Tanzania gives up hope of rescuing 80 missing in Zanzibar ferry disaster
Tanzanian authorities have given up hope of rescuing more than 80 people who went missing after a ferry sank on Wednesday off the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar. Emergency workers had rescued 146 people and recovered 62 bodies, AFP reports. The vessel was officially carrying 291 passengers and crew, including more than 30 children. It went down after leaving Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam. “Search operations continue but it is now almost impossible survivors will be found,” Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina said.
North Korea to ‘review’ nuclear issue
Pyongyang said on Friday it had no choice but to “completely review” the nuclear issue and accused the US and South Korea over a plot to blow up a statue of its founding leader. The alleged plot amounted to a “war action” and ran counter to a deal under which Pyongyang agreed to dismantle its nuclear program, the North's foreign ministry said in a statement published by the KCNA news agency. The statement did not elaborate on what was meant by the review, AFP reports. The statement adds to concerns Pyongyang is planning to conduct a third nuclear test following its failed rocket launch in April. North Korea, however, said last month it had no plans "at present" to conduct such a test.
‘Pussy riot’ trial begins in Moscow
A Moscow court has begun preliminary hearings for the ‘Pussy Riot’ case concerning the punk group’s notorious guerilla performance inside Russia’s main orthodox cathedral. They face up to seven years in prison on hooliganism charges. It has been almost two weeks since the court rejected their lawyers' appeal of an earlier decision that the three should stay in jail until July 24. ‘Pussy riot’ briefly seized the pulpit of the Christ the Savior Cathedral this past February in brightly colored masks, chanting and singing a song attacking President Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church.
UN fears for safety of refugees in Syria as Iraqis evacuated by air
Tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees in Syria are increasingly feared to be targets of violence in the country, the UN refugee agency said on Friday. One family of seven was found shot dead at close range in their Damascus apartment, refugee agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said, as cited by AP. Another three Iraqi refugees also were killed by gunfire last week. Some 88,000 Iraqi refugees are registered in Syria, along with about 8,000 refugees from other nations. Baghdad has evacuated some 750 its citizens from Damascus by air since Thursday.
US urges states to watch Iranian shipping vessels flying false flags
Washington has warned global port authorities to be on the lookout for Iranian shipping vessels flying false flags or sailing under fraudulent registrations. The Treasury Department said on Thursday that Iran's state-run shipping line, IRISIL, has been caught operating vessels whose registration from other nations has been revoked as a result of sanctions. The number of such vessels has risen, and port and canal officials were asked to scrutinize the registry of Iranian vessels and take action if violations are found.
Syria national security chief dies of wounds from rebel blast – report
Syria’s national security chief has died from wounds suffered from a rebel bombing, state TV said on Friday. Gen. Hisham Ikhtiyar is the fourth member of President Bashar al-Assad’s inner circle to die in Wednesday’s bombing. The attack targeted security chiefs meeting in the national security headquarters in Damascus. Ikhtiyar died in a Damascus hospital, AP reports. Gen. Assef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister who was married to Assad’s elder sister, Defense Minister Dawoud Rajha and Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister, were also killed in the blast.
Plan of closing Strait of Hormuz gains support in Iran parliament
About half of the 290 members of Iran's parliament have reportedly backed a bill favoring the closing of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Lawmaker Javad Karimi Qodoosi, who proposed the legislation, says the key to the strait is in Iran's hands. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will make the final decision, AP said, citing officials. Tehran’s foreign minister indicated recently that such a move was unlikely. The strait is a passageway for a fifth of the world's oil.
Two bombs explode in Thailand as Ramadan starts
The start of the holy month of Ramadan in Indonesia and Thailand was marred by two bomb blasts in Thai provinces that killed one person and injured seven, officials said. In southern Thailand, where a majority of Thai Muslims live, a car-bomb detonated in the morning. The incident took place in a commercial area of Sungai Kolok in Narathiwat province. Police Col. Maitree Chimcherd blamed a group of Muslim insurgents for the homemade bomb which was hidden in a pickup truck parked in front of a computer store, AP said. On Thursday night, a roadside bomb killed a villager and wounded his companion in the woods in Yala province.
US to work ‘outside UN Council’ to pressure Syria – envoy
The United States has said it will now work outside of the UN Security Council to confront Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “We will intensify our work with a diverse range of partners outside the Security Council to bring pressure to bear on the Assad regime and to deliver assistance to those in need,” US ambassador Susan Rice said, as cited by AFP. She slammed Russia and China for vetoing a resolution threatening sanctions against Assad. Eleven of the 15 nations on the council voted for the resolution, while Pakistan and South Africa abstained.
China to hold new round of human rights talks with US
Beijing will hold a new round of human rights talks with the United States, Chinese state media has said. A new two-day round of talks will begin on Monday in Washington. After talks in April, the US envoy described the meetings as respectful in tone, but unproductive, AP reports. The two sides admit that regular exchanges have not brought any significant narrowing of differences on human rights so far.
Tymoshenko ‘won’t appear in court’ without consulting German doctors
Ukraine's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko has refused to attend court hearings of a new criminal case, the State Penitentiary Service said on Friday. The case concerns Unified Energy Systems of Ukraine's alleged financial frauds. Tymoshenko is currently serving a prison sentence after being convicted of abuse of power. She “refused to attend the court hearings, citing the necessity to consult German doctors,” the Penitentiary Service statement said, as cited by Interfax. The European Court of Human Rights will hear Tymoshenko’s complaint against her allegedly unlawful arrest on August 28.
French parliament votes to raise wealth tax
France’s parliament has voted to end tax breaks on overtime work and raise a tax on wealth, abolishing two cornerstones of the former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s economic policy. The measures were taken in a budget bill on Thursday, Reuters reports. The Socialist-dominated lower house of parliament endorsed plans to scrap the tax-free status of overtime hours from August onwards. Sarkozy came to power in 2007 with the “work more, earn more” slogan. MPs said tax breaks had encouraged firms to pay overtime instead of hiring, costing the economy between 40,000 and 80,000 jobs. The increased tax on wealth was designed to generate an extra 2.3 billion euros.
Russian police detain 4 suspects in Tatarstan attacks on Muslim leaders
Four suspects have been detained following Thursday’s attacks on Tatarstan's Muslim leaders, Russian Investigative Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin said. The head of Tatarstan’s Spiritual Board of Muslims education department Valiulla Yakupov was shot dead while walking out of his home on Thursday. Tatarstan’s Mufti Ildus Faizov was injured some 30 minutes later after three bombs went off in his car in Kazan. Those detained include the Idel-Hajj company director, the Vakf parish head and two local residents, Markin told Interfax on Friday. The attacks could have been caused by Faizov’s efforts “to put financing of the hajj under control,” Markin said.
Liberia's ex-president appeals war crimes sentence
Former Liberian President Charles Taylor has appealed the UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone's war crimes conviction that sentenced him to 50 years in jail. The ex-leader was found guilty in April of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1991-2001 civil war in Sierra Leone, for aiding and abetting "some of the most heinous crimes in human history." The former warlord was sentenced in May to 50 years in jail on 11 counts of arming Sierra Leone's rebels in return for "blood diamonds" in a conflict that claimed 120,000 lives. Taylor is the first head of state to be convicted by an international court since the Nuremberg Nazi trials in 1946.
House approves Pentagon defense budget
The US House of Representatives has passed next year's $607 billion defense bill. After two days of debate and amendments, the Republican-controlled House approved the measure in a 326-90 vote. The bill increases Pentagon base funding by roughly $1 billion, but cuts war spending. Many lawmakers have criticized the ongoing war in Afghanistan as a waste of lives and money.
Silicon Valley sees area's biggest-ever child pornography bust
The biggest child pornography bust in Northern California's history is underway in Silicon Valley, according to San Jose police. Law enforcement agents are serving search warrants at 20 homes in the area. More than 165 detectives from 30 law enforcement agencies are taking part in the operation, called "Chickenhawk." At least 20 arrests are anticipated on Thursday.
Servicemen to march in pride for first time
US servicemen will march in San Diego’s gay pride parade for the first time in American history. The Department of Defense will allow the forces to parade in uniform, making an exception to its policy which restricts the troops from marching in uniform in parades. The Pentagon has stressed that it is a one-time deal because of the national attention that the event has received.
Egypt grants 572 prisoners amnesty prior to Ramadan
Egypt's newly elected President Mohammed Morsi has issued pardons to 572 civilians sentenced in military tribunals prior to the start of the holy month of Ramadan on Friday. The pardon affects only a small fraction of the more than 10,000 civilians who have been tried and sentenced by military tribunals since a military council took over following Hosni Mubarak's ouster last year.
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