International News

8092014

Maoists blow up tracks, goods train derails in Jharkhand:

A goods train derailed after Maoists blew up a stretch of railway tracks between Latehar and Bendi railway stations in the Latehar district in Jharkhand early today. The rebels damaged the tracks around wee hours nearly 2 AM  causing the derailment of the coal-laden goods wagon, the police said.

One killed in Yemen as police disperse demonstration

A Yemeni man was shot dead and several others wounded as police tried to disperse Shi’ite Muslim Houthi protesters blocking the road between the capital and Sanaa airport, AFP reported, citing demonstrators. Police used tear gas and water cannon against the protesters, who were camped along the road near the interior ministry. The escalation of weeks of protests reportedly came after demonstrators ignored the demand to clear the area, and apparently after some approached a checkpoint leading to the nearby ministry. Tens of thousands of Houthis have been camping around Sanaa demanding the resignation of the government, which they accuse of corruption.

Arab League set to combat Islamic State militants

The Arab League will take all necessary measures to combat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, the foreign ministers of the organization agreed at a meeting in Cairo on Sunday. Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi suggested that military action may be conducted under the umbrella of the organization’s joint defense pact. However, it is not clear whether the Arab League’s commitment will include direct military involvement in Iraq and Syria. The foreign ministers also endorsed the UN Security Council’s August resolution which called to suppress the flow of fighters and financing to IS and other extremist groups in the region. In a statement, the Arab League for the first time called on Syrian opposition groups to hold talks with President Bashar Assad’s forces, in an effort to create a reconciliation government.

15 Ukrainian soldiers freed by local militia in Donetsk

The local militia in Donetsk freed 15 Ukrainian soldiers from Cherkas and the 40th battalion of the ground defense, said Boris Filatov, deputy head of the Dnepropetrovsk region, on his Facebook page. “The Donetsk side releases captives at our demand without exchange of additional conditions,” he added. The process was guided by the head of the center of the prisoners’ exchange – Col. Gen. of Ukraine’s army reserve, Vladimir Rubin – according to Filatov. Earlier, the first two captives were freed by local militia in Lughansk region, according to the Ukrainian president’s press secretary, Svyatoslav Tsegolko. The exchange of captives falls under the ceasefire protocol signed by the two conflicting sides on Friday in Minsk.

Czech Republic to supply ammunition to Kurdish authorities

The Czech Republic will supply Iraq’s Kurds with ammunition worth over US$2 million, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said in televised statement on Sunday, as quoted by RIA Novosti. “Right after Iraq’s new government begins its work, which is planned for September 14, I will visit the country for talks on the supply of weapons, the first tranche of which has already been approved by the Czech government. The cost of the first delivery is over 40 million korunas (or $2 million), but it is gratuitous on our part,” Zaoralek said. On Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Canada, and Albania will provide “arms and equipment” to Kurdistan, northern Iraq, which joined the central Baghdad government in the fight against Islamic State militants, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS/ISIL).

Malaysia urges MH17 investigators to begin work at crash site

Malaysian officials are urging an international experts team to launch their work at the MH17 crash site in Ukraine as soon as possible. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said on Saturday that it was important to get to the crash area before the arrival of winter. The PM stated that Malaysia had convincing intelligence data about the crash causes, but stressed it was necessary to collect evidence at the crash site – which might be more difficult in the winter season. A Malaysian team of 30 investigators is expected to arrive in Ukraine early next week. The group will include Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and various divers who will scan the lake at the crash site.

2 NATO warships enter Black Sea – report

Two NATO warships, Canadian frigate Toronto and Spain’s Almirante Juan de Borbon have entered Black Sea waters over the weekend, Itar Tass news agency reported referring to its military diplomatic source. The ships will take part in the international Sea Breeze drill, conducting exercises from September 8 to 10. On Friday, another two NATO warships, the French Navy ship Commandant Birot and the US destroyer Ross, entered the area. It is expected that the drill will also involve Turkish and Romanian frigates, as well as a Georgian patrol boat.

Muslim cleric Abu Qatada condemns ISIS beheadings

The Muslim cleric Abu Qatada has criticized the Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS) jihadists for the beheading of two US journalists, saying that the killings contradict Islamic teaching. Qatada is awaiting the verdict of an Amman court in Jordan for his role in an alleged terrorist plan to blow up American, Israeli and other Western tourists during the 2000-millennium celebrations. He allegedly told reporters waiting outside the court that journalists are “messengers of truth” and that killing them is against religious teachings, according to the BBC.

PM Abe in first Japanese state visit to Sri Lanka in 24 years

Shinzo Abe arrived in Sri Lanka on Sunday for the first visit of a Japanese prime minister to Sri Lanka in 24 years. Japan’s leader was greeted at Colombo’s airport by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. His visit pre-empts Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will travel to Sri Lanka and India later this month. This is Abe’s second leg of a South Asian tour to assert Tokyo’s influence in a region where China is now playing a bigger role.

Ebola lockdown in Sierra Leone will not help says MSF

A three-day lockdown in Sierra Leone to help combat Ebola, which is planned to start on September 19, will not help contain the virus according to the medical charity, Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF). MSF said a forced lockdown would push people underground, destroy trust between doctors and the public and ultimately help spread the disease. Officials in Sierra Leone say the lockdown will help health workers isolate new cases.7

Seven Afghan men sentenced to death for gang rape

Seven Afghani men have been found guilty of kidnapping, attacking and gang raping four women who were returning to Kabul after a wedding on August 23. Violence against women is common in Afghanistan but barely receives as much attention as this case, which has seen President Karzai call for the men’s deaths. The men were wearing police uniforms when they stopped a convoy of cars, pulled the women out and attacked them, according to local police.

Russian director Konchalovsky’s film wins Silver Lion in Venice

Renowned Russian director Andrey Konshalovsky’s film “The Postman’s White Nights” has won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Konchalovsky’s movie is a mix of a feature and a documentary, and its main character is postman Alexey from a small village near Arkhangelsk in northern Russia. It took about a year and 50 people to find the right one for the role, Itar-Tass news agency cited the director as saying. “This is just an attempt to make a film using other methods, inexpensively and independently from the market as much as possible so as not to be accountable to anyone for what you are doing,”Konchalovsky stated.

US citizen to be tried in North Korea for unspecified crime next Sunday

Matthew Miller, one of three American citizens currently held captive in North Korea, will be put on trial on September 14 for “perpetrating hostile acts.” Miller was arrested in April, when he tore up his visa at the immigration desk and demanded political asylum -according to an official statement from Pyongyang. Less than a week ago Miller and two other Americans, Jeffrey Fowle and Kenneth Bae, made a video address in an interview with CNN, something very unusual for the North Korean prison system, with a plea to the US government to send a special envoy to the isolated state to negotiate their release, AFP reports. US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki refused to disclose American diplomatic moves to release the prisoners, saying Washington did not want to jeopardise efforts.

2,000 people evacuated as Hurricane Norbert hits Mexico

More than 2,000 people were evacuated and a fishing village of 7,000 residents suffered severe flooding, as Hurricane Norbert came close to Mexico’s Pacific coast on Saturday, according to officials cited by AFP. With winds of up to 185 km/h (115 miles per hour), the storm increased to a category three hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, according to the US National Weather Service. It has, however, been moving away from the west coast of the Baja California peninsula. It’s expected that the storm will weaken in the next 24 hours.

Malaysia sending MH17 crash investigators to Ukraine

The Malaysian government is sending a team of 30 police officers and experts to the MH17 crash site in eastern Ukraine on September 8 to investigate the reasons behind the accident, chief of police Khalid Abu Bakar said. Another group made up of 50 people will follow later. Bakar did not specify when the experts could be granted access to the crash site. Around the same time, Malaysia’s Defense Minister Hishamuddin Hussein will be visiting Ukraine. “The main objective of the trip will be to gain secure access for experts to the crash site. We hope that the Ukrainian government and self-defense forces will allow us to do that,” he said. Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, crashed in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Region on July 17, killing all 298 people on board.

Libya in row with Sudan over plane that ‘breached airspace to arm terrorists’

Libya accused Sudan of arming terrorists and expelled the country’s military attaché on Saturday, a government statement said. The Libyan government added that a Sudanese military transport plane under the control of a militant group had entered its airspace, with the intention of supplying a “terrorist group” with ammunition. “This work from the Sudanese state violates [the sovereignty] of the State of Libya and interferes with its affairs,” the Libyan statement said, claiming that Sudan is actually “supporting a terrorist group.”According to Libya, the Sudanese plane was on its way to Tripoli-Matiga airportafter making a refueling stop in the Libyan desert oasis Kufra near the border with Sudan. Sudan has confirmed that it sent a military plane, but denied it was meant to support non-state militant groups, stating that the plane was carrying equipment for a joint Libyan-Sudanese border force.

Storms leave 600,000 without power in Michigan, Illinois

More than 600,000 homes in Michigan and Illinois were left without power after heavy winds and lightning ripped through the northwestern US, killing at least two people, officials said. A woman from Illinois died after sustaining heavy injuries from a falling tree, while a Michigan man was electrocuted after coming into contact with a power line, Reuters reported. Around 350,000 homes were left without power in southeastern Michigan on Saturday, according to DTE Energy Co spokesman Scott Simons. More than 174,000 customers in Illinois were left without electricity after Friday’s storms, the Commonwealth Edison reported.

Ukraine, US to begin military exercises in Black Sea

The Ukrainian and US navies will take part in a joint exercise called “Sea Breeze 2014” on September 8-10 in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said on its website on Friday. Around 280 US servicemen will participate in the drills. The exercises will include representatives from five countries – including Georgia, Romania and Turkey – as well as the Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO Task Unit 02 (including Canadian, Spanish, and Romanian ships). The planned military exercises are said to be focused on how interdiction operations could enhance maritime security.

Scottish independence supporters take lead in polls

For the first time since the “Yes” and “Better Together” campaigns began competing ahead of the September 18 referendum, Scotland’s independence supporters on Saturday took a slight lead in a media poll. According to the YouGov survey for the Sunday Times newspaper, there were 51 percent of “Yes” voters against 49 percent of those who rejected independence from the UK.

Somalia’s al-Shabaab names new leader after US airstrike

Al-Qaeda-linked Islamists in Somalia confirmed Saturday that their leader, Ahmed Godane, was killed in a US airstrike earlier this week, adding that they have named a new leader Abu Ubeid Ahmed Omar. Omar is believed to be an assumed name, and the new leader’s real name is not known.US forces hit Godane’s camp in south-central Somalia with Hellfire missiles and laser guided bombs. The Pentagon did not confirm the death until Friday.

Estonian officer in 2 month pre-trial detention in Russia on suspicion of spying

Eston Kohver, a serviceman of the Estonian Interior Ministry who was detained at the Russian border on Friday, has been placed in pre-trial detention for two months, according to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). Moscow’s Lefortovo court confirmed Kohver’s arrest on Saturday. He faces 10 to 20 years in prison if convicted. Kohver was detained in Pskov Region, which borders Estonia and Latvia. The FSB said he was carrying equipment for covert video recording, a loaded gun, and other “intelligence related” materials. Meanwhile, Tallinn claims that Kohver was abducted from Estonian territory.

25 killed in Syrian air force attack on Islamic State

The Syrian government launched a number of airstrikes targeting a stronghold of Islamic State extremists Saturday, killing at least 25 people. Eight airstrikes smashed into buildings in the northeastern city of Raqqa, which is completely controlled by the Islamist group. At least 16 civilians were killed in the attack, as well as nine Islamic State fighters, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which obtains information from a network of activists on the ground. Raqqa, a city of 500,000 on the banks of the Euphrates, has been virtually out of bounds to journalists since it was captured by the Islamic State earlier this year.

Egyptian president appeals for patience over power cuts

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged Egyptians on Saturday to be patient in the face of power cuts, after two days of electricity disruption in Cairo, saying that massive investment was needed in order to solve the problem. Egypt has suffered blackouts throughout the summer, caused by high demand for fans and air conditioning systems, as well as a lack of fuel for diesel generators. Sisi said the Egyptian electrical sector needs massive investment, adding that the problem “is not something that can be solved overnight.”

Flood death toll passes 200 in India, Pakistan

More than 200 people have been killed in extensive flooding across large swathes of northern India and Pakistan, reports say. At least 110 people died in downpours in Pakistani Kashmir and the Punjab, and another 100 people perished in Indian Kashmir, as heavy rain caused landslides and washed away houses. The regions of northern India and northeast Pakistan are suffering their worst flooding in twenty years and the full extent of the death toll is not yet clear.

Libyan army kills at least 200 militants ahead of Benghazi op

At least two hundred militants have been killed in two days as the army plans to storm militias currently in control of Benghazi, said Col. Mohammed Hijazi, a spokesman for the self-declared Libyan National Army, as cited by ITAR-TASS. He also denied reports that militants had taken over Benina International Airport near Benghazi, the country’s second largest city. According to the colonel, the Benghazi militants, who include members of the jihadist Ansar al Sharia group, will be joined by reinforcements from the Misrata Brigades and Islamic State militants. More than two weeks ago renegade general, Khalifa Haftar, launched a ground and air assault against Islamist groups in Benghazi. After the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, there have been numerous clashes between rival militia groups in the region.

At least 36 killed in Tanzania bus crash

Police in Tanzania say that at least 36 people have been killed and dozens more injured after two buses collided in the north west of the country. The incident happened on Friday in Butiama, which is about 1,400 kilometers from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. Traffic accidents are common in Tanzania, while police data shows that a total of 1,878 people were killed in road accidents last year.

Malaysia ready to present MH17 crash evidence in court

Malaysia has stated that its intelligence reports on the MH17 flight crash are “pretty conclusive” and they are now preparing physical evidence to show in court. “First of all, we do have the intelligence reports [on] what happened to MH17 and the reports are pretty conclusive,” said Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak at a news conference with Australian premier Tony Abbott on his first official visit to Malaysia. The preliminary report on the crash is due on Tuesday.

6.1 quake shakes Easter island

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake has hit Easter Island, 502 kilometers from the Hanga Roa administrative area, the only residential part of the island. No damage or tsunami threat has been reported, according to the US Geological Survey.

44 killed, 18 missing in southwest China floods

Massive flooding in western China has left 44 people dead and 18 others missing, the country’s Civil Affairs Ministry reported, as cited by AP. Huge damage has also been dealt to homes and crops. The flooding was caused by heavy rain since August 31, with the provinces of Sichuan and Guizhou affected by the disaster. A major center, the city of Chongqing suffered as well, with all but one of the deaths occurring there, and where all of the missing were reported.

Bahrain prolongs activist’s custody despite plea from UN – lawyer

A court in Bahrain ruled on Saturday that Maryam al-Khawaja, a prominent human rights activist, be kept in prison for an extra ten days despite a UN call for her release, according to her lawyer Mohammad al-Jishi, AFP reports. Al-Khawaja is the Bahraini co-director of the Gulf Center for Human Rights and has Danish as well as Bahraini nationality. She was arrested on August 30 in connection with an alleged assault on a police officer at the airport in Manama; the judge ordered that she be kept in custody on the same charge.

Truck carrying 50 tons of ammonium nitrate explodes in Australia:

A road train carrying explosives rolled over and caught fire in Australia’s Queensland, near Charleville. Drivers from two passer-by vehicles managed to pull the wounded driver out of the truck and called police and firefighters. When emergency services arrived at the scene, all 50 tons of the ammonium nitrate the road train was loaded with detonated in two consecutive explosions. The blasts were so powerful, that according to a police officer, the truck carrying explosives “disintegrated”, two firefighter vehicles were destroyed and a part of the Mitchell Highway, including a small bridge over a creek suffered “catastrophic” damage. Yet there were no casualties in the incident that left four firefighters wounded. Also injured were a police officer, two locals and the driver of the truck, who suffered worst of all and was airlifted to Brisbane hospital.

“Certainly to have eight people in a major explosion like that alive today – and we’ll eventually talk to all of them – that is a very good miracle,” said Tom Wilson, Assistant Fire Commissioner for the southwest region.

Russia to supply Sukhoi SuperJet regional jets to Vietnam

The Russian-Vietnamese bilateral intergovernmental commission has reached an agreement to supply two Vietnamese air carriers, Vietnam Airlines and VietJet Air, with fly-by-wire Sukhoi SuperJet passenger jets, Deputy Minister of Industry Viktor Petukhov announced. There was a period in the talks when it seemed that negotiations had stalled, said the Russian official, but finally Vietnam’s delegation agreed to buy the jets. The meeting of the Russian-Vietnamese intergovernmental commission is an annual event; last time it convened in October 2013 in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. This year the commission was held in Russia’s Vladivostok, on Russky Island, which is connected to the mainland by the world’s largest cable-stayed bridge.

Freighter ship sinks in Russia’s Amur river

A freighter ship carrying 380 tons of cargo sank in the Amur river, in the Khabarovsk region of Russia’s Far East, according to local police, cited by RIA Novosti. All the ship’s crew of eight was rescued. No fuel leak was reported at the site. The ship of 500 gross tonnage was on its way from Khabarovsk to the city of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur, when the accident happened on Saturday morning. It’s not immediately clear why the vessel sank.

N.Korea launches more missiles into Sea of Japan

South Korea reported a new series of North Korean launches of their short-range ballistic missiles into the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan. The launches took place on Saturday morning between 07:00 and 07:30 local time (Friday 22:00-22:30 GMT) from Chagang province bordering China in the north and from a position near the coastal city of Wŏnsan. The missiles flew about 210 kilometers before ditching in the Sea of Japan. South Korean experts believe these were new missiles, different from North Korea’s existing KN-2 short-range ballistic missiles and the 300mm multiple rocket launcher system Pyongyang already has. There have been 19 launches so far this year -111 missiles altogether. The last launch occurred on September 1.

Iraq refiles case over ‘stranded’ Kurdish crude oil

Iraq has appealed a Texas court decision as it seeks to obtain control over $100 million of Kurdish crude oil on a tanker off the state’s coast, Reuters reports. Originally, the court ruled it did not have jurisdiction over the cargo – intended for prospective buyers – because the ship was in international waters. Baghdad, however, argues that the Americans can seize it because the case is regarding business in the US. The Iraqi government claims it, and not the Kurds, has the rights to all of the country’s oil.

​US renews Cuban embargo for another year

US President Barack Obama has extended the trade embargo against Cuba for another year. “I believe that the extension of the embargo against Cuba for one year [is] for the national interests of the United States,”Obama said in a message to the Secretaries of State and Treasury. The US began imposing economic penalties on Cuba when Fidel Castro seized power in 1959 and nationalized property owned by American individuals and corporations. The measures were ratcheted up three years later by the US government to a full embargo on Cuba.

US jets hit ISIS targets in Iraq over 130 times

US jets have bombed various areas under the Islamic State’s (formerly ISIS/ISIL) control 131 times in Iraq since August 8, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The strikes targeted locations near the Mosul Dam and were in support of Erbil operations. “In total, the strikes destroyed an ISIL observation post, one ISIL Humvee, one ISIL armed vehicle, one ISIL truck, and three ISIL mortar positions. All aircraft exited the strike areas safely,”CENTCOM said. The Islamic State began attracting worldwide attention this summer as it made rapid territorial gains in western and northern Iraq, threatening religious and ethnic minorities with death unless they converted to their extreme brand of Islam.

Lufthansa cancels over 200 flights ahead of pilots’ strike in Frankfurt

Lufthansa has canceled more than 200 short-haul flights ahead of a planned six-hour strike by pilots at Germany’s Frankfurt airport, its main hub. The Vereinigung Cockpit union called pilots on Lufthansa’s short-haul fleet out on strike from 5pm to 11pm (1500 to 2100 GMT) on Friday, AP said. The pilots are demanding that Lufthansa keep paying a transition payment for those wanting to retire early, while the airline wants to cut those payments. They are also asking for a salary increase of 10 percent. Last week, a strike was staged at Lufthansa’s Germanwings subsidiary.

EU may give Russia days before new sanctions

The EU is ready to impose new economic sanctions on Russia on Friday, but will wait to give Moscow time as a proposed ceasefire is expected in Ukraine, Reuters said, citing diplomatic sources. It was not immediately clear how long it would hold off. If peace holds then the package might not be implemented at all, the sources say. Two diplomats said the EU could give Russia a week, and another spoke of 72 hours. Envoys from EU member states are meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss the details of a sanctions package.