IGIHE

Tag: InternationalNews

  • Ukraine Forces Kill Up to Five Rebels

    Ukraine Forces Kill Up to Five Rebels

    {{ Ukrainian forces killed up to five pro-Moscow separatists in the east of the country, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of “consequences” if Kiev used the army against its own people.}}

    Interior Ministry forces backed by the army removed three checkpoints manned by armed groups in the separatist-controlled town of Slaviansk, the ministry said in a statement.

    “During the armed clash up to five terrorists were eliminated,” it said, adding that one person had been wounded on the side of government forces.

    Under an international accord signed in Geneva last week, illegal armed groups, including the rebels occupying about a dozen public buildings in the largely Russian-speaking east, are supposed to disarm and go home.

    However, the Kremlin, which has deployed tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s border, maintains it has the right to protect Russian-speakers if they come under threat, a reason it gave for annexing the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine last month.

    In St Petersburg, Putin said that if the authorities in Kiev had used the army in eastern Ukraine, this would be a very serious crime against its own people.

    “It is just a punitive operation and it will of course incur consequences for the people making these decisions, including (an effect) on our interstate relations,” Putin said in a televised meeting with regional media.

    The Geneva agreement, signed by Russia, the United States, Ukraine and the European Union, is already in trouble as Kiev launches its offensive to regain control of the east.

    East and West have put the onus on each other to ensure the accord is implemented on the ground. U.S. President Barack Obama said earlier he was poised to impose new sanctions on Moscow if it did not act fast to end the armed stand-off.

    reuters

  • US Medics Killed in Kabul Attack

    US Medics Killed in Kabul Attack

    {{Three Americans have been shot dead by a policeman at a hospital in the Afghan capital, Kabul, US officials say.}}

    A spokesman for Afghanistan’s interior ministry described those killed as “medical staff”.

    The hospital, which specialises in children’s and maternal health, is run by Cure, a small US Christian charity. Two others were reported wounded.

    The attacker, who reportedly shot himself, is in police custody. His motive remains unclear, officials say.

    Afghanistan suffered a spate of deadly attacks in the run-up to presidential elections on 5 April.

    The US embassy in Kabul tweeted that it was “with great sadness we confirm that three Americans were killed in the attack on Cure Hospital”. No other information would be released for the moment, it added.

  • Australia to Purchase 58 New F35 Jet Fighters

    Australia to Purchase 58 New F35 Jet Fighters

    {{Australia has approved the purchase of 58 new F-35 fighter jets worth 12.4bn Australian dollars ($11.5bn; £6.8bn).}}

    The new order will take Australia’s total F-35 tally to 72.

    The government said it would also spend more than A$1.6bn on new facilities at two air bases in the states of New South Wales and the Northern Territory.

    Prime Minister Tony Abbott said that the purchase would “ensure our edge as a regional power”. He added the deal did not involve any “new spending”.

    “I want to stress that this is money that has been put aside by government over the past decade or so to ensure that this purchase can responsibly be made,” Mr Abbott said.

    He added that the government needed to make the purchases “to ensure that our nation’s defences remain strong”.

    The F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), is built by Lockheed Martin Corp and is widely seen as one of the most advanced fighter jets.

    It has been designed to avoid being detected by radar, making it a key asset to have while trying to penetrate enemy defences.

    Australia ordered its first batch of 14 F-35 jets in 2009. The first of those aircraft are scheduled to enter service in 2020.

    wirestory

  • Hostile Mob Killed Ukraine Politician

    Hostile Mob Killed Ukraine Politician

    {{The Ukrainian town councilor whose apparent torture and murder helped to prompt a new government offensive in the east was mobbed by a hostile, pro-Russian crowd before he disappeared, a video of the incident shows.}}

    The footage from Thursday on local news site gorlovka.ua shows angry scenes outside the town hall of Horlivka, between the separatist flashpoint cities of Donetsk and Slaviansk, as councilor Volodymyr Rybak is manhandled by several men, among them a masked man in camouflage, while other people hurl abuse.

    Rybak had tried to remove the flag of the separatist Donetsk Republic, the website said. “Over my dead body will you take down that flag,” one man in plain clothes yells at Rybak as the politician tries to gain entry to the town hall.

    Two uniformed policemen appear in the video, though only one appears to intervene – ineffectually. After several minutes, Rybak appears able to walk away. Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said he was seen being bundled into a car by masked men in camouflage later that day. His body was found on Saturday near Slaviansk.

    He and another, unidentified, man appeared to have been tortured and dumped alive in a river to drown, police concluded.

    Ukraine’s acting president, who like Rybak is a member of the Batkivshchyna party led by former premier Yulia Tymoshenko, cited the murder as grounds for relaunching a so far limited operation against militants who have taken over around a dozen towns and public buildings in the Russian-speaking east.

    {wirestory}

  • Barcelona Transfer Ban Stopped

    Barcelona Transfer Ban Stopped

    {{Barcelona can buy and sell players this summer after Fifa suspended its transfer ban on the club.}}

    The Spanish giants were given the 14-month ban after being found to have breached rules on signing international players under the age of 18.

    However, the suspension is now on hold pending an appeal.

    Barca have been linked with Borussia Monchengladbach keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen and also have a deal in place to sign Croatia midfielder Alen Halilovic.

    Captain Carles Puyol and long-serving goalkeeper Victor Valdes have both announced they will leave the Nou Camp at the end of the season.

    The Spanish champions were originally sanctioned by Fifa’s disciplinary committee on 2 April for breaking the rules in the case of 10 minors and punished with the ban and a fine of 450,000 Swiss francs.

    After Barcelona followed through on their promise to fight the ban, Fifa decided that due to the complexity of the case and the possibility of a further appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas), it was unlikely to be concluded before the opening of the transfer window on 1 July and therefore suspended the punishment.

    Fifa rules state that international transfers are only permitted for players over the age of 18 – unless the player in question meets one of three qualifying criteria.

    Under-18s can move to a club in a different country if their parents move there for non-footballing reasons, if they are from another nation within the European Union or European Economic Area and aged between 16 and 18, or if they live within 100km of the club.

    The Fifa investigation centred on several players aged under 18 who were registered and played for Barcelona between 2009 and 2013.

    Agencies

  • EU Governments Gradually Tame Financial Problems

    EU Governments Gradually Tame Financial Problems

    {{New figures from the European Commission show that EU governments are gradually making progress with their financial problems.}}

    The budget deficit – the amount of new borrowing they undertake – came down last year.

    For the whole EU, it fell from 3.9% of GDP in 2012 to 3.3%. For the eurozone, the decline was from 3.7% to 3%.

    But they are still borrowing substantial amounts, so the total accumulated debt continued to rise.

    That pattern affected both the eurozone and the European Union as a whole.

    The eurozone figure is in line – just – with the upper limit that the EU expects member countries to meet.

    Of course, there was a wide variation within the eurozone, with some countries borrowing a lot less than maximum.

    Germany’s government finances were close to being balanced: no new borrowing. Luxembourg managed a small surplus, which means it reduced its government debt slightly.

    Others still couldn’t comply with the 3% of GDP limit. France and Spain were the two big economies that went over that level, while Italy was just in line with it.

    The figures for Greece tell an interesting story. A casual look suggests they got worse. But going beneath the surface, that was due to the costs of propping up the banks, a cost that isn’t repeated year after year. Take that out of the picture and the figures look a good deal better.

    {BBC}

  • China Accuses US of Trying to “Cage” Emerging Superpower

    China Accuses US of Trying to “Cage” Emerging Superpower

    {{U.S. President Barack Obama has said Washington welcomes China’s rise but that engagement with Beijing would not come at the expense of its Asian allies – as Chinese state media greeted his arrival in the region with a broadside accusing the United States of wanting to “cage” the emerging superpower.}}

    The reassuring remarks aimed at Japan and other allies, set against a robust commentary from China’s state news agency Xinhua that also called the United States “myopic”, demonstrate the delicate balancing act Obama faces on a week-long Asia tour.

    Obama arrived in Tokyo on Wednesday at the start of a four-nation trip that comes at a time of rising tension in the region, and as the United States urges Japan’s unpredictable neighbor North Korea not to conduct another nuclear test.

    Obama, who is making the first full state visit to Japan by a U.S. President since 1996, must assuage worries by Tokyo and other allies that his commitment to their defense in the face of an increasingly assertive China is weak, without hurting vital U.S. ties with Asia’s biggest economy.

    Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are also keen to show progress on a two-way trade pact seen as critical to a broader regional deal that would be one of the world’s biggest trade agreements and is central to Obama’s “pivot” of military, diplomatic and trade resources towards Asia.

    Noting Beijing and Washington could work together on issues such as North Korea’s nuclear program, Obama told Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper, in written remarks: “In other words, we welcome the continuing rise of a China that is stable, prosperous and peaceful and plays a responsible role in global affairs.”

    He added: “And our engagement with China does not and will not come at the expense of Japan or any other ally.”

    Such assurances are likely to be high on the agenda when Obama meets Abe at a symbolic summit on Thursday.

  • Country Music Singer Kevin Sharp Dies

    Country Music Singer Kevin Sharp Dies

    {{Kevin Sharp, a country music singer who recorded multiple chart-topping songs and survived a well-publicized battle with cancer, has died. He was 43.}}

    His sister Mary Huston said Sharp died at his mother’s Fair Oaks, Calif., home, at 10:49 p.m. Saturday of complications from past stomach surgeries and digestive issues.

    “He had a strong heart, that’s what kept him alive, (but) I’m so happy for him, that there’s no more suffering,” Huston said through tears and exhaustion. She had cared for her brother since his return home to Northern California last Friday after 10 weeks in the hospital.

    Sharp gained fame with the release of “Nobody Knows,” a single on his 1996 debut album, “Measure of a Man.” He released two other albums, “Love Is” in 1998 and “Make A Wish” in 2005.

    Born in 1970 in Redding, Calif., Sharp was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, as a high school senior. He overcame it after two years of chemotherapy and radiation.

    The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted Sharp’s wish to meet Grammy Award-winning music producer David Foster, who gave him tips to help jump-start his career.

    Sharp also became a motivational speaker, a spokesman for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and wrote “Tragedy’s Gift,” a 2004 book about fighting cancer.

    For the last several years, Sharp had struggled from past stomach surgery and residual issues from his aggressive cancer treatment.

    “His dream came true through music, and he touched thousands of lives, and he helped heal the soul of people dealing with cancer,” Huston said.

    Sharp is survived by five brothers, two sisters and his mother.

    {agencies}

  • Chinese Airline orders 50 Boeing Planes

    Chinese Airline orders 50 Boeing Planes

    {{Shandong Airlines, one of China’s smaller carriers, said it has agreed to buy 50 passenger planes from US manufacturer Boeing for $4.6 billion, in another sign of the country’s growing demand for air travel.}}

    The company signed an agreement with Boeing on Monday to purchase 16 Boeing 737-800s and 34 Boeing 737 MAX planes, a statement said, in a drive to grow its fleet for future business expansion.

    China’s commercial airline industry is dominated by the “Big Three” – flag carrier Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines – but a move towards greater competition has seen the growth of smaller players.

    The order represents a win for Boeing in the giant Chinese market and a vote of confidence in its newest family of single-aisle planes, the 737 MAX, which promises greater fuel efficiency.

    The manufacturer will begin deliveries of the 737 MAX to global customers beginning in 2017, according to Boeing’s website.

    Boeing could not be immediately reached to confirm the order.

    {wirestory}

  • Sri Lanka to Deport British Woman With Buddha Tattoo

    Sri Lanka to Deport British Woman With Buddha Tattoo

    {{The Sri Lankan authorities have ordered the deportation of a British tourist because of a Buddha tattoo on her arm.}}

    Named as Naomi Michelle Coleman, she arrived on a flight from India on Monday and was arrested at the airport after the tattoo of the Buddha and a lotus flower on her right arm was seen.

    She is being held at an immigration detention camp until her deportation.

    The authorities are tough on perceived insults to Buddhism, the religion of the island’s majority ethnic Sinhalese.

    Sri Lanka is particularly sensitive about images of Buddha. The authorities regularly take strict action with regard to the treatment of the image.

    Last March another British tourist was denied entry at Colombo’s international airport because immigration officials said he had spoken “disrespectfully” when asked about a tattoo of the Buddha on his arm.

    He later spoke of his “shock” at the incident, insisting that he himself followed Buddhist teachings and thought a tattoo was an apt tribute.

    Two years ago, three French tourists were given suspended prison sentences for kissing a Buddha statue.

    The UK travel advice on Sri Lanka warns of the sensitivity of the issue and tells visitors not to pose for photos in front of statues of Buddha.

    Over the past year monks belonging to certain hardline Buddhist groups have led violent attacks against Muslims and Christians, a trend which has given rise to considerable concern among religious minorities in Sri Lanka.

    {wirestory}