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"The demand for Assad’s resignation as a precondition for the struggle
against terrorism is completely unrealistic and counterproductive,"
Lavrov said at the International State Institute of International
Relations (MGIMO) in Moscow on Tuesday......................Lavrov: Assad is legitimate leader despite West’s claims
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Russian warplanes have conducted their first air strikes in Syria, Russia’s defense ministry said adding that the jets targeted Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, according to AFP...
ReplyDeleteRussian fighter jets carried out 20 flights in Syria, striking “eight Islamic State (ISIS) targets” including a command post held by the militant group, the Russian defense ministry said.
“The targets, notably a command center of the terrorists, were completely destroyed,” the ministry said in a statement.
Defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, quoted by Russian news agencies, added: “All the strikes took place following information provided by the Syrian government.”
The ministry also published a video of the air strikes which appeared to show three targets being hit. It said “munitions and weapons depots and military equipment” were also destroyed in Wednesday’s raids....alarabiya.net
30/9/15
Abbas: Palestinians No Longer Bound by Agreements With Israel ...
ReplyDeletePalestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas told the United Nations Wednesday that Palestine is no longer bound by its two-decade-old Oslo peace agreements with Israel, calling on the world body to provide international protection for Palestinians.
He accused the Jewish state of refusing to release Palestinian prisoners while creating new Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It was his most pointed warning yet that he might end engagement with Israel, but he said nothing about coordination between Palestinian security forces and Israeli troops in the West Bank against their shared enemy, the Islamic militant group Hamas.
The Abbas speech drew an immediate rebuke from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader said it was "deceitful and encourages incitement and destruction in the Middle East."
Netanyahu called on the Palestinian leader to "act responsibly" and engage in peace talks without preconditions.
‘An occupying force’
Abbas told the U.N. that Palestinians could not continue to honor the 1993 peace accord and "Israel must assume fully all its responsibilities as an occupying force."..........http://www.voanews.com/content/abbas-ppalestinians-no-longer-bound-by-agreements-with-israel/2985869.html
Kremlin says that assertions that Moscow presumably demanded from other counties to clear the skies over Syria when Russian aircraft launched its first air strikes there are out of place....
ReplyDelete"The assertions that [Russia] demanded from the United States something are absolutely out of place," Peskov said. "Certainly, these demands are not mentioned but the fact that the U.S. and its allies forming a coalition aimed to battle the ISIL [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the former name of Islamic State - eds. TASS] are part of an information impact."
When asked why Russia made such a swift response in Syria, Peskov replied: "But IS is not waiting," so this required "energetic and timely measures."
Peskov refuted certain media reports that Russia had informed other nations an hour before the launch of the operation.
"You have been misinformed," he said without specifying the time when the U.S. and other countries were notified.
The possible deadlines for Russian Air Force’s operation in Syria
Kremlin has refrained from specifying the possible deadlines for Russian Air Force’s operation in Syria as it is linked to the Syrian army’s ground assault.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin’s stance made public earlier on Wednesday implied "temporary support to the Syrian Armed Forces."
"I cannot say it," he replied when asked about deadlines for the military operation.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Federation Council empowered the Russian president to use Russian military outside the national territory. As the chief of the presidential staff Sergey Ivanov explained, the air operation was to be launched against the Islamic State in Syria at the request of Syria’s president Bashar Assad. Earlier, Vladimir Putin said that Russia would not be involved in operations on the ground.
http://tass.ru/en/politics/825099
Syria crisis: Russia and US military to hold talks on air strikes...
ReplyDeleteThe US and Russian military will hold talks "as soon as possible" to avoid clashing in Syria, the countries' top diplomats say.
Russian defence officials say their aircraft carried out about 20 missions against the so-called Islamic State group (IS) on Wednesday.
But the US expressed fears the targets were non-IS opponents of Russia's ally, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
The US is targeting IS with air strikes in both Syria and Iraq.
Nato said there had been little co-ordination by Russia with US-led forces against IS, also known as Isil. The US says it was informed of Wednesday's air strikes only an hour before they took place.
The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report that US-backed rebels were targeted by Russia...........BBC
1/10/15
Afghan forces retake much of Kunduz from Taliban: officials...
ReplyDeleteAfghan officials said government troops had recaptured much of the strategic northern city of Kunduz from Taliban insurgents early on Thursday, three days after losing control of the provincial capital in an embarrassing defeat for Kabul and its U.S. allies.
Details of the overnight counter-offensive and which areas were back under government control were not immediately clear.
Afghan forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, had been struggling for two days to retake the city, after it became the first provincial capital to fall in to Taliban hands since 2001.
"Afghan security forces got control of Kunduz city from Taliban overnight after heavy fighting," Hamdullah Danishi, acting governor of Kunduz, told Reuters by telephone......REUTERS
Swiss Foreign Ministry calls for Syrian government participation to solve conflict...
ReplyDeleteThe conflict in Syria should be resolved with the participation of the Syrian government, Switzerland’s Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter said on Wednesday speaking at the 70th session of the UN General Assembly.
"The only path that will lead to peace is the path of a broad dialogue with the participation of the Syrian government aimed at identifying the parameters of the controlled transition period," he said. It is possible to achieve a long-term solution only if "all parties are sincerely working for peace." "All regional and international players share equal responsibility with regard to stabilization in Syria: they must sit down at the table and talk [with each other]," the minister said urging to abandon "maximalist positions" and to "seek compromise.".............http://tass.ru/en/world/825149
1/10/15
Trois élus français viennent tout juste de rentrer de Syrie, où ils ont rencontré des représentants du régime....
ReplyDeleteUne visite en opposition avec la politique de Paris. Les envoyés spéciaux de France 24 les ont suivis. Reportage.
La Syrie est au cœur des discussions de la communauté internationale depuis une semaine. Une question notamment est sur toutes les lèvres : peut-on résoudre le conflit syrien sans Bachar al-Assad ? Trois députés français n’ont toutefois pas attendu la réponse pour prendre le chemin de Damas. Gérard Bapt (PS), Christian Hutin (MRC, apparenté PS) et Jérôme Lambert (RRDP, ex-socialiste) étaient en Syrie du 26 au 30 septembre.
Ce n’est pas la première fois que des élus français se rendent dans le pays en guerre depuis la rupture des relations diplomatiques avec Paris : en février dernier, quatre parlementaires, dont Gérard Bapt déjà, s’étaient déjà rendus à Damas lors d’un déplacement qui avait défrayé la chronique. À la différence du premier voyage, ils appartiennent, cette fois, tous à la majorité au pouvoir en France...........france24.com
John McCain accuse les Russes d’avoir ciblé des rebelles syriens formés par la CIA...
ReplyDeleteLe sénateur américain, John McCain, a accusé la Russie d'avoir visé des rebelles syriens entraînés et financés par la CIA pour combattre l'organisation de l'État islamique, et non des jihadistes, comme l'assure Moscou.
Deux jours après l’entrée en scène militaire de Moscou dans le conflit syrien, des doutes et des critiques subsistent, jeudi 1er octobre. Interrogé par la chaîne CNN, le sénateur américain John McCain, figure respectée du camp républicain qui contrôle le Congrès, a accusé le Kremlin d’avoir visé des rebelles "armés et entraînés" par la CIA.
"Je peux absolument confirmer que ces frappes visaient l'Armée syrienne libre ou des groupes qui ont été armés et entraînés par la CIA", et non pas l’organisation de l’État islamique (EI), que les Russes, plus proches alliés du régime syrien, prétendent viser. Des sources de sécurité syrienne affirment d'ailleurs que des positions terroristes ont été visées à Hama, Homs et Lattaquié,où l'EI n’opère pas. Le secrétaire américain à la Défense, Ashton Carter, a en outre déclaré que les raids aériens russes avaient visé des zones où il n'y avait "probablement" pas de jihadistes de l'EI.........france24.com
1/10/15
At least 11 people have died after a US Hercules aircraft crashed at an airport in Afghanistan, the US military says.
ReplyDeleteThe C-130 plane crashed at around midnight local time (19:30 GMT Thursday) at Jalalabad airport.
US Army Colonel Brian Tribus told AFP that six of those killed worked for the US military, while the others were civilian contractors.
The C-130 is a military aircraft primarily used to carry troops and heavy cargo.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Twitter that the group shot down the plane, but agencies reported there was no indication of any such attack.
The US military says it is now investigating the cause of the accident.
The crash comes as US planes worked alongside Afghan forces to try and recapture the northern city of Kunduz from the Taliban.....BBC
U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday slammed Congress for failing to pass stricter gun control laws after an Oregon college campus shooting left at least 10 people dead....
ReplyDeleteLamenting that mass shootings had become "routine" in the United States, Obama said just as his televised condolence had become routine, so had reaction from politicians and opponents of stricter gun laws.
"Someone will comment and say, 'Obama politicized this issue,'" said Obama in his 15th statement on mass shootings since taking office. "This is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together, to the body politic."
"We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction," Obama added................http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-10/02/content_36731027.htm
2/10/15
Pentagon officials urged the Russian military on Thursday to focus its airstrikes in Syria on Islamic State fighters rather than opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad, US administration officials said....
ReplyDelete"What is important is Russia has to not be engaged in any activities against anybody but ISIL," Secretary of State John Kerry said. "That's clear. We have made that very clear."
Tensions between the US and Russia are escalating over Russian airstrikes that apparently are serving to strengthen Assad by targeting rebels - perhaps including some aligned with the US - rather than hitting Islamic State fighters it promised to attack.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest described Russia's air operations, which began Monday, as "indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition." Elissa Slotkin, who represented the US side in Thursday's talks, said as much during the hour-long videoconference call, according to Earnest. Slotkin is the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
"She pointed out that the Russian military operations we've seen so far raise some concerns, because Russia is targeting areas where there are few if any ISIL forces operating," Earnest said, using an Islamic State acronym...........http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
2/10/15
Hollande, Putin to meet amid rising tensions over Russian air strikes in Syria...
ReplyDeleteAs the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine meet in Paris Friday to discuss Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart François Hollande will hold private talks amid mounting tensions over Russian strikes in Syria.
The main summit, scheduled to negotiate a fragile peace deal in Ukraine, has been overshadowed by a refugee crisis spurred by the war in Syria and Russia’s dramatic military intervention there.
Putin and Hollande’s tête à tête comes a day after Russia released a new wave of bombings in Syria, saying it had hit five targets belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group, also known as ISIS or ISIL. US officials, however, believe that Moscow’s main objective is to prop up its ally President Bashar al-Assad.
A US-led coalition has been targeting IS for about a year and is carrying out near-daily airstrikes in Syria, but the Pentagon worries any run-in with Russian planes could spark a major international incident.
Turkey and its partners in the US-led coalition issued a joint statement on Friday expressing their anxiety over Russia’s air strikes...........france24.com
2/10/15
President Vladimir Putin comes face to face with Western leaders on Friday (Oct 2) for the first time since Moscow launched air strikes in Syria amid a growing rift over whom they are targeting...
DeletePutin will be in Paris for a peace summit on the Ukraine conflict, but Russia's sudden intervention in Syria looks set to dominate as he holds talks with French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Russia insists it is bombing Islamic State militants and other groups, but Western nations are highly sceptical and believe it is trying to shore up Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's long-time ally. The Russian air strikes will last for three to four months and will increase in intensity, a Putin ally and senior lawmaker warned Friday...............AFP
USA und Russland beraten über Syrien ...."Eine Art Unfall am Himmel vermeiden" ...
ReplyDeleteRussland und die USA wollen bei ihren Einsätzen in Syrien "eine Art Unfall am Himmel vermeiden". Deshalb haben sie nun Gespräche auf militärischer Ebene geführt. Moskau wies Vorwürfe zurück, es unterstütze mit seinen Luftangriffen den syrischen Präsidenten.
Um Missverständnisse ihrer Streitkräfte in Syrien zu vermeiden, haben sich die USA und Russland auf militärischer Ebene abgesprochen. Es habe einen "freundlichen und professionellen Austausch" gegeben, sagte Pentagonsprecher Peter Cook. Nach Angaben des Weißen Hauses drehte sich das einstündige Gespräch darum, dass in dem Krieg internationale Regeln eingehalten und die üblichen Kommunikationskanäle genutzt würden.
Der Austausch von Geheimdienst-Informationen sei aber nicht geplant, sagte Cook. Ziel sei, "eine Art von Unfall am Himmel" zu vermeiden. "Das bedeutet nicht, dass wir dulden, was Russland getan hat." Präsident Barack Obamas Sprecher Josh Earnest warnte zugleich vor "willkürlichen" Angriffen, die den Krieg verlängern und Moskau tiefer in den Konflikt hineinziehen könnten..........http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/syrien-russland-luftangriffe-usa-101.html
A passenger plane carrying 10 people on a domestic flight is missing in eastern Indonesia, an official said Friday...
ReplyDeleteTransportation Ministry spokesman Julius Barata said the DHC-6 Twin Otter plane lost contact while on a flight in South Sulawesi province.
He said the plane lost radio contact about 30 minutes before it was expected to land in Makassar, the provincial capital.
It was carrying three crew and seven passengers, including three children, from Masamba in the same province.
A rescue team has been sent to search for the plane, owned by the private Aviastar Mandiri airline...........http://www.voanews.com/content/plane-with-10-aboard-missing-in-indonesia/2988627.html
Ukraine rebels have powerful new Russian-made rockets - OSCE...
ReplyDeleteInternational monitors say they have found a new type of Russian-made rocket system in rebel-held eastern Ukraine.
The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) spotted the powerful TOS-1 Buratino multiple rocket launcher in Luhansk.
Meanwhile, the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France discussed peace efforts in Ukraine, with Paris saying the pullout of light weapons would start on Saturday.
Moscow denies arming the rebels.......BBC
Fresh calls to tighten US gun controls after mass shooting...
ReplyDeleteThere are calls for new measures to tighten gun controls in the United States following the latest mass shooting.
Nine people were killed when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer opened fire inside a classroom at an Oregon Community College yesterday.
The gunman, who shot dead an English professor and eight others, was identified as a student in the class who previously had been turned away from a private firearms training academy.
A day after the rampage at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg authorities sought a motive for the bloodiest US mass shooting among the dozens reported over the past two years.
As further details of the Roseburg shooting emerged, a former girlfriend of one of the wounded survivors, a US military veteran, revealed that his heroism in confronting the shooter may have saved others from being killed..........http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1003/732123-us-shooting/
3/10/15
Erdogan: Russian bombs in Syria hit moderate opposition...
ReplyDeleteTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Russian airstrikes in Syria have targeted moderate opposition forces, not Daesh.
Erdogan made the remarks in a televised interview with Al-Jazeera late on Friday.
Russia began airstrikes on Wednesday to bolster the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Moscow insists the strikes are targeting Daesh and affiliated terrorist groups, but Western countries and their Gulf allies believe moderate opponents of Assad and civilians are bearing the brunt of Russian bombing.
Erdogan said: "We learned that 65 people died during the ongoing Russian operations. Where? Around Hama, Homs and Aleppo. It is too significant. Because Russia expressed [to] our embassy in a written statement that it will struggle against Daesh here.
“But, it [Russia] did not make this against Daesh; literally it made this against moderate opposition, which has been resisting the regime. Civilians were killed. They ignore the killing of civilians."..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/guncel/erdogan-russian-bombs-in-syria-hit-moderate-opposition/408649
3/10/15
Syrian opposition, rebel groups united against U.N. Syria plan...
ReplyDeleteA U.N. plan towards ending the civil war in Syria would not work in its current form, Syria's western-backed opposition and rebel groups said in a rare show of unity on Saturday, a day after the government said it was ready to take part in the initiative.
In July, U.N. special envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura unveiled the idea of inviting warring parties to form four U.N.-led working groups on how to implement a roadmap to peace, since the groups were not ready to hold formal peace talks.
In a rare instance of the coalition's political and military components finding agreement, the statement was signed by the political offices of powerful Islamist factions such as Ahrar Al Sham and those backed by the United States, such as Division 101.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Friday that President Bashar Assad's government was ready to participate in de Mistura's initiative, although he said any outcome would be non-binding..............Reuters
3/10/15
MSF hospital: US condemned over 'horrific bombing' in Afghanistan ...
ReplyDeleteMédecins Sans Frontières says up to 20 staff killed in airstrikes that allegedly continued after alarm was raised with US.
The United States has been condemned for launching an airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital in Afghanistan that is believed to have killed up to 20 people.
The hospital was hit during an aerial bombardment on Saturday morning in the besieged city of Kunduz, destroying a large portion of the facility. An MSF source told the Guardian that up to 20 Afghan members of staff and patients were killed and dozens more injured. They said the death toll could rise further. Among the killed were nine MSF staff and seven patients from the intensive care unit, including three children.
The charity claimed the GPS coordinates of the hospital had been widely circulated to all parties fighting in the conflict and that the bombing continued for up to 30 minutes after it raised the alarm with US and Afghan officials.
At the time of the bombing, 105 patients and their carers, and more than 80 MSF international and national staff were in the hospital. At least 37 staff members were wounded in the incident, it said. None of the international doctors volunteering at the facility were hurt.................theguardian.com
3/10/15
Two suicide car bombs kill at least 18 in Baghdad: police, medics...
ReplyDeleteSuicide car bomb attacks targeting two mainly Shi'ite Muslim districts of Baghdad killed at least 18 people on Saturday, police and medical sources said.
The attacks targeted Kadhimiya and Hurriya in the north of the capital. Police said at least 60 people were wounded.
Islamic State, which controls large parts of northern and western Iraq, claimed responsibility and said the target was "rejectionists", its derogatory word for Shi'ites.
REUTERS
UN rights chief says Afghan bombing may be war crime...
ReplyDeleteAn airstrike that killed at least 16 people in hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the Afghan city of Kunduz on Saturday was "utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal," the U.N. human rights chief said.
"This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said in a statement.
"The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime."
REUTERS
Centenas de migrantes tentaram entrar em Ceuta...
ReplyDeleteTreze pessoas, dez migrantes e três polícias, ficaram ligeiramente feridos durante a intervenção da polícia, segundo um comunicado divulgado pela delegação do Governo espanhol em Ceuta.
A multidão de migrantes conseguiu contornar a barreira na fronteira, onde se encontra uma barragem, na costa mediterrânea, segundo a mesma fonte.
As 87 pessoas, onze das quais menores, que chegaram a Ceuta, conseguiram abrir uma brecha na barreira.
A maioria das tentativas para entrar em Espanha são feitas pelo Mediterrâneo, a partir das costas marroquinas, mas os migrantes tentam também passar pela via terrestre, através dos enclaves espanhóis em Marrocos: Ceuta e Melilla.
jn.pt
Violent storms and flooding have hit south-eastern France, killing at least 16 people with three more missing, officials say....
ReplyDeleteThree elderly people drowned when their retirement home near the city of Antibes was inundated with floodwater.
Others died trapped in their cars in tunnels and underground car parks as the waters rose.
French President Francois Hollande announced a state of "natural disaster" in the affected region.
He thanked rescuers and expressed the "solidarity of the nation".
Mr Hollande offered condolences as he visited the retirement home in the town of Biot and urged residents in the region to remain cautious, saying: "It's not over."....BBC
4/10/15
Assad: "Si quitter mon poste est la solution, je n'hésiterai jamais à le faire" ...
ReplyDeleteDans un entretien à la télévision iranienne Khabar qui l'interrogeait sur les chances de succès de la coalition entre la Russie, le régime syrien, l'Iran et l'Irak contre le "terrorisme", Le Président syrien a répondu: "elle doit réussir, sinon la région entière sera détruite et pas seulement un ou deux pays".
"Le prix à payer sera certainement élevé", a-t-il dit, selon un extrait diffusé par la présidence syrienne sur Twitter. Mais il s'est dit toutefois confiant que "cette coalition va obtenir de véritables résultats. Les chances de succès de cette coalition sont grandes", a ajouté le chef de l'État dont les troupes sont en guerre contre les rebelles depuis quatre ans et demi.
La Russie mène depuis mercredi des frappes aériennes contre les djihadistes de l'État islamique (EI) mais aussi des groupes rebelles en Syrie, affirmant vouloir combattre le "terrorisme". Il a, par ailleurs, appelé les pays occidentaux à se joindre à cette coalition : "Si ces Etats rejoignent de manière sérieuse et sincère la lutte contre les terroristes, du moins en cessant de les soutenir, nous obtiendrons des résultats beaucoup plus rapidement"............rtbf.be
Merkel: Resolution of Syrian Crisis is Impossible Without Putin, Assad...
ReplyDeleteRussia and the United States, as well as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Germany, France and the UK, can play an important role in the political resolution of the Syrian crisis, Angela Merkel said in an interview with radio station Deutschlandfunk.
She also stressed that the negotiations should involve representatives of the Syrian opposition and Assad’s government.
According to the German Chancellor, there is no correlation between the conflict in Ukraine and the civil war in Syria, except for the fact that in both situations Russian President Vladimir Putin plays an important role........http://sptnkne.ws/ReT
Russia is conducting "asymmetric warfare" in Syria: Britain's Hammond...
ReplyDeleteRussia is engaged in "classic asymmetric warfare" in Syria by propping up President Bashar al-Assad while saying it is attacking Islamic State militants, Britain's foreign minister said on Sunday.
"It looks like a classic bit of Russian asymmetric warfare - you have a strong propaganda message that says you're doing one thing while in fact you are doing something completely different and when challenged you just flatly deny it," Philip Hammond told Reuters in an interview.
He said Britain had held discussions with Russia but only got the same response - that it was attacking Islamic State militants in Syria.
"We just need a Russia that accepts there are rules in the system, and you can't throw your toys out of the pram and resort to military force every time you don't get your way," he said.
REUTERS
Elections législatives au Portugal - La droite remporte les législatives, perd sa majorité absolue...
ReplyDelete(Belga) La coalition sortante de centre droit a remporté dimanche les élections législatives au Portugal avec 38,6% des voix contre 32,4% pour l'opposition socialiste, mais a perdu sa majorité absolue au Parlement, selon des résultats officiels quasi-complets.
Les quatre sièges des députés de l'étranger seront attribués le 14 octobre, mais l'alliance gouvernementale a d'ores et déjà obtenu 104 sièges sur les 226 attribués jusqu'ici, contre 85 pour le Parti socialiste..............rtl.be
5/10/15
Kunduz: l'hôpital MSF bombardé malgré les appels au secours...
ReplyDeleteLe directeur général de MSF, qui a réussi à survivre au bombardement du centre de soins, raconte la vérité sur le terrible incident.
Les médecins militaires sont appelés à sauver les vies des blessés lors des conflits. Mais, depuis quelques jours, Christopher Stroke, directeur général de MSF, se pose la question: qui donc, alors, doit protéger les médecins?
L'Onu et MSF refusent de qualifier le bombardement de l'hôpital de Médecins sans Frontières, à Kunduz (nord de l'Afghanistan, ndlr), de bavure de l'armée US: ils préfèrent le terme de "crime de guerre".
Comment qualifier autrement une attaque bien ciblée, étalée sur une heure environ et dont quatre ou cinq frappes aériennes ont tué 22 personnes: 12 employés et 10 patients?
http://sptnkne.ws/Rk5
5/10/15
Turkey says Russian warplane violated its airspace...
ReplyDeleteA Russian warplane violated Turkish airspace near the Syrian border on Saturday, prompting the Air Force to scramble two F-16 jets to intercept it, the foreign ministry said on Monday.
The foreign ministry summoned Moscow's ambassador to protest the violation, according to an e-mailed statement. Turkey urged Russia to avoid repeating such a violation, or it would be held "responsible for any undesired incident that may occur."
Foreign minister Feridun Sinirlioglu spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, as well as key NATO partners, the statement said. Russia launched air strikes last week against forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
REUTERS
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
5/10/15
Türkische Jagdflugzeuge haben an der Grenze zu Syrien einen russischen Kampfjet abgefangen, der nach Angaben aus Ankara in den türkischen Luftraum eingedrungen war....
DeleteDas russische Kampfflugzeug sei am Samstag zur Umkehr gezwungen worden, teilte das Außenministerium in Ankara mit.
Der russische Botschafter in Ankara sei einbestellt worden, um ihm den scharfen Protest der Regierung zu übermitteln. Russland wurde vor einer Wiederholung des Vorfalls gewarnt, andernfalls müsse es selbst die Verantwortung für "nicht gewollte Ereignisse" tragen..........zeit.de
5/10/15
Taliban fighters launch hit-and-run attacks in Afghanistan's Kunduz...
ReplyDeleteTaliban fighters on motorbikes have carried out hit-and-run attacks on Afghan forces trying to clear Kunduz city of insurgents, more than a week after the militant movement briefly seized the provincial capital.
Adopting new tactics, Taliban fighters have been firing at security forces at checkpoints and then melting away into residential areas, rather than directly engaging in gun battles, said Hamdullah Danishi, acting governor of the northern city.
"This is a new policy for the Taliban," said Danishi. "They want to create fear among residents so they cannot resume their normal lives."
The failure of U.S.-trained Afghan troops and police to swiftly recapture Kunduz is an ominous sign for the government of President Ashraf Ghani and the administration in Washington............REUTERS
Russia is not conducting operations in Syria involving its own ground troops and will not do so, Admiral Vladimir Komoyedov, the head of the lower house of parliament’s defense committee, said on Tuesday, according to the RIA Novosti news agency...
ReplyDeleteKomoyedov, who on Monday had said it was likely that Russian volunteers would travel to Syria to fight there, was also quoted as saying that Russia was blocking any attempts by its citizens to fight on either side in the Syrian conflict.
However, Russia will consider extending its air strikes against militants in Syria to Iraq if it receives such a request from Baghdad, the RIA news agency quoted the head of the country’s upper chamber of parliament as saying on Tuesday.
The speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, said Russia had so far not received such a request from the Iraqi government.
alarabiya.net
The Russian defence ministry has invited foreign military officers to Moscow to coordinate work on fighting Islamic State militants in Syria, said Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov, according to the TASS news agency...
ReplyDeleteAntonov was also quoted as saying that members of the U.S.-led coalition conducting air strikes in Syria should pass Russia intelligence on the positions of IS militants.
REUTERS
Ukraine is continuing withdrawal of tanks from territories under its control in the Luhansk region, the press service of the force operation said on Tuesday...
ReplyDelete"In fulfillment of our liabilities under the peace deal, we continue to withdraw tanks from the frontline positions in the Luhansk region to dedicated areas at a distance at least 15 kilometers off the line of engagement," the press service said on its Facebook account.
Apart from that, the press service reported about continued demining works.
Ukrainian forces plan to complete tanks withdraw in the Luhansk region on Tuesday. "It is known that most of T-64 and T-72 tanks have left the frontline. This stage is expected to be completed today. Then the next stage will begin, namely the withdrawal of D-48 and D-44 antitank guns with 85mm caliber and 82mm mortars," Ruslan Tkachuk, a spokesman for the operation, said...........http://tass.ru/en/world/826688
6/10/15
3 million more refugees if Assad wins: EU's Tusk...
ReplyDeleteThe European Council president Donald Tusk has warned of potential new waves of refugees should the Bashar al-Assad regime come out victorious in the conflict gripping Syria.
Tusk told lawmakers in Strasbourg on Tuesday that a "potential victory" of the Syrian regime would result an additional 3 million refugees, citing Turkish estimates.
"A potential victory of Assad's regime, is more likely today because of Iran and Russia's engagement in Syria, and will result in the next migratory wave," Tusk said. "Yesterday, this message was confirmed by President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan. According to Turkish estimates, another 3 million potential refugees may come from Aleppo and its neighborhoods," he added.
Erdogan held talks with senior European officials in Brussels on Monday.
Turkey is currently hosting 1.9 million Syrians and spending close to $8 billion since the start of the civil war in Syria...........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/guncel/3-million-more-refugees-if-assad-wins-eus-tusk/433551
Russia would Consider Extending Air Strikes to Iraq if Requested...
ReplyDeleteRussia will consider extending its air strikes against militants in Syria to Iraq if it receives such a request from Baghdad, the RIA news agency quoted the head of the country's upper chamber of parliament as saying on Tuesday.
The speaker, Valentina Matviyenko, said Russia had so far not received such a request from the Iraqi government.
“In case of an official address from Iraq to the Russian Federation, the leaders of our country would study the political and military expediency of our Air Force’s participation in an air operation. Presently we have not received such an address,” Matviyenko told reporters on Tuesday during an official visit to Jordan. She also asked the press “to stop reading tea leaves” before actual events take place.................http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=233122&cid=22&fromval=1
Guatemala to investigate for those responsible for mudslide...
ReplyDeleteThe warning signs were everywhere in the canyon neighbourhood of Cambray on the outskirts of Guatemala City, where a mudslide buried hundreds of people last week.
Residents lived with regular falling rocks and flooding from the adjacent Pinula River. Ms Evelyn de Cifuentes said her mother-in-law was killed in a smaller slide in 2010 next to her own house. A November report by Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Commission said there were “fractures in blocks of material that can indicate future slides”, and people should be moved out.
But the area wasn’t declared uninhabitable until Monday (Oct 5), four days after hundreds of people almost certainly perished when a hillside buried acres of the neighbourhood. The official death count stood at 186 yesterday, with 300 people still believed to be missing............todayonline.com
Anfrage aus Washington: Woher haben IS-Milizen so viele Toyota-Autos?...
ReplyDeleteDie US-Behörden haben eine Anfrage an den Konzern Toyota gerichtet: Sie wollen herausfinden, wo die Terror-Miliz „Islamischer Staat“ eine derart große Menge von neuen Offroad-Autos aus der Produktion dieses Unternehmens erwerben konnte, berichtet ABC News.
Der Konzern erwiderte darauf, er verfüge über keine Informationen über Wege, auf denen die Terroristen die Autos erwerben. „Toyota hält strikte Regeln ein, die keine Möglichkeit bieten, Autos an diejenigen zu verkaufen, die diese für militärische Zwecke für Terroraktivitäten nutzen bzw. dazu modifizieren könnten“, teilte Ed Lewis, PR-Direktor des Konzerns, mit...............http://sptnkne.ws/RQK
7/10/15
A wave of Russian air strikes in western Syria on Wednesday was being accompanied by a ground assault on at least four insurgent positions, a group monitoring the war said...
ReplyDeleteThe ground attacks were being carried out by "regime forces" the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, a term it uses broadly to describe the Syrian military and allied local and foreign militia.
(Writing by Sylvia Westall)
REUTERS
7/10/15
Syria-based missile systems harassed Turkey's warplanes on Tuesday while eight F-16 jets were on a patrol flight along the Syria border, the Turkish military said on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteRussian aircraft twice entered Turkish air space at the weekend and Turkey says an unidentified MIG-29 harassed its jets on Monday, prompting the foreign ministry to summon the Russian ambassador three times in protest.
REUTERS
The United States’ refusal to share reconnaissance data on Syria with Russia raises questions in regard to whose side the United States is on, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Thursday...
ReplyDelete“Of course, the fact that there are signals from the United States on the impossibility of sharing collected information without reviewing some sort of basic elements of the Russian position on the Syrian settlement yet again confirms what we knew from the very beginning that the United States has its own goals in Syria that has practically nothing to do in providing conditions for the political process or for national reconciliation,” Ryabkov told RIA Novosti.
The diplomat also expressed his puzzlement in regard to which side of the Syrian crisis the United States is on.
“I’ll risk saying that the United States and other countries included in the coalition led by it have put themselves in a politically ticklish situation and the question arises of whose side they’re fighting on in this war,” Ryabkov added.
According to the Deputy Foreign Minister, Moscow has proposed to Washington and the countries involved in the US-led coalition to share reconnaissance on Syria in order to prove that Russia is indeed striking the infrastructures of the Islamic State.
Earlier, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said that the United States was not prepared to share reconnaissance on Syria with Russia because it does not share the same goals in Syria that Russia has.............http://sptnkne.ws/SnP
8/10/15
The Syrian army managed on Wednesday to seize control over 70 kilometers area in northern countryside of Hama province, field sources told Al-Manar Website...
ReplyDeleteThe so-called "Jaish al-Fateh" terrorist group lost the battlefield when the Syrian military took control of an area of about fifty kilometers in the Mork axis, and twenty kilometers in Qala't al-Madiq axis in the same area, after violent clashes with the armed groups in which the Syrian units used various kinds of weapons and heavy and medium artillery.
The Syria air force was also used to target centers, assembly and deployment points in the operation zone.
Moreover, the Syrian army took control of the villages of Maarkaba and Atshan and the two hills of Skaik and Al-howeir at one axis. It also took control of the towns of Kfarnabouda, Al-Mogheir and Tall al-Sakher in northern rural Hama.
almanar.com.lb
U.S. mulls sailing near disputed South China Sea islands: Pentagon official...
ReplyDeleteThe United States is considering sailing warships close to China’s artificial islands in the South China Sea to signal it does not recognize Chinese territorial claims over the area, a U.S. defense official said on Thursday.
The Financial Times newspaper cited a senior U.S. official as saying U.S. ships would sail within 12-nautical-mile zones, that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly chain, within the next two weeks.
The Navy Times quoted U.S. officials as saying the action could take place "within days," but awaited final approval from the Obama administration.
A U.S. defense official declined to confirm that any decision had been made, but referred to remarks in congressional testimony last month by U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary David Shear, that "all options are on the table."
"We are looking at this," the official said, on condition of anonymity..............todayonline.com
8/10/15
China said on Friday it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation, as the United States considers sailing warships close to China's artificial islands in the South China Sea...
DeleteA US defense official told Reuters the United States was mulling sending ships within the next two weeks to waters inside the 12-nautical-mile zones that China claims as territory around islands it has built in the Spratly chain.
China claims most of the South China Sea, though Washington has signalled it does not recognise Beijing's territorial claims and that the U.S. navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.
"We will never allow any country to violate China's territorial waters and airspace in the Spratly Islands, in the name of protecting freedom of navigation and overflight," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news briefing.
"We urge the related parties not to take any provocative actions, and genuinely take a responsible stance on regional peace and stability," Hua said in response to a question about possible US patrols.
The United States and its allies in Asia, including Japan, have called on Beijing to halt construction on its man-made islands and the issue is central to increasingly tense US-China relations....REUTERS.....http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
9/10/15
Turkey appealed to its NATO allies on Oct. 8 to shore up missile defences in the country aimed at shooting down Syrian rockets, as Germany said again that it will withdraw its Patriot batteries and the United States was set to do the same...
ReplyDeleteNATO is now waiting for other nations to plug those gaps.
Days after Russian jets violated Turkey's airspace near Syria, Ankara's NATO envoy urged the U.S.-led alliance to continue to deploy air defence systems, according to two people briefed on talks at a defence ministers meeting in Brussels.
While NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said he was prepared to send ground forces to defend Turkey, the situation raised questions about NATO's strategy in the country, which shares a border with both Syria and Iraq.
Germany's defence minister said Berlin would go ahead with plans to switch off its Patriot batteries in Turkey next week and withdraw most of the soldiers operating them before Christmas. All soldiers and materiel are due to be withdrawn by the end of January....Reuters........hurriyetdailynews.com
The United Nations envoy for Libya has proposed the formation of a national unity government after months of difficult talks...
ReplyDeleteSince 2014 Libya has had two rival parliaments - an Islamist-backed one in Tripoli and an internationally recognised government in the east.
UN envoy Bernardino Leon told a news conference in Morocco that Fayez Sarraj would be nominated as prime minister.
But both parliaments must back the deal and some MPs cast doubt on the UN plan.
Abdulsalam Bilashahir, of the Tripoli-based General National Congress (GNC), told the BBC: "We are not a part of this (proposed) government. It means nothing to us and we were not consulted.".....bbc
Russia's defence ministry denied a claim by a US official on Thursday that four Syria-bound Russian cruise missiles fired from the Caspian Sea had crashed in Iran...
ReplyDelete"Any professional knows that during these operations we always fix the target before and after impact. All our cruise missiles hit their target," Russian ministry spokesman General Igor Konashenkov said in a statement.
The US official, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the missiles landed in Iran on Wednesday, confirming a story first reported by CNN.
But he did not provide details about where they might have landed or whether they caused any damage.
Nor would the official say exactly what type of cruise missiles went down, except to say that they were among a salvo fired from Russian warships in the Caspian.
The White House declined to comment on the report and the State Department said it could not confirm it...........france24.com
Turkey is concerned about the potential for a fresh wave of Syrian migrants arriving at its border as a result of Russian air strikes in Syria, foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgiç told reporters on Oct. 9...
ReplyDeleteHe also said Ankara, which already hosts around 2 million migrants, was continuing talks with NATO and bilateral partners on enhancing its defence capabilities, including Patriot missile systems, but had not made a request for NATO to send military forces to Turkey.
hurriyetdailynews.com
Big rise in German attacks on migrant homes in 2015...
ReplyDeleteThe German government says there have been almost 500 attacks on homes intended for asylum seekers this year - three times more than in 2014.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere called such violence "shameful". Two-thirds of the attacks were carried out by locals who had no previous criminal record, he said.
Germany expects to host at least 800,000 asylum seekers this year.
Bavaria's leaders have demanded that Berlin restrict the numbers arriving.
The southern state's conservative CSU government opposes Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door policy for refugees. Yet formally the CSU is allied with her Christian Democrats (CDU).
Many of the migrants reaching central Europe via the Balkans have expressed a wish to settle in Germany......BBC
9/10/15
Russia has agreed to resume talks with the US on air safety during Syria bombing campaigns, says the Pentagon...
ReplyDeleteThe talks "are likely to take place as soon as this weekend," said press secretary Peter Cook.
There have been concerns that there could be an accidental clash as the two countries pursue separate bombing campaigns over Syria.....BBC
10/10/15
North Korea is holding what is expected to be one of its biggest celebrations ever Saturday for the 70th anniversary of its ruling party’s creation, an attention-getting event that is the government’s way of showing the world and its own people the Kim dynasty — now in its third generation — is firmly in control and its military a power to be reckoned with...
ReplyDeleteAs the clock struck midnight Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un marked the anniversary by paying respect to both his late father and grandfather at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun in Pyongyang, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
The military parade kicking off the celebrations could hold some surprises for analysts abroad who will be watching its display of weaponry very closely, particularly North Korea’s growing fleet of drone aircraft and long-range missiles.
The guest list is shaping up to be less impressive............AP
10/10/15
Deux explosions se sont produites samedi dans la capitale turque faisant des morts et des blessés selon les médias locaux...
ReplyDeleteSelon l'agence de presse Dogan, les déflagrations ont eu lieu à proximité de la gare ferroviaire d'Ankara. Des ambulances arrivent sur place.
D'après les rapports des médias, les explosions se sont produites pendant la préparation d'une manifestation pour la paix organisée par les syndicats turcs.
http://sptnkne.ws/SSs
10/10/15
Two explosions shook a road junction in the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara on Saturday, causing many casualties including fatalities, the Dogan news agency reported...
ReplyDeleteThe cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Broadcaster CNN Turk said they occurred ahead of a planned “peace” march to protest against the conflict between the state and Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey.
alarabiya.net
10/10/15
Syrian forces backed by Hezbollah militants from Lebanon are said to have made significant advances against rebels after heavy Russian air strikes...
ReplyDeleteGovernment gains are being reported in Idlib, Hama and Latakia provinces.
Russia says its aircraft carried out more than 60 missions over Syria in the past 24 hours, and that the Islamic State group was its main target.
But the Russian strikes appear to have impacted heavily on rebels fighting both the government and IS.
The main battlefront is currently close to the key highway that links the capital Damascus with other major cities, including Aleppo, and President Bashar al-Assad's forces are believed to be seeking to cut off rebels in Idlib.
Before Russia's intervention, Idlib had all but fallen to a rebel coalition that had been seriously threatening Mr Assad and his heartland as well as fighting IS, BBC Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher reports.
The government gains were reported both by Damascus and opposition activists......BBC
11/10/15
Les Irakiens disent avoir touché un convoi du chef de l'EI dans un raid ...
ReplyDeleteLes forces irakiennes ont affirmé dimanche avoir touché dans un raid aérien le convoi du chef du groupe jihadiste Etat islamique (EI) Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi en Irak, près de la frontière avec la Syrie.
"L'armée de l'air irakienne a mené une opération héroïque en ciblant le convoi du terroriste criminel Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi", a indiqué un communiqué conjoint officiel des forces de sécurité, en précisant que le sort de Baghdadi n'était "pas connu".
Le raid a visé le convoi alors que le chef de l'EI se dirigeait "vers la région de Karabla (ouest) pour participer à une rencontre des leaders terroristes de Daech", un acronyme en arabe de l'EI, a ajouté le texte sans préciser la date de l'attaque.
Les forces de sécurité irakiennes ont dans le passé affirmé que le chef de l'EI avait été blessé ou tué dans des raids mais ces affirmations n'avaient jamais pu être vérifiées ou s'étaient ensuite avérées fausses.
Le communiqué irakien a été publié par une "cellule médiatique" qui fournit des informations sur la guerre contre l'EI et s'exprime au nom des ministères de l'Intérieur et de la Défense notamment.
Karabla est située sur le fleuve Euphrate, à environ 5 km de la frontière syrienne......rtbf.be
11/10/15
Bagdad annonce avoir bombardé le convoi de Baghdadi, chef de l'EI...
ReplyDeleteLes forces irakiennes ont affirmé dimanche avoir visé lors d'un raid aérien le convoi du numéro un de l’EI, Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi, l'un des hommes les plus recherchés de la planète. L'armée n’est cependant pas en mesure de confirmer sa mort.
L’armée irakienne a affirmé, dimanche 11 octobre dans un communiqué, avoir mené, la veille, une frappe aérienne sur le convoi du chef de l’organisation de l'État islamique (EI), Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi, dans l'ouest de la province d'Anbar, près de la frontière syrienne.
"Les forces aériennes irakiennes ont bombardé le convoi du terroriste Abou Bakr al-Baghdadi qui se dirigeait vers Karabla pour participer à une réunion des commandants de Daech", précise le communiqué, ajoutant que l'aviation a également bombardé le site où était prévue cette réunion..........france24.com
11/10/15
French air strikes in Syria have probably killed French jihadists, a source in the delegation of Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday during a visit to neighbouring Jordan...
ReplyDelete"The strikes have killed jihadists. There might well be French jihadists among them," the source said.
The source said he could not confirm a figure of six French jihadists killed which he said probably came from a Syrian non-governmental organisation.
France's defense ministry said on Sunday that French citizens were in a training camp for Islamic State group jihadists that was hit by French air strikes last week.
"We targeted a training camp where there were foreign Daesh fighters trained to come and attack us in France," a ministry source said, using another acronym for IS.
"Among them, there were French nationals and French speakers. We were targeting foreign fighters, not French nationals in particular."
Valls said that France would strike anyone planning attacks on its soil, regardless of nationality.
"Anyone who joins these training camps, anyone who joins Daesh should know that they can now be attacked," the French premier said on Sunday.
"We do not ask what passport this or that person has but we strike anyone preparing attacks against France.".......i24news.tv
12/10/15
Syria-based missile systems harassed four Turkish F-16 warplanes near the border between the two countries on Sunday, Turkey's military said in a statement on Monday, adding that its units gave the "necessary response."..
ReplyDeleteThe military did not specify what that response was, but it was the first time it referred to such a response after around a week of harassments of its jets.
REUTERS
The Russian Defense Ministry has come to an agreement with Ankara to postpone its observation flights over Turkey, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Gen.-Maj. Igor Konashenkov said Monday....
ReplyDeleteHe said that Turkey had requested Russia postpone the planned flights in line with the security situation in the country.............http://sptnkne.ws/Ty3
The mayor of a town in western Guatemala has been lynched by a group of locals who accused him of ordering an attack on his political rival...
ReplyDeleteMayor Basilio Juracan died after being beaten and set alight in Concepcion, Solola province, on Sunday.
The residents believed he was behind an earlier attack in which two women were killed and five other people injured.
Guatemala is one of the most violent countries in Latin America and gun crime is rampant.
However, the lynching of an elected official is unusual......BBC
New Syrian rebel alliance formed, says weapons on the way...
ReplyDeleteA Kurdish militia in northern Syria has joined forces with Arab rebels, and their new alliance has been promised fresh weapon supplies by the United States for an assault on Islamic State forces in Raqqa, a spokesman said on Monday.
The alliance calling itself the Democratic Forces of Syria includes the Kurdish YPG militia and Syrian Arab groups, some of which fought alongside it in a campaign that drove Islamic State from wide areas of northern Syria earlier this year.
The Arab groups in the new alliance are operating under the name "The Syrian Arab Coalition" - a grouping which U.S. officials have said would receive support under a new U.S. strategy aimed at fighting Islamic State in Syria.
A spokesman for some of the Arab rebels said they were told by Washington that new weapons were being sent to help them launch a joint offensive on the city of Raqqa.............REUTERS
Okinawa révoque officiellement le transfert d'une base US...
ReplyDeleteLe préfet d'Okinawa Takeshi Onaga a officiellement révoqué mardi l'autorisation de transfert d'une base militaire américaine de Futenma à Henoko, selon l'agence de presse Kyodo.
Cependant, le gouvernement japonais central a pris rapidement des mesures pour suspendre la révocation prononcée par le gouverneur.
"Le projet des travaux de transfert de la base n’a pas changé", a évoqué le ministre japonais des Affaires intérieures, Yoshihide Suga mardi matin. Le gouvernement a l’intention de continuer les travaux de transfert d'une base militaire américaine d'une partie à une autre de l'île, de Futenma à Henoko, en prenant en considération les conditions de vie de la région, a-t-il ajouté.
fr.sputniknews.com
13/10/15
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday Moscow considered the shelling of its embassy in Damascus as a terrorist act, RIA news agency reported on Tuesday...
ReplyDelete"This is an obvious act of terrorism, probably aimed at intimidating supporters of the fight against terrorism," Lavrov was quoted as saying ahead of talks with the United Nations' special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, on Tuesday, .
Two shells were fired at the Russian embassy in Damascus on Tuesday during a demonstration in support of Moscow although there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the building........reuters.com
US troops to help fight Boko Haram...
ReplyDeleteUS President Barack Obama has announced that US armed forces have been deployed to Cameroon to help fight against the Islamist militants Boko Haram.
The force, which will be 300 strong, will conduct airborne intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations in the region.
Cameroon and Chad have been targeted by the Islamist militants from northern Nigeria.
Mr Obama said the forces would remain in Cameroon until "no longer needed".....BBC
14/10/15
Violence and settlement activity are undermining the viability of a two-state political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the US State Department said today as it discussed Secretary of State John Kerry's plan to visit the region...
ReplyDeleteSpeaking a day after Mr Kerry announced his intent to visit the region soon to try to help reduce tensions, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the secretary was not assigning blame when he said a "massive increase in settlements" over the past year had been followed by the current outbreak of violence.
Mr Kirby said Mr Kerry had been consistent in "not trying to affix... blame for the recent violence" but had discussed "the challenges that are posed on both sides by this absence of progress towards a two-state solution.".....http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1014/734670-israeli-security-measures/
Pentagone: la lutte contre l’EI dans une impasse en Irak...
ReplyDelete"Le gouvernement irakien, les forces irakiennes de sécurité (…) doivent être plus agressifs et plus enclins à lancer des offensives" pour assurer la défaite militaire de l'EI, a estimé le nouveau chef de l'état-major de l'Armée de terre américaine.
La lutte des forces gouvernementales contre les djihadistes de l'Etat islamique (EI) en Irak est dans l’impasse, a déclaré mercredi à la version électronique de l'hebdomadaire Defense News le nouveau chef de l'état-major de l'Armée de terre américaine, le général Mark Milley.
A l'étape actuelle, la situation en Irak "aux niveaux opérationnel et stratégique" est décrite par de nombreux spécialistes "comme une impasse, c'est-à-dire que ni les forces irakiennes de sécurité, ni les djihadistes de l'EI ne possèdent le potentiel militaire suffisant pour permettre d'écraser l'adversaire", a indiqué le général.........http://sptnkne.ws/UsY
15/10/15
Syrian Forces Launch Attack Near City of Homs...
ReplyDeleteSyrian forces, supported by Russian airstrikes, launched an attack on rebel-held towns north of the city of Homs, Syrian state television and a group that monitors the war said Thursday, a day after U.S. and Russia concluded a third round of talks on rules for conduct in the air over the conflict-ridden country.
Russia's airstrikes hit targets around the town of Talbiseh and the villages of Teir Malla, Dar Kabira and Khalidiya, a few miles north of the mainly government-held city of Homs, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Britain-based monitor described heavy fighting between regime forces and rebels, particularly south of the rebel-held town of Talbisseh.............http://www.voanews.com/content/syrian-forces-launch-attack-near-city-of-homs/3007194.html
15/10/15
US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday indicated the United States would maintain extra troops in Afghanistan beyond the end of next year....
ReplyDeleteUnder current plans, the United States will draw-down its troop numbers by the end of 2016 from about 10,000 currently to a crew of only about 1,000.
Echoing remarks he made at a NATO meeting in Brussels last week, Carter said it was important for the United States “to formulate options for 2016 and beyond and make adjustments to the planned US presence based on current circumstances.”..........AFP
President Barack Obama will keep 5,500 US troops in Afghanistan when he leaves office in 2017, according to senior administration officials...
DeleteThe decision cast aside his promise to end the war on his watch and instead ensuring he hands the conflict off to his successor.
Obama had originally planned to pull out all but a small, embassy-based U.S. military presence by the end of next year, a timeline coinciding with the final weeks of his presidency. But military leaders argued for months that the Afghans needed additional assistance and support from the U.S. to beat back a resurgent Taliban and hold onto gains made over the last 14 years of American bloodshed and billions of dollars in aid.
The president was to announce the changes Thursday morning from the White House. Officials said he would outline plans to maintain the current force of 9,800 troops in Afghanistan through most of next year, then draw down to 5,500 troops in 2017, at a pace still to be determined by commanders.
The officials previewed the decisions on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly ahead of the president.....AP.......france24.com
The Afghan taliban have claimed withdrawal from the center of the northern city of Kunduz after weeks of intense fighting against the Afghan troops back by US airstrikes in the city...
DeleteZabihullah Mujahid, the taliban spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that they have withdrawn from the city to protect civilians.
“We left Kunduz so the fight can stop and the civilians can get back to their normal life,” Mujahid said.
“Our enemies (foreign forces) have destroyed markets, commercial buildings and hospitals in the fight and we saw people dying and suffering due to those attacks.”
However, the taliban assure that they are able to seize the city again if they want.
“We are leaving for the sake of those civilians. However, we can come back and seize the city whenever we want,” Mujahid told Al Jazeera...........Al Jazeera
14/10/15
Syrie: Washington "envoie" des Cubains soutenir la Russie...
ReplyDeleteD'après l'information de la chaîne de télévision américaine Fox News, qui a été démenti plus tard par un porte-parole cubain, les forces armées de Cuba sont actuellement présentes en Syrie pour se battre au côté de la Russie.
Une nouvelle information loufoque concernant l'intervention militaire de la Russie en Syrie est apparue jeudi aux Etats-Unis sur la chaîne de télévision Fox News, d'après cette dernière des militaires cubains se sont rendus dans le pays afin d’apporter leur soutien aux opérations russes.
Selon le correspondant américain Doug McKelway en liens directs avec le Pentagone, cette information est apparue pour la première fois dans un rapport de l'Institut de recherches cubaines et cubo-américaines de l'Université de Miami............http://sptnkne.ws/U5p
The United Nations General Assembly is due to vote on five temporary seats on the Security Council on Thursday in an uncontested election...
ReplyDeleteThe election of Egypt, Japan, Senegal, Ukraine and Uruguay are virtually certain, as they are running unopposed as sole candidates for their regional groups.
They will replace Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania and Nigeria, and serve two-year terms beginning Jan. 1.
Regardless of whether the election is uncontested, the candidates are required to obtain the votes of two-thirds of the 193 UN member states, but diplomats expect no surprises.
The Security Council comprises 15 members, with five permanent members – Britain, China, France, Russia and the U.S. -- having the right of veto.
When elected, Ukraine will have a seat alongside Russia, a country with which it has had tense relations.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin told reporters in New York that the election would have a special importance for his country against the backdrop of an ongoing conflict.
Kiev and its Western allies accuse Russia of supporting a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, where a fighting that began in April last year has left more than 8,000 people dead, according to the UN...........www.aa.com.tr
15/10/15
Turkey seeks EU cash, visas, for help on refugee crisis...
ReplyDeleteTurkey demanded on Thursday that the European Union start easing restrictions on Turks travelling to the EU next year if it wants cooperation to stem the flow of Syrian refugees and other migrants to Europe.
As EU leaders met in Brussels to discuss making concessions to Turkey in return for help with Europe's migration crisis, EU sources said Turkish ministers asked EU negotiators in Ankara for 3 billion euros (US$3.41 billion) in financial aid and a broadening of long-running talks on eventual Turkish membership of the bloc.
Turkey was also seeking more high-level political dialogue with invitations for President Tayyip Erdogan to summits after an ice-breaking visit he made to Brussels earlier this month.
EU diplomats said an existing plan to ease visa requirements for Turks could be speeded up, but only if Ankara met the technical conditions, and that member states were prepared to discuss further funding, although on a more modest scale.
Requests for Turkey to be put on a list of "safe countries", whose nationals would not normally be granted asylum in Europe, broader accession talks and more EU-Turkey summits could find support, they said.
Turkey and delegates from the European Commission in Ankara were "close to finalising" agreement on a joint action plan they hope will improve conditions for the more than 2 million Syrians in Turkey to encourage them to stay, EU officials said.
The plan also envisages cooperation on border patrols and fighting people-smugglers........REUTERS......channelnewsasia.com
All EU countries must be prepared to send security staff to the bloc's external borders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said...
ReplyDeleteShe said it would be unfair to ask EU countries seeing the majority of initial migrant entries to secure borders as well.
Mrs Merkel was speaking as she arrived at an EU leaders' summit in Brussels.
The meeting aims to secure Turkey's agreement to a plan to halt the flow of refugees trying to reach Europe.
Nearly 600,000 migrants have reached the EU by sea so far this year.
"It's quite obvious that only a few countries today take the majority of refugees and if these countries now are asked to secure the external borders on top of that, I don't think it would be what we could call a fair distribution of effort," Mrs Merkel said, describing the current situation as "very disorderly"..........BBC
UN Security Council to meet on Jerusalem violence...
ReplyDeleteThe United Nations Security Council will hold a special meeting today to discuss the recent spate of violence between Israel and the Palestinians in which 39 people have been killed over the past two weeks.
The meeting, which diplomats said was called at the request of council member Jordan, will include a briefing from the UN secretariat on the situation on the ground and will take place at 11am local time, the United Nations said yesterday.
The diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said no resolution was planned at the moment but there might be an attempt to get the council to issue a statement aimed at urging the two sides to curb the violence.
"All options are on the table," a diplomat told Reuters. 32 Palestinians and seven Israelis have been killed during two weeks of bloodshed...............http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1016/735173-jerusalem/
16/10/15
Palestinians set fire to a Jewish shrine in the West Bank on Friday as the Islamist group Hamas called for a day of rage against Israel, and two weeks of turmoil in the region showed little signs of abating...
DeleteIsrael's military said about 100 people rushed the tomb of the biblical patriarch Joseph, which is located in the Palestinian city of Nablus. They were pushed back by Palestinian security forces who arrived on site, but not before setting parts of it aflame.
"We view this incident with gravity and strongly condemn any attack on holy sites. We will find and arrest those who set the fire," the military said in a statement.
The unrest that has engulfed Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, the most serious in years, has claimed the lives of 32 Palestinians and seven Israelis.
The Palestinian dead include 10 knife-wielding assailants, police said, as well as children and protesters shot in violent demonstrations. The Israelis were killed on the street or buses in random attacks.
There was, however, a respite from the near-daily attacks on Thursday.
The U.N. Security Council will hold a special meeting to discuss the situation. No resolution is planned for Friday, but there might be an attempt to get the council to issue a statement aimed at urging the two sides to curb the violence...............REUTERS...........todayonline.com
16/10/15
Amid South China Sea Tensions, China Hosts ASEAN Meeting ...
ReplyDeleteChina's defense minister called for renewed efforts to "safeguard regional peace and stability" but largely avoided discussing controversial territorial disputes Friday as Beijing hosted a meeting of Southeast Asian defense chiefs.
Chinese leaders are not expected to publicly address the conflicting land claims during the informal gathering of defense ministers from the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
Several ASEAN nations, most notably the Philippines and Vietnam, have overlapping territorial claims with China in the South China Sea, but Beijing has been reluctant to use such forums to discuss the matter.............http://www.voanews.com/content/amid-south-china-sea-tensions-china-hosts-asean-meeting/3009797.html
China proposes joint drills in South China Sea with ASEAN...
ReplyDeleteChina proposes holding joint maritime accidental encounter and search and rescue drills in the South China Sea with members of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) next year, China's defense minister told ASEAN defense chiefs of Friday.
Defence Minister Chang Wanquan's comments, made at an informal meeting in Beijing, were carried by the Defence Ministry's official microblog.
REUTERS
The Turkish military on Friday said it had downed an "air vehicle" of unknown origin which had violated its air space close to the Syrian border...
ReplyDeleteThe army said that the craft had been warned three times by Turkish planes but had maintained course.
It was then "downed by fire from our aircraft on patrol, according to the rules of engagement."
The statement did not say if the downed aircraft was manned or a drone.
It warned the air force would "decisively" implement Turkey's rules of engagement.
NTV television, without citing its sources, said the object was a drone, and it had fallen three kilometres (1.85 miles) inside Turkish territory.
Television pictures showed the military examining the crash site. The location was not specified.......AFP
L'armée turque abat un drone non identifié près de la Syrie ...
DeleteDes chasseurs turcs ont abattu vendredi un drone, dont la nationalité d'origine n'a pas été immédiatement précisée, qui avait violé l'espace aérien de la Turquie près de la frontière syrienne, a annoncé un responsable turc à l'AFP.
L'aéronef a été abattu "conformément (...) aux règles d'engagement" par des avions de l'armée turque "après avoir été mis en garde à trois reprises", a indiqué l'armée dans un communiqué, sans préciser le type d'engin.
Mais un responsable turc a indiqué à l'AFP que l'engin abattu était un "drone".
A Moscou, le ministère de la Défense a immédiatement assuré que tous les avions russes engagés en Syrie avaient regagné leur base et que les drones russes "fonctionnent normalement".
Nombreuses mises en garde
La chaîne de télévision privée NTV a rapporté que le drone était "tombé à trois kilomètres à l'intérieur du territoire" turc et diffusé des photos de militaires en train d'examiner le site du crash.
Des avions de chasse russes opérant depuis fin septembre en Syrie ont violé à plusieurs reprises l'espace aérien turc depuis le début du mois d'octobre, suscitant de multiples mises en garde de la part d'Ankara.
"Nos règles d'engagement sont claires pour quiconque viole notre espace aérien", avait déclaré le 5 octobre le Premier ministre turc, Ahmet Davutoglu, indiquant que les forces armées turques avaient reçu pour ordre d'intercepter "même un oiseau"............rtbf.be
16/10/15
Russian Navy ships may join Syria operation — General Staff...
ReplyDeleteThe Russian Navy’s ships in the Mediterranean may be involved in the strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria, a deputy chief of the Russian General Staff said on Friday in an interview with the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper.
"Undoubtedly," Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov said in reply to this question.
He stressed that the capabilities of Russian ships in the Mediterranean Sea allow for delivering strikes IS targets at any moment. The ships are currently tasked with protecting cargoes and ensuring air defense. "Our unit first of all ensures transporting materiel. In order for it to be unhindered, a Navy unit was deployed there, including attack ships. Moreover, this unit ensures guaranteed air defense for our base. Air defense systems are not in any way directed against coalition countries," he added.
The Russian Navy has already delivered strikes from the Caspian Sea on the night to October 7 against militants’ objectives in Syria, using Kalibr long-range cruise missiles...........http://tass.ru/en/defense/829437
16/10/15
Ungarn sperrt ab Samstag seine rund 300 Kilometer lange Grenze zum EU-Nachbarland Kroatien, um die ungehinderte Einreise von Flüchtlingen zu verhindern...
ReplyDeleteDas gab Außenminister Peter Szijjarto am Freitag bekannt. Damit wird der Flüchtlingsstrom über die Balkanroute unterbrochen. Tausende dürften sich jetzt neue Wege über das Euroland Slowenien im Norden Kroatiens suchen.
Der EU-Gipfel habe keine Entscheidung gebracht, die den Schutz der EU-Außengrenzen möglich mache, obwohl dies die beste Lösung gewesen wäre, sagte Außenminister Szijjarto nach einer Sitzung des Sicherheitskabinetts mit Ministerpräsident Viktor Orban in Budapest. Zugleich werde weiter erwartet, „dass wir (Ungarn) die Schengen-Regelungen einhalten“. Dies tue Ungarn durch die Sperrung der kroatischen Grenze. Für Asylanträge würden an der Grenze zwei Transitzonen eingerichtet........handelsblatt.com
Palestinians want UN protection from Israeli aggression...
ReplyDeletePalestine's top diplomat at the UN asked the Security Council on Friday to consider providing international protection for Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
Riyad Mansour told an emergency session that the Council must "shoulder its responsibility in maintaining international peace and security" and "urgently intervene to end this aggression".
"We call upon you once again ... to deal seriously and urgently with the question of providing international protection for our people," he said.
He said the Council should adopt a resolution similar to "Resolution 904", which was passed in 1994 following a massacre of Palestinian worshippers in the West Bank during the holy month of Ramadan.
The resolution called for "measures to be taken to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilians throughout the occupied territory".
For his part, Israel's deputy UN envoy David Roet said his country would not accept any international protection force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/guncel/palestinians-want-un-protection-from-israeli-aggression/446264
Five people have been killed and nine wounded in an attack on a Shia gathering hall in eastern Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry says....
ReplyDeleteThe killings, in Saihat in Eastern Province on Friday, come two days after the start of Ashura commemorations, a holy occasion for Shia Muslims.
A group claiming links to Islamic State (IS) said it carried out the attack.
The interior ministry said a gunman opened fire at random before police intervened and shot the attacker dead.
Later, a group calling itself Islamic State-Bahrain State said that one of its "soldiers" had attacked "a Shia infidel temple" with an automatic weapon.
The group warned that "infidels will not be safe in the island of Mohammed"..............BBC
Le Parlement grec adopte les mesures de rigueur réclamées par les créanciers...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Le Parlement grec a adopté dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi, à une majorité de 154 députés sur 300, les mesures de rigueur réclamées par les créanciers (UE et FMI), nécessaire à la poursuite du versement des prêts internationaux au pays.
Seule la majorité soutenant la coalition gouvernementale alliant la gauche du Premier ministre Alexis Tsipras (145 députés) à la droite souverainiste Anel de Panos Kammenos (10 députés) a voté en faveur de la loi, qui prévoit notamment de nouvelles coupes dans les retraites et des hausses d'impôts. Le "oui" communiqué par lettre par une députée Syriza absente n'a pas été comptabilisé, tandis qu'un député Anel a voté contre six articles portant notamment sur les taxes immobilières..........rtl.be
Hungary closes border with Croatia to stem migrant flow...
ReplyDeleteHungary has closed its border with Croatia in an effort to stem the flow of refugees and migrants through the country en route to western Europe.
The last train drew up at the Croatia border and some 2,000 migrants disembarked for the short, muddy walk past razor wire into Hungary as a midnight cut-off point expired.
More than 300,000 people have entered Hungary this year and it said it has taken unilateral action because of the failure of the EU to create a common border force.
The UN refugee agency said people are being denied their right to protection under international conventions...........http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/1017/735462-croatia-border-closed/
Twelve migrants drowned Saturday when their boat sank off the Turkish coast as they were seeking to reach Greece, the Anatolia news agency reported...
ReplyDeleteThe Turkish coastguard recovered the bodies from the wooden boat, which had sailed from northwest Turkey's seaside town of Ayvalik headed for the Greek island of Lesbos, the Turkish news agency said.
AFP
Twelve migrants drowned Oct. 16 when their boat sank off the Turkish coast as they were seeking to reach Greece, while around 25 others were rescued, the Anadolu news agency reported...
DeleteThe Turkish coastguard recovered the bodies from the wooden boat, which had sailed from northwest Turkey's seaside town of Ayvalık headed for the Greek island of Lesbos, the Turkish news agency said.
The rescuers managed to save about two dozen others on board the sinking boat who had called for help on their cellphones, Turkish media reported.
The reports did not indicate the migrants' nationalities.
Turkey has been swamped with an influx of refugees due mainly to the civil war in neighboring Syria.............hurriyetdailynews.com
Typhoon Koppu Could Bring Devastating Rain to Philippines ...
ReplyDeleteA powerful, slow-moving typhoon is swirling toward the Philippines, raising the threat of torrential rains and possibly catastrophic flooding on the main island of Luzon.
Forecasters predict Typhoon Koppu will make landfall early Sunday, and could stall once it arrives, dumping as much as 600 millimeters of rain over the next several days.
As of midday Saturday, the storm had sustained winds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, and was expected to continue strengthening before hitting the country.
But the biggest threat could come from rain and the resulting floods, landslides and storm surges, according to forecasters.
Preparing for Koppu
Authorities have begun canceling flights and are urging residents and tourists in vulnerable areas to move to safer locations, though it is not clear how many have evacuated.
Koppu is not expected to hit the capital, Manila, directly. It will instead likely sweep across the northern end of Luzon.......http://www.voanews.com/content/typhoon-koppu-could-bring-devastating-rain-to-philippines/3011699.html
17/10/15
Amnesty criticizes EU's migrants deal with Turkey...
ReplyDeleteAmnesty International called on European Union leaders on Saturday to put the rights of refugees above concerns to protect their borders, criticizing the EU's plan to offer aid and concessions to Turkey to stem the mass movement of asylum seekers to Europe.
The statement came a day before German Chancellor Angela Merkel is due to arrive in Turkey to promote the EU's offer President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Officials said the incentives would involve an aid package of at least 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) to help Turkey host the more than 2 million refugees, as well as easier access to EU visas for Turkish citizens and speeded-up EU membership talks.
In a statement released Saturday, Amnesty International called on the EU to look for ways to provide safe routes for the refugees trying to reach Europe, saying the bloc's proposal would not take into account the difficulties they face in Turkey or the EU's obligation to offer them protection.
"Talks between the EU and Turkey ... risk putting the rights of refugees a distant second behind border control measures designed to prevent refugees from reaching the EU," said Andrew Gardner, Amnesty International's Turkey researcher.
"The EU should be looking at ways in which it can offer safe and legal routes to refugees to reach Europe," Gardner said. "The current plan fails to offer any concrete assurances on boosting resettlement places for the neediest refugees in Turkey."...AP........dailystar.com.lb
17/10/15
Esplanade des Mosquées : Israël opposé à l'idée française d'une présence internationale...
ReplyDeleteDébut de polémique entre la France et Israël qui n'a pas apprécié la proposition de Paris d'une présence internationale sur l'esplanade des Mosquées, à Jérusalem. Pour Israël, la France "récompense le terrorisme que les Palestiniens ont initié".
Israël s'est indigné, dimanche 18 octobre, d'une idée française de présence internationale sur l'ultra-sensible esplanade des Mosquées à Jérusalem, allant jusqu'à accuser Paris de "récompenser le terrorisme". La France a annoncé son intention de proposer au Conseil de sécurité des Nations unies une déclaration prévoyant une présence internationale sur l'esplanade, lieu qui cristallise les tensions actuelles entre Palestiniens et Israéliens.
"En reprenant à son compte les fausses accusations lancées par les dirigeants palestiniens sur le changement du statu quo sur le mont du Temple [le nom donné par les juifs à l'esplanade des Mosquées], le texte proposé par la France récompense le terrorisme que les Palestiniens ont initié", a affirmé dans un communiqué le ministère israélien des Affaires étrangères.
"Nous n'accepterons pas une remise en cause de la souveraineté d'Israël"
Dans son communiqué, le ministère israélien des Affaires étrangères accuse notamment la France de rester silencieuse "sur les causes réelles de la vague d'attaques au couteau perpétrées par des Palestiniens, à savoir les incitations à la violence contre Israël et son peuple"...........france24.com
18/10/15
Le Royaume-Uni envisage de demander l'aide de la Chine dans le cadre des bombardements des positions des terroristes en Syrie. Le premier ministre britannique David Cameron s'apprête à évoquer la question avec le président chinois Xi Jinping, selon les médias...
ReplyDeleteM. Cameron profitera de la visite du dirigeant chinois au Royaume-Uni, qui commence le 19 octobre, pour demander de l'aide dans la lutte contre l'Etat islamique, rapporte le quotidien britannique Sunday Mirror.
Selon le quotidien, le chef du gouvernement britannique cherche à éviter tout affrontement potentiel entre les chasseurs russes et l'armée de l'air du Royaume-Uni. M. Cameron envisage de demander à Xi Jinping d'utiliser son influence auprès de Moscou pour convaincre le Kremlin de ne pas mettre d'obstacles à la réalisation des plans britanniques en Syrie. "Le Royaume-Uni ne cible que l'Etat islamique", estime le Sunday Mirror...............Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151018/1018919387/londres-pekin-bombardements-syrie.html#ixzz3oww9FYPa
18/10/15
Japan jet scrambles against China planes hit record this summer...
ReplyDeleteJapan scrambled fighter jets to prevent possible incursions by Chinese planes a record high number of times for the July-September period, the Defence Ministry said on Monday, with Tokyo and Beijing at loggerheads over disputed islets.
Japan jets scrambled 117 times, up from 103 in the same period of last year, although it was lower than the all-time high of 164 times recorded in the final quarter of 2014.
It was not immediately clear why the number of scrambles rose and the ministry did not offer an explanation.
Japan has long been mired in a territorial dispute with China over a group of tiny, uninhabited East China Sea islands, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.
Patrol ships and fighter jets from Asia's two biggest economies have been shadowing each other on and off near the islets, raising fears that a confrontation could result in a clash.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and China's top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, last week agreed to push for early adoption of a communication mechanism, now in the works, to avert misunderstandings between their militaries.
Sino-Japanese ties, also plagued by the two countries' wartime past, concerns over Tokyo's bolder security stance and Beijing's increasing military assertiveness, have thawed a little in the last year...........reuters.com
Earthquake of 5.8 magnitude hits Philippines (local time: 21:50) after Typhoon Koppu makes landfall ...
ReplyDeleteThe Philippines on Monday experienced an earthquake even as Typhoon Koppu, locally known ad Typhoon Lando, began weakening after wreaking chaos and destruction.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on the Richter scale hit the region.
The epicentre of the quake reportedly was the beach town of Balitoc, according to the US Geological Survey.
Many social media users from Philippines raised fears over the "10-second" earthquake.
There are still no details yet on any destruction caused by the earthquake..........http://www.eco-r.eu/2015/10/earthquake-of-58-magnitude-hits.html
19/10/15
Philippines warns of further flood risk after Koppu...
DeletePhilippine authorities have warned of the risk of further flooding, as Tropical Storm Koppu continues to churn across the country.
Koppu weakened from a typhoon on Monday as it reached Ilocos Norte province, on the north-western tip of Luzon , but is still bringing torrential rain across region.
At least 12 people have been killed.
One of the worst-hit areas was Nueva Ecija province, north of Manila, where a state of calamity has been declared.
The storm - known locally as Lando - did not hit there directly, but villages were inundated by water pouring off nearby mountains, trapping many people on the roofs of their homes.....BBC
20/10/15
L'ambassadeur de France convoqué au ministère des Affaires étrangères russe...
ReplyDeleteL'ambassadeur de France en Russie a été convoqué par le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères, en raison d'une collision évitée de justesse entre entre un avion transportant un responsable du parlement russe et un avion militaire français. Une information démentie par le quai d'Orsay, qui a déclaré que l'avion en question était suisse.
L'ambassadeur de France en Russie Jean-Maurice Ripert a été convoqué par le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères, pour donner des explications en lien avec la collision évitée de justesse entre des avions russe et français ce matin.
Un avion militaire français a été impliqué ce matin dans un dangereux incident avec un avion russe transportant le speaker de la Douma (parlement) russe, a déclaré le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères lundi.
Ce dernier a annoncé avoir convoqué l'ambassadeur de France à Moscou pour protester sur cet incident, arguant que l'avion français se situait dans une zone très proche de l'avion transportant Sergueï Narichkine qui se rendait en Suisse....................http://sptnkne.ws/V7y
19/10/15
Rebels battling the Syrian army and its allies south of Aleppo say they have received new supplies of U.S.-made anti-tank missiles from states that oppose President Bashar Assad since a major government offensive began there Friday...
ReplyDeleteRebels from three Free Syrian Army-affiliated groups contacted by Reuters said new supplies had arrived in response to the attack by the army, which is backed by Russian airstrikes and on the ground by Iranian fighters and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
The delivery of the U.S.-made TOW missiles to rebels in Aleppo and elsewhere in Syria appears to be an initial response to the new Russian-Iranian intervention. Foreign states supporting the rebels include Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar........REUTERS
Crédit agricole va payer une amende de $787 M aux USA...
ReplyDeleteCrédit agricole a accepté de payer une amende de 787 millions de dollars (694 millions d'euros) pour mettre fin aux enquêtes sur des soupçons d'opérations financières au profit d'individus ou de pays visés par des sanctions économiques des Etats-Unis.
L'accord à l'amiable conclu avec les autorités américaines devrait être annoncé ce mardi. Les autorités américaines ont accepté de passer avec Crédit Agricole un accord de poursuite différée ("deferred prosecution agreement"), rapporte Reuters.
Dans ce type d'accord, les banques sont placées sous une surveillance accrue pendant une période donnée — en général trois ans — et si elles en violent les termes, des poursuites pénales peuvent être engagées.
Crédit agricole, qui était poursuivi pour avoir violé les règles américaines d'embargo en facilitant des ransactions en dollars avec le Soudan, l'Iran, Cuba et la Birmanie, n'était pas immédiatement joignable.
Contactés par Reuters, des représentants du département américain de la Justice, du département du Trésor, du bureau du procureur de Manhattan et des services financiers de la ville de New York ont tous refusé de faire des commentaires.
En septembre, des sources proches du dossier avaient indiqué à Reuters que l'amende pourrait s'élever à environ 900 millions de dollars.............http://sptnkne.ws/VHP
20/10/15
Russia's defense ministry said Tuesday it had received a memorandum from the U.S. military on preventing mid-air incidents over Syria, where Russian and U.S. air forces are flying separate missions...
ReplyDeleteMajor-General Igor Konashenkov, the defense ministry's spokesman, said the document represented an important step forward, Russia's Interfax news agency reported.
Reuters
Les Etats-Unis déploient des avions d'attaque au sol A-10 en Turquie...
ReplyDelete(Belga) L'armé américaine a déployé douze avions d'attaque au sol A-10 sur la base aérienne d'Incirlik, dans le sud de la Turquie, dans le but de renforcer la lutte contre les djihadistes du groupe Etat islamique, a annoncé un responsable américain mardi.
Ces aéronefs, connus pour leur capacité à détruire les chars d'assaut, ont été acheminés pendant le week-end et sont déjà programmés pour partir en mission contre l'EI, a précisé ce responsable sous couvert d'anonymat................http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/les-etats-unis-deploient-des-avions-d-attaque-au-sol-a-10-en-turquie-764040.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RTLInternational+%28RTL+info+%3E++Monde%29
Assad in surprise visit to Moscow...
ReplyDeleteSyria's President Bashar al-Assad has held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on an unannounced visit to Moscow.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr Assad "came on a working visit to Moscow" on Tuesday evening and held talks with Mr Putin.....BBC
21/10/15
Les USA cesseront leur aide si l'Irak demande soutien à la Russie...
ReplyDeleteLes Etats-Unis suspendront leur aide militaire à l'Irak dans le cas où Bagdad demanderait à la Russie d'effectuer des frappes aériennes sur des positions de l'organisation terroriste Etat islamique en territoire irakien, a prévenu le nouveau chef d'état-major interarmes américain, le général Joseph Dunford.
Début octobre, le premier ministre irakien Haïdar al Abadi a déclaré qu'il verrait d'un bon œil des frappes aériennes russes contre le groupe djihadiste Etat islamique.
Un nouveau centre de coordination qui recueille, traite et échange des renseignements sur l'activité du groupe terroriste Etat islamique entre Irakiens, Syriens, Russes et Iraniens a également été mis en place à Bagdad, capitale irakienne.
Néanmoins, il semblerait que les Etats-Unis cherchent à sauvegarder leur hégémonie militaire dans la région irakienne et qu'ils aient maille à partir avec les Russes:
"J'ai déclaré que nous aurions du mal à vous accorder l'aide nécessaire si les Russes y participent également", a riposté le chef d'état-major interarmes américain au premier ministre irakien...........Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151021/1018971140/irak-russie-usa-ei.html#ixzz3pBVv1bG8
21/10/15
Le ministère russe de la Défense s'inquiète du taux accru de types différents d'aéronefs dans l'espace aérien syrien, déclare la direction du service de presse et d'information du ministère...
ReplyDelete"Ce sont des avions de transport militaire, des chasseurs, des drones de tailles différentes, il y a même des missiles d'assaut… Ainsi, plus de 30 aéronefs se trouvent simultanément dans les airs, souvent dans le même secteur. Tout cela, bien entendu, crée des risque pour la circulation aérienne dans le ciel syrien", lit-on sur le site du ministère russe de la Défense.
Le service de presse du ministère a souligné que le groupe aérien russe coordonnait chaque vol d'aéronef avec le service syrien du contrôle de la circulation aérienne. Tout autre engin, piloté ou non, se trouve dans l'espace aérien syrien sans accords et ses transpondeurs sont éteints............Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151021/1018975390/syrie-aeronefs-coaliation-non-autorise-missiles.html#ixzz3pCBeuq5e
21/10/15
Flüchtlingspolitik in Europa: Juncker beruft EU-Krisengipfel ein...
ReplyDeleteAngesichts der hohen Flüchtlingszahlen lädt EU-Kommissionschef Juncker einige europäische Staats- und Regierungschefs zu einem Spitzentreffen in Brüssel ein. Bei der Zusammenkunft soll es vor allem um die westliche Balkanroute gehen.
EU-Kommissionspräsident Jean-Claude Juncker hat zu einem Spitzentreffen eingeladen, um über die Flüchtlingpolitik zu beraten. Auf dem Krisengipfel am Sonntag in Brüssel soll es insbesondere um die sogenannte Westbalkanroute gehen. Auch Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel wird erwartet. Neben Deutschland sind die Staats- und Regierungschefs von Österreich, Bulgarien, Kroatien, Griechenland, Ungarn, Rumänien und Slowenien eingeladen, teilte die EU-Kommission in Brüssel mit.
Auch die Nicht EU-Mitglieder Serbien und Mazedonien sollen teilnehmen. Die Staaten befinden sich auf der Balkanroute, auf der die Flüchtlinge von der Türkei aus Richtung Westeuropa ziehen.
"Angesichts der Ausnahmesituation in den Ländern auf der westlichen Balkanroute sind eine größere Zusammenarbeit, verstärkte Beratungen und sofortiges Handeln von Nöten", teilte Junckers Büro mit.
Bis zu 6000 Flüchtlinge an einem Tag
Kroatien und Slowenien sind zurzeit mit einem Ansturm Tausender Menschen konfrontiert. Am Dienstag hätten sich bis zu 5000 Flüchtlinge trotz hochgerüsteter Polizei illegal Zugang zu Kroatien verschafft, berichtete der serbische Innenminister Nebojsa Stefanovic gegenüber serbischen Medien. Die Menschenmenge sei vom serbischen Grenzübergang Berkasovo ins kroatische Bapska durchgebrochen, sagte der Minister in Belgrad. Auch in das nördlich gelegene Slowenien seien bis zu 6000 Menschen eingereist, teilte das Innenministerium in Ljubljana mit.
Laut eigener Angaben kann Slowenien nur bis zu 2500 Menschen verkraften. Angesichts des Massenansturms von Flüchtlingen auf das kleine EU- und Schengen-Land setzt Slowenien jetzt Militär zur Grenzsicherung ein.
http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/krisengipfel-eu-101.html
21/10/15
US Vice-President Joe Biden has announced he will not run for the Democratic nomination in the 2016 White House race...
ReplyDeleteMr Biden said his family was ready after the death of his son earlier this year, but he had now run out of time.
He said it would be a mistake for Democrats to turn their backs on President Barack Obama's legacy.
Democrats seeking an alternative to frontrunner Hillary Clinton had been urging the 72-year-old to run.
Though he will not be a candidate, Mr Biden said he "will not be silent".
"I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully on where we stand as a party and where we need to go as a nation."....BBC
Katar schließt Militärinvasion in Syrien nicht aus...
ReplyDeleteKatar hält eine militärische Invasion in Syrien für möglich. „Unsere saudischen Brüder, die Türkei und wir schließen keine Varianten zum Schutz des syrischen Volkes aus“, erklärte Katars Außenminister Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah am Mittwoch in einem Interview des Senders CNN Arabic.
„Wenn zum Schutz der Syrer vor Gräueltaten des Regimes eine militärische Variante notwendig sein sollte – dann ja“, sagte der Minister auf die Frage, ob Katar militärisches Eingreifen in Syrien erwägt. Es gebe mehrere Möglichkeiten, um diese Varianten zu realisieren, sagte er, ohne auf Details einzugehen.
Katar unterstütze weiterhin die Gruppierung Ahrar Ash Sham. Das seien keine Extremisten, die Gruppierung gehöre zur „moderaten“ Opposition in Syrien“, sagte Al Attiyah...........http://de.sputniknews.com/militar/20151021/305104191/schutz-der-syrer-vor-graueltaen-des-regimes.html#ixzz3pDzGoQ2n
Der Iran hat bei Russland einen Kredit über fünf Milliarden US-Dollar beantragt...
ReplyDelete„Das Geld ist für die Realisierung diverser Projekte auf dem Territorium des Irans bestimmt“, wie Russlands Energieminister Alexander Nowak am Mittwoch in Teheran mitteilte.
Russland prüfe den Antrag, sagte er. Es handele sich um den Bau von Objekten der Infrastruktur und des Transports, um Geologie- und mehrere andere Projekte. Zu den Parametern des Kredits machte der Minister keine Angaben.
http://de.sputniknews.com/wirtschaft/20151021/305107190/realisierung-von-infrastrukturprojekten.html#ixzz3pEhtjqXN
U.S. slams Russia rolling out ‘red carpet’ for Assad....
ReplyDeleteThe White House on Wednesday slammed Russia for its “red carpet” treatment of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who made a rare visit to Moscow to see President Vladimir Putin.
“We view the red carpet welcome for Assad, who has used chemical weapons against his own people, at odds with the stated goal by the Russians for a political transition in Syria,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Air Force One.
Assad flew into Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin during which the two men discussed their joint military campaign against Islamist militants in Syria, a Kremlin spokesman said.............alarabiya.net
Attaque au sabre dans une école en Suède: le bilan monte à deux morts...
ReplyDelete(Belga) L'attaque d'une école suédoise jeudi par un homme masqué et armé d'un sabre a fait deux morts et deux blessés graves en plus de l'assaillant, selon un nouveau bilan provisoire communiqué par l'hôpital de Trollhättan.
"Une des quatre personnes admises à l'hôpital est décédée", a déclaré un porte-parole de l'établissement. Les médias suédois affirment qu'il s'agit d'un des deux élèves blessés. Un enseignant a succombé à ses blessures dans l'école avant l'intervention des secours tandis que l'assaillant a été très grièvement blessé par des tirs de la police. (Belga)
Jimmy Carter a transmis à la Russie les positions de l'EI en Syrie...
ReplyDeleteL'ancien président américain Jimmy Carter a bel et bien remis à la Russie des cartes des positions de Daech et d'autres groupes terroristes en Syrie, a confirmé le ministère russe des Affaires étrangères.
Les cartes contenant la localisation de l'EI et d'autres groupes djihadistes transmises par M.Carter à Moscou ne sont pas secrètes, et la Russie est reconnaissante à l'homme politique américain, a fait savoir la diplomatie russe.
Moscou espère que Washington appliquera concernant la lutte conjointe contre le terrorisme une approche aussi constructive que celle de l'ex-président US Carter.
"A notre avis, cela serait beaucoup plus logique et efficace si la même approche constructive était appliquée par ceux qui disposent d'une information complète dans ce domaine aujourd'hui à Washington, et qui ont le pouvoir de prendre des décisions", a fait savoir la porte-parole du ministère russe Maria Zakharova.
http://sptnkne.ws/W6A
22/10/15
Saudi says Assad must be removed from power to crush Islamic State...
ReplyDeleteSaudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday that to eliminate militant group Islamic State, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must be removed from power.
Jubeir also said that Assad was the magnet "that attracted foreign fighters from all over the world to fight on the side of Daesh (Islamic State) against Assad's regime," he told Al Arabiya al-Hadath television channel in Vienna, after talks with Austria's foreign minister.
"We discussed the situation in Syria and how to find a peaceful solution for the conflict that guarantees Syria's future and leads to a transitional period that does not include Bashar al-Assad," Jubeir said.
REUTERS
About 70 Kurdish hostages rescued in an operation involving the U.S. military "faced imminent mass execution," the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday....
ReplyDeleteA U.S. service member was killed -- the first American combat death in Iraq since November 2011 -- in the operation at a prison of the Islamist militant group ISIS near Hawija in the northern province of Kirkuk.
An American was killed in an operation involving the U.S. military to rescue dozens of Kurdish hostages in Iraq overnight, two U.S. officials told CNN on condition of anonymity Thursday.
Seventy hostages were liberated in the operation, which involved U.S. special operations troops as well as Kurdish and Iraqi forces, U.S. officials said......CNN
Erdoğan says ISIL, PKK, PYD, Syrian intelligence behind Ankara bombing...
ReplyDeleteThe bombing in Ankara that killed 102 leftist and pro-Kurdish activists on Oct. 10 was a “collective” act in which the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Syrian Kurdish group the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Syrian intelligence were involved, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday.
“They say ISIL, or whatever, did it. This is a completely collective act of terrorism. There is ISIL, there is the PKK, there is the Mukhabarat, there is the PYD [involved] here,” Erdoğan told a gathering in Ankara. “All of them have planned this act together.”
Authorities have said two suicide bombers believed to be linked to ISIL carried out the bombing, the deadliest act of terrorism ever perpetrated on Turkish soil. One of the bombers was the brother of an ISIL-linked individual who detonated himself in the middle of a crowd of pro-Kurdish and Socialist activists in the southeastern town of Suruç on July 20, killing 33 people.
Both brothers are believed to be members of an ISIL cell in the southeastern province of Adıyaman. The second suicide bomber in Ankara is yet to be identified.
Although findings point to an ISIL role in the attack, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu previously said it was likely that both ISIL and the PKK have played a part in the bombing.
http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_erdogan-says-isil-pkk-pyd-syrian-intelligence-behind-ankara-bombing_402216.html
22/10/15
Russia's military carried out an airstrike on a bridge over the Euphrates river in Syria which was being used by ISIS militants to bring supplies from Iraq into Syria, Russia's RIA news agency quoted a defense ministry official as saying...
ReplyDeleteThe official, Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, said the bridge was now impassable, the agency reported.
REUTERS
Obama veta la ley de ayuda militar a los rebeldes sirios...
ReplyDeleteEl presidente de EE.UU., Barack Obama, ha vetado la ley de financiamiento militar previamente aprobada por el Congreso, que contempla la asistencia millonaria en forma de suministro de armas letales a los rebeldes sirios y el régimen de Kiev.
A principios de octubre el Senado de EE.UU. votó a favor de la ley sobre el gasto militar a la que desde el principio se oponía Obama. Pese a la aprobación de la ley por ambas cámaras del Congreso, el presidente finalmente vetó la ley, que permite aumentar los gastos militares del Pentágono y que prohíbe las transferencias de los presos de Guantánamo a EE.UU. hasta el año 2017.
La así llamada Ley de Autorización de la Defensa Nacional (NDAA por sus siglas en inglés) autoriza la financiación del departamento de Defensa con un monto total de 612.000 millones de dólares para el año fiscal de 2016, es decir, 38.000 millones de dólares más de lo que contempla la Ley de Control de Presupuesto aprobada en 2011.
Además de la asistencia a Kiev en forma de suministro de armas letales, la ley contempla una partida de 600 millones de dólares para el programa fallido de entrenamiento de rebeldes sirios. Otros 700 millones serían enviados al Gobierno de Irak como apoyo en la lucha en contra del Estado Islámico (EI). La ley también presupone el aumento en un 1,3% del salarios de los militares.
https://actualidad.rt.com/actualidad/189348-obama-vetar-ley-ayuda-militar-siria
At least 42 people have been killed in a collision between a lorry and a bus in south-west France, reports say...
ReplyDeleteThe two vehicles are reported to have collided head-on in the town of Puisseguin, near Libourne in the Gironde region, east of Bordeaux.
Sud Ouest newspaper says the bus was carrying elderly people who were setting off on holiday.
This is reportedly the worst French road disaster since one in Beaune in 1982 in which 52 people died.
BBC
23/10/15
Une collision entre un autocar et un camion a eu lieu vendredi matin vers 7h30 sur la départementale 123, à hauteur de Puisseguin, près de Libourne, en Gironde (sud-ouest de la France), indique Europe 1...
ReplyDeleteL'accident a fait au moins 39 morts, précisent plusieurs médias.
Trente-huit des morts sont des passagers du car, le 39e est le conducteur du camion, les deux véhicules s'étant embrasés lors du choc frontal. Huit personnes auraient réussi à sortir du piège du car en feu, mais on ignore la gravité de leurs blessures. Une soixantaine de pompiers sont mobilisés sur place, selon Europe 1, qui précise que les passagers du bus, qui partaient en voyage, seraient des personnes âgées. (Belga)
Obama dit "non" aux livraisons d’armes à l’Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteLe président américain Barack Obama a mis son veto au projet de budget de la Défense des Etats-Unis pour l’année financière 2016. Le document en question, promulgué par les deux chambres du Congrès, aurait permis aux Etats-Unis de livrer des armes létales à l’Ukraine.
Auparavant, le porte-parole de la Maison Blanche Josh Earnest avait déclaré à plusieurs reprises que le président contestait la répartition de certains "fonds de réserve" incorporés dans le projet.
Selon lui, le gouvernement y voyait une "approche irresponsable" du financement de la défense du pays, et réprouvait en outre certains articles concernant "les obstacles à la fermeture de la prison de Guantanamo (Cuba)".............http://sptnkne.ws/WHr
Poroshenko faces judgement day as Ukraine votes without rebel east...
ReplyDeletePro-Western President Petro Poroshenko faces a stern test of his unpopular belt-tightening measures and stuttering anti-corruption drive when Ukraine votes in local elections on Oct. 25 that exclude the pro-Russian separatist east.
The polls come during a lull in fighting and amid growing worries that Ukraine is slipping off the global agenda despite just turning into Europe's second-poorest country and still standing as a bulwark against Russia's feared expansion west.
Twenty months have passed since the ex-Soviet nation sparked the world's imagination through unceasing protests that toppled a despised Kremlin-backed leader and appeared to anchor Ukraine's future with the West.
But Russia's subsequent annexation of Crimea and the pro-Moscow eastern revolt that followed in which more than 8,000 died have seen the nation of 40 million stripped of its most strategic naval bases and industrial heartland.
The prospects of Kiev winning back the Russian-run Black Sea peninsula now seem remote........AFP......hurriyetdailynews.com
23/10/15
La aviación británica espera luz verde del Parlamento para atacar al EI en Siria...
ReplyDeleteLa aviación de Reino Unido está lista para bombardear en Siria posiciones del Estado Islámico (EI) en cuanto el Parlamento lo apruebe, informa este viernes el diario The Times citando a un representante de las Fuerzas Aéreas.
"El objetivo sigue siendo el mismo, el EI, tenemos una gran experiencia de ataques contra ellos (…) ahora haríamos lo mismo en Siria", afirmó el comandante aéreo Martin Sampson, agregando que las tripulaciones de los Tornado están dispuestas a cumplir cualquier tarea militar "en cuanto los políticos lo consideren necesario".
El oficial aseguró que los ataques de la aviación británica serían bien vistos por los aliados de la coalición que encabeza EEUU, y podrían cambiar favorablemente la situación en el campo de batalla...........http://sptnkne.ws/WT3
Direct flights between Ukraine and Russia will stop on Sunday, as new sanctions initiated by Kiev come into effect....
ReplyDeleteMoscow first called Kiev's ban on Russian airlines "madness", then announced that it would mirror the move.
Ukraine now says flights will end at midnight on Saturday, after last-minute crisis talks failed.
Up to 70,000 passengers a month will be affected.
The sanctions are intended to punish Russia for annexing Crimea and supporting armed rebels in eastern Ukraine. The fact that they have been introduced now, when a ceasefire is finally holding on the ground, shows how bitter relations remain.
Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting itself in the foot with the move, pointing out that most passengers are Ukrainian travelling to work in Russia, visiting relatives or in transit.
But two-thirds of all passengers travel on Russian airlines.
Russia's transport minister has estimated that the loss in ticket sales to both countries will run to around $110m (£73m) a year......BBC
Russia does not want to take into account the specific interests of only Bashar al-Assad, or the opposition - only the interests of Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Vesti v Subbotu TV host Sergei Brilev on Saturday...
ReplyDelete"We do not want to take into account specific interests of Bashar al-Assad, nor specific interests of the opposition," the Minister said. "We want to take into account the interests of Syria. And it is important for Syria to have a peaceful environment; to end the war as soon as possible and not let the terrorists get a chance to seize power in Damascus, or in any other part of Syria.".
http://tass.ru/en/politics/831566
24/10/15
The United Nations says it has mistakenly sent hundreds of boxes of expired biscuits to besieged civilians near Damascus...
ReplyDeleteA total of 320 out of 650 boxes of high energy biscuits sent to Zabadani and Madaya on Oct. 18 as part of a relief convoy earlier this month had expired a month earlier.
"We can confirm that this was the result of an unfortunate human error during the loading process," says Yacoub El Hillo, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria in a statement Saturday.
He says the U.N. Syria team is taking the issue "very seriously" and working to rectify the situation. The statement adds that after checking with medical sources, the U.N. can confirm that the consumption of the expired biscuits poses no health threats.
AP
dailystar.com.lb
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused Kurdish groups on Saturday of trying to grab control of northern Syria, and said Ankara would not allow this to happen....
ReplyDeleteIn a speech in southeast Turkey, Erdogan denounced the merging of the Syrian town of Tel Abyad last week into an autonomous political structure created by the Kurds.
"All they want is to seize northern Syria entirely," Erdogan said. "We will under no circumstances allow northern Syria to become a victim of their scheming. Because this constitutes a threat for us, and it is not possible for us as Turkey to say 'yes' to this threat."
jopost.com by Reuters
24/10/15
Joint operations between Syrian and Russian forces are achieving "big results," Syria's parliament chief told a visiting Russian parliamentary delegation on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported....
ReplyDelete"The coordination between Syrian and Russian forces during the implementation of air and ground operations has begun to achieve big results in defeating and eradicating terrorism in Syria and Iraq," Jihad al-Lahham said.
He also defended joint Russian-Syrian operations as "the only legitimate coalition against international terrorism" in a dig at a U.S.-led coalition against ISIS that does not coordinate with Damascus.
Russia began an aerial campaign in Syria on Sept. 30, in response to a request from Damascus.
Moscow says it is targeting ISIS and other "terrorists," but Syrian rebels and their backers say Russian strikes have focused on so-called moderate and Islamist fighters, not extremists.
Russia and Iran have proved staunch allies of President Bashar Assad's government throughout the uprising against it that begin in March 2011.
Lahham said Syria was working with Russia and Iran "to push forward a political solution in parallel with the fight against terrorism".....AFP..........dailystar.com.lb
Esplanade des Mosquées: Israël et la Jordanie d'accord sur de nouvelles mesures ...
ReplyDeleteLe secrétaire d'Etat américain John Kerry a annoncé samedi à Amman un accord entre la Jordanie et Israël sur de nouvelles mesures régissant l'esplanade des Mosquées à Jérusalem, une tentative pour juguler les violences entre Israéliens et Palestiniens.
Ces mesures devraient être détaillées samedi soir par le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu, a ajouté John Kerry qui s'exprimait aux côtés de son homologue jordanien Nasser Judeh à l'issue d'une rencontre avec le roi de Jordanie Abdallah II.
Israël accepte une surveillance 24h/24
Il a précisé que Benjamin Netanyahu a accepté une suggestion du roi Abdallah pour assurer une surveillance vidéo de 24 heures de tous les sites sur l'esplanade des Mosquées. Une idée qualifiée "d'excellente" par John Kerry.
Israël est d'accord aussi pour "respecter pleinement le rôle particulier" de la Jordanie, gardienne des lieux saints, selon le statu quo de 1967, a précisé le secrétaire d'Etat américain......rtbf.be
Israel agrees to 'no prayer by non-Muslims' on Al-Aqsa mosque...
DeleteIsrael and Jordan agreed on new measures on Saturday covering Jerusalem's flash-point Al-Aqsa mosque compound, including 24-hour security cameras. The aim is to calm the recent wave of violence between Israel and the Palestinians.
US Secretary of State John Kerry who was in Jordan on Saturday to mediate the situation, announced that the two sides had reached the understanding that Israel will continue to "fully respect" the role that Jordan has as custodian of the site. Israel will also continue to enforce its policy that Muslims pray at the Al-Aqsa mosque and non-Muslims visit.
Emphasizing the fact that Israel does not intend to change the status quo or divide the holy site, the Office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on Saturday that said that "Israel will continue to enforce its longstanding policy: Muslims pray on the Temple Mount; non-Muslims visit the Temple Mount................http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/90193-151025-israel-agrees-to-no-prayer-by-non-muslims-on-al-aqsa-mosque
25/10/15
Argentina votes for its next president Sunday after 12 years under power couple Nestor and Cristina Kirchner, whose heir apparent is poised to win but may undo parts of their controversial legacy....
ReplyDeleteBuenos Aires provincial Governor Daniel Scioli has vowed to uphold the core elements of "kirchnerism," a populist creed built around trade protectionism, social welfare and defense of the working classes.
But the 58-year-old powerboating fanatic -- who lost his right arm in a 1989 racing accident -- has also vowed a change in style to attract more investment and increase productivity, and has assembled an economic team of free-marketeers...............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/90175-151025-argentina-elects-new-president-ending-kirchner-dynasty
25/10/15
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman met with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as he arrived in Riyadh on Saturday for talks on recent developments in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Syrian war, the Saudi Press Agency reported...
ReplyDeleteCrown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir had met with Kerry before he made his way to the Dhiraya Farm, the king's country residence.
Washington and Riyadh are part of a U.S.-led coalition that last year launched an air campaign targeting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group which controls swathes of territory in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
The Saudi talks follow a meeting Friday in Vienna between Kerry and the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia on ways to end the Syria conflict.
But the Vienna talks failed to make any breakthrough and Kerry said at the time he hoped to reconvene another "broader" meeting on Syria as early as October 30.
alarabiya.net
The prime ministers of Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania jointly announced in Sofia on Saturday that they will not allow their countries to become a buffer zone for refugees....
ReplyDeleteIf Germany, Austria and other countries close their borders, the three Balkan countries will not agree to become a buffer zone for refugee flows located between Turkey and fences that will follow after Serbia, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov told a joint press conference.
"We will be ready in the same way to close our borders at the same moment," Borissov announced the joint position of the three countries, which will be expressed on Sunday at an EU special summit on tackling migration that will be held in Brussels.
"We will not put our countries on the devastating pressures of millions who would come," Borissov said.
The intensive building of fences in Europe worried Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania, and the three countries were worried about how far the refugee wave would reach, Borissov said.........http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-10/25/content_36884081.htm
South Korea fires warning shots at North patrol boat near border...
ReplyDeleteSouth Korean navy fired warning shots at a North Korean patrol boat near the rivals' disputed maritime border, where sailors on both sides have been killed in past exchanges of fire, the two sides said on Sunday.
The incident, which took place on Saturday, coincided with the holding reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War under an August accord that ended an earlier standoff and called for better ties.
South Korea's navy fired several shots at a North Korean patrol boat that crossed the disputed maritime border on Saturday, forcing it to retreat, a South Korean defense official in Seoul said by telephone, asking not to be named.
The North did not return fire or take other action, the official said.
North Korea has rejected the so-called Northern Limit Line (NLL), which was drawn up at the end of the Korean War, as the maritime border, insisting on a line further to the south.
The two Koreas remain technically at war because no peace treaty has been signed after the war, and despite several moves to normalize ties, the peninsula is tensely divided........reuters.com
25/10/15
Aumentan a 30 las víctimas por el ataque de EE.UU. al hospital en Afganistán....
ReplyDeleteEl número de muertos causado por el bombardeo aéreo estadounidense al hospital de Médicos sin Fronteras en la ciudad afgana de Kunduz, el pasado 3 de octubre, ha aumentado de 25 a 30 personas, declaró el sábado el portavoz de la filial estadounidense de esa organización Tim Schenk, citado por la agencia TASS.
Según Schenk, al menos 13 de las víctimas eran empleados de Médicos sin Fronteras, 10 eran pacientes y otras 7 víctimas no pudieron ser identificadas. Al menos 27 empleados de Médicos sin Fronteras resultaron heridos en el ataque. El número exacto de los pacientes que resultaron heridos no fue determinado.
rt.com
25/10/15
Israel says one of its Israeli Arab citizens deliberately paraglided into Syria, amid reports of intensive Israeli aerial operations overnight....
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened to revoke the man's citizenship amid speculation he was trying to join a Syrian rebel group.
Witnesses reported intensive activity in the border area, including Israeli aircraft dropping illumination flares.
Israel officially maintains a neutral stance on the Syrian conflict.
Its citizens are banned from travelling there, but a small number of Israeli Arab citizens are understood to have gone to fight in Syria nonetheless - though few arrive by air.
It was believed that the man who flew into Syria on Saturday night was from Jaljulia, a mainly Muslim Arab town north-west of Tel Aviv, the military said.
The military said it had been unable to find the man despite intensive searches in the area where he landed near the Golan Heights - an area in south-western Syria annexed by Israel in 1981, in a move not recognised internationally.....BBC
Royaume-Uni: Tony Blair reconnaît une responsabilité dans la montée del'EI....
ReplyDeleteL'ancien Premier ministre travailliste Tony Blair a réitéré dimanche des excuses partielles pour la guerre en Irak, tout en reconnaissant une certaine responsabilité dans la montée du groupe terroriste Etat islamique (EI), dans une interview sur CNN.
"Je peux dire que je présente des excuses pour le fait que les informations données par les services secrets étaient fausses", a déclaré Tony Blair à CNN, selon le site internet de la chaîne de télévision américaine. Mais "je trouve difficile de s'excuser d'avoir démis Saddam. Encore aujourd'hui en 2015, je trouve que c'est mieux qu'il ne soit plus là", a soutenu l'ex-Premier ministre britannique.
"Je m'excuse aussi pour certaines erreurs dans la planification et nos erreurs dans notre compréhension de ce qui se passerait une fois le régime tombé", a-t-il ajouté, reconnaissant des "éléments de vérité" dans l'idée que l'invasion de l'Irak en 2003 est la principale cause de la montée de l'EI. "Bien-sûr, il n'est pas possible que dire que ceux qui ont déposé Saddam en 2003 ne portent aucune responsabilité dans la situation en 2015", a-t-il reconnu, tout en soulignant également l'impact du Printemps arabe et le fait que l'EI a démarré depuis la Syrie et non l'Irak.
rtbf.be
Polling stations have not opened in Mariupol in the Donetsk Region in east Ukraine, TV Channel 112 reported on Sunday.
ReplyDelete"Voting in Mariupol has not begun," the TV Channel said.
Ukrainians are voting on Sunday to elect deputies of regional, urban and district councils through the proportional electoral system.
The Mariupol territorial electoral commission earlier turned to Ukraine’s Central Electoral Commission with a demand to reschedule the elections in the city from October 25 to November 15 due to violations found in the printing house during the printing of ballot papers for voting.
http://tass.ru/en/world/831634
A strong earthquake in northern Afghanistan shook buildings from Kabul to Delhi, cut power and communications in some areas and caused more than 150 deaths, mainly in Afghanistan and Pakistan...
ReplyDeletePakistani officials said that at least 147 people were killed and nearly 600 others wounded across the country, while Afghan officials said 33 people were killed and more than 200 wounded.
The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the 7.5-magnitude earthquake was in the Hindu Kush mountains, in the sparsely populated province of Badakhshan, which borders Pakistan, Tajikistan and China. It said the epicenter was 213 kilometers (130 miles) deep and 73 kilometers (45 miles) south of the provincial capital, Fayzabad.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani sent his condolences to families who had lost relatives and property, and appointed an "assessment committee" to ensure emergency relief reached the needy as soon as possible, his office said........REUTERS........http://www.france24.com/en/20151026-earthquake-strong-strikes-northern-pakistan-afghanistan-india
26/10/15
Un puissant séisme de magnitude 7,5 a secoué lundi l'Asie du Sud, faisant plus de 180 morts au Pakistan et en Afghanistan, dont 12 écolières afghanes tuées dans une bousculade en fuyant leur école....
DeleteDes centaines d'autres personnes ont été blessées par la secousse, particulièrement longue, qui a poussé des milliers de gens à se précipiter dans les rues en Inde, en Afghanistan, au Pakistan et au Tadjikistan.
Selon l'Institut américain de géologie (USGS), l'hypocentre du séisme se situe à Jurm, dans les montagnes reculées du Badakhshan, à l'extrême nord-est de l'Afghanistan, à une profondeur de 213,5 km.
En Afghanistan, le bilan atteignait 33 morts, dont neuf dans le Badakhshan, dix au Nangarhar (est), et deux dans la province de Baghlan -- outre les douze écolières. Un chiffre susceptible d'augmenter, ont averti les autorités.
Les premiers bilans étaient plus importants au Pakistan voisin, avec au moins 150 morts, selon un décompte des chiffres fournis par les autorités locales et provinciales.
L'armée a confirmé le décès de 123 personnes et indiqué que plus de 950 personnes avaient été blessées. Dans la capitale Islamabad, quelques bâtiments ont été fissurés...............http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_un-seisme-de-magnitude-7-7-secoue-l-asie-du-sud-epicentre-en-afghanistan?id=9118875
26/10/15
El Ejército sirio retoma palmo a palmo los alrededores de Damasco...
ReplyDeleteLos periodistas presentes en los alrededores de Damasco, donde continúan los combates entre los militantes extremistas y el Ejército sirio, destacan que estos recuerdan la gesta de Stalingrado, donde zonas florecientes quedaron reducidas a ruinas y escombros.
El corresponsal de RIA Novosti dio testimonio del difícil avance del Ejército sirio.
Defensores no invitados
La región de Darayya está al suroeste de Damasco y colinda con otra región "desfavorecida", llamada Maadamiyeh, poblada antes de la guerra civil por musulmanes suníes, hecho que propició que los militantes islamistas ubicasen aquí sus bases.
Los musulmanes suníes resultaron ser un caldo de cultivo para la propaganda contra el presidente Bashar Asad; en estas zonas había muchas personas que simplemente estaban disconformes con la pobreza y el bajo nivel de vida.
No obstante, la mayor parte de los suníes que en algún momento apoyó a los islamistas, huyó al comprender que los militantes no podían ofrecer a la población civil nada constructivo a cambio de una guerra interminable contra las autoridades legítimas y entre ellos.
A "defender" a los suníes locales acudieron de todas partes del mundo, asesinos profesionales, y pronto quedó claro que a los yijadistas les importan poco las relaciones de los suníes y el Gobierno sirio, así como el destino del país...........http://sptnkne.ws/XFa
France plans to hold an international meeting on the situation in Syria bringing together representatives of different foreign countries but without Russia, French Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Romain Nadal said on Monday...
ReplyDelete"We are working on organizing a new meeting with participation of regional partners on Tuesday in Paris," Nadal said.
http://tass.ru/en/world/831797
Deutscher Bank drohen US-Sanktionen...
ReplyDeleteVergangene Woche musste die französische Bank Credit Agricole 790 Millionen Dollar Strafe wegen Sanktionsverstößen an die USA zahlen. Insgesamt wurden in den letzten Jahren europäischen Kreditinstituten Bußen über elf Milliarden Dollar aufgebrummt. Die USA nutzen ihre zentrale Stellung im Weltfinanzsystem, um die Banken weltweit zu kontrollieren und Washingtons außenpolitischen Ziele zu verfolgen.
Was wird der Deutschen Bank vorgeworfen?
Das amerikanische Justizministerium und die Finanzaufsicht von New York ermitteln gegen die Deutsche Bank wegen Geldwäsche in Russland. Zwischen 2011 und 2015 soll sie russischen Kunden dabei geholfen haben, sechs Milliarden Dollar an den Behörden vorbei aus Russland geschafft zu haben. Dabei könnte auch gegen die bestehenden Sanktionen verstoßen worden sein. Im Zentrum der Untersuchungen steht der Amerikaner Tim Wiswell, zu der Zeit einer der führenden Angestellten der Deutschen Bank in Moskau. Er wurde inzwischen entlassen. Die US-Behörden prüfen nun auch, ob das Geldinstitut ganz allgemein geeignete Mechanismen installiert hat, um die Einhaltung der US-Sanktionen zu gewährleisten..............http://www.fr-online.de/wirtschaft/deutsche-bank--deutscher-bank-drohen-us-sanktionen,1472780,32259848.html
26/10/15
The U.S. Navy plans to send the USS Lassen destroyer within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea within 24 hours, a U.S. defense official said on Monday, the first of more regular challenges to China's territorial claims...
ReplyDeleteThe destroyer's patrol would go near Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago, features that were formerly submerged at high tide before China began a massive dredging project to turn them into islands in 2014.
The ship would likely be accompanied by a P-8A surveillance plane, the official said.
REUTERS
26/10/15
Moscow maintains contacts with representatives of Free Syrian Army, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Monday when asked when the group’s representatives could be expected in Moscow...
ReplyDelete"They are here all the time. They are various people, who come and go. But everybody says that they are representatives of Free Syrian Army," Bogdanov said.
http://tass.ru/en/politics/831909
26/10/15
Further diplomatic discussions on ending the Syrian conflict could occur as soon as the end of this week, a State Department spokesman said on Monday, acknowledging that Iran would eventually need to be involved in the talks on a political transition in Syria...
ReplyDelete"At some point ... we know there's going to need to be a conversation with Iran towards the end of a political transition there," spokesman John Kirby told reporters following talks in Vienna on Friday between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and counterparts from Russia, Saudi Arabia and Turkey on a political settlement in Syria.
The Vienna meeting sought to explore a political solution to the Syrian civil war despite disagreement among the parties over the future of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Kirby said Iran's role in the Syrian conflict, including its support for Assad and Lebanon's Hezbollah, was unhelpful......REUTERS........http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Oct-26/320357-next-meeting-on-syria-may-be-end-of-this-week-us-official.ashx
26/10/15
Des djihadistes ont exécuté dimanche dernier, à la cité antique de Palmyre, trois personnes en les attachant à des colonnes qu'ils ont fait exploser, a rapporté lundi l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH)....
ReplyDeleteL'EI "a attaché à des colonnes trois individus de Palmyre et des environs qu'il avait arrêtés (…) et les a exécutés en faisant exploser" ces trois monuments antiques, a déclaré le directeur de l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH), Rami Abdel Rahmane, cité par l'AFP.
On ne connaît pas encore l'identité des victimes ni le motif de ces exécutions.........http://sptnkne.ws/XQe
27/10/15
Free Syrian Army groups say did not visit Moscow....
ReplyDeleteDelegations from Free Syrian Army rebel groups did not visit Moscow, representatives of four factions fighting under the FSA banner told Reuters on Oct. 27, denying Russian news agency reports that such visits had taken place.
"This talk is not correct," said Ahmed al-Seoud, head of the FSA-affiliated 13th Division group, which operates in areas of western Syria being attacked by Russian warplanes.
The spokesman for Alwiyat Seif al-Sham, an FSA group operating in southern Syria, said: "Nothing of this sort happened on our part as FSA. It is impossible for us to accept going to Moscow, and to have dialogue with it. We don't want their help."
"We contacted our friends in other areas and nobody went," added the spokesman, Abu Ghiath al-Shami.
Russian Foreign Ministry official Mikhail Bogdanov was quoted by Interfax news agency on Oct. 27 as saying delegations from the Free Syrian Army had visited Moscow several times, including this week. ...........hurriyetdailynews.com
27/10/15
Rund 500 Terroristen des Islamischen Staates (IS) sind mit vier aus der Türkei in Syrien eingetroffenen Maschinen nach Jemen ausgeflogen worden, wie Brigadegeneral Ali Mayhub von den syrischen Streitkräften am Dienstag in Latakia mitteilte...
ReplyDelete„Nachrichtendienstlichen Angaben zufolge landeten die Flugzeuge in Aden. Zwei davon gehörten den Turkish Airlines, ein Flugzeug war aus Katar und noch ein aus den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE). Sie brachten etwa 500 IS-Terroristen aus Syrien, die sich vor russischen Luftangriffen retten wollten“, sagte Mayhub.
„Die Extremisten wurden von Offizieren der saudischen Koalition in Empfang genommen… Die IS-Leute sollen an einer Bodenoperation der Koalition teilnehmen, die in den jüngsten Kämpfen gegen die Huthi-Milizen erhebliche Verluste hinnehmen musste.“ Dabei sagte der General unter Berufung auf die Aufklärung, dass in nächster Zeit weitere IS-Terroristen aus Syrien ausgeflogen werden sollten.
http://sptnkne.ws/Ydb
27/10/15
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Tuesday said the United States would ramp up efforts to fight ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq, including with additional air strikes and possibly by direct action on the ground...
ReplyDelete"We won't hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIL, or conducting such missions directly, whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground," Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
AFP
US Has ‘Obligation’ to Defend Trained Syrian Rebels - Carter...
DeleteCarter refused to indicate US policy toward defending non-Pentagon trained Syrian forces, namely Syrians trained under the secretive Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) program, which began in 2012.
"We have indicated that we have an obligation, we have options to protect our people that we have trained against attack," Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Asked about US defense of the CIA-trained opposition against potential Russian attack, Carter said "that is something we would have to discuss in a closed [hearing]."
Earlier, top US military officials claimed that President Barack Obama has the authority under the US constitution to defend US-trained fighters. As recently as July, Carter publicly stated he was not sure that defending US-trained Syrians against attacks was legal.
http://sptnkne.ws/Ycg
27/10/15
Iran is likely to be invited for the first time to international talks with the US and Russia over the Syrian conflict, the US says...
ReplyDeleteUS state department spokesman John Kirby said it was unclear if Iran's leaders would attend the talks, starting in Vienna on Thursday.
Top envoys from the US, Russia, Arab and European nations are taking part.
Syria's Western-backed opposition and the US's Gulf Arab allies have long opposed Iran's role in the Syrian war.
Mr Kirby told reporters on Thursday that he expected Iran "to be invited to participate" in the talks in Vienna.
"Whether they come or not is up to Iranian leaders," he said. "It's important for us that key partners are in these discussions... They [Iran] could be a key partner, but they are not now.".....BBC
US officials say Iran is being invited to participate for the first time in international talks aimed at peacefully ending Syria's four-year civil war....
DeleteThe next diplomatic round starts Thursday in Vienna. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and several top European and Arab diplomats will attend.
The officials, who weren't authorized to speak on the record and demanded anonymity, said Russia delivered the invitation; Iran has yet to respond.
Washington had held out the possibility of Iran joining the discussions. But Syria's Western-backed opposition and US allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, opposed such a move.
AP
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
27/10/15
Armed Kurdish group forces Syrian Arabs, Turkmen from homes...
ReplyDeleteThe Arab and Turkmen populations in northern Syria have faced human rights abuses in areas controlled by armed Kurdish group, the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG), according to a report published Tuesday.
In a 22-page report, the Syrian Network for Human Rights said abuses against Arabs, Turkmen and Assyrians had been taking place in Al-Hasakah province since February.
According to the report, the YPG have killed 47 civilians, including eight women and nine children, in the last six months and detained 612 people, including 19 children.
Villages have been destroyed, crops burned or stolen and fields leveled with bulldozers in a bid to force people away from their homes..........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/guncel/armed-kurdish-group-forces-syrian-arabs-turkmen-from-homes/456821#
27/10/15
The Kremlin has dismissed as groundless Montenegro’s allegations Russia may be involved in opposition protests....
ReplyDelete"No new comment is needed here. As before, these charges are groundless," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Wednesday.
Montenegro’s capital Podgorica has been a scene of protest demonstrations since late September against the authorities’ policies, including the idea of joining NATO. On October 17 police cracked down on the demonstrators’ tent camp. The clashes that followed left 24 demonstrators and 15 police injured. Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic said Russia, which is against Montenegro’s accession to NATO may be behind the protests..........http://tass.ru/en/politics/832349
20/10/15
Russia's intervention in Syria is not going particularly well and that gives it an incentive to push for political transition in the country, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's deputy Antony Blinken told France 24 television...
ReplyDelete"They cannot win in Syria, they can perhaps prevent (Syrian President Bashar) Assad from losing, but they cannot win," Blinken said of Russia.
"Its actions on the ground in support of the regime are not going particularly well, they have made very little progress despite the onslaught of Russian air power," he said after taking parts in talks on Syria in Paris.
"Russia now has an incentive and more influence to move Assad and the regime towards a transition. There is a recognition on all sides that there is no military solution in Syria, that is a recognition that is now growing on the Russians."
Russia cannot afford to become mired in Syria, it "cannot afford to alienate virtually all of the Sunni Muslim world," he said.
Blinken also said that it is evident that Iran will have to be part of the conversation on Syria's future in one way or another.
dailystar.com.lb
Istanbul police used force on Oct. 28 to enter the headquarters and seize control of media outlets owned by the Koza-İpek Group, dramatically breaking into the main broadcasting room and shutting down two TV stations owned by the group...
ReplyDeleteThe Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Oct. 26 ordered the Koza-İpek Group to be placed under the management of a trustee panel while an investigation is ongoing into the group’s purported ties to the U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gülen, a former government ally. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) now accuse Gülen of heading a purported illegal organization that Erdoğan believes is trying to topple the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government with followers working as insiders in the police, the judiciary and other state institutions.
The police fired tear gas and water cannons at the crowd gathered in support outside the media group’s office building in Istanbul’s Şişli district at around 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 28, two days after the initial court ruling, Doğan News Agency reported. The building is used by Kanaltürk TV, Bugün TV, daily Millet, and daily Bugün, all of which are owned by the Koza-İpek Group.
Breaking down the iron gates of the media group’s compound, the police unplugged the wires and halted the TV stations’ live broadcasts, escorting the newly appointed trustees into the building after scuffling with hundreds of employees and supporters of the Koza-İpek Group gathered outside in support.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, meanwhile, launched an inquiry on Oct. 28 into some protesters outside the building on charges of “resisting security personnel,” “preventing security personnel from doing their official duty,” and “inciting crime,” according to the state-run Anadolu Agency......hurriyetdailynews.com
China calls on Japan to stop 'hampering' military flights...
ReplyDeleteChina on Thursday called on Japan to stop "hampering" flights by Chinese military aircraft, after Japan said its scrambled fighter jets to prevent possible incursions by Chinese planes a record high number of times in the summer.
Japan jets scrambled 117 times from July to September, up from 103 in the same period of last year, although it was lower than the all-time high of 164 times recorded in the final quarter of 2014.
"These figures from Japan make me think of Japan's close following of, surveillance and interference with Chinese ships and aircraft that have been happening for a long time, threatening the safety of China's ships and aircraft," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a regular news briefing.
This could easily cause a safety issue in the air between China and Japan, he added..............reuters.com
29/10/15
Russia’s state media holding VGTRK confirmed to TASS on Thursday that its stake in the French company Euronews S.A., the operator of the international news channel Euronews, was seized under lawsuits filed by former Yukos shareholders....
ReplyDelete"We confirm the fact of the seizure of our shares but cannot any longer comment on this so far. All the details will be available following the end of judicial proceedings," the VGTRK press office said.
Media reports earlier said VGTRK’s 7.5% stake in the French Euronews S.A. operating Euronews TV Channel was among the assets seized abroad under lawsuits filed by former shareholders of the now defunct oil giant Yukos.............http://tass.ru/en/world/832587
Japan's central government on Thursday resumed landfill work for the relocation of a controversial U.S. military facility in the southern prefecture of Okinawa amid local opposition, as local officials geared up to take the case to court in their bid to block the base's move...
ReplyDeleteThe regional chapter of Japan's Defense Ministry resumed its work to reclaim land from the sea as part of the central government's plans to relocate the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station Futenma from the densely populated region of Ginowan, to the coastal region of Henoko, also on Okinawa island.
Work began early Thursday morning despite more than 100 protesters sitting on the ground at the gate to the base's construction site, in a bid to prevent more than 30 trucks entering so that work could restart, local media reported.
The protests are in support of Okinawa Governor Takeshi Onaga, a staunch opponent of the base relocation plans, with calls for the land ministry to uphold his revocation of a permit allowing the reclamation work to commence.
Among the protesters was Nago Mayor Susumu Inamine, whose city will host the new U.S. base when its constructed, while Onaga himself was also quoted as saying that he would continue his fight to block the base move..........http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-10/29/content_36926912.htm
China abandons one-child policy...
ReplyDeleteChina announced the end of its hugely controversial one-child policy on Thursday, with the official Xinhua news agency saying that all couples would be allowed two children.
It cited a communiqué issued by the ruling Communist Party after a four-day meeting in Beijing to chart the course of the world's second largest economy over the next five years.
China is "abandoning its decades-long one-child policy", Xinhua reported.
The policy restricted most couples to only a single offspring, and for years authorities argued that it was a key contributor to China's economic boom.
But after years of strict, sometimes brutal enforcement by a dedicated government commission, China's population -- the world's largest -- is now ageing rapidly, gender imbalances are severe, and its workforce is shrinking.
The concerns led to limited reforms in 2013, including allowing a second child for some couples in urban areas, but relatively few have taken up the opportunity.
The Communist leadership met in Beijing to discuss ways to put the country's stuttering economy back on a smooth growth path as it struggles with structural inefficiencies and social policies left over from an era before it embraced market reforms.....AFP.....http://www.france24.com/en/20151029-china-ends-one-child-policy
29/10/15
U.S. Navy scrambled jets after Russian planes approached carrier: official...
ReplyDeleteA U.S. Navy aircraft carrier scrambled four F-18 jets on Tuesday after two Russian anti-submarine aircraft flew within a nautical mile of the warship, a Navy official said on Thursday.
News media reports said the incident occurred in international waters east of the Korean peninsula.
A U.S. Navy official said two Russian TU-142 "Bear" aircraft flew within a nautical mile of the Reagan, prompting it to launch four F-18 fighter jets to escort the planes away from the ship.
The TU-145 Bear is a long-range anti-submarine warfare plane and a variant of the Tu-95 Bear strategic bomber.
The Navy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pilots from both sides behaved professionally and the Tu-145s moved away from the U.S. carrier.
Media accounts quoted Navy officials as saying the incident was not unprecedented. REUTERS
todayonline.com
At least 15 missiles targeted a base near the international airport west of Baghdad that houses exiled Iranian opposition members, security sources said...
ReplyDelete"Fifteen rockets were fired from Bakriya around and on the edge of Camp Liberty," Baghdad operations command said, adding that police found the truck the rockets were fired from.
Camp Liberty is a former US military base housing members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran, an opposition group that has been exiled since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
The statement and interior ministry sources said there may have been casualties but could say how many.
A spokesman for the Mujahedin said the attack was the worst to have targeted the camp so far.
"We were in our housing trailers when missiles started to fall...Not everybody managed to take shelter," he said.
He claimed that several people were killed but could not say how many.
The group sided with Saddam Hussein's Iraq during the war with Iran in the 1980s but the 2003 US-led invasion brought leaders with ties to Tehran to power.
The Mujahedin were moved to Camp Liberty after the 2011 US withdrawal.
AFP
Syrie: une unité de djihadistes dépose les armes...
ReplyDeleteUne unité des "forces spéciales" intégrées à l’Etat islamique (EI) s’est rendue à l’armée gouvernementale dans la province syrienne de Quneitra, rapporte l’agence de presse Sputnik citant une source du renseignement militaire de Syrie.
"Au cours d'un raid réussi dans la province de Quneitra, toute une unité de forces spéciales de l'EI s'est rendue à l'armée syrienne. Suite à de violents combats aux alentours du village Khan-Arnabi, plus de 50 terroristes ont été encerclés. Après la mort de leur commandant Mujahid ibn Zara, ils ont déposé les armes", a relevé la source.
Elle a également précisé que l'unité en question avait revendiqué des attentats retentissants dans la ville d'Al-Hasakah, située au nord-est du pays, ainsi que la destruction de bâtiments gouvernementaux à Damas............Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151030/1019190561/syrie-djihadistes-capitulation.html#ixzz3q2QCK6QP
30/10/15
An airstrike against a suspected Islamic State weapons factory conducted by Canada’s Air Forces in Iraq could have resulted in civilian casualties, an internal report by the Pentagon, cited by CBC News, claims...
ReplyDelete"Approximately 10 minutes after the last weapons impact, a probable female and probable child were observed on [full motion video] to walk through the target area," the report reads, as quoted by the media on Thursday.
It was later mentioned in the report that the child in question was later transported to the hospital while the woman lay down by the roadside.
Media reports on the day of the incident claimed that at least 13 people had been killed by the airstrikes and shelling in Fallujah.
Canadian military officials told CBC News that they were not aware of the allegations and that no review into the case had been carried out by the Canadian authorities.........Read more: http://sputniknews.com/world/20151030/1029321025/iraq-airstrikes-casualties-canada.html#ixzz3q2T1lLLO
30/10/15
Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister Li Baodong will represent China at ministerial talks on finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria, due in Vienna on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters...
ReplyDelete"China has always made efforts to promote the political settlement of the Syrian problem and has supported every effort exerted by the international community towards this," the spokesman said, noting that progress was seen at the moment in the situation with a political solution.
"We hope that all interested parties will take advantage of this favorable opportunity to reach an accord, to achieve positive results of the meeting, which will create favorable conditions for a political settlement of the Syrian problem," the spokesman noted.
http://tass.ru/en/defense/832772
Syria opposition, rebel dismiss Iran idea for transition...
ReplyDeleteAny peace plan for Syria allowing President Bashar al-Assad to stand in early elections after a transition period would be "mad" because he is the root of the problem and holding a nationwide poll is impossible, a Syrian opposition figure said.
The commander of a rebel group fighting on the ground echoed the comment.
Reuters reported on Oct. 29 that Damascus ally Iran would accept a six-month transition period at the end of which Assad's fate would be decided in elections, according to a Middle East source familiar with Iran's position.........REUTERS.....hurriyetdailynews.com
30/10/15
Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said Friday that no country could use military force in Syria without first securing the agreement of the Syrian government, the TASS news agency reported...
ReplyDeleteTASS said Ryabkov was responding to a question about the prospect of the United States launching a ground operation in Syria.
"The question of using military force in any form without the agreement of Damascus is for us unacceptable," it quoted him as saying.
REUTERS
dailystar.com.lb
30/10/15
Syrie : pas d'accord à Vienne sur le sort d'Assad, l'ONU chargée de négocier un cessez-le-feu....
ReplyDeleteLes discussions à Vienne sur l'avenir de la Syrie n'ont pas permis aux grandes puissances de se mettre d'accord sur le futur rôle de Bachar al-Assad. Il a toutefois été décidé que l'ONU serait chargée de négocier un cessez-le-feu.
La réunion internationale sur la Syrie, ouverte vendredi 30 octobre, à Vienne, s'est achevée après huit heures de négociations, sans qu'un accord sur le futur rôle de Bachar al-Assad ne soit trouvé. Elle reprendra dans deux semaines, a annoncé le ministre français des Affaires étrangères Laurent Fabius.
"Nous avons abordé tous les sujets, même les plus difficiles, a-t-il déclaré. Le principal point de désaccord étant le rôle futur de Bachar al-Assad. Mais il y a un certain nombre de points sur lesquels nous nous sommes mis d'accord, notamment sur le processus de transition, sur la perspective d'élections et la façon dont tout cela devait être organisé et sur le rôle des Nations unies".
L'ONU en charge de la transition politique
Ces propos ont été confirmés par le ministre allemand des Affaires étrangères, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, qui a affirmé que tous les participants aux discussions de Vienne s'étaient entendus pour œuvrer à la formation d’un gouvernement de transition en Syrie au cours des mois à venir.
La suite des tractations internationales sur la Syrie aura lieu "sous les auspices des Nations unies", a déclaré de son côté le Haut-Représentant de l'Union européenne pour les Affaires étrangères, l'Italienne Federica Mogherini.
"Les participants aux discussions de Vienne invitent l'ONU à réunir le gouvernement syrien et l'opposition pour lancer un processus politique devant conduire à une nouvelle Constitution et des élections", annonce le communiqué commun publié en fin d'après-midi.
Avec AFP
france24.com
The participants of the Vienna meeting on Syria have reached progress on some issues, but there is no complete accord between them; the next meeting will take place in 15 days and the participants of talks will be the same, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Friday after discussions that lasted some eight hours...
ReplyDelete"We have reached certain progress on some points: the transition political process, elections, the future constitution in Syria," Fabius said. "But there’s no complete accord. We agreed to meet here in the same composition in two weeks," Fabius said.
He said the key disputable issue is the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
"Assad is the key culprit of the Syrian tragedy. He can’t be part of the future political project in Syria," he said...........http://tass.ru/en/world/833003
Russian airliner crashes in central Sinai - Egyptian PM...
ReplyDeleteA Russian airliner has crashed in central Sinai with more than 200 people on board, the office of Egypt's prime minister has confirmed.
The Airbus A-321 had just left the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, bound for the Russian city of St Petersburg.
Wreckage of the plane has been found in the Hassana area. It disappeared from radar screens when travelling at 9,500m (31,000ft), Egyptian officials said.
Egyptian officials said all the passengers were Russian.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an official investigation into the crash.....BBC
31/10/15
Russian plane carrying 200 passengers crashes in restive Sinai after takeoff...
ReplyDeleteThe Russian airliner which crashed on Saturday in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula has been located, the office of the prime minister said in a statement, contradicting statements made by the company who said the plane was flying safely over Turkey.
A "Russian civilian plane... crashed in the central Sinai," the office of Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said in a statement.
"Research and rescue forces found the debris of the Airbus 321," the chief of Egypt's state Aviation Accidents Commission, Ayman al-Moqdam said. "A delegation from the Civil Aviation Ministry will immediately head to the area to start an investigation into the cause of the accident," he added.
Israel's military spokesman Peter Lerner said that Israel's military assisted Egyptian authorities with aerial surveillance efforts to locate the plane.
"Military planes have discovered the wreckage of the plane... in a mountainous area, and 45 ambulances have been directed to the site to evacuate dead and wounded," a cabinet statement said.
According to al-Moqdam, the pilot had contacted authorities after he sensed a technical failure with the plane and that he wanted to land at the nearest airport.
A senior aviation official said it was a charter flight operated by a Russian company and had on board 217 passengers including 17 children and seven crew members, all believed to have died in the crash.............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/90931-151031-russian-civilian-plane-crashes-in-sinai-egypt-pm
31/10/15
Après dix jours de pause, la coalition US frappe à nouveau l’EI en Syrie...
ReplyDeleteSept frappes contre les positions de l'EI en Syrie ont été effectuées vendredi par la coalition menée par les USA.
Les Etats-Unis et leurs alliés ont réalisé vendredi sept frappes aériennes sur la Syrie, pour la première fois depuis dix jours, le débit des bombardements en Irak étant stable, indique un bulletin quotidien du Commandement central des forces armées américaines.
Selon les militaires américains, un état-major de l'Etat islamique a été détruit aux environs de Raqqa, capitale du califat autoproclamé des terroristes. Des positions de combat, des détachements tactiques de l'EI, un point de collecte de pétrole, une grue et des pompes à pétrole ont également été détruits.
En Irak, en revanche, les bombardements n'ont pas été interrompus. Vendredi, 14 frappes ont été effectuées, un chiffre proche de la moyenne. Les militaires US ont rapporté avoir détruit des détachements de l'EI, des positions de combat, un entrepôt d'armes, un poste de commande et un poste de contrôle ainsi que deux bunkers..........Lire la suite: http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151031/1019224315/usa-ei-syrie-frappes.html#ixzz3qAXWRcsV
31/10/15