White House tours to resume again following budget resolution
Tourists will again be permitted to take limited tours of the White
House beginning on November 5, after tours were essentially canceled in
March 2013 due to the federal budget crisis. Visitors will be taken
through the East Wing of the White House as well as the executive
residence, with access to the White House garden beginning on October
26. A Secret Service spokesman told the Huffington Post that he is “
confident” the spending bill that US President Obama signed this week will allow the White House to “
operate at reduced funding levels while still meeting our operational requirements.”
22:32
New Jersey set to begin same-sex marriages next week
The New Jersey Supreme Court has denied a request by Governor
Christie to place a stay on same-sex marriages until an appeal filed by
his office is heard, scheduled for early January. The court’s denial on
Friday means that same-sex couples will be able to seek legal marriage
as soon as Monday, and the ruling seems to indicate that justices do not
believe that the Governor’s appeal has a “reasonable” likelihood of
leading to a repeal, reports The New York Times. Christie vetoed a 2012
law that would have permitted same-sex marriages in the state, citing
that the issue should be decided by a public referendum.
“The state
has advanced a number of arguments, but none of them overcome this
reality: same-sex couples who cannot marry are not treated equally under
the law today,” Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in his opinion.
21:16
Apple denies ability to monitor iMessages
Apple refuted claims Friday that the company is capable of
intercepting the content of iMessages, the instant messaging service
users use to communicate through Apple products. The claim comes one day
after security research firm QuarksLab presented a paper explaining
that the tech behemoth would have no trouble infiltrating such
conversations, as the “
key infrastructure” of iMessage is,
obviously, under Apple’s control. Apple has said that iMessages are
fitted with end-to-end encryption and thus the company cannot turn over a
vast quantity of data in response to a government request. QuarksLab
noted that its research did not allege that Apple was actively reading
iMessages, nor did it present evidence that the communications are
actively being read, but that the company could “
read your iMessages if they choose to, or if they are required to do so by a government order.”
21:12
NY man charged with attempting to join Al-Qaeda group in Yemen
US officials arrested a 25-year-old American living in New York on
charges that he was attempting to join an Al-Qaeda branch in Yemen.
Marcos Alonso Zea appeared before a district court and was indicted on
five counts without bail on Friday.
“Despite being born and raised
in the United States, Zea allegedly betrayed his country and attempted
to travel to Yemen in order to join a terrorist organization,” said
Loretta Lynch, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Zea had previously been intercepted by British customs officials and
sent back to the US in January of 2012 while trying to fly from New York
to Yemen, Reuters reported. After that failed attempt, Zea then tried
to help 18-year-old Justin Kaliebe on a similar trip last January – but
Kaliebe was arrested while boarding a flight to Oman. Prosecutors said
that authorities had recovered a semi-automatic rifle that Zea had
handed over to an acquaintance prior to his planned trip to Yemen, where
officials allege he intended to join the Ansar al-Sharia militant
group.
20:34
19% of Americans trust US govt, federal agencies viewed favorably
A mere 19 percent of US citizens say they trust the government to do
the right thing always or at least most of the time, according to a new
poll from the Pew Research Center. That number, recorded after the
partial federal government shutdown that nearly resulted in a US debt
default, means that Americans have seven percent less trust than when
the poll was last conducted in January. A record 30 percent admitted
they are angry with the federal government and another 55 percent
described themselves as frustrated. Federal workers, on the other hand,
are viewed favorably by a 62 percent to 29 percent margin. Excluding
only the IRS, 12 of 13 federal agencies are viewed positively.
19:44
Chemical weapons watchdog verifies 14 sites in Syria
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has
conducted inspections at 14 chemical weapons facilities in Syria, said
the OPCW in a press release. Sixty UN inspectors and the OPCW team are
currently working in Syria, investigating over 20 sites where chemical
weapons have been used during the country’s ongoing civil war. Last
week, Damascus began destroying the first chemical weapons. According to
the deal brokered by the US and Russia during the Geneva talks in
September, Syria’s entire stockpile of chemical weapons must be fully
eliminated by June 30, 2014.
19:42
10 killed in wave of violence in Iraq
Militants killed four members of the same family – all members of the
Yazidi religious sect – in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar on Friday,
AFP cited officials as saying. A separate blast left two dead and five
others wounded in Baquba, north of Baghdad, while gunmen killed one
Sahwa anti-Al-Qaeda fighter and wounded another in an attack on a
checkpoint near the city. In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded in the Mashtal
area, killing at least three people and wounding at least 12 others.
More than 410 people have been killed so far this month and over 5,100
since the beginning of the year, according to AFP figures.
18:17
Paris bank assault: Police free all 4 hostages, suspect surrenders
An armed man took four people hostage at a CIC bank in southeastern
Paris on Friday afternoon, AFP reported. The suspect allegedly urged the
government to provide him and his son with subsidized housing in
exchange for the hostages and demanded a negotiator. Two teams of
special police units were deployed to the scene along with a hostage
negotiator. Before the hostages were released and the suspect
surrendered, Christian Flaesch, head of Paris’ judicial police, said the
negotiations were “taking place in the best conditions possible” and
the situation was “evolving well.”
18:15
Break-in at Russian diplomats’ apartments is ‘ordinary burglary’ – Dutch FM
The break-in that
occurred
in apartments housing Russian diplomats in The Hague was an ordinary
burglary, said the Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans on his
Facebook page late on Friday. He added that the suspect has been
apprehended and he is now actively cooperating with the investigation.
The incident comes a week after the arrest of Russian diplomat, Dmitry
Borodin, in The Hague which caused tensions between the two countries.
17:50
UN’s helicopter comes under fire in DR Congo
Rebel forces fired at an unarmed UN helicopter in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, 15 kilometers north of Goma capital in the North Kivu
province, said the UN peace keeping mission.
“Two helicopters left
on reconnaissance missions this morning … the pilots of one of the
helicopters felt some impacts on the cockpit … and landed” to
inspect the damage, a source close to the UN peacekeeping mission in the
Congo told AFP. There were no injuries reported, and the helicopter
returned to the base
17:00
ICC excuses Kenyan president from presenting at his trial
The International Criminal Court has allowed Kenya’s president, who
is due to go on trial in The Hague from Nov 12, to stay at home to carry
out his duties instead of requiring his “continuous presence” at the
trial. Uhuru Kenyatta is facing charges of orchestrating deadly violence
in the aftermath of his country’s 2007 elections. Kenyatta insists he
is not guilty, but still pledged to cooperate with the court.
14:51
Russian court denies bail for more Greenpeace activists
The Murmansk region court in Russia on Friday rejected an appeal
filed by a UK Greenpeace activist Alexandra Harris over the detention
after taking part in a raid on a Gazprom drilling platform in the
Pechora Sea. The appeals to release Greenpeace activists Anne Mie Roer
Jensen from Denmark and Canadian Alexandre Paul were also rejected by
the court. Earlier, the court rejected similar appeals filed by
activists from Russia, the UK, New Zealand, the US, Argentina and
Australia. Greenpeace opposes drilling for oil in the Arctic because
they say it is impossible to prevent potential oil spills.
14:29
Zeinalov charged with murder after Muscovite Shcherbakov’s death sparked protests
Investigators have charged Azerbaijani national, Orkhan Zeinalov,
with the murder of a resident of Moscow’s Biryulyovo district, Yegor
Shcherbakov.
“Zeinalov was charged today under the Russian Criminal Code Article 105, murder,” Sergey
Stukalov, spokesman of the Russian Investigative Committee’s main
directorate for Moscow, told Interfax on Friday. The murder sparked mass
protests among Biryulyovo residents last weekend.
13:36
Afghan militants attack foreign compound in Kabul – police
Insurgents have detonated a car bomb and attacked a heavily fortified
private compound used by foreigners on the outskirts of Kabul, police
said. The attack started late Friday when a car exploded near the gate
of the compound, known as Green Village, AP quoted police officer,
Mohammad Aslan, as saying. An hour after the attack, small arms could be
heard in the vicinity of the camp. It houses contractors from various
countries, European diplomatic personnel and UN employees. The camp was
last attacked by a suicide car bomber and armed attackers on May 2,
2012, when several Afghan guards were killed.
13:09
EU allocates further $95m for Syrian refugees in Lebanon
The EU will allocate an additional $95 million for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, EU Ambassador Angelina Eichhorst said on Friday.
“These
days, an additional amount of 70 million euro ($95 million) will be
allocated by the EU humanitarian agency ECHO to help the poorest
refugees through the winter,” the Daily Star newspaper quoted the
ambassador as saying after meeting with President Michel Sleiman. The EU
contribution will cover all the needs planned under the “winterization”
program developed by the inter-agency coordination in Lebanon. The
program includes assistance for five months from November for 90,000
families living at an altitude of 500m above sea level, as well as 10
percent of vulnerable Syrian families living below 500m.
12:41
Libya’s military police commander killed by gunmen
Gunmen fatally wounded the commander of Libya’s military police force in the eastern city of Benghazi, a security source said.
“Several shots hit Ahmed al-Barghathi. He was brought to hospital, but later died there,” Reuters
quoted the source as saying. The attack is seen as the latest blow to a
Libyan government that is struggling to assert control over militias
and radical Islamists.
12:23
UN sets up Cyprus support base for chemical weapons team in Syria
The UN is to set up a support base in Cyprus for its chemical weapons
team working in Syria, Reuters reported, citing Cypriot authorities.
Cyprus will offer facilities for the mission’s activities and safety,
the government spokesman said in a statement on Friday. The UN has kept a
peacekeeping mission in Cyprus since 1964. The island hosted UN weapons
inspectors shuttling into Iraq before the US-led invasion in 2003.
12:07
EU, Canada sign free trade deal
Canada and the European Union have struck a tentative free trade
agreement that would make it easier for Canadian companies to invest in
and sell in the EU, and vice versa. The deal will lower tariffs,
streamline regulation and cut red tape that hampers trade, AP reported.
Following talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Friday,
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said the two sides
have reached a “breakthrough in negotiations.”
11:03
Suicide bomber kills 5 Yemeni soldiers in attack on military base
A suicide bomber killed at least five Yemeni soldiers on Friday in a
suspected Islamist militant attack on a military base. A military
official said the bomber drove a car laden with explosives and blew
himself up at the gate of the army camp in Ahwar, an area in the
southern province of Abyan, Reuters said. Other militants attacked
soldiers in the camp with machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades, the
source said, adding that 15 soldiers were wounded in the clashes.
Militants linked to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula are increasingly
targeting Yemeni army facilities.
10:42
Lebanon charges 18 Palestinians with terrorist plot
Eighteen Palestinians, only one of them in custody, were charged in
Lebanon on Friday for planning terrorist activities, the state-run
National News Agency reported. Wissam Ahmed Naim, who was arrested for
forging identification documents for suspected terrorists, and Toufiq
Tah from the Islamist Al-Nusra Front were among those charged for
offences, including the formation of an armed gang to carry out
terrorist activities.
10:27
Greek coastguard detains 78 migrants on Rhodes Island
Greece’s coastguard has arrested 78 migrants, believed to be Syrians,
on the eastern island of Rhodes in the Aegean Sea, AFP reported. Port
authorities had been searching for the migrants on the island since
Wednesday, following the arrests of two men, presumed to be smugglers.
They reportedly sailed in a boat under a Turkish flag close to Rhodes.
On Tuesday, Greece’s coastguard rescued 73 Syrian refugees stranded on a
yacht in the Ionian Sea in the west of the country.
09:35
Uganda issues alert after Kenya-style mall attack threat
Ugandan police issued a security alert on Friday amid warnings of a
possible attack similar to the assault by Somalia’s Shebab fighters in
Kenya’s Westgate mall last month.
“Stay alert and watch each other’s steps and activities, as we are still threatened by terror,” the Ugandan police said. The alert followed a message Tuesday from the US embassy in Uganda which said it was continuing
“to assess reports that a Westgate-style attack may soon occur in Kampala,” AFP
reported. At least 67 people were massacred in the shopping center in
Nairobi when gunmen stormed the crowded complex on September 21.
08:10
Pussy Riot’s Tolokonnikova resumes hunger strike
Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, a convicted member of the Pussy Riot punk
band, has resumed her hunger strike, her husband Pyotr Verzilov told
Interfax on Friday. Tolokonnikova was returned to the penitentiary at
night
“in violation of the promises made by officers from the
Federal Penitentiaries Service central staff to continue Nadezhda’s
therapy or to transfer her to another region,” he said. Tolokonnikova, who is staying at the medical wing of the 14th penitentiary, resumed her hunger strike,
“just like she promised, due to her transfer” back to the same penitentiary, Verzilov said.
07:23
Philippines earthquake death toll rises to 172
The death toll from a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the
central Philippines rose to 172 Friday, AFP reported. The tourist island
of Bohol, which was the epicenter of Tuesday’s quake, suffered the most
with 160 people dead. Bohol police commander Senior Superintendent
Dennis Agustin said 22 people were missing on the island. Many Bohol
residents have been living in tents fearing aftershocks.
06:38
Russia starts implementing $4.3bn arms contract with Iraq
Russia has started implementation of a multibillion dollar arms deal
with Iraq signed in 2012, the Iraqi government said. Moscow is to supply
over 10 fully-armed and equipped Mi-28NE Night Hunter attack
helicopters to Iraq under a $4.3 billion agreement on cooperation in the
defense and technology sector. The contract provides for the delivery
of weaponry mainly for anti-terrorist operations.
04:41
Top Syrian general killed by rebels in battle
General Jama’a Jama’a of a Syrian intelligence agency has been killed
by rebels in the eastern city of Deir al-Zor, Syrian state TV
announced. The city is mostly controlled by forces fighting against the
Syrian government. The rebel-friendly Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights say the general was killed by a sniper during a battle with a
rebel group linked to Al-Qaeda.
00:36
UN elects five new temporary members to Security Council
Five countries have won two-year terms in the UN Security Council (UNSC), General Assembly President John Ashe announced.
“Chad,
Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are elected members of the
Security Council for a two-year term beginning on 1 January 2014,”
Ashe said. The five new members will replace Azerbaijan, Guatemala,
Morocco, Pakistan, and Togo. Before going up for the UNSC vote, each
country needed to get a two-thirds majority from voting UN member
states. Two out of the five new members are said to be controversial –
Chad has received criticism for the use of child soldiers and Saudi
Arabia for its involvement in the Syrian civil war.
00:29
Justice Dept. files new charges against former Blackwater guards for Iraq attack
The US Justice Department has levied new charges against four former
Blackwater Worldwide security contractors over a 2007 shooting in
Baghdad that killed 17 Iraqis. The new indictments follow 2008
manslaughter and weapons violations charges that were dismissed by a
federal judge who ruled the Justice Department withheld evidence from a
grand jury, violating the guards’ constitutional rights. A federal
appeals court reinstated the case in 2011, saying the dismissal was the
result of a misinterpretation of the law. The guards, hired to protect
US diplomats, are accused of opening fire in the crowded Nisoor Square
on Sept. 16, 2007. Prosecutors say the Blackwater, now known as Academi,
convoy used machine guns and grenades in an unprovoked attack. Defense
lawyers say their clients were ambushed by insurgents.
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