International news as it is

12022014

9 anti-Taliban militiamen killed in Pakistan

Militants killed nine members of an anti-Taliban militia on Wednesday in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar, police said. A group of about 25 militants attacked the house of militia chief Israrullah Khan on the city outskirts, killing him and eight of his relatives, AP quoted police official Jamal Khan as saying. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier in February, the militia chief’s son and two other people were also killed after they shot dead a militant commander. Khan’s militia fought and blocked infiltration of the militants from the surrounding tribal regions.

Train carrying coal derails in Russian

A freight train loaded with coal derailed in Russia’s southern Urals region early Wednesday morning, RIA Novosti reported. Over 700 meters of track were damaged, and traffic on the route was delayed following the incident in Chelyabinsk Region. Thirty cars carrying coal derailed at about 1am Moscow time (21:00 GMT Tuesday) after the driver used the emergency brake to avoid rubble from a landslide on Tuesday evening, officials said. Nobody was injured. Over 300 railway employees were working on Wednesday to clear the landslide from the track.

Moscow to veto Syria aid resolution in current form

Russia has warned a draft UN resolution on aid access in Syria is aimed at creating grounds for military intervention and will veto the document in its current form, Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said Wednesday, as cited by RIA Novosti. “It is unacceptable to us in the form in which it is now being prepared, and we, of course, will not let it through,” Gatilov said, commenting on a Western-Arab draft that was debated in the UN Security Council on Tuesday. He described the proposed draft as “politicized.”

House panel approves bill to ban in-flight calls

US lawmakers say allowing airline passengers to make cellphone calls in-flight is asking for trouble, and a House panel approved a bill to ban them. The bill requires the Department of Transportation to issue regulations prohibiting such calls. The department is already considering creating such a ban as part of its consumer protection role. The legislation has no impact on the Federal Aviation Administration’s decision late last year to allow passengers to email, text, surf the internet and download data using smartphones and other personal electronic devices during takeoffs and landings,

Australia seizes $162mn of meth, arrests 4 Taiwan nationals

Authorities in Australia have seized $162 million of methamphetamine stashed in a consignment of kayaks from China and arrested four Taiwanese nationals, police said Wednesday. The 183kg haul was discovered during a joint Australian Federal Police and Customs and Border Protection Service operation at Sydney’s container port, AFP reported. Border officers selected a container from China for X-ray inspection which revealed that 19 of the 27 kayaks inside contained packages of methamphetamine.

Amedeo firms up $8.3bn order for 20 Airbus A380

Leasing firm Amedeo firmed up on Wednesday its order for 20 superjumbo aircraft in a deal worth $8.3 billion, giving a fresh lift to Airbus’ flagship A380, AFP said. The purchase agreement was signed at the Singapore Airshow. Amedeo, formerly Doric Lease Corp, is the world’s biggest manager of leased A380s.

Commercial ivory trade banned in US

The US banned the domestic trade of elephant ivory in a new drive to help African countries stem the rising threat to wildlife from poachers. The White House administrative action prohibits all commercial imports of African elephant ivory, including antiques, and all commercial exports, except for bona fide antiques and certain other items, AFP said. “This ban is the best way to help ensure that US markets do not contribute to the further decline of African elephants in the wild,” the White House said.

North, South Korea hold first high-level talks in 7 years

North and South Korea held their first high-level talks in seven years on Wednesday, Reuters reported. The two sides explored ways to improve ties while the South and the US geared up for military drills that have angered Pyongyang. The meeting was set up with great secrecy at the North’s suggestion last week. The South Korean delegation is led by President Park Geun-hye’s deputy national security adviser, and North Korea has sent the second-highest ranking official in the Workers’ Party department charged with ties with the South. There was no word on what was discussed after a morning session in the closed-door meeting at the Panmunjom truce village on the border was wrapped up.

House passes US debt ceiling increase with GOP support

The GOP-led House of Representatives passed legislation on Tuesday evening to extend US borrowing by a 221-201 vote, shortly after Speaker John Boehner signaled that Republicans would not seek to introduce additional measures. The “clean” debt ceiling bill would permit the Treasury to continue borrowing for an additional 13 months and avoid a repeat of last year’s partisan gridlock. A vote is now slated for the Democrat-controlled Senate, which is expected to pass the measure and deliver it to President Obama for his signature by the end of the week.

US warns businesses against operating in Iran

The US will take on businesses that violate sanctions against Iran, said President Barack Obama at a joint news conference at the White House with French President Francois Hollande. “They do so at their own peril right now because we will come down on them like a ton of bricks with the sanctions we control,” he said. Obama added that France and other allies are committed to enforcing the current sanctions in order to stop Iran from expanding its nuclear program. In February Iran resumed talks with the UN nuclear watchdog in Tehran concerning its nuclear program and sanctions relief.

Court rejects jailed Ukrainian ex-PM Tymoshenko’s appeal

A Ukrainian court has rejected an appeal by the jailed former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, to ease her prison conditions, Unian news agency reported. In December, Tymoshenko filed a request asking permission to use a cell phone and to take walks outside prison. In January the prison committee declined her request. Tymoshenko was found guilty of abuse of power in 2011 and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Trust between US, France restored – Hollande

Mutual trust has been restored between the United States and France after allegations the US spied on foreign leaders and citizens, said French President Francois Hollande. “That mutual trust is based on respect … but also based on protection of private life, of personal data, the fact that any individual, in spite of technological progress, can be sure he is not being spied on,” the President added. There have been tensions between EU and the US after revelations emerged from whistleblower Edward Snowden detailing major American secret surveillance operations conducted throughout the world by the NSA.