Sudan police use teargas to stop protests
Sudanese police fired volleys of teargas at worshippers trying to demonstrate after Friday prayers. Hundreds of Sudanese protesters left the Imam Abulrahman mosque in the Omdurman suburb of Khartoum, only to be driven back inside by teargas, Reuters reports. “From the moment they left the mosque, the police fired teargas,” witnesses say. Small-scale anti-austerity protests have swept through Sudan over the past three weeks. Demonstrators have called for the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, in power for 23 years, to resign. Sudanese police and security forces routinely crush any signs of dissent.
Russian parliament votes for “foreign agents” bill
The State Duma on Friday passed in the first reading controversial amendments to the law on non-governmental organizations. The legislation stipulates that any politically active NGO funded from abroad will be labeled as a “foreign agent.” Such NGOs will have to be registered at the Justice Ministry in a separate register and assigned the status of an organization “performing the functions of a foreign agent.” The legislation proposed by United Russia deputies was supported by 323 deputies, with four MPs opting to vote against it.
Pakistan to scan all NATO supplies
Pakistani customs officials will scan all containers passing through Pakistan to supply NATO troops in Afghanistan to ensure they do not contain ammunition and weapons. “We scanned the containers randomly in the past, but now every container will be duly scanned,” Karachi customs spokesman Qamar Thalho said on Friday, as cited by AFP. Islamabad reopened overland routes to NATO convoys earlier this week. The move followed a US apology for the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in an airstrike last November.
Ex-RAF member convicted in 1977 killing in Germany
A former member of the Red Army Faction has been convicted as an accessory to the 1977 murder of West Germany's chief federal prosecutor. The Stuttgart state court on Friday sentenced Verena Becker to four years in prison, AP said. Becker originally was accused of playing a leading role in the fatal ambush of prosecutor Siegfried Buback, his driver and a bodyguard. But prosecutors later called for her to be convicted as an accessory. Becker, 59, testified that she was “never involved in concrete preparation” for the attack. The two-and-a-half years she already served in jail will count as time served.
Insurgents say Syrian army takes rebel stronghold in north
Syria's army took control of the rebel stronghold of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Idlib province on Friday, an insurgent spokesman said. “The Free (Syrian) Army withdrew from the town last night after it ran out of ammunition,” Abu Hamam said, as cited by Reuters. The takeover was reportedly preceded by an assault on the town backed by helicopters. Khan Sheikhoun is a town of more than 70,000 people, which straddles the western highway linking Damascus to Aleppo.
‘Friends of Syria’ states to boost aid to opposition
A meeting of over 100 countries on Syria has agreed to massively bolster aid to the Syrian opposition. “The participants decided on a massive increase in aid to the opposition,” AFP cited the gathering’s final statement as saying. Some participants will supply the Syrian opposition with “means of communication to allow them to communicate more safely… and to protect themselves within the framework of their peaceful activities,” it reads. The opposition Syrian National Council pressed the meeting for a no-fly zone over Syria. But the US, European and Arab countries were expected to focus on economic sanctions.
Kuwaiti emir reappoints former prime minister
Kuwait's emir, Sheik Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, has reappointed the former prime minister following his resignation earlier this week. The emir’s decree calls for reinstated Prime Minister Sheik Jaber Al Hamad Al Sabah to designate members of Cabinet. The earlier resignation of the government was seen as a procedural formality after a court ruled in late June that parliamentary elections held in February were unconstitutional. After Sheikh Jaber selects a 15-member Cabinet, Kuwait’s ruler is likely to dissolve parliament and call new elections.
Defecting Syrian general on way to Paris – French FM
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Friday that a Syrian “senior official” and commander of the Republican Guard had “defected and is on his way to Paris.” The ministry confirmed that Fabius was referring to Brig. Gen. Manaf Tlass. He was considered a close friend and contemporary of President Bashar al-Assad. His father, Gen. Mustafa Tlass, was defense minister from 1972 to 2004, acting as a key ally of Hafez al-Assad, the father of the current leader. It is not known if the defecting general will join an international meeting on Syria being held in Paris.
Air strikes kill 3 militants in Yemen - military
Yemeni air strikes killed three Al-Qaeda fighters and wounded seven in the country's south, Yemeni military officials say. The strikes by Yemen's air force this week were part of an ongoing offensive. The raids targeted militants in the border between Abyan and Shabwa provinces, AP reports. The US has been helping Yemen in the army’s offensive against Al-Qaeda in the south of the country. Earlier this week, a suspected US drone strike killed two Al-Qaeda fighters.
Finland ‘would rather exit euro’ than pay for others - finance minister
Finland would consider leaving the eurozone rather than paying the debts of other states, Finnish Finance Minister Jutta Urpilainen said in a newspaper interview on Friday. Finland is committed to being a member of the eurozone, the minister told Kauppalehti daily. But AFP quoted her as saying that “Finland will not hang itself to the euro at any cost and we are prepared for all scenarios.” Finland would not agree to an integration model in which countries were collectively responsible for other states' debts and risks, she stressed.
Libyan parties rally ahead of first post-Gaddafi poll
Libyan political parties held their last rallies before the first national elections following the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. On Saturday, people will vote for the 200-member transitional parliament. The Alliance of National Forces, led by secular-leaning former premier Mahmoud Jibril, the National Front, which emerged from a Gaddafi-era opposition movement, and Islamist groups all brought their supporters together, AP said. The 24-hour campaign ban takes effect on Friday.
Syrian National Council calls for humanitarian corridors, no-fly zone
The head of the main opposition Syrian National Council has called for a no-fly zone in the country. “All steps have to be taken to establish a humanitarian corridor and a no-fly zone,” Abdel Basset Sayda said on Friday. He claimed that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad “is about to fall,” AFP quoted him as saying. The SNC head was speaking at an international meeting on Syria in Paris.
China detains 802 for alleged child trafficking
Chinese police arrested 802 people on suspicion of child trafficking, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said on Friday. It also said 181 children were rescued in a major operation spanning 15 provinces, AP reports. The recent operation broke up two trafficking rings, and the ring leaders were arrested. The national operation was set up earlier this year. State media also reported that parents wishing to sell their babies could find potential buyers through a clinic in north China's Hebei province.
Hollande: ‘Bashar al-Assad must go’
French President Francois Hollande has called for stiffer sanctions against the Syrian government and more support for rebels. “Bashar al-Assad must go,” Hollande said, speaking at the start of the meeting of Western and Arab states in Paris on Friday. Assad’s resignation is “in the interest of Syria, of its neighbors and everybody who wants peace in the region,” the French president said. During the previous international meeting on Syria in Geneva, world diplomats did not resolve differences over the role Assad should play in a political transition. Hollande also urged participants at the gathering in Paris to agree to step up humanitarian aid to Syrians.
Gunman who killed four in Karlsruhe was French national – police
The gunman who shot dead four hostages during a flat eviction and then killed himself in Germany’s Karlsruhe on Wednesday was French, police said. The 55 year-old man was originally from the Alsace region, according to a police spokesman. It is not clear whether the gunman also had German nationality. The property he had been living in with his 55-year-old partner was sold off in April, and the imminent eviction had “shaken his personal existence,” investigators say.
US opposes S. Korean plan to restart whale hunting
The US says it doesn't support a South Korean plan to restart whale hunting. Seoul earlier said it would revive whaling for “scientific purposes.” Russell F. Smith, deputy assistant secretary for International Fisheries at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Thursday the US didn't believe that killing whales is necessary for scientific research. He added that the South Koreans wanted to hunt Minke whales, which are in danger of extinction, AP reports. South Korean says it needs to study the whales' fish consumption as their growing population “is reducing” stocks of fish.
Pena Nieto's win in Mexico presidential election officially confirmed
The official count of Mexico's presidential election has confirmed the victory of Enrique Pena Nieto. With just over 99 per cent of the ballot boxes counted, Pena Nieto had more than 38 per cent of the vote, AP reports. Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is in second place was with more than 31 per cent. Pena Nieto, who reportedly has a lead of more than 3.3 million votes, is seeking to return the former autocratic ruling party to power after a 12-year hiatus. Lopez Obrador is likely to challenge the count by the country's electoral authority as the candidate alleges Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party was engaged in vote-buying.
Two Libyan oil terminals forced to close
Two oil terminals in eastern Libya were forced to halt production for 48 hours by a group of federalism supporters, AFP reports. “The pumping and loading of oil has been stopped,” said a supervisor at a major oil terminal in the port town of Ras Lanuf. He added that workers decided to comply with the group’s demands to avoid an "escalation." The Libyan pro-federalism movement had threatened earlier to boycott and sabotage the first Libyan elections since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The movement demands an equal allocation of seats in the 200-member national assembly due to be elected on July 7.
Philippine official dismissed over Facebook photo
Provincial Philippine information officer Maynardo Valdez was accused of gross misconduct and dishonesty and dismissed after Facebook photos showed him attending a high school reunion at an island resort when he was supposed to be at work. According to a Philippine Information Agency chief, Valdez was absent four days last year. He did not respond to calls from his superiors and when they tried to contact him through Facebook, they saw pictures of him at the reunion.
Nigeria plane crash victims’ families begin receiving compensation
Nigerian airline Dana Air has begun compensating the families of those killed in a plane crash last month. Each family is expected to receive up to $100,000. Nine families have received deposit payments of $30,000 so far, and will later get $70,000 more, an airline spokesman said, adding that 67 other claims are currently being processed. The Dana Air plane crashed into a two-story building in a densely-populated neighborhood of Lagos on June 3, killing all 153 people onboard.
Argentine ex-dictator sentenced to 50 years for baby-stealing
Argentina's former military ruler Jorge Rafael Videla has been found guilty of stealing babies during the country's so-called Dirty War, between 1976 and 1983. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison for systematically stealing babies from political prisoners and giving them new identities in order to remove any trace of the country's opposition. Videla was tried along with Gen. Reynaldo Benito Bignone, who has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. A former senior commander in the Argentine Army, Videla became the de facto President of Argentina after a coup that deposed then-President Isabel Martinez de Peron in March 1976.
UN renews peacekeeping mission in South Sudan
The UN Security Council renewed a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan for a second year on Thursday. "South Sudan and the Sudan currently stand at a crossroads and this is a defining moment for both countries," said UN chief Ban Ki-moon, adding that South Sudan needs to “cultivate constructive relations with the Sudan." The UN mission in South Sudan was created in July 2011. Since their separation, the two states have repeatedly clashed over a disputed border and oil fields located in the region.
Judge sets Zimmerman $1 million bail
A Florida judge has set a $1 million dollar for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch member accused of killing an unarmed black 17 year-old. A previous bail of $150,000 was revoked last month after prosecutors accused Zimmerman of misrepresenting his wealth to obtain a lower bail bond and potentially flee.
Assad’s general and friend flees to Turkey
A member of Assad’s inner circle and a brigadier in the Republican Guard, Manaf Tlas, has reportedly fled Damascus and was in Turkey en route for Paris, Reuters reports. Tlas could not be reached for comment but several sources confirmed his defection. A witness in Damascus, who spoke to Reuter anonymously, said Tlas's house in the Syrian capital had been ransacked by security agents. Tlas’s father Mustapha served as defense minister under Assad's father for 30 years.
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