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Showing posts from August 3, 2014

Lebanon’s Hariri back as army battles Syria militants

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BEIRUT : Lebanon’s leading Sunni politician Saad Hariri returned from self-imposed exile Friday on a trip to bolster the country’s army as it battles militants in the latest spillover from Syria’s war. Hariri’s visit, his first since 2011, comes after open conflict between the army and militants on the border with Syria killed 17 troops and left 19 kidnapped. The former prime minister arrived after announcing earlier that Saudi Arabia, one of his chief allies, had pledged $1 billion to shore up the army and security forces against militants. On Wednesday, a day after announcing the funding, Hariri said he would consult with Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam and the army and security forces on how they would be disbursed. His arrival underscored the seriousness of the clashes in the Arsal region in eastern Lebanon on the Syrian border. Fighting that began there on Saturday has eased, with a truce meant to lead to the withdrawal of gunmen from several militant groups fighting in

China Arrests Four for Spreading Online Rumors Amid Clampdown

Chinese police arrested four people on suspicion of spreading online rumors as authorities tightened regulations on instant-messaging services. The suspects used social-networking services to spread rumors or had forwarded rumors published on foreign websites, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported today. These rumors included predictions of an earthquake in Beijing and gunshots being heard in the west of the city, the news agency said. China has been clamping down on the use of the Internet, instant messaging and social media since Xi Jinping became president in 2012. The government issued a law in September dictating that authorities could jail Web users for as much as three years if they post comments deemed defamatory. Police detained a man in eastern Jiangsu province for spreading rumors on the Moments function of Tencent Holdings Ltd. (700)’s WeChat related to the killing of terrorists, Xinhua reported yesterday. The four suspects may face defamation charges, which und

Iraq conflict: Obama vows to stop jihadist state

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US President Barack Obama has said he will not allow jihadists to carve out a "caliphate" straddling Syria and Iraq. On Friday, the US began launching air strikes on fighters of the Islamic State (IS) in northern Iraq. Mr Obama said there would be further air strikes if necessary but no US military operation on the ground. The UK has sent a plane to join the relief operation on Mt Sinjar, where thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority are stranded. A cargo plane left RAF Brize Norton in England carrying humanitarian aid. Jump media player Media player help Out of media player. Press enter to return or tab to continue. Unicef's Juliette Touma says people in the Sinjar mountains are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and protection The Pentagon earlier said it had carried out a second air drop that included more than 1,500 gallons of water and 28,000 meals. About 50,000 Yazidis fled into the mountains after IS fighters ove

Islamist rebels repairing Mosul dam, Kurds in rush to arms

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Islamic State insurgents who seized Iraq's biggest dam in an offensive that has caused international consternation have brought in engineers for repairs, witnesses said on Saturday, as nervous Kurds stocked up on arms to defend their enclave nearby. The jihadi Islamists have captured wide swathes of northern  Iraq since June, executing non-Sunni Muslim captives, displacing tens of thousands of people and drawing the first U.S. air strikes in the region since Washington withdrew troops in 2011. After routing Kurdish forces this week, Islamic State militants are just 30 minutes' drive from Arbil, the Kurdish regional capital which up to now has been spared the sectarian bloodshed that has scarred other parts of  Iraq  for a decade. Employees of foreign oil firms in Arbil were flying out. Kurds were snapping up AK-47 assault rifles in arms  markets  for fear of imminent attack, although these had been ineffective against the superior firepower of the Islamic State fighter

Egypt court bans Muslim Brotherhood's political wing

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A court in Egypt has dissolved the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing. The ruling will effectively prevent the banned Islamist movement from formally participating in parliamentary elections expected later this year. The government declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group in December. It was accused of orchestrating a wave of violence to destabilise the country after the military overthrew President Mohammed Morsi in July 2013. The Brotherhood has denied any connection to the jihadist militants based in the Sinai Peninsula who have killed hundreds of security personnel. At the same time, more than 1,400 people have been killed and 16,000 detained in a crackdown by the authorities on Mr Morsi's supporters. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, a former military chief who was elected head of state in May, has vowed to wipe out the group. Analysis: Sally Nabil, BBC Arabic, Cairo Dissolving the Freedom and justice Party (FJP) w

Pakistan police and Qadri supporters in deadly clash

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At least four people have been killed in Pakistan's Punjab province, in clashes between police and supporters of a leading anti-government cleric. Many have been wounded in the violence, which occurred after police blocked roads to the provincial capital Lahore. The cleric, Tahirul Qadri, is due to hold a large demonstration in the city on Sunday. The event is partly a protest against the deaths of at least eight Qadri supporters in at a rally in June. The cleric said that the latest clashes began on Friday when police tried to stop convoys of protesters gathering near his home in Lahore. His supporters briefly abducted six police officers, before releasing them unharmed. Police said they fired tear gas and that about 20 officers were wounded. Around 500 protesters were also arrested, police said. Military ties Mr Qadri, who until recently was based in Canada, returned to Pakistan in June and is one of Pakistan's most prominent political and religious figures.

Yemen militants shoot 14 soldiers, drone kills three al Qaeda suspects

An al Qaeda-affiliated group in  Yemen  said it killed 14 soldiers in an eastern province as revenge for an army offensive against its members, while a U.S. drone attack killed three suspected militants in central Yemen on Saturday, an official said. The Yemeni army has sent extra troops to the Wadi Hadramout region in northeastern Yemen  to counter attempts by militant group Ansar al Sharia to declare an Islamic emirate in the city of Seiyoun. In the past week, Yemeni security forces have killed at least 25 suspected militants in clashes in Wadi Hadramout, including seven who were killed on Thursday when they tried to attack an army facility. Residents and officials said people in the area found the bodies of the 14 soldiers riddled with bullets on a road near Seiyoun, three hours after they were abducted from a public bus. The soldiers were on their way to Sanaa, on leave after serving in the area. Ansar al-Sharia, in an internet posting late on Friday, confirmed its mili

Yemen Says Airstrike Kills Three Suspected al-Qaeda

SAN'A, Yemen (AP)—A Yemeni security official says an airstrike has killed three suspected al Qaeda militants in the country's central province of Marib. The official didn't specify if it was a U.S. or Yemeni aircraft involved in the strike Saturday which hit a house in the Obeida Valley where the group has a strong presence. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the press. A website affiliated to Yemen's al Qaeda branch confirmed earlier reports militants had killed 14 soldiers on Friday near the city of Shibam in the eastern Hadramawt province. The militants said the soldiers were killed for taking part in military campaigns against them. Yemen has been grappling with an al Qaeda insurgency and receives counterterrorism training and assistance from Washington. Source:  http://online.wsj.com/articles/yemen-says-airstrike-kills-three-suspected-al-qaeda-1407588452?mod=rss_middle_east_news

Ukraine to sanction 172 individuals and 65 companies for ‘support of terrorism’

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Ukraine’s government has picked 172 individuals and 65 companies that will face sanctions for “support and financing of terrorism” or responsible for crimes on country’s territory, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk announced on Aug. 8. But it will be a while before the measures are actually applied because the nation is yet to see a law approved that introduces the very notion of sanctions to legislation. The law was also submitted to the parliament on Aug. 8, and Yatseniuk said he expects it to come up for vote in parliament on Aug. 12. It's also unclear what names will be on this list, which is subject for approval by the National Security and Defense Council. Yatseniuk said that the law will be mostly targeting Russian people and firms in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. When deciding on sanctions the government consulted and coordinated with western partners, Yatseniuk said. “This is the first time in Ukraine’s history when we as a country apply sancti