Two killed outside Golden Dawn offices in Athens
At least two people have been killed in a drive-by shooting outside the offices of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party in Athens, police said Friday. The attack took place as the Greek government continues to crack down on the party – Greece’s third most popular – after one of its sympathizers stabbed an anti-fascism rapper to death in September. The victims were 20- and 23-years-old, according to the Golden Dawn website. However, police have not yet verified their identities and further details of the shooting are not yet available, Reuters reported.
Bulgarian students demand government ouster
Around 2,000 Bulgarian students have rallied in the capital of Sophia to demand the resignation of the socialist-backed government. The demonstration, springing forth from a gathering commemorating 18th and 19th century intellectuals and revolutionaries, took place against a backdrop of protests and occupations in universities around the country, AFP reported. Several hundred students have been occupying Sofia’s largest university for a week, causing the cancellation of classes. Chants such as “Wake up,” “Resign,” and “Mafia” resounded in the crowd that gathered to support the young people who were calling for an end to corruption and for a new election. Clashes erupted between protesting students and police in the city center, as demonstrators blocked street intersections, letting only ambulances through their barricade, according to Sofia news agency Novinite.
Dozens arrested in Egypt amid clashes ahead of Morsi trial
At least 45 supporters of ousted Egypt’s president Mohammed Morsi have been arrested in Alexandria, the country’s second largest city, as they clashed with local opponents in Sidi Beshr neighborhood. Police fired tear gas to calm down the clashes, reports Al Ahram. Unrest erupted on Friday afternoon when local residents attacked the pro-Morsi march in response to the protesters blocking a road, shouting chants against the army and police, with rocks being thrown. This comes as thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators are rallying across the country in protest against the upcoming trial that the deposed Islamist president is to stand along with 14 other senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Moscow Metro vending machine to sell tickets for 30 squats
The Moscow Metro will set up a ticket vending machine that will sell tickets to passengers on a single trip for 30 squats rather than for rubles. The number of squats will be counted by a special device, the press service of the Russian Olympic Committee said on Friday. The first such ticket machine will be launched on November 8 at the Vystavochnaya station.
Netherlands to send 380 peacekeepers to Mali
The Dutch government has agreed to send about 380 peacekeepers to Mali as part of a United Nations led mission, a government spokesman said on Friday. Further details are due to be announced later on Friday at the Dutch Prime Minster’s weekly press conference, Reuter’s reports. The Dutch troops will gather and analyze intelligence for the UN mission and will contribute four Apache attack helicopters. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that it was important to participate in preventing an unmanageable situation developing in Mali, which had become a base for Islamist extremists until they were driven out by French-led forces earlier this year.
Indonesians demand salary hikes in nationwide strike
Tens of thousands of workers went on strike across Indonesia on Friday for a second day, calling for huge salary hikes. However, the turnout was lower than the millions unions had promised. A further blow came when the Indonesian capital said it would raise the minimum wage by just 11 percent next year, AFP reported. The wage in Jakarta will go up from 2.2 million rupiah (around $200) to around 2.4 million – a rise of just 11 percent next year. This year, workers in the capital got a 44 percent rise.
4 killed by US drone strike in Pakistan
A US drone strike targeting a rebel compound killed at least four militants in Pakistan’s tribal region near the Afghan border on Friday, officials said. The strike took place in the Dandey Darpakhel area, five kilometers north of Miranshah, the main town of the North Waziristan tribal region, a stronghold for Taliban and Al-Qaeda linked militants, AFP reported. A US drone fired two missiles on a militant compound, killing four rebels, a senior security official said.
McDonald’s Japan apologizes as outlet posts homeless ban
McDonald’s Japan issued an apology on Friday after it was revealed that one of its outlets had posted a notice banning homeless people, AFP said. The notice, posted more than a year ago, had triggered an online debate, with some saying that staff at the west Tokyo branch “would refuse entry to people deemed improper,” citing poor hygiene and homelessness. The global fast food giant said that following complaints, the sign had been replaced.
Plans to create 2 vast ocean sanctuaries in Antarctica fail
Plans to create two vast ocean sanctuaries in Antarctica to protect the pristine wilderness reportedly failed on Friday for a third time. The proposals for two huge Marine Protected Areas were on the table at the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting in Hobart. “Russia and China wanted more details, more time,”AFP reported, citing participants. The sanctuaries required the support of all 25 members of CCAMLR to be passed.
S.African man gets 2 life sentences for rape, murder
A South African court sentenced a man to two life terms on Friday for the rape, mutilation and murder of a teenager in a case that shocked the nation, Reuters reported. Johannes Kana confessed to raping 17-year-old Anene Booysen before she was dumped at a building site in Bredasdorp, 130km east of Cape Town, in February. Booysen’s murder sparked some of the biggest anti-rape campaigns in South Africa in years.
Egypt military arrests members of Sinai radical militant group
The Egyptian army said on Friday its forces have captured 36 “terrorists” in North Sinai, including the leader of radical Islamist group, Al-Takfir Wal Hijra, and one of his associates. The army captured Abd El-Fattah Salem in the Al-Kharouba area describing him as “one of the most significant terrorist leaders currently wanted,” Ahram Online reported. Also 25 “extremists”, accused of attacking army and police sites in the restive peninsula, were detained, in addition to eight people suspected of involvement in terrorist crimes.
UN envoy Brahimi hopes for Syria peace conference within weeks
The UN envoy to Syria said on Friday he hoped a long-delayed peace conference could still be held in the next few weeks despite obstacles. Lakhdar Brahimi, speaking in Damascus after a trip to shore up support for the talks, said he would go to Geneva to meet US and Russian representatives, Reuters reported. Brahimi said the UN preferred that Iran attend the Geneva 2 conference, but there had been no agreement on this yet. The envoy also hopes that just one delegation would represent the opposition.
Fuel runs out in Gaza, Hamas reports outage
A shortage of fuel halted the production of electricity across the Gaza Strip on Friday, according to the energy authority of the Islamist movement Hamas. “We have completely stopped the operation of [Gaza's sole] power plant this morning at 6am (04:00 GMT) because we don’t have a single liter of fuel,” AFP quoted Fathi el-Sheikh Khalil, the authority’s deputy chairman, as saying. The electricity supply has been cut off across most of the territory. Khalil blamed the power outage on Egypt’s destruction of tunnels used for bringing fuel to Gaza and said the Palestinian Authority charged Hamas too much for its fuel.
Fire kills 10 at firecracker factory in southern India
At least 10 people were killed and 10 others sustained severe burn injuries in a major fire in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu on Friday, Xinhua reported, citing officials. Fire broke out following a sudden explosion at a firecracker factory. Several employees were at work at the cracker manufacturing unit when the mishap happened.
Russian, Japanese foreign ministers to discuss peace treaty in January-February
The foreign ministers of Russia and Japan have scheduled peace treaty consultations for late January – early February 2014, the Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said. “The precise date of the consultations will be set in a working agenda,” Interfax quoted him as saying after negotiations with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The Russian and Japanese deputy foreign ministers held the first round of peace treaty consultations in August.
All 30 Greenpeace activists charged with hooliganism in Arctic Sunrise incident
Hooliganism charges have been brought against all thirty Greenpeace activists who were aboard the Arctic Sunrise and were detained near the oilrig Prirazlomnaya on September 19. “The Investigations Committee has filed formal hooliganism charges against all thirty Greenpeace activists,” Greenpeace press officer, Maria Favorskaya, told Interfax. “However, the initial piracy charges have not
Syrian chemical weapons to be destroyed in Albania
Syrian chemical weapons stockpiles might be destroyed in Albania. The possibility was first reported by US e-daily ‘Global security newswire’. Experts describe transportation of chemical warfare agents from Syria to Albania for subsequent destruction as “an increasingly likely” development. The US is also reportedly in talks with Belgium and France over the issue.
Japan scrambles fighter jets to intercept Russian plane –
Japan scrambled F2 fighter jets to intercept a Russian Air Force plane as it flew over the Sea of Japan on Friday, the Japanese Defense Ministry said. No violations of Japanese air space have been registered, Itar-Tass reported, citing a ministry statement. A Russian Ilyushin Il-20 electronic reconnaissance aircraft reportedly flew over the islands of Oki and Takeshima/Tokto. Japan and South Korea have long been contesting the sovereignty of the islands.
22 female Islamists detained in Egypt before Morsi trial
Egypt has detained 22 women who are members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a security official said on Friday. The move came days before deposed President Mohamed Morsi and 14 other leaders of the Islamist group go on trial. The charges against the women include using force to disrupt traffic during protests, membership of an outlawed group and distributing illegal leaflets, Reuters said. Security forces rarely detain female Islamists.
US hurt by evidence of ‘cynical’ spying – Medvedev
The US faces a tough task undoing the damage inflicted by allegations it has spied on leaders of allied countries, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has said. “It’s not very pleasant when you are spied on… so the leaders are angry. I understand them,” he told Reuters in an interview. Such spying was not unusual, Medvedev suggested, adding that “it is assumed that it is not done in such an absolutely cynical way.” Medvedev said, “What can you say in this situation? ‘Sorry, we won’t do it anymore’ or ‘We won’t try to listen in on you?’ Nobody will believe it.”
2 killed in court building blast in Russia’s Kurgan
Two people were killed and another two were injured on Friday after a grenade exploded in a court building in the city of Kurgan, the Russian Interior Ministry has said. A visitor exploded a hand grenade in the building of a magistrate court, killing two people and injuring two others, Interfax reported. Investigators do not rule out the incident was a terrorist act.
Russia supplies 12 Mi-17V-5 military helicopters for Afghanistan
Russia’s Rosoboronexport delivered 12 Mil Mi-12V-5 military transport helicopters to the Afghan national army in October under an additional contract with the US government in 2012. “In all, 63 Mi-12V-5 helicopters will be supplied for the under Russia-US agreements,” the state-run arms trader said. Rosoboronexport and the US government signed the main contract on the delivery of 21 helicopters on May 26, 2011, and the contract was fulfilled by the middle of 2012, Interfax reported. Additional agreements on the delivery of another 12 Mi-17V-5 helicopters were signed in 2012.
Police detain accomplice of Volgograd bomber’s armed group
Police in the Russian North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan have reportedly arrested an accomplice of a gang which included a suicide female bomber that recently killed six people and wounded 37 others in the city of Volgograd. The detained man, identified as Ramil A., 28, is suspected of assisting several members of the armed group in Makhachkala, Itar-Tass reported. He was arrested in Dagestan’s town of Kaspiysk.
Drug ‘supertunnel’ unearthed under US-Mexican border
US and Mexican authorities have unearthed another ‘supertunnel’ used to smuggle drugs beneath their common border, AFP reported, citing officials. The third since 2011, the newly-constructed tunnel zigzags for a third of a mile beneath the border between San Diego and Tijuana. It was equipped with an electric-powered rail system to carry the drugs, as well as ventilation. For the first time, agents seized cocaine intended to be smuggled through the tunnel as well as more than eight tons of marijuana. This indicates that Mexican drug cartels are getting increasingly “desperate,” officials said.
Russian police find suicide belt in southern Stavropol Territory
Police in the southern Russian Stavropol Territory said Friday that they had found a suicide belt during a sweep and have detained its suspected owner. Police officers used sniffer dogs while inspecting a horticultural reserve outside the city of Stavropol, RIA Novosti reported. The belt was examined and its owner later arrested. The suspect is said not to be a resident of Stavropol.
China blames Uyghur Islamist terror group for deadly Beijing crash
A suicide attack which took the lives of five people in the Chinese capital of Beijing was organized by the militant East Turkestan Islamic Movement, AP cited China’s top security official as saying. Chief of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the ruling Communist Party, Meng Jianzhu, announced the revelation during an interview with Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television while in Uzbekistan. “The violent terrorist incident that happened in Beijing is an organized and plotted act. Behind the instigation is the terrorist group East Turkestan Islamic Movement entrenched in central and west Asian regions,” Meng said. The alleged terrorist group did not claim responsibility for the attack. The attack involved an SUV which crashed into bystanders before bursting into flames in the center of Beijing, killing three people in the car and two tourists. Dozens of people were injured in the incident.
Officials uncover huge drug ‘super tunnel’ at US-Mexico border
Authorities in the US and Mexico have uncovered a “super tunnel” which was intended to be used to smuggle drugs across the border between San Diego and Tijuana. According to officials, the sophisticated tunnel runs for a third of a mile, and is even equipped with an electric-powered rail system, ventilation, and hydraulically-controlled steel doors, AFP reported. Construction of the underground operation – the third such tunnel discovered since 2011 – likely took over a year, and was shut down before it became operational. “Their traditional routes are failing at this point. They’re very desperate. They’ll do anything they can to get into the US,” said Bill Sherman, head of the Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego. Three people were arrested in connection with the bust, and authorities also seized more than eight tons of marijuana.
Russia ready to donate $2mn to Syrian chemical weapons destruction
Russia could contribute US$2 million to the destruction of chemical weapons in Syria, Kommersant newspaper reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic source. According to the Russia-US backed plan to avert military intervention in Syria, all chemical weapons in the country must be destroyed by mid-2014. The source also stated that Russia could provide transportation of the weapons arsenal to Albania, where the stockpiles could be eliminated. More details are expected to be discussed Friday in Moscow during talks between Special Coordinator of the UN-OPCW mission in Syria, Sigrid Kaag, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov. Syria has
met the November 1 deadline and
“functionally destroyed the critical equipment which is needed to run their chemical weapons production facilities. All of that has now been rendered inoperable,” Michael Luhan, spokesman for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, told RT on Thursday.
US Defense Secretary denounces states’ refusal to issue ID cards to same-sex couples
US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel denounced nine US states Thursday for their refusal to issue identification cards to same-sex couples at National Guard facilities. The refusal, a violation of Pentagon policy, comes after the Defense Department began issuing the ID cards to government employees so they could begin receiving the same work-related benefits that heterosexual couples do. Texas was the first state to refuse the order, a senior defense official said, followed by Indiana, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia. General Frank Gass, head of the National Guard, will meet with adjunct generals in the respective states, Hagel said. “Not only does this violate the states’ obligation under federal law, their actions have created hardship and inequality,” he added.
Federal court restores contentious Texas abortion restrictions
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday to restore most of the Texas abortion restrictions, just three days after another court determined that at least one of the restrictions had no medical purpose. Yet the federal court said Thursday that the law requiring doctors to have admitting privileges at an area hospital in order to perform abortions may remain in place while the lawsuit against it is argued. Other controversial aspects of the new law prohibit abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and only allow the procedure to take place in surgical centers. Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice advocates have said the changes, if deemed constitutional, would shut down all but six of Texas’ abortion clinics.
Media agencies
Updated on : 02-11-2013 01:41 AM
