Kyrgyz drug control service plans to inspect US Transit Center cargo
The director of the Kyrgyz State Drug Control Service has proposed inspecting supplies handled by the Transit Center, a former US airbase deployed at Manas Airport outside the capital Bishkek. “The issue of cargo inspections ought to be raised when a decision on the Transit Center's future is adopted,” Vitaly Orozaliyev told MPs on Tuesday, as cited by Interfax. He said Kyrgyz authorities had discussed the issue with the US.
Eight soldiers killed in Armenia-Azerbaijan border incidents
Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of killing five soldiers in a border incident. Four soldiers repelling an attack by “Armenian saboteurs” were killed in the volatile section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the Azeri military say. They say the incident occurred on Tuesday when “a group of Armenian commandos unsuccessfully attempted to infiltrate” positions of Azerbaijan’s armed forces in the Ghazakh region. Another soldier, they claim, was killed by fire from the Armenian side. Baku earlier refuted accusations of a shoot-out on Armenian territory on Monday that Yerevan says killed three Armenian soldiers and wounded several others.
No talks between Moscow, US on al-Assad ouster – Russian Foreign Ministry
Russia is not in negotiation with the US on the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said on Tuesday. “No, we are not conducting such negotiations,” he said, as cited by RIA Novosti. A delegation of the US State Department will arrive in Moscow this week to discuss the Syrian conflict. Bogdanov also said that the issue of turning the UN observer mission in Syria into a peacekeeping mission is not on the agenda at present.
Beijing, Moscow ‘on same page’ regarding Syria – China
Both China and Russia are against foreign intervention or forced regime change in Syria, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said on Tuesday. “Both sides oppose external intervention in Syria and oppose regime change by force,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “China and Russia have been playing, in their own way, a positive role in the Syrian issue.” President Vladimir Putin has arrived in China to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Soldier found alive near Kazakh frontier post, where 14 guards died
A soldier from the Arkankergen frontier post in Kazakhstan's southeastern Almaty region, where the bodies of 14 border guards were found earlier, has been found alive. “He arrived at the post on his own yesterday,” a regional administration source told Interfax on Tuesday. “He had a pistol. He apparently had a nervous breakdown. He is in a stupor.” The border guard said he had been hiding in a nearby winter hut. On May 30 guards from the Sary Bokter frontier post in the Usharal district found the nearby Arkankergen border post destroyed by fire and its personnel dead. Kazakh Interior Minister Kalmukhanbet Kasymov said hazing could be behind the deadly incident.
Pakistan conducts successful test of Hatf VII cruise missile
Pakistan on Tuesday successfully tested a fifth nuclear-capable missile in weeks. The Hatf VII cruise missile has a range of 700 kilometers. It can carry conventional warheads and has stealth capabilities, according to the military. India launched a new long-range Agni V missile over six weeks ago.
9 Chinese, 2 British sailors rescued as yacht sinks off Philippines
Nine Chinese and two British sailors have been rescued after their yacht sank in rough waters near the Batanes islands off the Philippines’ northern tip. The rescued sailors were taken to Manila harbor on Tuesday, AP reports. They had been picked up by a Hong Kong cargo ship on Sunday. The Tipsy Frenz yacht was sailing from Hong Kong to Taiwan as part of a race when strong winds from a typhoon capsized it.
Pakistan drone strike targeted ‘Al Qaeda deputy’ – US officials
The US drone attack that killed 15 people near Pakistan’s Afghan border on Monday was targeting Al Qaeda’s second-in-command Abu Yahya al-Libi, the US army has said. It is unclear whether he was among the people killed during the strike on a suspected militant compound in North Waziristan. The Pakistani government has strongly condemned the attack and dubbed it as “illegal.”
Russian ATR-42 plane makes emergency landing in Siberia
An ATR-42 plane of Russia's NordStar air carrier made an emergency landing at the airport of Krasnoyarsk on Tuesday morning. Nobody was injured, Itar-Tass reports. The airliner with 46 passengers and four crew members onboard was on a flight from Krasnoyarsk to Turukhansk. The air carrier's commander took a decision to return to the airport soon after takeoff, when a signal was received that one of the engines could be on fire.
North Korea threatens to strike South Korean media
North Korea has threatened to attack South Korean media with high-precision strikes, using coordinates obtained from the country’s military, the South Korean newspaper Tona Ilbo reports. An open letter from the general staff of the Korean People’s Army accuses the South Korean media of negative propaganda, especially their comparison of the nation’s new leader Kim Jong-un to Adolf Hitler. The daily also reports that North Korea has been “bombarding” its southern neighbor with criticism since April, when the closed country celebrated the centennial of its founder, Kim Il-sung. The South Korean Defense Ministry said it was ready to respond to any North Korean provocations.
New Zealand signs partnership agreement with NATO
New Zealand has signed a partnership agreement with NATO. The agreement states that the country can cooperate with the alliance on issues such as terrorism, military training and intelligence. Prime Minister John Key, who was in Brussels for the signing ceremony, says the deal builds on a relationship that goes back to 2003, when New Zealand first sent troops to Afghanistan. About 145 New Zealand troops remain in Afghanistan, but are set to pull out next year. The agreement comes as New Zealand seeks a non-permanent spot on the UN Security Council for 2015-2016.
Former President Clinton says Romney would be ‘calamitous’ for US
Former US President Bill Clinton said a Mitt Romney presidency would be “calamitous” for the nation and believes that President Barack Obama has earned a second term because of his handling of the economy. Clinton’s remarks came after he helped raise some $3.6 million for the Obama campaign at three New York fundraisers. Earlier, Clinton said Romney had a “sterling” business record, an assertion that undermined the Democrats’ criticism of Romney’s decisions at the private equity firm Bain Capital. Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was US President from 1993 to 2001. His wife Hillary Clinton ran against Obama in the 2008 primary season, but later came to support the Democratic nominee and became his Secretary of State.
China not protecting Assad – UN ambassador
China’s ambassador to the UN, Li Baodong, has told reporters that his country is not trying to protect the Syrian regime and has called on all sides to implement the six-point peace plan issued by international envoy Kofi Annan. Li also stressed that what China really wants is for the Syrian people to decide on the destiny of their country and for Syria’s sovereignty to be safeguarded. On Friday China and Russia voted against a resolution approved by the UN Human Rights Council which condemned last month’s massacre in Houla and called for an independent investigation. Li argued that while China believes in the need for such an investigation, his country also wants to hear more information from the nearly 300 UN observers currently in Syria. Kofi Annan is scheduled to brief the UN General Assembly on Thursday and is later set to attend a closed Security Council meeting on the matter.
Merkel open to creation of European banking authority
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is open to establishing a European banking authority as a long-term solution to the eurozone’s financial crisis. Merkel was holding a meeting with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Berlin ahead of an emergency conference call between G7 finance ministers and an EU summit on the matter later in June. Both Merkel and Barroso welcomed the idea of a more integrated banking and fiscal union between the eurozone economies. Germany had been lukewarm on the idea of creating a central banking authority over fears it could eventually lead to them bailing out weaker countries in the eurozone. Merkel and German officials had been adamant that the funds from the European Stability Mechanism, due to be launched in July, were not to be transferred directly to national banks unless the EU obtains supervision rights over them.
Costco to pay $3.6 million under settlement with California DAs
Retail giant Costco is set to pay $3.6 million for alleged environmental violations under a settlement with Californian district attorneys, which has been approved by a local judge. The settlement stems from a civil case in which Costco was accused of violating state laws for the safe storage and handling and disposal of hazardous waste. Prosecutors said the violations took place throughout the state from 2007 to 2012. The settlement includes civil penalties, as well as costs and funds for environmental projects.
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