Sunday 12 August 2012

Submariners World News SitRep

US warship collides with oil tanker in Persian Gulf

The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter collided with the Panamanian-flagged Japanese-owned oil tanker MV Otowasan early Sunday, the US Navy said. Nobody was injured in the incident, which happened near the Strait of Hormuz at the month of the Persian Gulf, which is crucial for world crude oil transportation. The American warship is part of the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet.

Kidnapped Saudi diplomat released in south Yemen - source

Al-Qaeda-linked militants have released a Saudi Arabian diplomat who was kidnapped in southern Yemen, Reuters quoted tribal source as saying. The release was completed after tribal mediation efforts, the source said. Abdallah al-Khalidi, the Saudi deputy consul in the Yemeni port city of Aden, was abducted in March. The kidnappers threatened to kill Khalidi in May unless a ransom was paid and Al-Qaeda prisoners were freed from Saudi jails. No further details were provided.

UN chief unveils new initiative to protect oceans

­The United Nations chief has announced a new initiative to protect oceans from pollution, over-fishing and to combat rising sea levels which threaten hundreds of millions of people. The new initiative is called the Oceans Compact and it sets out a strategic vision for the UN to work more effectively to turn around the dangerous state of world’s seas, stated UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In his speech the UN chief highlighted the grave threat from pollution, excessive fishing and global warming. He also called for action to curb piracy and irregular sea migration.

Qatar grants Egypt $2 billion as central bank deposit

Qatar has granted Egypt two billion dollars in financial support, AFP quotes Egyptian state news agency MENA as saying. The announcement was made Saturday after Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met with Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi. The report said that Qatar has decided to deposit the sum in the Central Bank of Egypt. The central bank's reserves have fallen dramatically since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak. Reserves are at a low of $14.4 billion, compared to $36 billion a year-and-a-half ago.

Indian police clash with Muslims over earlier unrest

Demonstrations against religious riots turned violent in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai, leaving two people dead and 52 wounded. Thousands of Muslim protesters clashed with police, throwing rocks and burning TV broadcasting vans. They were protesting media coverage of last month's outbreaks of violence in Assam state, saying it was biased against the Muslim victims. The series of incidents claimed at least 53 lives and caused some 400,000 people to flee their homes.

NY police shoot dead knife-wielding man near Times Square

A man was fatally shot by police officers near New York City’s landmark Times Square on Saturday. Police say officers tried to stop him as he was running away from them swinging a knife. He repeatedly refused orders to drop the weapon and was threatening bystanders. The police confirmed that the man was killed but would not comment on how many shots the officers fired. The department did not immediately provide a description of what prompted the shots, The New York Times says.

Armed men attack peacekeepers in Sinai Peninsula

­Armed men opened fire on peacekeeping troops in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula on Sunday. According to Reuters, who cited local security sources, the incident took place on the border with Israel. It comes one week after the onset of an operation against militants in the region. The attackers are believed to be responsible for last Sunday's assault on Egyptian border guards, which killed 16 people.

US lawmakers urge Bahraini king to free Nabeel Rajab

­Nineteen members of the US Congress have addressed the King of Bahrain in a letter urging him to release prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, AP reports. Rajab, the president of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, is serving a three-month jail sentence for making anti-government statements on Twitter. In a letter sent to King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on Friday, the lawmakers acknowledged that the kingdom has taken reforms since last year’s uprising but stressed that Rajab’s prosecution runs “counter to the government's assurances that individuals will not be prosecuted for peaceful political speech.”

4,700 people evacuated over fires on Canaries

­More than 4,700 people have been evacuated as wildfires rage on Spain’s Canary Islands, AFP reports citing regional officials. Hundreds of hectares were in flames on Saturday on La Gomera and Tenerife islands with fire threatening the Garajonay nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The firefighters are battling "high temperatures, low humidity and wind" that fanned the flames, said regional economy minister Javier Gonzalez Ortiz. "The fires are still burning on three fronts," an emergency services spokesman stated earlier. "There is no positive change for the moment." Garajonay is home to rare subtropical forests, which covered the Mediterranean region tens of millions of years ago but have now largely disappeared.

US drone kills at least three civilians in Somalia

­At least three civilians were killed and 15 others injured on Saturday in an attack by a US drone in Somalia. Two missiles were fired at a base of the Somali rebel group al-Shabab, also hitting a civilian area. US officials claim unmanned aircraft are targeting militant bases, but authorities have reported civilian deaths in the latest series of drone attacks in Somalia this week.

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