Syria government ‘in control of chemical weapons’ – Israel
The Syrian government is “in full control” of its chemical weapons stockpiles, a senior Israeli defense official said on Tuesday. “The worry, of course, is that the regime will destabilize and the control will also destabilize,” Amos Gilad, told Israel Radio. “At the moment, the entire non-conventional weapons system is under the full control of the regime,” Reuters quoted him as saying. On Monday, Syria said it could use its chemical and biological weapons only in case of foreign intervention.
American civilian killed in Afghanistan – embassy
An American civilian who reportedly worked as an electrical engineer in northern Afghanistan has been killed by gunmen, according to the US embassy and Afghan officials. The engineer "working in Afghanistan for about 30 years" was shot on Monday by gunmen, AP reports. The American was reportedly riding in a mini-bus in northern Parwan province. There were two or three gunmen, who also killed two Afghans, the driver and one of the man's colleagues. The American had been dressed in Afghan clothes and had a long beard, said Shirin Agha, the police chief in Parwan's Siahgerd district.
Five militants killed in Yemen air strikes
Yemeni warplanes killed at least five Al-Qaeda-linked militants in overnight air strikes in the southern Abyan province, a security official said on Tuesday. The attacks late on Monday concentrated on the al-Mahfad area, AP reports. Militants took refuge there after they were driven out from strongholds in the city of Zinjibar and the town of Jaar. In the capital Sanaa, on Monday night, gunmen fired at the car of Yahya al-Arasy, press secretary to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Al-Arasy escaped unharmed.
Syria opposition ‘to accept transition led by regime figure’ – SNC
The Syrian opposition would be willing to accept a transition led temporarily by a member of the ruling regime, the Syrian National Council said on Tuesday. The SNC insists that President Bashar al-Assad must step down. “We would agree that to the departure of Assad and the transfer of his powers to a regime figure, who would lead a transitional period,” SNC spokesman Georges Sabra told AFP. He compared the possible way of transition to “what happened in Yemen.”
Gunmen attack NATO supply trucks in northwest Pakistan
Gunmen in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday attacked a convoy of container trucks carrying supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan. One of the drivers was killed, AFP said, citing officials. The attack took place near the market in Jamrud town on the outskirts of Peshawar, the main city in the northwest. Two armed men riding on a motorbike reportedly opened fire on a container carrying supplies for NATO troops. This was the first such attack since Pakistan reopened its border to NATO convoys three weeks ago.
Two more Israeli protesters set themselves on fire
Another two Israeli protesters have set themselves on fire, as the number of self-immolations rises to four over the past 10 days. A 40-year-old Israeli male set fire to himself in the town of Netivot on Monday, Press TV said. Earlier the same day, another Israeli man, ignited himself in front of a police station near the Ofakim area, according to police. Both Israelis reportedly faced financial problems. Wheelchair-bound Israeli veteran Akiva Mafa’i set himself on fire at a bus stop in Yehud, about 15 kilometers of Tel Aviv, on Sunday, after a dispute with Israeli authorities. He survived with serious burns to most of his body. Another protester, Moshe Silmon, died of burns sustained after self-immolation in Tel Aviv 10 days ago.
Tajik troops attack suspects in killing of security service general
Tajikistan forces launched a helicopter-assisted operation in the Gorno-Badakhshan autonomous province on Tuesday against the people suspected of assassinating a National Security Committee general. Abdullo Nazarov, who headed the regional branch of the committee, was murdered last Saturday. Investigators have blamed members of criminal groups controlling the local tobacco market, Interfax said. The streets in Khorog, the province's main city 520 kilometers southeast of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, were deserted as the operation started, apparently the largest of its kind in the country.
US general accused of opposing Afghan hospital abuse probe
Two retired US military officers are telling Congress that the American general Lt. Gen. William Caldwell IV opposed an inspector general's investigation into terrible conditions and corruption at the main Afghan army military hospital. The general led NATO's training mission in Afghanistan and is now head of the Army North command and senior commander of Fort Sam Houston in Texas. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Caldwell could be called to testify in a future hearing, AP reports. Media reports had said that patients at the hospital were starving to death, while corrupt doctors and nurses demanded bribes for food and basic care. A committee witness, retired Air Force Col. Schuyler Geller, confirmed the poor treatment and corruption at the hospital.
Floods in Nigeria: 35 victims
No fewer than 35 people have died as a result of floods and landslides caused by heavy downpours in Nigeria. Another 25 people are considered missing. A dam near Nigerian town of Jos was washed out and the water flooded into the residential quarters. The Red Cross representative in the region reports that around 200 houses were destroyed.
Syrian activists kidnapped in Lebanon
Several Syrian opposition activists have been taken hostage in Lebanon, Itar-Tass reports citing Lebanese media. The activists were kidnapped by the Saraya al-Mukhtar as-Sakafi group, which demands the release of 11 Lebanese Shiite pilgrims taken hostage by the Syrian Free Army outside Aleppo in May. Earlier a Syrian Free Army representative said the hostages would be freed only after the ouster the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
Missouri declares state of emergency over drought
The midwestern US state of Missouri has declared a state of emergency due to a severe drought and high temperatures, which have already caused 25 deaths there, Reuters reports. "The high temperatures and dry conditions across the state are taking their toll on Missourians," Governor Jay Nixon said in a statement on Monday. "Our farmers are suffering tremendous losses in crops and livestock, and we're seeing more heat-related deaths and emergency room visits, particularly among seniors." The drought is the most expansive in the United States in more than half a century.
95 killed in China floods
Mass flooding across China has killed 95 people and wounded 45 others since torrential rains began on Friday. Drownings, housing collapses and electrocutions caused most of the deaths. It is thought that Beijing alone has suffered about $1.5 billion in damage. Large-scale rescue operations are underway across the country after what has been described as the worst rains in six decades. An estimated six million people are believed to have been affected across China.
Blast near Chinese Consulate in Pakistan injures two
A blast near the Chinese Consulate in southern Pakistan's port city of Karachi injured at least two people Monday. An explosive was planted on a motorbike parked near the building. No one has yet taken responsibility for the attack. On Saturday, 10 people died and 16 were injured when a suicide bomber struck a military compound in the northwest.
Four French nationals die in Spanish wildfire-related incidents
Forest fires blazing through northeast Spain have killed four people and left 24 others injured. A French man and his teenage daughter died yesterday when they tried to scale down a cliff into the sea to escape the flames in the Catalonia region. They were separated from other tourists running from the inferno in a coastal town on the border with France. Another Frenchman, aged 64, suffered severe burns and died on Monday. A 75-year-old man, also French, died from a heart attack in Llers, near Figueres. The fires currently cover an area almost twice the size of Manhattan, and are the worst the country has seen in more than 20 years.
First female US astronaut dies at 61
Sally Ride, the first American woman to travel into space, died Monday aged 61 following a battle with pancreatic cancer, her foundation said. Ride first went into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983. US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama offered their condolences, saying they were “deeply saddened” by the news. "As the first American woman to travel into space, Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model," Obama said in a White House statement. "Sally’s life showed us that there are no limits to what we can achieve, and I have no doubt that her legacy will endure for years to come." Ride’s journey followed the 1963 flight by Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, who became the world’s first woman to go into space.
No comments:
Post a Comment