Sunday 1 September 2013

France, following US on Syria

1 09 2013
Russia has criticized Western nations for jumping to conclusions over the attack, however, with President Vladimir Putin saying on Saturday that it was “utter nonsense” to believe that the Syrian government would use chemical weapons on its own people at the same time as UN weapons inspectors were in the country. NATO countries reconsider whether to take military action against the Syrian government over a chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people in Damascus, amid growing public opposition to a US-led military intervention.
Paris backed off immediate military action against Syria after MPs in the UK House of Commons defeated Prime Minister David Cameron’s proposal that British forces take part in military action over the alleged use of chemical weapons by Assad’s government. The war vote – the first lost by a British prime minister since 1782 – was followed by US President Barack Obama saying Saturday that he would wait until he receives authorization from the US Congress before taking military action on Syria.
Surprisingly, given France’s past hesitation to join in military adventures, Hollande has been the most vocal supporter of a US military operation, which Obama said would not include “boots on the ground.”
French president, unlike the British prime minister, does not require permission from the country’s parliament, the National Assembly, to order military action.
Hollande’s Socialist government was quick to jump on the anti-Assad bandwagon, accusing the Syrian leader of carrying out the attack, with his foreign minister saying that information pointed to Syrian government forces being behind what it called a “chemical massacre.”
“All the information at our disposal converges to indicate that there was a chemical massacre near Damascus and that the Bashar regime is responsible,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on August 24.




Berlin court fines tattoo parlor for painfully piercing child’s ear

1 09 2013

 

­The Civil District court of Berlin-Lichtenberg has ordered a tattoo parlor to pay 70 euro as compensation for causing pain to a child while piercing her ears. The parents, who took their three-year old daughter to the salon to get her ears pierced for her birthday, filed the suit, saying their daughter endured an extreme amount of pain during the procedure, and that the piercing had caused her trauma. The court is now considering submitting the case for a criminal investigation on whether the parents and the parlor were responsible for bodily harm to the girl.




Mexico extradites alleged drug cartel boss to US

1 09 2013

 

­Mexico has extradited alleged drug cartel head Eduardo Arellano-Felix to the United States, San Diego US Attorney Laura E. Duffy said on Friday. American courts charge Arellano-Felix with racketeering, money laundering and narcotics trafficking. “Today’s extradition is a milestone in our fight against the Mexican drug cartels,” Assistant Attorney General Breuer said in a statement. The Arellano-Felix Organization was long one of the most notorious multi-national drug trafficking organizations that controlled the flow of cocaine, marijuana, and other drugs through the Mexican border cities of Tijuana and Mexicali into the US. The extradition marks the end of a 20-year DEA investigation into this “vicious drug cartel,” said Drug Enforcement Agency special agent William R. Sherman. Mexican authorities arrested Arellano-Felix in Tijuana on October 25, 2008, after a gunfight with police. In 2010, an extradition order was issued on him and he spent the next two years trying to appeal the ruling.




Sudan withdraws candidacy for UN rights council

1 09 2013

 

­Sudan has withdrawn its candidacy for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council following strong criticism from human rights and pro-democracy groups. Sudan is “no longer interested in taking up one of the vacancies available in the Human Rights Council,” Sudan’s UN Mission said in a letter obtained by the Associated Press. Sudan, along with Ethiopia, Gabon, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone, was selected by the African Union to run for five African seats available on the 47-member council in November. The country’s nomination sparked sharp criticism from human rights groups because in 2010 the ICC charged the President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, with genocide in Darfur. Al-Bashir is accused of trying to exterminate three non-Arab ethnic groups in the region, where more than 200,000 people have died since 2003.




Egypt bulldozes homes for Gaza Strip ‘buffer zone

1 09 2013
 Egyptian military has demolished thirteen homes along the border with the Gaza Strip to create a “buffer zone” intended to reduce weapons smuggling and illegal crossings, security officials and residents told AP. The anonymous North Sinai government officials said the military were planning to create a no-man’s land measuring 500 meters by 10 kilometers, free of trees and homes, and have been testing the idea by bulldozing homes in the regions with tunnels underneath them. While most of the tunnels that comprised the once-busy system have been closed, some remain along the border.




Jerusalem shopping mall bomb plot foiled – Israel

1 09 2013

 

  Israeli domestic security agency, Shin Bet, said Sunday that it foiled a bomb plot targeted at destroying a Jerusalem shopping center. Islamist militant group Hamas  suspected over being behind the plot, which was planned to take place last month. Three Palestinians were arrested after an operation by military and police forces resulted in the detention of two of cleaners in the upmarket Mamilla mall, just outside Jerusalem’s Old City. “They were supposed to bring an explosive charge into Israeli territory,” a Shin Bet spokesperson told AFP. “They were to bring it into the mall and hide it in their lockers at their place of work.” Shin Bet also detained a suspected Hamas operative from the West Bank city of Ramallah after his home was found to contain a laboratory for making explosives. He was suspected of recruiting the mall cleaners, Shin Bet said.




Iraq death toll for August reaches 800 – UN

1 09 2013

 

About 800 people were killed in Iraq in terrorist and sectarian violence in August, the United Nations said Sunday, as a wave of violence sweeps the country reaching levels not seen since 2008. The majority of those killed were civilians, who were reportedly targeted in shootings and bombings by the Iraqi wing of Al-Qaeda. UN figures also showed that more than 2,000 people were wounded. Almost 5,000 civilians have been killed and 12,000 wounded since the start of this year, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said in a statement.




Mandela released from hospital

1 09 2013

Nelson Mandela released from hospital, condition still ‘critical’

Anti-apartheid leader and former South African President Nelson Mandela, 95, was discharged from hospital and returned home Sunday after receiving treatment for a recurring lung infection, the South African government said in a statement. “Madiba’s condition remains critical and is at times unstable,” the government said, referring to the former ANC leader by his traditional clan name. “His team of doctors are convinced that he will receive the same level of intensive care at his Houghton home that he received in Pretoria.”




Israel surges air defense on possible Syria strike

1 09 2013

 

Israel has deployed Iron Dome missile defense batteries in the Tel Aviv area amid fears that Syria might retaliate against its neighbour if the US attacks, Israeli military announced. It’s also deploying missile defences in the northern part of the country closest to Syria and calling up reservists. Gas-mask have also been distributed to the population.




Yemen PM escapes assassins in Sanaa

1 09 2013


The Yemeni Prime Minister Mohamed Basindawa escaped an assassination bid in the capital Sanaa yesterday. Yemense Security agencies said that four unknown gunmen opened fire on his convoy in central Sanaa as he was heading home. However he was unharmed and no one was hurt in the attack. Basindawa has been heading a national unity government since December 2011 after the ouster of Ali Abdullah Saleh. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Yemen has been the home base of the dreaded terror outfit, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula which has carried out many such attempts in the past.

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