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Showing posts from February 25, 2018

Man shoots himself outside White House

A man shot himself in front of the White House on Saturday, a law enforcement source told CNN.  "Secret Service personnel are responding to reports of a person who allegedly suffered a self-inflicted gun shot wound along the north fence line of @WhiteHouse," the Secret Service tweeted.   US President Donald Trump is at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.  "We are aware of the incident," deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley said.  "The President has been briefed. I refer you to the Secret Service for any more information."  The Secret Service tweeted an update on the situation moments later: "No other reported injuries related to the incident at @WhiteHouse."   Secret Service spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan said the incident occurred on the north fence line, the victim suffered a single gunshot wound and Secret Service personnel did not fire any shots.  She would not comment on the status of the victim.   The agency also tw

Iraq adopts 2018 budget, slashing allocations for Kurds

BAGHDAD: Iraq's parliament on Saturday adopted a USD 88.5 billion budget for 2018, with Kurdish lawmakers boycotting the vote to protest against a cut in the amount allocated to their autonomous region. The reduction comes after a controversial independence reference by the Kurds last year sparked a furious dispute with the central government.  The budget is based on projected oil exports of 3.9 million barrels per day, including 250,000 bpd produced in the Kurdistan autonomous region of northern Iraq, at a price of USD 46 per barrel. It also projects USD 77.5 billion (63 billion euros) in revenues and a deficit of USD 10.6 billion, and allocates USD 20.8 billion for investments. Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the vote because it reduced Kurdistan's part of the national budget from 17 percent to 12.6 percent. Article 9 of the Iraqi constitution stipulates that Kurdistan's share of the budget must reflect the size of the population of the autonomous region.  But t

South Sudan Accuses ‘Troika’ of Controlling Peace Process

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South Sudan Information Minister Michael Makuei has lashed out at the United States, Britain, and Norway, accusing them of controlling South Sudan’s peace process. Speaking Wednesday in Juba, Makuei said the East Africa bloc IGAD, the official mediator of the process, is not truly running the high-level forum in Addis Ababa aimed at reviving a collapsed 2015 peace deal.  He said the agenda is dictated by the United States, Britain and Norway, known as the Troika countries. “Troika and the EU, who are funding the peace process, are actually the ones in the driving seat because he who pays the piper calls the tune," Makuei said. IGAD officials did not respond to calls from VOA for comment. South Sudan has been mired in conflict between President Salva Kiir's government forces and rebel groups since December 2013. Violence has displaced about four million people and left much of the country in a humanitarian emergency. Makuei also said the Kiir adminstration rejects a

Turkish air strikes kill 36 pro-regime fighters in Syria's Afrin

BEIRUT: Turkish air strikes killed at least 36 pro-regime fighters backing Kurdish militia in Syria's northwestern Kurdish enclave of Afrin on Saturday, a monitoring group said. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democractic Forces alliance said the Turkish raids targeted pro-regime positions, but gave no death toll. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strikes on the area of Kafr Janna were the third such raid on loyalist fighters in the enclave bordering Turkey in less than 48 hours. They came after Turkish raids on other parts of the enclave killed 14 pro-regime fighters on Thursday and four more on Friday, the monitor said. Turkish-led Syrian opposition fighters have advanced steadily since January 20 when they launched an assault on Afrin, controlled by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG). The Syrian government deployed fighters to the enclave a month later after the Kurds appealed for help. The Observatory says Turkish-led forces contro

Teacher tried to create "army of children" to launch terror attacks in London

LONDON: A British supporter of Islamic State was found guilty on Friday of trying to recruit children he was teaching into an "army" of jihadists to help carry out a wave of attacks across London. Umar Haque, 25, showed the children beheading videos and other violent militant propaganda, forced them to re-enact deadly attacks on the British capital and made them role-play attacking police officers. "His plan was to create an army of children to assist with multiple terrorist attacks throughout London," said Dean Haydon, head of the Metropolitan Police's Counter Terrorism Command. "He tried and he did, we believe, radicalise vulnerable children from the ages of 11 to 14." Despite having no qualifications and being employed as an administrator, police say Haque used the guise of teaching Islamic studies to groom 110 children into becoming militants at the Lantern of Knowledge, a small private Islamic school, and at a madrassa connected to the R

Nigeria's Muhammadu Buhari under pressure over Boko Haram abduction, attacks

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LAGOS (NIGERIA): Another Boko Haram mass kidnapping has cast doubts on Nigeria's claims to have virtually defeated the jihadists, putting the government under scrutiny as elections approach next year. Heavily armed Islamist militants abducted 110 girls from their school in Dapchi, in Yobe state, northeast Nigeria, on February 19. Parallels were immediately drawn to the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok in 2014, which captured world attention and contributed to the ouster of Goodluck Jonathan. Nigeria sets up probe into Boko Haram school kidnapping Four aid workers killed in Boko Haram attack in Nigeria: UN Chibok girls angry, upset at latest Boko Haram abduction The man who defeated him in elections in 2015, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, campaigned hard on security, lambasting Jonathan's record and vowing to defeat the rebels. Certainly Boko Haram is not as strong as it was in 2014, when it held swathes of territory across the northeast.

Myanmar defends buidling up troops on Bangladesh border near Rohingya refugee camp

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YANGON: Myanmar today defended deploying fresh troops to a border zone with Bangladesh where thousands of Rohingya refugees are camped, blaming a militant threat as Dhaka called for an immediate retreat to lower tensions along the troubled frontier. The increased security presence this week has centred around a strip of "no man's land" between the two countries where some 6,000 Rohingya sought shelter after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army crackdown last August. The military campaign drove some 700,000 Rohingya across the border in total, with most travelling on to sprawling refugee settlements in Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar. Rohingya refugees flee to Bangladesh following fresh threats from Myanmar soldiers Myanmar bulldozes what was left of Rohingya Muslim villages Bangladesh: Myanmar says its ready to take back Rohingya Myanmar minister Aung Soe orders Rohingya refugees to leave no man's land Traumatised Rohingya childre

East African nations urge UN to review pullout of Somali peace mission

KAMPALA: East African representatives said Friday the drawdown of an African Union mission fighting jihadists in Somalia could "reverse gains" and urged the United Nations to reconsider plans to withdraw troops by December 2020. Heads of state and ministers from the main troop-contributing countries -- including Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti and Ethiopia -- met in Kampala on Friday and said the timeframe for the drawdown was "not realistic and would lead to a reversal of the gains made by AMISOM." The AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) force deployed in 2007 to defend the internationally-backed government against attacks by the Shabaab, a Somali-led al-Qaeda affiliate. There are currently 21,626 troops in the force, which operates with the approval of the UN and relies on international funding. In July 2016, the AU announced plans for a staggered withdrawal, to begin in October 2018 and be completed by the end of 2020. A UN Security Council resolution, adop

Dozens dead or injured in attacks on Burkina Faso military headquarters, French embassy

OUAGADOUGOU: Armed men attacked the French embassy in Burkina Faso and the country's military headquarters on Friday before being repelled in a battle that left dozens dead or injured. A government source said 16 attackers and defenders died, while other sources reached by AFP from Paris sketched a bloodier outcome, with at least 28 killed. The coordinated offensive underscored the fragility of the Sahel nation, one of a string of African states struggling with a bloody jihadist insurgency. ALSO READ:    Burkina Faso has been a jihadist target since 2015 Heavy gunfire broke out mid-morning in the centre of the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou. Witnesses said five armed men got out of a car and opened fire on passersby before heading towards the French embassy. The car was later seen ablaze. At the same time, an explosion occurred near the headquarters of the Burkinabe armed forces and the French cultural centre, which are located about a kilometre (half a mile) from the

Catalan separatists hunt for new leader

BARCELONA: Catalan separatists began the challenging search for a new candidate to lead their region on Friday after deposed president Carles Puigdemont, in self-exile in Belgium and wanted in Spain, abandoned his comeback bid. In his place, Puigdemont, who led Catalonia's failed secession attempt in October, proposed Jordi Sanchez, head of the hugely influential pro-independence ANC citizens' group, as his preferred choice to govern the region. But this is likely to be difficult as Sanchez has been in prison for more than four months as he is investigated for sedition, one of four separatists in jail over their role in the independence drive. "To govern part-time because you're on the run or in prison doesn't make sense," Inigo Mendez de Vigo, spokesman for the Spanish government, told reporters Friday. "The government won't allow it." - Separatist rifts - Puigdemont's candidate isn't a favourite among some of his separatis

49 dead in new flare-up of ethnic unrest in DR Congo's Ituri

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In recent weeks more than 28,000 Congolese refugees have made the crossing into Uganda (AFP Photo/SUMY SADURNI) Bunia (DR Congo) (AFP) - At least 49 people were killed in a fresh outbreak of ethnic violence overnight in the Democratic Republic of Congo's troubled Ituri province, a senior charity official said on Friday. The latests killings were part of a cycle of unrest between the Hema and Lendu communities in the northeastern province, the government told AFP. "We have counted 49 bodies and are still searching for other bodies," said Alfred Ndrabu Buju from international Catholic charity Caritas. "A child was admitted this morning in Drodro general hospital, with an arrow in his head," Buju added. The Interior Minister Henri Mova earlier put the death toll at 33. "The provincial governor is on his way to the site of the killings," Mova said. The violence happened in the village of Maze, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Bu

Central Michigan University On Lockdown After Shooting At Dorm Kills 2

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Two people were fatally shot in a dormitory on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant on Friday morning. The campus is seen here in April 2008. Rebecca Steward/Flickr Police are looking for a gunman who killed two people in a shooting Friday morning on the campus of Central Michigan University. University police said the victims were shot at  Campbell Hall , a co-ed dormitory. "The deceased are not students and police believe the situation started from a domestic situation," the university  tweeted . It said there are no additional injuries. ✔ CMU police confirm two individuals were fatally shot at Campbell Hall on campus this morning. The deceased are not students and police believe the situation started from a domestic situation. There are no additional injuries; suspect is still at large: http:// cmich.ly/2oKPfEb   9:23 PM - Mar 2, 2018 The campus is on lockdown as the suspect is still at large, and is  considered armed

In fresh video, Paks Lashkar's Naveed Jutt emerges with Hizbul militants in J&K

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 Police officials have refused to comment on the video saying they were verifying its veracity. (Photo: PTI | File) Srinagar:  A fresh video of Naveed Jutt, the top Pakistan Lashkar terrorist who made a dramatic escape from a hospital in Srinagar in February, has surfaced. In the latest video,  Naveed Jutt  is seen in fatigues, an automatic rifle in his hand, walking up to a group of armed militants of the Hizbul Mujahideen in a forest area of the Valley.  Naveed alias Abu Hanzullah, 22, is accompanied by another terrorist is seen exchanging hugs with some Hibzul Mujahideen militants.  Police officials have refused to comment on the video saying they were verifying its veracity.  The video is believed to have been filmed somewhere in a forest area of south Kashmir, as Jutt had joined Saddam Padder in Pulwama after his escape from custody from the SMHS hospital on February 6.  Also Read:  Militants attack Srinagar hospital, kill 2 cops, free Pak Lashkar terrorist The i

‘You have to call it by name’: Merkel publicly admits ‘no-go areas’ in Germany

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“No-go areas” do exist in Germany, Angela Merkel admitted in an interview, adding that the arrival of “so many refugees” in the country “has raised multiple questions.” Speaking with RTL, Merkel  acknowledged  that there are areas in Germany where people cannot feel safe. She also made it clear that it’s time for the authorities to do something in order to ensure public safety. No-go zones: Alt-right fantasy or new face of Europe? “It's always a point to me that [ensuring] domestic security is the state's obligation, the state has the monopoly of power, the state has to make sure that people have the right to it whenever they meet and move in a public space,”  Merkel argued. She then took aim at  “no-go areas, ”  which gained notoriety all across Europe during the refugee influx that reached its peak in 2015. Merkel bluntly dismissed the claim that 'no-go areas' are non-existent in Germany, stressing instead that  “there are such spaces, and you have to call

US wants Taliban to support Afghan constitution, quit violence for peace talks

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WASHINGTON: The Taliban needs to support the Afghan constitution and abandon terror and violence if it wants peace talks with the US, the Pentagon has said. Pentagon's Chief Spokesperson Dana White made the comment in reply to the Taliban's call for direct talks to find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Afghanistan. "The Taliban has to abandon terror, it has to abandon violence, and it has to support the Afghan constitution. Then they have to come to the table," White told reporters at her weekly news conference. "It is ultimately for the people of Afghanistan to come to an ultimate political resolution," she said. State Department Spokesperson Heater Nauert congratulated the government of Afghanistan on the success of the just-concluded Kabul Peace Process meeting during which Afghan President Ashraf Ghani unveiled a plan to open peace talks with the Taliban. "The meeting represented a historic step forward in demonstrating the resol