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(as comments 2.10.14 - 14.10.14)
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(as comments 14.10.14 - ............)
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[October 2014]
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"Dieu, considérez que nous ne nous entendons pas nous-même et que nous ne savons pas ce que nous voulons, et que nous nous éloignons infiniment de ce que nous désirons"
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Suicide blast hits Afghan army bus in Kabul, killing 4 ....
ReplyDeleteFour people were killed and 10 others wounded after a suicide explosion targeted an Afghan army bus in southwestern Kabul Thursday morning, the third suicide attack on army vehicles in two days, sources said.
"One suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest on an army bus in Doghabad locality in Dar-ul-Aman area, killing three army personnel and injuring 10 others," said Defense Ministry spokesman in his twitter account.
The incident took place at around 6:40 a.m. (0210 GMT), spokesman General Zahir Azimi said. The bomber was also killed on the spot and the explosion destroyed the bus, he said.
The Taliban insurgent group claimed responsibility for the twin attacks. Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, told local media from an undisclosed location that the targeted bus was carrying 30 Afghan army officers when it came under Taliban attack. The bombing came two days after the country inked a security and defense agreement with the United States.
On Wednesday morning, eight people, including seven army personnel were killed and 21 others wounded when two suicide attackers targeted two army buses in western and northern of Kabul.
The attacks also came three days after Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai was sworn in as the new president of the war-torn country.
Afghan army and police are taking the lead in providing security for the country from the NATO-led troops. They are set to take the full security responsibility by the end of the year.
More than 41,000 NATO-led coalition troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are currently stationed
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/884424.shtml
2/10/14
Turkish MPs to vote on motion over Iraq and Syria....
ReplyDeleteThe motion to authorize the Turkish government to take immediate action against any group in Syria and Iraq threatening the country will be debated today at 3:00pm at a special session of the Turkish Parliament.
CHP, the main opposition Republican People's Party, will vote against the motion which will enable Turkish army forces to enter a foreign territory, in the case of threats posed by Syria with chemical weapons or unspecified "terrorist groups."
The leader of CHP said in the inauguration reception of the parliament that they do not want Turkish army forces to enter a foreign territory.
"We describe the Middle East as a 'swamp.' The president has also described it so," he said, and added, "It is irrational to send Turkish troops into a 'swamp.'"
On the other hand, MHP, the Nationalist Movement Party, conditionally supports the motion.
HDP, the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party, will give the "No" vote for today's motion.................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/398603--turkish-mps-to-vote-on-motion-over-iraq-and-syria
US Tanks Arrive in Baltics as Poland Demands More Military Presence...
ReplyDeleteThe US announced it is deploying 700 soldiers and 20 ‘Ironhorse’ tanks across the three Baltic States and Poland. Meanwhile, Polish Prime Minister says she wants a greater military presence in Poland in light of events in Ukraine.
Polish PM Ewa Kopacz made the remarks during her inauguration speech to the lower house of the Polish parliament..................http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=174183&cid=22&fromval=1
2/10/14
China willing to jointly counter terror threat with US: Chinese FM...
ReplyDeleteChina opposes any form of terrorism and is willing to work together with the United States to counter the threat of terrorism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday.
Both sides should make efforts to realize positive interaction and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, Wang said when he met US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel at the Pentagon.
China respects the US traditional influence and realistic interests in the Asia-Pacific region and supports it in playing a constructive role in the Asia-Pacific affairs, while the United States should respect China's status and influence in the region, its need for reasonable development space and its legitimate rights, he said.
China hopes the United States will properly handle those issues that hinder the development of China-US ties, such as its sales of weapons to China's Taiwan, and its warships and military aircraft's approaches to China for surveillance, Wang said.
The Chinese foreign minister expressed appreciation for Hagel's constructive role in pushing ahead the relations between the two countries and militaries.
The new-type relations between Chinese and US militaries are indispensable for the new-type major-country relations between them, Wang said.
China and the United States should build strategic mutual trust, very importantly the mutual trust between their militaries, and reduce mistrust, he said.
Expressing congratulations on the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, Hagel said that the United States and China are partners, not rivals, and there are far more common interests than differences between the two countries.
The US-China relations should move ahead along the right direction in the 21st century and the two countries should be jointly dedicated to safeguarding world peace, security and stability, Hagel said.
This is what the peoples of the two countries and the whole world hope to see, he said.
The military ties should play a role of bridge in the relations between the two countries, Hagel said, adding that the two sides should strengthen contacts and exchanges and enhance mutual trust.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/884436.shtml
2/10/14
Putin says 'foolish' sanctions will not hold back Russia...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin dismissed Western sanctions as "utter foolishness" on Thursday and said they would not stop Russia developing into a stronger economic power.
Attempting to take the higher ground in a speech to foreign and Russian investors, Putin said he was relaxed about the measures imposed on his country over Ukraine even though they had broken the fundamental principles of the global economy.
Addressing financiers worried about the weakening economy, capital flight and a possible increase in state intervention, he said Russia was well placed to weather the storm............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/02/us-russia-putin-idUSKCN0HR0XU20141002?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Πούτιν: Στόχος μας, μια ελεύθερη, ευημερούσα και ανοιχτή στον κόσμο Ρωσία - Οι δυτικές κυρώσεις είναι μια τεράστια ανοησία.....
DeleteΤην αισιοδοξία του ότι η Ρωσία θα είναι μια «ελεύθερη και ευημερούσα χώρα» εξέφρασε ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος Βλαντίμιρ Πούτιν σε σημερινή ομιλία του στο επενδυτικό φόρουμ Russia Calling που πραγματοποιείται στη Μόσχα. «Εμείς θα προχωρήσουμε με επιμονή στην επίτευξη των στόχων που έχουμε θέσει. Η πρόθεσή μας να οικοδομήσουμε μια χώρα ισχυρή, ευημερούσα, ελεύθερη, ανοιχτή στον κόσμο είναι ειλικρινής» δήλωσε χαρακτηριστικά ο ηγέτης της Ρωσίας, καλώντας τους συμμετέχοντες στο φόρουμ να συνεργαστούν με τις ρωσικές εταιρίες. «Θα εξακολουθήσουμε να βελτιώνουμε το επιχειρηματικό κλίμα στη χώρα μας» είπε, υπενθυμίζοντας ότι έχουν ήδη γίνει σημαντικές αλλαγές στη νομοθεσία, έχουν αρθεί πολλά εμπόδια και έχουν βελτιστοποιηθεί οι διαδικασίες.
«Εκτιμήσεις κορυφαίων διεθνών οργανισμών έχουν επιβεβαιώσει την εμφανή πρόοδο της Ρωσίας σε αυτόν τον τομέα» σημείωσε ο Πούτιν και υπογράμμισε ότι το σημαντικό δεν είναι «μια καλή θέση στις αξιολογήσεις», αλλά «το πόσο άνετα αισθάνεται ένας επενδυτής που δραστηριοποιείται επιχειρηματικά στη Ρωσική Ομοσπονδία». Στο πλαίσιο της επιχειρηματικής πρωτοβουλίας και της βελτίωσης του επιχειρηματικού κλίματος, το Κοινοβούλιο πρέπει κατά τη διάρκεια των συνεδριάσεων του φθινοπώρου και της άνοιξης να υιοθετήσει ένα συνολικό πακέτο νομοσχεδίων, είπε ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος και κάλεσε τους βουλευτές να φέρουν προς συζήτηση αυτά τα νομοσχέδια άμεσα και με εποικοδομητικό τρόπο.
«Οι κυρώσεις κατά της Ρωσίας είναι μια τεράστια ανοησία»
«Οι επιβληθείσες κυρώσεις κατά της Ρωσίας είναι μια τεράστια ανοησία. Θα έχουν μακροπρόθεσμες αρνητικές συνέπειες στην παγκόσμια οικονομία» δήλωσε ο Βλαντίμιρ Πούτιν, ο οποίος, απαντώντας σε σχετική ερώτηση, ανέφερε ότι δεν δημιούργησαν προβλήματα (οι κυρώσεις) στη Μόσχα. «Δεν καθοριζόμαστε από αυτές τις αποφάσεις» είπε χαρακτηριστικά και πρόσθεσε ότι οι εν λόγω κυρώσεις παραβιάζουν θεμελιώδεις αρχές του Παγκόσμιου Οργανισμού Εμπορίου (ΠΟΕ) και υπονομεύουν την εμπιστοσύνη των διεθνών χρηματοπιστωτικών ιδρυμάτων και των νομισμάτων. Η Ρωσία είναι έτοιμη να υποστηρίξει τους τομείς της οικονομίας που έχουν πληγεί από τις δυτικές κυρώσεις και να συνδράμει στην αύξηση του κεφαλαίου των ρωσικών τραπεζών, είπε ο Πούτιν, ενώ ανέφερε ότι «η εμπιστοσύνη των σοβαρών διεθνών επιχειρήσεων που δραστηριοποιούνται στη Ρωσία δεν έχει μειωθεί». Στη διάρκεια της ομιλίας του ο Ρώσος πρόεδρος δεν παρέλειψε να επαινέσει τους εταίρους της χώρας από την Ασία και τη Μέση Ανατολή.
http://gr.rbth.com/news/2014/10/02/poytin_stoxo_ma_mia_eleytheri_eyimeroysa_kai_anoixti_ston_kosmo_rosia_-__32997.html
Euro-Zone: EZB startet umstrittene Wertpapier-Käufe....
ReplyDeleteDie Europäische Zentralbank will die Kreditvergabe im Euroraum ankurbeln und kauft Wertpapiere am Kapitalmarkt. Kritiker warnen, die EZB entwickele sich zur "Bad Bank".
Die Europäische Zentralbank kauft von Mitte des Monats an Wertpapiere am Kapitalmarkt, um die Kreditvergabe in Europa anzukurbeln. Das kündigte EZB-Chef Mario Draghi in Neapel an. Das Programm solle mindestens zwei Jahre lang laufen. Die Ankäufe würden zusammen mit anderen, bereits beschlossenen Maßnahmen für Banken einen deutlichen Einfluss auf die Bilanz der Europäischen Zentralbank (EZB) haben.
Die EZB will Kreditverbriefungen – sogenannte ABS – und Pfandbriefe kaufen. Mit ABS-Papieren können Banken Kreditrisiken bündeln, aus der Bilanz auslagern und am Markt damit handeln. Idealerweise haben sie dann mehr Mittel frei, um neue Darlehen zu vergeben...................http://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/2014-10/ezb-wertpapier-programm-neapel-draghi-inflation
2/10/14
Πρόγραμμα ΕΚΤ για αγορά δανείων-ομολόγων από Ελλάδα και Κύπρο....
ReplyDeleteΤίθεται σε εφαρμογή στα μέσα Οκτωβρίου, υπό τον όρο ότι οι χώρες παραμένουν στο μνημόνιο.
Τιτλοποιημένα και καλυμμένα ομόλογα από τις ελληνικές τράπεζες θα αγοράσει η Ευρωπαϊκή Κεντρική Τράπεζα. Ο πρόεδρος της ΕΚΤ Μάριο Ντράγκι, μιλώντας πριν από λίγο επιβεβαίωσε ότι η ΕΚΤ θα προχωρήσει, υπό όρους, στην αγορά των παραπάνω τίτλων από ελληνικές και κυπριακές τράπεζες.
"Πρέπει να εφαρμόζεται το πρόγραμμα δημοσιονομικής πολιτικής στην Ελλάδα, ώστε η ΕΚΤ να μπορεί να αγοράσει τιτλοποιημένα δάνεια και καλυμμένα ομόλογα από ελληνικές τράπεζες", δήλωσε ο διοικητής της ΕΚΤ σε συνέντευξη Τύπου που παραχώρησε σήμερα μετά τη συνεδρίαση του Διοικητικού της Συμβουλίου στην Νάπολη.
«Αποφασίσαμε να περιλαμβάνονται στο πρόγραμμα χώρες με αξιολόγηση χαμηλότερη από το επίπεδο του ΒΒΒ-, όπως η Ελλάδα και η Κύπρος», δήλωσε ο πρόεδρος της ΕΚΤ προσθέτοντας ότι οι χώρες θα πρέπει να έχουν ένα επίσημο πρόγραμμα με την Ε.Ε.
Ο κ. Ντράγκι τόνισε πως «ο συνολικός αντίκτυπος στον ισολογισμό μας θα είναι σημαντικός και ο ισολογισμός αναμένεται να κατευθυνθεί στο μέγεθος που είχε αρχές του 2012», ενώ παράλληλα σημείωσε πως "είναι δύσκολο να δώσεις ένα συγκεκριμένο μέγεθος λόγω της αλληλεπίδραση των τριών προγραμμάτων – του προγράμματος των ABS, των καλυμμένων ομολόγων και των στοχευμένων πράξεων αναχρηματοδότησης".
Τέλος, ανακοίνωσε πως τα νέα προγράμματα της ΕΚΤ θα διαρκέσουν δύο χρόνια, με τις αγορές των καλυμμένων ομολόγων να ξεκινούν από τα μέσα Οκτωβρίου και τις αγορές ABS μέσα στο δ΄ τρίμηνο. Σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο, το πρόγραμμα αυτό θα βοηθήσει επίσης να αυξηθεί ο υπερβολικά χαμηλός πληθωρισμός στην ευρωζώνη και να φθάσει κοντά στο ποσοστό-στόχο της ΕΚΤ, που είναι κάτω από, αλλά κοντά στο 2%.................http://www.kathimerini.com.cy/index.php?pageaction=kat&modid=1&artid=185265
2/10/14
Κόβει τον… αντί-μνημονιακό «βήχα» ο Μάριο Ντράγκι...
ReplyDelete«Παύει» τα φιλόδοξα σχέδια περί εξόδου από το Μνημόνιο, ο πρόεδρος της Ευρωπαϊκής Κεντρικής Τράπεζας (ΕΚΤ) Μάριο Ντράγκι. Όπως επισήμανε ο επικεφαλής της ΕΚΤ, η Ευρωπαϊκή Κεντρική Τράπεζα θα εντάξει στο χαρτοφυλάκιό της τιτλοποιημένα και καλυμμένα ομόλογα από τις ελληνικές τράπεζες.
Πιο συγκεκριμένα, ο Μ. Ντράγκι επιβεβαίωσε ότι η ΕΚΤ θα προχωρήσει, υπό όρους, στην αγορά των παραπάνω τίτλων από ελληνικές και κυπριακές τράπεζες, παρόλο που τα συγκεκριμένα χρεόγραφα αξιολογούνται από τους οίκους αξιολόγησης με πολύ χαμηλή βαθμολογία (κάτω από το ΒΒΒ- που είναι το κατώτατο αποδεκτό όριο).
Ο κ. Ντράγκι εξήγησε ότι η ΕΚΤ θα αγοράζει τα συγκεκριμένα ομόλογα, ενισχύοντας έτσι τη ρευστότητα των ελληνικών τραπεζών, οι οποίες διαθέτουν στα χαρτοφυλάκιά τους τίτλους αξίας 40 δισ. ευρώ. Το πρόγραμμα, διευκρίνισε ο Ντράγκι, θα διαρκέσει δύο χρόνια και αναμένεται να «διευκολύνει τις πιστώσεις» να χορηγηθούν στην πραγματική οικονομία της ευρωζώνης. Σύμφωνα με τον ίδιο, το πρόγραμμα αυτό θα βοηθήσει επίσης να αυξηθεί ο υπερβολικά χαμηλός πληθωρισμός στην ευρωζώνη και να φθάσει κοντά στο ποσοστό-στόχο της ΕΚΤ, που είναι κάτω από, αλλά κοντά στο 2%.
Ωστόσο, ο επικεφαλής της ΕΚΤ έθεσε έναν συγκεκριμένο όρο: οι δύο χώρες να βρίσκονται σε πρόγραμμα προσαρμογής. Αυτομάτως, αυτό σημαίνει πως η Ελλάδα, προκειμένου να ευεργετηθεί από το συγκεκριμένο μέτρο, θα πρέπει να παραμένει στη… «μνημονιακή εποχή».
http://www.efsyn.gr/?p=240072
2/10/14
Karadzic seeks acquittal on genocide at Hague tribunal...
ReplyDeleteA lawyer representing former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic told the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia his client was not responsible for and unaware of the July 1995 murder of thousands of Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica.
Speaking to the Hague-based U.N. court on the second and final day of defense closing arguments, Peter Robinson accused the the prosecution of carrying out a “legal lynching” of an innocent man.
“Not a single witness has testified that Radovan Karadzic planned, ordered or was even informed about the execution of prisoners from Srebrenica. Think about that, and you have to ask yourself why. Maybe one reason is that it simply is not true.”
Karadzic is charged with 11 crimes, including genocide, in connection with the ethnic cleansing campaign during the war in Bosnia. In July 1995, Serb forces under General Ratko Mladic’s command killed 8,000 Muslim men and boys.
Also addressing the court Thursday, Karadzic claimed at the time of the massacre Srebrenica’s Muslim community sought to take over the Serb section of the city, while the Serbian community had no such designs on the city’s Muslim neighborhoods...................http://sofiaglobe.com/2014/10/02/karadzic-seeks-acquittal-on-genocide-at-hague-tribunal/
2/10/14
No serious progress in Mideast settlement without Russia’s participation — Jordan's king...
ReplyDeleteWithout Russia, it is impossible to make serious headway in the settlement process in the Middle East, where the Russian Federation plays an important role, Jordanian King Abdullah II said Thursday at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin.
“The world should realize that without Russia, it is nearly impossible to make serious progress in the region,” Abdullah II said. “Of course, we are very grateful to Russia for the role it plays in the Mideast region.” He added that Moscow plays an important part in the Palestino-Israeli settlement and in the efforts to end the Syrian crisis.
“Besides, Russia and Jordan stand shoulder to shoulder in counteraction to terrorism and extremism in the region and worldwide,” the king emphasized.
Putin, in turn, noted Jordan’s stabilizing role in the Middle East where “the situation tends to deteriorate”.
The Russian leader stressed that bilateral relations are developing and added that the leadership of the Russian Federation and Jordan are in constant contact. “We have good projects, and, which brings a special joy, trade turnover has sharply risen over the past year. It is not big in terms of figures but the tendencies are very good,” Putin said................Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_03/No-serious-progress-in-Mideast-settlement-without-Russia-s-participation-Jordans-king-9935/
Japan ready to continue dialogue with Russia....
ReplyDeleteJapanese government is ready for talks with Russia, though Japan takes action in coordination with the other G7 countries over the situation in Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said, adding that Japan sought to contribute to peaceful settlement in Ukraine.
Japanese-Russian dialogue is also aimed at settling the peace treaty problem. It is unnatural that the two countries have no peace treaty, the premier noted.
The prime minister said that a bilateral meeting between Japanese and Russian leaders could be held during the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum) summit in Beijing in November. The Japanese prime minister, when speaking in the parliament last Monday, also called for a dialogue with Russia over Ukraine.
Days after Japan imposed additional sanctions on Russia, Abe said Tokyo would work with the international community to stabilize the situation in Ukraine and urge Moscow to be a responsible state through dialogue.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752565
Australia authorizes special forces troops to go to Iraq....
ReplyDeleteAustralian special forces troops will be deployed in Iraq to assist in the fight against Islamic State militants, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Friday, and its aircraft will also join U.S.-led coalition strikes.
Abbott said in a nationally televised news conference the Australian troops would be engaged in an "advise and assist" capacity to support the Iraqi army in their battle against the militant Islamist group.
The United States has been bombing Islamic State and other groups in Syria for almost two weeks with the help of Arab allies, and hitting targets in neighboring Iraq since August.
European countries have joined the campaign in Iraq but not in Syria............http://www.todayonline.com/world/australian-aircraft-join-coalition-air-strikes-iraq
3/10/14
Australian Government Approves Airstrikes in Iraq ...
DeleteThe Australian government has authorized air strikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said IS, also known as ISIL, has "declared war on the world" and must be "degraded" and "disrupted."
Australian warplanes are expected to begin bombing missions inside Iraq within days. Canberra has already sent 600 troops and six fighter jets to a U.S. base in the United Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Australian commandos will be deployed to northern Iraq to act as advisers to local forces fighting insurgents. Critics worry that Australia will become enmeshed in another protracted war in the Middle East, but Abbott insists military action will make the nation safer.
“It is in everyone’s best interests that the murderous rage of the ISIL death cult be checked and rolled back, and that is what we are determined to do. ISIL has declared war on the world, ISIL is launching an assault on civilization, not just upon the people of Iraq right now,” said Abbott.
The United States and Arab nations have been bombing IS targets in Iraq and Syria for some two weeks. More than 60 nations are now involved in the U.S.-led mission, although most are not carrying out airstrikes. European nations involved in the air campaign are only hitting targets in Iraq.
The combat operation has the support of Australia's main opposition Labor party. Its leader Bill Shorten said that “military action alone cannot drain the swamp of terrorism” and longer-term stability depends on the government of Iraq and its people.................http://www.voanews.com/content/australian-government-approves-airstrikes-in-iraq/2471110.html
3/10/14
Donetsk airport under full control of self-defense forces...
ReplyDeleteSelf-defense forces of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic have brought Donetsk airport under full control. However, there are still Ukrainian law enforcers in underground communication rooms of the airport, the information department of the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed republic told TASS.
"At present, communication facilities of the airport have been screened to establish if any explosive devices might have been planted," the source said.
Earlier media reports claimed the EU could impose additional sanctions on Russia if the Donetsk Airport and the city of Mariupol come under control of the militia.
However an EU source in Brussels told TASS, that the issue of the European Union’s further sanctions against Russia is connected not with specific inhabited localities or control zones in embattled eastern Ukraine but with observation of the truce there.................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752585
3/10/14
France : le ministre de la Défense précise les conditions de la livraison des Mistral à la Russie...
ReplyDeleteLa décision concernant la livraison du porte-hélicoptères Vladivostok à la Russie dépendra de l'accord de cessez-le-feu en Ukraine et du début d'un processus politique sérieux et pourra être prise fin octobre ou début novembre, a déclaré le ministre français de la Défense Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Dans la nuit du 2 au 3 octobre le porte-hélicoptères Vladivostok avec le deuxième équipage russe a achevé une mission d'entraînement de 10 jours et a regagné Saint-Nazaire. Le navire avait à bord 250 marins russes et 200 spécialistes français.
Précédemment le premier équipage russe s'est entraîné à manipuler le navire.
Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_03/France-le-ministre-de-la-Defense-precise-les-conditions-de-la-livraison-des-Mistral-a-la-Russie-7427/
3/10/14
Red Cross condemns Donetsk shelling...
ReplyDeleteThe International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has condemned indiscriminate shelling in east Ukraine after a Red Cross employee was killed.
Swiss citizen Laurent DuPasquier, 38, died when a shell landed near ICRC offices in the rebel-held city of Donetsk on Thursday.
He was one of several casualties in the city, ICRC director of operations Dominik Stillhart said in a statement.
The rebels and the government blamed each other for the shelling.
Mortar shells landed in central Donetsk early on Friday, the BBC's Dina Newman reports from a hotel in the city centre.
A Russian Foreign Ministry statement accused the Ukrainian government of "rushing to deny all responsibility" for the ICRC worker's death.
"The shelling came from positions held by the Ukrainian security forces," the ministry said.
Pro-Russian separatist forces launched an assault this week aimed at ejecting Ukrainian troops from the city's heavily damaged airport...............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29473617
Merkel draws lessons from peaceful German unity 24 years ago...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Germany's path to reunification shows that lessons learned from its peaceful fight for freedom can be used to resolve many of the problems facing Europe and the world today, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday.
In an unusually personal speech marking the 24th anniversary of German unification, Merkel said it was the courage of East Germans yearning for freedom that helped end the Cold War - and that similar courage was now needed worldwide.
"We can all feel, more clearly now than in a long time, that freedom ... tolerance and human rights are not always self-evident," she told 1,500 dignitaries in Hanover and a national television audience. "They are not self-evident at home, nor in the European Union, across Europe nor around the world."
Merkel said the basic rights which she and her fellow East Germans won with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German unification 11 months later on Oct. 3, 1990, had to be defended repeatedly everywhere they were threatened.....................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/03/us-germany-unity-merkel-idUSKCN0HS17G20141003?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
3/10/14
Ukraine: UN chief ‘disturbed’ by death of aid worker, dangerous surge in fighting...
ReplyDeleteThe United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is “saddened and disturbed” to learn of the death of an international humanitarian aid worker, killed when a shell landed near the International Committee of the Red Cross Headquarters in eastern Ukraine on Thursday.
This incident follows the “appalling” shelling of a school in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, which resulted in the death of a number of civilians, the Secretary-General said in a statement released by his spokesperson yesterday evening.
Mr. Ban is also seriously concerned over the “dangerous surge” in fighting in recent days and mounting civilian casualties.
“These recent, tragic incidents underscore the fragility of the current cease-fire and the importance of ensuring a secure environment in south-eastern Ukraine that will allow humanitarian actors to carry out their work and deliver critical assistance to those most in need,” the statement said...............http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=48993#.VC669VfQqt8
3/10/14
Shelling of Donetsk residential areas inadmissible — EU foreign policy chief...
ReplyDeleteEuropean Union’s outgoing High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, said on Friday shelling of residential areas in eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk is inadmissible.
Eastern Ukraine's Donetsk has been under heavy sheeling for several days.
On October 1 at least nine people were killed and another 30 were wounded when reidential areas of Donetsk were shelled by the government forces.
One of the facilities reported to have been shelled was public school 57, where several adults were killed. There were no reports about casualties among children at the shelled school..................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752720
3/10/14
Donetsk nega l’occupazione completa dell'aeroporto della città....
ReplyDeleteL’aeroporto di Donetsk a venerdì mattina resta ancora in parte sotto il controllo dalle forze ucraine e in parte delle milizie.
Lo ha detto il rappresentante ufficiale del Ministero della Difesa della Repubblica Popolare di Donetsk Georgy Morozov.
In questo modo ha commentato il comunicato, diffuso ieri sera, riguardante la completa "pulizia" dell'aeroporto.
Per saperne di più: http://italian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_03/Donetsk-nega-l-occupazione-completa-dellaeroporto-della-citta-9211/
3/10/14
Ukrainian minister admits 108 army servicemen killed in trap set near town of Ilovaisk...
ReplyDeleteA total of 108 Ukrainian army servicemen were killed in a trap set for the Ukrainian troops near the town of Ilovaisk, Ukrainian Defense Minister Valery Geletei told a briefing on Friday.
" The names and surnames of the killed army servicemen as well as their home addresses have been kept secret. We have no data about other volunteers, Interior servicemen or members of the National Guards who were killed in the same place," the defense minister said.
Two days ago the defense minister declined to answer questions, put by members of an investigative commission appointed by the Ukrainian Rada, citing secrecy of the requested information as the reason...................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752697
3/10/14
Joint statement by HR/VP Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva on the killing of a Red Cross worker in Eastern Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteIt was with shock and deep sadness that we learned of the killing of Laurent DuPasquier a dedicated 38-year old Swiss employee of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Donetsk yesterday. Our thoughts are with his family and friends as well as his colleagues in the ICRC.
Access to the conflict areas and respect for those who provide assistance to help the population cut off from basic services is a humanitarian imperative. We are aware that there have been more civilian casualties in the same area. The continued shelling of residential areas is unacceptable. We call on all parties to the conflict to fully respect International Humanitarian Law, protect civilians and humanitarian workers and to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian organisations.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-297_en.htm?locale=en
3/10/14
ISIS beheads British hostage Alan Henning...
ReplyDeleteThe Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group claimed responsibility for the murder of British aid worker Alan Henning on Friday in a video showing his apparent execution.
The video was almost identical to those released showing three previous murders carried out by the militant group. It also showed a masked ISIS militant with a hostage it identified as an American citizen Peter Kassig.
The video, found online by the SITE private terrorism monitor, opens with a news report about the British parliament's vote last week to authorize air strikes against ISIS targets in Iraq.
It then cuts to Henning, sitting on his knees against a desert backdrop while wearing an orange prison outfit, with a masked militant standing over him wielding a combat knife.
Henning addresses the camera, explaining that as a member of the British public, he is being made to pay the price for the parliamentary vote.
British Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed the "brutal murder" of Henning and vowed to bring his killers to justice.
"The brutal murder of Alan Henning by ISIL [another term used for ISIS militants] shows just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are," Cameron said in a statement released by his Downing Street office.
"We will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice."
President Barack Obama's top counter-terrorism advisor Lisa Monaco said Washington was taking steps to confirm the authenticity of the tape and that the hearts of U.S. officials went out to Henning...............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2014/10/04/ISIS-claims-murder-of-British-hostage.html
4/10/14
Donetsk airport under full control of self-defense forces...
ReplyDeleteSelf-defense forces of self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic have brought Donetsk airport under full control. However, there are still Ukrainian law enforcers in underground communication rooms of the airport, the information department of the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed republic told media today.
"At present, communication facilities of the airport have been screened to establish if any explosive devices might have been planted," the source said.
Heavy fighting has been taking place in the area of the airport as of lately.
On October 1 at least nine people were killed and another 30 wounded after Donetsk was shelled from the area of the airport.
Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_03/Donetsk-airport-under-full-control-of-self-defense-forces-3279/
4/10/14
Obama 'strongly condemns' killing of British citizen...
ReplyDeleteUS President Barack Obama strongly condemned the killing of British citizen Alan Henning by Islamic State militants fighting in Iraq and Syria and said the United States would seek to bring his killers to justice.
"The United States strongly condemns the brutal murder of United Kingdom citizen Alan Henning" by the Islamic State group, Obama said in a statement.
"Standing together with our UK friends and allies, we will work to bring the perpetrators of Alan's murder - as well as the murders of Jim Foley, Steven Sotloff and David Haines - to justice," Obama said, referring to other captives killed by Islamic State militants.
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/171329/obama-strongly-condemns-killing-of-british-citizen
3-4/10/14
Statement by Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva on the murder of British aid volunteer Alan Henning...
Delete"The news that Alan Henning, a British aid volunteer, has been murdered by ISIS after nine months in captivity in Syria is not just an appalling crime against humanity and a devastating blow to his family and loved ones. It is an attack against all those who want to help innocent civilians caught in the madness of a terrible war.
Alan Henning was described by a friend who organised the convoys from Manchester to Syria in which he participated as “a man who is full of compassion ... just a normal bloke, an everyday taxi driver who wanted to do good”.
I can well understand the despair that this latest act of barbaric propaganda by ISIS will have caused among Mr Henning's family and friends. This is one of the aims of his killers. They want to kill our humanity and our solidarity with the ordinary suffering Syrian people.
The most lasting tribute that we can pay to this good man is to surrender neither our compassion nor our determination to bring light into the darkness that has descended on the lives of the people for whom he gave his own life."
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-300_en.htm
4/10/14
US Welcomes Australia, Turkey, Denmark Joining Anti-IS Operation: White House...
ReplyDeleteThe United States welcomes the decision of Australia, Turkey and Denmark to join the international military operation against the Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said Friday.
"The United States welcomes the Australian government's deployment of fighter aircraft to participate in airstrikes on ISIL in Iraq as well as its intention to deploy Special Forces to Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces," the White House statement read.
"We also welcome the decision by the Danish parliament to authorize a contribution of F-16 fighters to join American, Iraqi, and international forces in countering ISIL positions in Iraq and to provide trainers to advise and assist Iraqi Security Forces," the White House stated.
"The United States also welcomes the Turkish parliament's strong vote recognizing ISIL as a threat to Turkey's national security and authorizing Turkish military activity against ISIL in Iraq and Syria. We look forward to working closely with the Government of Turkey to incorporate Turkey's unique capabilities into the growing international coalition to counter ISIL," the White House announced..............http://en.ria.ru/politics/20141004/193637051/US-Welcomes-Australia-Turkey-Denmark-Joining-Anti-IS-Operation.html
4/10/14
Two Soldiers Allegedly Killed in Storming of Donetsk Airport: Ukrainian Official....
ReplyDeleteTwo members of the Ukrainian security forces have been killed during the raid of the Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine, the Kiev-led anti-terrorist operation (ATO) spokesman Vladislav Seleznyov said on Saturday.
"Two servicemen have been killed. One was a soldier from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the other - a member of the National Guard," the official told 112 Ukraine TV channel.
However, a spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, Andriy Lysenko told the Ukrainska Pravda [the Ukrainian Truth] newspaper that "During the storming on Donetsk airport on Friday, one Ukrainian soldier was killed and three others were injured."
Ukrainian security officials claim they continue to control the airport, however independence supporters reported earlier seizing 95 percent of the airport while Ukrainian forces only held a single building...............http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20141004/193655323/Two-Soldiers-Allegedly-Killed-in-Storming-of-Donetsk-Airport-.html
4/10/14
Cameron: “We must take action” for IS hostage beheading....
ReplyDeleteUK Prime Minister David Cameron led the global outcry over the video released by the Islamic State (IS) group purporting to show the beheading of British hostage Alan Henning.
Condemning the murder of the former British cabbie who volunteered as an aid worker in Syria, Cameron said Henning's apparent slaying was “completely unforgivable'' and demonstrated the necessity of destroying the Islamic State extremist group.
“There is no level of depravity to which they will not sink. No appeals made any difference,” Cameron said Saturday after receiving a security briefing from intelligence and military officials at Chequers, his official country retreat..............http://www.france24.com/en/20141004-hostage-british-beheading-world-reaction-muslims-henning/
4/10/14
With huge search area mapped, MH370 hunt resuming...
ReplyDeleteSYDNEY: In a bid to finally solve one of the world's most perplexing aviation mysteries, the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is about to resume in a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean, with searchers lowering new equipment deep beneath the waves.
The GO Phoenix, the first of three ships that will spend up to a year hunting for the wreckage far off Australia's west coast, is expected to arrive in the search zone Sunday, though weather could delay its progress.
Crews will use sonar, video cameras and jet fuel sensors to scour the water for any trace of the Boeing 777, which disappeared March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.
The search has been on hold for months so crews could map the seabed in the search zone, about 1,800 kilometers west of Australia. The 60,000-square kilometer search area lies along what is known as the "seventh arc" a stretch of ocean where investigators believe the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed, based largely on an analysis of transmissions between the plane and a satellite...........http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/With-huge-search-area-mapped-MH370-hunt-resuming/articleshow/44310360.cms
4/10/14
North Korea agrees for new round of talks with Seoul - Yonhap...
ReplyDeleteNorth Korea has agreed to hold a new round of talks with South Korea at the highest level, Yonhap news agency said on Saturday.......http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752756
4/10/14
Deutschland schickt Hilfskonvoi in die Ostukraine...
ReplyDeleteWegen des nahenden Winters sollen mehr als 100 LKW Hilfsgüter in die Ukraine bringen. Der Entwicklungshilfeminister will einen Teil davon selbst in Charkiw übergeben.
Die Bundesregierung hat angesichts des nahenden Wintereinbruchs in der Ukraine einen Hilfskonvoi mit mehr als 100 Lastwagen auf den Weg gebracht, vor allem für den Osten des Landes. Der Transport im Gesamtwert von rund zehn Millionen Euro solle bis Mitte Oktober in der Krisenregion eintreffen, teilte das Entwicklungshilfeministerium mit. Nach Informationen des Nachrichtenmagazins Spiegel sind die LKW bereits unterwegs und sollen sich an der polnisch-ukrainischen Grenze sammeln.
Dazu gehörten unter anderem mobile Wohneinheiten und Küchen, Heizgeräte, Generatoren, Wasser- und Dieseltanks, Winterkleidung, Decken und Feldbetten. Die Zusammenstellung sei "eng mit der ukrainischen Regierung abgestimmt" und im Wesentlichen für ostukrainische Städte wie Charkiw, Slawjansk und Dnjepropetrowsk bestimmt.
"Wir wollen damit ein Zeichen der Solidarität setzen", sagte Bundesentwicklungsminister Gerd Müller (CSU). In der Ukraine seien Schätzungen zufolge eine Million Menschen vor den gewaltsamen Auseinandersetzungen geflohen. Müller will am 14. Oktober in Charkiw einen Teil der Lieferungen übergeben.
http://www.zeit.de/politik/ausland/2014-10/ukraine-hilfskovoi-deutschland
4/10/14
Germany Sends Humanitarian Convoy to Ukraine...
DeleteGerman authorities have sent a convoy with humanitarian aid worth 10 million euros [$12.6 million] to Ukraine, Spiegel magazine reported Saturday.
On the initiative of German Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller, the government has sent to Ukraine about 100 trucks carrying humanitarian aid from 17 German cities. The convoy is carrying building materials, space heaters, blankets and rollaway beds, the magazine reported.
The trucks are expected to arrive at the Polish-Ukrainian border in the middle of next week. The goods will then be loaded into the Ukrainian vehicles, which will take them to five zones of eastern Ukraine.
Muller's initiative was criticized by the German Defense Ministry, since the decision on sending humanitarian aid lies in the area of competence of the Foreign Ministry.
On Friday, it was reported that Germany may send 200 soldiers to Ukraine to monitor compliance with the ceasefire agreement in the east. Some 150 soldiers will control the situation in the area using drones, another 50 soldiers will protect members of the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)...............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141004/193665870/Germany-Sends-Humanitarian-Convoy-to-Ukraine.html
4/10/14
Facing fears over extremism, Austria unveils new law on Islam...
ReplyDeleteAustria called for standardised German-language translations of the Koran and moved to prohibit foreign funding of Muslim organisations on its soil in a draft law aimed in part at tackling Islamic extremism.
The bill will overhaul a 1912 law governing the status of Austrian Muslims, prompting concern from a major local Islamic body, which saw it mirroring widespread mistrust of Muslims.
The initiative comes at a time of robust support for the far-right in Austria and also alarm over reports of Muslims from the small, neutral country joining Islamist militant forces fighting in the Middle East.
“The clear message should be that there is no contradiction between being a faithful Muslim and a proud Austrian,” said Foreign Affairs and Integration Minister Sebastian Kurz, a member of the conservative People’s Party.
“If you don’t have orderly legal regulation … this can always bring dangers (of extremism). In this sense, if you like this is maybe a part of prevention,” he told reporters.
He added that Sharia, or Islamic law, had “no place here”.
Roughly half a million Muslims live in Austria, representing about 6 percent of the total population, which is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic.
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/171386/facing-fears-over-extremism-austria-unveils-new-law-on-islam
4/10/14
La société russe Gazprom n’accuse pas réception de paiement remboursé de la dette de l'Ukraine pour le gaz russe. C'est ce qu'a déclaré le représentant officiel de la société russe, Sergueï Koupriyanov....
ReplyDeleteKoupriyanov a suggéré que le Premier ministre ukrainien Arseni Iatseniouk parlait d’un montant remboursé de la dette en euro-obligations de la compagnie Naftogaz d’Ukraine.
Plus tôt samedi, Iatseniouk a déclaré que l'Ukraine avait payé la Russie 1,67 milliards de dollars pour le gaz.
Entre-temps, la dette de Naftogaz devant Gazprom représente plus de 5 milliards de dollars.
Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_04/LUkraine-na-pas-rembourse-sa-dette-pour-le-gaz-Gazprom-1419/
4/10/14
Ukrainian army uses prohibited weapons against civilians - rights council member...
ReplyDeleteUkrainian security forces are using prohibited weapons against civilians in the south-east of the country, a member of the Russian president’s Human Rights Council, Maxim Shevchenko, said on Saturday.
He and Darya Morozova, a candidate human rights commissioner of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, visited one of the mass burial sites and the place where an exploded cluster projectile went off several days after landing, hurting teen-agers, on the outskirts of Donetsk.
“Today I received confirmation that the Ukrainian army is using against civilians in the Donetsk republic weapons that one would hesitate to use even against an enemy army. The impression is that they are using everything they have at the despots,” Shevchenko said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752777
4/10/14
Mexico mass grave found near Iguala after protests...
ReplyDeleteA mass grave has been found on the outskirts the Mexican town of Iguala, where 43 students went missing on 27 September, officials say.
It is not clear whether the bodies found in a pit are those of the missing students, who were last seen being forced into police vans.
The group had travelled to the area, in the state of Guerrero, to take part in a protest over teachers' rights.
Police opened fire on their buses, killing six people.
Twenty-two police officers are being held in connection with the shooting.
Witnesses said the most of the survivors - all trainee teachers - were bundled into police vans before disappearing.
Some had gone into hiding and contacted their relatives after several days, still fearing for their lives.
'Anonymous tip'
It was thought initially that 44 students, not 43, had gone missing. They had been taking part in a protest over job discrimination against rural teachers..................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-29493797
5/10/14
There is no problem with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un's health: minister....
ReplyDeleteSEOUL, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- There is no problem with the health of Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae as saying Sunday.
Ryoo Kihl-jae quoted DPRK's Kim Yang Gon as saying, "Kim Jong Un's health has no problem at all."
Kim Yang Gon came to Incheon, along with two other highest-ranking DPRK officials, Hwang Pyong So and Choe Ryong Hae, to attend the closing ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/05/ARTI1412469565042657.shtml
5/10/14
‘Every penny paid’: Ukraine PM confuses gas debt repayment with Eurobonds pay-off...
ReplyDeleteUkrainian Prime Minister Yatsenyuk’s statement that $1.67 billion was transferred as part of the country's gas debt payment actually refers to the repayment of Eurobonds which Ukraine’s Naftogaz received under state guarantees, Russia’s Gazprom says.
Arseny Yatsenyuk made the statement live on-air on Ukraine's “First” TV channel, specifically stating that the recent payment was connected to “gas debt.”
“They [Russia] hoped that we will not pay off our gas debts. The day before yesterday, we paid every single penny of the [US$]1.67 billion debt,” Yatsenyuk stated.
But Gazprom spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov did not confirm receiving any money from Kiev, TASS reported. Kupriyanov added that he believes Ukraine’s prime minister was talking about Eurobonds.
“It is hard to imagine that the payment for gas went through before the agreement was signed,” Kupriyanov said, referring to the final agreement between Ukraine and Russia that is not expected to be signed until next week.
September 30 was the maturity date of Eurobonds given to Naftogaz. The sum which Ukraine had to pay back equaled $1.67 billion...........http://rt.com/business/193240-ukraine-pm-debt-eurobonds/
5/10/14
The approach of a powerful typhoon forced the suspension of search efforts Sunday on Mount Ontake, where 12 people remain missing following a deadly volcanic eruption....
ReplyDeleteTyphoon Phanfone was expected to bring heavy rainfall of about 120 milliliters in areas around Mount Ontake for the 24 hours through Monday morning, according to the Nagano Meteorological Observatory.
Heavy rain combined with a large accumulation of volcanic ash on the 3,067-meter mountain poses a risk of mudslides.
A total of 51 people have so far been confirmed dead in the country’s worst postwar volcanic disaster on Sept. 27.
Authorities in Kiso and Otaki at the foot of the mountain in Nagano Prefecture have warned people in the area to be alert..................http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/05/national/typhoon-phanfone-takes-aim-at-japan-halts-search-for-ontake-bodies/#.VDDK6VfQqt8
5/10/14
Japan, U.S. consider deploying Ospreys at Yokota Air Base in Tokyo...
ReplyDeleteJapan and the United States are considering deploying 12 CV-22 Osprey transport aircraft at the Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo as soon as next July, a Japanese government source said Saturday.
The governments initially planned to deploy the aircraft at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. But ahead of the gubernatorial election there in November, Tokyo and Washington are looking at basing the aircraft in Tokyo to avoid increasing the prefecture’s burden from hosting U.S. military facilities.
Deployment at Yokota would base the tilt-rotor aircraft on the mainland for the first time. At present, 24 MV-22 Osprey aircraft are deployed at the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Okinawa.............http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/05/national/japan-u-s-consider-deploying-ospreys-at-yokota-air-base-in-tokyo/#.VDDNUVfQqt8
5/10/1
Ban welcomes high-level political dialogue between Seoul, Pyongyang...
ReplyDelete5 October 2014 – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the high-level political dialogue that took place between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
“It is encouraging that the two parties agreed to hold another round of high-level talks soon,” Mr. Ban said through his spokesperson.
The agreement to hold more talks came as officials from both countries met yesterday on the margins of the closing ceremony of the Incheon Asian Games.
In a statement that followed, Mr. Ban reiterated his hopes that the concerned parties will continue to build positive momentum toward a peaceful and denuclearized Korean peninsula.
The UN chief has repeatedly emphasized that dialogue is the only way to resolve outstanding issues related to the peninsula.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=49008#.VDFw41fQqt8
5/10/14
Latvia's ruling parties win election dominated by Russian issue...
ReplyDeleteLatvia's hawkish center ruling coalition has won a clear majority in a general election, results showed on Sunday, after taking a hard line over the actions of Russia, its neighbor and former ruler, in Ukraine.
Victory for the center in the Baltic state, which takes over the presidency of the EU at the start of next year, will bring a sigh of relief from many worried that the pro-Russian Concord party might gain power and give Russian President Vladimir Putin a friendly voice in the European Union.
"The pro-European, relatively predictable, economically liberal course will continue," Ivars Ijabs, associate professor of political science from University of Latvia, said.
Together, the Unity party, the Nationalist Alliance and the Union of Greens and Farmers had won 58 percent support with 99 percent of votes counted, according to figures from the electoral commission.
"Putting the current votes for the coalition in the preliminary results together, it [the coalition] has convincingly acquired a majority," Latvian President Andris Berzins said on television on Sunday.
While Latvia is still recovering from the financial crisis which saw its economy contract around 20 percent, the election has been dominated by security issues....................http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/05/us-latvia-election-idUSKCN0HU0LR20141005?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
5/10/14
VIDEO: Mortar shell hits house in Turkish border town, four wounded...
ReplyDeleteAt least four people were wounded when a mortar shell fired from Syrian territories during clashes between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Kurdish forces hit a house in a Turkish border town on Oct. 5.
The mortar shell exploded at around 1.20 p.m. after hitting the wall of the house in Şanlıurfa province’s Suruç district, only two kilometers from the Turkish-Syrian border.
Four people in the house were injured due to pieces of shrapnel and stone, and they were taken to the Suruç State Hospital.
The Turkish military hit the Syrian side of the border immediately with howitzers after the mortar bomb hit the house. Officials said they fired at the coordinates from where the mortar fire came, without consideration of who the shooters were...............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/video-mortar-shell-hits-house-in-turkish-border-town-four-wounded.aspx?pageID=238&nID=72554&NewsCatID=341
5/10/14
Turkey Evacuates 2 Villages in Light of Shelling From Syrian Territory: Reports...
ReplyDeleteThe residents of two Turkish villages, located on the border with Syria, have been evacuated due to shelling from the territory of Syria, Turkey's Anadolu reported Sunday.
"We decided to transfer the residents of Buyuk Kendirci and Kucuk Kendirci in a more secure place," Anadolu quoted Sanliurfa Governor Izzettin Kucuk as saying.
According to Anadolu, a shell landed in the territory of Turkey, near the town of Suruc in Sanliurfa Governorate. It burst in the yard of a private house, injuring two people, who were taken to a local hospital.
The incident happened after military confrontation had intensified between the Islamic State militants and Kurdish fighters in Kobani, a city in Syria's Aleppo Governorate which the Kurdish People's Protection Units took control of in 2012 as a result of the Syrian civil war..............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141005/193704465/Turkey-Evacuates-2-Villages-in-Light-of-Shelling-From-Syrian-Territory.html
5/10/14
At least one dead, three missing as Typhoon Phanfone lashes Japan....
ReplyDeletePowerful Typhoon Phanfone hit the capital and surrounding areas Monday morning, dealing a heavy blow to millions of commuters in the metropolis.
The season’s 18th typhoon made landfall near Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Monday morning, moving near Yokohama, just south of Tokyo, at 11 a.m. The typhoon, which has brought heavy rains and strong winds to the Shikoku, Tokai and Kinki regions, moved inland from the Pacific near Hamamatsu shortly after 8 a.m, forcing airline companies to cancel many flights, while bullet trains on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line and commuter train services were partly suspended.
In Shizuoka Prefecture, a total of 267,000 households, or 667,000 people, were urged to evacuate to safer ground as of 9:30 a.m., the prefectural government said.
In Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, more than 4,600 people were urged by the local city office to evacuate due to the risk of rivers overflowing their banks.
The typhoon was moving northeast at a speed of 45 kph with an atmospheric pressure of 950 hectopascals at its center. It was packing winds of up to 180 kph, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.......................http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/06/national/strong-typhoon-bearing-tokyo-area/#.VDIThlfQqt8
6/10/14
Next phase of underwater MH370 search begins...
ReplyDeleteSYDNEY: The hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 entered a new phase Monday (Oct 6) with the resumption of the underwater search for the aircraft, officials said.
Until now experts had been concentrating on mapping the seabed in the southern Indian Ocean search zone where the plane carrying 239 people is thought to have crashed in March. The Malaysian-contracted GO Phoenix vessel has now arrived in the area and begun its work scanning the ocean floor for the jet, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said.
"The vessel GO Phoenix, with equipment and experts provided by Phoenix International, has arrived in the search area in the southern Indian Ocean, and commenced underwater search operations," the bureau said in a statement.....................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/next-phase-of-underwater/1400224.html
6/10/14
Protests could hurt Hong Kong economy: World Bank....
ReplyDeleteSINGAPORE: Protests in Hong Kong could hurt the city's economy - as well as China's - but the impact will depend on how long the "uncertainty" lasts, the World Bank's chief Asia economist said Monday (Oct 6).
Sudhir Shetty said the Bank was closely monitoring the events in Hong Kong, where thousands of pro-democracy protesters have paralysed major streets for more than a week, leading to a tense stand-off with the government.
"Obviously we, like every other set of economic analysts, are looking very closely at the situation and following it and looking at its impact," he told reporters in Singapore. "The impacts will be both on the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region itself, their economy, but also in terms of the broader impact on the Chinese economy. As of now, what we anticipate is obviously a greater impact on Hong Kong SAR - so slower growth in 2014 than was being anticipated earlier."................http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/protests-could-hurt-hong/1400462.html
6/10/14
New Nato chief wants constructive ties with Russia...
ReplyDeleteWARSAW: Nato wants constructive relations with Russia even as it increases its presence in its member states in eastern Europe, the alliance's new secretary-general told a Polish newspaper on Monday.
Jens Stoltenberg, who is visiting Poland, said Nato would still respect its international commitments, which include a post-Cold War deal with Moscow about western military deployments in former members of the old Soviet bloc.
"There is no contradiction between a strong NATO and building constructive relations with Russia," Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian prime minister who took up his new job last week, told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily in an interview.
"That stems from my political experience. Norway is a small country that neighbours Russia, yet despite that, probably even in the coldest periods of the Cold War, we were able to cooperate on questions of energy, fisheries and demarcation of maritime borders," he was quoted as saying.
Relations between Moscow and the NATO alliance are at a post-Cold War low over Russia's actions in Ukraine, where it annexed the Crimean peninsula in March and has been supporting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine....................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/New-Nato-chief-wants-constructive-ties-with-Russia/articleshow/44485653.cms
6/10/14
Syrie: la partie est de Kobané assiégée par l'EI, l'OTAN prête à aider...
ReplyDeleteLes jihadistes du groupe Etat islamique (EI) ont hissé lundi après-midi deux drapeaux noirs à leurs couleurs aux limites est de la ville frontalière syrienne de Kobané qu'ils assiègent, a constaté un photographe de l'AFP depuis la frontière turque toute proche.
L'un des deux drapeaux a été planté sur une colline et un autre sur un bâtiment situé dans l'est de la ville. Interrogé par l'AFP, un responsable syrien local s'est toutefois refusé à confirmer que les jihadistes étaient entrés dans Kobané (Aïn al-Arab en lague arabe), théâtre de violents combats depuis plusieurs jours.
Lundi encore, la ville était secouée par de nombreux tirs de mortiers et parsemée d'épaisses fumées, selon une journaliste de l'AFP présente à la frontière.
L'armée turque a déployé d'importants renforts, notamment des chars et des véhicules blindés, autour de son poste-frontière de Mursitpinar, juste en face de Kobané.
Le Parlement turc a accordé jeudi son feu vert au gouvernement islamo-conservateur d'Ankara pour intervenir militairement contre l'EI en Syrie comme en Irak mais l'armée turque est restée jusque-là l'arme au pied.
L'OTAN prête à soutenir la Turquie
L'OTAN s'est dit prête à soutenir la Turquie en cas de menace de la part du groupe terroriste État islamique (EI), a déclaré lundi à Varsovie le nouveau secrétaire général de l'OTAN Jens Stoltenberg.
"La Turquie est une alliée de l'OTAN et notre première responsabilité est de protéger l'intégrité et les frontières de la Turquie. C'est la raison pour laquelle nous y avons déployé des missiles Patriot : afin d'améliorer, de renforcer sa défense aérienne", a-t-il indiqué à la presse dans la capitale polonaise où il effectue sa première visite à l'étranger depuis l'entrée en fonctions le 1er octobre..............http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_les-kurdes-repoussent-un-assaut-des-djihadistes-contre-kobane-en-syrie?id=8371478
6/10/14
EU Condemns Deadly Suicide Bombing in Russia’s Chechen Capital...
ReplyDeleteThe European Union on Monday condemned the suicide bombing that shocked the Chechen capital of Grozny as it prepared to celebrate the City Day.
"We condemn the attack of a suicide bomber on the City Day celebrations in Grozny. There can be no justification for such an attack against innocent lives," the EU said in a press release.
In its statement, Brussels expressed "our condolences to the families of the victims as well as to Russia's government and people" and wished "a quick recovery" to those injured.
The statement also recalled "the importance of fighting against terrorism in the common interest as expressed in the joint statement agreed at the EU-Russia Summit on January 28, 2014."......................http://en.ria.ru/russia/20141006/193739553/EU-Condemns-Deadly-Suicide-Bombing-in-Russias-Chechen-Capital.html
6/10/14
Mosca ritiene necessario indagare i crimini in Ucraina...
ReplyDeleteLa Russia insiste sulla necessità di un'indagine imparziale di tutti i crimini in Ucraina. Lo ha detto il Ministro degli Esteri Sergei Lavrov. Secondo lui, questo vale per il "caso dei cecchini", per gli eventi a Odessa e Mariupol, così come per lo schianto del Boeing malese e per le fosse comuni nei pressi di Donetsk.
Lavrov ha detto che non c’è stato alcun progresso nelle indagini su questi crimini. Inoltre, il Ministro ha detto che i Paesi occidentali dovrebbero sobriamente valutare la loro posizione nella questione ucraina e capire che non si può dare la colpa di tutto ai miliziani.
Per saperne di più: http://italian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_06/Mosca-ritiene-necessario-indagare-i-crimini-in-Ucraina-7855/
6/10/14
Lavrov on Ukraine crisis: don’t blame everything on independence supporters...
DeleteRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday called on all countries to take a candid stance on the conflict in Ukraine and realize that independence supporters should not be blamed for everything.
“Possibly, all countries must assume a candid approach to the Ukrainian issue and understand that accusing the self-defense forces of everything while supporting the Kiev government’s every whim has no prospects,” he said.
Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_06/Lavrov-Ukraine-crisis/
6/10/14
IMF supports reforms for more orderly sovereign debt restructurings...
ReplyDeleteThe IMF is engaged in a number of reforms designed to reduce the costs of sovereign debt restructurings—for the benefit of debtors, creditors, and the system more generally, it said today.
These reforms include possible changes to the IMF’s lending framework that are designed to give the IMF a broader range of policy responses in the context of sovereign debt distress. Separately, there is a recognition that, in circumstances where a sovereign and its creditors have reached the conclusion that a debt restructuring is necessary, the existing legal framework may not be sufficiently robust to prevent “holdout” creditors from undermining the restructuring process. Recent developments, including the Argentine litigation in the United States, have highlighted these vulnerabilities, a document added...................http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/171553/imf-supports-reforms-for-more-orderly-sovereign-debt-restructurings
6/10/14
North, South Korea Exchange Fire After Border Violation Incident: Reports...
ReplyDeleteMOSCOW, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - North and South Korean border patrol boats have briefly exchanged fire after a North Korean ship crossed the maritime border between the republics, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"One North Korean patrol boat crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL) in the Yellow Sea at around 9:50 a.m.," the JCS was quoted as saying in a statement.
"To force the ship to retreat, our military sent warning messages and fired a warning shot. But the North fired back rather than backing down, which caused us to fire again," the South Korean military added. The North Korean ship then reportedly retreated.
During last weekend's visit of top-ranking Pyongyang's officials to the closing of the Asian Games in Icheon, South Korea, the two nations agreed to hold the first high-level talks in months.............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141007/193749865/North-South-Korea-Exchange-Fire-After-Border-Violation-Incident.html
7/10/14
Plusieurs quartiers de Kobané aux mains des jihadistes de l'EI....
ReplyDeleteL'organisation de l'EI s'est emparée lundi soir de trois quartiers de Kobané. La ville syrienne, défendue par les combattants kurdes, subit depuis trois semaines les assauts répétés des jihadistes.
Malgré la résistance des combattants kurdes syriens (YPG), l’organisation de l’État islamique resserre inexorablement son étau sur Kobané (Aïn el-Arab en arabe). Lundi, en fin de journée, les jihadistes ont réussi à entrer dans Kobané, plantant leurs drapeaux noirs à une centaine de mètres à l'est et au sud-est de la ville.
Mardi matin, ils évoluaient dans trois quartiers de l’est de la ville syrienne kurde assiégée depuis le 16 septembre. "Ils ont pris la cité industrielle, Maqtala al-Jadida et Kani Arabane, dans l'est de Kobané après de violents combats contre les Unités de protection du peuple kurde (YPG)", a déclaré à l'AFP le directeur de l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH), Rami Abdel Rahmane, en évoquant des scènes de "guérilla urbaine". Terrorisés par l'avancée des jihadistes connus pour leurs exactions - meurtres, viols, enlèvements - des centaines "de civils résidant dans les quartiers est ont fui vers la Turquie voisine", a-t-il précisé..................http://www.france24.com/fr/20141007-syrie-ei-etat-islamique-quartiers-kobane-jihadistes-kurdes-turquie/
7/10/14
Spent over $1 billion on military operations in Iraq, Syria: Pentagon...
ReplyDeleteThe Pentagon has spent as much as $1.1 billion on US military operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria since the mission began in mid-June, including more than $62 million alone in Navy airstrikes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
US Central Command, in data released Monday, said that the Navy has dropped roughly 185 munitions, including 47 cruise missiles launched from ships in the region. Central Command said Air Force fighter jets have far exceeded those numbers, launching close to 1,000 munitions. The data released Monday broke out the $62 million spent on Navy munitions, but provided no cost estimates for Air Force munitions.
The bulk of the Navy costs were for the 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by American warships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea that targeted the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaida cell, in eight locations west of the city of Aleppo in Syria. The group was said to be plotting imminent attacks on American and Western interests, and it was one of the key targets two weeks ago when the US first began airstrikes into Syria.................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Spent-over-1-billion-on-military-operations-in-Iraq-Syria-Pentagon/articleshow/44556745.cms
7/10/14
US responds to Davutoğlu, says stance on ISIL fight unchanged...
ReplyDeleteThe United States has said its position on the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has not changed, hours after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said the operation should target the Syrian regime.
“Our position hasn’t changed. Our focus is on ISIL. We certainly are continuing to support the Syrian opposition, but I don’t have anything new on that regard,” U.S. Department of State Spokesperson Jen Psaki said on Oct. 6 during a press briefing.
The question was about remarks Davutoğlu made during an interview on Oct. 6 with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour...............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-responds-to-davutoglu-says-stance-on-isil-fight-unchanged.aspx?pageID=238&nID=72632&NewsCatID=359
7/10/14
Echanges de tirs à la frontière entre le Liban et Israël...
ReplyDeleteL'artillerie israélienne a pilonné le territoire du Sud-Liban après que trois soldats de Tsahal ont été blessés à la frontière, rapportent mardi les médias internationaux, se référant à des sources militaires.
Le porte-parole de l'armée israélienne a refusé de commenter l'incident, alors que la chaîne de télévision libanaise Al-Manar annonce que des coups de feu retentissent toujours près du village de Kfar Shuba, dans le sud du pays, sans donner d'autres détails.
La frontière israélo-libanaise est une zone de tension. Des incidents ont régulièrement lieu le long de la Ligne bleue, qui fixe la frontière libano-israélienne. Cette ligne a été tracée par les Nations unies après le retrait israélien, mettant fin en 2000 à 22 ans d'occupation du sud du Liban.
http://fr.ria.ru/world/20141007/202637861.html
7/10/14
M 6.1 - YUNNAN, CHINA....local time: 21:49...
ReplyDeleteMagnitude Mw 6.1
Region YUNNAN, CHINA
Date time 2014-10-07 13:49:41.7 UTC
Location 23.45 N ; 100.69 E
Depth 10 km
Distances
271 km SW of Kunming, China / pop: 1,023,674 / local time: 21:49:41.7 2014-10-07
244 km NW of Phôngsali, Laos / pop: 13,500 / local time: 20:49:41.7 2014-10-07
162 km N of Jinghong, China / pop: 62,105 / local time: 21:49:41.7 2014-10-07
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=403186
7/10/14
FΤ: Μεγάλες κρατικές συμφωνίες με την Κίνα ετοιμάζει η Ελλάδα...
ReplyDeleteΌταν ο Πρόεδρος της Κίνας πραγματοποίησε μια ανεπίσημη στάση μιας μέρας τον Αύγουστο στη Ρόδο, πηγαίνοντας προς τη σύνοδο της Βραζιλίας, ο Έλληνας Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας και ο πρωθυπουργός πέταξαν στο νησί από την Αθήνα, προκειμένου να διασφαλίσουν ότι η παραμονή του Xi Jinping θα εξελισσόταν ομαλά, αναφέρουν οι Financial Times, σε ανταπόκριση της Κerin Hope με τίτλο «Greece primps for big China deals».
Το δημοσίευμα σχολιάζει ότι ο Κινέζος Πρόεδρος επαίνεσε τις προσπάθειες της χώρας και διαβεβαίωσε ότι η Κίνα βλέπει την Ελλάδα ως κεντρική πύλη εξόδου στη Ν. Ευρώπη, κάνοντας λόγο για «ολοκληρωμένη στρατηγική συνεργασία μεταξύ των δύο χωρών».
Επισημαίνει ότι πλέον, στην παρούσα φάση, η Κίνα επαναξιολογεί την Ελλάδα και τις υποδομές της, οι οποίες πρέπει να πωληθούν, όπως προβλέπει το σχέδιο διάσωσης. Από θάλασσα και αέρος η Ελλάδα συνάδει με τις κινεζικές φιλοδοξίες για βαθύτερη εξάπλωση στην Ευρώπη, αναφέρει χαρακτηριστικά και προσθέτει ότι Κινέζος σύμβουλος, που ζήτησε να παραμείνει ανώνυμος, σχολίασε: «Είμαστε πίσω από την Ιταλία και την Ισπανία στις άμεσες επενδύσεις και στην καινοτόμο δραστηριότητα κρατικές εταιρείες δείχνουν σοβαρό ενδιαφέρον για την Ελλάδα. Θα μπορούσε να πει κανείς ότι πρόκειται για μακροπρόθεσμη και πολιτικά καθοδηγούμενη προσέγγιση».
Πιθανός πλειοδότης για τον Διεθνή Αερολιμένα Αθηνών είναι μια σύμπραξη εταιρειών αποτελούμενη από τις Friedman Pacific Asset Management, ένα fund με έδρα το Hong Kong και τον όμιλο Shenzhen International Airport Group, ενώ το υπουργείο Μεταφορών αναμένει την κρατική κινεζική εταιρεία Construction Engineering Corporation να κτίσει και να διαχειριστεί ένα νέο αεροδρόμιο στην Κρήτη αξίας 800 εκ ευρώ. Παράλληλα, η επίσης κρατική Fujian Shipbuilding, που διαχειρίζεται ναυπηγεία, έχει δείξει ενδιαφέρον για τα Ναυπηγεία Ελευσίνας.
Πράγματι, υπογραμμίζει το δημοσίευμα, η ναυτιλία είναι το δυνατό χαρτί της Ελλάδας, καθώς ελληνικά πλοία μεταφέρουν το 60% των κινεζικών εισαγωγών σε στρατηγικά εμπορεύματα, όπως αργό πετρέλαιο, άνθρακας και σίδηρος, με αντάλλαγμα οι Έλληνες πλοιοκτήτες να κατασκευάζουν πλοία στην Κίνα..............http://www.kathimerini.com.cy/index.php?pageaction=kat&modid=1&artid=185755
7/10/14
Nuland Confirms US Could Lift Sanctions Against Russia If Minsk Agreements Implemented...
ReplyDeleteUS Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland confirmed Tuesday that if the Minsk agreements are fully implemented, the United States could lift a number of sanctions against Russia.
Speaking at a meeting with the students of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev, Nuland said the United States could cancel some of the sanctions it had imposed against Russia if the Minsk agreements are fully implemented and if both sides of the Ukrainian conflict observe the ceasefire.............................http://en.ria.ru/world/20141007/193782564/Nuland-Confirms-US-Could-Lift-Sanctions-Against-Russia-If-Minsk.html
7/10/14
Les Etats-Unis ont nommé les conditions d’annulation des sanctions contre la Russie...
DeleteLes États-Unis sont prêts à abolir les sanctions contre la Russie au fur et à mesure que les conditions décidées à Minsk sont remplies, a indiqué la secrétaire d'Etat adjointe des Etats-Unis pour les affaires européennes et eurasiennes Victoria Nuland, en s’exprimant devant les étudiants à Kiev.
Nuland a également souligné qu’il est peu probable que les pays de l’OTAN soient d’accord de voir l’Ukraine en tant qu’un nouveau membre de l’alliance. Selon la fonctionnaire américaine, Kiev bénéficie déjà de tous les avantages d'une telle coopération. Cela concerne notamment la participation de ce pays à des exercices conjoints et à la formation des soldats.
Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_07/Les-Etats-Unis-ont-nomme-les-conditions-d-annulation-des-sanctions-contre-la-Russie-8551/
7/10/14
South China's Guangdong Province reported 1,661 new dengue cases on Monday, bringing the total number of cases this year up to 23,146, said local health authorities on Tuesday....
ReplyDeleteThe number of cases has been rising quickly, with more than 1,000 new infections discovered every day last week. One fatality was reported by the provincial health authority on Sunday, bringing the death toll in the province to six.
The latest death occurred in western Guangzhou's Liwan district. The city has seen five deaths caused by dengue so far this year.
Guangzhou has been the worst-hit city in the province.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/885021.shtml
Pentagon Says Impossible to Defeat Islamic State by Airstrikes Alone...
ReplyDeleteUS-led airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria are effective, but will not destroy the group on their own, Pentagon spokeswoman Cmdr. Elissa Smith told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
“Our airstrikes have been effective in achieving our goal of degrading and ultimately destroying ISIL,” Cmdr. Smith said in a statement, using an alternate version of the extremist group’s name.
“This isn't going to be solved through airstrikes or military power alone. There has to be more to this than just airstrikes. It doesn't mean that the airstrikes aren't important, that they won't continue or that they aren't being effective. What it does mean is that airstrikes are just one piece of a much larger strategy that's going to take some time,” the Pentagon press officer stressed................http://en.ria.ru/military_news/20141007/193787761/Pentagon-Says-Impossible-to-Defeat-Islamic-State-by-Airstrikes-Alone.html
7/10/14
US Involved in Discussions About Ukraine's Gas Needs: US State Department...
ReplyDeleteThe United States is involved in the ongoing discussion about the Ukrainian gas needs, and wants to see the issue resolved, US Department of State Spokeswoman Jen Psaki stated at a press briefing Tuesday.
“This has been obviously an ongoing discussion. It’s one where our assistant secretary Amos J. Hochstein has been very involved, and a number of officials in the administration have been very involved. We too want to see this resolved, and certainly recognize the seasonal changes that are approaching here,” Psaki said.
US Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz stated that it is impossible to reach significant proportions of natural gas exports until the end of the current decade. He also stressed that there was no quick fix of the problem when answering the question whether the dependency of Ukraine on Russia’s gas could be decreased with America’s assistance.
The issue of meeting the Ukrainian gas needs was among the topics on US Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland’s agenda during her visit to Kiev.
According to Psaki, Nuland discussed “the economic prosperity of Ukraine, and issues like their access to gas, and their need to be well-supplied for the winter.”.............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141008/193787946/US-Involved-in-Discussions-About-Ukraines-Gas-Needs.html
7/10/14
Twitter sues US government over spying...
ReplyDeleteTwitter has sued the US government over surveillance laws.
Under current regulations, Twitter cannot reveal certain information about government requests for users' data relating to national security.
Twitter argues that this violates the right to free speech, as defined by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.
The firm said it brought the case in an effort to force the government to be more transparent about personal data requests.
"It's our belief that we are entitled under the First Amendment to respond to our users' concerns and to the statements of US government officials by providing information about the scope of US government surveillance," Twitter's lawyer, Ben Lee, wrote in a blog post.
Twitter brought the action against the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a northern California court on Tuesday.
In April, Twitter submitted a Transparency Report to the US government for publication; however, so far officials have denied the firm's request to share the full report with the public.
That report includes specific information about the nature and number of requests for Twitter user information relating to national security.
"The US government engages in extensive but incomplete speech about the scope of its national security surveillance activities as they pertain to US communications providers, while at the same time prohibiting service providers such as Twitter from providing their own informed perspective as potential recipients of various national security-related requests," wrote Twitter...................http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-29528665
7/10/14
Issue of mass graves near Donetsk not reflected in UN report on human rights in Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteThe issue of mass burial sites recently discovered near the city of Donetsk has not been reflected in a regular United Nations report on human rights in Ukraine.
Nothing is said about the investigation of the crime on any of the 37 pages of the report obtained by TASS, which will be officially circulated later Wednesday.
The document covers the period from August 18 to September 16, 2014. Unidentified mass graves in southeast Ukraine are formally not subject to consideration by the rights monitoring mission of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
However, the global organization earlier pledged to touch upon the issue in its sixth report.
Southeastern militias recently found a few mass graves at sites where Ukrainian troops had been stationed. It was reported on September 23 that militiamen found unidentified burial sites near the Kommunarskaya-22 mine in the vicinity of the villages of Kommunar and Nizhnyaya Krynka............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/753218
8/10/14
Τουρκία: 14 νεκροί στον ξεσηκωμό των Κούρδων για το Κομπάνι...
ReplyDeleteΑνεξέλεγκτες διαστάσεις λαμβάνουν οι εκδηλώσεις διαμαρτυρίας Κούρδων διαδηλωτών στην Τουρκία κατά της κατάληψης της κουρδικής πόλης Κομπανί της Συρίας. Ανησυχία επικρατεί στην Αγκυρα, υπό το φόβο να περάσει η σπίθα του πολέμου στη Συρία τα σύνορα της Τουρκίας.
Στις συγκρούσεις με τις δυνάμεις ασφαλείας νεκροί έπεσαν 14 άνθρωποι, ενώ αναφέρονται δεκάδες τραυματίες. Σύμφωνα με επίσημες πηγές στόχος εμπρηστικών επιθέσεων έγιναν 343 κτίρια, τα περισσότερα δημόσια, και πυρπολήθηκαν περίπου 40 οχήματα. Σε επιφυλακή η τουρκική αστυνομία, η ηγεσία της οποίας ανακάλεσε όλες τις άδειες.
Απαγόρευση κυκλοφορίας επιβλήθηκε το βράδυ της Τρίτης σε έξι νοτιοανατολικές επαρχίες -Ντιγιαρμπακίρ, Βαν, Μάρντιν, Μους, Μπάτμαν και Σίιρτ- με κουρδικό κυρίως πληθυσμό.
Στο Ντιγιαρμπακίρ, τη μεγαλύτερη κουρδική πόλη της Τουρκίας, στρατιωτικές δυνάμεις κατέβηκαν στους δρόμους για να καταστήλουν τους εξαγριωμένους διαδηλωτές. Κατά τις συγκρούσεις στην πόλη έχασαν τη ζωή τους 8 άτομα. ΚΑτά τη διάρκεια της νύχτας και παρά την απαγόρευση της κυκλοφορίας σποραδικά πυρά ακούγονταν από διάφορες συνοικίες του Ντιγιαρμπακίρ.
Οι διαδηλωτές, μέλη του ΡΚΚ, κατέστρεψαν μεταξύ άλλων άλλων και την προτομή του Κεμάλ Ατατούρκ, που βρισκόταν στην φοιτητική εστία της πόλης, γεγονός πρωτόγνωρο και με ιδιαίτερο συμβολισμό όσον αφορά την προσβολή του κύρους του τουρκικού κράτους........http://www.philenews.com/el-gr/top-stories/885/222125/tourkia-14-nekroi-ston-xesikomo-ton-kourdon-gia-to-kompani#sthash.vz7a1XdV.dpuf
8/10/14
CHP leader Kılıçdaroğlu: Turkish army should stay out of Syria...
ReplyDeleteTurkey's main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has warned the government not to make Turkey a part of the war in Syria while giving humanitarian assistance to the Kurdish-populated town of Kobane (Ayn al-Arab), which has been under heavy attack by forces from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for over two weeks.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News in a telephone interview, Kılıçdaroğlu said Turkish soldiers should not enter Syrian soil and added that he believed the Turkish army is of the same opinion.
The CHP head accused Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu of using the fight against ISIL as a justification of the government’s first priority, overthrowing the Syrian regime. He said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, meanwhile, was trying to build an “extraordinary leader” image for himself through a “cheap war” in Syria............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/chp-leader-kilicdaroglu-turkish-army-should-stay-out-of-syria.aspx?pageID=238&nID=72674&NewsCatID=409
8/10/14
Kiev continues to violate international humanitarian law - UN report...
ReplyDeleteKiev doesn’t have full control of its military and paramilitary forces, who continue to violate the principles of international humanitarian law, highlights the latest UN report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, examined by RIA Novosti.
The 37-page report due to be circulated on Wednesday covers the period from August 18 to September 16 and contains testimonial evidence of cases of violation on behalf of Ukrainian military units.
“During the reporting period, international humanitarian law, including the principles of military necessity, distinction, proportionality and precaution continued to be violated by armed groups and some units and volunteer battalions under the control of the Ukrainian armed forces,” the report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reads.
Specific evidence of “beatings, poor nutrition and lack of medical assistance” are also mentioned in the report, RIA reports. The UN expressed special concern over the “enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment allegedly perpetrated by members of the volunteer battalions,” in particular Aydar, Dnepr-1, Kiev-1 and Kiev-2. ..............http://rt.com/news/194052-ukraine-human-rights-violations/
8/10/14
Multinational Operation Against Islamic State Yet Another Mistake by West: Moscow...
ReplyDeleteThe multinational coalition’s operation against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria is yet another mistake by the West, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
“The situation surrounding airstrikes on the Syrian territory by the US and its allies under the pretext of fighting against international terrorism causes legitimate concerns. This is done without the legitimate Syrian government’s consent and without being properly authorized by the UN Security Council. There are fears that we, in fact, are witnessing yet another mistake by our Western partners, a mistake for which regional states or possibly an even wider group of nations will have to pay,” he said.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20141008/193809201/Multinational-Operation-Against-Islamic-State-Yet-Another.html
8/10/14
L'Ukraine a reçu le gaz norvergien à 340 dollars...
ReplyDeleteLa Norvège fournit le gaz à l'Ukraine à un prix de 340 dollars pour 1000 mètres cubes, rapportent les médias ukrainiens en référence à une source au sein du ministère de l'Energie et l'industrie houillère du pays.
Les livraisons de gaz inversé en provenance de Norvège ont commencé le 1 octobre, leur volume est de 11 millions de mètres cubes de gaz par jour. Les détails du contrat et ses termes concernant la formation des prix n'ont pas été divulgués.
La source a noté que depuis le début de 2014, l'Ukraine avait reçu 700 millions de mètres cubes de gaz à travers la Pologne, et 600 millions de mètres cubes à travers la Hongrie et un milliards de mètres cubes à travers la Slovaquie.
Le 6 octobre, le chef du ministère russe de l'énergie, Alexandre Novak a déclaré que la Russie était prête à fournir le gaz à l'Ukraine à un prix de 385 dollars pour 1000 mètres cubes.
Lire la suite: http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_08/LUkraine-a-recu-le-gaz-norvergien-a-340-dollars-4003/
8/10/14
China dismisses Dalai Lama's wish to visit Tibet...
ReplyDeleteChina today spurned the Dalai Lama's wish to visit Tibet, insisting that he should first genuinely give up his attempt to split the country and stop undertaking separatist activities to ensure his "personal future".
"Our policy on the 14th Dalai Lama is consistent and clear. Instead of talking about returning to Tibet, he should genuinely give up his attempt to split China and stop undertaking separatist activities," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a media briefing.
"That is what he should do right now, and only that will be helpful to his personal future," Hong said in a modified version of his reply sent to here.
Earlier, the translator quoted Hong as saying that the Dalai Lama should "give up his position and conduct of splitting China and this will do good for him".
Hong was reacting to a question on reports that the 79-year old Tibetan spiritual leader was in informal talks with China to make a historic pilgrimage to Tibet after more than half a century in exile............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/China-dismisses-Dalai-Lamas-wish-to-visit-Tibet/articleshow/44709959.cms
8/10/14
At least 9 civilians injured as shopping centre shelled in Donetsk...
ReplyDeleteAt least nine people have been injured in the shelling of a shopping mall in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, Prime Minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Alexander Zakharchenko said.
He said there were children among the injured people. TASS reports from the site that the shelling continues, and gunfire can be heard even in central Donetsk.
The parties to the Ukrainian conflict agreed on a ceasefire and exchange of captives during the OSCE-mediated talks in Minsk on September 5 that came two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed his seven-point plan to settle the situation in the east of Ukraine. The long hoped-for ceasefire took effect the same day. Fragile truce holds, but has been violated several times.
http://en.itar-tass.com/world/753386
6.8-magnitude quake jolts southeastern Pacific...
ReplyDeleteA 6.8-magnitude earthquake jolted the Southern East Pacific Rise early Thursday, the US Geological Survey said.
The quake, which occurred at 0214 GMT, was centered 570 km southwest of Hanga Roa, Chile, with a depth of 10 km.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/885287.shtml
9/10/14
Turkey's foreign minister says it cannot be expected to lead a ground operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria on its own.....
ReplyDeleteMevlut Cavusoglu also called for the creation of a no-fly zone over its border with Syria after talks in Ankara with new Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg.
Turkey is under intense pressure to do more to help Kurdish forces fighting IS in the strategic Syrian town of Kobane.
Activists say IS now controls about a third of Kobane after fierce fighting.
Monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, quoting "reliable sources", said IS was advancing towards the centre of the town from eastern districts.
Earlier, a Kurdish leader in Kobane said IS had entered two more districts overnight, bringing in heavy weapons.
Turkey has stationed tanks along its border overlooking Kobane, but has made no move to intervene......................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29548662
9/10/14
NATO says not discussing no-fly zone, safe zone in Syria....
ReplyDeleteEstablishing a no-fly zone or a safe zone inside Syria, proposals Turkey has been advocating to a U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, has not been discussed by NATO, the alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.
"I believe there is no simple and straightforward way out of the problems we are seeing," Stoltenberg said in a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusaoglu. "It has not been on the table of any NATO discussions," he said, referring to the safe zone plans.
REUTERS
http://www.todayonline.com/world/nato-says-not-discussing-no-fly-zone-safe-zone-syria
9/10/14
India warns Pakistan to stop 'unprovoked attacks'....
ReplyDeleteIndia has warned Pakistan of heavy retaliation if it does not stop "unprovoked firing" in Kashmir.
Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said India would make it "unaffordable" for Pakistan if the attacks continued.
These are the strongest comments yet from India's government on the recent escalation of tension.
At least 19 people have been reportedly killed as troops continue to exchange fire in some of the worst violence in the disputed region in a decade.
Of those killed since violence began last Friday, 11 are on the Pakistani side while eight are on the Indian side.
Both sides have accused each other of starting the hostilities.
A ceasefire agreed in 2003 remains in place, but the nuclear-armed neighbours often accuse each other of violating it.
Both sides continued to exchange fire on Wednesday night, and Indian officials said eight people, including three soldiers, had sustained "minor injuries".
"If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable for it," Mr Jaitley told reporters in Delhi.
'Infiltration'
"Pakistan should stop this unprovoked firing and shelling if it wants peace on the border," he added..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29547581
9/10/14
Ukraine’s Naftogaz makes Eurobond payment to avoid default...
ReplyDeleteAn investment fund holding Eurobonds issued by the Ukrainian national energy company Naftogaz has received a Eurobond payment, a source in the fund said on Thursday.
“The money has been transferred,” the source said, without specifying when the payment had been received.
Ukraine’s Naftogaz risked running into technical default, if it failed to make a coupon or principal payment until October 10, according to Naftogaz’s Eurobond issue prospectus.
Naftogaz missed the deadline on September 30 for repaying five-year Eurobonds worth $1.595 billion issued in 2009 against state guarantees. Naftogaz announced on October 1 it had repaid the Eurobonds worth $1.595 billion and made a $75.76 million interest payment.
Naftogaz owes Russia’s Gazprom $5.3 billion for natural gas supplied to Ukraine.
http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/753484
9/10/14
‘Islamic State is lesser evil for Turkey than Assad or Kurds’...
ReplyDeleteTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan is more concerned with the Kurdish problem in his own country and changing the Assad regime in Syria than with Islamic State militants, New Delhi based strategic studies professor Brahma Chellaney told RT.
RT: What's it going to take for Ankara to do something to appease the Kurdish protesters, before the riots spin out of control?
Brahma Chellaney: Turkey is facing a bottom challenge largely because of the President Erdogan’s role in the rise of Islamic State. President Erdogan has played a crucial role in the efforts of the US and others to topple President Assad. He was the one who invited the CIA to come and actually train the Syrian rebels. Now he’s facing the blowback, and that blowback is going to be quite severe. In fact it’s going to get Turkey down the same road that Pakistan has traveled. So we are going to see the “Pakistanization” of Turkey in the coming years, and the Kurdish issue is one dimension in the larger picture.
RT: Some pro-Kurdish protesters have resorted to violence. How's this going down with their supporters at home and abroad?
BC: The Kurds have long been repressed in Turkey. They’re not a small minority but a large minority, they dominate southeastern Turkey, the areas bordering with Syria. So they can be a major headache for the Turkish government, especially if the Kurdish insurgency were to revive in Turkey. The Turkish government, I think, handled these protests very prudently. If it tries to use too much force against these Kurdish protesters, the backlash could be quite severe and could trigger a revived Kurdish insurgency..................http://rt.com/op-edge/194416-turkey-erdogan-kurds-kobani-isis/
9/10/14
Kiev residents use electric heaters to keep homes warm...
ReplyDeleteResidents of the Ukrainian capital do not even hope that Kiev authorities will be able to solve problems with heating and hot water supplies. In the coming heating season, temperatures in Kiev apartments may fall down to +16C, which is two degrees below the allowable level. Residents of the city already use electric heaters and warm clothes to get warm in their homes.
LifeNews correspondents talked to Kiev resident Alexander Atrashchenko, who said that in his apartment б he uses several heaters that work in shifts. The man also uses an electric stove and dryer.
"We replaced our gas stove and now use the electric one, and we turn it on to get warm too. A lot depends on the weather, of course. It's a lot warmer on sunny days. For the time being, we turn heaters on, one after another," the man said.................http://english.pravda.ru/news/society/08-10-2014/128750-kiev_winter-0/#.VDa9WlfQqt8
8/10/14
Duma to urge UN, OSCE, CE to investigate crimes against people in Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteThe State Duma (lower house of Russian parliament) on Friday will discuss a draft appeal to the parliaments of the world and international organisations which urges them to investigate the crimes against civilians in the south-east of Ukraine.
The draft was submitted by the leaders of all Duma factions and Speaker Sergei Naryshkin.
The document points to mass “burial sites containing the bodies of dozens of tortured and executed people who have fallen victim to the so-called counter-terrorism operation carried out by the Kiev authorities”.
“The use of prohibited means and methods of warfare and inhuman treatment of captives have become commonplace,” the draft says.
The lawmakers said that “Kiev’s orders and the actions of the perpetrators of the bloody crimes and those who are sponsoring them must be given a clear legal assessment”.
“The State Duma urges the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Council of Europe and the world community to conduct an impartial, independent and comprehensive international investigation of the crimes which resulted in numerous casualties among civilians in the South-East of Ukraine,” the draft appeal says.
The lawmakers will also call on their foreign colleagues to step up the dialogue in the interests of peace and security in Europe and convene an international conference on modern threats and the role of parliamentary diplomacy in dealing with them......................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/753655
10/10/14
Ποινή 1,6 δισ.στη Βενεζουέλα για την εθνικοποίηση κοιτασμάτων....
ReplyDeleteTo ποσό του 1, 6 δισ. δολαρίων καλείται να πληρώσει η κυβέρνηση της Βενεζουέλας στον αμερικανικό ενεργειακό κολοσσό ExxonMobil για την εθνικοποίηση κοιτασμάτων πετρελαίου το 2007 από την κρατική εταιρεία πετρελαίου PDVSA. Δεδομένου ότι ο αμερικανικός ενεργειακός κολοσσός ζητούσε αποζημίωση 14,4 δισ.δολαρίων, η Βενεζουέλα χαρακτήρισε την απόφαση του Διεθνούς Κέντρου για την Επίλυση Επενδυτικών Διαφορών ως «νίκη» της εθνικής της κυριαρχίας.
Η υπόθεση χρονολογείται από το 2007, οπότε η ExxonMobil -μετά την εθνικοποίηση των κοιτασμάτων πετρελαίου- προσέφυγε στο Διεθνές Κέντρο για την Επίλυση Επενδυτικών Διαφορών κάνοντας λόγο γαι απώλειες ύψους 16,6 δις από την αθέτηση της συμφωνίας με την κρατική πετρελαϊκή εταιρεία Petroleos της Βενεζουέλας, με την οποία συνεργαζόταν στο πλαίσιο εταιρικής σχέσης.
Μέχρι στιγμής δεν έχει γίνει γνωστό εάν η Βενεζουέλα θα ασκήσει έφεση ωστόσο ο υπουργός Εξωτερικών της χώρας έκανε λόγο για "λογική" απόφαση. Πάντως, η επιδίκαση του συγκεκριμένου ποσού θεωρείται πλήγμα για το Καράκας καθώς είναι δεδομένη η ανεπάρκεια των ταμειακών διαθεσίμων της Βενεζουέλας, η οποία βιώνει μια άκρως υποτονική οικονομία με πληθωρισμό που καλπάζει και με ανοιχτές πληρωμές ομολόγων.
(Πηγή:BBC, ΑΜΠΕ)
http://www.enet.gr/?i=news-room.el&id=451358
10/10/14
Up to 700 trapped in Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane, UN says...
ReplyDeleteThe UN special envoy to Syria has warned that up to 700 people, mainly elderly, are still trapped in the Syrian border town of Kobane.
Staffan de Mistura also urged Turkey to allow in volunteers to Syria to defend the town from Islamic State militants.
There are reports that IS has taken control of the Kurdish headquarters in the town, but this has been denied by a Syrian Kurdish official there.
Kobane has been a major battleground for IS and the Kurds for three weeks.
The fighting has forced hundreds of thousands of Syrians, mainly Kurds, to flee into neighbouring Turkey, which has so far ruled out any ground operation on its own against IS.
Kurdish forces, who are being helped by US-led coalition strikes against IS, say they urgently need more weapons and ammunition to push back the militants' advance in the town.
'No Srebrenica'
Except for one narrow entry and exit point, Mr de Mistura said Kobane was "literally surrounded" by IS, with hundreds of mainly elderly civilians still inside the city centre and another 10-13,000 gathered nearby, AFP reports.
He said the civilians would "most likely massacred'' if the town fell to IS, warning that the UN did not want to see another Srebrenica - where thousands of Muslim men and boys were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in 1995 during the Bosnian conflict...................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29570734
10/10/14
Eurasian Economic Union replaces Eurasian Economic Community...
ReplyDeleteThe Eurasian Economic Community of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan (EAEC) ceases formally its existence on Friday.
The community, organized on October 10, 2010, will wind up at a summit in Minsk, where leaders of these countries, including Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, will discuss further integration.
Russia’s presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters “On January 1, 2015 EAEC will be replaced by the Eurasian Economic Union.”
EAEC “has a large-scale legal base (215 agreements) for multilateral trade and economic cooperation, which offered a base for development of Eurasian integration.” .............. http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_10/Eurasian-Economic-Union-replaces-Eurasian-Economic-Community-1218/
10/10/14
U.S. Air Force probed for scrapping costly planes bought for Afghans...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - A U.S. government watchdog agency is asking the Air Force to explain why it destroyed 16 aircraft initially bought for the Afghan air force and turn them into $32,000 of scrap metal instead of finding other ways to salvage nearly $500 million in U.S. funds spent on the program...............http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/10/us-usa-afghanistan-idUSKCN0HY2M120141010?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
10/10/14
Spain is to send 300 troops to Iraq help train the Iraqi military as part of the ongoing operation against the Islamic State (IS), it was confirmed by Spain's Minister of Defense Pedro Morenes.....
ReplyDeleteMorenes gave the information during the press conference held after Friday's Cabinet meeting in which the measure was approved.
He said that the mission would see the Spanish work alongside Italian forces in the training of an Iraqi brigade "from individual to company battalion level," and that the training would last for between "seven and eight weeks."
The Spanish would give training in deactivating explosive artifacts, clearing mines and in carrying out special operations.
"It is not just about containing the advance of the Jihad of the Islamic State, but also to give Iraq a state structure which is strong enough to allow Iraqi unity and to assure the prosperity and security of their citizens," said the Minister.
Morenes explained the training would be given in Iraq, where "immediate protection" had been established and insisted Spanish forces would not be entering in combat against the IS.
"We exclude direct combat as an operative element," he said, explaining that Spain's contribution to the operation against the Islamic State could still see some "variations."
Spain will also increase the capacity of several military air bases in order to "support the needs of American High Command".
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/885608.shtml
10/10/14
Ενώπιον «καταστροφικής ήττας» ο Ομπάμα;...
ReplyDeleteΌλα δείχνουν ότι η αμερικανική κυβέρνηση θεωρεί το Κομπάνι ήδη χαμένο. Θα συνιστούσε ενδεχόμενη «πτώση» της πόλης, αποτυχία της στρατηγικής που ακολούθησε έως τώρα ο αμερικανός πρόεδρος Μπαράκ Ομπάμα;
Υψηλόβαθμα στελέχη της αμερικανικής κυβέρνησης, τα οποία επικαλείται το CNN, θεωρούν σχεδόν δεδομένη την κατάληψη του Κομπάνι από τους τζιχαντιστές του Ισλαμικού Κράτους. Ακόμη και ο αρχηγός του Γενικού Επιτελείου των αμερικανικών Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, στρατηγός Μάρτιν Ντέμπσεϊ, δήλωσε προ ημερών στο ABC πως φοβάται «ότι το Κομπάνι θα πέσει». Την Τετάρτη ο αμερικανός υπ. Εξωτερικών Τζον Κέρι δήλωσε ότι η προστασία της πόλης δεν συνιστά στρατηγικό στόχο για τις ΗΠΑ. Όσο φρικιαστικά κι αν είναι τα γεγονότα στο Κομπάνι, «οι πραγματικοί στόχοι των προσπαθειών μας είναι τα κέντρα ελέγχου και οι υποδομές του IS», όπως είπε.
Τις τελευταίες μέρες, βέβαια, οι ΗΠΑ και οι σύμμαχοί τους διεύρυναν τις αεροπορικές επιδρομές γύρω από το Κομπάνι, χωρίς ωστόσο να καταφέρουν να σταματήσουν την προέλαση των τζιχαντιστών. Σε ασυνήθιστα αυστηρό τόνο η Washington Post έγραψε ότι οι ΗΠΑ «βρίσκονται ενώπιον μιας καταστροφικής ήττας», επικρίνοντας τη στρατηγική που ακολουθεί ο Μπαράκ Ομπάμα έναντι του IS.............http://dw.de/p/1DSc2
10/10/14
Die US-Ratingagentur Standard & Poor's hat Finnland die Top-Bonitätsnote "AAA" entzogen...
ReplyDeleteSie senkte die Kreditwürdigkeit des Landes um eine Stufe auf "AA+". ...
Der weitere Ausblick sei stabil.
Standard & Poor's begründete den Schritt mit der schwachen Wirtschaftsentwicklung des Euro-Landes. Nach neuesten Prognosen des Internationalen Währungsfonds wird das finnische Bruttoinlandsprodukt im laufenden Jahr erneut sinken, nachdem es bereits 2012 und 2013 geschrumpft war. Die schwindende Nachfrage aus dem Ausland verschärfe die strukturellen Probleme des Landes, erklärte die Ratingagentur. Finnland sei stärker als andere Staaten von der derzeitigen Konjunkturschwäche Russlands betroffen. Denn die Exporte dorthin machen etwa zehn Prozent der gesamten Ausfuhren Finnlands aus. Hinzu komme die Schwäche der Eurozone.
Bislang hatte Finnland als einziger Euro-Staat neben Deutschland und Luxemburg noch die Top-Bonitätsnote "AAA" bei allen drei führenden Ratingagenturen. Diesen Status hat das skandinavische Land nun verloren, wenngleich es bei Fitch und Moody's unverändert mit der bestmöglichen Kreditwürdigkeit bewertet wird. Der finnische Finanzminister Antti Rinne sagte, die Herabstufung durch Standard & Poor's sei weder unerwartet gekommen noch sei sie dramatisch................http://www.tagesschau.de/wirtschaft/rating-finnland-101.html
10/10/14
Statement of Commissioner László Andor on World Homeless Day...
ReplyDeleteToday, on the occasion of World Homeless Day, I would like to express my solidarity with the estimated 400,000 people who are forced to sleep rough or in a shelter every night in the European Union. Homelessness is one of the most extreme forms of poverty and social exclusion, and is unacceptable in European societies.
Member States must take concerted action to meet the Europe 2020 Strategy goal of reducing the number of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion by at least 20 million by 2020. Yet data from the EU homelessness network Feantsa shows homelessness levels have risen in at least 15 Member States during the last 5 years, including among families and young people. For its part, the Commission has provided policy guidance as part of the February 2013 Social Investment Package, urging Member States to tackle homelessness through integrated, preventive and housing-led strategies and by revising current eviction practices. EU support for action by Member States is available from the European Social Fund, the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived and the European Regional Development Fund. Concrete action is long overdue to ensure that all EU citizens can live a dignified life.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STATEMENT-14-311_en.htm?locale=en
10/10/14
Siège de Kobané : le volcan kurde se réveille en Turquie...
ReplyDeleteAlors que la ville syrienne de Kobané est toujours assiégée par l’organisation de l’État islamique (EI), la question kurde redevient plus brûlante que jamais en Turquie, où se multiplient les manifestations de soutien. Reportage en images à Istanbul.
"Istanbul, c’est Kobané ! La résistance est partout, Kobané sera le cimetière de l’EI", crient les centaines de manifestants, réunis le 9 octobre sur la place Aksaray, non loin de la célèbre mosquée bleue d’Istanbul. Dans la foule, hommes, femmes, retaités ou étudiants, tous kurdes, à l’exception de quelques militants d’extrême gauche. Plusieurs centaines de personnes sont descendues dans la rue à l’appel du Parti démocratique populaire (HDP), la principale formation kurde de Turquie, pour crier leur colère contre Ankara et la communauté internationale, coupables à leurs yeux de ne pas arrêter le "massacre de Kobané".
L’assaut des jihadistes de l’organisation de l’État islamique (EI) sur l’enclave kurde de Kobané (aussi connue sous le nom Aïn el-Arab) en Syrie a mis le feu aux poudres en Turquie. Des heurts violents ont éclaté un peu partout entre la police et les militants pro-kurdes, révoltés par l’indifférence d’Ankara au sort de leurs frères du "Rojava", nom du teritoire qui pourrait s'apparenter à un "Kurdistan syrien". Depuis le 6 octobre, les manifestations se multiplient aux quatre coins de la Turquie. De Diyarbakir – la "capitale" kurde dans l’est du pays – à Istanbul, les affrontements ont provoqué la mort d’au moins 31 personnes en quatre jours, selon CNN türk.
À Istanbul, plusieurs quartiers se sont embrasés et les forces de l’ordre sont, depuis, sur le qui-vive. Des milliers de policiers suréquipés, épaulés par des chars, sont prêts à accueillir les manifestants à coup de lances à eau, matraques, bombes lacrymogènes, bombes assourdissantes. Un attirail qui ne décourage pas les manifestants. "J’étais là hier et je serai là demain s’il le faut, jusqu’à ce que Kobané soit libre. J’attends que la torture cesse", explique Serhat, un étudiant de 21 ans, originaire de l’est du pays.............http://www.france24.com/fr/20141010-turquie-emeutes-kurdes-manifestations-kobane-intervention-syrie-kurdistan-rojava/
10/10/14
S&P place la France sous perspective négative....
ReplyDeleteL’agence de notation maintient son AA mais s’inquiète de la faiblesse de la reprise de l’économie française, et de l’état des finances publiques.
Standard and Poor’s a confirmé vendredi la note souveraine de la France à long terme à AA mais a révisé sa perspective de stable à négative. L’agence de notation avait dégradé la note française pour la dernière fois en novembre 2013, de AA+ à AA, en lui associant une perspective stable, et avait confirmé la note et la perspective en avril dernier.
La révision de la perspective s’explique par le fait que la solidité de la reprise de l’économie française n’est pas garantie et que les finances publiques pourraient se détériorer au-delà de 2014, explique S&P dans un communiqué. La note de la France demeure soutenue par le haut revenu par tête, la productivité et la diversification de l’économie française ainsi que par la stabilité de son secteur financier, poursuit l’agence.................En savoir plus sur http://www.lesechos.fr/economie-france/conjoncture/0203850716294-sp-maintient-le-aa-de-la-france-mais-sous-perspective-a-negative-1052436.php?xtor=RSS37&2DYypLbsMTPbkPHb.99
10/10/14
Turkey's Syria buffer zone idea not well received...
ReplyDeleteTurkish government's demands for a no-fly zone and a buffer zone in areas bordering Iraq and Syria, two key conditions for further engagement with the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State (IS), have not been well received by most the country's partners and allies.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeated the demands on Friday in Northeastern city Trabzon, saying that the fight against IS militants will fail unless ground offensive launched to complement air campaign.
He listed three conditions for Turkish involvement, namely the establishment of a buffer zone or safety zone; enforcing a no-fly zone over Syria to secure the opposition from Syrian regime's air assault; training and equipping moderate groups against the IS and regime forces.
However, the United States said it has never ruled out Turkey's buffer zone proposal, yet added that it is not considering to implement it at the moment...................http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/11/ARTI1412984655681994.shtml
11/10/14
6.3-Magnitude Quake Hits Off Japan’s East Coast...
ReplyDeleteA powerful 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck early Saturday off Japan's eastern coast of Honshu, the US Geological Survey (USGS) reported.
The shock was registered at the depth of 13 kilometers, with the epicenter located 154 kilometers away from the southeastern city of Hachinohe, in southeastern Aomori Prefecture.
There is no threat of a tsunami wave, as well as no reports of victims or damage.
http://en.ria.ru/world/20141011/193939668/63-Magnitude-Quake-Hits-Off-Japans-East-Coast.html
11/10/14
"Negativ": Ratingagentur S&P senkt Ausblick für Frankreich...
ReplyDeleteDie Kreditwürdigkeit Frankreichs wird weiterhin mit "AA/A-1+" bewertet. Zudem hat S&P Finnland das Spitzenrating "AAA" entzogen.
Die Ratingagentur S&P hat den Ausblick für Frankreich auf "negativ" von "stabil" gesenkt, die Bewertung der Kreditwürdigkeit blieb aber bei "AA/A-1+". Die Haushaltssituation der Regierung in Paris sei angesichts der beschränkten Aussicht auf ein Wirtschaftswachstum zunehmen schlechter, erklärte das US-Institut am Freitag.
Eine kräftige Erholung der französischen Konjunktur könnte demnach ausbleiben und sich die finanzielle Lage des Staates nach 2014 verschlechtern.
S&P hat außerdem Finnland das Spitzenrating "AAA" entzogen. Die neue Einstufung liege bei "AA+" mit einem stabilen Ausblick, teilte das US-Unternehmen am Freitag mit. Die wirtschaftliche Schwäche in Russland, besonders aber etwaige Probleme in der Euro-Zone könnten Finnland zusetzen. Die schwindende Nachfrage aus dem Ausland verschärfe dabei die strukturellen Probleme des Landes, erklärte S&P.
(APA/Reuters)
http://diepresse.com/home/wirtschaft/international/3884922/Negativ_Ratingagentur-SP-senkt-Ausblick-fur-Frankreich?from=rss
10/10/14
Severe smog in north China to disperse in next 3 days ...
ReplyDeleteSevere smog and air pollution shrouding China's northern regions since Wednesday is forecast to disperse in the next three days, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Saturday.
A strong cold front coming from west China will bring good news to the people suffering from air pollution, as strong wind and drops in temperature will hit the regions to the north of the Yangtze River in the next three days, said the NMC.
Widespread smog has affected a large part of north China, with air conditions in northern Chinese cities including Beijing and Tianjin severe. On Saturday morning, the observatory issued an orange alert for smog and a yellow alert for fog in the two cities and the neighboring Hebei Province.
Visibility in the above regions was reduced to as little as 200 meters on Saturday morning due to the fog and smog, according to the NMC.
The approaching typhoon Vongfong would also help clear the air as strong winds would come along with it in the eastern coastal areas in the next three days, said the NMC.
China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/885682.shtml
11/10/14
Battle for Baghdad: ISIS now within 8 miles of airport, armed with MANPADS...
ReplyDeleteIslamic State’s offensive on the Iraqi capital intensified as the jihadist fighters advanced as far as Abu Ghraib, a suburb only 8 miles away from Baghdad’s international airport.
The outer suburb of Abu Ghraib is also the site of the infamous prison the US military used to humiliate and torture Iraqi detainees.
There are reports by the Iraqi military that the militants are in possession of MANPAD anti-aircraft missiles. The short-range, shoulder-fired missiles can shoot down airplanes within a range of 15,000 feet.
The Iraqi military, aided by US military personnel, have so far failed in foiling the advance toward Baghdad of the Islamic State militia (also known as ISIS, or ISIL), which has expanded its control of huge swathes of Iraq and Syria despite the increase in US-led airstrikes...............http://rt.com/news/195072-baghdad-airport-isis-manpads/
11/10/14
Combats dans l'est ukrainien: trois civils morts à Donetsk vendredi...
ReplyDeleteLes combats entre forces ukrainiennes et séparatistes prorusses dans l'Est de l'Ukraine ont fait trois morts civils et quatre blessés vendredi à Donetsk, le principal bastion rebelle, a indiqué la mairie samedi.
Des tirs d'obus ont touché notamment, selon la même source, le quartier Kouïbychevski, situé non loin de l'aéroport, en proie à de vifs combats ces derniers jours et dont les deux parties revendiquent le contrôle. Kiev et les séparatistes ont conclu le 5 septembre le cessez-le-feu avec la participation de Moscou. Depuis, les combats ont baissé d'intensité, mais se poursuivent dans plusieurs poches de résistance comme l'aéroport de Donetsk, causant de lourds bilans dans les rangs de l'armée ukrainienne et parmi les civils. Selon l'ONU, 331 personnes ont péri dans la région dans le mois suivant l'instauration du cessez-le-feu, et plus de 3600 sur les six mois du conflit...............http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_combats-dans-l-est-ukrainien-trois-civils-morts-a-donetsk-vendredi?id=8375657
11/10/14
Indian authorities are evacuating hundreds of thousands of people as a powerful cyclone swept through the Bay of Bengal and headed towards the country's east coast....
ReplyDeleteOfficials were stockpiling emergency supplies and rescue workers were on standby along the coastlines of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha states on Saturday, with Cyclone Hudhud expected to make landfall near the port city of Visakhapatnam around noon on Sunday.
The India Meteorological Department described Hudhud as a "very severe" storm that could pack winds of 195 kilometers (120 miles) per hour and cause torrential rains when it makes landfall.
The cyclone was 330 kilometers (205 miles) southeast of Visakhapatnam on Saturday afternoon.
About 150,000 people had been evacuated by late afternoon, with around 400,000 more expected to be relocated by the end of the day.
Four districts in Andhra Pradesh state that are home to more than 14 million people - Srikakulam, Vijayanagaram, Visakhapatnam and East Godavari - are likely to be worst hit by the storm. Authorities in the state set up 370 relief camps to house evacuees.
Officials said four naval ships and nine air force helicopters were on standby for relief and rescue operations, while army soldiers and federal rescue workers were also on hand.
The Indian Ocean is a cyclone hot spot. Of the 35 deadliest storms in recorded history, 27 have come through the Bay of Bengal - and have landed in either India or Bangladesh. In 1999, a cyclone devastated Odisha's coastline and killed at least 10,000 people.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2014/10/india-braces-powerful-cyclone-hudhud-20141011122618933811.html
11/10/14
Evo Morales a shoo-in for victory tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteBolivian president has taken advantage of boom in commodities price to consolidate power
EL ALTO — Evo Morales, the former coca growers’ union leader who seems certain to win an unprecedented third term in tomorrow’s presidential elections, has become such an institution in Bolivia that stadiums, markets, schools, state enterprises and even a village have been named in his honour.
The country’s first indigenous president long ago capitalized on his everyman origins, anti-imperialist rhetoric and his Movement Toward Socialism party’s consolidation of control over state institutions.
But his staying power may best be credited to the country’s accompanying economic and political stability.
Since Morales first took office in 2006, a boom in commodities prices has increased export revenues ninefold, the country has accumulated US$15.5 billion in international reserves and economic growth has averaged five percent annually, well above the regional average.
Morales has used the windfall to create subsidies for schoolchildren and pensions for the elderly. A half a million people have put poverty behind them.
Morales tries to make everyone at such gatherings feel important. He calls the women “sister,” the men “boss.” His message is simple, yet in keeping with the cult of personality his image-makers promote: I am one of you.................http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/171927/evo-morales-a-shooin-for-victory-tomorrow
11/10/14
Tens of thousands protest against water charges in Dublin...
ReplyDeleteTens of thousands of people marched through Dublin city centre in a protest against water charges.
Organisers estimated that up to 100,000 people took part.
It is understood gardaí estimated the attendance at up to 30,000.
Protesters assembled at Parnell Square before marching down O'Connell Street towards Dáil Éireann on Kildare Street.......................http://www.rte.ie/news/2014/1011/651606-water-charges/
11/10/14
US threatens to end aid to Lebanon if Iran sends arms....
ReplyDeleteTehran reportedly offers Lebanese army weapons shipment to help it combat Islamic State forces along Syrian border.
According to Al Akhbar, Iran offered to send the Lebanese army TOW (anti-tank) missiles and launchers, night goggles, 120mm and 60mm mortar shells, ammunition for T55 and T62 tanks, and Doshka machine-guns and ammunition.
In the past several months, the US has provided the Lebanese Armed Forces with $19 million in military aid to help it combat Islamic State forces along the Syrian border, and an additional $103.8 million to help cope with refugees from Syria. Lebanese Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk recently told The Wall Street Journal that Washington would give Beirut almost $150 million in military and security gear.
In 2013, the US provided Lebanon with roughly $80 million in military aid, including much of the arms Iran recently offered. According to the White House, the US provides approximately 75% of Lebanon’s international security assistance..........http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-threatens-to-end-aid-to-lebanon-11/10/14
Kobani: Wir sind Weltmeister im Massaker-Zuschauen...
ReplyDeleteIn Ruanda haben wir nichts gemacht, auch in Srebrenica und Gorazde, in Halabdscha und Ghouta nicht. Wir haben rote Linien gezogen, nur um zuzusehen, wie sie überschritten wurden. Wir sind weit weg............http://www.welt.de/debatte/henryk-m-broder/article133165388/Wir-sind-Weltmeister-im-Massaker-Zuschauen.html
11/10/14
Ban Ki-moon arrives in troubled Libya as a peacemaker....
ReplyDeleteU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon flew to Tripoli on Saturday to urge the warring factions fighting for control of Libya to make peace, in the highest-level visit since an armed faction took the capital in August.
Oil producer Libya is struggling with two governments and two parliaments since an armed group from the western city of Misrata seized Tripoli, setting up its own cabinet and assembly while forcing the internationally recognized government to move to the east.
Western powers and Libya's neighbors worry that the North African country will become a failed state as former rebels who helped oust Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 now fight for control and a share of the vast oil reserves................http://www.todayonline.com/world/ban-ki-moon-arrives-talks-libyas-capital
11/10/14
Syrian rebels overrun intelligence base on Golan Heights used to spy on Israel ....
ReplyDeleteSyrian rebel forces fighting the government of President Bashar Assad overran a military intelligence base on the Golan Heights that served as a joint Russian-Syrian forward post for information-gathering on Israel.
In a four-minute video clip which was posted on the Internet by the rebels, Free Syrian Army fighters are seen in a building in Quneitra, just near the boundary between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.
The footage shows pictures of Russian officers visiting the base as well as Russian-language maps of Israel. There are also photographs of the Russian defense minister’s top intelligence advisor as well as various other senior Russian defense and military officials having once visited the base.
[jpost.com]
11/10/14
Ukraine leader orders to transfer special military force in Kharkov region...
ReplyDeleteUkrainian special forces will be transferred to north-eastern Ukraine’s Kharkov region to reinforce administrative and state border. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko gave this order upon the end of a working visit to the Kharkov region, regional Governor Igor Baluta said. This news report was posted at a website of regional state authorities.
Poroshenko proposed to form military brigades in the cities of Severodonetsk and Lisichansk in the west of eastern Ukraine’s breakaway Lugansk region. “The president asked Chief of the General Staff Colonel General Viktor Muzhenko to support [Kiev’s newly appointed head of the Lugansk region] Gennady Moskal and mull deployment of two military brigades in Severodonetsk and Lisichansk on the permanent basis,” the Ukrainian presidential press service said.................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/753928
12/10/14
Rebuilding Gaza: Donors pledge millions at Cairo summit...
ReplyDeleteInternational donors are pledging hundreds of millions of dollars to help rebuild Gaza at a conference in Cairo.
The US has committed $212m (£132m) in aid while Qatar has promised $1bn (£622m). The UK will give $32m (£20m).
The Palestinian Authority is appealing for a total $4bn (£2.5bn) to rebuild Gaza after the 50-day conflict between Israel and Hamas.
At least 100,000 Gazans lost their homes in the war and much of the territory's infrastructure was damaged.
Earlier the Palestinian and Egyptian presidents called on Israel to commit to a long-term peace initiative.
Mahmoud Abbas and Abdul Fattah al-Sisi urged Israel to give up land seized in the 1967 Middle East war and accept a fair solution for Palestinian refugees in exchange for full recognition.
The seven-week Gaza conflict, which ended in a truce on 26 August, killed more than 2,100 Palestinians, most of them civilians, the UN says, along with 67 Israeli soldiers and six civilians in Israel.
Cycle of conflict
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that with winter approaching, the thousands of Palestinians displaced from their homes needed urgent help..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29586636
1210/14
Turkey's foreign minister said on Sunday that a corridor allowing weapons and volunteer fighters from Turkey to reach Kobani, the Syrian border town under attack from Islamic State fighters, was unrealistic....
ReplyDeleteSpeaking to France 24, Mevlut Cavusoglu said a more comprehensive approach was needed to defeat Islamic State, which now control large parts of Iraq and Syria and have been targeted by air strikes from a US-led coalition.
Kurdish leaders have been calling for Turkey to establish a corridor to Kobani to allow aid and military supplies to reach the town which lies within sight of Turkish territory.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Turkish-FM-says-Kobani-corridor-for-weapons-fighters-unrealistic-378650
12/10/14
Turkish military chopper disappears from radar...
ReplyDeleteThe Turkish General Staff said on Sunday that search and rescue operations were still attempting to locate a missing army helicopter.
The General Staff issued a statement saying that the S-70B Sikorsky aircraft lost connection with its base at 12:25 Turkish local time.
It had taken off from the Cengiz Topel Military Airport, which is located in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.
The helicopter disappeared from radar above the Kartepe district of the province, which is said to be a rocky and mountainous region.
The statement also said that the search and rescue operations are being backed by an airplane and four helicopters.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/403225--turkish-military-chopper-disappears-from-radar
12/10/14
President Poroshenko: Elections in Donbas Must Be Held Only Under Ukrainian Law...
ReplyDeleteThe elections in southeastern Ukraine must be held only under Ukrainian law, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an address released on his official website Sunday.
"Elections of the local authorities in some areas of Donbas must be held exclusively under Ukrainian legislation," the statement read.
"It is the legitimate and fair elections of the local authorities that can be a way for the de-escalation of the conflict and the political settlement of the situation in Donbas," Poroshenko stated.
On Sunday the head of the Central Election Commission of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said the elections of the leader and the parliament of the republic are to be held on November 2.
Eastern Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s republics broke away from Kiev following independence referendums in May, weeks after the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation, aimed at suppressing local pro-independence forces.............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141012/193998178/Elections-in-Donbas-Must-Be-Held-Only-Under-Ukrainian-Law.html
12/10/14
Le puissant typhon Vongfong a touché les îles principales du Japon...
ReplyDeleteLe puissant typhon Vongfong a touché lundi Kyushu, la grande île du sud du Japon, après avoir déjà fait 45 blessés dans l'extrême sud de l'archipel, balayé par des pluies diluviennes et des rafales de vent très violentes.
Le centre du typhon, le 19e de la saison, "a touché terre à Makurazaki, sur l'île de Kyushu (à 1.000 kilomètres au sud-ouest de Tokyo), à environ 8h30 heure locale (lundi 01h30 heure belge)", a indiqué un porte-parole de l'Agence de météorologie nationale. Il avait atteint l'archipel d'Okinawa ce week-end, soulevant des rafales allant jusqu'à 234 km/h. Ce cyclone a été déclassé de "super-puissant" à "puissant", mais les autorités japonaises avaient indiqué samedi qu'il "restait toutefois important et très fort", mettant en garde contre des vagues hautes, des pluies torrentielles et des glissements de terrain. Elles ont recommandé à près de 400.000 habitants du sud du Japon d'évacuer leurs habitations. Au moins 45 personnes ont été blessées. Le trafic aérien a également été touché avec l'annulation de 329 vols prévus lundi. Il y a une semaine, un autre typhon, Phanfone, avait traversé le Japon, laissant derrière lui une dizaine de disparus, parmi lesquels trois militaires américains emportés par la mer alors qu'ils prenaient des photos à Okinawa. (Belga)
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/1132248/le-puissant-typhon-vongfong-a-touche-les-iles-principales-du-japon
13/10/14
Powerful typhoon makes landfall on southwestern Japan...
ReplyDeleteThe 19th typhoon of this season Vongfong has made landfall on Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Monday morning, and may hit the capital circle early Tuesday, local media reported.
According to the Japanese Meteorological Agency, typhoon Vongfong is now heading east-northeast at a speed of about 25 kilometers per hour, and is likely to sweep through the Japanese archipelago through the next day.
Strong winds and rain led by the powerful typhoon has left one people missing, more than 40 people injured. The weather agency is also warning residents on Kyushu, Shikoku and the western parts of the main island of Honshu against storms, heavy rain and high waves.
On Sunday, Japan Airlines and ANA airline canceled more than 400 flights, while the bullet train was halted in Kyushu for several hours. Typhoon Vongfong also cut power to more than 60,000 homes in Kagoshima Prefecture.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/885921.shtml
13/12/14
Large mosaic in ancient tomb uncovered in Greece....
ReplyDeleteArchaeologists digging through a vast ancient tomb in Amphipolis in northern Greece have uncovered a floor mosaic that covers the whole area of a room seen as the antechamber to the main burial ground.
The mosaic, 3 meters (10 feet) long and 4.5 meters (15 feet) wide, depicts a horseman with a laurel wreath driving a chariot drawn by two horses and preceded by the god Hermes. According to a Culture Ministry announcement on Sunday, Hermes is depicted here as the conductor of souls to the afterlife.
The mosaic is made up of pebbles in many colors: white, black, gray, blue, red and yellow. A circular part, near the center of the mosaic, is missing, but authorities say enough fragments have been found to reconstruct a large part.
The ministry says that archaeologists have dated the mosaic to the last quarter of the fourth century B.C. (325-300 B.C.), consistent with their belief the grave contains the remains of a contemporary of Alexander the Great, the ancient Greek King of Macedonia, who conquered the Persian Empire and reached present-day India, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan in a whirlwind campaign, from 334 to 323 B.C. The grave may be that of a relative or general of Alexander’s, archaeologists have speculated.
Alexander himself, who died in Babylon in present-day Iraq at age 32, in 323 B.C., is believed to have been buried in Egypt. But his tomb hasn’t been found.
AFP
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/13/world/large-mosaic-ancient-tomb-uncovered-greece/#.VDuox1fQqt8
13/10/14
Belarus does not regard itself separately from Russia — Lukashenko....
ReplyDeleteBelarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has said the people of his country by no means consider themselves and their own future separately from Russia.
“If we resist all sorts of threats together, we shall be able to stand firm,” Lukashenko said at a meeting with the visiting governor of Russia’s Sverdlovsk Region, Yevgeny Kuyvashev. “The events in one of our neighbouring countries are clear evidence of that. Who has ever been able to think that such things may become possible?”
He expressed the certainty that Belarus and Russia would stay together and their economies provided a firm basis for that.
“If we move on normally in the trading and economic sphere, no storms and turmoil will be able to scare us,” Lukashenko said.
He pointed to the importance of cooperation with Russian regions.
“This is the basis of our cooperation,” he said, adding that when Belarussian-Russian relations had harder times than today it was cooperation with Russian regions that proved a lifeline............http://en.itar-tass.com/economy/754045
13/10/14
Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang was set on Monday (Oct 13) to meet President Vladimir Putin during a visit to Moscow as Russia struggles with its most serious standoff with the West since the Cold War....
ReplyDeleteLi jetted into the Russian capital on Sunday for a three-day visit aimed at bolstering economic ties between the two neighbours in a trip hailed by Beijing as a "major event."
Ahead of the meeting with Putin at his residence outside Moscow, Li sat down with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev with a raft of economic deals on the table. Medvedev told the meeting that the two sides would sign over 40 "very important bilateral documents," Russia's TASS news agency reported.
Li's first visit to Russia as premier comes at a sensitive time as the Kremlin is grappling with the consequences of its support for separatists in Ukraine during a six-month conflict in the east of the ex-Soviet nation.
Li's Russia trip is part of a week-long visit to Europe. Ahead of his Moscow visit, Li travelled to Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel. He will also participate in a summit in Milan later this week.
Merkel has been seen as one of the European Union's top negotiators on the Ukraine crisis. She has held regular talks with Putin but has also thrown her weight behind EU sanctions against Russia in a bid to make Putin drop support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Saddled with several rounds of Western sanctions and the Russian economy in tatters, the Kremlin appears keen to see an easing of punitive measures from the West. Putin late on Saturday ordered a pullback of troops from the border with Ukraine and will hold key talks with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on the sidelines of an Asia-Europe meeting in Milan............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-s-li-discusses/1412746.html
13/10/14
Foreign Ministry announcement regarding the Mariupol Consulate General’s return to its premises...
ReplyDeleteBy decision of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos, an on the recommendation of Greece’s Ambassador to Kiev, the Greek Consulate General in Mariupol returned to its premises today, Monday, 13 October 2014.
http://www.mfa.gr/en/current-affairs/news-announcements/foreign-ministry-announcement-regarding-the-mariupol-consulate-generals-return-to-its-premises.html
13/10/14
Lavrov: Moscow opposes following ‘primitive scenario’ of confrontation with West...
ReplyDeleteMoscow opposes confrontation with the West as a joint international effort is required to counter threats to global stability, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.
"Despite the hostile behavior of the Western partners, we still oppose sliding into the primitive scenario of a direct confrontation between Russia and the West. Russia is ready to continue contributing to the solution of the cross-border issues, but there must be mutual respect and equal rights," Lavrov said in an interview with Moscow State Institute of International Relations' MGIMO Journal.
The Russian foreign minister noted that alongside the ongoing Ukrainian crisis global threats like Islamic State (IS) extremism in Syria and Iraq, the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Afghan instability and conflicts in Africa still exist.
Lavrov stressed that only a joint effort can be effective in fighting global threats like terrorism, drug trafficking, arms trading, illegal migration and climate change, among other issues..............Read more: http://indian.ruvr.ru/news/2014_10_13/Lavrov-Moscow-West/
13/10/14
Ukraine disagrees to pay part of gas debt before supplies begin - Novak...
ReplyDeleteUkraine has disagreed to pay part of the outstanding debt for Russian gas before supplies begin, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told the media on Monday.
“Ukraine has disagreed (with Russia’s position) so far. They have addressed the European Commission with their own option: first the supplies must get underway and then the debt will begin to be paid,” Novak said.
He declared that Russia’s original stance remained unchanged too: “Part of the debt must be paid first, before gas deliveries resume. Ukraine has disagreed so far.”..............http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/754154
13/10/14
Ukrainian National Guard soldiers head for presidential administration to protest...
ReplyDeleteAccording to Ukrainian media, a group of 500 military conscripts from the National Guard are heading for the building of the Ukrainian president’s administration to demand their overdue military pay as well as humane treatment.
Ukrainian media reported that about 500 servicemen at a National Guard base outside Kiev demand their overdue military pay, as well as military fatigues and humane treatment. Before leaving the military unit, they locked up their commanding officers.............http://en.itar-tass.com/world/754161
13/10/14
Afghanistan Taliban 'kill 22' in mountain ambush...
ReplyDeleteTaliban insurgents in Afghanistan have killed at least 22 security force members in an ambush in Sar-e-Pol province north of Kabul, officials say.
The Taliban attacked from the mountains as the convoy was travelling through Laghman valley, officials say, and at least 22 insurgents were also killed.
The Sar-e-Pol provincial governor said that a number of security force vehicles were destroyed.
Earlier a civilian was killed in a suicide bomb attack in Kabul.
Villagers also accused Nato of killing seven civilians, including a nine-year-old child, in an air strike in eastern Paktia province.
They were the first people reported killed in air strikes since the new government was installed at the end of September.
However, Nato said Sunday's strike had killed "eight armed enemy combatants".................http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29592581
13/10/14
Moscow pledges response to Estonia’s entry ban for Russian academician Tishkov...
ReplyDeleteRussia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday the ban on entry to Estonia for Russian academician Valery Tishkov is a provocation and pledged a response to Tallinn’s actions.
“We interpret the actions of the Estonian side as a provocative action aimed at preventing open and unbiased exchange of opinions between representatives of the two countries’ public and academic communities,” the ministry said in a statement.
“This case clearly demonstrates what demagogical statements on Estonia’s adherence to the principles of democracy and freedom of speech are worth in practice”, it said.
“Such steps by Tallinn will certainly not be left without a response and will be taken into account by us in the context of bilateral relations”, the statement said.
http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/754196
13/10/14
Speaking points of Vice-President Jyrki Katainen at the Eurogroup press conference...
ReplyDeleteLuxembourg, 13 October 2014
Good evening.
I will make a few remarks on the work that lies ahead of us in the coming weeks.
The recovery in Europe is still underway. However, the data we have seen since the summer point to a recovery that is more fragile than was expected in the Spring.
That’s why we need an ambitious policy response, based on: credible fiscal policies, ambitious structural reforms, and using all available tools to boost investment in Europe.
Member States need to make choices about the composition of public finances that are supportive of investment for the future.
Of course, different countries have differing degrees of fiscal space – some are clearly more constrained than others.
But all Member States can and should prioritise investment within their public spending.
At the European level, the new Commission, once it takes office, will work swiftly to deliver on the ambitious investment plan announced by Jean-Claude Juncker.
We need to make available as much public investment as necessary, and as much private investment as possible, to support demand in the short term and improve supply in the longer term.
We will have a more precise picture of the economic outlook once the Commission presents its autumn forecast in the first week of November.
For euro area countries, our forecast will take into account the draft budgetary plans, which must be submitted by this Wednesday, 15 October.
The Commission will prepare its opinions on these draft budgetary plans according to the timeline foreseen in the legislation.
We all know that there has been a lot of speculation in the press about the content of the Commission’s opinions for certain countries so let me say this very clearly: this speculation is premature.
No decisions have been taken at this stage.
Let me also say very clearly that the Commission is committed to treating all Member States fairly and equally.
Our common economic governance framework is a sign of our responsibility to each other.
It is the Commission’s job to ensure that this framework is upheld and that all Member States are treated equally. It's a question of fairness and of credibility.
So I’m looking forward to taking your questions this evening but please be aware that I will not prejudge the outcome of the assessment that we will carry out in the coming weeks.
Thank you.
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-14-687_en.htm?locale=en
13/10/14
Kim Jong-un: North Korea leader 'appears in public'...
ReplyDeleteNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made his first public appearance since 3 September, the country's official news agency says.
The KCNA agency said on Tuesday that Mr Kim "gave field guidance" at a newly-built scientists' residential district.
Rodong Sinmun daily newspaper carried several photographs of Mr Kim using a walking stick as he inspected the site.
The absence of the 32-year-old leader has prompted a flurry of speculation about his health.
Some have even questioned if he remains in control of the state............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-29608096
14/10/14
Die katalanische Regionalregierung verzichtet nach Angaben eines Initiatoren auf das von ihr geplante Unabhängigkeitsreferendum am 9. November. "Die Regierung hat festgestellt, dass die Volksbefragung nicht stattfinden kann", sagte am Montagabend Joan Herrera von der Initiative für Katalonien in Barcelona....
ReplyDeleteDas sei das Ergebnis eines Treffens der Chefs der das Referendum befürwortenden Parteien mit der Regionalregierung, sagte Herrera. Diese wolle am Dienstag "einen neuen Vorschlag" zu dem Thema machen.
http://kurier.at/politik/ausland/katalonien-verzichtet-auf-referendum/91.050.551
13/10/14
The British government on Monday reiterated its resolve to deliver more powers for Scottish Parliament in terms of taxation, welfare, constitutional affairs....
ReplyDeleteBritain's three main parties, including the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Labor Party have committed to a timetable to devolve further powers to the Scottish Parliament during the course of the referendum campaign.
On Monday, the British government published a policy paper on further devolution, which summarized the concrete proposals set out by the three main political parties.
"We pledged further devolution and we will deliver on that promise. Today's Command Paper sets out the detail of the political positions from the parties," Britain's Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael said.
"This is the first time all of Scotland's main political parties will be involved in a process exploring areas of further devolution," Carmichael added.
On Sept. 19 , British Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Robert Smith to oversee the process to take forward the devolution commitments on further powers for the Scottish Parliament.
The Smith Commission was then established as a fully independent body to facilitate the process.
"The Smith Commission must now be left to carry out its work before Heads of Agreement are published at the end of November," Carmichael said.
The Smith Commission made clear the recommendations would deliver more financial, welfare and taxation powers to strengthen the Scottish Parliament. It is convening cross-party talks to reach agreement on the proposals.
The publication of the proposals came just days after the Scottish government used the powers devolved by the Scotland Act 2012 to set Scotland's own stamp duty and landfill tax rates, as well as extend its government borrowing.
http://english.cntv.cn/2014/10/14/ARTI1413245596317356.shtml
14/10/14
Putin: Situation in Ukraine Shows Deep Crisis in International Law...
ReplyDeleteThe events in Ukraine showed that the international law is in deep crisis as many international human rights organizations turn a blind eye to crimes against civilians in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.
“They [the events in Ukraine] have demonstrated a large-scale crisis of the international law, basic norms of the Universal declaration in human rights and the convention to prevent genocide,” Putin said at a meeting of the Kremlin human rights council.
“We witnessed double standards in attitudes toward crimes against civilians in southeastern Ukraine, the violation of fundamental human rights – the right to live and the right for personal security. People there are subject to torture, cruel and humiliating treatment, discrimination and extrajudicial measures,” the president said.
“Unfortunately, many international organizations simply turn a blind eye to these facts,” he continued.............http://en.ria.ru/world/20141014/194064318/Putin-Situation-in-Ukraine-Shows-Deep-Crisis-in-International.html
14/10/14