Four Indonesians sentenced in
people smuggling accident which killed 200
Four
Indonesian soldiers have been sentenced to up to six years in jail for a
botched people smuggling operation which tragically resulted in the deaths of
over 200. On December 17th last year an overcrowded boat heading to Australia
sank in tempestuous seas, with only four survivors. The soldiers were dismissed
from the military and fined $52,000 for their roles in the operation. A
sergeant was sentenced to six years for plotting pick-up points for the
migrants and sourcing boats to pick them up. Three other officers were
sentenced to five years for acting as lookouts. Indonesia is considered a key
transit point for people seeking to escape from their conflict-torn countries.
Many head to Australia.
Sudan, S. Sudan agree to resume
oil exports, set up buffer zone
On
Thursday, Sudan and South Sudan signed deals to secure their border, restart
crucial oil exports and boost trade. After a five-day presidential summit in
Addis Ababa, the countries’ defense ministers signed a deal to establish a demilitarized
buffer zone on their shared border, Reuters reported. The talks were brokered
by the African Union. The security arrangement will allow South Sudan to resume
oil exports through a Sudanese port in the Red Sea.
Netanyahu UN speech to set 'red
lines' for Iranian nuclear problem
When
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks before the UN General Assembly
on Thursday, he will reportedly lay down so-called the ‘red lines’ beyond which
Israel will take action against Iran for its controversial nuclear program.
Before the address, a source in his Netanyahu’s entourage said the prime
minister’s remarks would argue that Israel and the US share the joint goal of
preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Netanyahu aims to present
Israel’s position as clear-cut, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said, adding
that policy disagreements on Iran between Jerusalem and Washington will not
affect the “courageous friendship between the countries and their commitment to
one another.”
Spanish magazine El Jueves
publishes Mohammed comic
The
satirical Spanish magazine El Jueves published a comic satirizing the Prophet
Mohammed. The cover of the latest issue shows a police lineup of men in Islamic
outfits, asking, "But how do they know which one is Muhammad?" The
magazine’s editor, Mayte Quílez, told the Huffington Post that the caricature
“does not intend to portray Muhammad. It's a parody of the situation we are
experiencing. … If you can’t depict Muhammad, how do you know it is him in the
cartoons?” Spanish media reported that the country’s embassy in Egypt told
Spanish nationals in the country to take precautions following the magazine’s
publication.
UK Labor leader urges churches to
allow same-sex weddings
Plans to
allow same-sex marriage in England and Wales should be extended to religious
institutions, Labor leader Ed Miliband said. Faith groups who “want to provide
that opportunity for gay couples... should be able to do so,” he said in a
video for the ‘Out4Marriage’ campaign. “We will be pushing the government to
get on with the process for legislating for equal marriage,” Miliband said.
Leading British churches publicly opposed terming gay partnership ceremonies as
marriages. The UK Home Office also announced that religious institutions would
not be forced to conduct gay marriages.
Japan to start international PR
campaign on islands dispute with China
Tokyo
will seek support from the international community in its territorial dispute with
China over the Senakaku Islands in the East China Sea, Japanese Foreign
Minister Koichiro Gemba said. Foreign Ministry sources said that Japan will
claim the Senkaku Islands are an integral and historic part of Japanese
territory based on international law, the Kyodo news agency reported. Tokyo
will also insist that the nationalization of the islands earlier this month was
the best way to maintain stable bilateral relations with China. This PR policy
shift is aimed at countering Beijing's argument that Japan occupied islands
owned by China.
Over 1,000 Nigerian women
stranded at Saudi airport for fifth day
More
than 1,000 female Nigerian Muslim pilgrims were stranded at a Saudi Arabian
airport on Thursday for the fifth consecutive day. The kingdom denied the women
entry because they were not accompanied by men, AFP reported. The government
has not commented on the case, but the issue is reportedly being negotiated by
Saudi and Nigerian officials. The women began arriving at Jeddah airport on
Sunday. Around 171 of the women flew home to Nigeria on Wednesday.
French Interior Ministry to expel
Islamists for ‘threatening security’
France
will expel anyone who threatens the country’s security in the name of Islam, or
does not respect the nation’s secular traditions, Interior Minister Manuel
Valls announced on Thursday. France “will not hesitate to expel those who claim
to follow Islam and represent a serious threat to public order, and as
foreigners in our country do not respect our laws and values,” AFP quoted Valls
as saying. The minister made the remarks during the inaugural ceremony for a
large mosque in the eastern city of Strasbourg.
Mugabe plans to hold Zimbabwe
elections in March
Zimbabwean
President Robert Mugabe will hold elections in the country in March, court
papers announced on Thursday. The Supreme Court ordered Mugabe last month to
announce dates by the end of September for by-elections to fill 26 vacant
parliamentary seats, Reuters said. Mugabe previously appealed to the High
Court, arguing the country cannot afford to hold the elections. The country
will hold a general election in six months’ time, he said. The new timetable
could prompt tensions with his coalition partners and regional leaders, who
hoped to carry out reforms to avoid a repeat of the violence witnessed during
the 2008 elections.
Syrian conflict could displace
700,000 by year’s end, UN warns
As many
as 700,000 Syrian refugees may flee to neighboring countries by the end of the
year, up from 300,000 now, the UN’s refugee agency reported on Thursday. The
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees also warned that
the UN was "running out of time" to resolve the worsening crisis in
Syria.
300 Syrians killed in single day
– reports
More
than 300 people were killed in Syria on Wednesday, one of the bloodiest days in
the country’s 18-month uprising, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 55 people were killed in the rural areas around Damascus, the UK-based
organization said in a Thursday report. That figure included at least 40 who
were allegedly shot and killed in the town of al-Dhiyabia, southeast of the
capital, Reuters said. According to the Observatory’s report, 14 people were
killed in a rebel bomb attack on a military command center in Damascus and the
ensuing gun battle between rebels and security forces.
Australian boy survives bite of
world’s most venomous snake
An
Australian teenager survived after being bitten on his left hand by the world's
most venomous snake. The 17-year-old visited a hospital in the town of Kurri
Kurri, north of Sydney, with his friend carrying the snake that bit him in a
plastic tub, media reports said. The snake was later identified as the toxic
inland taipan, which is considered to have venom potent enough to kill 100
adult men. The serpent is native to the arid deserts of central Australia.
Police suspect the snake may have been an illegal pet. The youth is reportedly
in stable condition, with doctors reporting that a treatment of anti-venom was
crucial to his survival.
Mexico arrests ‘El Taliban’ drug
kingpin
Mexican
law enforcement officials announced the arrest of drug kingpin Ivan Velazquez
Caballero, nicknamed ‘El Taliban.’ Caballero had a $2.4 million bounty on his
head, and was one of 37 people on Mexico’s most wanted list for the drug war
launched by President Felipe Calderon’s government in 2006. The arrest, carried
out by Mexican Navy marines in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico, dealt a
serious blow to the nation’s biggest drug cartel, Los Zetas, RIA Novosti
reported. Velazquez helped found Los Zetas in 2010, which became Mexico’s
biggest drug cartel by the end of 2011, with operations in Mexico City and 16
of the country’s 31 states.
‘Alternative Nobels’ winners announced
On
Thursday, American scholar Gene Sharp, a developer of techniques for nonviolent
revolutions, Sima Samar, an Afghan doctor whose organization provides
healthcare and education for the poor, and Britain's Campaign Against Arms
Trade were announced as the winners of the 2012 Right Livelihood Awards. They
will share the 150,000 euro ($195,000) cash prize for an award known as the
‘Alternative Nobels,’ the AP said. An honorary prize was awarded to Turkish
environmentalist Hayrettin Karaca, the co-founder of an international movement
that combats soil erosion and protects natural habitats. The awards were
founded in 1980 by Swedish-German philanthropist Jakob von Uexkull to salute
work he believed was ignored by the Nobel Foundation.
Germany’s jobless rate falls to
6.5 percent
In
September, Germany’s unemployment rate fell to 6.5 percent, 0.3 percentage
points lower than the previous month, the country’s Federal Labor Agency
announced. Some 2.788 million Germans were jobless in Europe's biggest economy
in September, down from 2.905 million in August. When adjusted for seasonal
factors, the rate remained steady at 6.8 percent, the AP reported. The total
number of unemployed workers also rose slightly over August’s number. The
current jobless rate is 0.3 percentage points less than September 2011’s rate.
Greek coalition holds new
austerity talks
On
Thursday, Greece’s governing coalition will again attempt to reach consensus on
a proposed set of harsh austerity measures tied to a vital rescue loans from
the European Central Bank. On Thursday, the day after more than 50,000
anti-austerity protesters took to the streets of Athens, Prime Minister Antonis
Samaras met with the leaders of his coalition’s two center-left partners, the
AP said. Greece committed to enact $14.8 billion in cuts for 2013 and 2014,
along with tax reform measures meant to save another $2.6 billion. So far, the
three party leaders failed to agree on an austerity program. Athens must
present its final proposal next week to representatives of the ECB.
China blasts Japan PM’s hardline
stance on islands
On
Thursday, China hit back at the Japanese prime minister for his statement that
Tokyo would not compromise in the ongoing territorial dispute over islands in
the East China Sea. PM Yoshihiko Noda said the previous day that the islands
are an “inherent part of our territory, in light of history and international
law.” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Qin Gang said Beijing “is strongly
disappointed and sternly opposes the Japanese leader’s obstinacy regarding his
wrong position,” the AP reported. “The country seriously challenges the
post-war international order, but tries to take the rules of international law
as a cover. This is self-deceiving,” he said in a separate statement.
Saudi forces kill two men in
Shiite village
Saudi
forces shot and killed two men, one of whom was wanted in connection with
unrest in the country's Shiite Eastern Province, the Saudi Interior Ministry
said. Khalid Abdulkarim al-Labad was tracked down to a house in Al-Awamiya, a
Shiite town in the Qatif district, AFP quoted a ministry spokesperson as saying
late on Wednesday. “When security forces tried to arrest the wanted man, he and
the armed men accompanying him opened fire on security forces, who dealt with
the situation,” the spokesperson said, adding that Labad and “one of his
companions were killed while two of the gunmen with him were wounded and the
third was arrested.” Saudi Arabia has witnessed sporadic protests since 2011,
mainly in Shiite towns in the Eastern Province.
New Zealand agency apologizes for
spying on Megaupload founder
A New
Zealand spy agency apologized after acknowledging it broke the law by spying on
to Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom. The Government Communications Security
Bureau, which is authorized to monitor foreign nationals only, spied on the
German-born Dotcom after he became a New Zealand resident in 2010, according to
a report released by Prime Minister John Key on Thursday. The agency was acting
at the behest of US authorities, who are trying to extradite Dotcom over
alleged violations of copyright law. On Thursday, Key said that he was “very
disappointed” the agency failed to understand its legal obligations, the AP
reported.
Man who found Gadaffi dies from
wounds
The man
who has been credited with finding former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has
died aged 22 from injuries sustained following the fall of the Gaddafi
government. Omran Ben Shaaban’s body was flown back to Libya by private jet on
Tuesday from France, where he’d been receiving medical attention after being
kidnapped, shot and tortured by supporters of the late dictator in city of Bani
Walid in July. According the deceased's brother, the family has never received
the promised $800,000 reward for turning in Gaddafi.
Sudan and South Sudan avert war
The
leaders of Sudan and South Sudan have agreed to set up a demilitarized border
zone and reopen the oil trade after holding four days of negotiations aimed at
preventing another war. The agreement will be signed in Ethiopia on Thursday.
In January, South Sudan stopped oil exports through Sudanese pipelines over a
disagreement regarding transit fees. The resulting lost oil revenues threatened
the fragile economies of both nations. The unsettled question of a series of
border zones claimed by both sides will be discussed in the near future. South
Sudan became independent last year as part of a deal that ended Sudan's long
civil war.
Japan won't back down over
disputed islands
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