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Showing posts from February 1, 2015

Russian-backed rebels massing to attack key Ukrainian towns - Kiev

DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian separatists have intensified shelling of government forces on all front lines and appear to be amassing forces for new offensives on the key railway town of Debaltseve and the coastal city of Mariupol, Ukraine's military said on Saturday. Five Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting in the past 24 hours, spokesman Volodymyr Polyovy told a briefing in Kiev. The centre of the main regional city of Donetsk echoed on Saturday with the sound of artillery blasts coming from the north and east. "The situation inside the city is tense and we can hear powerful artillery fire … but we have no immediate information about casualties and damages," an official of the rebel-controlled city administration said by phone. Separatist gains against Kiev government forces in eastern Ukraine, particularly a rebel advance on Debaltseve to the northeast of Donetsk, have given impetus to a Franco-German initiative to try to end the U

Kenya MP shot dead in 'well planned' attack in Nairobi

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The attack happened close to Nairobi's central business district A Kenyan MP and three of his aides have been shot dead in the capital Nairobi, in what police described as a "well planned" attack. George Muchai was driving home through Nairobi, when his vehicle was rammed by another car at a roundabout. The assailants shot the four at close range. Mr Muchai, two bodyguards and his driver died at the scene. The motive for the attack, condemned by the president and the leader of the opposition, remains unclear. "It seems to us like something that was well planned," an unnamed police officer said. Bullet holes could be seen in the front window Police said the attackers stole a briefcase and the bodyguards' pistols. Mr Muchai was a member of parliament for Kenya's governing Jubilee coalition and was elected for the first time two years ago. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said he was shocked by the attack, calling Mr Muchai "a true servant of the people

Will Not Wage War on Anyone: Russian President Vladimir Putin

Sochi:  Russian President Vladimir Putin said today that Russia did not plan to wage war on anyone although a world order where one leader tells others what they can do would not suit Moscow. His comments were the first from Mr Putin since he met French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the crisis in the Ukraine on Friday. "There clearly is an attempt to restrain our development with different means. There is an attempt to perturb the existing world order ... with one incontestable leader who wants to remain as such thinking he is allowed everything while others are only allowed what he allows and only in his interests," Mr Putin said. "This world order will never suit Russia...But we are not going to wage war on anyone, we are going to cooperate will all," he said during a meeting with labour unions in the southern city of Sochi. Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of fomenting pro-Russian rebellion in eastern Ukraine and supplying arms

Pope Francis Condemns Female Mutilation, Domestic Violence Against Women

Vatican:  Pope Francis today condemned female mutilation and domestic violence against women, calling them degradations that had to be combated. "The many forms of slavery, the commercialisation, and mutilation of the bodies of women, call out to us to be committed to defeat these types of degradation that reduce them to mere objects that are bought and sold," he told a meeting on women's issues hosted by the Vatican's Council for Culture. According to the United Nations, more than 140 million girls and women have undergone some form of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) around the world, mostly in Africa and the Middle East. He also denounced domestic violence against women. "Although it is a symbol of life, the female body is unfortunately not rarely attacked and disfigured, even by those who should be its protector and life companion," he said. The pope recently met with an Italian woman who underwent many operations after her boyfriend threw acid in her fac

Blast in Yemeni Capital as Thousands Protest Militia Takeover

Sanaa:  A bomb exploded outside the republican palace in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on today and wounded three Shi'ite Muslim militiamen guarding it, eyewitnesses said. The attack raised tensions a day after the Houthi militant group dissolved parliament and formally took power of the impoverished and strife-torn Arabian Peninsula country. Once the home of the resigned Yemeni prime minister, the republican palace now houses Mohammed al-Houthi, a top official in the Iranian-backed movement's military wing whose gunmen hold sway over much of Yemen. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, but Sunni Muslim militants in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) have repeatedly clashed with the increasingly powerful Houthis, raising fears of an all-out sectarian war. Separately, thousands of demonstrators gathered in three cities in central Yemen to protest the Houthis seizing power. Houthi gunmen dispersed dozens of activists near the capital's main university

How these drones for disaster relief and eliminating landmines are aiming to rebrand the controversial technology

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A flurry of revving miniaturized engines and humming propellers have kicked off the “World Cup of Drones” in Dubai. The United Arab Emirates, neighbour to countries where drones are more associated with military airstrikes than benign hobbyists, wants to rebrand the controversial technology in the first Drones for Good competition. Over 800 drone enthusiasts and robotics firms from around the world have entered the government-sponsored contest with commercial use for drones in public health, agriculture, town planning, logistics and the environment. Great potential to improve human life Judges had narrowed the field to 19 semi-finalists, whose machines have been buzzing over the palms of Dubai’s Internet City, an exotic locale where the white robes of the desert culture mingle with the horn-rimmed glasses of the engineers. Among the finalists from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Spain, the U.K., U.S., Switzerland, Kenya and New Zealand is Calgary start-up 4Front Robotics, who’s present

Jharkhand security officials defuse 18 landmines

The army and police, working in a joint operation have recovered and defused 18 landmines in Jharkhand's Khunti district. The landmines were reportedly spread across a muddy route, mainly used by security personnel. Superintendent of Police, Anish Gupta told mediapersons that Maoists belonging to the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) had planted the mines to derail Operation Karo II, which was started in January to target left wing extremist -hit areas of Ranchi, Chaibasa, Gumla, Simdega, Lohardaga across the state. "Around 18 landmines were planted in series and were recovered during an operation and have been diffused. They were very strong: each weighed around 15-20 kilograms and they were planted on a route at a distance of 100 metres each," said Gupta. The police is investigating the matter further. Source http://www.newkerala.com/news/2015/fullnews-16258.html

The Hidden Problem That Kills 15,000 People Every Year

Somayeh lost her right leg when she was 13 years old and the car she was traveling in hit a landmine. In an age of shooting sprees and suicide bombings, landmines seem a distant threat. But in the last week alone, seven people were killed when they came into contact with the explosive devices:  an 11-year-old boy  in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula,  one person  in the disputed territory of Western Sahara, and at least five were  killed in Paksitan’s Balochistan province. Often decades old, landmines litter the terrain of resolved conflicts and pose continuing threats to those who live in their midst.  According to the United Nations, there are 110 million land mines still  buried  in the ground — and more than 15,000 people are  killed  by landmines every year. Fadil Mustafa and his family fled their village when ISIS moved in on Kobane last fall. But with their backs to the militant group, they faced an unexpected threat. “As we crossed [into Turkey],” the 13-year-old  told  Al-Jazeera, “A m

Prince Charles urged to speak out over Saudi Arabia human rights abuses

The heir to the throne was urged to press the Gulf state's new monarch over the treatment of blogger Raif Badawi, who faces a decade behind bars and 1,000 lashes for discussing domestic politics on his website.  World leaders have condemned the barbaric punishment of the free speech champion, who was convicted of insulting Islam and sentenced to receive 50 lashes every Friday for 20 weeks. It will be the Prince's second visit to the controversial Arab state in as many weeks, coming just 10 days after the death of the nation's 90-year-old monarch Abdullah.  Charles was  amongst dozens of world leaders and dignitaries criticised for travelling to Riyadh following the  death of the king, who ruled a country marked by abuses of free speech and women's rights and has been succeeded by his ageing brother Salman. Leading human rights charity Amnesty International UK said the Prince should also use his influence to highlight the plight of workers involved in building projects f

Chief Imam launches Human Rights defenders project

Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu, National Chief Imam, has launched the Human Rights Defenders Project in Accra to fight against the violation of women and children’s rights. The project, which will be run to be under the supervision of the National Chief Imam, will include periodic visits to schools to educate students on their basic human rights, and advance women’s engagement in national and domestic matters. It would also organise public debates, quizzes and competitions on human rights and gender issues. Sheikh Sharubutu whose speech was read for him, said the project seeks to address the misinterpretation of  religious texts  in promoting male dominance and power over women. He said the project would also bring other human right activists to advocate for the human rights of women and girls. “The Human Rights Defenders Project would facilitate the promotion of greater women’s involvement in the home, communal and national discourse, consultations and efforts to find solutions to confli

Twitter suspends suspected Boko Haram account that tweeted pictures of child soldiers

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Twitter account hailed the Nigerian terror group’s military victories and claimed it was training “cub” soldiers as a “generation of conquest and victory” Twitter has suspended an account purportedly set up by Boko Haram, the  Nigerian  terrorist group  causing havoc in the country’s north , which it had used to post pictures of child soldiers in training.  The account, @Alurwa_Alwuthqa, was set up on January 18 as part of what is believed to be a bid to mimic the successful PR and recruitment campaigns of groups like al-Shabaab in  Somalia  and the  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant .  Within days, it had gained 4,000 followers and on January 25, announced in Arabic the capture of Monguno, a strategic town close to Maiduguri, the state capital of Borno province and Boko Haram’s birthplace. Pictures have also been posted on the account to suggest Boko Haram, which means “Western Education is Sinful”, was actively training child soldiers, a tactic borrowed from conflicts in other par

Child soldier of Cambodian genocide to speak at college in Randolph

Sayon Soeun was 6 when he was recruited as a child soldier by the Khmer Rouge. By the time he was 8, Soeun was in charge of a patrol with authority to execute anyone seen as an enemy of the communists or having violated orders of the Khmer Rouge. “My task was to look for escapees,” Soeun said on Monday in an interview from his home in Lowell, Mass.”If I caught anyone trying to escape or steal, it was in my authority to execute them.” Soeun, 48, will bring his chilling and heartbreaking story to the County College of Morris at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12, at the Student Community Center, Dragonetti Auditorium, 214 Center Grove Road, Randolph. The program is the latest in a series on genocide sponsored through the Legacy Project at County College of Morris. Soeun also is the focus of a new documentary about child soldiers called “Lost Child ~ Sayon’s Journey” produced by the Gardner Documentary Group. The Khmer Rouge communists seized control of Cambodia on April 17, 1975. During their

Another U.N. Human Rights Fraud

Canadian law professor William Schabas resigned this week as chairman of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry into the 2014 Gaza conflict. He did so after Israeli diplomats revealed he was paid by the Palestine Liberation Organization to render an opinion on the legal consequences of a U.N. General Assembly resolution upgrading “Palestine” to a nonmember state. Now there’s a nonsurprise.  When the conflict of interest came to light last week, Mr. Schabas insisted his 2012 work for the... Source http://www.wsj.com/articles/another-u-n-human-rights-fraud-1423180155

Hackers target Russian newspaper site accused of being anti-Putin

The Moscow Times   has been hacked for the second time in as many months, with attackers succeeding in briefly taking down the website that has been criticised by pro-Kremlin commenters. The media group announced on its Twitter account on Wednesday evening that its  site was down due to a “targeted attack” . After being inaccessible this morning, it was running again by this afternoon. It was unclear who was behind the cyber-attack. The newspaper’s editor Nabi Abdullaev confirmed that the website had been attacked but said he had “no idea about the reasons behind this”. In December, a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack, which typically disrupts a site by flooding it with traffic from thousands of other infected computer systems, disabled The Moscow Times site for two days. Abdullaev said the latest incident was not a DDoS attack. News websites in Russia have often been targeted – with the attacks becoming increasingly political, according to a  2014 report by Qrator Labs . Alt

Thousands March in Yemen to Protest Rebel Takeover

SANAA, Yemen —   Thousands of people took to the streets of several Yemeni cities on Saturday to protest a Shiite rebel takeover of the government. In the capital, Sanaa, rebel gunmen fired in the air to disperse the protesters — beating them back with sticks and clubs. Protest marches were also held in the cities of Hodeida, Taiz and Ibb. Earlier, security officials said that a bomb exploded on a street leading to the presidential palace, wounding three people. The rebels have taken over state institutions, dissolving parliament and installing a new committee to govern the region's poorest nation — home to what  Washington considers al-Qaida's most dangerous offshoot. While the rebels, known as Houthis, are bitter enemies to al-Qaida, they also are hostile to the United States, and frosty to Yemen's predominantly Sunni northern neighbor,  Saudi Arabia . The region's Shiite powerhouse,  Iran , looms as a potential key backer. The officials spoke on condition of anonymit

Afghans leave Pakistan with nothing as Peshawar massacre prompts crackdown

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F or 31 years, Sabruddin enjoyed his life in Pakistan. Though he spent much of his childhood in a refugee camp after escaping war in   Afghanistan , his home country, and despite being born with a damaged left hand, Sabruddin managed to carve out a good adult life for himself as a labourer. At 40, he supported a family of eight and had a neat house in the Peshawar valley. His Pakistani neighbours treated him with friendship and respect. But recently, that changed. In December, nine gunmen  killed 148 people, most of them children, at a military school in Peshawar . After the massacre, Pakistanis in the country’s north-west province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa turned their anger against Afghans with whom they have lived, side by side, for decades. The school attackers were from the Pakistani Taliban, but all were foreigners and two of them Afghan. This week, police officers came to Sabruddin’s door and threatened him with prison if he did not leave  Pakistan  immediately. Several people in hi

Nigeria to postpone elections ahead of Boko Haram offensive

Nigeria’s electoral commission is to postpone presidential and legislative elections for six weeks to give a new multinational force time to secure north-eastern areas under the sway of Boko  Haram , an official has said.  Millions could be disenfranchised if the voting went ahead on February 14th while the Islamic extremists hold a large area of the north east and continue the violence that has driven 1.5 million people from their homes. A major offensive with planes and ground troops from Chad and  Nigeria  has forced the insurgents from a dozen towns and villages in the past 10 days, and greater military strikes by more countries are planned.  The official said the Independent National Electoral Commission will announce the postponement at a news conference. Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration had been calling for a postponement, which is opposed by an opposition coalition fielding his chief rival, former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari. Supporters of both s

Divisions on Display Over Western Response to Ukraine at Security Conference

MUNICH — Differences within the Western alliance over whether to send defensive arms to Ukraine were thrust into the open on Saturday when   Angela Merkel , the German chancellor, said she bluntly opposed providing lethal military support to Kiev and called instead for continued efforts to persuade Russia and its separatist forces to cease fire. “The progress that Ukraine needs cannot be achieved by more weapons,” she told a security conference here. Ms. Merkel’s position was challenged by Senator Bob Corker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who noted that there was growing support in the American Congress for arming Ukraine. And Malcolm Rifkind, the former British foreign secretary and conservative politician, asserted that it was unlikely a peace agreement could be reached unless the Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine faced tougher Ukrainian resistance. Source  http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/02/08/world/europe/divisions-on-display-over-western-res