Category Archives: World News

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Tribal rebellions speed up fight to overthrow Yemen President

The battle to remove the Yemeni President Mr. Saleh has intensified with the main group pushing for the removal fighting to enter to the capital Sanaa.

On Thursday there was an intense fighting between the Yemeni military and the tribesmen who are loyal to the Sadeg al-Ahmar at the outskirt of the capital Sanaa. Hundreds of tribesmen were seen making their way through the capital. They were waged at Hasaba which is a neighborhood of Sanaa by Yemeni security forces. Already Hasaba is subjected to intense bombardment by the Yemeni military. There is report of high causality in the battle, it is reported that dozens of people were killed.

The battle was brought nearer to the Yemen airport and the tribesmen were reported pushing their way towards the capital. The battle is gradually spreading across the other parts of the country. In Taiz which is located in the southern part of the country, soldiers fighting for the government had opened fire on peaceful protesters who were calling for an end to the government of President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The protest in Taiz had been on for some few days now and it is reported that at least 25 people have lost their lives as a result of the attack by the soldiers.

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President Assad fails to check unrest in Syria

There seems to be no end to the crisis in Syria as protest has increased despite the heavy crackdown by the government. The protests in the country have entered the third month and the government could not quell the uprising in the country. The human casualties of the crisis have continued to increase. The number of casualties always increases on Fridays because protesters are normally joined by worshipers after the Friday prayers. Last Friday 12 people were reported to have died, this number is lower than the figures of casualties that are reported on Fridays. However the intensity of the protests is increasing.

It was reported that the Syrian army has carried out an attack on two tribal towns Telbiseh and Rastan. The two towns were close to the town of Homs. The soldiers used tank to shell Rastan. More than 40 people have already lost their lives as a result of the attack. There were several arrests made in that city by the soldiers. The road leading to Alepo the second largest city in Syria was closed also communication was cut off.

The unrest is now spreading to the entire country which means that all the strategies put forward by the government is not working. Instead of abetting the protest it is fuelling it.

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Syrian military raid kills two children, 40 people in Homs

At least 42 people two of whom were children were killed Wednesday when the Syrian military raided city of Homs as part of the campaign by President Assad to quell the three months uprising in his country demanding he steps down from power.

The latest casualty list was released by human rights group in the country.
The government used tanks against the civilian population living in the city of Talbiseh, Al-Rastan and Teir maalar where there was heavy demonstration against the government last weekend. So far the casualties in those towns invaded by the military last weekend is not yet known but there is a report that the government has arrested large number of people around the neighborhood where the civil unrest took place.

Soldiers have invaded the town of Homs and there is heavy fighting going on in the city. In the town of Hajar al-Khateeb at least 10 people were killed when the army opened fire on school bus that was carrying school children from the town of Hajar al- Rastan to Homs. Also 4 people were killed when Syrian soldiers invaded a home in Al-Rastan.

The Syrian state owned television reported that about three soldiers have so far lost their lives in the operation. The figure could be much more than that.

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Yemen unrest forces global diplomates to flee

The situation in Yemen is gradually tilting towards civil war. There was a fierce battle between soldiers and tribesmen as they fight for the control of key positions in the capital. These have caused many diplomats to board plane and flee out of the country.

The concentration of the fighting is now in the capital Sanaa and several other cities and there are worries that the battle could engulf the whole country.

Yemen soldiers moved in to fight the opposition groups which comprise of tribesmen, Islamic militants and militias. These groups are fighting the government in addition to the popular uprising in the country which is demanding for regime change in the country.

There was heavy fighting around the state owned television which was strongly fortified by security forces. The security forces opened fire against the tribesmen who are supporting Hamid al-Ahmac who is the strongest opponent of President Ali Saleh.

Heavy fighting between the tribesmen and Yemen security forces busted last week because of the refusal of president Saleh to sign a peace deal. That was the third time the president is refusing to sign that deal. With the movement of tanks and armored vehicles into the capital it appears that Saleh wanted to use maximum force to crush the tribesmen. Such a move could be counter productive.

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Afghan president urges NATO to avoid interruption

Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has addressed a press conference where he admonished NATO forces in his country not to allow it to be seen as an occupying force by the people they wanted to protect.

He said on Tuesday that if the rate of civilian casualties in NATO attack continues the people of Afghanistan will no longer see the force as an ally but as an occupying force even as he warned that he would take an unspecified action if the civilian casualties are to continue.

He said that they would no longer allow NATO to raid homes in pursuant of insurgents adding that the patients of the people on such tactics had expired. He said that if that happen they will see NATO no longer as an ally but as an occupying force.

The outburst of Mr. Karzai is to distance himself from the western troops who had been in the country for almost a decade fighting Taliban. He wanted to be seen in new light in the country as the champion of the people of Afghanistan. There is widening resentment of the continued stay of NATO in the country and the repeated civilian casualties in the campaigns are not helping things either.

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War criminal Mladic appeals against extradition

Post Second World War most wanted war criminal in Europe Ratko Mladic has appealed against the judgment by court in the country that he could be extradited to the court in Hague to answer questions about crimes against humanity that was leveled against him. The notice of appeal was received in the appeal court in Belgrade, Serbia.

It was expected that the extradition could commence as early as Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. With the appeal by Mladic it is doubtful whether the extradition could be carried out as planned. It appears everything would now depend on the time the court finished hearing the appeal. It is expected that the appellate court in Belgrade would speed up the process. The lawyers standing for the former fugitive had written to the authorities explaining that the former army general is not mentally fit to stand trial in The Hague.

He has been in the wanted list for sixteen years. For the first time the former army general was allowed by the authorities to visit the grave of his daughter who killed herself during the war in Bosnia. He visited the grave side amidst tight security. The visit was not announced because the authorities saw it as a private affair.

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Germany agitates with Iran over Delay in Merkel’s plane

Diplomatic row broke out between Germany and Iran over the later closure of its airspace to hinder the passage of Chancellor Angela Merkel who was on her way to New Delhi India on a state visit. The temporal closure of air space delayed the arrival of the chancellor. German diplomats described the action of Iran as a show of disrespect for Germany. They descried that action as unacceptable. The German position was made known by the foreign minister Guido Westerwelle.

The foreign minister summoned the Iranian ambassador to Germany to express the position of the government to Iran. The foreign minister made it clear to the ambassador that such blatant breach of international convention by Iran would no longer to be tolerated by Germany.

Meanwhile the chancellor has arrived to India where she had discussions with Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. She however did not comment on the inconvenience that was caused to her by the Iranian action saying that she is concerned with her visit to India.

The chancellor also had a discussion with Indian President. The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said there is the need to combat terrorism in the region. The talk between the two countries centered on how to improve on the Indio-German relationship. The Indian side of the talk was led by Prime Minister Singh while Chancellor Merkel led the German side.



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NATO Intensifies Campaign as Gaddafi Opts for Peace

Libyan government spokesperson said that NATO planes had carried out night attacks in the capital Tripoli and suburbs. It said that the targets of the attack were military and civilian targets. It said that the attack had resulted to the deaths of many people including civilians adding that many people were wounded as a result of the attack.

Meanwhile the South African president Mr. Jacob Zuma who came to Libya as a delegation of African Union has said that he had a meaningful deliberation with the Libyan leader. He said that Col Gadhafi is ready to implement a peace plan in the country.

President Zuma told the press in Tripoli at the end of the visit that Gadhafi has promised to abide by the AU roadmap for peace. He said that the starting point of the peace plan is the immediate ceasefire on hostilities by all sides involved in the conflict including the ending of NATO bombings.

Reacting to the AU mission to Libya the rebels in Benghazi said that they would not accept the AU roadmap for peace because it is silent on Gadhafi stepping down from power which is the core issue in the crises that are ravaging the country. A similar peace plan by AU was ignored by Gadhafi in April. It is doubtful whether the peace plan by AU would yield positive result and it appears that it is the only option that is left for Gadhafi who is steadily losing steam in the country.

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Iran part of the crackdown in Syria- US

United States officials have revealed that the crackdown of the pro democracy movement that is going on Syria is abetted by Iran.

The report said the Iranian authorities are dispatching advisers and trainers including the Quds force to help the Syrian government to crackdown on the pro democracy groups in the country.

The report said that the intervention of Iran in the affairs of the country is preventing the pro democracy forces from forcing changes into the government of Syria. It said that the Iranians are backing the Syrians with manpower as well as riot gear and surveillance equipment which help the Syrian government to track down their opponents through Facebook and twitter accounts. It is believed that it is through the Iranian assisted surveillance computer that the Syrian intelligent was able to arrest the hundreds of oppositions whom they arrested last week.
It has always being the assumption of the US that the Iranian authorities are always behind the activities of the repressive governments that have been oppressing its own people in the Middle East. They cited such instances as the repressive government in Syria and the Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as the extreme jihads group the Hamas in the Gaza strip.

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Bomb Blast in Lebanon Targets UN convoy

Bomb blast along the streets of Beirut targeted a convoy of Italian peace keepers who are in the country under the mandate of the UN.
It is reported that the attack injured six of the soldiers. It was the first time since 2008 that such an incidence is to happen in the country.

An Italian general who spoke to the press after the attack said that the bomb was planned specifically against the Italian peace keepers. General Santi Bonfanti who was the second in command of the UN peace keepers in Lebanon said that one of the wounded soldiers had undergone surgical operation and that another soldier is to go for a surgical operation.

He said that the other soldiers were in good conditions. The general was speaking to the Italian television. The explosion was planted for the soldiers along the Sidon highway. The explosion made a severe mark on the road.
Italy was one of the countries that contributed soldiers for peace keeping in Lebanon. The soldiers have maintained a relative peace in the country until the recent attack. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. This was the first time that an incident like this has happened in the country since 2008. It would be recalled that a similar attack killed the former prime minister of the country.