Businessman Mikhail Prokhorov has announced his plans to create the Civil Platform Party. “Today we are beginning the registration of a new political force,” he said on Monday. “This party will be very special,” he said, as cited by Interfax. Prokhorov explained the party will only have 500 members representing leaders of his presidential campaign in the regions.
Kuwaiti gets 10 years for insulting Saudi, Bahraini rulers
A 26-year-old Kuwaiti was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday after a court ruled he had insulted the Prophet Mohammed and the Sunni Muslim rulers of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on social media. Shiite Muslim Hamad al-Naqi had pleaded not guilty, saying he did not post the messages and that his Twitter account had been hacked, Reuters reports. The sentence was the maximum that Naqi could have received.
Syria releases 2 kidnapped Lebanese farmers
Syrian authorities have released two Lebanese farmers kidnapped last Wednesday by unidentified gunmen. The farmers were captured in Lebanon's north and taken across the border into Syria. Mohammed Yassin Merei and Mahdi Hamdan were released on Sunday afternoon and handed to the Lebanese intelligence at the Masnaa border crossing, the Lebanese army said, as cited by Reuters. On Monday, relatives of two other Lebanese kidnapped last month, Mohammad Ibrahim and Adnan Mohammad, blocked the Abboudiyeh road leading to Syria in north Lebanon.
Putin supports European standards for protest rallies
President Vladimir Putin welcomes the expression of protest feelings, suggesting that they can be done in a more civilized way. Norms of European laws regulating protests rallies should be introduced in the Russian legislation, Putin said at a news conference after the Russia-EU summit in St. Petersburg on Monday. These norms are democratic, but on the other hand they create certain framework for such events, he added.
Gazprom head says no contracts with China in near future
Russian gas giant Gazprom will not sign any contracts with China in the near future, the company’s CEO Aleksey Miller said on Monday. He was speaking on the sidelines of the World Gas Congress in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Interfax reports. “No contracts will be signed at the corporate level,” he said. Speaking on the South Stream project, Miller said the gas pipeline would be built in two branches at once.
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian military contractors convicted in Libya
One Russian citizen charged with assisting Muammar Gaddafi got life in prison in Libya, while another was sentenced to 10 years, the Russian embassy said on Monday. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the country’s 19 citizens were also jailed for 10 years. Three Belarusians got the same sentences for assisting the Gaddafi regime. The court found those convicted guilty of aiding the Libyan army, including preparing surface-to-air missiles intended against NATO aircraft. Lawyers will appeal the verdict.
Death toll in Baghdad suicide bombing rises to 15
A suicide attacker detonated an explosives-packed car at the headquarters of Iraq's Shiite religious endowment in central Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 15 people, according to medics. More than 35 people were wounded in the Baab al-Muadham neighborhood, media reports say, citing medical officials.
Car bomb attack targets Shiite Endowment office in Baghdad
At least nine people were killed and around 40 more wounded after a powerful car bomb exploded outside a Shiite administration office in central Baghdad on Monday. The blast targeted the Shiite Endowment office - a government-run body that looks after Shiite religious sites, Reuters reports. The headquarters and a nearby health administration office were damaged, police said.
Yemen suicide bomber kills 4 pro-government militiamen
A suicide bomber in Yemen has killed four tribal militiamen allied to the army. The attack happened in the town of Umsurra on Monday as militiamen were moving to reinforce a new army offensive against the nearby coastal town of Shaqra, AP reports. The military are advancing on the Al-Qaeda-held positions in the country's south. Yemeni warplanes continued strikes against Al-Qaeda forces in Zinjibar, the capital of Abyan province, and in the militant stronghold of Jaar.
Bolivia could nationalize all natural resources – Morales
Bolivia's leftist President Evo Morales has raised the possibility of nationalizing all natural resource-related industries. “Another policy ought to be how we recover, or nationalize, all natural resources, so they are in the people's hands under state administration,” Morales told a social summit on Sunday, as cited by AFP. Bolivia earlier nationalized some utility companies.
Hanoi opens 3 sites for war dead search as Panetta visits Vietnam
The Vietnamese government has agreed to open three new sites for excavation by the US to search for troop remains. The announcement came during a meeting in Hanoi between US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Vietnam Defense Minister Phuong Quang Thanh. They exchanged artifacts collected during the Vietnam War, including letters written by a US soldier who was killed, and a diary belonging to a Vietnamese soldier, AP reports. This is the first time such a joint exchange of war artifacts has occurred.
Venezuela captures prominent Colombian drug smuggler
Venezuela's security officials say a prominent Colombian drug-trafficking suspect has been captured. Diego Perez Henao will be turned over to Colombian authorities, Venezuelan Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said. Perez is believed to have links to Colombia's illegal paramilitary organizations and is labeled “one of the most wanted criminals in Latin America,” AP said. Perez, known as “Diego Rastrojo”, is suspected of involvement in extortion, murders and drug trafficking operations.
North Korea threatens attacks on South Korean media
Pyongyang has aimed rockets at the specific coordinates of South Korean media groups, the General Staff of the Korean People's Army said on Monday. It warned that a "sacred war" would be launched against South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and seven news agencies if Seoul does not apologize for a "vicious smear campaign" against ongoing children's festivals in Pyongyang. South Korean media called the festivities a "publicity stunt," the statement says, as cited by AP. Ties have worsened between the two Koreas in recent months.
Russian ‘trololo’ singer dies in hospital
The renowned Russian singer Edward Khil, who became an internet sensation, has died in a St. Petersburg hospital following a stroke in April. The 77-year-old singer died while in intensive care at the Russian Institute of the Polenov. Over the last couple of years Khil was catapulted to international fame thanks to a song he performed 50 years ago called "I am very happy because I finally get home." The song caught the attention of millions around the world in 2010 and became an instant YouTube hit, earning the singer the nickname “Mr. Trololo” due to the melody and style of his singing.
US drone attack in Pakistan kills 16 suspected Taliban militants
Up to 16 suspected Taliban fighters are thought to have been killed and four injured after a US drone strike targeted a militant compound in north-western Pakistan. It's the seventh attack in the last two weeks, with unconfirmed reports that some foreigners are among the dead. It follows increased tension between Pakistan and Washington, which has ignored demands to stop the use of unmanned aircraft.
6.2 quake strikes south of Panama
A 6.2-magnitude earthquake has been recorded in the Pacific Ocean south of Panama at a depth of 9.7 kilometers (Sunday 6:45 pm local time, Monday 12:45 am UTC), USGS reports. The epicenter is reported to be 346 kilometers south of the town of David and 526 kilometers south-west of the capital, Panama City. No tsunami alerts have been issued so far, and no destruction or casualties have been reported in the region at this point.
Thirty die in bus crash in Pakistan
At least 30 people were killed and over 30 others injured in a road crash in northern Pakistan when a passenger bus fell into a ravine in Pakistan's northern city of Kahuta on Monday morning. There were some 100 passengers onboard, all returning from a wedding ceremony.
Suicide attack kills 15 at north Nigeria church
A suicide car bomber has driven into a Living Faith church in a neighborhood near the airport in Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi state. The terrorist detonated his explosives as worshippers left early morning service on Sunday, AP reports. At least 15 people were killed, while over 30 sustained serious injuries. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, though it comes as Nigeria faces a growing wave of sectarian violence. Most of it is caused by a radical Islamist sect known as Boko Haram.
Two killed as deadly spiders invade Indian town
Two people have died after being bitten by spiders of an as yet unidentified species in the town of Sadiya in north-eastern India, the Daily Mail reports. Many others have been treated in hospital. Local officials are now considering spraying the town with pesticides to kill off the menace of what some scientists at the site have already described as “highly aggressive” arachnids.
Strong quake hits Italy, some damage reported
An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude hit northern Italy late on Sunday, Reuters reports. It is the same area that was affected by two deadly quakes in the last two weeks, when more than 20 people were killed and over 14,000 forced to move out of their homes. The latest shock, according to Italian media, destroyed the bell-tower of Novi di Modena, as well as a number of other buildings in the area. No casualties have been reported.
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