More
than 20 people were injured in a collision between a ferry and another vessel
in waters near Hong Kong, AFP reported. The survivors were rushed to a local
hospital with various injuries. A search and rescue mission was launched for
around 80 other people missing in the incident near Lamma Island.
Japan adopts harsh
anti-downloading law
A
controversial anti-piracy law went into effect in Japan on Monday, AFP
reported. Internet users caught illegally downloading music and films now face up
to two years in prison, along with a fine of up to $25,000. The new legislation
was the result of a lobbying campaign by Japan’s music industry. Internet
piracy has been against the law in Japan since 2010, but the crime did not
carry any penalties until now.
US embassy advises Americans to
avoid rallies in Tbilisi
The
American embassy in Tbilisi advised US citizens to avoid areas where political
rallies will be held following the Georgian parliamentary elections. One
political organization announced a demonstration at the city’s Freedom Square,
with the number of attendees anticipated to be in the “hundreds of thousands,”
the embassy said. Similar demonstrations “will continue to occur in and around
Tbilisi and throughout the country today and for the foreseeable future,” it
said. The embassy also warned that “even demonstrations that are meant to be
peaceful can become violent and unpredictable,” and advised Americans in the
country to pay attention to local news media reports.
Serbia may ban gay rights parade
over violence fears
Serbian
authorities are mulling a ban on a gay rights parade and other public
gatherings in the capital of Belgrade this weekend, as ultranationalists may
attempt to disrupt the rally in a repeat of events of two years ago. “So far we
have received only partial security assessments and we may ban the parade if it
proves a high-risk gathering,” Reuters quoted Prime Minister and Interior
Minister Ivica Dacic as saying on Monday. Authorities outlawed last year's
parade for the same reason. Dozens were injured during the city’s 2010 gay
rights parade in violent clashes between police and ultranationalists.
Russia denies involvement in
Syria-Turkey plane incident
The
Russian Foreign Ministry slammed “rubbish” reports by TV channel Al Arabiya
alleging that Moscow was involved in the destruction of a Turkish warplane over
Syria in June 2012. “We feel embarrassed even to comment on this rubbish, but
we have to, unfortunately,” ministry spokesperson Aleksandr Lukashevich said on
Monday, Interfax reported. Lukashevich claimed that a number of Arab media
outlets have disseminated mistruths about the ongoing violence in Syria.
Greek labor unions plan more
strikes for October
Greek
labor unions are reportedly planning new anti-austerity strikes for October. An
auditor’s report is expected this month that will be decisive in the country’s
bid for a new injection of money into its cash-starved economy. The latest
round of cuts, affecting pensions, healthcare and defense, are required for
Greece to receive its next tranche of vital bailout loans from the EU and IMF.
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Greece to enter year 6 of
recession as govt submits budget
Greece
faces its sixth consecutive year of recession with a predicted economic
contraction of 3.8 percent in 2013, a draft budget submitted to parliament on
Monday reported. The Greek economy is expected to shrink by 6.5 percent in
2012, the AP said. Unemployment is also predicted to rise to 24.7 percent in
2013, from an average of 23.5 percent in 2012. The proposed budget leaves the
Greek government in the red despite spending cuts and tax hikes over the past
two years.
German prosecutors shelve probe
of Nazi wartime massacre in Italy
An
investigation of 17 former Nazi soldiers who were part of a unit involved in a
wartime massacre in Italy was shelved due to a lack of evidence, German
prosecutors in Stuttgart said Monday. The evidence found was not enough to
demonstrate that former members of the 16th SS-Panzergrenadier Division
‘Reichsfuehrer SS’ played an active role in the 1944 killing of more than 500
civilians in the Tuscan village of Sant'Anna di Stazzema, the AP said. Murder
and accessory to murder are their only charges for which the statute of
limitations has not expired. The prosecutors failed to prove the eight suspects
still alive were involved in the massacre, and identify their specific roles.
Somali government troops retake
Kismayu
On
Monday, hundreds of Somali government troops and allied militia fighters
deployed in the center of the port city of Kismayu, a former stronghold of
Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab. “We have sent 450 [troops] to patrol the
town and settle in the police headquarters,” Reuters quoted Mohamud Farah,
spokesperson for government forces in the southern Juba regions as saying. It
was not known whether Kenyan troops, as part of an African peacekeeping force,
had also entered the city center.
Death toll from September insurgent
attacks in Iraq rises to 365
The
Iraqi government reported that the death toll from militant attacks sweeping
the country more than doubled to 365 in September, compared to 164 deaths in
August. The latest fatality figures for the attacks included 182 civilians, 95
soldiers and 88 policemen, and were the country’s highest in more than two
years. The bloodiest single day was September 9, when more than 100 people died
in bomb and gun attacks across Iraq. September's attacks also injured 683 people;
64 insurgents were killed during the same period.
UK
terror suspect Babar Ahmad fights extradition to US
Babar
Ahmad, accused of fundraising for terrorists, launched challenge in the UK’s
High Court to halt his extradition to the US. Ahmad was detained in Britain in
2004 on a US warrant on accusations of running websites used to raise money for
terrorists, and for supplying terrorists with gas masks and night-vision
goggles, the AP said. Ahmad has not gone to trail for the charges in Britain.
After a European court decision last week cleared the way for the extradition
of Ahmad and four other terror suspects, two of the suspects filed challenges
at Britain's High Court.
Syria fighting spreads in
Aleppo's Old City – opposition activists
Shootouts
erupted in several areas of the Old City of Aleppo, Syria, a world heritage
site, opposition activists said on Monday. Last week, rebels announced a
renewed attempt to seize the city, as government forces occupy most of the
large medieval citadel in the heart of the Old City, Reuters reported. Rebels
claimed to control 90 percent of the Old City, but are struggling to maintain
their foothold. UNESCO reported that five of Syria's six world heritage sites
have already been damaged in the ongoing conflict.
Japanese PM reshuffles Cabinet,
appoints 10 new ministers
Japanese
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda reshuffled his Cabinet for the third time this
year on Monday. The premier appointed ten new ministers to the 18-member government,
the AP said. Koriki Jojima was named finance minister, Seiji Maehara as
national policy minister and Makiko Tanaka as education minister. Key positions
in defense, foreign affairs and economics and trade will not be changed. Noda
is expected to call parliamentary elections in the coming months.
Egypt doctors in 540 public
hospitals go on strike
Egyptian
doctors at 540 state hospitals began a partial strike on Monday to demand
better pay and working conditions. About 40 percent of the country’s public
health services have been shut down, the doctors’ union said. Emergency and
intensive-care units will continue to operate, AFP reported. Representatives
from the union met with President Mohamed Morsi last week, but failed to resolve
the doctors’ demands.
Iraq reaches highest oil exports
in over three decades
Iraqi
oil exports rose to an average of 2.6 million barrels per day in September, the
highest since 1979, Iraq's oil ministry announced on Monday. Iraq, home to the
world's fourth-largest oil reserves, overtook Iran to become OPEC's
second-biggest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, Reuters reported. Crude oil
exports from the northern city of Kirkuk were boosted after Iraq’s central
government and the autonomous Kurdistan region resolved an oil payment dispute
last month.
Bangladesh govt vows to protect
Buddhists after Muslim riots
On
Monday, hundreds of Bangladeshi Buddhists began to return home in the wake of
Muslim rioting in southern villages. The government vowed to protect the
country’s Buddhists, and deployed army soldiers, paramilitary border guards and
police in the troubled areas near the southern border with Myanmar, the AP
reported. Some 1,000 Buddhist families fled their homes following attacks late
Saturday. Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir reported that security officials
detained 166 people in Cox's Bazar and the neighboring Chittagong district.
6 Cambodian farmers killed by old
anti-tank mine
Six
Cambodian farmers were killed after their tractor ran over an anti-tank mine
left over from the country’s 1980s civil war. One of those killed in
northwestern Battambang Province was a 12-year-old child, AP quoted district
Police Chief Khum Soy as saying on Monday. Two other people were seriously
wounded by the blast. The workers were driving home from a market. An estimated
four to six million land mines and other unexploded materiel remain in
Cambodia.
Peru hosts South American-Arab
summit
Thirteen
heads of state and government officials from Latin America and the Arab world
met in the Peruvian capital Lima for the third Summit of South American and
Arab Countries (ASPA), scheduled for Monday and Tuesday. This forum of the
ASPA's 34 member-states aims to promote South-South business cooperation. The
agenda also includes political issues, such as the ongoing internal conflict in
Syria, its effects on its Middle East neighbors and the wave of violent
protests sparked by an anti-Islamic film.
13 killed in suicide bombing of
NATO patrol in Afghanistan
On
Monday, three NATO soldiers, an Afghan interpreter and at least nine civilians
were killed in a suicide bomb attack against a foot patrol in the volatile
eastern Khost province, the coalition said. A suicide bomber wearing a police
uniform attacked US soldiers patrolling the city of Khost, Reuters said, citing
witnesses. A NATO spokesperson confirmed that the attack was a suicide bombing.
The bombing came after two Americans were killed on Sunday in an apparent
misunderstanding that led to a shootout with Afghan forces.
Iran unblocks Gmail, prepares new
‘filters’
Tehran
removed online blocks on Gmail on Monday, allowing users unrestricted access to
their accounts for the first time since September 24. The secure-protocol
version of Google search was also unblocked, AFP reported. The Gmail ban was an
“involuntary” consequence of the censoring of Google's YouTube video-sharing
site, Mohammad Reza Miri, a member of the ministry tasked with filtering the
Internet in Iran said. The ministry is working to create new filters to block
YouTube under the HTTPS protocol while leaving Gmail accessible. Iran blocked
YouTube in mid-2009 amid opposition rallies protesting the reelection of
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
S. African commission opens
Marikana mine deaths inquiry
A
commission ordered by South African President Jacob Zuma began its inquiry into
an August 16 incident where 34 people, mainly striking miners, died during
clashes with police. The investigation and hearings on the Marikana mine deaths
aim to determine the culpability of platinum mining company Lonmin, the police
and rival mining unions NUM and Amcu. The independence of the commission “is
guaranteed,” local media quoted spokesperson Jacob Skhosana as saying.
US drone kills 2 in Pakistan –
officials
A
suspected US drone strike killed two men in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan
border, Pakistani intelligence officials said. A missile reportedly hit men
riding a motorcycle near the town of Mir Ali in North Waziristan on Monday. The
unidentified men appeared to be foreign nationals, the AP said. The US is
continuing its drone strikes in the region after Washington and Islamabad
failed to agree on a joint military operation in North Waziristan.
Three NATO soldiers killed in
Afghanistan bombing
A
suicide bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan killed three NATO soldiers on
Monday, the US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The
incident was an attack against an ISAF patrol in the city of Khost, AFP
reported, citing an Afghan police spokesperson. Several civilians were also
killed, he said.
Parliamentary polls open in
Georgia
Voters
in Georgia headed to the polls for the country’s parliamentary election on
Monday. President Saakashvili’s party is being challenged by an opposition
coalition headed by the billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili. A day earlier,
up to 200,000 people took to the streets of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi for what
was likely the city’s biggest rally in history. The crowds expressed support
for the opposition party and chanted anti-Saakashvili slogans. Saakashvili
maintains a controversial role in his country’s history, with some calling him
an effective reformer, and others accusing him of being an authoritarian
dictator.
USAID stops work in Russia
USAID
responsible for funding non-governmental organizations is ceasing its
operations in Russia on Monday, after President Vladimir Putin said the mission
had been interfering in Russia’s internal affairs. In September, Russia called
for United States Agency for International Development to stop its work in the
country by October 1. USAID has been active in Russia for over 20 years
sponsoring issues such as at-risk youth and pressing public health issues like
tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Moscow told the USAID to halt its activity, accusing
the agency of attempting to manipulate the election processes in the country.
Kenyan navy shells Somali port -
reports
The
Kenyan navy has reportedly shelled the Somali port of Kismayu after al
Qaeda-linked rebels claimed they had abandoned the city. It was earlier
reported that al Shabaab rebels had fled their last stronghold, and source of
revenue for the group, after an assault from the sea followed by an attack by
ground and air forces late on Friday night. However, there are conflicting
reports that the police headquarters and the radio station are not yet under
the control of the African Union forces, the Kenya Defense Force told Reuters.
The shelling from Kenyan warships allegedly targeted the remaining pockets of
extremist resistance in and around the city.
3 dead in extremist bomb attacks
in Nigeria
At
least 3 people were killed and several injured in a series of bomb explosions
in Zaria, Nigeria. The first bombing killed three when it struck soldiers of
the Joint Task Force (JTF) as they stormed buildings allegedly inhabited by
suspected members of Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group. Unconfirmed
reports claimed that residents were warned in advance to evacuate their homes
ahead of the military operation. Another blast on Sunday targeted an Islamic
boarding school in the city. Two of the suspected perpetrators of this bomb
attack were shot dead by security forces, and three injured victims were taken
to a hospital.
At least four dead, scores
wounded in Syria suicide blast - state media
At
least four people have been killed and scores wounded in a suicide blast in
Qamishli, Syria, state media reports. A suicide bomber blew-up the car and
himself near offices of the security forces, potentially targeting a police
station in the city. Activists say the death toll could yet rise as some 15
people sustained "serious wounds." This is the first terrorist attack
in Syria's mainly Kurdish city in the country’s northeast, since the conflict
began over 18 months ago.
Chavez would vote for Obama
Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez said that is if he was American, he would vote for Barak
Obama in November’s U.S. Presidential election. In a televised interview Chavez
also said he believes Obama is a “good guy” and would still vote for him if he
was a Venezuelan. Both leaders face elections in the coming weeks. Relations
between two countries have been tense for years. "I wish we could begin a
new period of normal relations with the government of the United States,"
Chavez told the Televen channel.
Two dead, one injured in Florida
charity ride shooting
Two
people have been shot dead and one injured at a Florida Veterans of Foreign
Wars post, Winter Springs Police said. The incident happened just ahead of the
charity motorcycle ride on Sunday morning. An unknown number of men came in and
began shooting while the riders were eating breakfast before the start of the
ride. Police have detained several people and confiscated a number of weapons.
The charity ride was intended to raise money for injured bikers.
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