The Snippets News:
14062013UN Secretary General calls for Syria investigation
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has asserted that the validity of information regarding chemical weapons usage by either party in Syria cannot be ensured, and that he continued “to emphasize the need for an investigation on the ground in Syria that can collect its own samples and establish the facts.” In his statement he emphasized that there is no military solution to the conflict, and this path would only serve to inflame the region further. “Providing arms to either side would not address this current situation,” he stressed.
Britain agrees more govt spending cuts
British ministries have agreed to spending cuts of 3.6 billion pounds (US$5.7 billion), the government said on Friday. Britain’s two-party coalition government is cutting spending to try to rein in a 114.2 billion pound deficit expected in the 2015/2016 budget. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said the Finance Ministry had agreed on provisional spending cuts with six more ministries, adding up to 14 out of the 24 total, Reuters reported. The official was confident the Finance Ministry could find the further cuts it needed by the June 26 deadline. “Settling over half of departments with two weeks to go shows how committed the whole of government is to dealing with the deficit,” he said.
Kuwait warns against protests over court ruling
Kuwait has warned that it will not allow any unauthorized protest marches over a court ruling next week which will say whether a new electoral system introduced by Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (the country’s ruler) is constitutional, Reuters reports. “Whatever the decision of the constitutional court, we will never allow any rallies or marches outside Erada Square,” a statement from the Interior Ministry said on Friday, referring to a designated protest area opposite parliament. Al-Sabah used emergency powers in October last year to change voting rules six weeks before the major oil producing country was due to hold parliamentary elections. The opposition boycotted the poll, and on the eve of the election, thousands of Kuwaitis marched in protest against the decree.
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Musharraf arrested over Pakistan rebel leader’s death
Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf is being questioned on suspicion of murder, having won bail in two other cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule. “He has been formally arrested in the Bugti murder case,” his lawyer Ahmed Raza Kasuri told the AFP. Akbar Bugti, the main rebel leader in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, died during army operations in August 2006. Musharraf has been under house arrest at his villa on the edge of Islamabad since April 19, and is to remain under house arrest for the duration of the trial.
UN peacekeeper killed as shells hit Sudan base
Shells hit a UN base in Sudan’s troubled South Kordofan state on Friday, killing one peacekeeper and wounding two more. Two shells hit the UN peacekeeping logistics base in Kadugli, in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, UN peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer told AFP. “We condemn in the strongest terms this shelling,”the spokesman said.
Putin awards Aleksandr Nevsky order to first female cosmonaut Tereshkova
President Vladimir Putin on Friday awarded Valentina Tereshkova, the first female cosmonaut, with an Aleksandr Nevsky award. The president met Tereshkova and other cosmonauts on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the first female space voyage. Tereshkova took off on her individual three-day space flight aboard the Vostok-6 spaceship on the June 16, 1963. A Hero of the Soviet Union, Tereshkova is now a member of parliament from the United Russia party and deputy chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on International Affairs.
Moscow concerned about Western states’ decisions to arm Syrian rebels
Russia is seriously concerned by the decision of the US and other states to give military assistance to the Syrian opposition on the so-called “liberated territories,” spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry Aleksandr Lukashevich said on Friday. The military aid would be rendered under the pretext of having alleged proof of the use of chemical weapons by Syrian authorities. He reminded of the killings of 60 Shia in Hatla village in Syria’s Deir el-Zour region near Iraq, perpetrated by Al-Nusra Front fighters, adding that the Syrian government asked the UN Security Council to condemn the massacre.
Germany won’t supply weapons to Syrian rebels – Foreign Ministry
Berlin will not itself supply Syrian rebels with weapons, Foreign Ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said Friday. However, Germany “takes into account” the US’s decision to do so and Washington’s statement that chemical weapons had been used by the Syrian government forces, he added. Germany supports efforts to hold an international conference on the Syria conflict and will insist that this issue be discussed by the UN Security Council, the spokesman said.
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MERS virus death toll reaches 33 after 2 Saudi fatalities – WHO
The global death toll from the SARS-like virus MERS has risen to 33 after two new fatalities in Saudi Arabia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. The Saudi Health Ministry had informed the UN agency of three new laboratory-confirmed cases, one of them fatal, and the death of a patient already diagnosed with the disease. “Globally, from September 2012 to date, WHO has been informed of a total of 58 laboratory-confirmed cases of infection with MERS-CoV, including 33 deaths,” spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said, as cited by AFP.
Britain holds off arming Syrian rebels
Britain is not ready to arm the Syrian opposition despite a decision by US President Barack Obama to do so. Prime Minister David Cameron will discuss the Syrian conflict with Obama during a phone call later on Friday, and a PM’s spokesman did not rule out the introduction of a no-fly zone or any other measure. The spokesman added that “no decision has been taken” on arming the opposition, Reuters reported. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said earlier on Friday that he agreed with an assessment by the US that chemical weapons including sarin had been used in Syria by government forces. “We condemn the deplorable failure of the Assad regime to cooperate with the investigative mission,” he said.
Iran extends voting hours in presidential election
The 10-hour voting period in Iran’s presidential election on Friday will be extended, Interior Minister Mostafa Moammad Najar said. “Because of the rush of voters, voting will be extended for sure,” beyond the scheduled close of 6pm (13:30 GMT), Fars news agency quoted him as saying. Some polling stations in the capital Tehran were packed with voters, AFP reported. Iran is electing a successor to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who after serving two consecutive terms is constitutionally barred from running.
Seven charged in Czech scandal after raids of govt offices
Czech prosecutors have charged seven people, including the head of the prime minister’s office and two military intelligence service members, high state attorney Ivo Istvan said on Friday. The charges followed raids of government and private offices and include the abuse of the military intelligence service, Reuters said. Some former lower house deputies were among those charged, for accepting illegal favors, Istvan said. Czech Prime Minister Petr Necas has been under pressure since police detained some of his close allies on Wednesday and Thursday.
Syria should allow UN weapons inspection – Rasmussen
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Friday welcomed a US statement accusing Syria of using chemical weapons, and urged Damascus to let the UN investigate the allegations. “I welcome clear US statement,” he tweeted, adding that the use of chemical weapons was “completely unacceptable.” It is urgent that the Syrian regime “should let UN investigate all reports of chemical weapons use,” he said.
2 killed, most of 60 passengers rescued as Philippine ferry sinks
Rescuers plucked most of about 60 passengers and crew from Philippine waters where a ferry sank early Friday, killing two people. The inter-island ferry left Pio Duran port in Albay province and sank three hours later at about 5am near Burias Island, about 20km away across a strait. Coast guard and navy vessels and helicopters conducting the rescue were aided by local fishermen.
NATO chief says Syria chemical weapons use breaks international law
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday the world had made clear that any use of chemical weapons in Syria was unacceptable. “This is… a matter of great concern,” he said after talks in Brussels with Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca. “The international community has made clear that any use of chemical weapons is completely unacceptable and a clear breach of international law,” Reuters quoted Rasmussen as saying. The US intelligence agencies have concluded that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces used chemical weapons on a small scale against rebels.
Chinese paper suggests Beijing shouldn’t send Snowden home
A Communist Party-backed newspaper urged China’s leadership not to send former US contractor Edward Snowden home after he alleged that the US National Security Agency pursued secret surveillance programs. An editorial in Global Times on Friday suggested that Snowden could offer intelligence that would help China update its understanding of cyberspace. Snowden exposed the US government’s attacks on Hong Kong and the mainland’s internet networks, the paper said. “The Chinese government should let him speak out and… use it as evidence to negotiate with the US openly or in private,” it added
Miami deck collapse sends dozens into water, 24 injured
The outdoor deck of a sports bar in Miami, USA, collapsed Thursday night during an NBA finals match, sending dozens of people into Biscayne Bay and injuring 24, AP quoted local fire department as saying. The injured were transported to a hospital and two remain in serious condition. One hundred people were on the deck of Shucker’s Bar & Grill in North Bay Village, north of Miami Beach, when it collapsed. The incident occurred at 9:45pm local time when the fans were watching the Miami Heat play the San Antonio Spurs.
Vessel carrying 57 sinks off Philippine island
A vessel carrying at least 57 passengers sank off Masbate province in the Philippine’s on Friday morning, according to that country’s coast guard. At least one person has been confirmed dead after the vessel, M/V Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, sank off Burias Island around 5 am due to huge waves. Thirty four people have been rescued so far, with search and rescue operations still ongoing, according to ABS-CBN News Bicol. The ship, with a crew of 22, was headed for Aroroy, Masbate and left port in Albay around 2am. The Philippine Navy and Air Force is assisting with search efforts.Media agencie
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