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Nach der Zuspitzung der griechischen Finanzkrise hat die Chefin des
Internationalen Währungsfonds (IWF), Christine Lagarde, der
linksgerichteten Regierung in Athen indirekt Unvernunft vorgeworfen.
"Angesichts des Maßes an Unsicherheit, Verwirrung und ständiger Bewegung
wäre aus meiner Sicht weiterhin ein bisschen mehr Erwachsensein
erforderlich", sagte Lagarde am Mittwoch dem US-Fernsehsender CNN............IWF-Chefin: Tsipras soll sich "erwachsen" verhalten
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GR
FR
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RU
EU
Plane carrying the probable MH 370 debris took off from Roland Garros International Airport of Reunion Island Friday night, heading to Toulouse, France for a further analysis...
ReplyDeleteThe wreckage piece was seen to be well packed in a big box in the airport, and carried into the flight AF 671 of Air France. The flight took off at 9:11p.m. local time Friday, and will arrive 6:20 a.m. Saturday morning in Pairs.
The Reunion officials refused to give any further details of the debris transferring.
French newspaper Le Figaro said the debris will be transferred to Toulouse to be analysed by the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA).
The wreckage piece will be studied by the laboratory specializing in "investigations after accidents," said Le Figaro.
According to earlier reports, the debris should be quickly identified because each piece is numbered in an airplane.
The plane wreckage was found on the island on Wednesday, announced the Island prefecture on Thursday, saying it's too early to draw conclusion.
"An aircraft debris was found yesterday morning on the coast near the town of Saint-Andre in Reunion. At this stage, the origin of the debris is not identified. No hypothesis can not be excluded, including being from of a Boeing 777," it said in a statement on Thursday.
The flight MH 370, a Boeing 777-200, was reported missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with a total of 239 passengers on board, most of them Chinese.
Despite a massive surface and underwater search, the plane has not been found and become one of the biggest mysteries in the aviation history.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/934916.shtml
1/8/15
Palestinians bury baby killed in West Bank arson attack...
ReplyDeleteHundreds of mourners have attended the funeral of the 18-month old Palestinian baby, killed in an arson attack in the occupied West Bank, as Palestinian leaders condemned Israel's policy on settlements and dubbed the attack as "war crimes".
Family members buried Ali Saad Dawabsheh on Friday afternoon, as his four-year-old brother and their parents, both in extremely critical condition for major burns, are being treated at an Israeli hospital.
In clashes that followed the youngster's death, Palestinians said a 14-year-old named Laith Khaldi was wounded by live fire north of Ramallah and died hours later in hospital.
The Israeli army said Khaldi was shot after throwing a Molotov cocktail at forces at a checkpoint.
Also on Friday, a Palestinian man was killed and another wounded by Israeli fire when they approached a security fence separating the Gaza Strip from Israel, medical officials said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyuhu's settlement policy is to be blamed for the attacks in the West Bank................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/07/palestinians-bury-baby-killed-west-bank-arson-attack-150731130550655.html
1/8/15
Freihandelsabkommen: USA und asiatische Staaten einigen sich nicht...
ReplyDeleteDoch noch kein Durchbruch beim pazifischen Freihandelsabkommen: Streitpunkte sind insbesondere noch der Automobilhandel sowie der Handel mit Milchprodukte und Medikamenten. Und China bleibt sowieso außen vor.
Die USA und zwölf asiatische Länder haben bei einer Verhandlungsrunde auf Hawaii noch keinen Durchbruch zur Schaffung einer pazifischen Freihandelszone erzielt. Der US-Handelsbeauftragte Michael Froman verlas zum Abschluss der Gespräche am Freitag (Ortszeit) eine gemeinsame Erklärung, in der von beträchtlichen Fortschritten die Rede war. Es sei vereinbart worden, die Verhandlungen für das Transpazifische Handelsabkommen TPP fortzusetzen.......http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/freihandelsabkommen-usa-und-asiatische-staaten-einigen-sich-nicht/12133164.html
1/8/15
Greece May Seek 24 Billion Euros in First Draw From Bailout Aid ....
ReplyDeleteGreece may seek 24 billion euros in a first tranche of bailout aid from international lenders in August to prop up its banks and repay debts falling due at the ECB, a pro-government Greek newspaper said in its early Sunday editions.
Athens is now in talks with the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund to secure up to 86 billion euros ($94.48 billion) in bailout aid. It will be its third bailout since 2010.
Avgi newspaper, which is close to the leftist Syriza government, said Greek authorities expected to conclude talks with lenders by mid-August.
The first tranche of 24.36 billion would be used to channel 10 billion euros as an initial recapitalization to Greek banks, 7.16 billion euros to repay an emergency bridge loan, 3.2 billion euros toward Greek bonds held by the European Central Bank and other payments, Avgi said.
Outflow of deposits
It has been estimated that Greek banks may require up to 25 billion euros to be recapitalized, a shortfall exacerbated by an outflow of deposits when a stalemate with lenders threatened Athens' place in the euro zone.
The flood of money leaving the country culminated in authorities imposing capital controls on June 29 to prevent a financial meltdown.................http://www.voanews.com/content/greece-may-seek-24-billion-euros-in-first-draw-from-bailout-aid/2892950.html
1/8/15
Κάθε μονομερής αλλαγή από τις συμφωνηθείσες διαδικασίες θα μπορούσε να ανοίξει τον ασκό του Αιόλου διαμηνύει προς τους δανειστές ο αντιπρόεδρος της Ελληνική κυβέρνησης Γιάννης Δραγασάκης....
ReplyDeleteΣημειώνει πως η Ελληνική κυβέρνηση δεν έχει δεχθεί κανένα συγκεκριμένο αίτημα για παρέκκλιση από τα συμφωνηθέντα στη Σύνοδο Κορυφής.
Ωστόσο επισημαίνει πως ο κίνδυνος για Grexit είναι υπαρκτός, αλλά θα υποχωρήσει δραστικά με την ψήφιση της συμφωνίας και κυρίως με την ολοκλήρωσή της που θα καθιστά το δημόσιο χρέος βιώσιμο και εξυπηρετήσιμο σε βάθος χρόνου.
Ο αντιπρόεδρος της Ελληνικής κυβέρνησης τονίζει ότι οι καταθέσεις κάτω των εκατό χιλιάδων ευρώ προστατεύονται , προσθέτοντας πως αν η προστασία αυτή αρθεί, θα υπάρξει ανεπανόρθωτη κρίση εμπιστοσύνης όχι μόνο στην Ελλάδα, αλλά και στην Ευρώπη προς τα πιστωτικά ιδρύματα.
riknews.com.cy
The Athens Stock Exchange has fallen by 22.87% on Monday as trading resumed after a five-week closure...
ReplyDeleteThe country's top four lenders - Piraeus Bank, National Bank, Alpha Bank, and Eurobank - were all down by 30%. Banks account for about a fifth of the main Athens index.
The bourse was shut just before Athens imposed capital controls at the height of the debt crisis.
Traders had predicted sharp losses as a result of pent-up trading......BBC
Nigerian troops free 178 Boko Haram captives...
ReplyDeleteNigerian troops rescued 178 people from Boko Haram in attacks that destroyed several camps of the Islamic extremists in the northeast of the country, an army statement said Sunday.
Spokesman Col. Tukur Gusau said that 101 of those freed are children, along with 67 women and 10 men.
The Nigerian Air Force reported killing "a large number" of militants in repelling an attack on Bitta village, 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the army operations that took place around Bama, 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Maiduguri city. Maiduguri is the birthplace of Boko Haram and the capital of northeastern Borno state.
Sunday's statements did not specify when the attacks occurred.
Last week the army rescued 71 kidnapped people.................http://www.france24.com/en/20150803-nigerian-troops-free-178-boko-haram-captives
3/8/15
Turkey's main opposition accuses Erdogan of blocking coalition efforts...
ReplyDeleteTurkey's main opposition leader has accused President Tayyip Erdogan of blocking efforts to form a coalition government and warned him against taking the country to new elections through "blood politics" by reopening conflict with Kurdish militants.
The ruling AK Party, founded by Erdogan, holds its final day of initial talks with the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP) on Monday as it tries to find a junior coalition partner after losing its parliamentary majority in a June election.
The domestic uncertainty comes as Turkey carries out air strikes against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) camps in northern Iraq and Islamic State fighters in Syria, in what the government has called a "synchronized fight against terror".
"I say this with all sincerity: Prime Minister (Ahmet) Davutoglu really is willing to sit down and form a coalition and save the country from its problems," CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu told Haberturk TV late on Sunday.
"But the person sitting in the post of presidency is not allowing it," he told the Turkish broadcaster in an interview............reuters.com
3/8/15
Jewish extremist leader arrested after anti-Arab violence...
ReplyDeleteThe head of a Jewish extremist group, Meir Ettinger, was arrested on Monday following the death of a Palestinian baby in a firebombing in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Ettinger, a grandson of Meir Kahane, a rabbi who founded the racist anti-Arab movement Kach and was assassinated in 1990, was arrested in Safed in northern Israel "because of his activities in a Jewish extremist organisation", a spokesman for the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet told AFP.
A police spokeswoman said Ettinger, who is aged around 20, was suspected of "nationalist crimes" but did not accuse him of direct involvement in Friday's firebombing.
According to Israeli media, he was the brains behind a June 18 arson attack on a shrine in northern Israel where Christians believe Jesus performed the miracle of loaves and fishes.
He was to appear in court on Tuesday for a custody hearing, police said.
Media reports said Ettinger could face a year of "administrative detention" under the government's harder line against "Jewish terrorists".
The Shin Bet spokesman said Ettinger was in January barred from entering the West Bank or Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem for a whole year "because of his activities".
(AFP)
Israel jails suspected Jewish militant without trial...
ReplyDeleteIsrael has taken the unusual step of jailing a suspected Jewish militant without trial following the death of a Palestinian infant in an arson attack.
Mordechai Meyer, a resident of a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, has been placed under administrative detention for six months.
He is suspected of violent activity as part of a Jewish terror group.
Israel has used administrative detention orders against Palestinians but not against Jewish suspects.
The use of such orders against Jews suspected in Friday's arson in the West Bank was among new measures approved on Tuesday by Prime Minister Prime Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33783057
5/8/15
Nucléaire iranien : les républicains veulent torpiller l'accord devant le Congrès américain...
ReplyDeleteLe camp républicain a déposé mardi une résolution de désapprobation visant l'accord conclu entre les grandes puissances et l'Iran sur le programme nucléaire mené par Téhéran.
Un élu républicain, Ed Royce, a déposé, mardi 4 août, sur le bureau de la Chambre des représentants américains une résolution de désapprobation visant l'accord historique sur le nucléaire iranien conclu avec Téhéran à Vienne le 14 juillet.
Selon les termes du Iran Nuclear Review Act, promulgué par Barack Obama en mai dernier, le Congrès américain a jusqu'au 17 septembre pour approuver ou désapprouver l'accord conclu entre les cinq membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité de l'Onu (États-Unis, Russie, Chine, France et Grande-Bretagne) plus l'Allemagne avec la République islamique.
Ed Royce, qui n’est autre que le président de la Commission des Affaires étrangères de la Chambre des représentants, a précisé que l'assemblée allait essayer d'adopter cette résolution de désapprobation qui pourrait empêcher Barack Obama d'ordonner la suspension des sanctions américaines contre Téhéran, comme le prévoit l'accord en contrepartie des concessions iraniennes sur le nucléaire.
Le département d'État a transféré le texte de l'accord au Congrès le 20 juillet, ouvrant une période de 60 jours pendant laquelle les parlementaires ont le loisir soit d'adopter une résolution d'approbation, soit d'adopter une résolution de désapprobation...........http://www.france24.com/fr/20150804-nucleaire-iranien-republicains-accord-congres-americain-democrates-iran-etats-unis
Australia says initial MH370 debris drift models gave wrong clues...
ReplyDeleteInitial models of where potential debris from a missing Malaysia Airlines passenger jet might first wash up had incorrectly identified Indonesia as the most likely location, the Australian body leading the search said on Wednesday.
Flight MH370 disappeared without a trace in March 2014 with 239 passengers and crew on board and search efforts have focused on a broad expanse of the southern Indian Ocean off Western Australia.
A piece of aircraft debris that washed up on the French island of Reunion last week roughly 3,700 km (2,300 miles) from the expected crash zone was consistent with where the plane went down, based on analysis of ocean currents, winds and waves, Australian officials and independent oceanographers said last week..............reuters.com
Des élections législatives anticipées sont "probables" en Grèce à l'automne alors que le gouvernement de gauche radicale d'Alexis Tsipras ne dispose plus d'une majorité au Parlement, a déclaré mercredi la porte-parole du gouvernement Olga Gerovasili...
ReplyDelete"Des élections sont probables à l'automne", a déclaré la porte-parole sur la radio Vima FM, ajoutant que "ça dépendra de la stabilité du gouvernement dans la période à venir".
Alexis Tsipras lui-même avait dit la semaine dernière être prêt à des législatives anticipées pour regagner une majorité, six mois après les élections qui l'ont porté au pouvoir fin janvier.
"Très proches d'un texte final"
Le Premier ministre avait toutefois averti que sa priorité était de conclure l'accord final avec les créanciers du pays (UE, BCE, FMI, MES) sur un troisième prêt au pays, de plus de 80 milliards d'euros. Des négociations sont en cours au plus haut niveau à Athènes depuis une semaine entre le gouvernement et les chefs de mission de ces institutions.
"Nous sommes confiants dans le fait d'être très proches d'un texte final" sur l'accord, a estimé Olga Gerovasili.
Le président de la Commission européenne, Jean-Claude Juncker, a également dit croire mercredi à la possibilité pour la Grèce de conclure cet accord ce mois-ci, "de préférence avant le 20 août", date d'un important remboursement d'Athènes à la Banque centrale européenne (BCE).
rtbf.be
5/8/15
US military buildup in Asia is disproportionally huge — Lavrov...
ReplyDelete"The United States is engaged in a very huge military buildup in Asia, including under the pretext of countering the North Korean threat but the scale of the buildup is way beyond the need and disproportionally huge," the foreign minister said.
He drew attention to the fact that the US was "also building missile defense in cooperation with Japan and South Korea, which is not helpful at all."
"And the fact that the United States dropped from the ABM Treaty some time ago was a destabilizing factor of global importance. It triggers buildup and brings us back to the mutually assured destruction logic as it relates to the strategic stability," the top diplomat said............http://tass.ru/en/world/812753
Migrant boat overturns in Mediterranean, hundreds believed onboard...
ReplyDeleteA boat packed with migrants from Africa overturned in the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday, pitching passengers into the water, the Italian coastguard said.
About 700 people had been aboard the boat, SkyNews24 TV channel said. Italian and Irish naval vessels were trying to rescue survivors.
A coastguard spokesman confirmed that an overcrowded boat overturned off the Libyan coast just as ships came to its rescue but he could not say how people were aboard or how many had been saved because the operation was still going on.
The Mediterranean Sea is the world's most deadly border area for immigrants.
More than 2,000 migrants and refugees have died so far this year in attempts to reach Europe by boat, compared with 3,279 deaths during the whole of last year, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday.
REUTERS
Verification had confirmed that the debris discovered on Reunion Island belongs to missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced early Thursday...
ReplyDelete"Today, 515 days since the plane disappeared, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you that an international team of experts have conclusively confirmed that the aircraft debris found on Reunion Island is indeed from MH370," the prime minister said. "We now have physical evidence that, as I announced on 24th March last year, flight MH370 tragically ended in the southern Indian Ocean," Najib said.
"This is indeed a major breakthrough for us in resolving the disappearance of MH370. We expect and hope that there would be more objects to be found which would be able to help resolve this mystery."
The airlines will update the families and cooperate with the authorities, he added.
The prime minister said his country remains dedicated to finding out what had happened on board the flight. "I would like to assure all those affected by this tragedy that the government of Malaysia is committed to doing everything within our means to find out the truth of what happened."..........http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-08/06/content_36236081.htm
Japan may give planes to Manila for South China Sea patrols...
ReplyDeleteJapan wants to give planes to the Philippines that Manila could use for patrols in the South China Sea, sources said, a move that would deepen Tokyo’s security ties with the Southeast Asian nation most at odds with Beijing over the disputed waterway.
Four sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that Japan was looking to offer three Beechcraft TC-90 King Air planes that could be fitted with basic surface and air surveillance radar.
They said talks within the Japanese government were preliminary and would need to overcome legal hurdles. Japan had yet to formally propose the planes as an alternative to more sophisticated Lockheed Martin P3-C aircraft that Manila wants to track Chinese submarine activity, they added......Reuters.......http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/06/national/politics-diplomacy/japan-may-give-planes-manila-south-china-sea-patrols/#.VcMo27Upr2Z
6/8/15
No IMF decision on Greek bailout until autumn, Swedish representative tells paper...
ReplyDeleteThere is strong support at the IMF for joining a new bailout package for Greece but the fund will not decide whether to participate until autumn, Sweden's representative to its executive board told a newspaper.
The International Monetary Fund has been part of Greece's first two financial rescues, but doubts have been raised about its commitment to a third package.
The European Commission said on Friday the Fund was participating fully in bailout talks between Greece and its international lenders that started in the last week of July.
A day earlier the Financial Times, citing a summary of an IMF board meeting, said the Fund could not officially join the talks until after Greece agreed comprehensive reforms.
Thomas Ostros, who is an alternate - or replacement - director on the fund's 24-member board, said there was "strong (IMF) support for being part of a new loan program, but it will take time," according to an interview in Thursday's edition of Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.
"There is going to be a discussion during the summer and autumn and then the board will make a decision during the autumn," he said.......Reuters.......http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/no-imf-decision-on-greek/2033612.html
"Das ist nicht zu schaffen" ....Berlin zweifelt an pünktlichem Griechenland-Deal...
ReplyDeleteZu viele Fragen zum Reformpaket für Griechenland sind noch ungeklärt: Die Bundesregierung glaubt anscheinend nicht daran, dass das dritte Hilfspaket vor dem 20. August vereinbart werden kann.
Die "Bild"-Zeitung berichtet unter Berufung auf Regierungskreise, in Berlin werde mit einer weiteren Brückenfinanzierung für Athen gerechnet, weil die Verhandlungen der internationalen Geldgeber mit der griechischen Regierung nicht rechtzeitig abgeschlossen werden könnten.
Als Grund für die Skepsis wurde laut "Bild" zum einen genannt, dass viele Fragen zum Reformpaket derzeit noch ungeklärt seien. Eine Vereinbarung müsse aber vom griechischen Parlament und den nationalen Parlamenten von sechs Euro-Ländern, darunter Deutschland, nach Abschluss der Verhandlungen noch beraten und abgestimmt werden. "Das ist nicht zu schaffen", zitierte die Zeitung einen hochrangigen Regierungsvertreter..................http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/7098242/berlin-zweifelt-an-puenktlichem-griechenland-deal.html
UN to examine Syria chemical weapons attacks....
ReplyDeleteThe UN has adopted a resolution aimed at identifying those behind chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon and the head of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will be asked to prepare a plan to set up an inquiry.
The vote came after the US and Russia agreed on the final text of the resolution.
A mission to eliminate Syria's chemical arsenal was set up after a deadly attack outside Damascus in August 2013.
Late last year, the OPCW declared it had removed or destroyed all 1,180 tonnes of declared toxic agents and precursor chemicals.
After Friday's vote, the US ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, said it was a clear message that the perpetrators would not go unpunished.
"Today's resolution has been adopted with the council's unanimous support," she said...........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33825861
7/8/15
La Grèce ne s'en sort pas face à l'afflux de réfugiés: "C'est absolument honteux"...
ReplyDeleteLa situation des migrants et des réfugiés qui débarquent en masse sur les îles grecques en provenance de la Turquie est "absolument honteuse" et le gouvernement grec se doit d'agir en urgence, a souligné vendredi un responsable du HCR après une visite sur place.
"En trente ans d'expérience humanitaire je n'ai jamais vu une situation pareille (...) C'est l'Union Européenne et c'est absolument honteux", a déclaré aux journalistes à Genève Vincent Cochetel, responsable de la division Europe du Haut Commissariat aux Réfugiés des Nations Unies (HCR).
De janvier à juillet le HCR estime que quelque 124.000 réfugiés et migrants sont arrivés de Turquie dans les îles grecques, principalement Lesvos, Chios, Kos, Samos et Leros. Cela représente une hausse de 750% par rapport à la même période de 2014. En juillet il y a eu 50.000 nouvelles arrivées, 20.000 de plus que le mois précédent.
"La Grèce doit se réveiller face à cette urgence", a déclaré M. Cochetel qui a aussi déploré que l'aide financière de l'Europe soit "trop faible et trop tardive".
Le HCR demande au gouvernement grec de "désigner d'urgence une seule autorité pour coordonner la réponse et mettre en place un mécanisme d'assistance humanitaire" et il salue "la réponse généreuse de la société civile grecque dans un contexte (économique) difficile"...............http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/europe/la-grece-ne-s-en-sort-pas-face-a-l-afflux-de-refugies-c-est-absolument-honteux--744655.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RTLInternational+%28RTL+info+%3E++Monde%29
7/8/15
Gläubiger zeigen sich positiv.... Griechenland-Hilfe könnte nächste Woche stehen...
ReplyDeleteDas dritte milliardenschwere Hilfspaket für Athen könnte in Kürze auf den Weg gebracht werden. EU, EZB, IWF und der Euro-Schutzschirm ESM haben kaum noch Bedenken - im Gegensatz zur Deutschland.
Die Verhandlungen über ein drittes Rettungspaket für Griechenland stehen kurz vor dem Abschluss. "Die Institutionen sehen eine realistische Chance auf eine Einigung auf eine Grundsatzvereinbarung bis Dienstag", erfuhr die "Welt am Sonntag" nach einer Telefonkonferenz der Vize-EU-Finanzminister in der Nacht zum Samstag. So sei Griechenland bei den Sofortmaßnahmen auf einem guten Weg.............http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/7109674/griechenland-hilfe-koennte-naechste-woche-stehen.html
8/8/15
Nagasaki mayor, atomic bomb survivors to caution against security bills on 70th anniversary of bombing...
ReplyDeleteAs Nagasaki prepared Sunday to mark the 70th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing, Mayor Tomihisa Taue was to call for careful deliberation on the government’s proposed security bills, which many in the public fear would undermine Japan’s pacifism.
The remembrance ceremony for the second atomic bomb attack on Japan in World War II, following one last week in Hiroshima, is likely to again bring the concerns of atomic bomb survivors about the bills into the spotlight..............japantimes.co.jp
The Japanese city of Nagasaki is marking 70 years since the dropping of an atomic bomb by the United States...
ReplyDeleteA ceremony at the Nagasaki Peace Park observed a minute's silence, followed by speeches by the Nagasaki mayor and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
A cathedral that was destroyed by the bomb but later rebuilt celebrated a remembrance Mass.
At least 70,000 people died in the attack, which came three days after another bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
Nagasaki was only chosen because the original target, Kokura, was obscured by a cloud..........BBC
9/8/15
Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants attacked a military outpost and a police car in southeast Turkey overnight, killing one policeman, officials and security sources said on Sunday, part of a surge in violence between the PKK and the state...
ReplyDeleteThe Turkish military launched an air campaign against PKK camps in northern Iraq on July 24.
State-run Anadolu news agency said more than 260 militants had been killed, including senior PKK figures, and more than 400 wounded until August 1.
Anadolu did not give a source for the figures. The latest fighting threatens a fragile peace process between the two sides..........Reuters.........http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-kurdish-rebels-attack-police-military-in-turkey-one-policeman-killed/2909193.html
UK accuses Spain of violating its sovereignty over Gibraltar...
ReplyDeleteThe British government on Sunday accused Spain of violating its sovereignty over Gibraltar, saying Spanish state vessels had repeatedly and unlawfully entered its territorial waters without notifying it.
"These repeated incursions into British Gibraltar territorial waters are a clear violation of UK sovereignty by another EU country and we will be raising this as a matter of urgency with the Spanish authorities," Hugo Swire, a Foreign Office minister, said in a statement.
No one from Spain's Foreign Office was immediately available to comment...........reuters.com
9/8/15
Ten injured in Istanbul explosion...
ReplyDeleteTen people are reported to have been injured in an explosion at a police station in Istanbul, Turkey.
A vehicle laden with explosives was used in the attack in the district of Sultanbeyli at around 1am local time (11pm Irish time).
Istanbul police headquarters confirmed in a statement that three police officers and seven civilians were wounded in the blast, but gave no death toll.
Earlier reports said three people had been killed.
Two attackers have reportedly been killed following the explosion, according to the same news agency............http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0810/720256-turkey-explosion-us-consulate/
10/8/15
Turquie : Attaques à Istanbul contre le consulat américain et un commissariat...
ReplyDeleteUne explosion a visé un commissariat du quartier de Sultanbeyli à Istanbul. Deux personnes, les assaillants, auraient été tuées et au moins dix personnes blessées. Des coups de feu ont en outre été tirés devant le consulat des États-Unis.
Istanbul se réveille après une soirée agitée. Une explosion s'est produite tôt lundi 10 août dans un commissariat du quartier de Sultanbeyli à Istanbul. Selon l'agence de presse Dogan, deux personnes, les assaillants, ont été tuées et au moins dix, blessés. Dans un communiqué, le quartier général de la police de la ville a confirmé que dix personnes avaient été blessées dans l'explosion, dont trois policiers et sept civils. Le communiqué ne fait pas état de morts.
Par ailleurs, deux individus armés ont tiré des coups de feu devant le consulat des États-Unis à Istanbul, sans faire de victime, avant de prendre la fuite pour échapper à l'intervention de la police, indique l'antenne turque de la chaîne CNN. L'agence de presse Cihan précise que les assaillants étaient un homme et une femme. Une fusillade les a opposés aux forces de l'ordre devant les locaux du consulat, situé dans le quartier de Sariyer. Selon des médias, la police a procédé à un arrestation après ces tirs.
État d'alerte renforcé
La Turquie est placée dans un état d'alerte renforcé depuis qu'elle a lancé le mois dernier ce qu'elle présente comme "une guerre synchronisée contre le terrorisme", incluant des frappes à la fois contre les jihadistes de l'État islamique et contre les combattants kurdes dans le nord de l'Irak..............http://www.france24.com/fr/20150810-turquie-attaques-istanbul-consulat-americain-commissariat-kurdes-pkk
10/8/15
A mine attack carried out by outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in the southeastern province of Şırnak has killed four police officers, three days after an armed conflict between police and the youth wing of the PKK in the province...
ReplyDeleteThe militants exploded a mine in the Silopi district of Şırnak as armed police vehicles passed while heading to the Başak neighborhood. Four police officers were seriously wounded and later succumbed to their injuries at hospital.
Security forces are conducting a wide-scale operation to apprehend the fleeing PKK militants after the attack.
On Aug. 7, one police officer and three people were killed in Silopi in clashes between police and members of the Patriotic Revolutionary Youth Movement (YDG-H) after police entered the same Başak neighborhood to recover trenches dug by YDG-H members to prevent the police’s entry.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/four-police-officers-killed-in-mine-attack-in-turkeys-southeast.aspx?pageID=238&nID=86711&NewsCatID=341
10/8/15
Irak: plusieurs dizaines de morts au cours de trois attaques à Bagdad ...
ReplyDeleteAu moins 33 personnes ont été tuées et des dizaines blessées lundi dans trois attaques, dont deux attentats suicide à la voiture piégée, dans la province de Diyala dans le nord-est de l'Irak, selon la police et les secours.
Ces explosions, qui ont visé toutes des quartiers majoritairement chiites, ont eu lieu moins d'un mois après un attentat suicide qui avait fait 120 morts à Khan Bani Saad, dans cette même province.
Lundi, un premier attentat suicide a fait au moins 20 morts et 45 blessés sur un marché de Hwayder, selon des sources de sécurité et des secours du principal hôpital de Baqouba, la capitale de Diyala, à 70 kilomètres au nord-est de Bagdad. "Un kamikaze au volant d'un véhicule piégé s'est fait exploser au milieu du principal marché de la localité de Hwayder", a précisé un lieutenant-colonel de police.
Une seconde attaque à la voiture piégée a tué au moins 10 personnes et fait 10 blessés à Kanaan. Le kamikaze avait passé un checkpoint avant de faire exploser le véhicule, a expliqué un capitaine de police.
Enfin, une attaque à la bombe artisanale a coûté la vie à trois personnes à Wathba, entre Baqouba et Hwayder, de même source...........http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_irak-plusieurs-dizaines-de-morts-au-cours-de-trois-attaques-a-bagdad?id=9051332
Fragments of a suspected Russian missile system have been found at the Flight MH17 crash site in Ukraine, investigators in the Netherlands say....
ReplyDeleteThey say the parts, possibly from a Buk surface-to-air system, are "of particular interest" and could help show who was behind the crash.
But they say they have not proved their "causal connection" with the crash.
MH17 crashed on land held by Russian-backed rebels in July 2014, killing all 298 on board.
It had 283 passengers on board, including 80 children, and 15 crew members.
About two-thirds of those who died were Dutch nationals, with dozens of Malaysians and Australians among the rest.
Ukraine and many Western countries have accused pro-Russian rebels of shooting down the Malaysian Airlines plane, saying they could have used a Buk missile system supplied by Russia..........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33865420
11/8/15
Syrie : accord pour une trêve de 48 heures entre armée et rebelles dans trois localités...
ReplyDeleteUne trêve de 48 heures a été conclue mardi entre l'armée syrienne et les rebelles. Elle concerne plusieurs villes disputées, dont celle de Zabadani, proche de Damas, que le régime syrien tente de reconquérir depuis un mois environ.
Fait rare, une trêve de 48 heures a été conclue en Syrie entre les forces du régime syrien et des rebelles islamistes. Le cessez-le-feu concerne principalement la ville de Zabadani, proche à la fois de Damas et de la frontière libanaise, que le régime de Bachar al-Assad, essaie de reprendre depuis un mois, avec l'appui du Hezbollah, milice chiite libanaise...............http://www.france24.com/fr/20150812-syrie-treve-zabadani-iran-liban-hezbollah-jihadistes-ahrar-cham-armee-conquete
12/8/15
Méditerranée: de nombreux migrants disparus, leur canot en difficulté ...
ReplyDeleteDes migrants secourus mardi sur un canot à moitié submergé au large de la Libye ont fait état d'une soixantaine de disparus, selon l'Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) qui leur a parlé à leur arrivée sur l'île italienne de Lampedusa.
Un canot dégonflé et submergé
Mardi après-midi, un hélicoptère de la marine italienne inspectant la zone a repéré un canot pneumatique en partie dégonflé et submergé, et a immédiatement largué des radeaux de survie pour les dizaines de migrants encore entassés sur l'embarcation, a expliqué la marine.
Arrivé peu après sur les lieux, la corvette "Fenice", qui venait de porter secours à 119 migrants à bord d'un autre canot, a secouru 52 personnes sur les lieux.
Deux autres migrants, accrochés à un baril, ont été repérés par un hélicoptère et hélitreuillés. Sur les images diffusées mercredi matin par la marine, ces deux hommes ayant survécu ensemble plusieurs heures dans l'eau ne se sont pas lâchés une fois à bord de l'hélicoptère.................http://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/drames-de-la-migration-les-candidats-refugies-meurent-aux-portes-de-l-europe/detail_mediterranee-de-nombreux-migrants-disparus-leur-canot-en-difficulte?id=9052308
12/8/15
Greece agrees steps to tackle banks' bad loans ...
ReplyDeleteGreece will take steps to tackle the mountain of bad loans weighing on its banks as part of its deal with international creditors, a draft of the agreement obtained by Reuters showed on Wednesday.
Under a European Banking Authority yardstick, Greek banks' "non-performing exposures" (NPEs) - which include loans in arrears for more than 90 days (NPLs) and restructured credit unlikely to be repaid - hit 40 percent of their portfolios last year.
The bad-debt load has worsened since then, as Greece sank back into recession and was forced to impose of capital controls, requiring banks to set aside more provisions against the bad loans and constraining them from funding the economy.
Resolving the issue has been one of the major sticking points in talks with creditors.
According to the 29-page memorandum of understanding (MOU), a copy of which was obtained by Reuters, Greek authorities commit to changing corporate insolvency laws to rehabilitate viable debtors and speed up the liquidation of non-viable ones.
Other reforms include stricter screening to deter so-called strategic defaulters from taking advantage of a home foreclosure protection law and increasing the number of judges to address the backlog of insolvency cases........Reuters........http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/greece-agrees-steps-to-ta/2046172.html
12/8/15
At least 13 dead as explosions hit Chinese city....
ReplyDeleteTwo massive explosions caused by flammable goods hit an industrial area in the northeast Chinese port city of Tianjin late today, killing 13 people and injuring around 250, the official China Daily newspaper has reported.
Pictures posted on Chinese media websites showed fire shooting into the air, nearly twice the height of nearby apartment buildings.
Residents and workers, some bleeding, could be seen fleeing the scene..............http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0812/720863-china-explosion/
Al menos 80 muertos y 200 heridos por un atentado del EI en Bagdad...
ReplyDeleteAl menos 80 personas murieron hoy en Bagdad y aproximadamente otras 200 resultaron heridas cuando un atacante suicida detonó un camión bomba en un mercado de un barrio chiíta tras atraer a la gente hacia su vehículo, en un ataque reivindicado por el Estado Islámico y uno de los estallidos más letales en la capital de Irak en años.
La policía dijo que la bomba estaba en el interior de un camión refrigerado que el conductor llevó hasta el centro de un mercado de frutas y verduras en el barrio de Sadr City, el más grande de Bagdad, y según testigos el atacante atrajo a la gente gritando que vendía tomates baratos y luego hizo explotar el vehículo................http://www.telam.com.ar/notas/201508/116216-coche-bomba-yihadistas-estado-islamico-atentado.html
13/8/15
IMF praises Spanish economic rebound, flags growth concerns...
ReplyDeleteReforms in Spain have helped the economy rebound, the International Monetary Fund said on Friday, but it warned more needed to be done to bring down high unemployment and correct other imbalances to boost long-term growth.
Spain must also keep trying to cut its deficit and not roll back existing reforms, the IMF said in its yearly country assessment for Spain. Those include a labour market shake-up brought in by the current centre-right government, which made it easier to hire and fire staff.
The report comes before a general election expected around November, which is likely to result in a much more fragmented political landscape and spell a new, uncertain era of coalitions.
“We see the potential of doubt about what will happen to the reforms that are helping currently with the recovery in Spain as a key domestic risk,” said Helge Berger, the IMF’s mission chief for Spain.
The IMF expects Spain’s economy to grow 3.1 percent this year, below government forecasts for 3.3 percent growth. It also projects the rebound will “fade out” to lower levels in the longer term.
Low global oil prices and a weaker euro have so far helped Spain, though their effects may dwindle. The country is also still vulnerable to aftershocks from any problems affecting debt-laden Greece, the IMF said.
Labour market reforms, lower wages and easing lending conditions after an overhaul of once-fragile banks have helped Spain’s recovery after a prolonged downturn, the IMF said.
But over 5 million people are still unemployed and although jobs were now returning, too many were temporary or part-time, the IMF said. Such positions are usually less well paid than others........Reuters.......http://www.france24.com/en/20150814-spain-reforms-economy-rebound-imf-unemployment-rajoy
14/8/15
Plan d'aide pour la Grèce: la réunion de l'Eurogroupe "ne sera pas courte" ...
ReplyDeleteLa viabilité de la dette grecque "reste un point de préoccupation majeure", en particulier pour le Fonds monétaire international, a déclaré le patron de l'Eurogroupe, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, vendredi à Bruxelles.
La réunion des ministres des Finances de la zone euro appelés à se prononcer ce vendredi sur le nouveau plan d'aide de 85 milliards d'euros pour Athènes "ne sera pas courte", a-t-il averti. Il a souligné qu'il y aurait "des questions, des critiques" sur le texte, tout en disant "espérer qu'à la fin de la soirée il y aura un résultat positif".
Rééchelonnement de la dette: pas de discussion avant octobre
La réunion ne sera "certainement pas une formalité", a souligné Johan Van Overtveldt, à la suite du président de l'Eurogroupe Jeroen Dijsselbloem qui avait estimé que "ce ne serait pas court", car il reste "des questions et des critiques", selon M. Dijsselbloem, voire des "lacunes et des incertitudes", pour M. Van Overtveldt. Parmi ces lacunes et inconnues, la question de la soutenabilité de la dette.
Le rééchelonnement de la dette grecque, que plaide le FMI, ne devraient pourtant pas être abordé avant octobre.
La participation du FMI à ce troisième plan d'aide reste incertaine, la décision à ce sujet devant être prise en octobre également. Plusieurs pays, dont les Pays-Bas et la Finlande, qualifient cette participation de "cruciale". "Le FMI devrait être impliqué d'une manière ou d'une autre", a commenté le Finlandais Alexander Stubb.
Le ton était en tout cas plutôt à l'optimisme quant à la possibilité d'arriver à un accord vendredi.
http://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/la-grece-en-pleine-tempete-financiere/detail_un-accord-de-l-eurogroupe-tout-a-fait-faisable-apres-le-vote-de-la-grece?id=9053780
14/8/15
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, who has taken a hard line on a third Greek bailout, said he was "confident" his eurozone peers would reach an agreement at a meeting Friday.
ReplyDelete"I am confident in the fact that we are going to get a result today," Schaeuble said as he arrived for the meeting of all 19 eurozone finance ministers in Brussels.
"If we do not get an accord today, then we will have to arrange a bridging loan," he added, referring to financing for Greece to cover a debt payment due August 20 to the European Central Bank.
Migrants desperate to get off the Greek island of Kos fought each other on Saturday while nearby a passenger ship chartered to house and process refugees lay empty 24 hours after it had arrived...
ReplyDeleteOutside the island's main police station, about 50 migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran threw stones and exchanged blows as tempers boiled over in the intense mid-summer heat. Riot police stood by without intervening.
The migrants have little chance of getting aboard the ship, the Eleftherios Venizelos, as priority is being given to Syrians, who are treated as refugees as they are fleeing their country's civil war and have greater rights under international law than economic migrants...........reuters.com
15/8/15
Des migrants arrivés sur l'île de Kos après avoir effectué la traversée entre la Turquie et la Grèce ont raconté avoir été attaqués en mer par des hommes armés, des témoignages qui "inquiètent" l'ONG Médecins sans frontières (MSF) présente sur l'île...
ReplyDelete"Des hommes grands, le visage dissimulé, portant des armes, des bâtons et des couteaux se sont approchés de notre bateau, l'ont perforé et ont jeté notre moteur à l'eau", a raconté à l'AFP Ahmad Yousef, un Irakien de 40 ans originaire de Bagdad, dont la tentative de gagner l'Europe a échoué cette fois-là.
"Nous avons collecté suffisamment d'histoires de ce type pour être inquiets", a confié à l'AFP Constance Theisen, l'une des responsables de MSF sur Kos, située face à la Turquie où débarquent chaque nuit des dizaines de migrants sur des canots gonflables.
Interrogée par l'AFP sur ces allégations, dont certaines mettent en cause les gardes-côtes grecs selon MSF, Zacharoula Tsirigoti, responsable du service chargé des étrangers au sein de la police grecque, a vigoureusement réfuté toute implication des autorités grecques....................http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_grece-msf-s-inquiete-d-attaques-de-migrants-en-mer?id=9054690
Pour Merkel, la questions des migrants "va nous occuper plus que la Grèce"...
ReplyDelete(Belga) La chancelière allemande Angela Merkel a estimé dimanche que la question des migrants dans l'UE, confrontée à une crise humanitaire sans précédent, allait occuper les Européens "bien plus que la Grèce et la stabilité de l'euro".
"Cette question de savoir comment nous agissons avec les migrants (...) va nous occuper bien, bien plus que la Grèce ou la stabilité de l'euro", a jugé la dirigeante conservatrice sur la chaîne publique ZDF. Le Haut Commissariat aux Réfugiés de l'ONU a appelé vendredi à une action d'urgence devant l'afflux de réfugiés en Europe, qui fait face à la plus grave crise des migrants depuis la Seconde guerre mondiale. "Nous avons besoin d'une politique commune européenne en matière d'asile", a-t-elle insisté alors que l'Allemagne aussi est débordée par le flot de demandeurs d'asile, qui pourraient, selon certains responsables politiques, dépasser les 600.000 cette année et constituer ainsi un record........................http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/europe/pour-merkel-la-questions-des-migrants-va-nous-occuper-plus-que-la-grece--746654.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RTLInternational+%28RTL+info+%3E++Monde%29
16/8/15
Iraqi panel finds Maliki, others responsible for fall of Mosul...
ReplyDeleteAn Iraqi parliamentary panel called on Sunday for former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and dozens of other top officials to stand trial over the fall of the northern city of Mosul to Islamic State last year.
In a separate initiative, military commanders accused of abandoning their posts in Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province which was overrun by Islamic State militants in May, could face court martial.
The moves come a week after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi launched a sweeping campaign to reform the country's governing system, and are the most drastic steps yet taken by Baghdad to provide accountability for the loss of nearly a third of the country's territory to the Islamist insurgency.
A year in office, Abadi is seeking to transform a system he complained has encouraged ethno-sectarian party patronage, spawning corruption and incompetence that deprived Iraqis of basic services while undermining government forces in the battle against Islamic State fighters.
The million-strong Iraqi army, trained by Washington at a cost of more than $20 billion, has been hobbled by low morale and corruption that impedes its supply lines. Its effectiveness is hurt by a perception among Sunni Muslims that it pursues the hostile interests of the Shi'ites, a majority in Iraq.
Islamic State's seizure of Mosul, Iraq's second city, in June 2014 as it swept across the Syrian border and declared a modern "caliphate", exposed once and for all the brokenness of the system left in place by the 2003-2011 U.S. occupation.
It has left the Baghdad government dependent on Shi'ite Muslim militias, many funded and assisted by neighboring Iran, to defend the capital and recapture lost ground.
The panel's findings allege that Maliki, who remains a powerful figure despite having his vice president position canceled last week in Abadi's reforms, had an inaccurate picture of the threat to Mosul because he chose commanders who engaged in corruption and failed to hold them accountable.......REUTERS........http://www.todayonline.com/world/iraqi-panel-finds-maliki-others-responsible-fall-mosul-report
16/8/15
Broken Promises: EU Visa Regime for Ukrainians Tightens Up...
ReplyDeleteEurope is starting to distance themselves from ordinary Ukrainians – instead of liberalizing the visa regime with European countries, citizens are seeing its tighten.
Verification of Ukrainians’ documents in consulates has become rigorous and the number of refusals for multiple visa claims has rapidly increased, because the Schengen Area states are trying to prevent the growing stream of refugees from Ukraine from crossing the border into Europe, information agency 112.ua reported.
European consulates in Ukraine are demanding more documents for visa applications from the country’s citizens than they ever used to, and are reluctantly giving permissions for entry to Schengen area only to those, who have new passports and are very often denying claims for multiple visas.
“Last year the Spanish Consulate issued a visa to me for a year. As I am the employee of one of Kiev’s leading tour operating companies, I expected to get a five-year Schengen visa this time. But they issued me a visa for just one year. And you know, as for current situation, it’s a great option,” an unnamed citizen told 112.ua..........http://sptnkne.ws/Baq
17/8/15
Bulls have gored seven people to death during festivals across Spain since the beginning of July - four of them over the past weekend...
ReplyDeleteThe deaths occurred during bull-running in the streets, not in bullrings. It is an unusually high number of fatalities for such a short period.
Among them was a 36-year-old town councillor gored in Penafiel, a town near Valladolid, north of Madrid.
Further north an 18-year-old man gored in the stomach died in Lerin, Navarra.
The other deaths occurred during bull festivals in the regions of Valencia, Murcia, Toledo, Castellon and Alicante.
Last year more than 7,200 bulls and steers (castrated bull calves) were killed by bullfighters across Spain, the news website El Diario reports.
Nearly 2,000 bullfights - or "corridas" - are still held in the country every year, but the numbers are falling. In 2010, Catalonia became the second Spanish region after the Canary Islands to ban the tradition.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33957505
17/8/15
Putin's Crimea visit aims to stir up Ukraine conflict: Poroshenko ...
ReplyDeleteUkrainian President Petro Poroshenko criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin for visiting Russia-annexed Crimea on Monday, saying his action was part of a plan to whip up tensions in eastern Ukraine.
"This is a challenge to the civilized world and a continuation of the plan to escalate the situation which is being carried out by Russian troops and their mercenaries in the Donbass (east Ukraine)," Poroshenko said in a Facebook post.
Putin visited Yalta in Crimea on Monday to promote tourism on the peninsula, according to the Kremlin's website. Referring directly to that, Poroshenko said Crimea had a future only as part of Ukraine and that included its "tourist" future.
REUTERS
todayonline.com
17/8/15
The U.S. decided to pull its Patriot missile defense force out of Turkey mainly because it sees a declining Syrian military threat, including a depleted stockpile of Scud missiles capable of striking Turkish territory, the Pentagon said Monday...
ReplyDeleteThe move is the latest twist in an evolving U.S.-Turkey partnership that is coping with the fallout from Syria’s civil war. Just last month Turkey agreed to take a more active role in the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and to allow the U.S. to use its bases for airstrikes. Last week the U.S. military announced that six F-16 fighter jets had arrived at Turkey’s southern Incirlik air base, and they began flying missions over Syria Wednesday.
U.S. officials have said they also are considering deploying combat search-and-rescue aircraft and personnel to Turkey and Turkey and the U.S. are in talks on how to integrate Turkish warplanes into the U.S.-led air campaign.
“The threat calculus has changed somewhat since 2013 as we we’ve seen the Assad regime grow weaker and as we’ve seen them shoot through the majority of their missile stock at targets there domestically,” a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, told reporters.....AP......dailystar.com.lb
5 migrants drown off Turkish coast during attempt to reach Greece...
ReplyDeleteAt least five people drowned off the Turkish coast early Tuesday as they tried to reach the Greek islands, underscoring the deadly risks taken by migrants making even short crossings to Europe in overcrowded smugglers' boats.
Turkish coast guards unloaded five body bags at the harbour of western Turkey tourist town Bodrum as rescued migrants, one man clutching his head in his hands, sat on the wharf.
Medical staff carried a wailing young boy and a man to ambulances.
About 20 migrants also were rescued and taken to a harbour in the nearby town of Turgutreis.
Details of the identities and nationalities of the dead were not immediately available.......AP......ctvnews.ca
18/8/15
Greece saw more migrants in July than all of 2014...
ReplyDeleteNearly 21,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Greece last week, nearly half the total number in all of 2014, the United Nations said.
"The pace of arrivals has been steadily increasing in recent weeks," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters in Geneva.
The total has now passed 160,000 since the beginning of the year.
Between 1 January and 14 August, 158,456 refugees and migrants crossed the Aegean from Turkey to the Greek islands, while another 1,716 came over the land border, the UN refugee agency said.
Last month alone, 50,242 arrived in Greece, outnumbering all arrivals in 2014, Mr Spindler said.
More than eight out of ten were Syrians fleeing their country's civil war, he said, adding that Afghans made up 14% of the wave and Iraqis 3%.
This, he said, confirms "that the overwhelming majority of arrivals are likely to qualify for refugee status"................http://www.rte.ie/news/world/2015/0818/722051-migrants/
18/8/15
Colombia's Marxist FARC rebels hinted on Tuesday they would extend a unilateral ceasefire when another round of peace talks open in Havana on Thursday, as long
ReplyDeleteas the government did not renew air raids on their bases....
The Marxist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the government of President Juan Manuel Santos began the talks almost three years ago in Havana.
Despite the occasional incident, a relative peace has reigned in the South American country for the last month, where the last of the region's guerilla wars has gone on for half a century...................http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-colombia-rebels-may-extend-unilateral-ceasefire/2923541.html
Greece bailout: German MPs back deal after Schaeuble appeal...
ReplyDeleteGerman MPs have voted by a large majority to approve a third bailout deal for Greece.
In total 453 members of parliament voted in favour, while 113 rejected the bailout and 18 abstained.
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble earlier warned MPs that it would be "irresponsible" to oppose the €86bn ($95bn; £61bn) package.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's centre-right conservative bloc has been divided over the deal.
Prior to the vote nearly 60 of her own MPs had indicated they would vote against the rescue package.
In total 47 MPs did not attend the session..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-33984008
19/8/15
La famine menace le Yémen, prévient l'ONU...
ReplyDeleteLa famine menace le Yémen en guerre où plus de 500 000 enfants souffrent de malnutrition aiguë, s'est alarmé mercredi le Programme alimentaire mondial (PAM) qui a exhorté les belligérants à laisser travailler les humanitaires et les donateurs à accroître leur aide.
Par ailleurs, huit enfants sont tués ou gravement blessés en moyenne chaque jour au Yémen, un pays ravagé par la guerre depuis près de cinq mois, selon l'Unicef. Près de 400 ont été tués et 600 blessés, d'après un nouveau rapport.
"Des enfants ont été tués par des bombes ou fauchés par des balles, et ceux qui y ont survécu font face à la menace grandissante des maladies et de la malnutrition", estime Julien Harneis, le représentant de l'Unicef pour le Yémen.
"Tous les signes qui nous permettent de qualifier la situation de famine se profilent", s'est alarmée pour sa part la directrice exécutive du PAM Ertharin Cousin devant la presse au Caire, de retour d'une visite de trois jours au Yémen, notamment dans la capitale Sanaa et à Aden (sud).
Plus de 500 000 enfants souffrent de malnutrition aigüe, selon le PAM.
L'organisme estime à 13 millions, sur une population de 25 millions, le nombre de Yéménites menacés par le manque de nourriture, dont 6 millions ont besoin d'une aide extérieure d'urgence pour se nourrir.......AFP........rtbf.be
Egypte: attentat contre un immeuble de la police au Caire...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Une bombe a explosé dans la nuit de mercredi à jeudi devant un immeuble de la police au Caire, alors que l'Egypte est en proie à des attentats perpétrés par les jihadistes de l'Etat islamique (EI) visant principalement les forces de l'ordre, ont indiqué des responsables de la sécurité.
Ces sources n'étaient pas en mesure de dire dans l'immédiat si l'attaque, en plein milieu de la nuit dans un quartier du nord de la capitale, avait fait des victimes ou non. Un journaliste de l'AFP a entendu une très forte explosion. "Une attaque a visé un immeuble de la sécurité d'Etat", un service de la police, a annoncé à l'AFP un haut responsable de la sécurité, sous couvert de l'anonymat. "L'explosion a détruit partiellement le bâtiment", selon un de ses collègues. L'attaque n'a pas encore été revendiquée, mais Province du Sinaï, la branche égyptienne de l'EI, revendique régulièrement des attentats et attaques visant policiers et soldats depuis que l'armée a destitué et arrêté le 3 juillet 2013 le président islamiste élu Mohamed Morsi et réprime dans le sang ses partisans. (Belga)
rtl.be
20/8/15
Egyptian government building hit by car bomb blast..
DeleteA massive car bomb exploded early Thursday near a national security building in a popular residential neighborhood in Cairo, wounding at least six police officers and blowing the facades off nearby buildings, Egyptian security officials said.
There were no immediate reports of deaths from the explosion, which demolished a wall in front of the government building and smashed its structure, leaving gaping holes exposing its offices. For blocks around the blast site in the popular Shubra el-Kheima neighborhood, glass from blown-out windows could be seen on the street.
Ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the scene, flooded with water from broken pipes from what authorities said was a blast from high explosives.
Emergency aid head Ahmed Al Ansari said the six wounded were being evacuated to nearby hospitals. Wrecked cars stood around the building, as Kalashnikov-wielding security forces patrolled the streets and set up roadblocks to ward off hysterical residents.
Inside his ruined clinic next door to the security building, plastic surgeon Gawad Mahoud lamented Egypt’s troubles since the military ousted the country’s first freely elected president, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi.
“We were here painting the office, and then it went off. It was like an earthquake, it blew the doors off and smashed all the windows in,” he said. “The explosion sounded professional, it wasn’t small time.”..............http://www.france24.com/en/20150820-police-officers-wounded-cairo-explosion-car-bomb
20/8/15
France and Britain target traffickers in migrant policing push...
ReplyDeleteBritain and France have announced new measures to prevent undocumented migrants entering the Channel Tunnel, while stepping up joint police operations against the people-smugglers who profit from their desperation to reach the UK.
Both countries will contribute police resources to a shared "command and control" centre in the northern French port city of Calais, Britain's Home Office said in a statement.
The new joint command will "find and disrupt organised criminals who attempt to smuggle migrants into northern France and across the Channel", it said.
For Britain and France, Calais is the focus of a wider migration crisis fuelled by conflict, persecution and poverty that has sent hundreds of thousands out of Syria, Libya and other Middle Eastern and African states.
Tens of thousands of migrants are arriving in Italy and Greece each week, while Germany expects the number of asylum applications to quadruple to a record 800,000 this year, the government said yesterday............http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0820/722429-calais-kos-migrants/
20/8/15
Pyongyang bombarde un poste sud-coréen à la frontière, Séoul riposte ...
ReplyDeleteDes militaires nord-coréens ont tiré en direction de la Corée du Sud, dans la partie ouest de la péninsule, ont rapporté jeudi des médias sud-coréens en citant un responsable militaire du Sud.
Selon les médias, les tirs nord-coréens ont visé vers 16h00 locales (07:00 GMT) un haut-parleur placé du côté sud de la frontière. La Corée du Nord accuse depuis quelque temps le Sud d'avoir repris sa propagande par haut-parleurs en direction du Nord et avait menacé de répliquer. Les tirs n'ont semble-t-il pas fait de dégât
En réponse, La Corée du Sud a tiré des dizaines d'obus jeudi de l'autre côté de la frontière avec la Corée du Nord en représailles à ce qui semblait être une attaque à la roquette de Pyongyang, a annoncé le ministère sud-coréen de la Défense.
"En réponse, notre armée a lancé des dizaines d'obus de 155 mm en direction de l'endroit d'où l'armée nord-coréenne avait tiré à la roquette", a dit le ministère dans un communiqué.
"Nous avons renforcé notre niveau d'alerte et surveillons attentivement les mouvements de l'armée nord-coréenne", ajoute le texte.
On ignorait dans l'immédiat quelle unité sud-coréenne était visée, ou même si des soldats sud-coréens avaient bien été visés, et aucune frappe n'a été signalée en territoire sud-coréen.
Un représentant des autorités locales du comté de Yeoncheon, à une soixantaine de kilomètres au nord de Séoul, a dit à l'AFP que les habitants de plusieurs villages frontaliers avaient reçu l'ordre d'évacuer leur logement et de se mettre aux abris.
rtbf.be
20/8/15
Pope holds Falklands sign urging Argentine-UK talks...
ReplyDeletePope Francis has been photographed in the Vatican holding a sign calling for Argentine-UK talks about the Falkland Islands, called Malvinas in Argentina.
The pontiff is from Argentina. He received the sign from Gustavo Hoyo, leader of a campaign for dialogue on the islands, during a papal audience.
A senior Vatican official told the BBC that Pope Francis "did not know and did not realise what was written on it".
In 1982 UK forces defeated Argentine troops, who had invaded the Falklands.
The war left Argentina and the UK still disputing the islands' sovereignty - but a UN resolution has called for dialogue to reach a settlement.
The sign held by the Pope on Wednesday said: "It's time for dialogue between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands.''............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34002151
20/8/15
North Korea Declares 'Quasi-State of War' with South ...
ReplyDeleteNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has placed his military on high-alert and declared a "quasi-state of war" in frontline areas Friday after North and South Korea exchanged artillery fire near the border.
Following an emergency meeting of the North's central military commission, Mr. Kim said frontline units would "enter a wartime state" starting at 5:00 p.m. local time Friday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Pyongyang has made similar declarations in the past, including during periods of heightened tension in 2010 and 2013. The two countries are technically already in a state of war since the truce that ended their 1950s conflict did not become a peace treaty.
Thursday's violence began when North Korea fired shells at South Korean military positions along the western border. The South responded by launching dozens of 155-millimeter artillery rounds at the North.
Neither side reported damage or casualties from the shells, most of which appeared to fall along the four-kilometer-wide demilitarized zone, or DMZ, separating the two Koreas...............http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-declares-quasi-state-of-war-with-south/2926631.html
21/8/15
Négociations annoncées entre la Corée du Nord et la Corée du Sud...
ReplyDeleteAlors que l'ultimatum nord-coréen doit expirer à 8 h 30 GMT, samedi, des dirigeants des deux Corées doivent se rencontrer dans la journée pour tenter de désarmorcer la situation.
Des hauts responsables de la Corée du Nord et de la Corée du Sud doivent se rencontrer, samedi 22 août, à 9 h 00 GMT, dans le village frontalier de Panmunjon pour tenter d'apaiser les tensions apparues entre les deux pays au cours des derniers jours.
Cette rencontre intervient après une nouvelle escalade verbale entre Nord-Coréens et Sud-Coréens. La Corée du Nord avait menacé son rival d'une "guerre totale" s'il ne cessait pas sur-le-champ ses opérations de propagande.
La rencontre se tiendra dans le village frontalier de Panmunjom. Le Sud sera représenté par son ministre de l'Unification Hong Young-Pyo et le conseiller à la Sécurité nationale Kim Kwan-Jim.....france24.com
22/8/15
Venezuela state under martial law against smugglers...
ReplyDeleteThe Venezuelan president has declared a state of emergency in a border region near Colombia following an attack by smugglers in which three soldiers and a civilian were injured.
Nicolas Maduro said there would be 60 days of martial law in five municipalities of the state of Tachira.
He also said the closure of the border, announced on Thursday, will be extended until further notice.
Petrol and food smugglers have increasingly clashed with officers.
The BBC's Daniel Pardo in Venezuela reports that Mr Maduro said Colombian paramilitary groups regularly travel to Venezuela, generating chaos and shortages in order to destabilise the revolution.
Mr Maduro said an extra 1,500 soldiers had arrived to reinforce the area....BBC
Migrants en Méditerranée - Jusqu'à 3.000 migrants à la dérive sur 18 bateaux, opération de secours mise en place...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Les garde-côtes italiens ont annoncé samedi la mise en place d'une opération visant à secourir jusqu'à 3.000 migrants à la dérive en Méditerranée, au large des côtes libyennes, après avoir reçu des SOS provenant de 18 embarcations.
Au moins sept bâtiments - six italiens et un norvégien - participaient à cette vaste opération de secours des migrants qui se trouvaient à bord de 14 bateaux pneumatiques et quatre autres embarcations, comptant au total entre 2.000 et 3.000 personnes. Plus de 104.000 migrants d'Afrique, du Proche-Orient et d'Asie du Sud ont atteint les ports d'Italie méridionale depuis le début de cette année après avoir été secourus en Méditerranée. Quelque 135.000 autres sont arrivés en Grèce et plus de 2.300 sont morts en mer après avoir tenté de rallier l'Europe grâce à des passeurs. La police de Palerme, en Sicile, a annoncé samedi avoir arrêté six Egyptiens soupçonnés d'avoir été les passeurs de migrants retrouvés à bord d'un bateau surchargé et à la dérive le 19 août. (Belga)
rtl.be
22/8/15
Venezuela extends closure of key border with Colombia...
ReplyDeleteVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro extended indefinitely the closure of a popular border crossing with Colombia, while declaring a 60-day state of emergency in several western cities in an attempt to reassert control in a notoriously lawless where three army officers were shot.
Maduro earlier in the week announced a 72-hour closure of the normally busy crossing in Tachira state and the deployment of hundreds of additional troops in response to the shooting of three army officers— two lieutenants and a captain — while patrolling for smugglers......Reuters...........timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Le leader prokurde Demirtas appelle le PKK à déposer les armes sans condition...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Le leader prokurde de Turquie, Selahattin Demirtas, a demandé samedi aux rebelles du Parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan (PKK) de déposer les armes sans condition, estimant que le pays, en proie à une escalade de la violence, risque une "guerre civile".
Il ne peut y avoir ni de +mais+ ni de +si+: le PKK doit abandonner les armes, les attaques à la bombe dans les villes et dans les montagnes", a déclaré le coprésident du parti démocratique des peuples (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas, devant des journalistes réunis à Izmir. "Pour nous, il n'y a pas d'autre solution possible", a insisté le leader prokurde, convaincu que "la Turquie est confrontée à un risque réel et sérieux de guerre civile". "Il faut que la violence meurtrière cesse tout de suite", a-t-il martelé, expliquant aux rebelles kurdes du PKK que "ce n'est pas en tuant des militaires ou des policiers qu'on demande des comptes pour les fautes et erreurs commises à l'AKP". "Ils sont eux aussi sont les enfants de ce pays, nos enfants", a-t-il fait valoir. Depuis le début de la "guerre contre le terrorisme" lancée par Ankara, plus de 50 soldats de l'armée turque sont morts dans des attaques revendiquées ou attribuées au PKK, dont plus de 800 combattants ont été tués selon l'armée turque..................rtl.be
22/8/15
Top aides to the leaders of North and South Korea were due to resume talks on Sunday after negotiating through the night in a bid to ease tensions that brought the peninsula to the brink of armed conflict....
ReplyDeleteThe meeting at the Panmunjom truce village inside the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) began on Saturday evening, shortly after North Korea's deadline for Seoul to halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts or face military action, and broke before dawn on Sunday.
The envoys held discussions on how to resolve tensions and improve ties, South Korea's presidential Blue House said in a brief statement. The talks were due to resume at 3 p.m. Seoul time (2.00 a.m. EDT).
"Both sides are under big pressure to get something out of this," said Jeon Young-sun, professor at the Institute of the Humanities for Unification at Konkuk University in Seoul, who said the length of the high-level meeting may be unprecedented.
"North Korea wants to stop broadcasts, while South Korea can't do it without achieving anything back."...........reuters.com
Le vice-chancelier allemand veut une "juste" répartition des réfugiés dans l'UE...
ReplyDeleteLe vice-chancelier allemand Sigmar Gabriel a réclamé dimanche dans la presse une politique du droit d'asile dans l'Union européenne unifiée et renforcée. Il s'est aussi prononcé pour une répartition plus juste des réfugiés dans l'UE.
La politique du droit d'asile dans l'Union européenne doit être unifiée et renforcée, et les réfugiés répartis de manière juste entre les pays, a réclamé dimanche 23 août le vice-chancelier allemand Sigmar Gabriel, avec son collègue social-démocrate, le ministre des Affaires étrangères, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Les deux hommes forts du SPD dans le gouvernement d'Angela Merkel déclarent dans une tribune parue dans le quotidien "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" (lien en allemand) qu'"une juste répartition des réfugiés en Europe est nécessaire", évoquant un "devoir de générations".
"Une situation, dans laquelle, comme c'est le cas aujourd'hui, seuls quelques pays membres portent l'entière responsabilité, est aussi peu gérable qu'un système qui pèserait unilatéralement sur les pays qui par hasard forment les frontières extérieures de l'Union européenne", ont insisté Sigmar Gabriel et Frank-Walter Steinmeier.......france24.com
23/8/15
In a signal of the most striking thaw in the Western ties with Iran for over a decade, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond on Sunday reopened the British embassy in Tehran nearly four years since protesters ransacked the elegant ambassadorial residence and burned the Union Jack...
ReplyDeleteThe nuclear deal that the Islamic Republic struck with six major world powers last month has prompted a flurry of European visits - including from German and French ministers - aimed at positioning for the end of Iran’s long economic isolation.
But Britain has operated without an embassy since Iranian protesters stormed its two main diplomatic compounds in Tehran on Nov. 29, 2011. The protesters slashed portraits of British monarchs, torched a car and stole electronic equipment.
Following the storming which Prime Minister David Cameron called a ‘disgrace,’ Britain shut the embassy and expelled Iran’s diplomats from London.
“Our relationship has improved since 2011,” said Hammond, who will be only the second British foreign minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah. The last visit was by Jack Straw in 2003.
“Four years on from an attack on the British Embassy, I am today re-opening it,” Hammond said.
The statement confirms an earlier report by Reuters on Thursday.
Iran reopened its embassy in London on Sunday, reciprocating hours after Britain restored diplomatic ties with Tehran, a Reuters witness said............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/08/23/Britain-to-reopen-ransacked-embassy-in-Tehran.html
23/8/15
Palmyra's Baalshamin temple 'blown up by ISIS'...
ReplyDeleteIslamic State militants have destroyed Palmyra's ancient temple of Baalshamin, Syrian officials and activists say.
Syria's head of antiquities was quoted as saying the temple was blown up on Sunday. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that it happened one month ago.
IS took control of Palmyra in May, sparking fears the group might demolish the Unesco World Heritage site.
The group has destroyed several ancient sites in Iraq.
IS "placed a large quantity of explosives in the temple of Baalshamin today and then blew it up causing much damage to the temple," Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told AFP news agency.....BBC
24/8/15
L'organisation de l'État islamique a fait exploser un célèbre temple dans la ville syrienne antique de Palmyre, a annoncé dimanche le chef des Antiquités. Le bâtiment est en grande partie détruit....
DeleteLes jihadistes de l'organisation de l'État islamique (EI) ont fait exploser le temple de Baalshamin dans la ville antique de Palmyre, dans l'est de la Syrie, a affirmé dimanche 23 août à l'AFP le directeur des Antiquités et des musées de Syrie.
"Daech (acronyme en arabe de l'EI) a placé aujourd'hui une grande quantité d'explosifs dans le temple de Baalshamin avant de le faire exploser. Le bâtiment est grande partie détruit", a indiqué Maamoun Abdulkarim.
france24.com Avec AFP
Lebanon protest postponed after Beirut clashes, organizers say...
ReplyDeleteLebanese protesters said they had postponed a demonstration set for Monday evening, after rallies a day earlier triggered clashes with security forces in Beirut.
Organizers of the "You Stink" campaign against a garbage disposal crisis said on their Facebook page they would hold a news conference later in the day to explain their decision......reuters.com
China: Börsen in Ostasien ziehen Dax runter...
ReplyDeleteOstasiens Börsen gaben den Takt vor: Nachdem sie auf breiter Front eingebrochen waren, fiel auch der Dax zu Handelsbeginn unter die 10.000-Punkte-Marke.
Der anhaltende Kurseinbruch der Börsen in Asien hat den Deutschen Aktienindex unter die Marke von 10.000 Punkten gedrückt. Der deutsche Leitindex sackte am Morgen in den ersten Minuten nach Handelsbeginn um 3,24 Prozent auf 9796,37 Punkte ab. Zuletzt war er im Januar vierstellig.
Die chinesischen Börsen waren ungeachtet massiver staatlicher Interventionen auf den niedrigsten Stand seit vergangenem Dezember gefallen. Grund sind die Sorgen vor einem weiteren Einbruch der Wirtschaft. Der wichtige Shanghai Component Index und der Shenzhen Component Index fielen eine halbe Stunde nach Öffnung der Märkte um mehr als sieben Prozent. Der ChiNext für Technologiewerte, der dem Nasdaq in den USA ähnelt, lag um 7,67 Prozent niedriger.
Auch in Hongkong fielen die Kurse um 4,64 Prozent, im benachbarten Taiwan stürzte die Börse von Taipeh um 7,46 Prozent ab. Die Sorge über das verlangsamte Wirtschaftswachstum in China lastet auch auf dem japanischen Aktienmarkt. In Tokio fiel der Nikkei-Index erstmals seit fünf Monaten unter die psychologisch wichtige Marke von 19.000 Punkten..............http://www.zeit.de/wirtschaft/boerse/2015-08/china-asien-boersen-einbruch
24/8/15
China stocks plunge rattles Asian markets...
ReplyDeleteChina market plummets more than eight percent on the back of last week's losses of 11 percent, as Asian markets tumble.
Chinese shares plummeted more than eight percent within an hour of trade on Monday in the face of a global sell-off, despite Beijing authorising its state pension fund to invest in stocks in its latest attempt to shore up markets.
The plunge in China's equities followed last week's losses of 11 percent, and hammered stock prices across Asia, as fears grew that a slowdown in China could send the rest of the world into a recession.............http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/08/china-stocks-meltdown-asian-markets-spooked-150824022052500.html
24/8/15
German, French leaders to meet with Ukrainian president in Berlin...
ReplyDeleteAgainst the backdrop of new tensions in Donbass, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will on Monday receive French President Francois Hollande and they will later be joined by Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko, the German government reported.
The meeting is to be followed by a news conference.
According to German government spokeswoman Christiane Wirtz, this should be not be interpreted as a change of the Normandy format (Russia, France, Germany, Ukraine).
"The meeting will be held in a trilateral format, but it does not mean establishment of a new form of dialogue," Wirtz said.......http://tass.ru/en/world/815968
24/8/15
S. Korea Says Won’t End Broadcasts without ’Clear’ N. Korea Apology...
ReplyDeleteSouth Korean President Park Geun-Hye said Monday that Seoul would not switch off propaganda broadcasts unless North Korea offers a "clear apology" for what her government sees as a series of provocations.
Park's demand came as the two Koreas were locked in high-level talks on ending a military standoff that has threatened to boil over into armed conflict.....AFP...almanar.com.lb
Asian shares tumbled on Tuesday morning after a meltdown in Chinese stocks sparked a global equities rout and fuelled mounting fears over the outlook for the world economy...
ReplyDeleteShanghai stocks tumbled 6.41 percent at the open, extending the previous day’s plunge on mounting worries over China’s faltering economy and its impact on global growth.
The dollar was weak against other currencies and oil prices remained in the doldrums after finishing Monday below $40 a barrel for the first time in six years, as financial markets sold off around the world.
Tokyo fell 4.13 percent in early trade, following a bruising session overnight that saw US stocks fall the most since the height of the financial crisis and European equities slump.
Hong Kong opened 0.67 percent lower, after closing at a fresh 15-month low on Monday, while Seoul was trading flat in early deals.
Sydney dropped sharply at the open before recovering to stand 1.52 percent higher by mid-morning.
“The world’s capital markets are in meltdown, and investors are asking what can stop the panic,” said IG Markets’ chief market strategist Chris Weston............france24.com
Court orders Russia to pay compensation for Greenpeace ship seizure...
ReplyDeleteA court in the Netherlands has ordered Russia to pay compensation for seizing the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise during a protest against an offshore oil platform two years ago.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration, which resolves disputes between states, said the decision was taken unanimously on Aug. 14, but it was not published until late Monday.
It found that by arresting and seizing the Arctic Sunrise and its crew of 30, without the consent of the Netherlands, Russia had breached its legal obligations.............reuters.com
25/8/15
Three people were killed and four injured in a shooting at a Roma camp in northern France’s Roye city on Tuesday afternoon, according to local police...
ReplyDeleteThe shooting claimed the lives of a child, a woman and a man, police said, while those wounded included a child, two gendarmes and the shooter.
The circumstances of the deadly assault are yet to be established. Numerous troops are reported on their way to the site of the shooting.
China shares fail to lift on the central bank's rate cut...
ReplyDeleteChinese shares continued to lose ground despite the central bank's latest effort to reassure traders.
The mainland's benchmark Shanghai Composite was down 1.1% to 2,930.23 points after a volatile open earlier.
The index had already fallen about 16% this week, sending shockwaves through global markets.
The dramatic losses and volatility in China has shattered investor confidence and led to sharp falls in Asia and the US over the past days.
On Tuesday, China's central bank cut its key lending rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.6% in an effort to calm stock markets after the past days' turmoil.
It is the fifth interest rate cut by the People's Bank of China since November last year.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fared only slightly better than the mainland, shedding 0.3% to 21,328.55 points........BBC
26/8/15
La Bourse de Shanghai ouvre en légère hausse après les mesures de relance...
ReplyDelete(Belga) La Bourse de Shanghai a ouvert en petite hausse de 0,53% mercredi, soutenue par la nouvelle baisse des taux d'intérêt décidée par la banque centrale chinoise après deux jours de débâcle.
L'indice composite gagnait 15,82 points, à 2.980,79 points, dans les premiers échanges. De son côté, la Bourse de Shenzhen perdait 0,17%, soit 2,99 points, à 1.746,08 points. "Le sentiment de panique du marché s'est atténué", a dit à l'AFP Zhang Yanbing, analyste chez Zheshang Securities..............rtl.be
Kurdish forces attacked Islamic State insurgents in a cluster of villages in Iraq's northern province of Kirkuk on Wednesday, bent on securing territory they have gained in the course of rolling back the jihadists since last summer...
ReplyDeleteThe assault began overnight south of Daquq, a town about 175 km (108 miles) north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad. The front line between the regional Kurdish peshmerga forces and Islamic State in northern Iraq has hardly budged for months.
The Kurds already control most of the territory they claim as their own, and have little incentive to push further into predominantly Sunni Muslim Arab towns and villages.
By mid-morning, Islamic State militants had been routed from the village of Albu Najm, according to a source within the peshmerga forces. Fighting continued in another village nearby, he said.
A Kurdish officer with the rank of captain was killed by an improvised explosive device, a source in the Kirkuk morgue said.
The peshmerga have emerged as an important partner for the United States in its aerial campaign against Islamic State.............reuters.com
26/8/15
Journalists shot dead live on on air in Virginia...
ReplyDeleteTwo US journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in the state of Virginia, their employer has confirmed.
WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed during an interview in Moneta, Bedford County, the TV station said.
During the live broadcast, shots could be heard, sending the reporter and the woman she was interviewing running.
Police say they are investigating the incident and still searching for the suspect.....BBC
USA: deux journalistes abattus pendant un direct en Virginie...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Une reporter et un caméraman d'une chaîne de télévision locale en Virginie (est des Etats-Unis) ont été abattus lors d'un direct mercredi matin, selon les images de l'incident et l'employeur.
La police recherchait activement le tireur mercredi matin. Sur les images filmées par le caméraman de WDBJ7-TV avant d'être tué, on entend d'abord des coups de feu, la caméra tombe ensuite au sol et filme les jambes du tireur qui abat hors champ la journaliste dont on entend seulement les cris. Les victimes ont été identifiés par le directeur général de la chaîne, Jeffrey Marks, comme étant Alison Parker et Adam Ward. "Nous avons établi grâce à l'aide de la police et de nos propres employés qu'Alison et Adam sont décédés ce matin peu après 06H45 quand les tirs ont été entendus", a déclaré Jeffrey Marks sur CNN. "Nous ignorons les motifs, nous ignorons qui est le suspect, ou le tueur", a-t-il poursuivi, disant s'être entretenu peu avant avec la police du conté de Franklin County. Le tireur est toujours recherché. Alison Parker avait décidé de fêter son dernier jour dans cette émission matinale, selon l'employeur. "Alison avait apporté des ballons. C'était sa dernière matinale et nous fêtions ça", selon son employeur. (Belga)
rtl.be
26/8/15
EU plant Hilfsprogramm im Westbalkan...
ReplyDeleteAngesichts der Flüchtlingskrise will die EU-Kommission die betroffenen Länder laut einem Bericht mit einem neuen Hilfsprogramm stärker unterstützen. Ab September sollten die Staaten des Westbalkans und die Türkei acht Millionen Euro erhalten, um Flüchtlinge besser identifizieren und versorgen zu können, berichtete die Welt am Donnerstag unter Berufung auf informierte Kommissions-Kreise.
Außerdem solle den betroffenen Ländern mit dem neuen Programm geholfen werden, irregulären Migranten Rückkehrmöglichkeiten anzubieten und den Informationsaustausch untereinander zu verbessern, heißt es dem Bericht zufolge in einem Papier der Kommissionsbehörde. Die Maßnahmen sollen in enger Abstimmung mit dem Flüchtlingshochkommissariat der Vereinten Nationen (UNHCR), der EU-Grenzschutzbehörde Frontex und der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM) erfolgen.............http://kurier.at
27/8/15
Two-day ceasefire in three Syrian towns begins...
ReplyDeleteSyrian insurgents, the Syrian army and Lebanese group Hezbollah agreed on a 48-hour ceasefire in the rebel-held town of Zabadani near Lebanon's border and two Shi'ite villages in Idlib province, sources close to negotiations on both sides said.
The ceasefire would begin Thursday at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT), the two sources said.
A similar ceasefire this month in the same areas, organised with help from Iran and Turkey, broke down even after a brief extension, and fighting has raged since.
A fighter on the side of government forces in Zabadani said clashes had intensified prior to the latest planned ceasefire.
The previous ceasefire, which began Aug. 12, was intended to give a chance for negotiations aimed at a more lasting cessation of hostilities in both areas.
Iran and Turkey back the Syrian government and insurgents, respectively............alarabiya.net
27/8/15
Israeli Fighter Jet Strikes Gaza Overnight...
ReplyDelete....There were no reports of casualties in either attack, but the Zionist entity always claim that it targets military facilities in Gaza despite reports on scores of civilians killed in the attacks......almanar.com.lb
27/8/15
Plusieurs dizaines de migrants ont été retrouvés morts à l'intérieur d'un camion en Autriche, a annoncé la police. Les premiers éléments de l'enquête laissent penser qu'ils sont morts d'asphyxie...
ReplyDeletePlusieurs dizaines de migrants ont été retrouvés morts, jeudi 27 août, à l’intérieur d’un camion dans l’est de l’Autriche, au niveau de la ville de Parndorf, près de la frontière hongroise. Les autorités n'ont pas précisé le nombre de victimes, évoquant un chiffre entre 20 et 50. Les premières indications laissent penser qu’ils sont morts d’asphyxie.
Les policiers ont découvert jeudi en fin de matinée le camion de 7,5 tonnes, immatriculé en Hongrie, a expliqué le chef de la police de la région du Burgenland, dans une interview à la télévision publique. Il était probablement stationné sur le bord de la route depuis la veille. Le conducteur est toujours recherchés par la police......france24.com
27/8/15
L'un des plus vieux bidonvilles rom de France en cours d'évacuation...
ReplyDeleteL'évacuation du Samaritain, l'un des plus vieux bidonvilles rom de France, où logent quelque 80 familles pour certaines depuis 2008, a débuté peu après 13 heures à La Courneuve, a annoncé à l'AFP la préfecture de Seine-Saint-Denis.
"Ca vient de commencer, deux unités de forces mobiles sont déployées", a déclaré le directeur de cabinet du préfet, précisant que le diagnostic social, étape préalable obligatoire à toute expulsion, était "achevé"..........rtl.be
27/8/15
Amidst territorial disputes between Beijing and Tokyo, the Chinese military has conducted live-fire air and sea drills in the East China Sea on Thursday...
ReplyDeleteWithout stating the precise coordinates, state news agency Xinhua reports that the drills involved over 100 ships and dozens of aircraft. Nearly 100 missiles were fired, and the exercises also utilized information warfare units.
The Japanese and Chinese governments are currently disputing ownership of a series of small islands in the region.
The exercises also come amidst a push by the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to expand his country’s military role abroad. Nationwide protests have erupted in Japan against a series of legislative proposals aimed at reversing the nation’s longstanding pacifist constitution.
These policy changes come partially in response to pressure from the United States, which has pushed Japan to play a stronger role in countering what it sees as Chinese aggression.............http://sptnkne.ws/DPX
27/8/15
Tokyo protests Beijing editorial calling for Emperor to apologize over wartime actions...
ReplyDeleteTokyo has sent a message of protest to Beijing over an editorial by China’s official news agency that demanded an apology from Emperor Akihito over Japan’s wartime actions in the country, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday.............japantimes.co.jp
28/8/15
At Least 3 Dead, 22 Injured in Pakistan Shelling on India Border...
ReplyDeleteAt least three people were killed and over 20 others injured in heavy shelling by Pakistani troops in India-administered border region of Jammu and Kashmir, local media reported Friday, citing officials..........http://sptnkne.ws/DSU
28/8/15
Ten years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, killing 1,800 people and destroying 100,000 homes – President Barack Obama hailed the southern U.S. city’s revival...
ReplyDelete“You are an example of what is possible when, in the face of tragedy and in the face of hardship, good people come together to lend a hand. And brick by brick, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, you build a better future," Obama said.
In a speech at a newly built community center in the city’s Lower Ninth Ward that was badly hit by the hurricane, the president highlighted New Orleans’ recovery and “remarkable progress” after suffering massive flooding.
“The project of rebuilding here wasn't simply to restore the city as it had been, it was to build a city as it should be,” he told a crowd of 600. “A city where everyone, no matter who they are or what they look like or how much money they've got, has an opportunity to make it."
The president began his remarks marking the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by noting the fast, steady and strong recovery of the U.S. economy.
Obama said despite a volatile few weeks around the world with the swing in global stock markets, “the United States of America, for all the challenges we still have, we continue to have the best cards – we just have to play them right.”......http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-speak-to-new-orleans-recovery-after-katrina/2934398.html
27/8/15
Tropical Storm Erika kills at least 20 in Dominica...
ReplyDeleteA tropical storm heading across the Caribbean has killed at least 20 people on the island of Dominica, with dozens more missing.
Tropical Storm Erika hit Dominica, in the eastern Caribbean, causing floods and mudslides that have set the country back 20 years, its prime minister said.
Haiti and the Dominican Republic are now expecting 53mph (85km/h) winds.
A state of emergency has been declared in the US state of Florida, where the storm is expected on Sunday.
Dominica's Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said in a televised address late on Friday that hundreds of homes, bridges and roads had been destroyed.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-34091475
29/8/15
Ex-responsable US: "400 personnes contrôlent les Etats-Unis"...
ReplyDeleteL'ancien chef de cabinet de Colin Powell affirme que seuls 0,001% des Américains ont un pouvoir politique réel dans le pays.
La politique des Etats-Unis est définie par un groupe de 400 personnes, dont la fortune dépasse plusieurs milliards de dollars, a annoncé Lawrence Wilkerson, ancien chef de cabinet de l'ex-secrétaire d'Etat Colin Powell, dans une interview accordée à la station de radio lettonne Baltkom.
"Ce sont des oligarques qui contrôlent les processus et gouvernent le pays en coulisses", a-t-il fait remarquer.
"Il s'agit de près de 400 personnes aux Etats-Unis, dont la fortune dépasse plusieurs milliards de dollars. C'est une répartition très injuste, indécente. L'inégalité est énorme. Le pouvoir n'est réellement détenu que par 0,001% de la population US", a ajouté l'ancien chef de cabinet de Colin Powell entre 2002 et 2005l.
Evoquant la politique internationale, Lawrence Wilkerson a souligné que les actions extérieures de Washington ont abouti à des résultats catastrophiques, notamment au Proche-Orient.
"L'intervention de l'armée US en Irak en 2003 a détruit l'équilibre des puissances qui a existé dans le golfe Persique pendant plus de 50 ans. La situation instable d'aujourd'hui est le résultat des actions des Etats-Unis", a-t-il conclu.
http://sptnkne.ws/EgP
29/8/15
L'Etat islamique détruit un autre temple de la cité antique de Palmyre ...
ReplyDeleteLe groupe Etat islamique a détruit une partie du temple de Bel, un des monuments romains emblématiques de la ville syrienne de Palmyre, rapporte dimanche l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'homme (OSDH).
L'OSDH, qui cite des sources sur place, précise qu'il ne connaît pas encore l'ampleur des dégâts infligés à ce temple dédié au dieu Soleil, qui était dans un état de conservation remarquable.
Le groupe djihadiste, qui s'est emparé de Palmyre il y a trois mois, a déjà détruit ce mois-ci un autre édifice du site antique, le petit temple de Baalshamine.
rtbf.be
Nazi 'gold train' found in Poland could be claimed by Russia...
ReplyDeleteTreasure contained in a long-lost Nazi ghost train could be claimed by Russia. A Russian lawyer has said that the Kremlin could lay claim to the valuables as compensation for the country's losses in the Second World War.
The so-called 'Nazi gold train' has been reportedly found in Poland. Rumours had swirled around the town of Walbrzych for years that a train filled with gold had been abandoned during the Nazi era and was lying undiscovered nearby.
An apparent death-bed confession finally lead to its supposed location being pin-pointed. Government officials say that they are now "more than 99 per cent certain the train exists."
The train is thought to contain the 'Amber room' - an ornate chamber made of amber pearls thought to be worth £250m. It was stolen by German troops from a palace near St Petersburg during the war.
Speaking to Sputnik, lawyer Mikhail Joffe said: "Representatives of Russia should undoubtedly be involved in determining the value of the items discovered if the train is located.
"In this case, Poland is obliged to engage international experts to clarify what is in the cargo. If the property has been taken away from territory, including the USSR, then the cargo, in accordance with international law, must be passed to the Russian side."
However, Polish officials disagree. Vice minister for Conservation, Piotr Zuchowski, told local media: "The analysis we have conducted with our lawyers quite clearly states that if the train is found it will be owned by the State Treasury."
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
31/8/15
Ukraine crisis: Deadly anti-autonomy protest outside parliament...
ReplyDeleteOne national guard member has been killed and about 100 injured outside Ukraine's parliament, after MPs gave initial backing to reforms for more autonomy in the rebel-held east.
National guardsmen were pelted with fire crackers and petrol bombs as explosions were heard.
MPs had just voted in a rowdy session to approve more powers in areas of Donetsk and Luhansk under control of pro-Russian rebels.
A fragile ceasefire is in place.
Pushing through greater autonomy for the rebel-held areas is a key part of the Minsk deal, originally signed in February.
During the summer fighting between Ukrainian army forces and the rebels has escalated. But the two sides agreed last week to halt the violence on 1 September, the day children in the region return to school.......BBC
31/8/15
Clashes broke out between police and nationalist protesters outside the Ukrainian parliament on Monday after a controversial vote to give greater powers to separatist regions in the east...
ReplyDeleteAbout 100 law enforcement officers were injured, 10 of them seriously, the Interior Ministry said.
At least some of the officers were injured in the explosion of an object thrown from the crowd of protesters. It was not immediately clear what was thrown, but photographs and video showed it emitting a trail of smoke.
No injuries were immediately reported among the approximately 100 active protesters, most of whom were members of Svoboda, a nationalist party that holds only a handful of seats in parliament..........voanews.com
31/8/15