International News
Syrian President Assad calls for creation of international anti-terror coalitionSyrian President Bashar Assad called for the need to create an international alliance to fight terrorism as he received a Russian delegation headed by Sergey Gavrilov, Chairman of Property Affairs at the Russian Duma Council, SANA reports. Assad also emphasized the importance of consolidating efforts “to strike Wahhabism.” Assad affirmed that the Syrian people confront terrorism and foreign intervention, adding that the pressures to which Syria is exposed are similar to the pressures on Russia which too is fighting a terrorist threat
Invitation to Iran on Geneva 2 to be decided Monday – diplomatic sources
An invitation to Iran to attend the Geneva-2 peace negotiations on Syria has not yet been sent, Itar-Tass reported citing the European head of the UN Office in Geneva, Corinne Momal-Vanian. “At the moment there is no invitation for Iran,” she said. The agency also reported that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will fly out to Geneva on Monday night and will arrive in Switzerland on January 21, a day before the talks are set to start. Diplomatic sources familiar with the situation, did not rule out in an interview with the Itar-Tass that the decision on Iran “will be made on Monday during the day.”Karzai demands an end to US airstrikes as condition for security deal
Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai says the US can no longer carry out airstrikes or military operations and must kick start peace talks with the Taliban before he signs a security deal to keep some American troops in Afghanistan to help maintain security after 2014. Karzai made the statement Sunday after being presented with the findings of a joint US-Afghan mission last week, which resulted in civilian casualties, including seven children, which were blamed on US soldiers. However, the US says the mission in the eastern Parwan province was led by Afghan Special Forces, carried out at the request of the Afghan government and resulted in a fire fight with insurgents that was so intense military commanders had to call in an airstrike.US-Korean drills ‘a rehearsal’ of nuke attack on N. Korea – official paper
North Korea will take decisive defensive countermeasures in case of a provocation by the US and South Korea, reports the DPRK’s official newspaper Rodong Sunmun. The paper denounced the upcoming American-South Korean join drills, Key Resolve and Foal Eagle, as “a rehearsal” of a nuclear strike against the DPRK, cited Itar-Tass. The US-Korean annual drills always cause anger in the North, with Pyongyang seeing the drills as threat to its security and preparation for invasion. Washington and Seoul and Washington maintain though that exercises are a routine and strictly defensive event.Senegal seeks to fine Russian trawler $ 800,000 for illegal fishing
Senegal is demanding that the owner of the Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov, which was seized by the Senegalese military on suspicion of illegal fishing, pays over US$ 800,000 in compensation.“We will apply [the law] in full force to protect our resources,” the west African nation’s Fisheries Minister Haidar El-Ali told AFP. He described illegal fishing as “the cause of enormous damage to our economy and especially to our food security.” The Senegalese law allows for a fine of up to 200 million CFA francs ($ 414,000) for this offense. “The Oleg Naydenov is a repeat offender. So we asked for a fine of 400 million CFA francs,” the minister said. The vessel, owned by a private Russian company, was seized on January 4 with 82 crewmembers onboard, including 62 Russians and 20 citizens of Guinea-Bissau, and convoyed to the port of Dakar.
Israel to stop distributing gas masks to public
Israel decided Sunday to end a decades-old policy of issuing gas masks to the public. Since Israel was hit by Iraqi Scud missiles in the 1991 Gulf War the authorities have handed out gas masks, although in recent years Syria’s chemical arsenal was of greater concern. That changed when Syrian President Bashar al Assad agreed last year to give up his chemical weapons stockpile. The distribution of masks to the public will stop by February, after which they will be given to the rescue services only.
Israel decided Sunday to end a decades-old policy of issuing gas masks to the public. Since Israel was hit by Iraqi Scud missiles in the 1991 Gulf War the authorities have handed out gas masks, although in recent years Syria’s chemical arsenal was of greater concern. That changed when Syrian President Bashar al Assad agreed last year to give up his chemical weapons stockpile. The distribution of masks to the public will stop by February, after which they will be given to the rescue services only.
Israel plans ‘Iron Beam’ interceptor for short range rockets
Israel plans to deploy a new missile shield called ‘Iron Beam’ which it hopes to deploy next year. The system will use a laser to super-heat the warheads of shells with ranges of up to 7 kilometers. ‘Iron Beam’ is designed to deal with threats that fly on too small a trajectory to be engaged efficiently by Iran Dome, Israeli’s existing interceptor credited with an 80 percent success rate against rockets fired by Palestinian militants. The Israelis also have Arrow Two, which is designed to shoot down ballistic missiles at atmospheric heights.Iraqi army launches major operation in Ramadi
The Iraqi army launched a major operation Sunday in the city of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, swathes of which have been controlled by anti-government fighters for weeks, officials said, AFP reports. Troops backed up by helicopters have imposed a ban on all movement in the city, military spokesman Mohammed al-Askari told state television.Iran: Geneva 2 peace talks should not pander to ‘extremists’
Tehran, which is not due to take part in the Geneva 2 peace conference next week, says the gathering must not redistribute power towards radical factions among the country’s opposition. “Participants in the Geneva 2 forum must adopt a realistic view and remember that their decisions should not lead to the strengthening of extremist movements in Syria,” Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahi said. Iran, which has strongly supported the regime of President Bashar Assad throughout the conflict, was invited by the US to participate “on the sidelines” of the talks, but turned down the offer.Jordan ready to train Iraqi troops on its territory
Jordan is ready to host a US training program set to train Iraqi troops. “This project is part of permanent cooperation between Jordan, Iraq and the United States to fight against terrorism in the region,” the country’s information minister, Mohammed Momani, told AFP. The statement comes as Iraqi soldiers are locked in fighting with insurgents who gained ground in Anbar province west of Baghdad.10,000 displaced by floods in Indonesian capital
Over 10,000 have been forced to flee the Indonesian capital due to the deadly flooding that killed five people over the past week. Residents used rubber dinghies and waded through waist-deep water. Indonesia is affected by floods regularly during its wet season which lasts for about half a year.Somali pirates capture first ship in 2 years
Somali pirates have hijacked a merchant vessel in the Red Sea in the first successful capture of a ship in the region since 2012, Reuters reports. The MV Marzooqah sent out a distress signal on Saturday evening, said Andrew Mwangura, secretary general of the Seafarers Union of Kenya. The number of pirate attacks in the area reduced drastically in 2013 due to the increased navy presence in the region.Fire at zoo in Russia’s Far East kills around 200 animals
The majority of the animals housed in Komsomolsk-on-Amur’s zoo have suffocated to death in a fire, local news agency Portamur.ru reports. Around 240 animals, of 115 different species, were kept at the city’s Python Zoo. Investigators believe the blaze could have been caused by a malfunction with the building’s central heating system.Japan calls for talks with China, South Korea over territory rows
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for “frank talks” with South Korea and China to push for a solution to recent territorial rows. The three nations are at odds over a group of uninhabited islands in the resource-rich East China Sea which Japan currently administers. Relations between the Asian countries have soured recently after Abe’s visit to a shrine in Tokyo that commemorates 14 senior war criminals. South Korea and China regard the shrine as a reminder of Japanese abuses during World War II.Bomb blast kills 20 soldiers in Pakistan
A bomb explosion has struck a military convoy in Pakistan’s northwest, killing 20 soldiers and injuring a further 30, local officials told AFP. Security forces are now investigating whether the explosion was a suicide attack or a planted incendiary device. The blast went off as the convoy of troops was preparing to leave the town of Bannu for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.Industrial accident at Nebraska feed plant kills at least 2
An industrial accident and partial building collapse at an animal feed processing plant in Omaha, Nebraska has killed at least two, with at least 10 people taken to an area hospital with varying degrees of injury, according to local officials. The incident – not yet confirmed as an explosion – at International Nutrition’s Omaha plant occurred early Monday morning. Interim Omaha Fire Chief Bernard Kanger said 10 people were transported to area hospitals – four were in critical condition and six had injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Two people were later confirmed dead, according to the office of Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine, who oversees the county coroner. Seven more people declined medical attention for their injuries, The Omaha World Herald reported. Thirty-eight people were in the plant at the time of the explosion. Emergency crews have shifted from rescue to recovery, as the building must be stabilized before further rescue attempts, Kanger said. A search team will then comb the building, though Kanger said he doubts anyone left amid the rubble could survive.
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TEPCO finds new leak in Fukushima nuclear plant’s No. 3 reactor
Operators of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant said Saturday they detected a new water leak in the No. 3 reactor building. Utility operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said its workers discovered, via a video feed, water leaking into the basement of the reactor building that was badly damaged by the earthquake-tsunami combination in 2011 that ultimately caused the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the facility. Based on a preliminary investigation, TEPCO believes the water is coming from either a pipe that sends water to cool the nuclear reactor, or from the reactor containment vessel itself. If the leak is coming from the pipe, “then the water is contaminated and will mean more problems” for TEPCO, Japan Daily Press reported. The leak, detected Saturday afternoon, is around 30 centimeters wide, though TEPCO is still unsure about the exact volume of water escaping.
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At least one rocket strikes Israeli resort Eilat
Two Grad rockets were fired at the outskirts of Israel’s southern Red Sea resort of Eilat, reports the Times of Israel. AFP, citing a security source, reports of “at least one rocket fired”. Neither the police nor the army could confirm the rocket fire on the city, while residents had reported hearing several blasts earlier on Monday evening, a police statement said. Israeli Defense Forces troops were sent to the area to search for the source of the explosions. Eilat been targeted before, in August 2013 the resort came under attack when the Israeli army said its Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted and destroyed a rocket but did not say where it came from. The strike was claimed by a Gaza-based Salafist group called the Mujahedeen Shura Council.15 journalists hurt in Kiev clashes
Fifteen journalists, mostly Ukrainian, have been hurt over two days of clashes between protesters and police in downtown Kiev. They include a news photographer for Russia’s Novaya Gazeta newspaper, Yevgeny Feldman, Interfax said. On Monday, a photographer for Ukraine’s LB.ua, Maks Levin, was beaten up, media reports say. Police also reportedly detained TV operator Vladimir Karagyaur.Woman suspected of torturing her Indonesian maid arrested in Hong Kong
Police in Hong Kong have arrested a woman suspected of torturing her Indonesian maid, the BBC reported. Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, who is currently in hospital in Indonesia, said she suffered months of abuse from the 44-year-old woman in Hong Kong. Several thousand domestic staff rallied in Hong Kong to demand justice for Sulistyaningsih on Sunday. She was reportedly badly beaten and was in a critical condition when she arrived in Indonesia last week.14 companies bid to destroy Syrian stockpile – watchdog
The global chemical weapons watchdog said Monday it had received tenders from 14 commercial companies, offering to destroy part of Syria’s toxic stockpile, Reuters reported. The companies include those from America, Europe and China, the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said. It is tasked with overseeing the destruction process, and has earmarked up to $54 million for the commercial processing of 500 metric tons of industrial chemicals and millions of liters of toxic waste.France denies it closed airspace to Syria’s delegation to Geneva 2
The French Foreign Ministry on Monday denied media reports that it had banned the Syrian delegation to the Geneva 2 peace conference from flying over French airspace, Itar-Tass said. A source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry said Monday that the French had vowed not to let the Syrian delegation’s plane pass over its territory tomorrow, AFP said. The international conference on Syria will open in Switzerland on January 22.600 people evacuated in Italy flooding
A Syrian-born doctor out visiting a patient died and hundreds of people were forced from their homes by flooding in Italy, AFP reported. The doctor, Elias Kassabij, 66, was carried away by the flood waters from a swollen stream near the port of Genoa in northwest Italy. The father of the young patient he had been visiting was rescued. Emergency workers near the city of Modena were looking for a man who took to a dinghy on a canal amid heavy rain to help some stranded people and fell into the water. Some 600 people were evacuated from their homes around Modena.EU ministers approve military mission in Central African Republic
EU foreign ministers on Monday approved sending up to 1,000 soldiers to the Central African Republic, Reuters reported. The forces will back up French and African soldiers trying to restore order after bloody clashes. Diplomats earlier said the mission would be limited to four to six months, and soldiers would take over security at Bangui Airport to free up French troops.Russia-US-UN meeting ahead of Geneva 2 possible on Jan. 21 – Moscow
A trilateral Russia-US-UN meeting on preparing the Geneva 2 international conference on Syria could be held on Tuesday, Interfax quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying. It is possible that a trilateral meeting with the participation of US representatives and UN Special Representative on Syria Lakhdar Brahimi “could take place tomorrow,” Gatilov said Monday.Workers to strike at top platinum firms in S. Africa
The AMCU union on Monday served notice to strike for higher wages within 48 hours at top global platinum mines in South Africa, AFP reported. Anglo American Platinum, Impala Platinum and Lonmin confirmed members of the dominant Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union will start their strike at morning shift from Thursday. Earlier talks failed to provide a solution. Over 80,000 workers will strike at the firms, just over half their combined workforce. Workers demand a basic salary of 12,500 rand ($1,150) – more than double the 5,000-rand entry-level pay, according to the union.Militants attack NATO base in Afghanistan, ISAF service member killed
An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a NATO base in southern Afghanistan on Monday killed one service member, according to the coalition. All nine insurgents wearing coalition uniforms were killed during the attack on the base in southern Kandahar’s Zhari district, AP reported, citing officials. Two civilian bystanders also died. As foreign troops withdraw this year, the Taliban have intensified a campaign against Afghan and international forces.Al-Qaeda has enough arms to ‘take Baghdad’ – official
Al-Qaeda fighters entrenched in a city they seized late last month west of Baghdad have enough heavy weapons allegedly to take the country’s capital, Iraq’s Senior Deputy Interior Minister Adnan al-Asadi said Monday. Iraqi forces are fighting “fierce battles” against heavily-armed militants to recapture parts of Ramadi, the capital of the western Anbar province, and also the nearby city of Fallujah, he said. The weapons in Fallujah that are in the hands of Iraq’s Al-Qaeda branch and other Sunni militant groups are “advanced and huge and enough to occupy Baghdad,” AP quoted the official as saying. Iraq announced on Sunday an all-out military operation to push Al-Qaeda out of Ramadi.Tehran starts implementing nuclear deal – IAEA
Iran has halted its most sensitive nuclear activity under a deal with six world powers, a confidential UN atomic agency report said. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s report, obtained by Reuters, also said Iran had begun diluting its stockpile of uranium enriched to the fissile concentration of 20 percent. This level took the country closer to the capability of producing fuel for an atomic bomb – a goal Tehran has always denied. Iran’s move paves the way for the easing of some Western sanctions imposed on the country.Vietnam court sentences 30 drug smugglers to death
Vietnam on Monday sentenced 30 drug smugglers to death in the communist country’s largest-ever narcotics case, involving nearly two tons of heroin, AFP reported. The 30 men and women, all Vietnamese, in the northern province of Quang Ninh, were found guilty of drug trafficking and given the death penalty. A further 59 defendants were handed sentences ranging up to life in prison, presiding Judge Ngo Duc said. This was Vietnam’s “largest ever trial in terms of defendants, the number of death penalties given out and the amount of heroin involved,” according to Duc.UN inspectors disconnecting enrichment equipment in Iran – report
UN nuclear inspectors have begun disconnecting some centrifuges used for enriching uranium at Iran’s Natanz plant, Iranian state television said. The move is part of a nuclear deal with six world powers due to take effect on Monday. “The International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in the Natanz plant are disconnecting cascades,” Reuters quoted the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, as saying on television. The official, who was referring to interlinked networks of centrifuges, added that “the sanctions iceberg against Iran is melting.” Tehran is expected to suspend its higher-grade uranium enrichment in return for some easing of Western sanctions.
2 dead, hundreds evacuated over ‘historic’ French Riviera floods River levels were receding early on Monday in southeastern France after “historic” floods left two people dead, AFP reported. A third man disappeared while out on his boat and 4,000 homes have been left without power after the deluge in the department of Var, officials said. More than 150 people were airlifted to safety. In the town of Hyeres, Mayor Jacques Politi spoke of “a historic flood.” Var prefecture official Emmanuel Dupuis said the area was “at the end of the crisis,” warning that the slightest rain could cause further damage as the ground remained saturated.
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