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Showing posts from October 12, 2014

NPA attacks medical outreach in N. Cotabato

Posted on Friday Oct 17th at 8:23pm  By John Unson NORTH COTABATO, Philippines - Marauding New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas on Thursday fired grenade projectiles at the venue of a military medical outreach mission in Magpet town to forestall the activity intended to serve hundreds of impoverished lumad families. The attack, however, did not stop members of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion from serving villagers in the hinterlands in Balete District in east of Magpet. Lt. Col. Noli Vinluan, commanding officer of the 57th IB, said the NPAs operating in Magpet are opposed to the military’s humanitarian projects benefiting poor villagers they subject to forced taxation. Vinluan said the explosive projectiles the NPAs fired from a distance landed on a basketball court near a barangay hall. No one was hurt in the explosions, Vinluan said.   “They do not want our presence in the area,” Vinluan said. The NPAs in Magpet and nearby towns have perpetrated more than a dozen roadside bombings th

Second massacre in days leaves 20 dead in east DR Congo

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18 October 2014   Last updated at  11:02 Militants have killed at least 20 people, said to be mostly women and children, in the second massacre in two days near the DR Congo town of Beni. A local pastor told BBC News they had been killed with guns, machetes and axes in the village of Eringeti. A local rights group said the killers had come from neighbouring Uganda. However, a local official could not confirm the allegation. On Thursday, 26 people were killed near Beni, also mostly women or children. The town's mayor accused a Ugandan Islamist group, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), of that attack. Both the DR Congolese army and the UN have bases in Eringeti, 55km (34 miles) from Beni. The UN mission in the DR Congo has been repeatedly criticised for failing to protect civilians, the BBC's Maud Jullien notes. Military force Amisi Kalonda, government administrator for the Beni area, told AFP news agency he was heading to Eringeti along with an army contingent. He was unable to

Yemen's Rebels Attack Home of Islamist, 12 Killed

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 - ABC News The Associated Press Yemen's empowered Shiite rebels attacked the home of a rival Islamist politician south of the capital on Saturday, setting off clashes that left 12 people dead, security officials said, adding that the politician was not home at the time. The officials said Shiite rebels and allied fighters attacked the home of a local politician from the rival Islamist Islah party, killing two of his relatives in the town of Yarim, an Islamist stronghold in the Ibb province south of Sanaa. The ensuing clashes left eight rebel fighters and two bystanders dead. Another four rebels were killed when a roadside bomb struck a convoy bringing reinforcements to a battle with Sunni conservative tribesmen raging in both Yarim and the provincial capital, also called Ibb. The Houthis had advanced on Ibb city on Friday, setting of fierce clashes. A brief cease-fire collapsed. In a separate incident, officials said another eight people were killed in clashes between al-Qaida mil

Hong Kong govt to open talks with democracy protesters next week

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HONG KONG - Hong Kong's embattled government said it will open talks with student demonstrators Tuesday, after three nights of violent clashes between police and protesters who have paralysed parts of the city with mass pro-democracy rallies.  Police rinse a man's face with water after using pepper spray against him during clashes with pro-democracy protesters in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong on October 17, 2014 The city's leader Leung Chun-ying made a dramatic U-turn Thursday by announcing a return to talks with the Hong Kong Federation of Students, one of the groups leading the protests, after abruptly pulling out of discussions a week earlier.  "Right now we are planning that it will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 21," Leung's deputy Carrie Lam told reporters on Saturday. Lam said the talks would be focused on constitutional reform, with both sides allowed to bring five members to the meeting that will last around two hours and will be

Maintain pressure on terrorists for peaceful Kashmir polls: Indian Army chief

New Delhi: Indian Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Saturday advised his commanders to "maintain relentless pressure" on terrorists to ensure the peaceful conduct of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking at the culmination of the Army Commander's Conference, parts of which were made available to the media, he stressed on the need to "maintain relentless pressure on the terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir so they cannot disrupt the forthcoming elections". He also expressed satisfaction on the situation in the northeast and stressed on all stakeholders to be made part of the conflict-resolution mechanism. On external security concerns, Dalbir Singh advised the commanders to "continuously assess the situation in the sub-continent with respect to the force and security transition taking place and its resultant effect on the national security". The army chief also complemented the Northern and Western Commands for their response to the Jammu and Kashmir f

Nigeria aims to have girls abducted by Boko Haram freed by Tuesday

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Nigeria aims to have secured the release of 200 girls kidnapped by Islamist  Boko Haram militants by Tuesday, a senior source at the presidency told Reuters on Saturday, although he declined to comment on where the transfer would take place. "I can confirm that FG (the federal government) is working hard to meet its own part of the agreement so that the release of the abductees can by effected either on Monday or latest Tuesday next week," the source told Reuters by telephone. The head of Nigeria's military, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, announced on Friday that authorities had reached a deal with Boko Haram for a ceasefire that would enable the release of the girls, who were kidnapped while taking exams in a secondary school from the remote northeastern town of Chibok in April. Officials at the presidency and the military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Boko Haram, which conveys messages in videotaped speeches by a man claiming to be its leader, Abu

The menace next door: a dumb America

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Todd Korol/Reuters [UPDATE, 5:17 p.m.: On Twitter, Garrett Graff says the article I'm rebutting here was satirical. He was not participating in a peculiarly widespread form of U.S. paranoia, but mocking it. I've had jokes misunderstood in the past, as indeed has everyone who ever made a joke, so Graff's explanation is plausible. In that case, his article would still be an indicator of an unserious country -- not in the writer's intent, but in the fact he needed to write it. Anyway, back to my rant -- pw]  The  “Friday cover” on  Politico  is a decent indicator of the extent to which the United States has become a sentimental and unserious country. Written by Garrett M. Graff, a Harvard Crimson alum who in 2008 became the first blogger accredited to the White House, illustrated with a photo of Mounties at the Vimy Memorial —  are they going to burn it down?  — the luxuriously padded story asks, essentially, which of America’s neighbours it would be a good idea to fear to

Zukunft: In border crisis, treat the cause, not the symptom

This year, tens of thousands of unaccompanied children flocked to our nation's doorstep, offering a disturbing glimpse into an ongoing international security crisis that is threatening our hemisphere. In large part, this heartbreaking tragedy is a symptom of a much more insidious problem -the rise of violent transnational organized crime networks that have destabilized regional security and terrorized the populations of several of our close neighbors. http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Zukunft-In-border-crisis-treat-the-cause-not-5827901.php

Pakistan: The terror of anti-terrorism

The Anti-Terrorism Courts (ATCs) were established after promulgation of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, to fast-track cases against terrorists. In addition to terrorism, a range of other crimes such as arms trafficking, kidnapping, gang rape, sectarian violence, extortion, and target killings are also covered in the ATA. The parallel judicial infrastructure of the ATC under this Act was created for speedy justice. However, the track record of ATCs shows complete failure in awarding punishment to terrorists. The conviction rate of terrorists in these courts is extremely low. They are often set free on the pretext of a lack of evidence whereas the state has been actively using ATCs to politically victimise human rights activists, who are seen as the real threat to the state and the status quo. Most recently Baba Jan, a well-known activist and former Vice President of the Awami Workers Party, and 11 other activists from Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) were given life sentences by an ATC on Septe

Mexico’s Missing Students: Were 43 Attacked by Cartel-Linked Police Targeted for Their Activism?

Protests continue in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero over the disappearance of 43 teachers’ college students missing for more than two weeks following a police ambush. More than 20 police have been detained and accused of collaborating with a drug gang, Guerreros Unidos, that has ties to the city’s mayor, who has fled. Fears over the students’ fate have escalated following the discovery of 10 mass graves. But on Tuesday, Mexican Attorney General Jesús Murillo said  DNA  tests showed none of the 28 bodies tested so far belong to the missing students. "This particular attack reflects … decades of criminalization of these schools, and a situation where in the current Mexican government it is really hard to tell where the state begins, and where drug cartels end," says Tanalís Padilla, associate professor of Latin American history at Dartmouth College, who is writing a book on the history of rural normal schools in Mexico. Padilla says the schools offer education to low-in

Basque filmmaker’s ‘Negotiator’ takes tragicomic look at ETA terrorism

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Negociador  (Negotiator) started out as a comedy, but soon transformed into tragicomedy. The film tells the story of the failed peace talks between armed Basque independence group ETA and the Spanish government between 2005 and 2006. During that time the government’s chief negotiator, Jesús Eguiguren, attended six funerals of victims of terrorist attacks carried out by the group, while ETA’s chief, Xabier López Peña, AKA Thierry, who successfully sabotaged the negotiations, later died in prison. What went on during the talks, what did their participants eat, drink, and where and when did they sleep? Filmmaker Borja Cobeaga has let his imagination run riot in answering those questions. The movie, which was premiered last week at the San Sebastián film festival, is inspired by real events, and is the result of extensive research, but in no way claims to be a documentary. Seated on a park bench in the Basque coastal city, Cobeaga explains how the project got off the ground: “It came out o

Patriotic song sparks Basque wedding brawl

Alex Dunham | 8 Oct 2014, 16:35  Four guests at a wedding in the Basque city of San Sebastián are facing two years in jail after the bride’s and the groom’s families got into a fight over a song played during celebrations. Up to a hundred guests took to the dance floor after enjoying a wedding banquet at San Sebastian’s emblematic Hotel Londres. The bride’s family, from Spain’s Basque country, were playing host to the groom’s, most of whom had travelled over from the northern Spanish city of Valladolid. Everything was going well until a friend of the bride asked the DJ to play a Basque nationalist ballad called ‘Oi ama Eskual Herri’. According to local daily El Diario Vasco, the groom asked the DJ to change the song because it was killing the mood. This in turn angered the man and other relatives of the bride who took it as a lack of respect towards Basque patriotism. Punches soon started flying between the two families with even the disc jockey getting involved in the brawl. Five peop

Rebels delay finish of Peru natgas pipeline expansion until 2016

LIMA, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The expansion of Peru's main natural gas pipeline has been delayed by nearly a year because of threats posed by insurgents and is now set to wrap up in the first quarter of 2016, the pipeline operator said on Tuesday. Expansion work is now 55 percent complete and will cost some $475 million in total, said Ricardo Ferreiro, the general manager of Transportadora de Gas del Peru (TGP). The pipeline now moves natural gas from Peru's abundant Camisea gas fields in its southern jungle to the central coast. The expansion project will more than double its carrying capacity from 610 million cubic feet per day to 1.54 billion cubic feet, Ferreiro said. But the lingering presence of a remnant band of Shining Path rebels in a coca-growing region near the Camisea gas fields has slowed the pace of construction, Ferreiro said. In 2012, the Shining Path kidnapped a few dozen contract employees of TGP before releasing them unharmed days later. Since then, TGP has report

Eight Maoists surrender in Bastar

Eight members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrendered before the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Narayanpur district of Bastar on Thursday. Sunil alias Sunnu Koram (24), Sayatram alias Guddu Salam (22), Rajju alias Mangatu Koram (24), Rupram alias Jugalu Koram (23), Mainuram Salam (23) and Motiram Koram (25) were the Maraskol militia members of the CPI (Maoist) and surrendered before the CRPF DIG to join the mainstream, said Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Kamble in a press statement. Rainu Nureti (25), the Kiskodo Militia cammander and Raidhar Karanga alias Surinder (28), the Rawghat LGS commander of the CPI (Maoist) also surrendered before the CPRF, the SP added. All of them surrendered without weapons. Four Maoists were arrested from different places of Bastar on Thursday. Vijay Uike (38) and Samru Mahavir Uike (45) were arrested by a joint team of the Border Security Force and district police from Khairkatta forest in Kanker district. Both

Maoist Guns Fall Silent for Relief Works

KORAPUT: In a rare show of sympathy towards people affected by cyclone Hud Hud, the Maoists have not created any disturbance during rescue and relief operations carried out by Government agencies in the tribal dominated district. Maoist hotbeds like Narayanpatana, Bandhugam, Pottangi, Nandapur, Lamataput and Boipariguda were ravaged by the cyclone. The administration had a major task in hand to restore communication as more than 300 kms of roads linking the district with other parts of the State were damaged by Hud Hud or breached by accompanying heavy rain. Apprehending trouble from the ultras, Government agencies were initially hesitant to carry out restoration work in the areas. However, their fear was put to rest as rescue and restoration works were carried out peacefully without any resistance from the Maoists. On earlier occasions, the administration used to seek help of police to carry out development works in the areas.  “Maximum restoration work was achieved in Maoist-hit area

Ethiopia’s alleged terrorists: vocal bloggers and independent journalists

In attempting to minimize the risks attendant to human rights work in an authoritarian setting, Ethiopian NGOs have been hesitant to support young activists who face government persecution.  Iain Levine of Human Rights Watch has  noted  that “an essential element of human rights work is to fulfill the moral imperative of bearing witness, by demonstrating solidarity with local activists and showing principled support for victims of human rights violations.”  The real test for human rights organizations, whether they work in democratic or non-democratic settings, is how they respond to the most difficult, and at times controversial cases of rights abuses. Fear of government reprisal should not prevent those who claim to work for a free and democratic Ethiopia from standing in solidarity with activists facing persecution. Ethiopian bloggers and journalists under arrest The Ethiopian government levied terrorism charges against seven bloggers from the  Zone 9 collective (one  in abstentia )

Philippine militants get part of ransom for kidnapped Germans

Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:04pm IST MANILA (Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in the Philippines holding two Germans said on Friday they had received some of the ransom they had been demanding and would not kill one of the Germans as they had threatened to. The hostages, captured by militants of the Abu Sayyaf group in April from a yacht on the high seas, are being held in the interior of the remote island of Jolo, 600 miles (960 km) south of Manila. Al Kataib, a man who described himself as an associate of militant spokesman Abu Rami, said in a telephone call to reporters in Zamboanga City that the group got a portion of the 250 million Philippine pesos ($5.56 million) they had been demanded by Friday and "would not touch" the German they had threatened to behead. He declined to say how much money they had got, or give details about who had paid it. A government official confirmed that the German man had not been killed. "The beheading will not happen," said th