UN demands halt to all military activity in Golan Heights
The UN Security Council is demanding a halt to all military activity by the Syrian government and the opposition in the Golan Heights and calls for measures to protect UN peacekeepers who have been caught in crossfire. A resolution adopted by the council Thursday extends the mandate of the UN force monitoring the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights until December 31. The council warned that military activity can escalate Israeli-Syrian tensions.
US government watchdog advises against Afghan bulk aircraft buy
A government think tank has warned that it is wasteful to spend more than three-quarters of a billion dollars to buy up Russian-made helicopters and other aircraft for an Afghan aviation unit which does not have enough troops or experience. It means the purchased technology "could be left sitting on runways in Afghanistan, rather than supporting critical missions, resulting in waste of US funds," Media reports the special inspector general for Afghanistan Reconstruction as saying in Friday’s report. The think tank recommended putting the plans to buy on hold until Afghan aviation develops the capacity to operate and maintain the equipment. The US Defense Department announced in June it will buy 30 Russian-made MI-17 military helicopters for $572 million along with 18 PC-12 cargo aircraft from the Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks, Nevada, for $218 million.
Turkish Interior Minister orders police to warn protesters before using tear gas
Turkish Interior Ministry has ordered police forces nationwide to warn protesters before using tear gas to disperse crowds, Anadolu Agency reports. Forces should also use pressurized water before releasing tear gas and prior to that give protesters enough time to distance themselves. The notice says that forces should restrain themselves from using tear gas after crowds have dispersed, and bans anyone other than assigned officers from using tear gas.
Peacekeepers to remain in Golan Heights for six more months
The UN Security Council has approved a resolution extending its peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights for another six months. The resolution calls for increased protection for the UN contingent patrolling the territory, which is disputed between Syria and Israel. The peacekeepers, who were previously only allowed to carry guns, may now be equipped with body armor, armored personnel carriers, and machine guns, Interfax reported. Austria earlier announced the withdrawal of its troops from Golan Heights, following an increased number of attacks on UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) outposts amidst the ongoing war in Syria.
4 dead in Syria suicide bombing – State TV
Four people have been killed and several others wounded in a suicide attack in the Christian quarter of Damascus, according to Syrian state TV. The bomb went off in Bab Touma, in the capital’s center on Thursday. While injuries were reported, no precise numbers were given.
Ecuador has not processed asylum request for Snowden
Ecuador’s government confirmed on Thursday that it had not processed an application for asylum for former NSA contractor Edward Snowden because he has not reached any of Ecuador’s diplomatic residences. Ecuadorian officials vehemently rejected the suggestion that the country was weighing up its national interests in making the decision of whether or not to grant asylum to Snowden. The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Thursday that the US would make an effort to remove preferential trade treatment for Ecuadorian imports if the country offered refuge to Snowden, while Ecuadorian officials said they would waive preferential trading rights under an expiring treaty with the US.
Ecuador calls on US to focus on investigating crimes besides Snowden
Ecuador’s Interior Ministry has responded to criticism from the US, saying “it will not allow any pressure on [our] country.” Interior Minister Jose Serrano stressed that Ecuador is one of seven Latin American countries which ratified all conventions and agreements related to human rights and called on the US to investigate crimes with the same eagerness as they are demanding Snowden’s extradition. Earlier Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa also commented on US criticism, saying it “managed to focus attention on Snowden and on the ‘wicked’ countries that ‘support’ him, making us forget the terrible things against the US people and the whole world that he denounced.”
China and S. Korea agree to push N. Korea talks
China’s President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart agreed to push for talks with North Korea as two leaders met for the first time on Thursday. Xi welcomed President Park Geun-hye as an "old friend of China," Reuters reported. "The two leaders shared a common view on denuclearizing North Korea, maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations," Park's office said in a statement. Park is one of Asia's few female leaders. She took office in February amid North Korea’s war threats, while China's Xi Jinping was appointed in November and has supported tougher economic sanctions against country’s traditional ally.
Libya death toll rises to 5 with 97 wounded
Five people were killed and 97 wounded in gunfire and explosions triggered by rival militant clashes in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on Wednesday. Tensions between heavily armed groups have plagued the country since the deposition of leader Muammar Gaddafi, and Wednesday marked the second consecutive day of violence between factions. Former rebel groups have developed increasing ambition over the two years since the old leader’s fall, and the new government has struggled to assert its control over them. In an unrelated incident late on Wednesday in the southern town of Sabha, two people were killed and 17 injured when three car bombs exploded in separate areas. Some are in a critical condition, reports Reuters.
Mandela’s condition worsens
South Africa’s anti-apartheid leader and the country's former President Nelson Mandela’s condition worsened in hospital on Thursday, Reuters reported. President Jacob Zuma was even forced to cancel a trip to neighboring Mozambique after visiting Mandela in hospital. Reports said that Mandela's condition remained critical after spending 20 days in hospital, his fourth hospitalization in six months. But, the leader’s daughter said Mandela’s condition is "stable", while officials declined to comment on reports that Mandela is on life support.
3 Femen activists freed from prison in Tunisia
Three Femen activists, two French and one German, were freed from prison in Tunisia after their arrest for a topless protest. On May 29, the three women bared their breasts outside the main courthouse in Manouba, Tunis, in support of Amina Sboui, a Tunisian Femen activist. Previously, Amina Sboui was charged for the posted her topless pictures and a video in which she painted the word ‘Femen’ near the Kajrouan mosque. The European activists were imprisoned for an attack on public morals on June 12. They received a sentence of four months and one day, though the international rights groups labeled the sentence as harsh. The freed activists left for Europe on Thursday morning.
UN team in Turkey to investigate Syria claims
A UN chemical weapons team has come to Turkey to investigate claims regarding possible use of such munitions in Syria’s civil war, Reuters quotes Turkish officials as saying. The UN is still unable to determine which side used chemical weapons in Syria’s conflict, the team stated earlier. UN experts have been on standby to investigate the alleged use of chemical weapons in April. UN says it needs to access Syria to determine where the alleged chemical weapons have been used. But Syria has thus far refused to grant them entry, citing concerns for their safety and doubts about their impartiality, as neither China nor Russia were allowed to participate.
US boss released in China hostage compensation dispute
A payout agreement has been reached and a US boss being held hostage in China by his workers at a Beijing plant for nearly a week was released. The deal was reached overnight, a co-owner of Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies Chip Starnes told AP. The company paid dozens of workers severance packages similar to the ones paid out to other workers who were dismissed after their division was closed down. The company insisted that the rest of the workers would not be laid off, but employees still believed that the medical supply plant was going to be shut down because the company did not pay out salaries to some workers and equipment was getting ready to be shipped off. Starnes was being kept hostage by 80 workers in the plant since last Friday. He said workers shone bright lights and banged on office windows to deprive him of sleep.
Chile student protest turns violent
More than 100,000 students marched through the Chilean capital of Santiago on Wednesday during a protest which was marred by smaller pockets of violence. Protesters hurled Molotov cocktails, stoned cars, blocked traffic and set up flaming barricades as police in riot gear responded with water cannons and tear gas, reports the AP. The demonstration is the latest in a series of huge marches throughout the country over the past two years, with students continuing to demand reforms to the education system, which critics say suffers from lack of affordable access to higher education. Chile itself, though one of the most stable and prosperous economies within Latin America, is still seen as maintaining serious income inequality. Protesters are also seeking fairer distribution of Chile’s copper wealth, with the country being the world’s top copper producer. Students continue to press for reform, with education remaining a key issue ahead of the country’s November presidential election.
Mongolian president wins second term
Mongolia’s incumbent president has won a second term, receiving a narrow majority of votes cast in Wednesday’s polls. Fifty-year-old Tsakhia Elbegdorj took home the victory despite worries surrounding Mongolia’s faltering economy and growing role of foreign mining firms. Elbegdorj, who is pushing for more controls on foreign mining investments, beat former pro wrestling champion Bat-Erdene Badmaanyambuu of the Mongolian People’s Party and health minister Udval Natsag of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party. Elbegdorj’s win preserves the dominance of the Mongolian Democratic Party.
Fighter jet crashes in Arizona suburb, pliots survive
An F-16 fighter jet crashed in suburban Phoenix, Arizona Wednesday not far from Luke Air Force Base. Both pilots survived after ejecting safely and are reported to be in stable condition at a local hospital. There has been no official confirmation on the cause of the crash, although a bird strike on the jet engine may have brought the aircraft down, according to KPNX-TV in Phoenix. Eyewitnesses told reporters they saw two explosions and the engine fall from the Fighting Falcon. Luke Air Force Base is the largest F-16 training base in the world, located in Glendale, about 15 miles away from Phoenix.
Queen Elizabeth II’s income set to rise
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is set to receive a 5% increase in her income as the Sovereign Grant, which funds the Head of State’s income, increases in value in 2014 to some £37.89 million (about $58 million) from the current £36.1 million ($55 million). That grant is calculated as a percentage of profits accrued by the Crown Estate, a real estate holding that includes properties such as Windsor Park, as well as most of the UK’s coastline. The total value of the Crown Estate’s profits have risen by 5% to over £252.6 million (about $387 million), with the remaining revenue going into the country’s treasury and contributing to the UK’s finances. As the Crown Estate also includes seabed surrounding the island nation, it also profits from offshore windfarms, which are currently expanding, in addition to a collection of large swaths of urban property in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Oxford and Cambridge. The value of the Crown Estate's energy and infrastructure portfolio alone rose by 8.2% in 2012 to 2013.
Conviction overturned for soldier accused of executing Iraqi policeman
The highest court in the US military threw out the case against Sgt. Lawrence Hutchins III Thursday. The Court of Appeals overturned a murder conviction against Hutchins after he served about half of an 11-year sentence for leading a group of eight men into the home of a retired Iraqi police officer who he then killed execution-style in a ditch in April 2006. Hutchins claimed his Constitutional rights were violated when he was held in solitary confinement for the duration of his seven-day interrogation in Iraq without access to a lawyer. He was scheduled to be released in July 2015 at the earliest but Hutchins’ lawyer said he could be released within days. The Navy may now appeal to the Supreme Court or let the ruling stand.
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