as the Senkaku in Japan and the Diaoyu in China, shortly after midnight.

    Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki summoned the Chinese ambassador in Tokyo at around 2 a.m. (01:00 p.m. EDT on Wednesday) to "express a serious concern," the government said in a statement.

    Japanese and Chinese coastguard vessels frequently face off around the islands as both sides press their claims. Until now neither has dispatched warships to nearby waters, because doing so would inflame tensions and remove a buffer against potential armed conflict.

    "We are worried that this action raises tensions to a higher level," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a regular press briefing in Tokyo.

    "Related ministries are working together to deal with this and we will work closely with the U.S.," Suga said....reuters.com

    ReplyDelete
  33. Ukraine has fulfilled all the conditions for visa-free regime with EU countries. This was announced by European Parliament President Martin Schulz in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, reports on Thursday, 9 June, the press service of the head of state...

    As they say in the message, Schultz also said that efforts for the adoption by the European Parliament decision in the near future.

    However, in the agenda of the next meeting of the relevant Committee of the European Parliament not included the question of the introduction of Ukraine in the list of countries whose citizens are granted visa-free regime, said “UKRINFORM” with reference to own source.

    On may 26, a source in the diplomatic apparatus of the EU has declared readiness of Brussels to slow down the introduction of visa-free regime with Ukraine and Georgia.....http://rushincrash.com

    ReplyDelete
  34. Минобороны РФ опровергло заявления о нанесении авиаударов по гражданским объектам в Алеппо...

    Минобороны РФ опровергло заявления Турции о нанесении 8 и 9 июня ВКС авиаударов по гражданским объектам в Алеппо - официально.
    http://tass.ru/politika/3353787
    9/6/16

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Russia did not carry out any airstrikes on Syria's Aleppo on June 8 and 9, RIA news agency cited Defense Ministry's spokesman as saying Thursday...

      Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Russian strikes had been targeting hospitals in the city of Aleppo since Wednesday.

      "Russia's air forces have not carried out any attacks on the city of Aleppo, the agency cited the spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, as saying.
      REUTERS
      9/6/16

      Delete
  35. A magnitude 5.2 earthquake near the San Jacinto fault shook Southern California early Friday, jolting residents awake...

    The earthquake occurred at 1:04 a.m., according to early information from the United States Geological Survey. Initial incomplete data had suggested two quakes of roughly the same size shook within a minute....desertsun.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. Tous les Palestiniens sont désormais interdits d'entrer en Israël ...

    L'armée israélienne a annoncé vendredi que tous les Palestiniens étaient désormais interdits d'entrer en Israël, renforçant les restrictions annoncées après l'attentat mercredi à Tel-Aviv qui a coûté la vie à quatre Israéliens.

    "A partir d'aujourd'hui (vendredi) les points de passage de la bande de Gaza et de Judée Samarie (Cisjordanie) seront ouverts seulement pour les cas médicaux et humanitaires", a indiqué une porte-parole à l'AFP.

    Cette fermeture sera en vigueur jusqu'à dimanche à minuit.
    AFP/rtbf.be

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The US state Department urged Israel to show restraint: do not provoke the Palestinians...

      The US state Department appealed on Thursday evening, June 9, the government of Israel, stating that it condemns the terrorist attack in tel Aviv sarona, claiming the lives of four citizens, but the Israeli response to that crime should be restrained and not to provoke an escalation of tensions with the Palestinians, according to news Agency Reuters.

      «We understand and respect the desire of the Israeli government to Express anger and to protect their citizens, however, hope that measures that will take the country’s leadership will not lead to escalation of tension in the future» – leads edition of the words of the official representative of state Department Mark Toner.

      Toner urged Israel to take into account the fact that the measures planned by the Israeli government, including the strengthening of its military presence in the West Bank and a number of restrictions that will affect peace and Palestinians will complicate their lives.
      israel-today.ru
      10/6/16

      Delete
  37. Obama approves broader role for U.S. forces in Afghanistan....

    President Barack Obama has approved giving the U.S. military greater ability to accompany and enable Afghan forces battling a resilient Taliban insurgency, in a move to assist them more proactively on the battlefield, a U.S. official told Reuters.

    The senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the decision would also allow greater use of U.S. air power, particularly close air support.

    However, the official cautioned: "This is not a blanket order to target the Taliban."......http://www.reuters.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. The Polish government hopes that the next summit of NATO will formally approve the decision to place more troops in the East of the country, reports the Wall Street Journal...

    Deputy defense Minister of Poland Tomasz Shatkovsky said that the allies in the North Atlantic Alliance has already agreed in principle on the deployment of troops in the village of suwałki, near the Lithuanian border.

    The number of troops is currently unknown. They will be based in the East of Poland on a rotational basis......http://en.israel-today.ru/poland-nato-agreed-to-place-more-troops-on-our-territory.html
    11/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  39. British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will make a fresh push to persuade supporters to back keeping Britain in the EU as a new poll showed the Brexit camp in a ten-point lead...

    He will hail the "positive, optimistic" case for remaining in the bloc amid concerns the party's core supporters - seen as crucial to securing a Leave victory - are not being persuaded.

    Amid questions over his commitment to the cause, he said last night ahead of a campaign visit to Aberdeen that he was "not a huge fan" of the EU but was 70-75% in favour of staying.

    He said he was not surprised that prominent Labour backbencher John Mann had joined the pro-Brexit camp but insisted he was committed to pushing the rival case.

    The latest survey by ORB for The Independent put the scores at 55% to 45% in favour of pulling out, after allowing for an individual's likelihood to vote.....rte.ie

    ReplyDelete
  40. The U.S. Department of Transportation said Friday it has approved six domestic airlines to begin scheduled flights between five U.S. cities and Cuba as early as this fall...

    "Last year, President Obama announced that it was time to 'begin a new journey' with the Cuban people," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement. "Today, we are delivering on his promise by re-launching scheduled air service to Cuba after more than half a century."

    The carriers receiving the awards are American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines, said the statement.

    The five U.S. cities that will receive new scheduled service to Cuba are Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Philadelphia.

    The nine Cuban cities are Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara, and Santiago de Cuba.....http://www.china.org.cn/world/2016-06/11/content_38643484.htm
    11/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  41. Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb will leave his cabinet post after losing his conservative party's chairmanship to Interior Minister Petteri Orpo in a vote on Saturday...

    Orpo, 46, beat out Stubb, a former prime minister, by a vote of 441 to 361 in the leadership race, the National Coalition Party said.

    The NCP holds four cabinet posts in a coalition government that also includes the Centre Party and the Finns Party.

    In Finland, coalition parties usually divide up the cabinet posts amongst themselves, and each party chairman then proposes the ministers who will hold those positions.

    Orpo had already made it clear that he would take over the finance ministry portfolio if he were to win Saturday's chairmanship race.

    "Orpo will now propose the new ministers for his party, probably at the end of next week ... The president will then announce the new ministers," the chair of the NCP's parliamentary group, Arto Satonen, told AFP.

    Stubb, 48, took over the NCP chairmanship in 2014 and served as prime minister from June 2014 until April 2015 when he lost a legislative election to Centre leader Juha Sipila, now the country's premier.....AFP

    ReplyDelete
  42. Germany's Foreign Ministry has warned lawmakers with Turkish roots against travelling to the country for now because their safety cannot be guaranteed, the magazine Der Spiegel reported on Saturday...

    A resolution in the German parliament this month declaring the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a genocide has added to tensions between Berlin and Ankara.

    Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said that the 11 lawmakers of Turkish origin who voted for the resolution should be given blood tests, and has accused them of having "tainted blood" and of being terrorists.

    The leader of Germany's Green party, Cem Oezdemir, who pushed for the resolution, has also received death threats....REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  43. Balance, Brexit concerns drag on oil prices...

    Crude oil prices declined heavily in early trading Monday after OPEC data show the dynamics of global supply and demand remain unchanged.

    For nearly two years, crude oil markets have been pressured by global economic growth that was too slow to take up the heavy supply of energy products. By May, the International Energy Agency said some level of balance was returning to the market as supplies where fading against slow increase in overall demand.

    Crude oil prices are up 7 percent from May and 90 percent higher than their low point for the year as the glut of oil that persisted on the market for the last two years starts to fade.

    In its monthly market report for June, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries reported demand growth for 2016 was expected at 1.2 million barrels per day, a level unchanged from the May report. For supplies, the global average forecast of the year was unchanged at 56.4 million bpd.

    Supply disruptions in Canada, Nigeria and elsewhere were "broadly offset" by gains in countries outside the 13-member production group, OPEC said.....upi.com
    13/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  44. Gunmen have killed 12 Libyans after their release from jail for taking part in acts of repression during the 2011 revolt against Muammar Qaddafi, officials said on Sunday...

    A Tripoli court ordered the conditional release of the former regime officials on Thursday, and on Friday their bullet-riddled bodies were found in the capital, the prosecution said on its Facebook page.

    An investigation into the murders has begun, it added.

    The victims had been imprisoned on charges of committing abuses during the NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed Qaddafi.

    They were freed on condition that they report to the prosecutor every two weeks.

    The UN special envoy to Libya Martin Kobler condemned the murders and called for a prompt and “transparent” investigation....AFP

    ReplyDelete
  45. Hollande calls for firm international action against terrorism...

    French President Francois Hollande called on Tuesday for firm international action against terrorism after the killing of a police commander and his partner at their home on Monday, a crime attributed to Islamic State.

    During the opening of a conference on corruption at the headquarters of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Hollande said that the fight against terrorism requires international action, an exchange of information and tracking of individuals.
    EFE
    14/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  46. The United States and Venezuela said Tuesday they would launch new high-level talks as the South American country struggles with a growing humanitarian crisis...

    With the Venezuelan opposition pushing to remove President Nicolas Maduro, the United States urged "constructive" steps to ease the situation in the volatile oil-exporting state.

    The two nations have had tense relations for years, with Venezuela's socialist leaders accusing Washington of trying to topple them.

    But the countries' top foreign envoys sat down together Tuesday on the sidelines of a regional gathering.


    US Secretary of State John Kerry said he discussed the opposition's drive for a recall referendum during the meeting with Venezuela's Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez.

    Maduro himself said later in televised comments that he agreed to "a new stage of dialogue" between his government and US officials.


    The two countries withdrew their respective ambassadors in 2010 but Maduro said he was "ready to appoint ambassadors and regularize relations."..... [i24news.tv]
    15/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  47. At least 70 fighters have been killed in less than 24 hours of fierce clashes between pro-regime forces, jihadists and rebels in Syria's Aleppo province, a monitor said Wednesday...

    Pro-regime fighters -- backed by regime and Russian air strikes -- retook the villages of Zaytan and Khalasa to the southwest of Aleppo city after losing them several hours earlier, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
    AFP

    ReplyDelete
  48. China has lodged diplomatic representations with the United States over a planned meeting between U.S. President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama at the White House on Wednesday, the Foreign Ministry said...

    Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the remarks at a regular briefing on Wednesday. China considers the exiled Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader a dangerous separatist and Lu added the meeting would send the wrong message to "separatist forces".

    Any attempt to take advantage of Tibet issues and undermine stability would not succeed, Lu said.
    REUTERS
    15/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  49. Syria on Wednesday strongly condemned the presence of French and German special forces in Ain al-Arab and Manbij areas...

    In a statement to SANA, an official source at Foreign and Expatriates Ministry considered this presence as a blatant interference, a flagrant violation of UN Charter’s principles and an overt unjustified aggression on the sovereignty and Independence of Syria.

    ” Commenting on news circulated regarding the presence of groups of French and German special forces in Ain al-Arab and Manbij areas on the Syrian territories, the Syrian Arab Republic vehemently condemns this blatant interference that constitutes a flagrant violation of UN Charter’s principles and an overt unjustified aggression on the sovereignty and Independence of Syria,” the source said....[sana.sy]
    15/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  50. News Agency Associated Press reported, citing the official French source, which, according to French police, France and Belgium sent a small group of extremists to commit terrorist acts...

    The source, who asked to remain anonymous, told the AP that French authorities received this information from the Belgian intelligence services.

    According to the Belgians, a small group of Islamists left Syria about 10 days ago to carry out attacks in France and Belgium. The militants are trying to reach Europe via Turkey and Greece.

    Among the objects of the terrorists can be a shopping centre in Brussels, the American chain food service establishments and police stations.
    israel-today.ru
    15/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  51. US tells Russia: Our patience on Syria ‘very limited’...

    US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia on Wednesday that US patience on the Syria conflict and the fate of its President Bashar al-Assad was running out.

    “Russia needs to understand that our patience is not infinite, in fact it is very limited with whether or not Assad is going to be held accountable,” Kerry said during a visit to Norway.

    Speaking to the Oslo Forum on conflict resolution and mediation, Kerry said the truce “may not succeed” and that Russia, in particular needed to exert more pressure on Assad to respect the ceasefire and allow aid deliveries.

    Kerry also spoke of the challenge of combating extremist groups and terrorism, while rejecting claims that the world is engaged in a “clash of civilizations” between the West and Islam.

    “No, this is not a clash of civilizations, this is a struggle between civilization itself and barbarism, between civilization and fundamental raw political exploitations and mix of medieval and modern fascism, together at the same time,” he said.

    Earlier on the same day, the top US diplomat also met his Iranian counterpart visit to the Scandinavian state, to once again discuss Tehran’ complaints that it’s not getting the sanctions relief it deserves under last year’s landmark nuclear deal.

    Kerry also raised the importance of Iran using its influence with Syria’s government to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries and respect a fragile truce with moderate opposition groups. He said later that the truce was “frayed and at risk” and that it was “critical for a genuine cessation of hostilities to be put in place.”

    He indicated that U.S. patience with Syria and its Russian and Iranian allies was wearing thin.
    alarabiya.net/AP/AFP

    ReplyDelete
  52. Many NATO governments will agree next month to fund Afghanistan's armed forces until 2020, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday...

    The decision will be formalised at NATO's Warsaw summit on July 8-9, Carter said.
    REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  53. For the first time US has deployed HIMARS rocket system to Estonia...

    High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) were delivered to Estonia on Tuesday to participate in the ongoing Saber Strike military drills, the Estonian Defense Forces said.....http://defence-blog.com

    ReplyDelete
  54. CIA Director John Brennan will tell Congress on Thursday that Islamic State militants are training and attempting to deploy operatives for further attacks on the West and will rely more on guerrilla-style tactics to compensate for their territorial losses...

    In remarks prepared for the Senate Intelligence Committee, Brennan says IS has been working to build an apparatus to direct and inspire attacks against its foreign enemies, as in the recent attacks in Paris and Brussels — ones the CIA believes were directed by IS leaders.

    "IS group has a large cadre of Western fighters who could potentially serve as operatives for attacks in the West," Brennan said, using another acronym for the group. He said IS probably is working to smuggle them into countries, perhaps among refugee flows or through legitimate means of travel....AP

    ReplyDelete
  55. UK Labour MP shot and critically injured, anti-Brexit camp suspends campaigning...

    A British lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party has been shot and injured in her constituency in northern England, media reported on Thursday.

    Jo Cox, 41, a mother of two, was left bleeding on the pavement after the incident in Birstall in Yorkshire, the Press Association cited an eyewitness as saying.

    As the debate over the UK's upcoming referendum on remaining in the European Union rages on, the Stronger in Europe campaign declared that it was suspending campaigning because of the attack. Cox is a prominent supporter of the Remain campaign.....i24news.tv
    16/6/16

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. British Labour MP Jo Cox has died after she was shot and stabbed in an attack outside her constituency advice surgery...

      The mother of two was attacked by a man reportedly shouting "Britain first" early this afternoon in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

      Temporary chief constable for West Yorkshire Dee Collins told a news conference: "I am now very sad to have to report that she has died as a result of her injuries."

      The alleged gunman has been named locally as Tommy Mair, 52, who neighbours in Birstall have described as "a loner".

      Ms Collins expressed her deepest condolences to the family and friends of Ms Cox, who had two children aged three and five.

      She said: "Jo was attacked by a man who inflicted serious and sadly, ultimately fatal injuries. Subsequently there was a further attack on a 77-year-old man nearby who has sustained injuries that are non-life threatening."

      She added: "This is a very significant investigation with a large number of witnesses being spoken to at this time.

      "It's a large and significant crime scene and a large police presence with a full investigation is under way to establish the motive for this attack."....http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0616/796074-jo-cox/

      Delete
  56. Iraqi government forces say they have retaken the main government compound in the city of Falluja from Islamic State (IS) militants...

    A statement said the Iraqi flag was raised above the city council building after its capture by Counter Terrorism Force troops, police and soldiers.

    They earlier reportedly recaptured several areas to the south and east.

    Falluja, only 50km (30 miles) west of Baghdad, has been held by IS longer than any other city in Iraq or Syria.

    The jihadist group overran the predominantly Sunni Arab area in January 2014, six months before it seized control of large parts of northern and western Iraq...BBC
    17/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  57. British PM urges tolerance in wake of murder of Jo Cox...

    British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for tolerance in public debate, near the spot where Labour MP Jo Cox was attacked yesterday, as it was announced that parliament would be recalled on Monday to pay tribute.

    Ms Cox was shot and stabbed outside her constituency advice surgery in Birstall, West Yorkshire and died later in hospital.

    "Where we see hatred, where we find division, where we see intolerance we must drive it out of our politics and out of our public life and out of our communities," Mr Cameron said....rte.ie

    ReplyDelete
  58. Médecins sans frontières refuse l’argent de l'UE pour protester contre sa politique migratoire "honteuse" ...

    Vent debout contre la politique migratoire "honteuse" de l'Union européenne, l'ONG Médecins sans frontières a annoncé vendredi qu'elle n'accepterait plus de financements de l'UE jusqu'à nouvel ordre.

    La colère gronde chez Médecins sans frontières. L’ONG a annoncé vendredi 17 juin qu'elle refusait jusqu’à nouvel ordre les subsides de l'UE et de ses états membres pour protester contre leur politique migratoire visant "à repousser les personnes et leur souffrances loin des côtes européennes". "Cette décision prend effet immédiatement et sera appliquée à tous les projets de MSF à travers le monde", a-t-on indiqué du côté de MSF lors d'une conférence de presse à Bruxelles.

    L’organisation humanitaire s’insurge notamment contre l'accord conclu en mars entre l'UE et Ankara, qui prévoit le renvoi de tous les nouveaux migrants arrivant sur les côtes grecques depuis la Turquie vers la Grèce, y compris les demandeurs d'asile.....[france24.com avec AFP]
    17/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  59. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has criticised Nato military exercises in Eastern Europe, accusing the organisation of "warmongering"...

    Mr Steinmeier said that extensive Nato manoeuvres launched this month were counterproductive to regional security and could enflame tensions with Russia.

    He urged the Nato military alliance to replace the exercises with more dialogue and co-operation with Russia...BBC
    18/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  60. Saudi Arabia repeats call for US strikes on Assad...

    Saudi FM reiterates position that only 'dramatic' change to balance of power will bring political solution

    Saudi Arabia on Friday reiterated its call for air strikes against Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, after US diplomats broke ranks with the White House to push for robust action.

    Briefing journalists after talks at the White House, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said the kingdom had long urged Washington to lead a military response to undermine Assad's control.....i24news.tv
    18/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  61. Brazil's Rio state has declared a fiscal crisis less than two months before the opening of the first Olympics games to be held in South America...

    The declared crisis opens the way for the release of emergency funds for the August 5-21 Olympics and the September 7-18 Paralympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro. Some of the key Olympic projects depend heavily on the state government.

    Francisco Dornelles, Rio's acting governor, said in a statement the games pose "serious difficulties in delivering essential public services and could even cause a collapse in public safety, health, education, transportation and environmental management."....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  62. Xi: China, Serbia "all-weather friends" with "special brotherly bond" ...

    Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Friday that China and Serbia are "all-weather friends" and have a "special brotherly bond," calling on both sides to expand their ties.

    Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were warmly welcomed by Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and his wife Dragica Nikolic in an elegant and quiet villa late Friday. The two heads of state exchanged views on a series of issues of shared interest.

    Hailing the traditional friendship between the two countries, Xi told his Serbian counterpart that China-Serbia practical cooperation and people-to-people exchanges have yielded fruitful results.

    China highly values the friendship with Serbia and cherishes the good momentum of vigorous development of bilateral ties, he stressed.

    Xi called on both sides to adhere to the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, make ties more strategic and comprehensive, expand practical cooperation in various fields so as to promote all-round and in-depth development of China-Serbia relationship.

    Xi expounded to his host China's economic and social progress, stressing that China will develop in way that suits the state of the country and will adhere to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics, adding that China is fully confident in its future.....http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/989100.shtml
    18/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  63. Jo Cox murder suspect says name is 'Death to traitors, freedom for Britain'...

    The man charged with murdering British lawmaker Jo Cox gave his name as "death to traitors, freedom for Britain" when he appeared in court on Saturday accused of a killing that could be a defining moment in a vote on European Union membership.

    The murder of Cox, a 41-year-old mother of two young children, has shocked Britain, elicited condolences from leaders around the world and raised questions about the tone of campaigning before the EU referendum which takes place next Thursday.

    Cox, an ardent supporter of EU membership, was shot and stabbed in the street in her electoral district in northern England on Thursday.

    Wearing a gray sweat shirt and trousers and flanked by two security guards, 52-year-old Thomas Mair was asked his name by a clerk at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London.

    "Death to traitors, freedom for Britain," Mair said. When asked again what his name was, Mair calmly repeated: "My name is death to traitors, freedom for Britain."

    "Bearing in mind the name he has just given, he ought to be seen by a psychiatrist," Deputy Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot told the court......REUTERS..todayonline.com

    ReplyDelete
  64. Russia, US agree on need to improve military coordination in Syria ...

    The United States and Russia have agreed on the need to improve military coordination in Syria in order to prevent possible incidents while carrying out operations in the war-torn country, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday.

    According to the ministry, military officials from the two countries reached the agreement at a video conference on Saturday.

    At the conference, US military officials "expressed strong concerns about the attack on the coalition-supported counter-ISIL forces at the Al-Tanaf garrison, which included forces that are participants in the cessation of hostilities in Syria," said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook after the talks.

    He added that the Pentagon "emphasized that those concerns would be addressed through ongoing diplomatic discussions on the cessation of hostilities."

    US defense officials said that Russian forces in Al-Tanaf targeted a meeting of combatants supported by the US-led coalition that was held to coordinate the fight against forces of the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.

    The Syrians belonged to the New Syrian Army, trained by the British and the Americans in a coalition camp in Jordan, while the Iraqis were tribal fighters, officials said.

    Russia's defense ministry said late Thursday however that it had not carried out any strikes targeting opposition forces included in the ceasefire, without mentioning Al-Tanaf -- an assertion challenged by the United States...i24news.tv
    19/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  65. L'Irak confronté à un "désastre humanitaire" à Fallouja ..

    Sous un soleil de plomb, par 42°C, des milliers de civils irakiens continuaient dimanche de fuir Fallouja, reprise en grande partie par les forces gouvernementales, les ONG faisant désormais face à un désastre humanitaire.

    Des milliers de personnes bloquées

    Au moins 30 000 personnes ont fui les combats en trois jours, rejoignant les dizaines de milliers déjà déplacées, selon le Conseil norvégien pour les réfugiés (NRC). Et des milliers d'autres sont toujours bloquées à l'intérieur de la ville, dont des femmes enceintes, des personnes malades, âgées ou handicapées......AFP

    ReplyDelete
  66. Syrie: 3 morts dans un attentat lors d'une commémoration du massacre assyrien ...

    Trois personnes ont été tuées dimanche quand un kamikaze s'est fait exploser dans une ville du nord-est de la Syrie lors de la commémoration du massacre des Assyriens par les Ottomans, a affirmé à l'AFP une source de sécurité.

    La ville de Qamichli a été secouée par plusieurs attentats similaires, dont certains ont été revendiqués par le groupe ultraradical Etat islamique (EI)....AFP

    ReplyDelete
  67. Global migrant tide swells to record 65 million, UN says...

    The number of refugees and others fleeing their homes worldwide has hit a new record, spiking to 65.3 million people by the end of 2015, the United Nations said Monday.

    Europe's high-profile migrant crisis, its worst since World War II, is just one part of a growing tide of human misery led by Palestinians, Syrians and Afghans.

    Globally, approaching one percent of humanity has been forced to flee.

    "This is the first time that the threshold of 60 million has been crossed," the UN refugee agency said.

    The figures, released on World Refugee Day, underscore twin pressures fueling an unprecedented global displacement crisis.....i24news.tv
    20/6/16

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  68. Iran claims disrupting major 'terrorist plot' in the country...

    Iranian intelligence officials have broken up one of the "biggest terrorist" plots ever planned to target Tehran and other provinces in the Islamic Republic, the country's state media reported on Monday.

    The reports quote the country's Intelligence Ministry as saying that it has arrested several suspects in the plot to bomb the capital and other provinces, seizing bombs and ammunition during the operation.

    The Intelligence Ministry statement, read live on Iranian state television and carried across the country's news agencies, had little detail. The announcement comes as Iran finds itself battling the Islamic State group while also supporting Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad in his country's long, bloody civil war...AP..ctvnews.ca

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  69. The heat is on for Father's Day in the southwestern U.S., and it is just plain dangerous...

    The National Weather Service on Saturday issued an excessive heat warning for all of next week for much of the state of Arizona.

    The high temperature for the city of Phoenix was predicted to hit 120 degrees F (49 degrees C) Sunday, and it will not get much cooler for the rest of the week.

    Experts warned that the very young and elderly should stay indoors and that anyone who does go outside should be aware of the signs of heat-related sickness: thirst, red skin, cramps and a general feeling of exhaustion.

    The city of Phoenix and churches set up shelters for the homeless. Power companies put extra workers on duty to make sure there will be plenty of air conditioning. People were advised not to walk their dogs during the daytime, saying the temperatures of streets and sidewalks could hit a scorching 170 degrees F (76 degrees C).

    Metrologists blamed the extreme heat on a strong high-pressure system sitting over parts of the Southwest.
    [voanews.com]
    18/6/16

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  70. EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to boost the bloc’s anti-people smuggling operation in the Mediterranean to include training of the Libyan coastguard and enforcing a UN arms embargo...

    Ministers also agreed to extend Operation Sophia’s mandate by one year to July 2017, a statement said, as the European Union tries to control a flood of migrants from North Africa and beyond trying to get to Europe.

    “The Council (of member states) extended until 27 July 2017 the mandate for EU NAVFOR MED Operation Sophia, the EU naval operation to disrupt the business model of human smugglers and traffickers in the southern central Mediterranean,” a statement said after the ministers met in Luxembourg.

    “The Council also reinforced the operation’s mandate by adding two supporting tasks -- training of the Libyan coastguard and navy, and contributing to the implementation of the UN arms embargo on the high seas off the coast of Libya,” it said.

    The EU launched Operation Sophia last year after hundreds of migrants died when their rickety boats sank off southern Italy, sparking popular outrage at their plight.

    It currently comprises five vessels and three helicopters charged with intercepting smugglers' boats and destroying them, in international waters.

    Officials said they will review what additional assets the mission will need in July so Sophia will be able to meet its new tasks.
    AFP

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  71. NATO's Stoltenberg: EU sanctions on Russia should remain...

    The European Union should keep in place the sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters on Monday, a day after the German foreign minister said they should gradually be phased out.

    "My assessment is that one should not remove the economic sanctions before Russia has changed its behavior. I believe there is a broad agreement about this in the EU," Stoltenberg said in an interview.

    German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was quoted on Sunday as saying the EU should gradually phase out the sanctions if there is substantial progress in the peace process and if Russia showed it was doing its part in implementing the Minsk peace plan for Ukraine.
    REUTERS

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  72. Six people were killed and over 100 injured in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday in clashes between protesting teachers and police, State Governor Gabino Cue said...

    The riots, which saw 21 detained and 12 vehicles torched according to officials, took place in several municipalities, but they were the most violent during a five-hour standoff in Nochixtlan, 85 kilometers (53 miles) from Oaxaca City, the capital of the state.

    “State and federal police will be here until they restore order, peace and harmony,” Cue told reporters.

    The governor said all the dead were civilians, and two of them had ties to the CNTE teachers’ union, known for its activism and the biggest in the country with 100,000 members....aa.com.tr
    20/6/16

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  73. Explosiones en Afganistán causan 24 muertos ...

    Un total de 24 muertos y 40 heridos es el saldo de explosiones en la capital afgana el lunes.

    Explosiones separadas en Afganistán el lunes por la mañana mataron a por lo menos 24 personas e hirieron a otras 40.

    El más mortal ataque ocurrió en Kabul cuando un suicida se acercó a un minibús a pie e hizo estallar los explosivos. El Ministerio del Interior afgano dijo que la explosión dejó 14 muertos y ocho heridos. El Talibán rápidamente se atribuyó responsabilidad.

    Los muertos eran guardias de seguridad nepalíes que eran parte de una compañía a cargo de la seguridad en la embajada canadiense en Kabul. Cinco nepalíes a bordo del minibús también resultaron heridos junto a cuatro afganos.

    Horas después, la explosión de una bomba a la orilla de una calle en otra parte de la ciudad, colocada por insurgentes, hirió a un concejal provincial y dos guardaespaldas.

    En otra parte de Afganistán, en la nororiental provincia de Badakhshan, por lo menos 10 personas fueron muertas y más de 30 resultaron heridas cuando estalló un artefacto explosivo improvisado en un mercado muy concurrido.....voanoticias.com
    20/6/16

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  74. Putin, Sargsyan and Aliyev agreed to increase the number of OSCE observers in Karabakh...

    Russian President Vladimir Putin, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev agreed to increase the number of OSCE observers in the conflict zone in Nagorno-Karabakh. On Monday, June 20, Minister of foreign Affairs of Russia Sergey Lavrov following talks between Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

    «Besides the fact that we have outlined concrete steps to intensify the negotiating process, the presidents agreed on the tripartite Declaration, which reaffirms their commitment to the normalization of the situation on the contact line contains their consent to the increase of OSCE observers who are working in the conflict zone and expressed the commitment to create conditions to make sustainable progress in the negotiations on political settlement of the conflict», – quotes the Minister «Interfax».

    According to Lavrov, the sides also reached understanding on a number of other issues relating to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
    israel-today.ru
    21/6/16

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  75. Conflit en Syrie: l'EI contre-attaque et regagne du terrain sur deux fronts...

    Les djihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) ont chassé lundi les troupes du régime syrien de la province de Raqa (nord) à la faveur d'une contre-offensive qui a coûté la vie à 40 membres des prorégime en 24 heures, a indiqué une ONG.

    Le régime avait lancé le 3 juin une offensive pour s'emparer de la ville clé de Tabqa dans la province de Raqa, avançant d'une vingtaine de kilomètres. Mais les djihadistes ont réussi à les repousser hors de la province après une contre-attaque lancée la veille, selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH).

    "Daech (acronyme en arabe de l'EI) a réussi à chasser les troupes du régime hors des frontières administratives de la province de Raqa après une contre-offensive féroce lancée dimanche soir", a indiqué l'OSDH.

    Selon l'ONG, l'EI a dépêché des centaines de renforts de la ville de Raqa, chef-lieu de la province et capitale de facto du groupe djihadiste, à Tabqa pour défendre la ville dont les prorégime cherchaient à s'emparer. L'ONG, qui s'appuie sur un vaste réseau de sources à travers le pays en guerre, a affirmé que "plus de 40 membres des forces pro-régime ont été tués" dans les combats.

    La ville de Tabqa est située à 50 km à l'ouest de la ville de Raqa.....rtl.be
    21/6/16

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  76. An unidentified number of Jordanian soldiers were reportedly killed near the Syrian border early Tuesday morning, Ammon news agency reported...

    The attack took place at 05:30 AM local Jordanian time after a car bomb exploded opposite a Syrian refugee camp in Rukban, a city about 8 kilometers to the west of the point at which the Iraq, Syria, and Jordan borders meet.

    Jordan's state TV says called the incident a "cowardly terrorist attack."
    alarabiya.net
    21/6/16

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  77. Two fire fighters have lost their lives in Cyprus...

    A second forest fire fighter lost his life battling the fire in the Solea region, situated along the main Nicosia–Troodos road, the Police said on Tuesday.

    President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, expressed his deep condolences to the family of the deceased reassuring that the state will stand by the family.

    “It is with great sorrow that I was informed late last night about the death of forest fire fighter Marios Aristotelous, who succumbed to his injuries while on duty in the battle to extinguish the disastrous fire in the Solea region,” the President said in a written statement.

    Fourty four-year-old, Marios Aristotelous, was in the same vehicle as forest fire fighter Andreas Sofocleous who also succumbed to his injuries on Monday.

    In a written statement issued on Monday evening, President Anastasiades said he was shocked at the death of forest fire fighter Andreas Sofocleous, who succumbed to his injuries while on duty, during the heroic efforts by himself and his colleagues to put out the fire, raging in the Solea region......http://www.parikiaki.com/2016/06/two-fire-fighters-have-lost-their-lives-in-cyprus/
    21/6/16

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  78. Syria renewed call upon the UN Security Council and the UN Resolution 1540 Committee to shoulder the mandated tasks to guarantee that terrorist organizations active in Syria and all over the world will not obtain weapons of mass destruction and to question states backing terrorism...

    ” There are still significant gaps utilized by terrorists for obtaining weapons of mass destruction as to use them in their criminal targets,”
    Syria’s Permanent Representative to the UN Bashar al-Jaafari said Monday before the formal open consultations on the comprehensive review of implementation of resolution 1540 (2004).

    Al-Jaafari pointed out to the direct involvement of some UN member states’ governments in supplying terrorist groups with chemical weapons or materials for producing them and the involvement of other states, some of which claim things yet practice the opposite on the ground in terms of turning a blind eye to serious violations representing a threat to the world peace and security, whose dimensions are not restricted to a certain geographic area, particularly that ISIS terrorist organization seeks to boost its presence at the international arena through terrorist acts with simple capabilities in many of the UN member states.

    He added that the serious violations of Resolution No. 1540 is substantially represented in what Syria is witnessing, where the criminal terrorist groups have used chemical materials many times against civilians and military personnel with support of Arab and regional governments in collusion with intelligence agencies of powerful states in this region....http://sana.sy/en/?p=80619

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  79. Le cimentier Lafarge a tenté en 2013 et 2014 de faire fonctionner "coûte que coûte" son usine en Syrie "au prix d'arrangements avec les groupes armés environnants, dont l'organisation Etat islamique (EI)", affirme mardi Le Monde...

    Sollicité par l'AFP, Lafarge – qui a depuis fusionné en 2015 avec le suisse Holcim pour devenir un géant des matériaux de construction – n'était pas joignable dans l'immédiat.

    Pouvoir poursuivre la production malgré l'avancée de l'EI

    En cause: la cimenterie de Jalabiya, située à 150 kilomètres au nord-est d'Alep (deuxième ville de Syrie), rachetée par Lafarge en 2007 et mise en route en 2011. "Jusqu'en 2013, la production se maintient malgré l'instabilité croissante dans la région due à la guerre civile qui a débuté en 2011", relève le quotidien. Mais, "à partir du printemps 2013" l'EI "prend progressivement le contrôle des villes et des routes environnant l'usine de Lafarge", ajoute le journal.

    "Des courriels envoyés par la direction de Lafarge en Syrie, publiés en partie par le site syrien proche de l'opposition Zaman Al-Wasl et que Le Monde a pu consulter, révèlent les arrangements de Lafarge avec le groupe djihadiste pour pouvoir poursuivre la production jusqu'au 19 septembre 2014, date à laquelle l'EI s'empare du site et Lafarge annonce l'arrêt de toute activité", explique Le Monde....AFP
    21/6/16

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  80. Russian aircraft have dropped 17 tons of UN humanitarian aid on Syria's eastern city of Deir ez-Zor, which had been besieged by Islamic States (IS) militants, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides said on Tuesday...

    The aid, which was delivered via parachutes, contains grain and food products.

    Kafr Batna, a suburb of Damascus, has also received 41 heavy truckloads of humanitarian aid, including food and medicines.

    A cease-fire brokered by Russia and the United States, which took effect in February, has brought relative calm to the war-ravaged country. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to terrorist organizations, such as the ISIS....cctv.com

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  81. Lightning in Indian states 'kills 79'...

    At least 79 people have been killed by lightning strikes in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, officials say.

    Fifty three people died in Bihar. Ten people were killed in the eastern state of Jharkhand, and at least 16 died in Madhya Pradesh.

    Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains on Tuesday, reports said.

    Lightning strikes are common in India during heavy monsoon rains.

    In Bihar, the deaths occurred in Nalanda, Aurangabad, Rohtas, Purnea, Munger, Gaya, Saharsa, Bhagalpur, Banka and Kaimur.

    At least 2,000 people have died in lightning strikes in India every year since 2005, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

    India receives 80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season, which runs between June and September....BBC
    22/6/16

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  82. 25 civilians killed in raids on Syria Islamic State bastion Raqqa: monitor...

    Air strikes on the Islamic State group's de facto Syrian capital Raqqa on Tuesday killed 25 civilians, six of them children, a monitoring group said on Wednesday.

    "Dozens more were wounded, some of them critically," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding it was not immediately able to determine who carried out the Tuesday raids.

    The Syrian government, its ally Russia and a US-led coalition have all carried out air strikes against IS in Raqa.

    The Observatory said there were fresh air strikes against the city on Wednesday, one of which hit the town hall. It said those strikes appeared to have been carried out by the coalition.

    The coalition said it had carried out two strikes near Raqqa on Monday, hitting a bridge used by the jihadists as well as oil facilities.

    There are an estimated 300,000 people still living in the city.

    Activists have accused IS of preventing civilians from leaving in order to use them as human shields against air strikes...AFP..i24news.tv
    22/6/16

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  83. Les forces fidèles au gouvernement libyen d'union nationale (GNA) ont annoncé mardi avoir gagné du terrain dans les quartiers périphériques de Syrte, dont le centre reste aux mains des jihadistes de l'organisation de l'État islamique (EI)...

    Au moins 34 membres des forces progouvernementales libyennes ont été tués, mardi 21 juin, dans des combats féroces avec les jihadistes de l’organisation de l’État islamique (EI) assiégés dans le centre de leur fief de Syrte, selon une source médicale.

    Il s'agit de la journée la plus sanglante pour les forces du gouvernement d'union nationale (GNA) reconnu par la communauté internationale depuis le début, le 12 mai, de leur offensive pour reprendre la ville de Syrte (centre-nord) aux jihadistes.

    "Nos forces avancent de toutes parts contre les positions des jihadistes, appuyées par l'artillerie lourde et l'armée de l'air", a affirmé un commandement militaire....france24.com

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  84. Pakistan doesn't need F-16s, N-deals to fight terrorists: Afghanistan...

    Accusing government entities in Pakistan of aiding terrorist networks in violation of United Nations Security Council mandates, Afghanistan`s Permanent Representative Mahmoud Saikal said on Tuesday that Islamabad does not need nuclear deals and F-16s to fight terrorists, rather it requires political will and "honest and police action".

    Speaking at a Security Council debate on the situation in his country, the envoy raised the recent construction of a border post by Pakistan at Torkham, which Kabul says is an incursion into its territory, and 820 artillery shellings of Afghanistan`s eastern provinces of Nangarhar, Khost, Paktika, Kunar and Nouristan by Pakistan.

    In the continuing downward spiral of relations between the two neighbors, he warned Islamabad, "Make no mistake, the proud government and people of Afghanistan have not, do not and will not surrender to intimidation, violence, and aggression. Our history is a testimony to this.".....http://zeenews.india.com

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  85. Brexit - Juncker ne démissionnera pas en cas de départ du Royaume-Uni...

    Le président de la Commission européenne Jean-Claude Juncker ne démissionnera pas en cas de référendum négatif sur le maintien du Royaume-Uni dans l'UE, a assuré mercredi le porte-parole de l'institution.

    Interrogé sur la possibilité d'un départ de l'emblématique Luxembourgeois en cas de "Brexit" à l'issue du vote qui se tient jeudi, Margaritis Schinas, porte-parole en chef de l'exécutif européen, a répondu d'un bref et sonnant "non", lors du point presse quotidien organisé à Bruxelles.....rtl.be
    22/6/16

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  86. Pope to visit Armenia after irking Turkey with 'genocide' label...

    Pope Francis visits Armenia this weekend and will try to avoid reigniting a diplomatic dispute with Turkey after his branding of the 1915 mass killings of Armenians as a genocide infuriated Ankara last year.

    During the three-day trip starting on Friday, he will pray at Tzitzernakaberd, known in Armenia as the "Genocide Memorial and Museum" but which the official Vatican program for the trip calls "a memorial of the massacres".

    He will have to tread delicately there and in half a dozen other addresses to political and religious leaders.

    Last year Francis described the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in World War One as "the first genocide of the 20th century", days before commemorations to mark the centenary of the massacres in April.

    Muslim Turkey promptly recalled its envoy to the Vatican, Mehmet Pacaci, and he stayed away for 10 months, an eternity in diplomatic terms.....reuters.com
    22/6/16

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  87. Bangladesh has seen a near-record number of deaths this year from a phenomenon that appears to be worsening with climate change: lightning strikes...

    So far this year, 261 people have died from lightning in the country, putting the South Asian nation on track to beat last year's 265 deaths. Most lightning deaths usually occur during the warm months of March to July.

    India has seen a similar surge in lightning deaths, with 93 people killed just in the past two days, officials said.

    The problem has prompted Bangladesh's government to add lightning strikes to the country's list of official types of disasters, which includes floods, cyclones and storm surges, earthquakes, drought and riverbank erosion, among others.

    As a result, the government now compensates lightning strike victims or their families with sums between 7,500 and 25,000 taka ($95 to $310). Through mid-May the government had paid 1.5 million taka ($18,400) in claims this year to families of 81 people who died because of lightning..REUTERS...voanews.com
    22/6/16

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  88. Leader Kim Jong-Un threatened US military bases across the Pacific after North Korea’s test of a powerful new missile triggered emergency UN Security Council talks late Wednesday (June 22) on curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear programme...

    Mr Kim, who personally monitored Wednesday’s Musudan missile test, applauded a “great event” that significantly bolstered the North’s pre-emptive nuclear attack capability, the official KCNA news agency reported.

    “We have the sure capability to attack in an overall and practical way the Americans in the Pacific operation theatre,” Mr Kim was quoted as saying.....AFP
    23/6/16

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  89. Turkey could hold UK-style referendum on stalled EU bid: Erdogan...

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suggested Turkey could hold a referendum over whether to continue its long-stalled accession process to join the European Union.

    Angrily lashing out at the bloc's treatment of Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey could hold a referendum along the lines of that in Britain, where voters are deciding Thursday whether to stay in the European Union or leave.

    "We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing," Erdogan said in a speech late Wednesday after breaking the Ramadan fast, quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

    "We would ask 'Do we continue the negotiations with the European Union or do we end it?' If the people say 'continue', then we would carry on," Erdogan said.

    He accused the EU of not wanting to accept Turkey as a member as it is a "Muslim-majority country".....AFP

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  90. Extreme weather events have killed 51 people in eastern China and injured dozens more, state media say...

    Official news agency Xinhua reports that a tornado accompanied by torrential rain and hailstorms hit the province of Jiangsu on Thursday afternoon.

    Homes in Yancheng city were flattened, it adds.

    CCTV showed overturned vehicles, snapped street light poles and toppled electricity pylons, AP reports...BBC
    23/6/16

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    Replies
    1. Death toll from extreme weather in east China's Jiangsu Province has climbed to 78, the ministry of civil affairs said. Nearly 500 people were injured, 200 critically...

      Downpours, hailstorms and a tornado battered parts of Yancheng City at 2:30 p.m., destroying many houses, the city government said in an earlier press release.

      Extreme weather was reported in several townships in Funing and Sheyang counties in the suburbs of Yancheng.

      Gales of 125 km per hour battered several outer townships of Funing County, while in Sheyang, the winds reached 100 km per hour.

      Many houses collapsed in the gales, with 51 deaths reported and dozens of injuries as of 8:30 p.m.

      Some regions reported blackouts and communication interruptions.

      Witnesses said they saw huge trees falling and whole villages were leveled. Victims were dragged from the ruins of their homes and rushed to hospital...
      [Xinhua -globaltimes.cn]
      23/6/16

      Delete
  91. U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday expressed disappointment about the Supreme Court's decision on immigration that blocked his plan to spare millions of illegal immigrants from deportation...

    "For more than two decades now, our immigration system ... has been broken, and the fact that the Supreme Court was not able to issue a decision today doesn't just set the system back even further, it takes us further from the country that we aspire to be," he said.
    REUTERS

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  92. The Scottish National Party hinted it will move toward another Independence vote and Sinn Fein called for a vote on Irish unity following Britain's decision on Thursday to leave the European Union...

    Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's First Minister, said the so-called "Brexit" could lead to a new vote on Scottish Independence. Scotland's previous referendum on Independence lost by a narrow margin in 2014.

    "Scotland sees its future as part of the EU," Sturgeon said. "Scotland clearly and decisively voted to remain part of the European Union, 62 to 38 per cent."

    The SNP's most recent manifesto for last month's parliament elections said another referendum on Independence should go forward if a "significant and material" change in circumstances occurred, in particular, Scotland being dragged out of the EU.

    Northern Ireland also voted to remain with the EU, but a slightly smaller margin than Scotland, 56 percent to 44 percent. Sinn Fein quickly pushed for a re-united Ireland.

    Sinn Fein's national chairman Declan Kearney said "English voters are dragging Northern Ireland out of the EU. This British Government has forfeited any mandate to represent the economic or political interests of people in Northern Ireland.

    "We now have a situation where Brexit has become a further cost of partition," Kearney said. "A further cost of the Union and Sinn Fein will now press our demand, our long standing demand, for a border poll."
    [upi.com]
    24/6/16

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  93. Dutch politician Geert Wilders, leader of Freedom Party, called for the Netherlands in a referendum on whether to stay in the country in the European Union...

    Geert Wilders said the Netherlands are required to dispose of their money, laws and borders.

    According to recent data, 54% of the Dutch support a referendum on EU membership. Wilders said that if he heads the government, then by all means organize this vote.

    In the Netherlands twice at the referendum the population voted against the European trends. The last such vote concerned the admission of Ukraine into the European Union.

    In France, the National front leader marine Le Pen also called for a referendum on continued membership of the Republic in the European Union. According to her, it was time to «import democracy» in France and to give the citizens to decide their fate.

    France and the Netherlands at the time was the only EU member States that held a referendum on a new EU Constitution. In both countries, citizens rejected the strengthening of the European integration.
    israel-today.ru
    24/6/16

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  94. It's often said that David Cameron is a lucky politician who has seemed to coast through politics on instinct and charm during a career that has culminated in six years as British prime minister. On Thursday, his luck ran out...

    In calling a referendum on Britain's membership in the European Union, Cameron made a gamble that sank his career - and set his country on a course to leave an international alliance it joined more than 40 years ago. Speaking to assembled reporters outside his Downing Street office Friday, he said he would stay on for as long as was necessary for stability's sake, but that he could not be the one to lead Britain out of Europe.

    "I will do everything I can as prime minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months," he said, "but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers the country to its next destination."

    Brexit was a rare but fateful miscalculation for a politician who has a reputation for thriving under pressure and astutely judging political risks.

    "I think he's actually been pretty stunned by the strength of the 'leave' cause," Cameron biographer James Hanning told The Associated Press several days ahead of the referendum. "The golden rule is, never hold a referendum unless you're confident of winning it, and I think he thought that the moderate voices would prevail by some distance."...france24.com

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  95. EU's Tusk says 27 EU leaders determined to keep unity after Brexit...

    European Union leaders are determined to keep the unity of the EU after Britain voted to leave the 28-nation bloc, the chairman of the leaders Donald Tusk said on Friday, noting the EU had been prepared for such an outcome.

    "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," Tusk told reporters in a statement. "I want to reassure everyone that we are prepared also for this negative scenario," he said.

    Tusk said there was no way to predict all the political consequences of the vote, especially for Britain, but that it is not a moment for "hysterical reactions."

    "Today, on behalf of the 27 leaders I can say that we are determined to keep our unity as 27," Tusk said.

    EU leaders, including British Prime Minister David Cameron, are scheduled to meet on Tuesday in Brussels. Tusk said the 27 leaders of countries remaining in the EU would meet informally to discuss how to handle Britain's decision to leave.
    REUTERS

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  96. Britain's decision to leave the European Union strengthens the case for Catalonia to be allowed to seek independence from Spain, the head of the region's government said Friday...

    Joining other leaders of nationalist movements in Europe in welcoming the result of Thursday's Brexit referendum, Carles Puigdemont said Britain's ability to leave the EU without the approval of its member states suggested Catalonia could claim independence without Madrid's consent.

    "It demonstrates that it is perfectly possible to take a decision about sovereignty as all other countries do," Puigdemont said in a statement....REUTERS

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  97. Pope Francis on Friday denounced the mass killing of Armenians a century ago by Ottoman forces as "genocide", risking Turkey's fury as he met Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian...

    "This tragedy, this genocide, has unfortunately marked the start of a sad series of great catastrophes of the last century," the pontiff said at the presidential palace in Yerevan.
    AFP

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  98. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says the EU must not fall into "depression and paralysis" after the UK voted to leave the bloc...

    He made the comments arriving for an urgent meeting of the six EU founder members to discuss the decision.

    They will consider the process and speed of Britain's exit, and are also likely to discuss how to dissuade others from doing the same.

    Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will step down by October.

    The six countries attending the talks in Berlin - Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands - first joined forces in the 1950s and still form the core of the EU.

    The first summit of EU leaders with no British representation will be held on Wednesday. The EU has urged the UK to start negotiations to leave quickly.

    European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker stressed the "Union of the remaining 27 members will continue".

    Global stock markets fell heavily on the news of the so-called "Brexit", where the UK voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU. The value of the pound has also fallen dramatically....BBC
    25/6/16

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  99. Record flooding in the US state of West Virginia killed at least 23 people and stranded thousands of others who had to be plucked from rooftops and rescued from fast-moving waters, state officials said Friday...

    "The damage is widespread and devastating. Our focus remains on search and rescue," Governor Earl Ray Tomblin told a news conference after floods caused by a day of heavy rains.

    "I had planned to fly around the affected areas myself today but wasn't able to, because all state aircrafts are currently being used for rescues," he said.

    A band of thunderstorms hit the region on Thursday, washing away houses, roads, and vehicles and leaving thousands more without electricity, water, gas, or phone service....i24news.tv

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  100. Israel and Turkey reached a deal on Sunday aimed at ending years of acrimony and restoring normalised ties that soured after a deadly 2010 raid on an aid flotilla, an Israeli official said...

    The Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP the deal had been reached but details would not be officially announced until Monday. Negotiations were said to have been held in Rome, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed for talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday.

    There were multiple reports in Israeli media that a deal could be announced as early as Sunday, though officials were declining to speak publicly on the talks.

    Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Sunday afternoon, citing a senior Israeli official, that an agreement was expected to be announced within hours and that negotiating teams were meeting in the Italian capital.

    Speculation that the highly anticipated deal was close came six years after an Israeli raid that killed 10 Turkish activists as an aid flotilla sought to run the blockade on the Gaza Strip....AFP

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  101. The death toll from a fierce tornado and hailstorm in China`s Jiangsu province rose to 99, with 846 others injured, officials said on Sunday...

    The deadliest tornado recorded in the area since 1966 was accompanied by strong and gusty winds, heavy rains and hailstorms pummelled through farmland and factories in Yancheng city on Thursday, toppling houses, damaging wire poles and destroying a solar panel factory where hazardous chemicals were stored, Xinhua news agency reported.

    The city government said 1,591 homeless victims were accommodated in temporary shelters in two counties, and rescuers are rushing to repair electricity, water and telecommunication facilities....IANS

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  102. Sept membres du "shadow cabinet" de l'opposition travailliste ont démissionné, dimanche, pour signifier à leur leader Jeremy Corbyn qu'ils ne lui font plus confiance pour diriger leur parti...

    Le Brexit a ouvert une crise politique majeure au sein du Parti travailliste britannique. Une série de dirigeants contestant la légitimité de leur chef de file Jeremy Corbyn à diriger la principale formation de l'opposition parlementaire au Royaume-Uni.

    Au total, sept dirigeants du Labour et de son shadow cabinet [le "shadow cabinet" (gouvernement fantôme) est constitué par le leader de l'opposition qui nomme des ministres sans réel pouvoir ayant pour mission, chacun dans un domaine spécifique, de suivre l'action du gouvernement, de le critiquer, et d'apporter des contre-propositions] ont annoncé, dimanche 26 juin, qu'ils retiraient leur soutien à Jeremy Corbyn.

    Celui-ci a tout d'abord limogé Hilary Benn, son ministre "fantôme" des Affaires étrangères, rapporte The Observer, d'après lequel Benn préparait un coup de force contre le chef du parti travailliste.....france24.com
    26/6/16

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  103. In Kuwait today, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over the situation in Yemen, urging the delegations involved in the UN-supported Yemeni peace talks to prevent a further deterioration of the situation and arrive at a comprehensive agreement ending the conflict...

    “The situation in Yemen is of profound concern. Not only to me and the United Nations, but also to you and all of your people, and all of the countries in the region,” the Secretary-General said in remarks to the Yemeni delegations at the peace talks, which are being hosted by Kuwait.

    “There is an alarming scarcity of basic food items. The economy is in precarious condition. Whilst the cessation of hostilities is mostly holding, there have been serious violations, causing further casualties and suffering amongst the civilian population, including children,” he added....http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=54327#.V3Ao3hIpr2Y

    ReplyDelete
  104. Brexit: France and Germany 'in agreement' over UK's EU exit...

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande have said they are in "full agreement" on how to handle the fallout from the UK's decision to leave the European Union.

    Mr Hollande warned that "separated, we run the risk of divisions, dissension and quarrels".

    The two will hold talks later in Berlin amid a flurry of diplomatic activity in the wake of so-called "Brexit"....BBC

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  105. CIA weapons for Syrian rebels sold to black market: report...

    Weapons used in a shooting in November that killed two Americans and three others at a police training facility in the Jordanian capital, were stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market, a joint investigation by the New York Times and Al Jazeera found.

    The weapons arrived in the country as part of a shipment by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia earmarked for the Syrian rebel training program, the paper reported, citing American and Jordanian officials.

    A senior Jordanian officer shot and killed eight people including two American and one South African military trainers at a US-funded facility which trains Iraqi and Palestinian security forces, before being shot dead by fellow police officers.....i24news.tv
    27/6/16

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  106. Japanese Stocks Rise Despite Brexit Market Uncertainty ...

    Comments from the Japanese prime minister helped calm the Tokyo equity market Monday, although emerging markets in Asia came under pressure because of uncertainty surrounding Britain's vote last week to exit the European Union.

    The benchmark Nikkei index in Tokyo closed the Monday session up 357 points, a gain of about 2.4 percent after a nearly eight percent plunge Friday following the outcome of the Brexit referendum.

    “To the Bank of Japan I’d like to ask it to closely cooperate with central banks of other G7 countries to take necessary steps for the economy and financial markets,” said prime minister Shinzo Abe who added that he has instructed his finance minister, Taro Aso, “to watch the currency markets even more closely in cooperation with the Bank of Japan.”

    There is much speculation Japan will break a vow to its G7 partners not to intervene in the currency market after the yen surged against the U.S. dollar in reaction to the EU referendum....voanews.com

    ReplyDelete
  107. UK Prime Minister David Cameron on Monday ruled out a second referendum being held over the UK's membership in the EU, after a petition calling for a new vote garnered more than 3.7 million signatures as of writing, according to the Independent...

    Cameron's spokesperson reportedly said that a second vote is “not remotely on the cards” and that "[t]here was a decisive result."

    The comment came after a Cabinet meeting in which ministers confirmed that it planned to form a special government unit to consider renegotiation with the EU. These negotiations cannot formally begin until the UK activates Article 50, thus starting the two-year procedure for withdrawing from the EU........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/118124-160627-no-referendum-do-over-says-cameron-report

    ReplyDelete
  108. EgyptAir crash: Flight data recorder repaired - investigators...

    The damaged flight data recorder from the EgyptAir plane that crashed last month has been successfully repaired in France, Egyptian investigators say.

    They say that work on the Airbus A320's cockpit voice recorder will begin "within hours".

    It paves the way for experts to analyse data that could help explain what caused the crash...BBC
    28/6/16

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  109. Cameron heads to Brussels as EU leaders push for divorce after Brexit vote...

    Spurned EU leaders will press Britain to waste no time triggering its divorce from the bloc at a tense summit on Tuesday, while trying to plot a future course through a crisis that has rocked global markets.

    Germany, France and Italy agreed on the eve of the summit in Brussels that there could be no talks on Britain's relations with the group until after it has formally notified the European Union of its intention to leave by invoking Article 50.

    But Prime Minister David Cameron -- who announced his plan to resign in the wake of the shock referendum vote -- has insisted Britain will not pull the trigger until his successor is in place in September.....i24news.tv

    ReplyDelete
  110. Mort du pilote russe: la Turquie prête à "verser des compensations" pour l'avion abattu...

    La Turquie est prête "si nécessaire" à verser des compensations à la Russie pour l'avion russe abattu par la chasse turque en novembre 2015 lors d'une mission en Syrie, a affirmé lundi soir le Premier ministre turc, Binali Yildirim.

    "Nous avons avancé l'idée que si nécessaire nous sommes prêts à verser des compensations", a dit Binali Yildirim, le Premier ministre turc, sur la chaîne publique TRT alors que le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan a tendu la main à Moscou pour normaliser les rapport bilatéraux qui ont beaucoup souffert de cette affaire. Jusqu'à présent Ankara avait exclu des excuses et des compensations à Moscou. M. Yildirim a en outre indiqué que le chef de l'Etat turc devrait s'entretenir au téléphone mercredi ou jeudi avec son homologue russe Vladimir Poutine sur les moyens de remettre sur les rails les relations entre les deux pays qui défendent toutefois des intérêts opposés en Syrie.


    Des "regrets" et des "condoléances"

    "Je pense que nous avons trouvé un accord sur cette affaire. Nous allons tourner la page et continuer notre chemin", a ajouté le chef de l'exécutif turc. M. Erdogan a adressé lundi un nouveau message au président russe dans lequel il a exprimé, selon lui, des "regrets" et des "condoléances" pour le pilote russe tué. Kremlin pour sa part a évoqué des "excuses" turques, en vue de "restaurer les relations entre la Turquie et la Russie", avait annoncé le Kremlin.....rtl.be

    ReplyDelete
  111. UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to resign Tuesday after Labour MPs passed a vote of no confidence in his leadership with 172 voting in favor, 44 against and four abstentions...

    "I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning. Today's vote by MPs has no constitutional legitimacy," Corbyn said in a statement.

    The no confidence vote was called after around 20 members of Corbyn's shadow cabinet resigned amid political turmoil in Britain following a vote to leave the European Union.

    The vote is non-binding and his removal would still have to go before party members but experts say he is struggling to survive after a slew of criticism of his lukewarm campaigning for Britain to stay in the bloc....i24news.tv

    ReplyDelete
  112. Les dirigeants européens préparent l'après-Brexit et mettent la pression au Royaume-Uni...

    Réunis en sommet à Bruxelles, les 27 envisagent l'avenir de l'union européenne sans le Royaume-Uni. Le pays hérite d'un délai pour en sortir, mais les dirigeants européens préviennent: cela ne doit pas traîner.

    Les dirigeants des pays de l'UE se retrouvent mercredi matin à Bruxelles, pour la première fois sans le Royaume-Uni, pour tenter de tracer de nouveaux horizons à un projet européen ébranlé par le Brexit.

    Mardi, Bruxelles et les dirigeants des 27 pays restants ont accepté de donner un peu de temps au Royaume-Uni pour déclencher formellement leur procédure de divorce, tout en martelant qu'ils n'accepteraient pas d'attendre "des mois".

    La chancelière allemande Angela Merkel a aussi prévenu les Britanniques que leur relation future avec l'UE ne se ferait pas "à la carte", soucieuse d'éviter que le Brexit ne donne des idées à d'autres pays......rtl.be
    29/6/16

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EU Leaders Look Toward Future Without Britain ...

      European Union leaders are focusing Wednesday on carving out a future without Britain, as they wrap up a summit in Brussels days after Britons voted to leave the bloc.

      They have called for Britain to exit quickly and not to expect any membership benefits without paying the price.

      The summit is likely the last for British Prime Minister David Cameron, who is stepping down after his government failed to convince voters to choose staying in the EU. Speaking after the talks, he said that despite sadness and regret, the meeting of the 28 leaders was constructive.

      “Britain should seek and Europe should seek the closest possible relations as Britain leaves the EU. Close relations over trade, over cooperation, over security,” said Cameron.....voanews.com

      Delete
  113. Italy recovers refugee ship that sank off Libya...

    The Italian Navy has recovered a ship that sank off the coast of Libya last year with hundreds of people on board.

    Up to 700 refugees were believed to be on the vessel when it went down in the first half of 2015 while on its way to the Italian island of Lampedusa.

    Rescuers recovered some bodies after the incident but hundreds of others remained unrecovered in the Mediterranean Sea....aljazeera.com
    29/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  114. NATO should keep its door open to countries of strategic importance, such as Ukraine, Poland's President Andrzej Duda said Wednesday...

    "NATO should uphold an open-door policy, especially when it comes to countries that are strategic in terms of their character and location," Duda told a joint news conference with Slovak president Andrej Kiska in Bratislava.

    "And it should always be ready to assist countries which have been attacked and against which international laws have been broken," Duda also said.
    REUTERS

    ReplyDelete
  115. Suicide attack in Gire Spi kills 4 civilians, injures 10 others ...

    A suicide attack targeting civilians in Kurdish town of Girê Spî (Tal Abyad) in northern Syria killed 4 left a dozen wounded.

    The attack with a bomb-laden car was carried out near city center at 10:20 Wednesday morning, leaving 4 civilians dead and more than ten wounded, according to Kurdish ANHA News Agency reporters on the ground.

    On June 28, Turkish military shelled town center leaving dozens on civilians wounded.
    http://kurdishdailynews.org
    29/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  116. Iran is secretly recruiting Afghans by the hundreds to fight on behalf of ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Guardian reported on Thursday, as the Islamic Republic attempts to shore up the Shi'ite axis comprised of Assad's regime and Hezbollah in Syria's complex civil war...

    Recruiters target Afghans who live in poverty, are religious, or are outcasts, according to the report.

    The newspaper's investigation revealed a recruiting method involving middlemen who receive commissions for finding volunteers. Recruiting was also reportedly done in mosques in Afghan cities.

    The recruits are offered an Iranian residence permanent and a monthly salary of some $500. Some are motivated by the money or a desire to prove themselves – and some because Syria contains many sites holy to Shi'ites, particularly the Sayyidah Zaynab mosque in Damascus......i24news.tv
    30/6/16

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  117. Saudi Arabia reject rights groups' 'accusations' over Yemen policy...

    The Saudi ambassador to the Human Rights Council says his country rejects "accusations" from two top human rights groups, who have called for Saudi Arabia's suspension from the U.N.-backed body over its military campaign in Yemen.

    Ambassador Faisal Trad said Thursday that Saudi was "keen" to abide by international law, review allegations about its military operations and assist aid workers in Yemen, where a Saudi-led, U.S.-backed coalition has been fighting Shiite and other rebels since March 2015.

    Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called for Saudi Arabia's suspension from the Geneva-based body until Saudi forces halt indiscriminate airstrikes in Yemen that have killed over 900 civilians.

    In an email to The Associated Press, Trad countered that the rights groups were "rejecting the facts" and cited "violations" by Yemeni rebels.
    AP
    30/6/16

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  118. The European Union agreed Thursday to open a new negotiating chapter with Turkey on its long-stalled bid for membership of the bloc, an EU source said...

    The decision was part of an EU agreement in March to speed up accession talks in return for Turkey helping to control the massive inflow of migrants, mostly fleeing Syria, which overwhelmed the bloc last year.

    The EU source gave no further details, with a formal statement expected shortly after a meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and top bloc officials in Brussels.

    Muslim-majority Turkey formally launched its membership bid in 2005 and since then the EU has opened 15 chapters out of the 35 required to join the bloc.

    So far, however, only one chapter has been completed, with disagreements over Turkey's human rights record a cause for concern in many EU states and blocking progress.

    The new chapter, number 33, covers finance and budget affairs.

    Under the March agreement, the EU also agreed to boost aid to Turkey to cope with millions of refugees on its territory and to speed up visa liberalisation.
    AFP
    30/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  119. Taliban attack on police cadets near Kabul kills dozens...

    Taliban bombers have attacked an Afghan police convoy outside the capital Kabul, killing at least 30 people and wounding 50 others, officials say.

    Two bombs hit a convoy of buses carrying graduates from a ceremony on the city's western outskirts.

    Paghman District Governor Musa Khan told the BBC that all but two of the dead were police cadets.

    The bombing was claimed by the Taliban and follows an attack on a bus just over a week ago that killed 14 people....BBC
    30/6/16

    ReplyDelete
  120. Turkey: Istanbul Airport Bombers Were from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan ...

    Turkey says the three suicide bombers who carried out the deadly attack on the Istanbul airport were from Russia, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

    Turkish officials continue to believe the attack was launched by Islamic State fighters, but did not name the bombers, who authorities say fired assault weapons at travelers and workers Tuesday at Ataturk International Airport before blowing themselves up.

    The death toll from the blasts at Europe's third busiest airport increased to 44, while more than 230 others were injured in the attack.....voanews.com
    30/6/16

    ReplyDelete

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