Man takes hostages in Germany’s Karlsruhe
A man has taken hostages in an apartment in the southwest German city of Karlsruhe. Shots were fired at around 9 a.m. on Wednesday when two court bailiffs went to clear the apartment of its occupants, a police spokesman said. Police believe they are dealing with an armed man, and one person is feared dead and several injured. Officers have shut down a large part of the city around the apartment building, AP reports. Neither of the bailiffs are accounted for.
Ukrainian Parliament speaker resigns amid protests over language law
Vladimir Litvin, chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, the Rada, has asked MPs to accept his resignation. He said a vote on a bill on the country’s State Language Policy on Tuesday was held in his absence, as he was summoned to see the president. The bill widens the area of the use of the Russian language. Hundreds of opposition activists gathered in central Kiev after the vote to protest against the bill, clashing with police late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday. President Viktor Yanukovich on Wednesday summoned the country’s leadership to discuss the latest events.
11 killed in new Iraq attacks
Eight people were reportedly killed in a car bombing at a market in central Iraq on Wednesday. Some 22 others were wounded, AFP reports, citing officials and medics. A series of morning assassinations with silenced pistols in Baghdad left two police officers and a parliament official dead. The day before, attacks across Iraq killed 38. The violence came amid preparations for Shiite ceremonies on Friday to mark the birth of Imam Mahdi, the 12th imam.
Cuba's Raul Castro discusses ties with China’s leaders in Beijing
Cuban leader Raul Castro arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a four-day state visit. Cuba is China's biggest commercial partner in the Caribbean, and bilateral trade totaled $1.8 billion in 2010. Castro will hold talks with President Hu Jintao and other Chinese leaders. During his 1997 trip to China, Castro, then the defense minister, spoke approvingly of Beijing’s mixture of socialism and market liberalizations.
Six killed in northern Turkey floods
Six people, including four children, have drowned after torrential rains caused flash flooding in northern Turkey. The downpours have caused a river to burst its banks late Tuesday, AP said. Homes and shops were inundated and cars stranded in the Black Sea port city of Samsun.
Myanmar opposition take seats in parliament
Myanmar's opposition lawmakers took their seats in the nation's fledgling parliament for the first time on Wednesday. Members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) attended the new parliament session without Aung San Suu Kyi. The NLD leader, one of the party’s 37 lower house MPs, will miss the opening days as she recovers from her European tour and visits her constituency, AFP said. Parliament, which is still led by the military and its political allies, will discuss the communal violence in June between ethnic Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya, among other issues.
Al Nusra militant group claims Syrian TV channel attack
A militant group has claimed responsibility for a raid and bombing of a pro-government Syrian TV channel headquarters last week. The US-based SITE Intelligence Group said late on Tuesday that the Al Nusra Front claimed it carried out the attack in a message posted on Islamist Internet forums, Reuters reports. Al Nusra said the raid on Ikhbariya was a reaction to the channel acting as a "striking arm" of President Bashar al-Assad's government. The attack killed three journalists and four security guards and almost entirely destroyed one building.
Three killed, 21 injured in Peru protest
Three people have been killed and at least 21 injured in clashes with police and soldiers during a protest against a major mining project in the town of Celendin in Peru. At least two people were killed by gunshots to the head, health officials say. The Preuvian Interior Ministry said the protesters wounded at least two police officers during an attack on city hall. Celendin is the center of opposition to the $4.8 billion gold mining project by the US-based Newmont Mining Corporation. Protesters say the project will destroy four local lakes, and they refuse to accept a government proposal to construct four reservoirs to replace crucial sources of water in the region.
Myanmar frees 20 political prisoners
Around twenty political prisoners have been released from prison in Myanmar. The exact number of those released, as well as the number of political prisoners among them is disputed. The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper says 37 people were freed with the aim of “ensuring the stability of the state” and ensuring “eternal peace and national reconciliation.” Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s most prominent opposition figure, who had been held under house arrest for almost 15 years, says there were 46 prisoners released overall, but that only 20 of them were political. The opposition 88 Generation Students group puts the number of freed political prisoners at 24. Aung San Suu Kyi, along with other opposition members and Amnesty International, welcomed the move, but called on the government to release all political prisoners still behind bars. A military junta that ruled the country with an iron fist for over 20 years ceded power to a civilian government in 2011. The new government, headed by former regime loyalist Thein Sein, has since taken steps to liberalize the political climate in the country, freeing a number of opposition activists, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and holding competitive elections. Two months ago Aung San Suu Kyi was sworn in as an MP after winning a by-election to the country’s lower house of Parliament.
Nine injured in New Hampshire fireworks-caused house fire
A fireworks explosion set a house in Pelham, New Hampshire ablaze and left nine people, including infants, injured, police report. Firefighters arrived on the scene and managed to extinguish the fire. Two children injured in the fire have been taken to Boston hospitals for treatment.
Australian rescue ship searching for migrant-filled boat in distress
The Australian navy ship HMAS Wollongong located a boat with around 180 asylum seekers that issued a distress call early Wednesday morning, Defense Minister Stephen Smith said. The boat was found some 68 miles (110 kilometers) south of Indonesia, but poor weather conditions prevented rescuers from boarding it. Two boats carrying migrants from Indonesia to Australia’s Christmas Islands capsized over the past two weeks, resulting in around 90 deaths. On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono agreed to bolster maritime ties in a bid to curb human trafficking.
US court finds JetBlue pilot not guilty in flight interference case
A US federal court has found pilot Clayton F. Osbon not guilty of interfering with a flight crew, by reason of insanity. US District Judge Mary Lou Robinson stated that Osbon was suffering from a “severe mental disease or defect,” causing him to bust out of the cockpit and run through the plane’s cabin, yelling about Jesus Christ and al-Qaeda during a flight from Las Vegas to New York in March. The ruling came despite the fact that Osbon was recently found mentally competent to stand trial. The pilot is now to be sent to a federal mental health facility before another hearing next month determines whether he can be released without posing a safety issue to society.
Georgia chlorine gas leak poisons 56, including children
At least 56 people, including 20 children, have been hospitalized for poisoning after an 800-liter container of chlorine leaked in the town of Lilo, near the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. "The area where the accident had occurred was blocked, fire brigades, ambulances, police patrols were mobilized. Work is underway to eliminate the leakage," said a local emergency services representative. One person is in critical condition, said health minister Zurab Chiaberashvili.
Blast hits mall in Nigerian capital
An explosion has occurred at a mall in Nigeria's capital Abuja, local emergency services report. No one has been reported injured, and the building was intact following the blast. The explosion took place about a week after a bomb went off across the street, in a popular nightclub. Nigeria has seen a spike in attacks orchestrated by radical Muslim sect Boko Haram this year. However, relatively few attacks have taken place in the capital.
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