Egypt military blames Brotherhood for releasing poll results early
The ruling military council in Egypt has blamed the Muslim Brotherhood for raising tensions in the country by releasing election results early. The council says announcing the results before an official statement was “unjustified” and caused divisions plaguing the political situation, AP reports. Tens of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday supported the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate for president Mohamed Morsi.
France calls on Syrian army to desert en masse
The French Foreign Ministry called on Friday for the Syrian military to desert en masse. Paris addressed the armed forces a day after a Syrian air force colonel defected and landed his MiG fighter in Jordan. The defection “leads us to call on members of the Syrian army and security forces to continue these defections, these desertions,” spokesman Bernard Valero said, as cited by AFP. He called on the Syrian soldiers no longer to obey “the Damascus regime's criminal orders.”
London bus workers strike demanding Olympic bonuses
London bus workers have staged a one-day strike demanding a bonus for working during the Olympics. The workers want a $780 premium for working during the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, AP said. A High Court judge granted an injunction stopping a strike by workers at three bus companies, citing balloting irregularities. Staff at 17 other bus firms walked out on Friday, and only 24 per cent of buses were running on the network, which usually carries 6 million passengers a day.
Damascus says ‘terrorists’ kidnap and kill 25 in Aleppo province
Syrian state television reported that armed militants kidnapped and killed 25 people in Darat Azzah village in Aleppo province on Friday. “Armed terrorist groups committed a brutal massacre against 25 citizens in Darat Azzah,” the statement said, as cited by Reuters. More people were missing, according to the report.
Head of Syrian Olympic Committee denied visa for London Games
General Mowaffak Joumaa, the head of the Syrian Olympic Committee, has reportedly been refused a visa to travel to London for the Olympic Games. The application has been refused because of his links to President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the BBC said. The final decision was made at a recent meeting of senior officials from the Home Office, Foreign Office and Department of Culture, Media and Sport. The refusal must be ratified by the International Olympic Committee.
Gaza militants fire two rockets into Israel
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets that hit Israel on Friday, a military spokeswoman said. The rockets, which struck southern Israel, did not cause casualties or damage, AFP reports. On Thursday, 12 rockets and mortar rounds hit Israel, and another was intercepted by Israeli forces. Since Monday, 132 rockets and mortar rounds have been fired at Israel. A truce declared by the Hamas movement ruling Gaza on Friday entered its second day.
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Bolivian commandos stage mutiny over higher wages
About 30 members of an elite Bolivian police commando unit have mutinied along with their wives in La Paz on Thursday. They expelled their commanders and seized their barracks just 100 meters from Bolivia's presidential palace to demand higher wages, AP reports. The protesters want salaries on a par with soldiers and a pension equal to 100 per cent of their salaries. Bolivian police earn about $144 a month. They were not appeased by a 7 per cent wage increase this year. An additional 500 police across the capital have reportedly joined the protest.
Saddam Hussein’s ‘nephew’ seeks asylum in Austria – reports
A man claiming to be the fugitive nephew of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein has requested asylum in Austria. He was reportedly picked up by police in a routine identity check, media reports say. The 42-year-old, identified as Bashar N., and two other Iraqi men admitted they had flown to Austria with fake passports and that they are seeking asylum. One of the men later told Austrian police he was a nephew of Saddam Hussein. The man has been on a wanted list since 2006, AFP reports. The alleged nephew has been brought to a secret place as a protective measure.
Eight killed, 50 wounded in Baghdad market blasts
At least eight people were killed when two roadside bombs exploded in a market in Iraq's capital on Friday, police said. More than 50 people were wounded, Reuters reports. The attack was the latest in a wave of bombings this month that have targeted mainly Shiite Muslim pilgrims and religious sites.
UN says plans to set up field offices in Syria hampered by violence
Violence in Syria is hampering UN efforts to expand aid operations and help more than 1 million people, a UN official said on Friday. Robert Watkins, UN Development Program representative in Lebanon, said plans to set up field offices in four of the worst-hit areas in the country were facing obstacles. “Increasing violence has made it extremely difficult to establish the field presence,” Watkins told Reuters. Humanitarian deliveries continue, though not at the pace the UN hoped and “as required by the needs,” he added.
Nigerian troops arrest Christmas bombing suspect
Nigerian troops have arrested a suspect in the Christmas Day bombings that killed at least 44 people, state media say. Habibu Bama was arrested in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, following a shootout with the military joint task force. He has been shot and wounded, AFP reports. Bama, a suspected member of Islamist group Boko Haram, had been wanted in connection with the deadly Christmas attack on a church in Madalla, near Abuja.
Pakistan to hold early polls as ruling party nominates Ashraf for PM
The ruling Pakistan People’s Party has said parliamentary elections will be held this year, earlier than expected. Also on Friday, the party nominated its senior leader Raja Parvez Ashraf for prime minister. The parliament is expected to vote on Ashraf's candidacy later in the evening. He is reportedly facing a probe by the National Accountability Court for alleged corruption in rental power projects during his tenure as power minister. The Supreme Court on Tuesday disqualified Yousuf Raza Gilani as prime minister as he failed to initiate a corruption probe against the president.
South Korea says war games with US meant to warn Pyongyang
South Korea and the US are holding live-fire drills meant as a “warning” against North Korean aggression. South Korea's Defense Ministry said the maneuvers are to deter a North Korean attack. Friday's one-day drills south of the Korean border involve fighter jets, attack helicopters, armored vehicles and 2,000 allied troops, AP reports. Pyongyang calls the drills preparation for war. Monday is the 62nd anniversary of the start of the three-year Korean War that ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.
Vietnam rejects Chinese protest over island claim
The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has rejected a protest lodged by China to the Vietnamese ambassador over a new maritime law adopted by the Vietnamese National Assembly. The law reasserts Vietnam’s claim over the Spratly and Paracel islands in the South China Sea. Both countries claim the territories and station garrisons on the islands. A number of skirmishes have taken place between the two countries. Vietnam and China have traditionally been seen as adversaries, despite having very similar political systems that combines Communist party rule and the free market. The countries fought a bloody war over control of Kampuchea in 1979.
US Justice Department sues polygamy-practicing towns
The US Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, claiming that the towns’ Marshall’s Office and utility entities have and continue to violate the federal Fair Housing Act by denying residents that are not members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) housing, police protection, as well as access to public spaces and services. Most residents of the towns are members of FLDS, an offshoot Mormon sect that still practices polygamy. Its leader, Warren Jeffs, was arrested in 2008 on child sex and bigamy charges and has been in prison since. However, he is said to maintain considerable clout over the sect’s members. Mainstream Mormonism advocated polygamy until 1890, when it rejected the practice as a condition of Utah becoming a US state.
Assange: No guarantee Ecuador asylum bid will succeed
Julian Assange said he does not know whether his plea for political asylum in Ecuador will be granted. Australia’s refusal to intervene in his planned extradition from the UK to Sweden was an "effective declaration of abandonment," Assange told ABC radio. "We had heard that the Ecuadoreans were sympathetic in relation to my struggles and the struggles of the organization with the United States," he said. He added, though, that there is no guarantee that his bid will be a success. Assange also said he didn't know when to expect a decision on his case.
Army court denies public access to Manning case
The Army Court of Criminal Appeals at Fort Belvoir has denied a request for public access to Bradley Manning’s case records. The ruling was issued on Thursday. The petition seeking access to court records was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights on behalf of WikiLeaks. The group is planning to appeal the ruling to the military's highest court. Manning is facing 22 charges related to leaking classified US government documents to WikiLeaks. Manning was arrested in May 2010 in Iraq, where he was working as intelligence analyst for the US Army.
Oil prices reach 18-month low
Prices for August Brent crude reached $89.23 a barrel, dropping 3.7 per cent, the lowest showing for front month Brent since December 2010. This came against a backdrop of global stock drops, and commodity price drops. The dollar, in the meantime, grew and posted its biggest gain against foreign currencies in over three months. The bearish activity came a day after the US Federal Reserve announced it was continuing Operation Twist, a program aimed at stimulating investment by lowering long-term interest rates. Analysts say investors were disappointed as they had hoped for a more aggressive policy.
Moody’s downgrades 15 major banks
Moody’s Investors Service has downgraded credit ratings of 15 large international banks, including Credit Suisse Group AG, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan and Barclays. “All of the banks affected by today’s actions have significant exposure to the volatility and risk of outsized losses inherent to capital-markets activities,” Moody’s Global Banking Managing Director Greg Bauer said in a statement. Moody’s said its review reflects the banks’ reliance on fragile confidence in funding markets and increased pressures from regulation and a difficult market environment. On February 15, the ratings company had said it was reviewing the grades of 17 banks.
Paraguayan President impeached by lower chamber of Parliament
Fernando Lugo, the President of Paraguay, has been impeached by the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the National Congress. The opposition-controlled Chamber voted 76-1 to impeach Lugo for his role in a violent clash between landless farmers and police that left seventeen dead last week. The vote on whether to commence an impeachment trial is now headed for the country’s Senate. Both chambers are largely controlled by the opposition Colorado Party. Lugo, a former Roman Catholic bishop, became Paraguay’s first non-Colorado President in over half a century in 2008. Winning the election on a leftist platform, Lugo promised to redistribute land held by the rich few to landless farmers, a promise that critics say Lugo largely failed to implement.
US to provide Yemen with additional $52 million aid
The United States government is planning to give $52 million in aid to Yemen, which is engulfed in an internal conflict with al-Qaeda, Raj Shah, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development, said. The money will be directed towards the southern provinces of Lahj, Abyan and Aden, the areas most affected by the conflict. A local branch of al-Qaeda has been controlling parts of areas in the south of the country since last year, when the Yemen was immersed in a civil war between supporters and opponents of then-President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since Saleh left power in February this year, the United States has been supporting Yemen in its fight against al-Qaeda with drone strikes and aid money.
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