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La coalition d’insurgés syriens Armée de l’islam compte utiliser des otages et des prisonniers de guerre enfermés dans des cages comme "boucliers humains" contre les frappes aériennes effectuées par l’armée du président Bachar el-Assad et les Forces aérospatiales russes, rapporte le journal américain New York Times........L’opposition syrienne radicale annonce l’utilisation de boucliers humains
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EU
Turkey challenges Russia over IS oil trade claim...
ReplyDeleteTurkey has challenged Russia to prove its claim that Ankara shot down a Russian plane in order to protect its oil trade with Islamic State (IS).
"If you allege something you should prove it," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
He was responding to a statement by Russia's President Vladimir Putin. Russia says Turkey downed the jet as it was flying over Syria.
Turkey says the plane entered its airspace and was warned to leave.
One Russian pilot was killed and the other rescued after Russia's Su-24 bomber was shot down by a Turkish F-16 fighter on the Syrian border on 24 November.
A Russian marine was killed during the rescue operation in north-western Syria.
Russia has insisted the plane did not cross the border and that it gave advance notice of the flight path to the US, Turkey's ally.
But the US has supported Turkey's version of events. On Monday state department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said that "evidence from Turkey and our own sources indicates that Russian aircraft violated Turkish airspace",
She added that Russia had not informed the US or its coalition of its air operation. "We do not co-ordinate operations with the Russian Federation," she said......BBC
1/12/15
Russia approves sanctions against Turkey over downed plane...
ReplyDeleteRussian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved a raft of sanctions against Turkey in retaliation for the downing of a Russian warplane, but the measures stuck largely to what Moscow had previously threatened and had several notable omissions.
The order, published on the government's official website on Tuesday, listed agricultural products that Russia would no longer import from Turkey from Jan 1, 2016 and formalised a ban on charter flights to Turkey from Dec 1.
But it did not target important energy projects such as the Turkish Stream gas pipeline or food stuffs such as lemons or nuts, most of which Russia imports from Turkey.............channelnewsasia.com by Reuters
Montenegro Due To Get Invite To Join NATO ....
ReplyDeleteNATO is expected to invite Montenegro to join the military alliance despite objections from Russia.
NATO diplomats have told RFE/RL that the Adriatic state of 650,000 people will formally be invited to join on December 2.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Montenegro's accession is among several topics on the agenda as top diplomats from its 28 member states hold two-days of meetings in Brussels starting on December 1.
Russia has warned Montenegro that its joining NATO would be regarded as a provocation.
Stoltenberg said ministers will also discuss plans to beef up the air defenses of Turkey, future funding for Afghan forces and injecting "predictability" in NATO relations with an increasingly assertive Russia.
NATO last expanded in 2009 when Albania and Croatia joined.
rferl.org
1/12/15
Un attentat dans le métro d'Istanbul, un mort et 6 blessés...
ReplyDeleteUne explosion s'est produite mardi après-midi à proximité d'une station du métro d'Istanbul, dans le district de Bayrampasa, faisant au moins six blessés, rapportent des médias turcs.......fr.sputniknews.com
The United States said on Tuesday it was deploying a new force of special operations troops to Iraq that will be able to conduct raids, free hostages, capture Islamic State leaders and carry out "unilateral operations" in Syria....
ReplyDeleteDefense Secretary Ash Carter offered few details on the new expeditionary group, which would be separate from a previously announced deployment of up to 50 U.S. special operations forces in Syria to coordinate with U.S.-backed rebels on the ground.
Carter said the new deployment of what he called a "specialized expeditionary targeting force" was being carried out in coordination with the government of Iraq and would aid Iraqi government security forces and Kurdish peshmerga forces.....................reuters.com
The Kremlin does not answer the question about the future of two Russian projects in Turkey - construction of Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday noting that these projects were under the jurisdiction of the government...
ReplyDelete"This question should be addressed to the government," Peskov said, declining to answer reporters’ queries about the future of the projects. He also specified that the president’s decree on special economic measures against Turkey signed on November 28 stressed that the list of measures was drawn up by the government............http://tass.ru/en/politics/840787
NATO allies act to strengthen Turkey's defenses...
ReplyDeleteThe NATO allies plan to send patrol aircraft and missiles to strengthen Ankara's defenses on its border with Syria, officials said on Tuesday, following Turkey's shooting-down of a Russian bomber.
As NATO countries seek to reassure Ankara over the fallout of Russia's incursions into its air space, a decision by Germany and the United States to remove their Patriot missile batteries from Turkey left other allies to fill the gap.
While the German and U.S. steps were announced weeks ago, Russia's surprise intervention in Syria's civil war in September has galvanized NATO countries to offer additional help to Turkey's air force. Spain is now the only NATO nation with Patriots in Turkey.
"We must make full use of the capabilities we have to counter threats on NATO's southern flank," Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told Reuters in Brussels during meetings with other NATO foreign ministers, as offers of ships and aircraft began to trickle in from allies.
"We must support our ally Turkey," he said...............todayonline.com
1/12/15
Turkish gov’t ‘not worried’ about Russian trade sanctions, seeks alternative markets...
ReplyDeleteTurkish officials have said they are not overly worried about Russian trade sanctions against Turkish goods, adding they are in search of alternative markets as the loss of the Russian market is not in intolerable amounts.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Dec. 1 signed a government order approving a raft of sanctions to be imposed on Turkey over the downing of a Russian warplane last month.
The order, published on the government’s official website, included a list of agricultural products Russia will no longer import from Turkey from Jan. 1, 2016.
“We’ll take some immediate measures to overcome the expected losses from the Russian sanctions… Turkey doesn’t have any problems with selling its fresh fruits and vegetables. Turkey can export these products to other markets than Russia. We have alternative markets. We’ll call our products which are waiting in Russian customs back, and sell what we have in our hands to alternative markets… There is nothing for our people to worry [about]. The same is the case for the tourism sector. One door shuts, another one opens,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said in a televised interview on late Dec. 1................hurriyetdailynews.com
2/12/15
Greece's top migration official on Wednesday denied suggestions that its place in the EU's passport-free Schengen zone is in jeopardy because of failings in its handling of the migrant crisis...
ReplyDeleteThe Financial Times had reported that several European ministers and senior EU officials believe threatening suspension from the Schengen zone could persuade Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to "deliver on his promises and take up EU offers of help".
"The FT report contains falsehoods and distortions," junior interior minister for migration Yiannis Mouzalas told reporters.
He added that certain EU countries were "falsely" accusing Athens over shortcomings shared by the bloc as a whole, such as delays in repatriating economic migrants.
Mouzalas said the FT report reflected "commonly used" criticisms against Greece "by these member states", without naming the states.
Hungary and Slovakia have recently criticised Greece for failing to adequately protect the EU's southeastern border...http://www.ethnologia.info/2015/12/greece-denies-it-faces-schengen.html
2/12/15
At least 20 victims were reported Wednesday in a shooting in San Bernardino in California, with a gunman still at the scene, fire officials said...
ReplyDelete"SBFD units responding to reports of 20 victim shooting incident in 1300 block of S. Waterman. SBPD is working to clear the scene," the city fire department said on Twitter.
Fire officials said an active shooter was at the scene in the city about an hour east of Los Angeles.
(AFP)
Mass Shooting in San Bernardino Leaves 14 People Dead...
DeleteThe Cable News Network reported that two suspects in the mass shooting that left 14 people dead at a center for people with developmental disabilities were gunned down by police, hours after the initial incident.
According to San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan, the suspects had hand guns and assault-style rifles. Both were wearing assault style clothing. Earlier, police told reporters that they were going after three suspects, who fled the scene in a black SUV.
The residential area near the shooting at the Inland Regional Center was sprawling with law enforcers after a chase that ended with police officers and the suspects exchanging fire.
Meanwhile, authorities have completed clearing the three buildings and inspecting the conference center, where the initial shootings took place.
Five people were taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where two of them were said to be in critical condition. Arrowhead Regional Medical Center reported that one patient had already been discharged and five were still undergoing treatment.
http://www.ubalert.com/8aec
Satellite photographs from October and early November indicate North Korea is digging a new tunnel for nuclear testing, but there are no signs that a such a test is imminent, a U.S. research institute said on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteA report on 38 North, a North Korea monitoring website run by Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, said the images showed significant construction since April at Punggye-ri, on North Korea's east coast, where three previous nuclear tests were conducted.
The commercial images showed excavation of a new tunnel in addition to the three others where North Korea has either conducted nuclear tests or excavated tunnels in the past, the report said.
"While there are no indications that a nuclear test is imminent, the new tunnel adds to North Korea's ability to conduct additional detonations at Punggye-ri over the coming years if it chooses to do so," the report said.......alarabiya.net
3/12/15
Putin says Turkey 'will regret' shooting down of Russian bomber...
ReplyDeleteTurkey will regret "more than once" about its shooting down of a Russian bomber jet near the Syrian-Turkish border, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Dec. 3, accusing Ankara of "aiding of terrorists."
In a reference clearly aimed at the West, Putin said in his annual state of the nation address that countries "should not apply double standards on terror" or use terrorist groups for their own needs.
hurriyetdailynews.com
Russia has begun the supplies of S-300 air defense systems to Iran, Russian presidential aide for military-technical cooperation Vladimir Kozhin has told TASS...
ReplyDelete"The contract is in action. They’ve begun," Kozhin said in reply to a question.
Iranian ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanai late last month said his country had received the first S-300 systems.............http://tass.ru/en/defense/841298
France : modifier la Constitution pour renforcer l'arme de l'état d'urgence ...
ReplyDeleteFace à la menace de nouveaux attentats en France, le gouvernement veut renforcer en l'inscrivant dans la Constitution l'arme de l'état d'urgence instauré à la suite des attaques meurtrières de 13 novembre à Paris, et dont l'application commence à susciter des critiques.
Le contenu du projet de révision de la Constitution, intitulé "loi constitutionnelle de protection de la Nation", transmis pour avis au Conseil d’État avant son examen par le gouvernement et dont l'AFP a pris connaissance ce jeudi, concrétise un durcissement de l'appareil répressif. Ce texte, qui devra être voté par les deux-tiers du Parlement pour entrer en vigueur, inscrit dans la loi fondamentale de la France ce qui était jusqu'à présent prévu par une simple loi: état d'urgence décrété en conseil des ministres "en cas de péril imminent résultant d'atteintes graves à l'ordre public", prolongation au-delà de 12 jours par le Parlement qui en fixe la durée.
Les mesures d'exception prises pendant cette période, par exemple les assignations à résidence, pourront selon ce texte être prolongées "pendant une durée maximale de six mois" après la fin de l'état d'urgence, lorsque "demeure un risque d'acte terroriste"........http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/europe/detail_france-modifier-la-constitution-pour-renforcer-l-arme-de-l-etat-d-urgence?id=9154812
British Jets Strike IS Oil Refinery...
ReplyDeleteBritish fighter jets have carried out the first airstrikes in Syria targeting Islamic State – also known as IS or Daesh - following a vote in parliament backing increased military action. Several countries — including the U.S.-led coalition and Russia, are already carrying out bombing raids against the terror group.
Washington praised Britain’s increased involvement in the air campaign.
Just hours after military action was approved, four British Tornado jets took off from their base in Cyprus to attack Islamic State targets in Syria. The first bombs were dropped on the Omar oil refineries in the east, that it’s believed were used to fund the terror group......http://www.voanews.com/content/british-parliament-approves-airstrikes-islamic-state-syria/3085074.html
Australia passes law to strip militants of citizenship...
ReplyDeleteAustralia's parliament has passed legislation to strip dual nationals of their citizenship if they are convicted of terrorism offences or found to have fought with banned groups overseas, despite concerns about deporting jihadists.
Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Citizenship Amendment (Allegiance to Australia) Bill, passed late Thursday, updated existing law to reflect "the new age of terrorism".
"The legislation will strip Australian citizenship from dual citizens who are involved in terrorist conduct overseas or convicted of a terrorism offence in Australia," he said Friday.
"It will also ensure terrorists who are dual nationals are prevented from returning to Australia and dual nationals who engage in terrorism within Australia can be removed where possible."...............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/asia-pacific/94454-151204-australia-passes-law-to-strip-militants-of-citizenship
4/12/15
Al menos 18 muertos en ataque contra restaurante en El Cairo...
ReplyDeleteAl menos 18 personas murieron en ataque con cócteles molotov contra un restaurante en El Cairo, informa la prensa local, citando fuentes policiales.
Los hechos ocurrieron en un establecimiento situado en el barrio Agouza en el centro de la capital egipcia.
Según datos preliminares, los fallecidos y los heridos, cuyo número está por determinar, son habitantes locales.
http://mundo.sputniknews.com
4/12/15
David Cameron: Bulgaria is an example of how to secure an EU external border...
ReplyDeleteEuropean countries facing increased flows of migration should learn from Bulgaria how to improve their controls, British prime minister David Cameron said on December 4 during a tour of some of Bulgaria’s border checkpoints and an inspection of its fence at the Turkish frontier, according to a Bulgarian government media statement.
Cameron said that he was impressed by the efficiency of Bulgaria’s border security and said that the country could serve as an example of compliance with the Schengen criteria.
Neither the UK nor Bulgaria are members of the EU’s Schengen visa zone. An EU member since 2007, Bulgaria’s efforts to be admitted to the Schengen zone have been opposed by other member states in spite of Sofia’s insistence that the country meets all technical criteria for admission..........http://sofiaglobe.com
Crimea’s Head Sergei Aksyonov expressed his doubts on Friday that the leaders of the Mejilis of Crimean Tatars, which is unregistered in Russia, would be able to impose a sea blockade of Crimea as he commented the threats issued by Crimea’s former Vice-Premier Lenur Islyamov, an organizer of the peninsula’s food blockade...
ReplyDelete"Do they have a fleet"? Or are they planning to besiege Crimea on row boats?," Aksyonov told TASS.
On September 20, the deputies of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament), Mustafa Dzhemilev and Refat Chubarov, as well as Lenur Islyamov, Crimea’s former vice-premier and the owner of the ATR TV channel, imposed a food blockade on the peninsula. Mejilis activists and members of the Right Sector extremist movement, which is banned in Russia, are stopping trucks with Ukrainian food at the border with Crimea..........http://tass.ru/en/politics/841747
President Francois Hollande arrived Friday on France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to meet air crews launching strikes on Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq...
ReplyDeleteThe aircraft carrier at the heart of France's campaign of air strikes on Islamic State jihadists will move from the Mediterranean to the Gulf "in a few days", Hollande told its crew during the visit.
"In a few days, you will go into a new zone, taking over command responsibilities from our allies in the coalition," Hollande said..........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/94494-151204-german-parliament-approves-military-action-in-syria-against-is
Washington has reasons to believe that Turkey is “genuinely interested” in seeing a permanent solution to the long-lasting Cyprus problem, US Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Greek counterpart Nikos Kotzias...
ReplyDeleteDiplomatic sources in Athens told journalists today after a meeting between Kerry and Foreign Minister Kotzias, that the State Department is “in regular communication” with officials in Turkey dealing with the Cyprus issue, and they estimate that Ankara “seems to have a genuine desire to see the problem on the island solved and the two communities living peacefully together”.
On Thursday, Secretary Kerry was in Nicosia where he held separate meetings with President Anastasiades and the Turkish Cypriot Leader Mustafa Akinci. He told both leaders that in the light of the general instability in the Middle East and the southeastern basin of the Mediterranean, a solution to the Cyprus problem at this time “will hold a powerful symbolism for peace and stability” in the region.
John Kerry briefed his Greek counterpart on his talks with the leaders of the two communities in Cyprus, which have been forcefully separated since 1974 when the Turkish army invaded the island and occupied almost half of its area in the north. He spoke of “very productive discussions”, and “an excellent dinner”............http://www.parikiaki.com/2015/12/us-secretary-kelly-tells-greek-officials-hes-confident-a-peace-solution-in-cyprus-is-near/#sthash.TxmwtNEJ.dpuf
5/12/15
Israel's Foreign Ministry issued a strong response Friday to Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström who criticized Israel before the Swedish parliament for what she claimed were extrajudicial executions of Palestinian attackers...
ReplyDelete"The statement is scandalous, surreal, impudent, and detached from reality," Israel's foreign ministry said in a statement. "The Swedish Foreign Minister is suggesting that Israeli citizens offer up their necks to murders, who would stab them with their knives."
The foreign ministry added that Israeli citizens and security personnel have the right to defend themselves. "In Israel, any person who commits a crime is taken to court, including terrorists," the statement said. "Israeli citizens are dealing with terrorism, which is inflamed by irresponsible and false statements like these."
The Swedish Foreign Ministry claimed that Wallström's statements were misconstrued............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/94651-151205-israel-slams-swedish-foreign-minister-for-extrajudicial-execution-accusation
L'Arabie saoudite doit cesser le financement des mosquées à l'étranger ...
ReplyDeleteLe vice-chancelier allemand Sigmar Gabriel a déclaré dimanche que l'Arabie saoudite devait cesser le financement des mosquées fondamentalistes à l'étranger qui sont accusées d'alimenter l'extrémisme.
"Des mosquées wahhabites sont financées à travers le monde" par l'Arabie saoudite, a déclaré Sigmar Gabriel à l'hebdomadaire Bild am Sonntag. "En Allemagne, de nombreux islamistes considérés comme dangereux viennent de ces communautés", a-t-il ajouté .
Une version austère de l'Islam
Le wahhabisme est un mouvement politico-religieux fondé au 18e siècle par le cheikh Mohammed ben Abdul Wahhab, cofondateur de l'Etat saoudien. Il prône une version austère de l'islam sunnite tel qu'il était pratiqué par la première génération de musulmans. Des organisations islamistes extrémistes tels le groupe Etat islamique (EI) s'inspirent de la pensée wahhabite.................http://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/l-etat-islamique-menace-t-il-le-monde/detail_l-arabie-saoudite-doit-cesser-le-financement-des-mosquees-a-l-etranger?id=9157094
6/12/15
Volunteers from Western Countries Join Anti-IS Forces in Syria ...
ReplyDeleteAs authorities in Western countries work to stop their citizens from joining the Islamic State group, men and women from some of those nations are going to Syria to fight against the militant group. They have joined the Syrian Kurdish YPG force.
In the recent months, dozens of fighters from North American and European countries have travelled to Syria to try to stop Islamic State, or Daesh, attacks both in the region and abroad. The woman who leads the Kurdish YPG team that trains foreign fighters says many reasons prompt the volunteers to join the battle.
"Daesh is not our enemy alone; it's the enemy of all humanity," she said. "They see things in their own country - [IS] explodes a car bomb and many people die. They kidnap people. Fighters are from Australia, United States, Canada, Britain, Belgium, the Czech Republic - I believe [people] from nearly all places are here."
One of the volunteers is Hanna Bohman, a former model and soldier, from Canada.................http://www.voanews.com/content/volunteers-in-western-countries-continue-to-join-anti-is-forces-in-syria/3090997.html
Al comentar una foto donde supuestamente se ve a un militar armado con un sistema antimisiles portátil en un buque ruso que atraviesa el Bósforo, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Turquía, Mevlut Cavusoglu, habló de una "amenaza potencial"...
ReplyDeleteLos medios turcos que publicaron la imagen afirman que se trata del buque ruso de desembarco Tsezar Kunikov.
"Todos sabemos perfectamente cómo deben atravesar el Bósforo los buques militares, consta en la Convención de Montreux; consideramos como una amenaza potencial lo que tenía en sus manos el militar ruso al atravesar el Bósforo y calificamos el incidente de provocación", dijo Cavusoglu............http://mundo.sputniknews.com/orientemedio/20151206/1054513348/turquia-bosforo-antimisiles.html#ixzz3tZ5F20kB
France's far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen welcomed a "magnificent result" in the first round of regional polls on Sunday...
ReplyDeleteShe said the early estimates, which showed her party topping the poll with between 27.2 and 30.8 percent of the vote, proved the FN was "without contest the first party of France".
AFP
Four Syrian soldiers die in suspected US coalition strike...
ReplyDeleteA series of air strikes killed three Syrian soldiers in the country's east, Syria's government said on Monday, accusing the US-led coalition of responsibility for the attack.
The US military denied any involvement.
Air strikes hit the Saeqa military camp near the town of Ayyash in Deir Ez Zor province, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. The observatory earlier reported that four soldiers were killed.
It was impossible to confirm which of the many air forces operating in the country was responsible for the attack.
The area is largely under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and the US-led coalition has regularly targeted the group in the eastern province............http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/deadly-air-strike-hits-syrian-forces-151207064554316.html
7/12/15
A senior US military official says the United States is "certain" that it was a Russian airstrike that killed three Syrian soldiers and wounded 13 others...
ReplyDeleteThe US has said it was not a coalition strike, but Syria's government accused the U.S.-led alliance of bombing the army camp and hitting troops loyal to President Bashar Assad.
The city of Der el-Zour, where the strikes are said to have been carried out on Sunday, is mainly held by the Islamic State group, but the Syrian government maintains a presence in some parts of it.
The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, so spoke on condition of anonymity.
AP
ahram.org.eg
Russia has asked the United Nations Security Council to hold closed-door discussions on Turkish military actions in Syria and Iraq, diplomats say...
ReplyDeleteThe United States, president of the Security Council this month, will chair the discussions on December 8.
Diplomats expect a November 24 incident in which Turkey shot down a Russian plane near the Syrian border to come up. Relations between Russia and Turkey have plummeted since that incident............http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-to-bring-conflict-with-turkey-before-un-security-council/27413365.html
8/12/15
Search underway for 14 people missing after Gaza tunnel to Egypt floods..
ReplyDeleteThe Palestinian civil defense service launched a rescue attempt Tuesday morning after 14 people were trapped in a tunnel running between the Gaza Strip and Egypt that was flooded with seawater, the Palestinian Safa news agency reports. The nationalities of the missing individuals was unclear.
In August, the Egyptian military began building what was billed as a fish farm operated by the military, but effectively would flood the area with water and therefore put a stop to the cross-border tunnels used for smuggling.
When the excavations are complete, Egyptian officials have said there will be 18 fisheries along the 14 kilometer border with Gaza, for the farming of mullet and shrimps..........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/94917-151208-search-underway-for-14-people-trapped-after-gaza-tunnel-to-egypt-floods
8/12/15
The number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria has more than doubled since last year to at least 27,000, a report by an intelligence consultancy said on Tuesday, highlighting the global dimension of the conflict...
ReplyDeleteThe figures, compiled by The Soufan Group, indicate that efforts by countries around the world to stem the flow of foreign fighters to Iraq and Syria and blunt the appeal of violent organizations such as ISIS appear to have made little impact.
“The foreign fighter phenomenon in Iraq and Syria is truly global,” the New York-based organization’s report said.
“The Islamic State has seen success beyond the dreams of other terrorist groups that now appear conventional and even old-fashioned, such as Al-Qaeda.
“It has energized tens of thousands of people to join it, and inspired many more to support it.”......AFP.......alarabiya.net
A Russian submarine equipped with cruise missiles has entered the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea and is near the coast of Syria, Interfax news agency quoted a source as saying on Tuesday...
ReplyDeleteThe submarine is equipped with missiles similar to those used by the warships of Russia's Caspian flotilla to strike Islamic State targets, the source was quoted as saying.
jpost.com by Reuters
8/12/15
Syria has become the pre-eminent global incubator for a new generation of militants after Islamist groups more than doubled the recruitment of foreign fighters to as much as 31,000 over the past 18 months, according to a former British spy chief...
ReplyDeleteIn the chaos of Syria's civil war, the majority of foreign fighters end up in militant groups like Islamic State, which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks on its foes and impose highly repressive rule in large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq that it has captured.
"The Islamic State has seen success beyond the dreams of other terrorist groups that now appear conventional and even old-fashioned, such as al Qaeda," said Richard Barrett, who was formerly head of global counter-terrorism at Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6....Reuters....ahram.org.eg
8/12/15
French police have identified the third attacker at the Bataclan during the Paris attacks, Prime Minister Manuel Valls says...
ReplyDeleteMr Valls did not name the man, but did not dispute reports naming him as French national Foued Mohamed Aggad, 23, from Strasbourg.
Ninety people were killed at the Bataclan during last month's attacks.
All three gunmen who attacked the venue wearing suicide vests have been confirmed as French nationals.
Other attackers who took part in the co-ordinated attacks around Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people in total have either been identified as home-grown French or Belgian extremists....BBC
9/12/15
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani visited Turkey this week to hold talks with Turkish officials amid tensions between Turkey and Iraq over the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq...
ReplyDeleteBarzani arrived in Ankara on Wednesday afternoon for a two-day official visit. Although it wasn't stated on the official schedule, the KRG leader paid his first visit to the National Intelligence Organization's (MİT) headquarters, Turkish media reported. He is expected to meet with MİT Undersecretary Hakan Fidan.
Barzani is scheduled to have bilateral talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu later in the day. Regional issues and the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are expected to be discussed during the meetings.........http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_krg-leader-barzani-arrives-in-turkey-visits-mi-t-headquarters_406499.html
9/12/15
Kabul Says Taliban Killed More Than 50 At Kandahar Airfield ...
ReplyDeleteKANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says Taliban militants killed more than 50 people when they attacked and infiltrated the country’s second-largest military base this week -- the sprawling Kandahar Airfield.
In a December 10 statement, the Defense Ministry said the dead included 38 civilians, 10 Afghan National Army soldiers, and two police officers.
It said Afghan women and children were among the dead civilians and that more than three dozen people were wounded in a battle that lasted more than 24 hours.
The ministry said 11 Taliban militants were killed. No casualties were reported among the hundreds of foreign coalition troops stationed at the airfield.
The battle began when suicide attackers stormed the airfield shortly after sundown on December 8.............http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-kandahar-airfield-taliban/27418361.html
10/12/15
US, Russia, UN to Hold Fresh Talks on Syria ...
ReplyDeleteDiplomats from the United States, Russia, and the United Nations will meet Friday in Geneva to discuss ways to advance the peace process in war-torn Syria, officials said Thursday.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told Russia's RIA news agency Moscow will use the meeting to call for an "intensification of joint efforts" against terrorism.
The U.S. and Russia have struggled to find common ground as they carry out separate military campaigns in Syria, where a civil war has killed more than 250,000 people.............http://www.voanews.com/content/us-russia-un-to-hold-fresh-talks-on-syria/3096796.html
10/12/15
Kim Jong-Un claims North Korea has hydrogen bomb...
ReplyDeleteAccording to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, the country has developed its own hydrogen bomb. The country’s leader was cited by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday.
"We have managed to become a great nuclear power capable of protecting the independence and national dignity of our Motherland with the might of strikes by nuclear and hydrogen bombs," Kim Jong-Un was quoted by the KCNA agency as saying, noting the North Korean leader delivered the speech during his visit to an ordnance factory in the capital of Pyongyang.
Also, Kim Jong-Un noted that "the country needs to bolster its defense sector."
In the meantime, there has been no official confirmation that North Korea had actually developed and manufactured a hydrogen bomb.
http://tass.ru/en/defense/842898
10/12/15
Textbooks treating Kosovo as independent "won't happen" - FM...
ReplyDeleteSerbia respects the rights of the Albanian minority, while schools will not be able to use textbooks stating that "Kosovo is independent", says Ivica Dacic.
The foreign minister made the comments in the national assembly on Wednesday, in responding to Riza Halimi, a deputy from the southern region known as "the Presevo valley" - home to the largest ethnic Albanian community outside of Kosovo.
Kosovo is Serbia's southern province where ethnic Albanians unilaterally declared independence in 2008 - a move Serbia considers a violation of its Constitution and territorial integrity.
"You want textbooks from Kosovo or from Albania to be used in Serbia, that it is taught in Serbia that Kosovo is independent, that (Serbian Orthodox monastery of Decani) is a part of some dynasty of yours? That will not happen, you can call on whoever you want," Dacic said on Wednesday......b92.net
10/12/15
l'Etat islamique reprend à l'armée deux localités dans le centre...
ReplyDeleteLe groupe djihadiste Etat islamique (EI) a repris jeudi à l'armée syrienne deux localités dans le centre du pays, après les avoir perdues il y a une vingtaine de jours, a affirmé l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH).
"Les unités de l'armée syrienne se sont retirées de l'ensemble des localités de Mahin et Hawarine à la suite d'une attaque du groupe EI", a indiqué à l'AFP Rami Abdel Rahmane, le directeur de l'OSDH. Fin novembre, l'armée, en coopération avec les milices pro-régime, s'était emparée de Mahin et Hawarine dans le sud-est de la province de Homs aux mains des djihadistes depuis le 1er novembre......rtl.be
1o/12/15
Syria's Assad must leave or be forced out: Saudi FM...
ReplyDeleteSyrian President Bashar Assad has two choices, "either to leave through negotiations" or be forcibly removed from power, the Saudi foreign minister said on Thursday, arguing that the Syrian people would not accept any other outcomes.
Speaking to reporters during a two-day meeting of Syrian opposition groups taking place in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Adel al-Jubeir said he hoped the various factions can come up with a common vision for Syria.
The meeting, which ends on Thursday, aims at forming a unified front ahead of proposed peace negotiations with Assad's government.....AP....dailystar.com.lb
Iraqi officials say Islamic State (IS) militants have destroyed a lock on the Euphrates River that served as a bridge in Ramadi as pro-government forces close in on the militant-held city to the west of Baghdad...
ReplyDeleteIraqi forces have nearly surrounded Ramadi and have been moving into some neighborhoods of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar Province, during the last few days.
Iraqi Major General Ismail al-Mahlawi, the head of the government's military operations in Anbar Province, said the lock was the last remaining bridge from Ramadi's city center leading to the northwest.
He says the destruction of the bridge has left about 300 IS militants cut off and trapped in the city center...........http://www.rferl.org/content/iraq-is-fighters-trapped-ramadi/27419176.html
Police in Geneva raised the alert level and searched the city on Thursday for several suspected jihadists believed to have links to the Islamic State (IS) group, security sources said...
ReplyDeleteA statement from the Canton of Geneva's security department said it had received information on Wednesday from Swiss federal authorities concerning "suspicious individuals likely to be in Geneva or the Geneva area."
Police were "actively looking" for these individuals "in the context of the investigation following the Paris attacks", the statement said, while reinforcements were deployed at key locations including synagogues, the United Nations buildings, the home of the French ambassador as well as trains stations and airports.
"We went from a vague threat to a specific threat," Geneva security spokeswoman Emmanuelle Lo Verso told Swiss Radio, adding that the search for the suspects was at "a very active phase."...........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/europe/95192-151210-swiss-police-searching-geneva-for-suspects-over-paris-attacks
The European Union has started legal action against Greece, Italy and Croatia for failing to correctly register migrants...
ReplyDeleteTens of thousands of migrants have arrived in those countries over the last few months but less than half of them have been registered by national authorities. Greece has only fingerprinted around 121,000 of the almost half a million people who arrived there between July 20 and November 30 this year, according to the European Commission.
The Commission warned the three countries about the shortfalls two months ago, but said Thursday that these "concerns have not been effectively addressed."
The EU's executive arm said it sent formal letters of notice to the three, the first formal step in infringement proceedings.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
10/12/15
Les Corées cherchent à apaiser les tensions...
ReplyDeleteLes deux Corées se sont retrouvées vendredi pour des entretiens à haut niveau destinés à consolider un accord qui avait permis en août de désamorcer des tensions menaçant de dégénerer en conflit armé.
Toute prise de contact entre les deux Etats rivaux est considérée comme un signe positif mais au vu des précédents, les analystes se gardent d'un excès d'optimisme quant à l'issue de ces rarissimes pourparlers.....tl.be
11/12/15
Greece, Cyprus, Egypt to speed up talks over sea boundaries...
ReplyDeleteGreece, Egypt and Cyprus agreed on Wednesday to speed up talks to demarcate sea boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean as part of efforts to turn the region into an offshore natural gas hub.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades met in Athens to discuss how they could take advantage of gas reserves especially after Egypt this year discovered the biggest offshore gas field in the Mediterranean.
"The discovery of significant hydrocarbon reserves in the east Mediterranean and at Zohr, can and must be a catalyst for wider regional cooperation," Anastasiades said after the third such summit since November 2014.........http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eurozone-greece-energy-idUSKBN0TS1R620151211#isGYMISr6g8wpZvb.99
11/12/15
Turkey foreign minister calls on Russia for calm, says patience not unlimited...
ReplyDeleteTurkey is calling on Russia for calm, but its patience is not unlimited, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday.
In a live interview on NTV, Cavusoglu also said that the recent additional deployment of troops to Iraq was made after an increase in the security threat.
REUTERS
todayonline.com
11/12/15
A wall construction has begun along an 82-kilometer stretch of Turkey’s border with Syria that is under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants on the Syrian side...
ReplyDeleteThe four meter-high slabs were being positioned along the border in the southeastern provinces of Kilis and Gaziantep. Video footage showed construction vehicles lining concrete blocks along the border.
Turkey has stepped up security along its border to prevent ISIL militants from entering Syria and crossing back into Turkey.
In August, Turkey also began constructing a wall along the border at the town Reyhanlı, a main smuggling point southwest of Kilis.
Meanwhile, Turkish Armed Forces recently said in a statement that it has built a 23-kilometer-long modular concrete wall, a 108 kilometer-long trellis fence, 386 kilometers of trenches, an 80 kilometer-long embankment, added 423 kilometers of illumination and reformed a 1450-kilometer-long border patrol route since 2012.
Turkey, home for more than 2 million Syrian refugees, is also an important route for the flow of foreign militants to join ISIL, as it shares a 900-km border with Syria.
hurriyetdailynews.com
Tony Blair has defended his so-called “deal in the desert” with Muammar Gaddafi in 2004, saying his decision to bring the Libyan dictator in from the cold may have prevented chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamic State...
ReplyDeleteThe former prime minister was speaking at the foreign affairs select committee where he was asked about his relations with Gaddafi as part of a wider inquiry into the British intervention in Libya in 2011.
He defended his decision to strike a deal that ended Libyan isolation in return for a commitment by Gaddafi to get rid of his chemical weapons.
Blair said: “Otherwise, we would have had a situation where Libya was continuing to sponsor terrorism, was continuing to develop chemical and nuclear weapons and would have remained isolated in the international community..........http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/11/tony-blair-gaddafi-deal-prevented-isis-getting-chemical-weapons-libya
11/12/15
Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi on Friday instructed the Foreign Ministry to lodge an official complaint to the UN Security Council over the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq...
ReplyDeleteA statement by Abadi's office said the incursion by Turkish troops "is blatant violation of the provisions and principles of the UN Charter and a violation to the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, which happened without the knowledge and consent of the Iraqi authorities."
Iraq demands the UN Security Council "to shoulder its responsibilities and orders Turkey to withdraw its troops immediately, and to ensure unconditionally withdrawal to the internationally recognized border between the two countries," the statement said.
On Thursday, an Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman said that Iraq has contacted the five permanent member states of the UN Security Council for condemning Turkey's deployment of troops on Iraqi soil.
He also said that Iraq demanded an Arab League extraordinary session to "discuss the consequences of the Turkish breach (to Iraqi sovereignty) and adopt an Arab stance against it."............http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=244143&cid=23&fromval=1&frid=23&seccatid=24&s1=1
The Taliban have claimed responsibility for an attack on a guesthouse near the Spanish Embassy in Kabul...
ReplyDeleteHeavy gunfire followed a suicide car bomb explosion in the Sherpour area, a heavily protected district that houses foreign embassies and government buildings.
A Taliban spokesman said the attack targeted "an invader's guest house."
Afghan security officials said seven militants were involved in the attack, in which several people were reported wounded.
Spain said one of its police officers were among them, while embassy staff were safe and unhurt.
The explosion left two houses in flames, said an Afghan police official. "It's possible the attackers are hiding," he said. "We've blocked all the streets and are searching."
Earlier this week, a Taliban attack on the country's second-largest military base, Kandahar Airfield, killed more than 50 people...........http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-taliban-attack-kabul-guesthouse/27421453.html
Afghanistan: attaque près de l'ambassade d'Espagne à Kaboul ...
ReplyDeleteLes talibans ont revendiqué la responsabilité d'une attaque contre une pension proche de l'ambassade d'Espagne qui a fait au moins sept blessés vendredi dans le centre de Kaboul. Une voiture piégée a explosé et des coups de feu ont retenti par la suite, à l'arrivée des forces de police.
"La police de Kaboul est sur les lieux de l'explosion, nous publierons des détails dès qu'ils nous parviendront", avait tweeté Sediq Sediqqi, porte-parole du ministère de l'Intérieur afghan.
Peu après, un porte-parole du ministère des Affaires étrangères à Madrid cité par l'AFP déclarait "L'ambassade a été attaquée. Nous collectons actuellement des informations". Une information confirmée par la police de Kaboul mais démentie quelques heures plus tard par le premier ministre espagnol Mariano Rajoy.....AFP......rtbf.be
11/12/15
Libyan parties set 16 December as date to sign political agreement – UN envoy...
ReplyDeleteThe new United Nations envoy for Libya announced today that the parties to the country’s political dialogue process have agreed to set 16 December as the target date to sign the UN-facilitated agreement on forming a national unity government, aiming to bring an end to a crisis that has left nearly 2.4 million Libyans in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Briefing the Security Council via videoconference just after two-day deliberations on the issue wrapped up in Tunis, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) Martin Kobler said the talks in the Tunisian capital had culminated in agreement on a number of key points...........http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=52801#.Vmv0nF4pr2Y
Ethiopie: 17 blessés par l'explosion d'une grenade dans une mosquée ...
ReplyDeleteAu moins dix-sept personnes ont été blessées vendredi par l'explosion d'une grenade dans la plus grande mosquée d'Addis Abeba, a indiqué samedi à l'AFP le ministre éthiopien de la Communication.
L'explosion s'est produite après la grande prière du vendredi à la mosquée Anwar, dans le quartier de Merkato du centre de la capitale éthiopienne. "Pour l'instant nous n'avons aucune idée de la personne responsable de cet incident", a expliqué à l'AFP le ministre de la Communication Getachew Reda. "Dix-sept personnes ont été blessées, dont certaines sérieusement, mais personne n'est décédé", a-t-il assuré.
Les attentats de ce genre sont rares en Ethiopie, malgré des tensions récurrentes entre la majorité chrétienne et la minorité musulmane et la présence de groupes rebelles dans certaines régions reculées du pays.
rtbf.be
12/12/15
U.S. asks Germany for more military help in fight against ISIS...
ReplyDeleteThe United States has asked Germany for more military help in the fight against Islamic State, a German magazine reported on Saturday, a week after parliament approved a plan to join the campaign in Syria.
Der Spiegel said U.S. Defence Secretary Ashton Carter had sent a letter asking for a bigger military contribution from Berlin.....http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-germany-idUSKBN0TV0H420151212#HOZyp3rEgM9tGFdB.99
12/12/15
A ceasefire in Yemen will start on Dec. 14, the eve of planned peace talks in Switzerland next week, the head of Ansarullah delegation to the peace talks said Saturday...
ReplyDelete"Based on what had been agreed upon, there will be a halt of the aggression on the 14th of this month," Mohammed Abdul-Salam told a news conference broadcast live from the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
The United Nations has invited Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government and Ansarullah to peace talks in Switzerland starting on Dec. 15, after the sides agreed a draft agenda and ground rules for the talks.
Hadi's Prime Minister Khaled Bahah said Friday he was determined to end the fighting............http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=244297&frid=23&seccatid=31&cid=23&fromval=1
12/12/15
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who on Friday called on Russia for calm, had a brief meeting with senior Russian official Valentina Matvienko in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to defuse tension between the two countries...
ReplyDeleteHis efforts seemingly yielded no result, as Matvienko insisted on the Russian demand for a Turkish apology over the downing of the Russian warplane before returning to normal in relations.
She said the incident will leave its mark on relations in the future, unless the Turkish administration realizes its responsibility and delivers an apology......Todayszaman.com
13/12/15
Powers back unity government in Libya to deter ISIS...
ReplyDeleteGlobal powers on Sunday backed the formation of a national unity government in Libya, pledging economic and security support to help stabilize the chaotic North African country where Islamic State (ISIS) group militants have a foothold.
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni, joined by UN envoy Martin Kobler, were optimistic that the majority of the representatives of Libya's two rival governments would sign a unity deal on Dec. 16.
Representatives from 17 countries including Egypt, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and China signed a joint statement calling for an immediate ceasefire and promising to cut off contacts with factions that do not sign the deal............ahram.org.eg
13/12/15
France's far-right Front National (FN) is beaten into third place in the second round of regional elections, exit polls indicate...
ReplyDeleteEarly results suggest the party failed to win a single region, despite leading in six of 13 regions in the first round of votes a week ago.
The polls suggest Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right Republican party is ahead of the ruling Socialists.
FN leader Marine Le Pen and her niece were both candidates.
Early projections suggest both have failed to be elected....BBC
Report: Some Turkish troops leaving Bashiqa camp in northern Iraq as part of ‘new arrangement’...
ReplyDeleteA detachment of the Turkish troops deployed in northern Iraq were on Monday leaving a camp close to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)-held city of Mosul and moving north, a Turkish military source said, after Baghdad said it would ask the UN Security Council to order them out of Iraq.
The Turkish Prime Minister's Office had announced on Friday its decision to reorganize its military personnel at the Bashiqa camp, after talks with Iraqi officials. Monday's troop movement was part of the "new arrangement," the source told Reuters.
todayszaman.com by Reuters
14/12/15
Crash de l'avion russe: toujours pas de preuve d'un attentat, réaffirme l'Egypte ...
ReplyDeleteL'Egypte a réaffirmé lundi qu'elle avait toujours pas de preuve que l'avion de touristes russes qui s'est écrasé dans le Sinaï le 31 octobre tuant ses 224 occupants était un attentat à la bombe, contrairement à ce qu'affirme Moscou.
La branche égyptienne du groupe Etat islamique (EI) a revendiqué l'attentat, assurant avoir placé une petite bombe à l'intérieur de l'appareil, et la Russie a annoncé que ses enquêteurs sur place avaient conclu qu'il s'agissait bien d'un attentat. Les experts interrogés, unanimes, ont également validé cette thèse.
"La commission d'enquête technique n'a pour l'heure aucune preuve d'intervention illégale ou d'action terroriste", dit le ministère égyptien de l'aviation civile. L'appareil, un A321-200, exploité par la compagnie aérienne russe Kogalymavia/Metroje, s'est écrasé le 31 octobre dans le Sinaï après avoir décollé de Charm el Cheikh avec 224 personnes à son bord. Aucune n'a survécu.
AFP
rtbf.be
14/12/15
Un navire de commerce battant pavillon turc n'a pas laissé le passage à un convoi embarquant deux installations de forage et a tenté de lui barrer la route. Le capitaine du navire n'a pas répondu aux appels...
ReplyDeleteLe service de presse de l'entreprise Tchermorneftegaz, propriétaire des installations de forage, a annoncé, lundi 14 décembre, qu'un navire de commerce non identifié battant pavillon turc avait tenté, en violation des règles de navigation internationales, de créer obstacle au déplacement du convoi, mais une vedette de la garde-côtière et un bateau lance-missile de la Flotte de la mer Noire l'ont contraint à changer de cap.
"Le navire turc, en violation du règlement international de prévention des abordages en mer et des règles de navigation maritime, n'a pas laissé le passage au convoi et a entrepris une tentative pour lui créer un obstacle, lui faisant ainsi courir un risque de collision. Le capitaine du navire turc n'a pas répondu aux appels radio des bateaux escortant le convoi", stipule le communiqué.
Seule l'intervention de bateaux militaires a permis de régler la situation.....http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151214/1020264286/vedettes-russes-detournent-navire-turc.html#ixzz3uIGR1qXG
14/12/15
U.S. Embassy in Ankara to limit services Monday and Tuesday, cites security threat...
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. Embassy in Ankara will scale back its services on Monday and Tuesday due to a possible security threat, an embassy official told Reuters.
Last week, the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul had canceled consular services for a day, citing information about a possible security threat.
The official did not give any details on the nature of the possible threat.
REUTERS
EU to introduce new border force under controversial plan...
ReplyDeleteThe European Union will nearly treble its spending on frontier defence provided by a new European Border and Coast Guard under proposals unveiled on Tuesday to tackle a migration crisis that threatens Europe’s security and passport-free travel area.
If approved by governments, the new body will replace the EU’s Frontex agency and have expanded powers, including keeping a 1,500-strong rapid reaction force on standby. It will have funding worth 322 million euros ($354 million) by 2020, up from the 114 million euros originally budgeted for this year.
With Greece and Italy struggling to control hundreds of thousands of people, including Syrian refugees, the bloc’s executive the European Commission proposes taking the power to deploy EU forces without the consent of the member state concerned—an idea that has already hit resistance in national capitals and which many see as impractical.
However, frustration among northern powers, including France and Germany, at failures by Greece and Italy to document and screen masses of people arriving by boat from Turkey and Africa has driven demands for more central European control of the external frontiers of Europe’s borderless Schengen zone.
Concern that the Islamic State attack on Paris last month was also carried out in part by militants who had travelled along the migration route from Syria via Turkey and Greece has also increased pressure for tighter checks on the frontiers.......REUTERS......france24.com
The French air force used its first cruise missiles against ISIS targets in Iraq on Tuesday, the defence ministry said...
ReplyDelete“Launched from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, the raid was made up of a dozen fighter planes equipped with cruise missiles and bombs,” the French ministry said in a statement.
The jets targeted buildings in the Al-Qaim area of western Iraq, a civilian neighborhood that also serves as “a training center and logistical depot,” the ministry said.
The Scalp cruise missiles, which are guided by their own onboard computers, travel over longer distances and with greater precision than normal bombs, which the French ministry claimed was particularly useful in civilian areas......AFP.........alarabiya.net
Russia and the United States have found "common ground" on which opposition groups should participate in Syrian peace talks, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday after a meeting with Russian President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
ReplyDeleteThe heads of Libya’s rival parliaments met for the first time Tuesday ahead of the expected signing of a U.N. plan for a national unity government, Libyan television reported...
ReplyDeleteAqila Salah, who heads the internationally recognized parliament sitting in the east, met Nuri Abu Sahmein of the Tripoli-based General National Congress, the report said.
The Annaba channel showed the two men meeting in Malta in the presence of representatives of both chambers ahead of the expected signing of the agreement in Morocco Thursday.
It followed a gathering in Rome of a U.S.- and Italian-led group of world powers and regional players that urged Libya’s warring factions Sunday to lay down their arms and back the new unity government.
The North African state has been mired in chaos since the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. The Islamic State group has exploited the lawlessness to expanding its presence there.......AFP........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/africa/95807-151216-chiefs-of-libya-s-rival-parliaments-meet-for-first-time
16/12/15
L'Inde interdit les voitures de luxe au diesel...
ReplyDeleteLa Cour suprême indienne a interdit mercredi provisoirement l'immatriculation de nouvelles voitures gourmandes en diesel, notamment les 4x4 et les voitures de luxe, à New Delhi afin de réduire la pollution dans la capitale la plus polluée du monde.
La plus haute juridiction indienne a également interdit l'entrée dans la capitale des camions vieux de plus de 10 ans et circulant au diesel.........http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151216/1020312869/inde-voiture-diesel.html#ixzz3uTlIvqv9
16/12/15
Qatar hunters abducted in Iraq desert by gunmen...
ReplyDeleteGunmen have kidnapped at least 27 Qatari hunters - including members of the ruling family - in a desert area of Iraq near the Saudi border, say police and the local governor.
The attackers were driving dozens of four-wheel drive vehicles when they swept into the hunters' camp at dawn on Wednesday, officials said.
They struck near Layyah, 190km (118 miles) from regional capital, Samawa.
A wide-scale search has been launched for the attackers, police say.
The Qatari foreign ministry has released a statement saying it is working with the Iraqi government to release the Qatari nationals "as soon as possible", reports Reuters news agency.
It said they had been hunting with official permission from the Iraqi interior ministry.....http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35112774
16/12/15
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Kyiv will suspend trade with Russian-occupied Crimea in one month...
ReplyDeleteYatsenyuk said at a government meeting on December 16 that Ukraine's cabinet had decided that "the supplying of goods, work, and services to Crimea and from Crimea" will be banned within 30 days.
The only exceptions, he said, would be "personal items, socially important foods, and humanitarian aid."
Yatsenyuk added that the restoration of electricity to Crimea is a separate issue that could only be decided by Ukraine's Security and Defense Council.
Crimea, which was annexed by Russia early last year, is suffering long blackouts after pylons that supplied the peninsula were blown up by unknown people in November.
The issue has caused a crisis in Crimea and has worsened Ukrainian-Russian tensions.
Russia has suspended coal exports to Ukraine in retaliation.
[Based on reporting by Reuters, TASS, and AP]
rferl.org
16/12/15
Laut dem türkischen Botschafter in Katar, Ahmed Demirok, beabsichtigt die Türkei die Stationierung einer Militärbasis in Katar im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit für den Kampf mit den „gemeinsamen“ Feinden, meldet Reuters...
ReplyDelete„Die Türkei und Katar sind mit den gleichen Problemen konfrontiert. Beide Länder sind über die aktuelle Lage in der Region und die unbestimmte Politik einiger Staaten besorgt. Wir bekämpfen ein und denselben Feind. In diesem kritischen Moment für den Nahen Osten ist eine solche Kooperation lebenswichtig“, sagte der Botschafter.
Des Weiteren informierte er, dass die Türkei beabsichtige, neben den Marine- und Luftwaffen-Angehörigen noch etwa 3000 Infanteristen in der mehrfunktionalen Basis in Katar unterzubringen.
„Heute schaffen wir nicht nur eine neue Allianz, sondern betrachten das historische Zusammenwirken neu“, teilte Demirok mit, ohne darauf einzugehen, wann genau die Basis entstehen soll.
Die Behörden von Katar haben dazu noch keinen Kommentar abgegeben.
Zuvor war bekannt geworden, dass die Türkei langfristig Erdgas aus Katar importieren will.
de.sputniknews.com
U.S. Congress To Pass IMF Reforms Raising Status Of Russia, China ...
ReplyDeleteAfter years of delay, U.S. lawmakers are set to approve reforms boosting the power of major emerging countries like China and Russia at the International Monetary Fund.
After balking for years at the reforms, which would maintain the U.S. status as the IMF's largest shareholder, Republican leaders in a behind-the-scenes compromise December 16 included the changes in a big spending bill heading toward passage in Congress this week.
The reforms, which have already been approved by most other IMF members, will raise the status of Brazil, China, India, and Russia, putting them among the IMF's top 10 shareholders and giving them more influence at the global lender.
Opposition from Republicans in the U.S. Congress was the only thing blocking the reforms from taking effect in recent years..........http://www.rferl.org/content/us-congress-to-pass-imf-reforms-raising-status-of-russia-china-/27432701.html
17/12/15
Sommet de l'UE: migrants et "Brexit" au menu d'une Europe ébranlée ...
ReplyDeleteLes dirigeants européens vont s'efforcer jeudi à Bruxelles de serrer les rangs face à la crise migratoire, d'une ampleur sans précédent, et au risque d'un "Brexit", la sortie du Royaume-Uni de l'UE, deux défis qui menacent comme jamais l'unité de l'Europe.
"Il n'y a plus de temps à perdre. Il faut agir" pour endiguer les flux de migrants, a lancé le président de la Commission Jean-Claude Juncker à la veille du dernier sommet européen de 2015, en exhortant les Etats membres à se ranger derrière sa proposition d'un corps européen de gardes-frontières.
Un projet "audacieux", selon l'exécutif européen, qui prévoit même la possibilité d'intervenir dans un Etat récalcitrant, au grand dam de ceux qui craignent une atteinte à leur souveraineté.
"Nous autres Européens avons une seule frontière et la responsabilité de la protéger", a plaidé mercredi Jean-Claude Juncker, afin de sauver la libre-circulation au sein de l'espace Schengen, pilier de l'intégration européenne.........rtbf.be
A ceasefire between Yemen’s Houthi group and a Saudi-led alliance was in danger of collapse on Wednesday, each side accusing the other of violating the truce, as peace talks went into a second day in Switzerland...
ReplyDeleteBrigadier General Ahmed al-Assiri of the Saudi coalition said the Iran-allied Houthis had repeatedly broken the ceasefire supposed to begin at midday on Tuesday and that his forces were responding.
The truce was intended to last seven days and coincide with the peace talks to try to end a nine-month-old civil war between the Houthis based in Yemen’s north and Saudi-backed southern and eastern fighters loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Nearly 6,000 people have been killed in the fighting and millions displaced..............france24.com
Putin: Schmuggel-Öl fließt nach russischen Luftschlägen über irakisches Kurdistan...
ReplyDeleteNach den russischen Luftschlägen gegen Tanklaster-Konvois in Syrien schmuggelt die Terrormiliz Daesh (auch „Islamischer Staat“, IS) nun syrisches Öl über das irakische Kurdistan, wie der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin bei seiner traditionellen Jahrespressekonferenz sagte.
„Jetzt sehen wir, dass die Konvois (von geschmuggeltem Öl- Anm. d. R.) geteilt werden. Je fünf, sechs, sieben, zehn und 15 Wagen bewegen sich in der Nachtzeit. Aber ein zweiter Teil fährt nun in den Irak, über den Irak, über das irakische Kurdistan. Allein an einem Ort wurden dort 11.000 Tanklaster entdeckt. Ich werde das Verteidigungsministerium bitten, entsprechende Satellitenbilder zu zeigen“, so Putin.
Am vergangenen Dienstag hatte der Sprecher des russischen Generalstabs, General Sergej Rudskoj, mitgeteilt, dass russische Kampfjets seit Beginn des Lufteinsatzes in Syrien mehr als 1.200 Tankwagen mit Rohöl und Ölprodukten zerbombt hätten.
de.sputniknews.com
20 Killed as Storm Lashes Philippines, Another Storm Approaches Philippines...
ReplyDeleteTyphoon Nona claimed at least 20 lives as it moved out the Philippines. However, a tropical depression, locally named "Onyok", was heading for the southern island of Mindanao. Although the typhoon left the Philippines on Wednesday, floodwaters about three feet deep still covered farming regions about an hour's drive north of Manila. Although Onyok is only a tropical depression, it is forecast to bring heavy rain to areas not used to fierce weather. Pre-emptive evacuation and forced evacuation done. Other preparations include identifying vulnerable areas, designating evacuation centers and pre-positioning heavy equipment and food supplies are done by the government.
http://www.ubalert.com/Kyec
17/12/15
Israel and Turkey are on the verge of a diplomatic reconciliation that will pave the way for a full-fledged restoration of normalized ties that predated the infamous Marmara incident of 2010, Channel 10 reported on Thursday.
ReplyDeletejpost.com
17/12/15
Tödlicher US-Angriff auf Regierungsarmee: Irak will vor Gericht ziehen...
ReplyDeleteNach einem US-Angriff auf eine Armee-Einheit, bei dem mindestens 30 irakische Soldaten getötet wurden, will der Irak die amerikanische Luftwaffe vor Gericht zur Verantwortung ziehen. Laut irakischen Angaben wurde eine Brigade attackiert, die besonders erfolgreich gegen die Terrororganisation Daesh (auch „Islamischer Staat“, IS) kämpft.
„Wir werden sie für dieses Verbrechen gerichtlich zur Verantwortung ziehen“, sagte Hakim al-Zamli, der Leiter des Verteidigungsausschusses im irakischen Parlament, am Freitag zu Sputnik. Nach seinen Angaben waren bei dem US-Luftangriff auf die 55. Brigade der irakischen Armee in der Stadt al-Naimiyah südlich von Falludscha (Provinz Anbar) mindestens 30 Soldaten getötet und 20 weitere verletzt worden. Der Abgeordnete forderte Premierminister Haider al-Abadi dazu auf, unverzüglich Ermittlungen zu verfügen.........http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20151218/306596397/irak-usa-angriff-tote.html#ixzz3ugsST33h
A UN plan for Syria is a "milestone" in the efforts to end the conflict there, says US Secretary of State John Kerry...
ReplyDeleteHe said the plan gave Syrians a "real choice... between war and peace".
The resolution, passed unanimously by the UN Security Council, sets out a timetable for formal talks and a unity government within six months,
However, the resolution makes no mention of the future role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.........BBC
19/12/15
At least 75 people have been killed during weeks of protests in Ethiopia which have seen soldiers and police firing on demonstrators, Human Rights Watch said on Saturday...
ReplyDelete"Police and military forces have fired on demonstrations, killing at least 75 protesters and wounding many others, according to activists," HRW said in a statement.
Rights groups have repeatedly criticized Ethiopia's use of anti-terrorism legislation to stifle peaceful dissent, with Washington expressing concern and urging Addis Ababa to employ restraint.
There was no immediate response from Ethiopian government, which has previously put the toll at five dead.........http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=245672&frid=21&seccatid=199&cid=21&fromval=1
Selon le premier ministre turc, les récents propos offensants et non diplomatiques du président russe ne peuvent pas être pris au sérieux...
ReplyDeleteLe président russe Vladimir Poutine a récemment déclaré que la Turquie gagnait de l'agent sur le pétrole volé à la Syrie et à l'Irak, ce qui a indigné le premier ministre turc Ahmet Davutoğlu qui a qualifié ces propos de "non diplomatiques et offensants", rapporte le journal Hürriyet Daily News.
"Nous ne pouvons pas prendre au sérieux ces propos de M.Poutine qui ne correspondent ni à la nature du monde contemporain ni aux relations russo-turques", a déclaré le chef du gouvernement turc.........http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151219/1020411953/poutine-propos-turquie.html#ixzz3unWYGXuU
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he will not abandon Russians living in southeast Ukraine to what he described as Ukrainian "nationalists."..
ReplyDeletePutin made the remarks in a documentary due to be broadcast later on December 20.
Moscow says Ukrainian nationalists pose a threat to ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking Ukrainians in the region. More than 9,000 people have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian troops since April 2014.
"We proceed from only one thing, which is we cannot just abandon the people who live in the southeast of the country to nationalists to eat them up," Putin said in comments quoted by Russian news agencies.
"There is nothing excessive in that position."..............http://www.rferl.org/content/putin-says-russia-will-not-abandon-russians-in-southeast-ukraine/27438553.html
20/12/15
Putin: Russland muss Russen in Ostukraine vor Nationalisten in Schutz nehmen...
DeleteRussland kann laut Präsident Wladimir Putin russische und andere russischsprachige Einwohner der Südostukraine nicht im Stich lassen und muss sie vor Nationalisten in Schutz nehmen.
Auf die Minsker Vereinbarungen und die vom Westen verlängerten Sanktionen gegen Russland eingehend, sagte er. "Allen ist alles schon längst klar, man denkt aber, dass man Russland noch ein bisschen unter Druck setzen sollte, damit es da oder dort nachgibt. Dabei ist es gar nicht unser Anliegen, irgendwo in die Offensive zu gehen oder auf etwas zu bestehen."
"Wir gehen aber nur von einem Punkt aus: Wir können die Menschen, die im Südosten des Landes leben, nicht den Nationalisten zum Fressen hergeben. Es sind nicht nur Russen, sondern die russischsprachige Bevölkerung, die sich auf Russland orientiert. An dieser Position gibt es nichts Übermäßiges", sagte er in einem Interview für den TV-Sender Rossia 1.
de.sputniknews.com
20/12/15
Assad se rendra en Iran sous escorte aérienne russe...
ReplyDeleteLes pilotes d’avions de la coalition internationale dirigée par les Etats-Unis ont été priés de ne pas s'approcher de l'appareil du président syrien Bachar el-Assad afin d'éviter toute collision, selon l'agence Fars News
L'avion du président syrien Bachar el-Assad, qui doit effectuer une visite en Iran, sera escorté par quatre chasseurs russes, annonce l'agence Fars News.
"Le commandement de l'Armée de l'air de la coalition internationale dirigée par les Etats-Unis a été prié de tenir ses avions à distance de celui de Bachar el-Assad afin d'éviter une collision", indique l'agence, ajoutant que l’itinéraire de vol de l'avion présidentiel prévoit un passage par l'espace aérien irakien.
Auparavant, l'agence Fars, citant une source gouvernementale syrienne, a annoncé que le chef de l'Etat pourrait se rendre à Téhéran fin décembre-début janvier. Cette information n'a toutefois pas fait l’objet de confirmation officielle.
fr.sputniknews.com
20/12/15
Les conservateurs espagnols remportent les législatives sans majorité absolue ...
ReplyDeleteSelon les sondages sortie des urnes, les conservateurs espagnols au pouvoir depuis 2011 ont remporté dimanche les élections législatives avec 26,8 % des voix, sans obtenir toutefois la majorité absolue.
Le parti conservateur de Mariano Rajoy sort vainqueur des législatives espagnoles sans toutefois obtenir de majorité absolue avec 26,8 % des voix, selon les sondages sortie des urnes réalisés dimanche 20 décembre par la télévision publique. Le chef du gouvernement espagnol sortant qui brigue sa réélection perdrait ainsi la majorité à la chambre des députés.
Le PP obtiendrait entre 114 et 124 sièges sur les 350 du Congrès des députés, la chambre basse des Cortes Generales, le Parlement espagnol. Il lui manquerait donc 52 à 62 sièges sur les 176 nécessaires à la majorité absolue
En terme de sièges, les socialistes (PSOE) arriveraient en deuxième position avec 79 à 85 sièges tandis que les nouveaux venus, le parti anti-austérité Podemos et les centristes de Ciudadanos arriveraient respectivement troisième et quatrième. Podemos aurait 70 à 80 sièges et Ciudadanos 46 à 50 sièges.
Mais si l'on raisonne en terme de voix, le nouveau parti de gauche radicale Podemos, né au début de l'année dernière, arriverait deuxième, avec 21,7 % des voix, dépassant le Parti socialiste ouvrier espagnol (20,5%) et l'autre parti émergent, le libéral Ciudadanos, qui obtiendrait 15,2% des voix.....france24.com
The Saudi-led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen says Saudi air defense units have intercepted a rocket fired from inside Yemen in the southwest border city of Jazan...
ReplyDeleteA statement by the coalition said the rocket, which was fired early Monday, did not cause injuries or material damage and that the Saudi Air Force reacted immediately and destroyed the launching pad inside Yemen.....AP......http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/174074.aspx
21/12/15
Kenyan Muslims shield Christians in Mandera bus attack...
ReplyDeleteA group of Kenyan Muslims travelling on a bus ambushed by Islamist gunmen protected Christian passengers by refusing to be split into groups, according to eyewitnesses.
They told the militants "to kill them together or leave them alone", a local governor told Kenyan media.
At least two people were killed in the attack, near the north-eastern village of El Wak on the Somali border.
The Somali based al-Shabab group is the main suspect for the attack.
It has not said if it was responsible, but often carries out attacks in Kenya's north-east.
The bus was travelling from the capital Nairobi to the town of Mandera.
When al-Shabab killed 148 people in an attack on Garissa University College in April, the militants reportedly singled out Christians and shot them, while freeing many Muslims.....BBC
21/12/15
Iraq's armed forces will start in the coming hours an operation to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State militants, state TV reported, citing the army chief of staff...
ReplyDelete"The operation to free Ramadi will begin in the coming hours," the TV cited him as saying in a headline on screen, giving no further details and not identifying the officer by name.
REUTERS
Ukraine is preparing new lawsuits against Russia over damage to Ukrainian companies following Crimea’s secession from Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said on Monday...
ReplyDelete"We are working on lawsuits planned in the future, as concerns compensations and on individual Ukrainian companies," he said in a televised interview.
He said some Ukrainian companies, including the Oschadbank bank and the Naftogaz national energy company, have already gone to law, while several other companies are preparing to follow suit. "The Foreign Ministry is coordinating these processes," the minister said.
He reiterated Ukraine’s stance on Crimea, saying Ukraine refused to recognize its accession to Russia, supported sanctions against Crimea and worked on lawsuits........http://tass.ru/en/world/845915
Hungary urged to halt campaign portraying refugees as 'invaders' ...
ReplyDeleteThe UN refugee agency, together with two European partners, on Monday urged Hungary to refrain from policies and practices that promote intolerance, fear and fuel xenophobia against refugees and migrants.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Council of Europe and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, joined other voices to make the call, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.
They called on "Hungarian leaders to adopt the true spirit of humanity in helping those who have been forced out of their countries against their own will and choice and are currently seeking safety in Europe," Haq said.........http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/959877.shtml
22/12/15
At least 200 civilians have been killed in Russian air strikes in Syria, an Amnesty International report says, quoting witnesses and activists...
ReplyDeleteThe human rights group accused Russia of using cluster munitions and unguided bombs on civilian areas, and said such attacks could constitute war crimes.
Moscow insists it is targeting only the positions of "terrorist" groups.
Amnesty said in its report it is also researching concerns about the US-led coalition air strikes in Syria.
The US has rarely acknowledged civilian deaths in its aerial bombardment of the so-called Islamic State (IS), which began in September 2014........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35162523
23/12/15
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned critics not to hold demonstrations on January 25 to mark the anniversary of the 2011 uprising which saw Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in a popular 18-day uprising after three decades in power...
ReplyDeleteJust a few weeks before the 5th anniversary of the popular uprising, a group of political opponents, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, families of political prisoners, and left-wing activists, released a statement calling for mass demonstrations by Egyptians who should "to join hands with a view of toppling the ruling regime."
The "current turmoil in the region has revealed a major plot being orchestrated against the nation," added the statement.
"Why am I hearing calls for another revolution? Why do you want to ruin (Egypt)? I came by your will and your choice and not despite it," Sisi said in a speech marking the Prophet Mohammed's birthday, which this year falls on Dec. 23.............http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/96581-151223-egypt-s-sisi-warns-opposition-against-protests-on-anniversary-of-2011-revolution
23/12/15
En réponse aux déclarations du président tchèque Milos Zeman relatifs aux difficultés économiques de la Grèce et de la tentative de son exclusion de la zone euro, la Grèce, offensée, a rappelé son ambassadeur en République tchèque...
ReplyDelete"Le fait que les négociations de cet été n'aient pas abouti à l'exclusion de la Grèce de la zone euro m'a déçu", a déclaré M.Zeman, le 15 décembre, dans une interview accordée à l'agence de presse slovaque TASR. Ce propos du président tchèque a mis Athènes en colère.
L'agence allemande DPA a annoncé que l'ambassadeur grec à Prague avait été rappelé à Athènes pour consultation et qu'un autre diplomate, le porte-parole du ministère grec des Affaires étrangères Konstantinos Koutras, s'était permis de rappeler aux Tchèques qu'en 2004 les Grecs avaient voté pour de l'adhésion de la République tchèque à l'Union européenne, leur accordant ainsi une grande faveur......... http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20151223/1020495338/grece-rappelle-ambassadeur.html#ixzz3v8bZfXL2
Espagne: le chef des socialistes refuse la reconduction de Rajoy à la tête du gouvernement...
ReplyDeleteLe chef du Parti socialiste espagnol (PSOE), Pedro Sanchez, a annoncé mercredi qu'il voterait contre la reconduction du conservateur Mariano Rajoy à la tête du gouvernement, peu après l'avoir rencontré à Madrid. Il s'est en outre prononcé pour la formation d'"un gouvernement de changement" et pour que soient évitées de nouvelles élections, au cours d'une conférence de presse au siège de son parti.
"Nous allons voter contre la continuité du Parti populaire à la tête du gouvernement, avec Mariano Rajoy en tant que président du gouvernement", a dit M. Sanchez après une rencontre avec le dirigeant conservateur qui aurait besoin de son abstention pour former un gouvernement minoritaire. Excluant explicitement que M. Rajoy soit à la tête du gouvernement, M. Sanchez ne ferme toutefois pas la porte à la formation d'un gouvernement par le parti conservateur, vainqueur des élections avec 123 députés mais sans majorité absolue.
"Il est de la responsabilité de la première force politique de tenter de former un gouvernement, s'il y arrive, il pourra compter sur le PSOE, en tant que leader de l'opposition", pour la défense de l'intégrité de l'Espagne ou la lutte contre le terrorisme, a-t-il dit. "Nous allons explorer toutes les possibilités pour qu'il y ait un gouvernement du changement" qui réponde aux voeux des électeurs, a ajouté M. Sanchez. Pour lui, de nouvelles élections doivent être "la dernière option".
AFP
rtbf.be
23/12/15
Libya’s U.N. ambassador said Wednesday his country will hold off asking nations like the United States and Britain to intervene with airstrikes against the growing presence of the ISIS group in the oil-rich North African nation as a new national unity government tries to establish itself...
ReplyDeleteAmbassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told The Associated Press he would rather see a U.N. arms embargo loosened so Libya can defend itself against ISIS instead. He spoke shortly before the Security Council unanimously endorsed a U.N.-brokered deal to form a unity government that Libya’s rival factions signed last week.
The council’s resolution also asks countries to help Libya defeat the ISIS group.......AP..........alarabiya.net
24/12/15
At least four Western countries took the unusual step on Thursday of issuing Christmas security warnings for Westerners in a popular Beijing diplomatic and entertainment district as police stepped up patrols...
ReplyDeleteBeijing is generally safe and criminals rarely target foreigners, although the fashionable Sanlitun bar and restaurant area occasionally sees fights. In August, a lone attacker stabbed a French man and a Chinese woman there. The woman died.
The U.S. Embassy said in a brief statement it had "received information of possible threats" against Westerners in Sanlitun, also home to many embassies, on or around Christmas Day, December 25.
The French Embassy, Britain's Foreign Office and Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs issued similar warnings. None of them elaborated.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said he was aware of the reports and that the government paid great attention to foreigners' safety.................reuters.com
24/12/15
La Russie livre à la France des renseignements sur la Syrie...
ReplyDeleteL’état-major des forces armées russes a communiqué à la France des données concernant le déploiement des terroristes turcs en Syrie et le pillage des ressources naturelles syriennes de la part d’Ankara.
Mardi 23 décembre, le chef d'état-major des forces armées russes, Valeri Guerassimov, a partagé des renseignements avec son homologue français le général d'armée Pierre de Villiers, au cours d'une rencontre à Moscou. Les données concernaient le déploiement d'islamistes turcs radicaux, dans le nord de la Syrie, tentant de joindre les rangs de Daech.
Selon la déclaration du ministère russe de la Défense, le général Guerassimov a communiqué l'information sur la poursuite du pillage des ressources naturelles syriennes, dont la vente sert à financer Daech, et il a souligné le rôle de la Turquie dans cette affaire.
En outre, les homologues ont échangé leurs opinions sur la situation en Syrie, établi les perspectives de la collaboration russo-française et ont convenu de partager des informations opérationnelles en vue de coordonner la lutte internationale contre le terrorisme.
"Je tiens à souligner que nous sommes disposés à la coopération avec le ministère français de la Défense dans la mesure où y sont prêts nos partenaires", a déclaré le général Guerassimov........http://sptnkne.ws/atPG
24/12/15
Preparations are taking place in south of the Syrian capital to take the militants of the so-called 'Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) takfiri group out of the region in the coming hours...
ReplyDeleteMain points are the AL-Hajar Al-Aswad neighborhood and some parts of the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp.
Buses were brought to evacuate ISIL the gunmen, who began two days ago to remove barriers and open roads between the Al-Hajar Al-Aswad and the Al-Qadam and Sabina areas.
Some of the militants want to go to the northern province of Raqqa, while the majority would prefer to cross into the city Mare` in the northern countryside of Aleppo.
almanar.com.lb
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has sanctioned the harvesting of human organs in a previously undisclosed ruling by the group’s Islamic scholars, raising concerns that the violent extremist group may be trafficking in body parts...
ReplyDeleteThe ruling, contained in a January 31, 2015 document reviewed by Reuters, says taking organs from a living captive to save a Muslim’s life, even if it is fatal for the captive, is permissible.
Reuters couldn’t independently confirm the authenticity of the document. U.S. officials say it was among a trove of data and other information obtained by U.S. special forces in a raid in eastern Syria in May.
“The apostate’s life and organs don’t have to be respected and may be taken with impunity,” says the document, which is in the form of a fatwa, or religious ruling, from the ISIS’ Research and Fatwa Committee.
“Organs that end the captive’s life if removed: The removal of that type is also not prohibited,” Fatwa Number 68 says, according to a U.S. government translation....REUTERS........alarabiya.net
25/12/15
Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, has allowed foreign troops to participate in the country’s military exercises next year....
ReplyDeleteThe draft law has been submitted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. A total of 239 MPs voted in favor of the decision on Friday, above the required minimum of 226 votes. "The adoption of the law will ensure the implementation of tasks in the sphere of security and defense in the entire context of fulfilling the priority foreign policy of the state," an explanatory note reads. The law will also increase the efficiency of implementing national programs on developing Ukraine’s armed forces and allow boosting financial injections to the national economy due to providing units of other states with goods or services.....http://tass.ru/en/world/846856
25/12/15
The leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party has been ousted from his post and expelled from the party, apparently for declaring support for Turkey in its row with Moscow over the downing of a Russian warplane...
ReplyDeleteLütfi Mestan, who headed the opposition MRF party which represents ethnic Turks, voiced support for Turkey's action last month in a declaration to the Bulgarian parliament in which he said that Russian military aircraft had repeatedly violated Turkish airspace.
A spokeswoman for the MRF said on that Mestan had been dismissed from his post and expelled from the party by a unanimous decision of its leadership taken at a meeting in the villa of party founder Ahmed Doğan.
"All the decisions regarding Mestan were unanimous," the spokeswoman, Velislava Krasteva, told reporters.
Doğan, a respectable elder statesman of Bulgarian politics, said during the meeting that "this would be the fate of everyone who stands up against Bulgaria's national interests.".............hurriyetdailynews.com
25/12/15
US-Botschafter belehrt Serben: Nicht Russland ist euer Freund, sondern die EU...
ReplyDeleteUS-Botschafter Michael Kirby hat in einem Medieninterview versucht, die Serben darüber aufzuklären, wer für sie wirklich ein Freund ist. Der Diplomat versteht nach eigener Aussage nicht, warum die Serben immer noch an die amerikanischen Bombardements von 1999 denken, obwohl Amerika ihnen danach eine Milliarde Dollar geschenkt habe.
Die Serben lägen falsch, wenn sie zu Russland halten, sagte Kirby in einem Gespräch mit der Zeitung „Vecernje novosti“. „Viele hierzulande denken, dass nicht die EU, sondern Russland Serbiens wichtigster Wirtschaftspartner ist“, empörte sich der amerikanische Diplomat.
„Selbst eure Medien haben berichtet, dass ihr von Russland keinen Dinar ohne Rückzahlungspflicht bekommen habt. Wir haben euch eine Milliarde Dollar Hilfe gegeben, die ihr nicht zurückzahlen müsst. Aber niemand in Serbien spricht davon, dass ihr von uns etwas außer Bomben bekommen habt“, sagte Kirby. Er empfahl den Serben, „die Dinge real zu sehen, statt mit Mythen zu leben“.......http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20151225/306778151/usa-serbien-russland.html#ixzz3vLubrgYC
25/12/15
Une coalition militaire arabo-kurde a pris samedi aux jihadistes de l'Etat Islamique (EI) un barrage stratégique de l'Euphrate, dans le nord de la Syrie, a annoncé le porte-parole du groupe...
ReplyDeleteL'EI avait pris le contrôle du barrage de Tichrine en 2014 après en avoir chassé plusieurs groupes rebelles, dont Ahrar al-Cham, selon l'Observatoire syrien des droits de l'Homme (OSDH). Ce barrage est stratégique puisqu'il fournit en électricité de vastes régions de la province d'Alep, avait indiqué l'ONG.
Les Forces démocratiques syriennes (FDS) "ont libéré le barrage de Tichrine" a indiqué à l'AFP leur porte-parole, le colonel Talal Sello, précisant cependant que "les affrontements se poursuivent dans la zone où se trouvent les logements de fonction des employés, autour du barrage".
"Nous avons libéré la région à l'est du barrage" a également indiqué le porte-parole de cette coalition, formée principalement des Unités de protection du peuple kurde (YPG) et des combattants arabes.....rtl.be
26/12/15
Erdogan refuse de lutter contre Daech tant que Assad est au pouvoir...
ReplyDeleteLa légitimité de la présidence de Bachar el-Assad suscite des doutes, a déclaré le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan dans une interview accordée à la chaîne télévisée Al-Arabiya.
La Turquie refuse participer à la lutte contre l’EI au sein de la coalition regroupant la Russie, la Syrie, l’Iran et l’Irak, a déclaré le président turc Recep Tayyip Erdogan dans une interview accordée à la chaîne télévisée Al-Arabiya.
"La Syrie, l'Iran, l'Irak et la Russie ont formé à Bagdad un quartet d'alliés et demandé à la Turquie de le rejoindre, mais j'ai dit à Vladimir Poutine que je ne pouvais pas m’assoir aux côtés du président (Bachar el-Assad, ndlr) dont la légitimité suscite des doutes", a indiqué le chef de l'Etat turc............http://sptnkne.ws/auyH
26/12/15
Türkei verspricht militärische Hilfe für Krim-Blockade...
ReplyDeleteDas türkische Verteidigungsministerium erweist einem in der Ukraine im Bestehen begriffenen Freiwilligen-Bataillon militärische Hilfe. Das sagte der Koordinator der Krim-Blockade, Lenur Isljamow, in einem Interview gegenüber dem „Krisen-Mediazentrum Odessa“.
Das Bataillon sei nach dem ersten Vorsitzenden der Regierung der Volksrepublik Krim von 1918, dem Tatarenführer Noman Çelebicihan, benannt worden und bestehe aus Krim-Tataren.
Laut Isljamow wird das Bataillon, dessen zahlenmäßige Stärke demnächst etwa 560 Mann betragen wird, zurzeit hauptsächlich durch Freiwillige finanziert, während Ankara die Einheiten mit Kleidung und Schuhe versorgt.
Das Hauptziel der Formation sei „der Schutz der Krim-Grenzen auf der Krim selbst“.
Unter anderem tritt Isljamow, der in Russland in Abwesenheit der Diversion beschuldigt wird, für eine Fortsetzung der Energie- und Lebensmittelblockade der Krim ein und droht der Halbinsel mit einer Seeblockade......http://de.sputniknews.com/panorama/20151226/306790754/tuerkei-militaerische-hilfe-krim-blockade.html#ixzz3vRtv3f8o
26/12/15
Ankara dementiert: Keine Hilfe für Krim-Blockade...
DeleteDas türkische Außenministerium weist Mitteilungen zurück, wonach Ankara einem in der Ukraine im Entstehen begriffenen Freiwilligen-Bataillon Hilfe erweisen will.
Wie der Koordinator der Krim-Blockade, Lenur Isljamow, zuvor gesagt hatte, ist das Bataillon nach dem ersten Vorsitzenden der Regierung der Volksrepublik Krim von 1918, Tatarenführer Noman Çelebicihan, benannt worden und besteht aus Krim-Tataren.
Laut Isljamow ist die etwa 560-köpfige Truppe zurzeit an der Grenze zwischen der Krim und dem ukrainischen Gebiet Cherson konzentriert und wird von Ankara mit Kleidung und Schuhe versorgt.
„Diese Äußerungen entsprechen nicht der Wirklichkeit“, wie aus einer schriftlichen Erklärung des Sprechers des türkischen Außenministeriums, Tanju Bilgic, hervorgeht......http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20151229/306851331/tuerkei-krim-blockade-dementi.html#ixzz3vj9nWVFD
29/12/15
Vienna police said on Saturday a “friendly” intelligence service has warned numerous European capitals of the possibility of a shooting or bomb attack before the New Year, pushing police across the continent to increase security measures...
ReplyDelete“Several possible names of potential attackers were mentioned, which were checked, and the investigation based on (these checks) has so far yielded no concrete results,” Vienna police said in a statement, some six weeks after 130 people were killed in militant bombing and shooting attacks in Paris.
“In the days before Christmas a warning was sent out by a friendly (intelligence) service to numerous European capitals, saying that it could come to an attack involving explosives or a shooting between Christmas and the New Year in crowded spaces,” the statement said.
Vienna police were not immediately available for further comment....REUTERS...alarabiya.net
27/12/15
Death Toll in US Southeast's Storms Increases to 18 ...
ReplyDeleteThe death toll in the U.S. Southeast climbed to 18 on Saturday after days of tumultuous weather — unusual warmth, tornadoes and torrential downpours — wreaked more Christmastime havoc.
The deaths of two people in Mississippi who had been missing since Wednesday were reported Saturday, bringing that state's weather-related fatality toll to 10.
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokesman Greg Flynn said 56 injuries were reported and 241 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Severe storms were forecast Sunday night through Monday as a strong cold front pushes through, and tornadoes were possible.....AP.......http://www.voanews.com/content/death-toll-united-states-southeast-storms-increases-eighteen/3120211.html
General ruso dice que el S-400 puso orden en el espacio aéreo de Siria...
ReplyDeleteEl despliegue del sistema de misiles S-400 en la base siria de Latakia ha restaurado el orden de inmediato en el espacio aéreo del país árabe, señaló el comandante en jefe de la Fuerza Aeroespacial de Rusia, coronel general Víctor Bóndarev, en una entrevista con la cadena de televisión Rossiya 24.
"El complejo S-400 puso orden de inmediato en el espacio aéreo de Siria", dijo Bóndarev.
El sistema, sostuvo, no solo protege las fronteras del país árabe, sino también garantiza la seguridad de los pilotos rusos que vuelan en Siria.
El general añadió que el Ejército ruso recibirá pronto los primeros sistemas antiaéreos S-500 de nueva generación.....http://mundo.sputniknews.com/orientemedio/20151227/1055276645/general-ruso-dice-que-el-s400-puso-orden-en-espacio-aereo-siria.html#ixzz3vY3dctjY
Deadly Clashes In Ukraine Despite Holiday Truce ...
ReplyDeleteUkraine's military said on December 27 that one of its soldiers and an elderly woman were killed in fighting between government forces and Russian-backed separatists despite a holiday truce between the warring sides.
Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said its observers came under fire the same day near Ukraine's government-held port city of Mariupol.
Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk told reporters that separatists attacked Kyiv's forces with light weapons, grenade launchers, machine guns, mortar launchers, and a tank in fighting centered in the village of Zaitseve, some 55 kilometers north of the separatist stronghold of Donetsk.
"Over the past 24 hours...one Ukrainian soldier was killed and another three were wounded," Motuzyanyk said.
The two sides have accused one another of violating a December 23 cease-fire set to extend through the Christmas and New Year holidays...........http://www.rferl.org/content/deadly-clashes-in-ukraine-despite-holiday-truce/27452015.html
Syria "fighters" evacuation from Zabadani 'under way'...
ReplyDeleteDozens of Syrian rebel fighters are being evacuated from the village of Zabadani near the Lebanese border under a UN-brokered deal.
A convoy of buses and ambulances has reached Zabadani to take the fighters, and some civilians, to Beirut.
The evacuation is part of a truce agreed in September covering Zabadani and two towns in the north which had been under siege from rebel forces.
About 300 families from those towns are also being given safe passage.
Also on Monday, at least 14 people had been killed and 90 wounded in two suicide bombings in the central city of Homs....BBC
28/12/15
Congressman: US-Led Airstrikes Have ‘Minimal Impact’ Against IS ...
ReplyDeleteRepublican U.S. Congressman Peter King (NY) said that while the U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq have had some impact, it has been minimal given how long the air campaign has gone on. King’s remarks Sunday on U.S. television followed a purported audio recording by IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who said U.S. coalition and Russian strikes have failed to weaken the IS group.
King, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, said Baghdadi’s statement about the 16-month U.S.-led campaign, and the three-month Russian effort, is not surprising.
"We’ve had some impact. But, unfortunately, overall, he’s probably right that after 16 months of air attacks by the US it’s had minimal impact on ISIS considering how long those attacks have been going on. As far as the Russians, they’re focusing most of their attacks on the Syrian resistance as opposed to ISIS. So, ISIS is strong. ISIS is stronger, I believe, than it was 16 months ago. They certainly have a larger land mass under their control, not just in Iraq and Syria are they significant, but they’re making great inroads in Afghanistan and, as we know, they do intend to attack the United States," said King.............http://www.voanews.com/content/peter-king-us-led-airstrikes-have-minimal-impact/3121154.html
Russland verschärft Sanktionen gegen die Türkei...
ReplyDeletePutin schlägt wieder zu: Er weitet die russischen Sanktionen gegen die Türkei aus. Grund war der türkische Abschuss eines russischen Jagdbombers. Und Putin sieht nur eine einzige Möglichkeit, die Krise wieder zu kitten.....handelsblatt.com
28/12/15
The United States welcomed the Iraqi forces' victory over ISIS in the city of Ramadi on Monday...
ReplyDelete"We commend the government of Iraq and the brave Iraqi forces who have displayed such tremendous perseverance," State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.
AFP
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is visiting Ramadi, a day after the city's liberation from the Islamic State (IS) group...
ReplyDeleteMr Abadi, who flew in by helicopter, praised commanders and toured the badly damaged city. Earlier, he had vowed IS would be eliminated from Iraq in 2016.
Mr Abadi said recapturing Iraq's second city Mosul would be the "final blow".
Reports from Ramadi say the centre of the city appears calm, but sporadic clashes are reported in some areas.
Engineering teams are clearing bombs from streets and buildings.
The retaking of the city was welcomed by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who said IS had suffered a major blow.....BBC
29/12/15
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi's convoy was targeted by rocket fire shortly after arriving in in Ramadi on Tuesday. No injuries were reported...
DeleteThe Prime Minister had traveled to the city which on Sunday was liberated from the Islamic State group, to congratulate the Iraqi forces for clinching the landmark victory against the jihadists.
Speaking under condition of anonymity, an Iraqi army officer in Ramadi told the Kurdish daily Rudaw that Abadi’s convoy came under rocket fire while talking to a group of soldiers on the city’s al-Qasim bridge.
The prime minister and his entourage were evacuated from the location, the officer said.
Earlier in the day fighters brandishing rifles danced in the Anbar provincial capital as top commanders paraded through the streets after recapturing the city lost to IS in May..........http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/97270-151229-iraqi-abadi-arrives-in-ramadi-after-retaking-of-city-from-is
29/12/15
Syrian army retook a strategic central town from the Islamic State (IS) group, after the group managed to capture it several times over the recent months, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV reported on Tuesday...
ReplyDeleteMilitary forces succeeded in recapturing the key town of Mahin and its surrounding hills, as well as its weapon depots in the countryside of the central province of Homs, according to the report.
The army units also captured the nearby town of Hawarin.
Mahin, located in the southeastern countryside of Homs, is crucial for the IS group and the government troops due to its strategic location near the international road, which is the main lifeline of the Syrian troops between the capital Damascus in the south, Homs and the northern region.
On Dec. 10, IS stormed the town, just a month after the Syrian army managed to take it from the IS hands.
Earlier in the day, the Syrian army captured Brigade 82 military base in the southern province of Daraa, pushing forward toward the strategic city of Sheikh Miskin near the Jordanian borders.............http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-12/29/content_37419411.htm
29/12/15
Saudi Arabia accuses 23 women of terrorism...
ReplyDeleteTwenty-three women have been accused of associating with Al Qaeda and the Islamic State militant group, Al-Arabiya reported on Tuesday. Sources told the news service that some of the women are currently on trial while others have already been convicted and jailed.
Official sources said that the most prominent case involved Haila Al-Qaseer, known as “Lady Al-Qaeda,” who was convicted of terrorism and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In October, Um Oweis went on trial accused of joining Islamic State and providing logistical support to terrorism via online media as well as communicating with members of the militant group and the leaders of the Al-Nusra Front through Twitter.
A further case reported by Al-Arabiya was that of “Al-Mohajira,” 25-year-old woman who was involved with militant media campaigns of Al Qaeda and Islamic State. She was charged with supporting and pledging allegiance to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, as well as inciting violence within the Kingdom as well as foreign theaters of conflict.
http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/middle-east/97349-151230-saudi-arabia-accuses-23-women-of-terrorism
30/12/15
Damaskus appelliert an UNO: Erdogans Verbrechen in Syrien ein Ende setzen...
ReplyDeleteDamaskus hat die Weltgemeinschaft dazu aufgerufen, „den Verletzungen und Verbrechen“ der türkischen Regierung gegenüber Syrien und syrischen Flüchtlingen ein Ende zu setzen. Des weiteren hat die syrische Regierung die Pläne des türkischen Präsidenten Erdogan zur Wiederbelebung des Osmanischen Reichs offengelegt.
Dem syrischen UN-Botschafter Baschar al-Jafari zufolge werden die bewaffneten Gruppierungen, die seit 2011 „den beispiellosen Terror-Kampf“ gegen Syrien führen, durch die Staaten in und außerhalb der Region sowie das „Erdogan-Regime“ unterstützt.
Der Brief an den UN-Generalsekretär und UN-Sicherheitsrat wurde am Dienstag verschickt.
„Während der Krise nahm die türkische Einmischung in innere Angelegenheiten Syriens verschiedenste Formen an, darunter der direkte Einsatz von türkischen Streitkräften durch das Erdogan-Regime bei Angriffen zur Unterstützung von Terroristen“, heißt es im Brief von Al-Jafari.
Laut dem Botschafter trug die Türkei zum Eindringen von Terroristen in Syrien bei, indem sie „Terroristen bei deren Bewegung nach Syrien und an der syrisch-türkischen Grenze mit Feuer deckte“.........http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20151230/306869511/erdogans-verbrechen-in-syrien-ein-ende-setzen.html#ixzz3vnXlI1kn
30/12/15
Russia will prohibit Turkish companies from construction, tourism, the hotel business and services for state and municipal needs from Jan. 1, the Russian government said in a resolution on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteRussia has imposed economic sanctions against Turkey after Turkey shot down a Russian military jet near the Syrian-Turkish border on Nov. 24.
todayszaman.com - REUTERS
Les attentats de Paris coordonnés en temps réel, notamment avec la Belgique...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Les auteurs des attaques du 13 novembre à Paris se sont coordonnés en temps réel au téléphone, entre eux mais aussi avec un ou des interlocuteurs non identifiés en Belgique, selon des éléments de l'enquête donnés à l'AFP de source proche du dossier.
Cette coordination avait été en partie relevée par le procureur de Paris François Molins après les attentats, qui ont fait 130 morts et des centaines de blessés. Il ressort des échanges téléphoniques, détaillés mercredi par Le Monde et dont l'AFP a également eu connaissance, que les djihadistes présents autour du Stade de France et ceux mitraillant des terrasses en plein centre de la capitale semblent se tenir informés en temps réel de leurs actions. Par ailleurs, utilisant deux téléphones différents, une ou des personnes restées en Belgique échangent des messages avec les trois commandos.....rtl.be
30/12/15
Authorities in the Belgian capital Brussels on Wednesday called off the city’s traditional New Year’s Eve fireworks display, citing fears of a militant attack...
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday, federal prosecutors said two people suspected of plotting an attack in Brussels on New Year’s Eve had been arrested during house searches in different parts of the country.
“Together with the interior minister, we’ve decided to not have the celebrations on Thursday evening,” Brussels mayor Yvan Mayeur told the state broadcaster RTBF.....Reuters...france24.com
Terrorgefahr : Brüssel sagt Silvesterfeuerwerk ab...
DeleteDie Behörden schätzen das Risiko eines Anschlags für zu hoch ein. Laut Staatsanwaltschaft wollten Terroristen "symbolträchtige Orte" in Brüssel angreifen.
Brüssel hat die Feierlichkeiten zum Jahreswechsel wegen Sicherheitsbedenken abgesagt. "Es ist besser, wenn wir keine Risiken eingehen" sagte der Bürgermeister der belgischen Hauptstadt, Yvan Mayeur. Die Lage werde weiter geprüft. Während der Feierlichkeiten zum Jahresende seien Anschläge an mehreren "symbolträchtigen Orten" Brüssels geplant gewesen, hatte die Staatsanwaltschaft mitgeteilt.
Allein zum Feuerwerk auf dem Platz De Brouckère in der Innenstadt waren mindestens 50.000 Menschen erwartet worden. Im vergangenen Jahr waren 100.000 Menschen zusammengekommen. "In dieser Situation, können wir nicht garantieren, dass wir alle kontrollieren, die zu dem Ereignis kommen", sagte Mayeur. Gemeinsam mit Innenminister Jan Jambon habe er deswegen die Entscheidung getroffen, die Feierlichkeiten ausfallen zu lassen. "Wir sind beide überzeugt, dass das große Ereignis morgen Abend ausfallen muss.".....zeit.de
30/12/15
Washington prépare de nouvelles sanctions contre Téhéran sur les missiles ...
ReplyDeleteLes États-Unis préparent de nouvelles sanctions contre des entreprises et des individus en Iran, à Hong Kong et aux Émirats arabes unis liés au programme iranien de missiles balistiques, a rapporté mercredi le Wall Street Journal.
Il s'agirait des premières sanctions prises par Washington depuis l'accord sur le programme nucléaire iranien, conclu le 14 juillet à Vienne entre les grandes puissances et Téhéran, qui a entraîné la levée d'autres sanctions.
Le ministère américain des Finances prépare des sanctions contre deux réseaux liés à l'Iran qui ont aidé à développer le programme de missiles balistiques. Ces sanctions interdiraient de faire des affaires avec les entreprises et les individus de ces réseaux, dont les avoirs aux États-Unis seraient gelés par les banques américaines.
A la mi-décembre, des experts de l'ONU avaient conclu qu'un tir d'essai de missiles balistiques par l'Iran en octobre violait la résolution 1929 du Conseil de sécurité datant de 2010. Ce texte interdit à Téhéran de mener des activités liées aux missiles balistiques pouvant porter des armes nucléaires.
Téhéran affirme au contraire que ses missiles balistiques sont purement défensifs, ne sont pas conçus pour transporter des armes nucléaires, et ne sont donc visés par aucune résolution de l'ONU.
Le ministre iranien de la Défense, Hossein Dehghan, avait déclaré que l'Iran n'accepterait "aucune limitation" dans son programme balistique.
rtbf.be
31/12/15
Terrorgefahr in drei großen US-Städten: Obama gewarnt...
ReplyDeleteDer US-Präsident Barack Obama ist vor drei möglichen Terroranschlägen über die Silvesterferien in New York, Los Angeles und Washington gewarnt worden, berichtet CNN.
Die Terrorgefahr während der Winterferien war Thema bei der Sitzung zu Sicherheitsfragen, die Obama vor seiner privaten Hawaii-Reise zusammenrief.
Die Information kam von einer Quelle und konnte bisher nicht bestätigt werden. In der Warnung gab es zudem keine Informationen über konkrete Stellen, wo Anschläge verübt werden könnten.
de.sputniknews.com
31/12/15
Syrian Air Defense Fires at Lebanese Helicopter...
ReplyDeleteThe incident, said to be the first of its kind, was spotted on the Syrian side of the Nahr al-Kabir al-Janoubi river by an NNA news service reporter.
The outlet said a probe has been opened to establish the causes of the firing.
It added that two of the helicopter’s pilots returned to the Qlaiaat air base, their condition unknown.
sputniknews.com
31/12/15
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