US watchdog concerned about unclear spending on Afghan army
The recent audit of US spending on the Afghan National Army revealed vague accountability in a $1,1 billion program supplying fuel. According to the document, the international coalition failed to demonstrate how much fuel is being used by Afghan security forces, raising fears that much fuel could have been lost, stolen or diverted to insurgents. The report- by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction John F. Sopko- says the program's budget should be capped until officials find out how much fuel Afghan forces actually need.
Canada to revoke 3,000 citizenships over fraud
Canada has announced it is to revoke the fraudulently obtained citizenships of 3,100 people, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said Monday. In most cases applicants are said to have bribed a representative to prove they had lived in Canada long enough to establish residency, while in fact they had been living abroad, the minister said. The deportations come as a result of a three-year crackdown on immigration fraud. The government also said it is currently investigating thousands of other cases.
Power cut hits millions of Cubans
Over 2 million people in Cuba have been affected by a major blackout. The country's capital, Havana as well as the beach resort of Varadero, were plunged into darkness after a power failure. In other areas of central Cuba electricity was out for about 20 minutes. There's been no immediate word on what caused the blackout.The country's main airport had power, whilst some up market hotels and apartments employed the use of their own generators and kept the lights on.
N. Korea accepts aid from rival South
Impoverished North Korea has accepted aid from South Korea after devastating summer floods and a drought, which have left 200,000 homeless and destroyed tens of thousands of hectares of crops. South Korea’s aid offer comes after the UN World Food Program sent a first batch of emergency aid last month.
Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for wave of deadly Iraq attacks
An Al-Qaeda front organization, the Islamic State of Iraq, has claimed responsibility for a series of 30 attacks across the country that killed more than 88 people and wounded over 400, AFP reports. The bombings and shootings were in response to an alleged “campaign of extermination and torture of Sunni Muslim detainees in Safavid prisons,” a statement posted online by the group on Monday read. The latest violence comes as Iraq’s Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, a prominent Sunni figure, was sentenced to death in absentia, though the latest assaults preceded the delivery of the verdict.
IAEA chief demands immediate access to Iran site
The UN nuclear watchdog chief is urging immediate access to Iran’s Parchin facility, where activities related to nuclear weapons development are believed to have been conducted. Yukiya Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency called on Iran to let his inspectors to enter the site without “further delay”. “We need to stop going around in circles discussing process... Iran has the obligation to fully cooperate with us,” Amano said.
Yemen claims death of senior Al-Qaeda figure
Yemen’s army has killed Saudi national Said Al-Shehri, reportedly the number two Al-Qaeda figure on the Arabian Peninsula, Reuters reports, citing the Yemeni government. Al-Shehri was allegedly involved in the kidnappings and murders of foreigners in Yemen. In 2001 he was captured on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan and sent to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, where he spent six years in extrajudicial detention.
China angered at Japan’s decision to buy disputed isles
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said that Beijing would "never yield an inch" in its territorial dispute with Japan over a group of islands, after Tokyo announced it was going to purchase the territory. Beijing summoned Japan's ambassador to China to express "strong protest" over the move. China called the archipelago “an inherent part of its territory.” The islands, which sit in an important shipping lane and are believed to harbor valuable resources, are also claimed by Taiwan.
Japanese cabinet minister found dead
A Japanese minister of postal reforms and financial services has died on Monday, AP reports. Tadahiro Matsushita, 73, senior deputy minister of economy, trade and industry, was found dead at his home in Tokyo. Police are investigating the circumstances of his death, while the country’s media say suicide is a possibility.
Thousands protest opening of India’s largest nuclear plant
Police used tear gas to disperse some 4,000 demonstrators who had gathered in India’s south to protest the opening of a nuclear power station. Activists threw rocks at police when officers tried to move them on from the beach a mile from the Kudankulam power station where they had organized a sit-in to protest the threat of radiation. The plant has faced consistent opposition and was supposed to have begun operations last year.
Afghan suicide blast kills 11
A suicide bomber detonated his explosives in a crowded area of the northeastern city of Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing 11, say local officials. In addition, 15 civilians were injured in the blast, an official told the BBC. The bomber is thought to have targeted officers who had gathered in the city to provide security for a planned demonstration.
Merkel intends to keep Greece in eurozone – Spiegel
The German Chancellor is determined not to let a “Grexit” happen, reports Der Spiegel on Monday. Germany’s leadership fears that Greece’s exit from the eurozone would cause a domino effect crisis similar to the one initiated by the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers bank in the US in 2008. "We have to find a solution," Merkel said in private last week.
S. African miner strike grows, thousands walk out
Over 15,000 workers have gone on strike at the world’s third-largest platinum mine in South Africa, following worker riots that left almost 40 people dead in August. Lonmin PLC platinum mine said that only 6 per cent of their workforce arrived at the mine on Monday morning. Disgruntled workers are pushing for a wage rise, claiming that their current salaries leave them unable to feed their families. Around 4,000 workers turned up at the mine on Monday morning armed with spears and machetes in protest.
Car bomb in Pakistan market kills at least 10, wounds 45
Officials say a car bomb has killed at least 10 and wounded 45 in northwest Pakistan. The bombing occurred on a narrow road near a market in the town of Parachinar, Reuters reports.
Kenyan ethnic clashes kill 32
The latest bout of ethnic violence to erupt in Kenya’s tumultuous southeast has left 32 people dead, said a Red Cross spokesperson. Seven police officers were reportedly among the casualties. Members of the Pokomo tribe are believed to have carried out the attack on the rival Orma group following clashes last week that left 11 dead. The clashes produced the worst death toll in a single day since 2005 in the country.
Iraqi fugitive VP rejects guilty verdict
Iraq’s Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi denounced Sunday’s guilty verdict against him by an Iraqi court as illegitimate at a press conference in Turkey. “I totally reject and will never recognize'' the verdict, he said. The guilty verdict carries a death sentence. Al-Hashemi said he will not return to Baghdad for a retrial, citing government corruption. He and his son were accused of murdering political rivals, and terror charges were brought the day following the US army’s departure in 2006. The VP immediately fled to Turkey, saying the case was merely a political vendetta by Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki.
Political cartoonist jailed in India
A political cartoonist, Aseem Trivedi, whose drawings mock Indian government corruption, has been jailed on a sedition charge. Students, opposition politicians and free speech advocates say his arrest shows the government's growing intolerance of criticism. In India the maximum punishment for sedition is life imprisonment.
Japan to buy disputed islands claimed by China
The Japanese government will buy three privately-owned islands at the center of bitter territorial row with China. The reported price is 2.05 billion yen (US$26 million). The Coast Guard will have administrative control over the islands, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said. China and Taiwan also claim the archipelago, which sits in an important shipping lane and is believed to harbor valuable resources. The US administered the islands after the WWII until 1972.
Flash floods in Pakistan kill 78
Flash floods caused by torrential rains ripped throughout Pakistan over the weekend, killing 78 and injuring 68, the country’s National Disaster Management Authority told AFP on Monday. The floods were caused by torrential rains, and have also destroyed 1,600 houses and damaged another 5,000.
Bagram prison passed to Afghan control
The US military has passed control over the notorious Bagram prison on the territory of American Air Force base just north of Kabul to Afghan authorities. Also known as Parwan, this detention facility has nearly 3,700 inmates, some of whom still remain prisoners of the US. Afghan President Hamid Karzai noted that full control of the detention facility is a matter of sovereignty for Afghanistan.
Sixteen Muslim preachers shot dead in Mali, mistaken for extremists by army
Sixteen Muslim preachers were shot dead by the Mali military while on their way to a religious conference in Bamako, the Malian and Mauritanian governments said on Sunday. Reports say that the army mistook the peaceful preachers from the Dawa sect for extremists on account of their long beards. The Malian military has been on edge since March after extremists, some allied with Al-Qaeda, attempted a coup in the capital and seized the northern half of the country. 12 nationals of Mauritania were among the dead.
Trial of Gaddafi's son delayed 5 months.
The trial of Colonel Gaddafi's son, Saif Al Islam, will be postponed for 5 months awaiting fresh evidence, according to Libya's chief prosecutors. The announcement comes after Gaddafi's former spy chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, was taken into Libyan custody on Wednesday. Authorities expect to gain additional information after interrogating al-Senussi that could be used in the trial of the former Libyan leaders son. Human rights organisations have criticised the ongoing cases against a number of ex-Gaddafi aides, questioning the ability of the current post-revolutionary government to hold fair trials. The head of the country's human rights council, Mohammed al-Alagy described the situation as "an exceptional justice system which lacks the basis of a a fair trial." The International Criminal Court has repeatedly called for those detained to be handed over, to face trial at the Hague.
Pinochet victims march ends with clashes in Chile
A peaceful march in Chile to remember victims of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, has ended with violence and a number of arrests. Dozens of masked protesters barricaded the area surrounding Santiago's General Cemetery, blocking streets and clashing with police. Officers responded with water cannon and tear gas. No injuries have been reported. The head of the Association of Relatives of Disappeared Detainees slammed the administration of current President Sebastian Pinera for its ring-wing policies, comparing it with the Pinochet regime.
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