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The Greek government asked Russia
to partially lift the food import embargo imposed in summer 2014 in
response the EU sanctions. If Russia agrees, Greece oranges, strawberry
and peaches will be available in the Russian market again.
Greek Deputy Agriculture Minister Panagiotis Sguridis discussed the issue with Alexei Alekseenko, a representative of the Russian Agriculture Minister, at a meeting in Thessaloniki during the international food expo................Greece Asks Russia to Partially Lift Food Embargo
Greek Deputy Agriculture Minister Panagiotis Sguridis discussed the issue with Alexei Alekseenko, a representative of the Russian Agriculture Minister, at a meeting in Thessaloniki during the international food expo................Greece Asks Russia to Partially Lift Food Embargo
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( InT-News as comments 11/3/15 --- 20/3/15)
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( Ela- News as comments 11/3/15 --- 20/3/15)
FR
DE
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IT
RU
EU
MH17 wurde nicht von Kampfflieger abgeschossen ...
ReplyDeleteEin Ingenieur hat einer russischen Theorie über den möglichen Abschuss von Flug MH17 über der Ostukraine widersprochen. Das berichtet die "Süddeutsche Zeitung". Die Passagiermaschine könne nicht wie von russischen Militärexperten behauptet von einem ukrainischen Kampfjet abgeschossen worden sein, erklärte der russische Chefentwickler des Kampfjets Su-25, Wladimir Babak.
Vielmehr müsse MH17 von einer Boden-Luft-Rakete getroffen worden sein, erklärte Babak, wie WDR, "Süddeutsche Zeitung" und NDR am Dienstag berichteten. Russische Militärexperten hatten die Theorie ins Spiel gebracht, MH17 mit 298 Menschen an Bord sei in rund 10 000 Metern Höhe von einem ukrainischen Kampfflieger abgeschossen worden. Das Militär in Moskau forderte zudem von Kiew Auskunft darüber, ob sich eine Militärmaschine MH17 genähert habe. Ein Abschuss aus der Luft sei aber nicht möglich, weil das angebliche ukrainische Flugzeug kaum auf einer solchen Höhe hätte agieren können, sagte Babak dem Bericht zufolge...........http://diepresse.com/home/panorama/welt/4682299/MH17-wurde-nicht-von-Kampfflieger-abgeschossen-?from=rss
Venezuela's Maduro seeks decree powers to face U.S. 'imperialism'...
ReplyDeleteVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday asked parliament for decree powers in response to new U.S. sanctions, in a move opposition critics slammed as a power-grab.
If as expected the government-controlled National Assembly approves his request for an "Enabling Law", it would be the second time the 52-year-old successor to Hugo Chavez has gained these expanded powers since winning election in 2013.
"I've come to ask for an Enabling Law to confront the aggression of the most powerful country in the world, the United States, against this beautiful nation," Maduro told parliament.
"This is a law that will prepare our country, may we never be caught off guard."............http://www.todayonline.com/world/venezuelas-maduro-seeks-decree-powers-face-us-imperialism
11/3/15
Berlusconi was initially convicted by the Court of First Instance in June 2013 for paying for sexual services from an underage Moroccan named Karima Mahroug, known as Ruby Rubacuori. The appeals court, however, overturned the former prime minister's conviction the following July, Sky TG24 reported Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteBerlusconi was initially convicted by the Court of First Instance in June 2013 for paying for sexual services from a then-underage Moroccan named Karima Mahroug, known as Ruby Rubacuori. The appeals court, however, overturned the former prime minister's conviction the following July.
The court's decision is final and not subject to appeal, thus putting an end to the high-profile trial.
One of Italy's most controversial leaders in recent history, Silvio Berlusconi has been implicated in scores of legal challenges during his career.
In 2012, the former prime minister was charged with abuse of office and convicted of tax fraud the following year, doing community work instead of serving a jail sentence due to his age.
Among other controversies, Berlusconi is suspected of mafia collusion, money laundering, corruption, bribery, witness tampering and false accounting.
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150311/1019321656.html#ixzz3U3OJQxlS
11/3/15
Le Japon se souvient des terribles séisme et tsunami du 11 mars 2011...
ReplyDeleteLes Japonais étaient tous appelés mercredi à respecter une minute de silence à l'heure précise à laquelle un violent séisme de magnitude 9 au nord-est a provoqué un tsunami dans lequel ont péri près de 18 500 personnes le 11 mars 2011.
Pour la quatrième année de suite, les sirènes ont retenti et le Japon s'est tu à 14H46 locales (05H46 GMT), pour ces morts emportés par un mur d'eau qui a dépassé 30 mètres par endroits le long de la côte Pacifique.
Une poignante cérémonie s'est tenue à Tokyo en présence du couple impérial, du Premier ministre et de représentants de toutes les régions meurtries.
"Quatre ans se sont écoulés depuis le grand tremblement de terre de l'est. Nous ne pouvons pas oublier les images que nous avons alors vues, vraiment effroyables. Durant ces quatre années, dans ces circonstances pénibles, tout le monde est parvenu à tisser des liens, à unir ses forces, mais les conditions restent difficiles. Il est encore important que se poursuivre l'entraide", a déclaré l'empereur Akihito, dont les mots d'empathie avaient profondément touché la population immédiatement après la tragédie.................http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_le-japon-se-souvient-des-terribles-seisme-et-tsunami-du-11-mars-2011?id=8927878
11/3/15
The March 11, 2011 Tohoku earthquake caused 229,000 people to relocate either permanently or temporarily, lodging with relatives or friends and unable to return to their homes...
ReplyDeleteNearly half were residents of Fukushima prefecture, where waves up to 15 meters tall (42 feet) from a magnitude 9.0 earthquake-triggered tsunami caused a meltdown of its nuclear power plant's reactors. In other prefectures, waves reached as high as 40.5 meters (132.8 feet)
At present, 83,000 survivors live in extremely harsh conditions in makeshift housing built immediately after the disaster and designed to last no more than two years. However, compared to last year's 267,000 displaced residents, surviving victims of the Tohoku earthquake are gradually acquiring own housing............http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150311/1019326910.html#ixzz3U4WDvAUo
11/3/15
NATO chief says Russia still equipping Ukraine rebels...
ReplyDeleteNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Russia was still arming and training rebel forces in eastern Ukraine and he called for the warring parties to help foreign monitors to reinforce a ceasefire.
Asked at a news conference about a U.S. diplomat's remark that Russian tanks had crossed into Ukraine in recent days, he declined specific comment on that but said: "We ... still see Russian presence and strong support for the separatists in eastern Ukraine. We see the delivery of equipment, forces, training. And so Russia is still in eastern Ukraine.
"Therefore we call on Russia to withdraw all its forces from eastern Ukraine and to respect the Minsk agreement."
On Tuesday, senior State Department official Victoria Nuland told a U.S. congressional hearing that Russian tanks and artillery had crossed into eastern Ukraine in recent days in breach of a ceasefire deal agreed in Minsk on Feb. 12.............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/nato-chief-says-russia-st/1709004.html
11/3/15
Hundreds of Islamic State fighters have launched an attack on Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, triggering fierce fighting that has killed dozens on both sides, a group monitoring the war said on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteThe Kurdish YPG militia, backed by US-led air strikes, had made significant gains in recent weeks against Islamic State in the region, cutting an important supply route from territory controlled by the militant group in Iraq.
Islamic State appeared to try to seize back the initiative on Tuesday, attacking Kurdish forces using tanks and heavy weapons around Ras al-Ayn town near the Turkish border, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said...............http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/ISIS-attacks-Kurds-in-Syria-393583
11/3/15
Defying Germany, Greek minister says ready to sign World War Two reparation order...
ReplyDeleteGreece's justice minister said on Wednesday he was ready to implement a High Court ruling allowing Athens to seize German state-owned property to compensate victims of a Nazi massacre in a small Greek village.
Nikos Paraskevopoulos's comments come against a backdrop of rising tensions between Athens and Berlin as Greece's new leftist government struggles to persuade its European Union partners to renegotiate a 240 billion euro bailout package.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Tuesday accused successive German governments of using legal tricks to avoid paying reparations for the brutal Nazi occupation of Greece and said he would support efforts to push for compensation.
Speaking on Mega TV, Paraskevopoulos said a high court ruling from 2000, which allowed the confiscation of German property to compensate relatives of some 218 Greeks killed in the village of Distomo, was still valid................http://www.todayonline.com/world/defying-germany-greek-minister-says-ready-sign-world-war-two-reparation-order
11/3/15
Turkey has closed two border crossings with Syria as a security precaution as fighting around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo intensifies, Turkish officials said on Wednesday.....
ReplyDeleteThe crossings at Oncupinar and Cilvegozu in Turkey's Hatay province had been shut to vehicles and individuals crossing from Syria since March 9, officials at both posts told Reuters. Syrians with passports are allowed to cross back into Syria.
Turkey has kept its borders open to refugees since the start of Syria's civil war four years ago. But it has come under criticism for doing too little to keep foreign fighters crossing and joining militant groups, including Islamic State.......................http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Turkey-shuts-border-crossings-as-fighting-worsens-around-Syrias-Aleppo-393600
IMF approves $17.5 billion loan program for Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteThe International Monetary Fund has agreed to pump $10 billion into Ukraine's troubled economy over the next year, providing swift assistance for the country's struggling finances as part of a larger four-year bailout.
The IMF board on Wednesday approved an overall loan of $17.5 billion, with the bulk of the money heading out the door fast: $5 billion likely by the end of this week and another $5 billion in coming months, IMF officials said.
That will be combined with $7.5 billion in loans from other international organizations and an expected $15.4 billion in debt relief that Ukrainian officials hope to negotiate with their bondholders.
The program "is very strongly front-loaded during the first year," IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in Berlin. "Ukraine has satisfied all the prior actions that were expected and required of it in order to start running the program ... We are off to a good start................http://www.todayonline.com/world/ukraine-expects-5-billion-first-tranche-imf-aid-interfax-ukraine
11/3/15
Kerry says Congress cannot modify any Iran-US nuclear agreement ...
ReplyDeleteUS Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday lawmakers cannot modify any agreement struck between the United States and Iran despite threats by Republican senators that they can.
In congressional testimony, Kerry said he responded with "utter disbelief" at an open letter signed by 47 Republican senators that threatened to undo any nuclear agreement reached between Tehran and Washington.
"It is incorrect when (the letter) says that Congress can actually modify the terms of an agreement at any time. That is flat wrong," Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which includes Senator Tom Cotton, the Republican from Arkansas who wrote the letter.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Kerry-says-Congress-cannot-modify-any-Iran-US-nuclear-agreement-393617
11/3/15
'Worst year for Syrian civilians as UN resolutions fail'...
ReplyDeleteThe UN Security Council has failed to implement resolutions to protect and help civilians in Syria, a report by a group of 21 aid agencies says.
The agencies - including Save the Children and Oxfam - say it has been the "worst year" for civilians as the conflict enters its fifth year.
Another humanitarian report says 83% of the lights in Syria have gone out since the conflict began in March 2011.
The UN secretary general says the long-term aim remains a political solution.
"The bitter reality is that the Security Council has failed to implement its resolutions," said Jan Egeland, secretary general of the Norwegian Refugee Council.
"Parties to the conflict have acted with impunity and ignored the Security Council's demands, civilians are not protected and their access to relief has not improved," he added........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31839947
12/3/15
Klage gegen NATO-Luftangriff in Kundus: "Ich kann das einfach nicht vergessen" ...
ReplyDeleteFünfeinhalb Jahre liegt der tödliche NATO-Luftangriff im afghanischen Kundus zurück - den Befehl hatte ein deutscher Oberst gegeben. Jetzt verhandelt ein Kölner Gericht über Schadenersatzansprüche der Hinterbliebenen.
Von Jürgen Webermann, ARD-Hörfunkstudio Neu-Delhi
Längst ist die Bundeswehr abgezogen aus Kundus. Aber sie hat Spuren hinterlassen. Militärposten, eine Kaserne für Armee und Polizei - und Spuren in den Köpfen der Menschen. In einigen Fällen sind es keine guten Erinnerungen. Zum Beispiel im Fall von Abdul Hanan. Dass er der ARD überhaupt vor seinem ersten Prozess gegen die Bundesrepublik Deutschland ein Interview in seinem Heimatdorf gegeben hat, war damals nicht selbstverständlich. Abdul Hanan war wütend und misstrauisch, wegen des Luftangriffs von Kundus im Jahr 2009.....................http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/kundus-105.html
Japan Should Recognize Crimean Referendum, Lift Russian Sanctions – Ex PM...
ReplyDeleteTokyo should take an independent decision to lift the sanctions it has imposed against Moscow and recognize the results of the Crimean referendum on reunification with Russia, the former Prime Minister of Japan Yukio Hatoyama said at a meeting with Crimea's leadership.
Hatoyama stressed that the Japanese authorities are looking up to the United States when choosing a foreign policy course. According to the former prime minister, Tokyo's decision to join anti Russia sanctions was not right.
"I believe it's time for Japan to wake up and face the reality. Let the other countries continue their policy of sanctions against Russia, but Japan should independently renounce this policy," Hatoyama said..............http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150312/1019377862.html#ixzz3U9AZsx62
12/3/15
Entschädigung für Griechenland: Wer Deutschland sagt, muss auch Italien sagen ...
ReplyDeleteWie kaum ein anderer Staat hat Griechenland im Zweiten Weltkrieg unter der deutschen Besatzung gelitten. Doch über die maßgebliche Beteiligung Italiens schweigen die Athener Politiker.
Griechenland gehöre zu jenen Staaten, die am stärksten unter der deutscher Besatzung im Zweiten Weltkrieg gelitten hätten, ist von griechischen Politikern oft zu hören. Das ist richtig, aber unvollständig. Denn es waren drei Staaten, die Griechenland besetzt hielten. Korrekt müsste von einer deutsch-italienisch-bulgarischen Besetzung die Rede sein – zumindest bis Ende 1943, als Italien ausfiel. Demnach müsste Ministerpräsident Alexis Tsipras Reparationsforderungen nicht nur an Berlin richten, sondern auch an Rom und Sofia. Es ändert zwar nichts an den von Deutschen begangenen Verbrechen, doch kaum überspitzt ließe sich sogar behaupten: Dass Hitlers Armeen im April 1941 in Griechenland einfielen, hatten die Griechen Italien zu verdanken.................von Michael Martens.................http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/europaeische-union/griechenland-die-kriegsverbrechen-deutschlands-italiens-und-bulgariens-13477565.html
12/3/15
Varoufakis: "EZB nimmt uns die Luft zum Atmen"...
ReplyDeleteIm Schuldenstreit wettert Gianis Varoufakis erneut gegen die Rolle der EZB. Zudem ist sich der griechische Finanzminister sicher, dass er niemals das Vertrauen von Wolfgang Schäuble hatte. Der Grund: Er gehört zu den radikalen Linken..............http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de/inhalt.griechenland-staenkert-erneut-varoufakis-ezb-nimmt-uns-die-luft-zum-atmen.9b136e51-0b44-4315-a47e-1d1a2808aa88.html
12/3/15
Rendez-vous à… l’hôtel à Athènes pour le gouvernement grec et ses créanciers...
ReplyDeleteQue l’on parle de « Troïka », des « institutions » ou désormais du « Groupe de Bruxelles », le résultat est le même. Pour la première fois depuis son arrivée au pouvoir à Athènes, fin janvier, le gouvernement d’Alexis Tsipras a accepté d’entrer dans des discussions techniques avec les représentants des principaux créanciers de la Grèce, la Banque centrale européenne (BCE), le Fonds monétaire international (FMI) et la Commission européenne. Et ces discussions auront lieu, pour partie, sur le sol grec..........http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2015/03/12/rendez-vous-a-l-hotel-a-athenes-pour-le-gouvernement-grec-et-ses-creanciers_4591794_3234.html#8CwhHEi42UWh5eB3.99
12/3/15
Pakistan executes first person since lifting death penalty...
ReplyDeleteA man convicted of a triple murder became the first person executed after Pakistan completely ended a moratorium on the death penalty, on Thursday.
The death penalty had been partially re-introduced in December for militants convicted of terrorism but Pakistani provinces were recently officially notified about the penalty being reintroduced for other crimes, including murder, rape and kidnap.
Mohammad Siddique, a security guard in his early 50s, had killed three members of an audience for heckling a stage dancer at the theatre he worked at in the northeastern city of Faisalabad in 2005.
Siddique was hung at the Toba Tekh Singh jail in northeastern Pakistan...........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/477396--pakistan-executes-first-person-since-lifting-death-penalty
12/3/15
‘Grexit’ advocates are ‘anti-European’, says Greece’s Varoufakis...
ReplyDeleteGreek Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis has warned against attempts to break up the single currency bloc in a wide-ranging interview with FRANCE 24’s business editor Markus Karlsson.
“The eurozone is not to be fragmented, and anyone who contemplates this fragmentation is either wittingly or unwittingly anti-European,” said the staunch critic of austerity.
Speaking of a “small cash flow problem”, Varoufakis acknowledged his country would have a difficult time meeting its debt payments this spring...........http://www.france24.com/en/business-interview/20150312-grexit-advocates-are-anti-european-says-greece-varoufakis/
12/3/15
Presença de Varoufakis irrita parceiros do Eurogrupo...
ReplyDeleteO ministro das Finanças grego, Yanis Varoufakis, afirmou que a sua presença no Eurogrupo irrita muitos dos parceiros que estavam habituados ao comportamento dos ministros anteriores, que aceitavam tudo o que lhes era imposto.................http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Economia/Interior.aspx?content_id=4449198&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JN-ULTIMAS+%28JN+-+Ultimas%29
12/3/15
OSCE will extend Ukraine mission one year, may expand its size...
ReplyDeleteThe Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will extend its observer mission to Ukraine for one year, until March 2016, and may double its size to 1,000 observers, a spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Ukraine's military said on Tuesday pro-Russian rebels were amassing heavy weapons in depots around separatist-held Donetsk city despite last month's ceasefire deal, which calls for the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the front line.
The OSCE said then that it could not confirm the withdrawal of weapons by either side, because it had not been given access to all locations where weapons might be stored.
The OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine was first deployed a year ago following a request from Ukraine. It delivers public reports on fighting between pro-Russian groups and Ukrainians loyal to Kiev as well as on movements on border crossings between Russia and Ukraine...............http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/world/osce-will-extend-ukraine/1712376.html
12/3/15
Latvia's security is at risk from Russian-funded advocacy groups waging "information war" that suggests the Baltic state is persecuting its Russian minority, its interior minister said in an interview...
ReplyDeleteLatvia and neighboring Estonia and Lithuania, all part of the Soviet Union until 1991, are wary about their newly assertive giant neighbor Russia, which has long complained the rights of ethnic Russians are being undermined in the Baltics.
Tensions have increased over Russia's perceived support for Russian-speaking separatists in Ukraine. A quarter of the population in Latvia, which like Lithuania and Estonia is a European Union member state, is ethnic Russian.................http://www.todayonline.com/world/latvia-minister-cites-threat-information-war-over-russian-minority
Belgian protesters: 'Europe should be for its people'...
ReplyDelete“The boom, not the slump, is the right time for austerity at the Treasury,” John Maynard Keynes, one of the most influential economists of the 20th Century, declared in 1937.
More than 70 years later, European Union leaders appear to not have heeded Keynes’s advice, as focus on so-called "austerity measures", not jobs, continues to sweep across the 28-nation bloc.
With Greece on the edge of going bankrupt amid its struggle with such economic policies imposed by the Troika of lenders, Belgian workers have also grown increasingly frustrated with their new center-right government’s plans to cut spending on healthcare and delay the indexation of wages in relation to prices.
“The government is taking away everything we always have struggled for,” Jean Aspeslagh, a 60-year-old bookkeeper in the Belgian capital Brussels, told The Anadolu Agency...............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/477449--belgian-protesters-europe-should-be-for-its-people
12/3/15
La Grèce et l'OCDE signent un partenariat sur la mise en place de réformes...
ReplyDeleteLa Grèce et l'OCDE ont annoncé jeudi un partenariat sur la mise en place de réformes, sur la fiscalité ou la concurrence par exemple, dont Athènes espère qu'il sera un "passeport" de sa bonne volonté réformatrice.
"Nous avons signé un document pour renforcer notre coopération", a dit lors d'une conférence de presse à Paris le secrétaire général de l'Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques (OCDE) Angel Gurria, rappelant que le gouvernement de gauche radicale arrivé au pouvoir tout récemment avait le premier fait appel à l'institution internationale.
Cette organisation d'une trentaine d'Etats, souvent surnommée "club des pays riches", entend apporter son expertise à Athènes par exemple pour rendre l'administration fiscale plus efficace, ou pour briser des monopoles ou oligopoles sur certains marchés................http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_la-grece-et-l-ocde-signent-un-partenariat-sur-la-mise-en-place-de-reformes?id=8929664
13/3/15
Major world powers have quietly begun talks on a U.N. Security Council resolution to lift U.N. sanctions on Iran if a nuclear agreement is struck, a step that could make it harder for the U.S. Congress to undo a deal, Western officials said...
ReplyDeleteThe talks between Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - the five permanent members of the Security Council - plus Germany and Iran, are taking place ahead of difficult negotiations that resume next week over constricting Tehran's nuclear ability.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Congress on Wednesday that an Iran nuclear deal would not be legally binding, meaning future presidents could decide not to implement it. That point was emphasized in an open letter by 47 Republican senators sent on Monday to Iran's leaders asserting any deal could be discarded once President Barack Obama leaves office in January 2017.................http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Mar-12/290602-talks-under-way-on-ending-un-sanctions-on-iran-officials.ashx
12/3/15
Islamic State (IS) has accepted a pledge of allegiance from Nigeria's militant group Boko Haram, according to an audio message...
ReplyDeleteIn the tape, which has not been verified, an IS spokesman says the aim of establishing a caliphate has now been expanded to West Africa.
Last week, Boko Haram posted a message saying it wanted to join ranks with IS..............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31862992
Police, activists try to tamp down tensions in Ferguson after 2 officers shot...
ReplyDeleteWith measured remarks and a conciliatory tone, police, political leaders and civil-rights activists on Thursday sought to tamp down tensions after two police officers were shot in front of the Ferguson Police Department during a protest.
The officers were quickly released from the hospital, but St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said they could have easily been killed and called the attack "an ambush." Several people were taken in for questioning after a SWAT team converged on a Ferguson home near the shooting site, but they were later released, and no arrests were made.
The shootings marked the first time in more than seven months of tension in Ferguson that officers were shot at a protest, and the bloodshed threatened to inflame the already fraught relationship between police and protesters just as the city seeks reforms in the wake of a withering Justice Department report on racial bias in its law-enforcement practices....................http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/police-activists-try-to-tamp-down-tensions-in-ferguson-after-2-officers-shot-1.2275879
Venezuela's Maduro says may go to U.S. to challenge Obama...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Ridiculing the U.S. qualification of Venezuela as a security threat, President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday he may travel to Washington to challenge American counterpart Barack Obama.
"We demand, via all global diplomatic channels, that President Obama rectify and repeal the immoral decree declaring Venezuela a threat to the United States," Maduro said.
In the worst flare-up between the ideological enemies since Maduro took power in 2013, Washington earlier this week declared a "national emergency" over "the unusual and extraordinary threat" from Venezuela and sanctioned seven officials over allegations of rights abuses and corruption.
The Maduro government has demanded evidence of how it threatens U.S. security. Conversely, it accuses Washington of helping coup plotters and preparing a military invention.......................http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/13/us-venezuela-usa-idUSKBN0M905Y20150313?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
An unmanned Atlas rocket blasted off from Florida on Thursday with a quartet of NASA science satellites designed to map explosions triggered by criss-crossing magnetic fields around the Earth...
ReplyDeleteThe 20-story-tall rocket, built and launched by United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:44 p.m. EDT (0244 GMT on Friday).
Perched atop the rocket were four identical satellites designed to fly in a pyramid formation high around Earth.
Each satellite is equipped with 25 sensors to record in split-second detail what happens when the planet's magnetic field lines break apart and reconnect. Data from the four probes will be combined to produce three-dimensional maps of the process.
Magnetic reconnection, as the phenomenon is known, is commonplace throughout the universe, but poorly understood..................http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Rocket-blasts-off-with-NASA-magnetic-field-probes-393816
13/3/15
North Korea fires missiles into sea amid tensions, says South...
ReplyDeleteNorth Korea has fired seven ground-to-air missiles into the sea, South Korea's defence ministry says.
It comes on the last day of an annual US-South Korea military exercise.
Leader Kim Jong-un was present during the launch on Thursday off the eastern coast, a ministry spokesman from the South said.
The annual exercises, which Pyongyang calls a rehearsal for invasion, are always a trigger for a surge in tensions between the two Koreas.
North Korea showed its opposition to this year's drills by firing two short-range ballistic missiles when they began earlier this month.
South Korea said the missiles fired on Friday were believed to be SA-2 or SA-3s, with a range of "dozens of kilometres", as well as one SA-5 with a range of 200km (120 miles)...........http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31865897
13/3/15
Ukraine requests UN peacekeeping mission to preserve peace...
ReplyDeleteUkraine says it has placed a formal request with the United Nations for a peacekeeping mission to be deployed in its eastern regions, where a ceasefire between government and Russian-backed separatist forces is in place.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis said Friday that the size and scope of the proposed mission would be worked out in consultation with the UN.
A mission would need backing from all five permanent members of the Security Council, however, and Russia is likely to resist the move................http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/ukraine-requests-un-peacekeeping-mission-to-preserve-peace-1.2277962
13/3/15
Die Chefs der selbsterklärten Volksrepubliken Lugansk und Donezk, Igor Plotnizki und Alexander Sachartschenko, haben den Präsidenten Frankreichs, Francois Hollande, und Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel darum ersucht, die Finanzhilfe für Kiew einzustellen, um die Ukraine zur Aufhebung der Wirtschaftsblockade der Region Donbass zu bewegen....
ReplyDelete„Da Kiew keine Schritte zu unternehmen beabsichtigt, um die Wirtschaftssituation zu verbessern, appellieren wir an Sie als Garanten für die Umsetzung des Maßnahmen-Komplexes zur Realisierung der Minsker Abkommen (…), ihre Finanzhilfe für die volksfeindliche Regierung von Jazenjuk und Awakow auszusetzen, bis diese die Bedingungen für die Aufhebung der Wirtschaftsblockade der Region Donbass und für die politische Regelung des Konflikts gesichert hat“, heißt es in dem Schreiben, das von der Donezker Nachrichtenagentur zitiert wird...............http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20150313/301476657.html#ixzz3UGAAtAdW
13/3/15
Up to 200 volunteers join militias ranks in Donetsk republic daily — DPR leader...
ReplyDeleteUp to 200 volunteers join the ranks of militias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic daily, the head of the republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said on Friday.
"Every day 100 to 200 volunteers join the forces," Zakharchenko said, explaining that the increase in the combat capabilities comes amid the lack of trust in the policy of the Ukrainian government.
"We are ready for any actions of Kiev, I will not lie," Zakharchenko stressed. "There is a strong mistrust in the Ukrainian government, its military and that’s why the key task here is to learn," he said..............http://tass.ru/en/world/782480
13/3/15
Protests continue in Ferguson after shooting of police officers...
ReplyDeleteApproximately 200 protesters gathered near the Ferguson police department in the US state of Missouri Thursday night, singing songs such as "love" or chanting slogans including "stop Racism", after earlier shooting of two police officers.
A group of protesters gathered at a public plaza near the police department for a vigil, candle in hand. Some said they were praying for the police officers and peace of the community.
On the other side, some protesters were chanting slogans such as "No justice, No peace", as a group of St. Louis county policemen walked through the protesters, with several holding the banner "Justice for Michael". Michael Brown is the name of the black and unarmed 18-year-old shot dead on August 9 last year by a white police officer in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis city.
The shootings of two police officers took place midnight Thursday outside Ferguson police headquarters during a protest that followed the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson.
A huge manhunt for the gunman continues in town...............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/911879.shtml
13/3/15
The European Commission on Friday has reportedly backed a decision by Euratom to refuse permission to Russia for building nuclear plants in Hungary....
ReplyDeleteAccording to a report in the Financial Times, the decision, details of which were kept secret, came at a meeting in Brussels last week of all 28 EU commissioners, including Hungary’s Tibor Navracsics, who is EU Commissioner for Education, Youth and Sport.
Russia was to build two 1200-megawatt nuclear reactors in the town of Paks, 120.7 kilometers (75 miles) south of Budapest, in a deal worth €12 billion ($12.7 billion). The deal was orchestrated by Hungarian President Viktor Orban in January 2014.
But Euratom blocked the deal at the end of February this year, because it included a clause requiring the plants to import fuel exclusively from Russia.
The European Commission decision means that the deal will not go through, although a renegotiation is possible if aspects of the contract are changed and it is resubmitted to Euratom.
The Hungarian government issued a denial of the report, which cites sources close to the Commission.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/477846--eu-nixes-hungary-russia-nuclear-plans-report
13/3/15
Russia, Hungary deny report that EU blocked nuclear fuel deal...
ReplyDeleteRussian and Hungarian officials are denying a report that said EU blocked a multibillion deal under which Hungary is to buy nuclear fuel rods from Russia for its Paks nuclear power plant.
Russian nuclear engineers are to build two new reactors with combined capacity of 1,200 megawatts at Hungary’s only nuclear power plant, which currently has four reactors. The deal signed last year involves a €10-billion loan that Moscow offered to Budapest on condition that the money would pay for the equipment.
The new reactors would have to be loaded with Russian-made fuel rods, which is a matter of safety for the new reactors. However EU’s nuclear fuel purchasing agency Euratom is opposing the exclusive deal. The Financial Times reported Thursday that the European Commission last week secretly backed Euroatom’s decision to block the deal.
Hungarian and Russian officials said the report was not true. Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs denied the FT report, saying that Budapest would demand that the newspaper publish a retraction. Russian nuclear agency Rosatom said “it had nothing to add” to Kovacs’ words and that as far as it knew, the deal was approved by the European Commission................../rt.com/news/240309-hungary-russia-nuclear-deal/
13/3/15
Rencontre Tsipras-Juncker: la Grèce sur le fil...
ReplyDeleteLe Premier ministre grec Alexis Tsipras a rencontré vendredi matin à Bruxelles le président du Parlement européen Martin Schulz et celui de la Commission européenne Jean-Claude Juncker. Au programme des rencontres: "la meilleure manière de mettre en œuvre la décision du 20 février" de l'Eurogroupe d'accorder une extension de quatre mois du programme d'aide financière à la Grèce en échange d'une liste approfondie de réformes..................http://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detail_grece-juncker-deplore-le-manque-de-progres-mais-exclut-un-echec?id=8930053
Retired Admiral Igor Kasatonov revealed details of the 2014 Crimean operation and gave insight into his role in the history of the Russian Black Sea Fleet...
ReplyDeleteThe 2014 operation in which Ukrainian military bases were blocked was successful because NATO reconnaissance did not monitor it, the former commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Admiral Igor Kasatonov, told RIA Novosti.
"In Crimea, NATO reconnaissance missed everything it could and couldn't have. One of the reasons for this is the policy of strict radio silence during the grouping's concentration, as well as the skilled use of the Sevastopol base, and the transportation which brought the Armed Forces to Crimea."................http://sputniknews.com/russia/20150313/1019448901.html#ixzz3UHbzlcTq
13/3/15
Israël: vers la construction d'une barrière avec la Jordanie ?...
ReplyDeleteIsraël envisage la construction d'une barrière le long de sa frontière avec la Jordanie, le seul pays avec lequel elle n'en avait pas, notamment pour protéger son nouvel aéroport international, a indiqué vendredi une porte-parole militaire.................http://www.rtbf.be/info/monde/detail_israel-vers-la-construction-d-une-barriere-avec-la-jordanie?id=8930689
13/3/15
Berlin nimmt Enteignungs-Drohungen Athens nicht ernst...
ReplyDeleteGriechenland droht damit, deutsches Eigentum in Athen zu pfänden. In Berlin ist man jedoch gelassen. Man bereite sich nicht auf eine solche Entwicklung vor, heißt es.
Die Bundesregierung befürchtet nicht, dass die griechische Regierung ihre Drohung ernst macht und deutschen Besitz in Griechenland enteignet. Eine Sprecherin des Auswärtigen Amtes sagte am Freitag vor der Bundespressekonferenz, man richte sich nicht auf eine solche Entwicklung ein. „Wir bereiten uns nicht darauf vor, weil wir der Meinung sind, dass die Lage klar ist und wir nicht davon ausgehen, dass Griechenland das ernst meint.“ Zwar beobachtet die Bundesregierung die Vorstöße aus Athen genau. Doch werden keine operativen Vorbereitungen getroffen, um auf eine eventuelle Pfändung von deutschem Eigentum zu reagieren. Die Bundesregierung stellte klar, dass die Staatenimmunität auch für mögliche Pfändungen von ausländischem Eigentum gelte..................http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/inland/berlin-nimmt-enteignungs-drohungen-athens-nicht-ernst-13481805.html
13/3/15
Cyclone devastates Pacific island nation of Vanuatu...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Winds of up to 340 kilometers an hour (210 mph) ripped metal roofs off houses and downed trees in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Saturday, as relief agencies braced for a major rescue operation and unconfirmed reports said dozens had died.
Witnesses described sea surges of up to eight meters (yards) and flooding throughout the capital Port Vila after Category 5 Cyclone Pam hit the country. Communications with the outside world were largely knocked out.
Aid officials said the storm may be unprecedented in the island's history and could be one of the worst natural disasters the Pacific region has ever seen, hitting Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands before reaching Vanuatu late on Friday..............http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/14/us-weather-vanuatu-cyclone-idUSKBN0M92NJ20150314?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
'Unbelievable destruction' reported in Tropical Cyclone Pam's wake...
ReplyDeleteRelief workers reported "unbelievable destruction" after Tropical Cyclone Pam smashed the capital of Vanuatu, the Australian Red Cross said Saturday.
The Australian Red Cross said via Twitter that "humanitarian needs will be enormous. Many people have lost their homes. Shelter, food and water (are) urgent priorities" in Port Vila.
Meteorologists said the storm has weakened some, but it was still pounding the islands after hours of fierce winds and torrential rain.
"#CyclonePam still tearing through #Vanuatu. 'Much bigger than expected,' says our colleague in Port Vila. Initial reports of devastation," the Australian branch of UNICEF said on Twitter earlier.................http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/13/asia/cyclone-pam-vanuatu/index.html
China protests over 'deadly Myanmar border raid'...
ReplyDeleteChina has sent fighter jets to its border with Myanmar and lodged a diplomatic protest after a Myanmar warplane reportedly dropped a bomb on its territory, killing four civilians.
The bomb exploded in a sugar cane field near Lincang in Yunnan province along the frontier with Myanmar, reports say.
Myanmar has been fighting rebels in the Kokang region, bordering China.
A Myanmar official quoted by Reuters denied bombing China and said rebels may have caused the explosion.
"It's possible that those fighting with us purposely created these attacks with the intent of causing misunderstanding between China and us," the official said.
China recently warned Myanmar (also known as Burma) that the escalating conflict in the Kokang region could destabilise the border area.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-31885318
14/3/15
Kammenos: Schäuble führt einen psychologischen Krieg...
ReplyDeleteGriechenlands Verteidigungsminister vollführt einen Rundumschlag, vor allem gegen Finanzminister Schäuble. Zudem warnt Kammenos vor einem Ausscheiden seines Landes aus dem Euro: „Dann gelten keine Absprachen mehr, keine Abkommen, nichts.“............http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/eurokrise/griechenland/griechenland-warnt-vor-domino-effekt-nach-einem-grexit-13482550.html
14/3/15
Athen hält Schäuble Parteispendenaffäre vor ...
ReplyDeleteDie Frustration wächst: Schäuble schließt einen unbeabsichtigten Ausstieg Griechenlands aus der Euro-Zone nicht mehr aus. Athen wirft ihm vor, einen "psychologischen Krieg" gegen das Land zu führen. Und nicht nur das.
Im Schuldendrama um Griechenland wächst mangels greifbarer Fortschritte die Nervosität - und die Tonlage wird immer schriller. Bundesfinanzminister Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU) schließt eine Entwicklung mit einem am Ende unbeabsichtigten Austritt („Graccident“) aus der Euro-Zone nicht mehr aus. Der Verteidigungsminister des pleitebedrohten Eurolandes, Panos Kammenos, konterte, es wollten „einige uns regelrecht aus der Euro-Zone drängen.“
Zugleich hielt Kammenos Schäuble seine Verwicklung in die CDU-Parteispendenaffäre vor. Er bezichtigte Berlin, die Athener Koalitionsbildung der linken Syriza mit seiner rechtspopulistischen Anel-Partei hintertrieben zu haben................http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/schuldenstreit-athen-haelt-schaeuble-parteispendenaffaere-vor-/11503684.html
14/3/15
Les Kurdes accusent l'EI d'utiliser du chlore comme arme chimique...
ReplyDeleteLe gouvernement de la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien dit avoir les preuves d'une utilisation du gaz chloré comme arme chimique par l'organisation de l'EI. Le Conseil de sécurité de la région a fait analyser des échantillons.
Le gouvernement de la région autonome du Kurdistan irakien a annoncé samedi 14 mars, disposer de preuves de l'utilisation par l'organisation de l'État islamique de gaz chloré comme arme chimique contre les combattants peshmergas.
L'analyse d'échantillons de sol et de vêtements après une attaque à la voiture piégée commise en janvier par l'EI dans le nord de l'Irak fait apparaître "des niveaux de chlore laissant penser que le gaz a été utilisé sous la forme d'une arme", indique un communiqué du Conseil de sécurité de la région.
Le chlore, qui fut utilisé lors de la Première guerre mondiale, est un gaz suffocant, interdit dans les conflits armés par la Convention sur les armes chimiques de 1997..................http://www.france24.com/fr/20150314-kurdes-etat-islamique-utilisation-arme-chimique-gaz-chlore-irak-syrie-mossoul-kurdistan-irakien/
14/3/15
Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government said on Saturday it has evidence the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used chlorine gas as a chemical weapon against Kurdish peshmerga forces, according to Reuters news agency...
ReplyDeleteThe Kurdish region's Security Council said in a statement that a laboratory analysis of soil and clothing samples from a January suicide car bombing it said ISIS conducted in northern Iraq found “the samples contained levels of chlorine that suggested the substance was used in weaponries form.”
Chlorine is a choking agent whose use as a chemical weapon dates back to World War One.
It is banned under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, which prohibits all use of toxic agents on the battlefield...............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/14/Kurdish-govt-says-ISIS-used-chlorine-as-weapon-in-Iraq.html
EU plans high-level visit to Cuba as ties with West warm...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - The European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, is to visit Cuba this month in the latest sign of warming relations between the Communist-ruled island and the West.
Mogherini, a former Italian foreign minister, will visit Havana on March 23 to 24 to discuss developments in the country and prospects for EU-Cuba cooperation, the EU said in a statement on Saturday.
She will be the most senior EU official to visit Cuba in recent years, and the trip comes as both the 28-nation EU and the United States have made diplomatic overtures to the island.
"Cuba is facing a very interesting period and the European Union is keen to see how we can take the relationship forward with strong momentum," Mogherini said in a statement...........http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/14/us-eu-cuba-idUSKBN0MA0TA20150314?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
Les forces irakiennes préparent l’assaut final sur Tikrit...
ReplyDeleteLes forces irakiennes se préparent à lancer l'assaut final contre les derniers jihadistes de l'EI retranchés à Tikrit. Un commandant tablait samedi sur une reprise de cette ville stratégique "dans 72 heures".
Tikrit sera prise "dans les trois prochains jours" selon un commandant de l’armée irakienne. Les forces armées se préparaient samedi 14 mars à lancer l'assaut final contre les derniers jihadistes de l’organisation de l’État islamique, retranchés dans cette ville située au nord de Bagdad en Irak.
La bataille de Tikrit pourrait prendre fin "dans 72 heures", le temps nécessaire pour en chasser les jihadistes, a affirmé samedi Karim al-Nouri, le porte-parole des Unités de mobilisation populaire. Ce groupe de milices, composées essentiellement de chiites, joue un rôle clé dans l'offensive lancée le 2 mars aux côtés de de milliers d'hommes de l'armée, de la police, et de tribus sunnites pour reprendre la ville...........http://www.france24.com/fr/20150314-forces-irakiennes-milices-chiites-assaut-final-tikrit-etat-islamique-jihadistes/
Iran nuclear deal ‘possible’ in coming days...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed hope Saturday that major world powers would clinch a deal with Iran in the coming days on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program.
Six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- aim by the end of this month to nail down the outline of a deal that would prevent Tehran from making a nuclear bomb.
The parties hope to reach a full accord by July 1.
“We believe very much that there’s not anything that’s going to change in April or May or June that suggests that at that time a decision you can’t make now will be made then,” Kerry told CBS television.
“My hope is that in the next days that will be possible,” he added during the interview recorded in Egypt on the eve of a new round of talks in Switzerland.............http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/03/15/Kerry-hopes-Iran-nuclear-deal-possible-in-coming-days-.html
15/3/15
The Vatican's ambassador in Geneva has said the use of force will be necessary to protect minority groups from Islamic State aggression if a political solution cannot be achieved...
ReplyDeleteIn an interview with US Catholic website Crux, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said the jihadists, who have declared a cross-border caliphate after seizing land in eastern Syria and northern Iraq, were committing "genocide" and must be stopped.
"What's needed is a coordinated and well-thought-out coalition to do everything possible to achieve a political settlement without violence," Crux quoted Tomasi as saying on Friday, "but if that's not possible, then the use of force will be necessary.".............http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Vatican-urges-use-of-force-to-fight-ISIS-393939
Syria's opposition is expected to meet in Cairo in April to discuss a proposal for allowing President Bashar al-Assad to stay in power for two more years, an opposition figure said Saturday...
ReplyDeleteThe two years are expected to be followed by snap presidential elections in the light of the proposal under discussion during the meeting, Bassam al-Malik told The Anadolu Agency.
He added that the opposition would also discuss the drafting of an interim constitution to regulate practices during this transitional period...........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/news/478542--syrias-opposition-to-discuss-leaving-assad-in-power
Russia was prepared to raise nuclear readiness over Crimea crisis: Putin...
ReplyDeleteRussia was ready to bring its nuclear weapons into a state of alert during last year's tensions over the Crimean Peninsula and the overthrow of Ukraine's president, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks aired on Sunday.
Putin also expanded on a previous admission that the well-armed forces in unmarked uniforms who took control of Ukrainian military facilities in Crimea were Russian soldiers.
Putin's comments, in a documentary being shown on state TV, highlight the extent to which alarm spread in Russia in the weeks following Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's ouster in February 2014 after months of street protests that turned increasingly violent..............http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/russia-was-prepared-to-raise-nuclear-readiness-over-crimea-crisis-putin-1.2280544
15/3/15
Washington devra négocier avec Bachar al-Assad, admet John Kerry...
ReplyDeleteAlors que la Syrie entre, dimanche, dans sa cinquième année de conflit, le secrétaire d'État américain John Kerry a admis que les États-Unis devront "au final" négocier avec le président syrien Bachar al-Assad, lors d'un entretien accordé à CBS.
Washington devra "au final" négocier avec le président syrien Bachar al-Assad pour mettre fin au conflit qui vient d'entrer dans sa cinquième année, a reconnu le secrétaire d'État américain John Kerry, dimanche 15 mars, lors d'un entretien accordé à la chaîne américaine CBS News.
"Au final, il faudra négocier. Nous avons toujours été pour les négociations dans le cadre du processus (de paix) de Genève I", a déclaré le chef de la diplomatie américaine. Et d'ajouter que Washington travaillait d'arrache-pied pour "relancer" les efforts visant à trouver une solution politique au conflit............http://www.france24.com/fr/20150315-syrie-john-kerry-etats-unis-negociation-bachar-al-assad/
15/3/15
Die Organisatoren des vorjährigen Staatsstreichs in Kiew haben nicht nur geplant, die Macht zu ergreifen, sondern sie wollten auch den damaligen Präsidenten der Ukraine, Viktor Janukowitsch, töten, wie der russische Präsident Wladimir Putin in der vor kurzem herausgebrachten Fernsehdokumentation "Krim – Der Weg zurück zur Heimat" sagte...
ReplyDeleteLaut Putin hatte er Viktor Janukowitsch am Abend des 21. Februar vorigen Jahres, vor seiner Abreise zu einer regionalen Konferenz nach Charkow, davor gewarnt, Kiew zu verlassen und die Sicherheitskräfte auf den Straßen der Stadt einsetzen zu lassen.
Janukowitsch sei trotz der Warnung nach Charkow gereist und haben den Einsatz der Sicherheitskräfte in Kiew angeordnet.
„Wie Sie wissen, hat die Opposition am selben Tag die Administration des Präsidenten und die Regierung in ihre Gewalt gebracht“, so Putin.
Der Präsident nannte die Hilfe Russlands für Janukowitsch und seine Familie "eine gute Tat“.
http://de.sputniknews.com/politik/20150315/301496002.html#ixzz3UTp3Yyei
15/3/15
El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, dijo este domingo que envió militares a Crimea tras el golpe de Estado en Kiev en febrero de 2014 porque se lo permitía el acuerdo con Ucrania que limitaba la presencia militar rusa en la península a 20.000 efectivos...
ReplyDeleteNi siquiera tuve que aprovechar el permiso del Consejo de la Federación para enviar tropas a Ucrania, dije la verdad. Según el correspondiente acuerdo internacional teníamos derecho a desplegar hasta 20.000 efectivos en nuestra base militar en Crimea. Incluso con la cantidad que hemos añadido no llegamos a los 20.000", dijo el presidente ruso en la película documental "Crimea. El camino hacia la Patria" que emitió la televisión Rossiya 1..............http://mundo.sputniknews.com/europa/20150315/1035374225.html#ixzz3UTpmx65J
15/3/15
Poroshenko says Minsk agreements are not working...
ReplyDeleteThe Minsk agreements on the settlement in eastern Ukraine are not working, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an interview with Germany’s Bild newspaper published on its website on Sunday.
"The truth is that the agreement is not working," Poroshenko, who arrived on a working visit to Germany on Sunday, said, adding that Minsk-2 was "a hope but not reality" for Kiev.
http://tass.ru/en/world/782855
Neue Doktrin: Varoufakis empfiehlt Merkel ein Vermächtnis für Europa..
ReplyDeleteJanis Varoufakis bereut die Homestory-Fotos mit seiner Frau. In einem Interview wünscht sich der griechische Finanzminister von der Kanzlerin einen Plan für Europa, bevor sie ihre Karriere beendet.
Der griechische Finanzminister Janis Varoufakis hat Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel (CDU) aufgerufen, einen Wachstumsplan für Europa vorzulegen.
"Wir brauchen eine neue Doktrin, die Europa vereinigt. Frau Merkel könnte in den nächsten Jahren, bevor sie ihre Karriere beendet, ein Vermächtnis für Europa hinterlassen, an das sich alle als Merkel-Plan erinnern würden, so wie man sich heute an den Marshall-Plan erinnert."..........http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article138426523/Varoufakis-empfiehlt-Merkel-ein-Vermaechtnis-fuer-Europa.html
15/3/15
EU-Parlamentspräsident wegen Griechenland-Äußerungen unter Beschuss...
ReplyDeleteNach der Verbal-Attacke eines griechischen Ministers auf Schäuble hofft Martin Schulz auf ein schnelles Ende der Athener Koalition. In Berlin sorgt das für großen Unmut. In Athen hat man derweil ganz andere Ängste.
EU-Parlamentspräsident Martin Schulz (SPD) stößt mit seiner Forderung an den griechischen Regierungschef Alexis Tsipras zum Ende der Zusammenarbeit mit der rechtspopulistischen Partei Anel („Unabhängige Griechen“) auf scharfe Kritik in der Unions-Bundestagsfraktion und bei der Linken. „Es ist nicht unsere Aufgabe, gewählte Regierungen aufzufordern, Koalitionen zu beenden. Hier überschreitet der Präsident des Europaparlaments eindeutig seine Kompetenzen“, sagte der Unions-Obmann im Auswärtigen Ausschuss, Roderich Kiesewetter (CDU), dem Handelsblatt (Online-Ausgabe).......................................http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/geht-athen-das-geld-aus-eu-parlamentspraesident-wegen-griechenland-aeusserungen-unter-beschuss/11505768.html
15/3/15
Greece's combative finance minister has indicated that Athens' new radical left government is prepared to put some of its campaign promises on hold while it seeks to build confidence among its creditors...
ReplyDelete"Our program is a program for four years," Yanis Varoufakis told reporters after a meeting of economic and finance leaders in northern Italy on March 13.
"We continue to hope...and will continue to work towards ensuring that these very basic promises we've made will be fulfilled within (this) timeframe," he said, according to an online video of a news conference following the closed-door meeting in Cernobbio, near Lake Como.
"If this means that for the next few months while there are negotiations we suspend or we delay the implementation of our promises, we shall do precisely that in the context of building trust with our partners."
Varoufakis did not specify the election pledges he had in mind............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/greek-finance-minister-says-some-election-vows-can-be-put-off.aspx?pageID=238&nID=79677&NewsCatID=345
Vanuatu's president said the cyclone that hammered the tiny South Pacific archipelago was a "monster" that has destroyed or damaged 90 per cent of the buildings in the capital Port Vila and has forced the nation to start anew...
ReplyDeleteLooking weary and red-eyed, Baldwin Lonsdale said in an interview on Monday with The Associated Press that the latest information he has is that six people are confirmed dead and 30 injured from Cyclone Pam. He appealed for international aid for a place he calls "paradise."
"This is a very devastating cyclone in Vanuatu. I term it as a monster, a monster," he said. "It's a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu. After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out."...............http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/Vanuatu-struggles-to-account-for-cyclone-damage-deaths/articleshow/46579213.cms
Early reports from the outer islands of Vanuatu on Monday painted a picture of utter destruction after a monster cyclone tore through the South Pacific island nation...
ReplyDeleteAuthorities in Vanuatu were struggling to establish contact with the islands that bore the brunt of Cyclone Pam's winds of more than 300 kph (185 mph), which flattened buildings, smashed boats and washed away roads and bridges as it struck late on Friday and into Saturday.
The government's official toll is eight dead and 20 injured but that looks certain to rise, given the extent of the damage.
The southern island of Tanna, about 200 km (125 miles) south of the capital, Port Vila, with its 29,000 inhabitants took the full force of the category 5 storm. Initial reports from aid groups said it had been devastated, along with the main town on the southern island of Erromango, with at least two people reported dead................http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Aid-teams-report-devastation-and-death-after-Vanuatu-cyclone-394037
16/3/15
Crimea's prime minister has told the BBC the peninsula has returned to its historical Russian homeland and will never again be part of Ukraine...
ReplyDeleteSergei Aksyonov said the annexation of the peninsula by Russia one year ago had been a "democratic act".
In a pre-recorded interview which aired on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had been ready to put nuclear weapons on standby at the time.
Mr Putin has not been seen in public since 5 March.
The Kremlin has denied rumours that he might be sick or even dead.............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31901966
16/3/15
Russia Marks First Anniversary of Crimean Referendum...
ReplyDeleteCrimea refused to recognize the legitimacy of the government in Kiev that overthrew Russia-leaning President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, instead voting to cut ties with Ukraine and rejoin Russia in a plebiscite which found that over 96 percent of Crimean voters supported the motion.
A coup that installed a new, fiercely nationalist government in Kiev in February, 2014 alienated Crimea's majority Russian-speaking population of some 2.4 million. Ethnic Russians have dominated the peninsula since its capture by the Russian empire from the Ottomans in the 18th century.
In a forthcoming documentary titled "Crimea. Way Back Home," Russian President Vladimir Putin shed light on the events that preceded the controversial vote. He said officials in the region had organized a poll to gauge public support for the reunification...............http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150316/1019533565.html#ixzz3UXEuRagw
16/3/15
Donald Tusk warnt: Ausscheiden Athens hätte dramatische Folgen ...
ReplyDeleteEU-Ratspräsident Donald Tusk hat die 28 europäischen Mitgliedstaaten eindringlich davor gewarnt, Griechenland fallen zu lassen. Ein versehentliches Ausscheiden des Krisenstaats aus der Euro-Zone sei „idiotisch“.
„Wir haben ein solches idiotisches Szenario zu verhindern“, sagte Tusk in einem Interview mit der „Süddeutschen Zeitung“ und fünf anderen europäischen Blättern. In der europäischen Geschichte habe es bereits zu viele Dinge gegeben, die versehentlich passiert seien, sagte der frühere polnische Ministerpräsident, der das Amt in Brüssel am 1. Dezember 2014 übernommen hatte. Auch der Erste Weltkrieg sei „das Resultat von Missverständnissen, Unfällen und dummen Telefonaten“ gewesen...............http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/donald-tusk-warnt-ausscheiden-athens-haette-dramatische-folgen-/11508410.html
16/3/15
Over a million Brazilians across the country took to the streets Sunday to protest against President Dilma Rousseff...
ReplyDeleteMost of those protests, staged by citizens dressed in yellow and green, the main colors of the Brazilian flag, occurred peacefully without violent incidents.
The largest protest took place in Sao Paulo, where police estimated that 1 million people attended. In Brasilia, the capital city, 45,000 people protested, according to official estimates. There were also protests at overseas embassies and consulates in Buenos Aires, London and Sydney.
The protestors were unhappy about the country's struggling economy and a scandal involving oil and gas giant Petrobras.
The country is going through an economic crisis with rising inflation. In addition, the Petrobras bribery and money-laundering scandal has fueled public anger..........http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/912193.shtml
16/3/15
A senior member of the Saudi royal family has warned that a deal on Iran's nuclear programme could prompt other regional states to develop atomic fuel...
ReplyDeletePrince Turki al-Faisal told the BBC that Saudi Arabia would then seek the same right, as would other nations.
Six world powers are negotiating an agreement aimed at limiting Iran's nuclear activity but not ending it.
Critics have argued this would trigger a nuclear arms race in the region spurred on by Saudi-Iran rivalry.
"I've always said whatever comes out of these talks, we will want the same," said the prince, Saudi Arabia's former intelligence chief.
"So if Iran has the ability to enrich uranium to whatever level, it's not just Saudi Arabia that's going to ask for that.
"The whole world will be an open door to go that route without any inhibition, and that's my main objection to this P5+1 [the six world powers] process."............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31901961
16/3/15
Le chef d'Etat ukrainien Piotr Porochenko a annoncé que Kiev s'était mis d'accord avec 11 pays de l'Union européenne sur des livraisons d'armes à l'Ukraine, rapportent lundi les médias allemands...
ReplyDelete"M.Porochenko a annoncé que l'Ukraine avait signé des contrats avec onze Etats membres de l'UE prévoyant la fourniture d'armes", écrit le journal Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten se référant à l'agence de presse DPA...........http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150316/1015185456.html#ixzz3UY7jiG8N
16/3/15
The European Union said on Monday it would stick to its policy of not recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and voiced concern over what it said was a military build-up and deteriorating human rights situation there....
ReplyDelete“The European Union does not recognize and continues to condemn this act of violation of international law,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said in a statement marking the anniversary of Russia's annexation off the Ukrainian region.
Mogherini said the EU would remain committed to its policy of not recognizing the annexation, including through sanctions.
“The EU reaffirms its deep concern at the continuous military build-up and deterioration of the human rights situation in the Crimean peninsula, including the denial of free speech and the persecution of persons belonging to minorities,” she said.................http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-voices-concern-at-military-build-up-in-crimea/2681527.html
Athen zahlt IWF-Kredittranche pünktlich...
ReplyDeleteGriechenland kann seine Verpflichtungen gegenüber dem IWF trotz akuter Finanznöte offenbar erfüllen. Eine Rückkehr zur Sparpolitik schloss Ministerpräsident Alexis Tsipras aber aus.................http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/griechenland-athen-zahlt-iwf-kredittranche-puenktlich/11509854.html
Israël: Netanyahu écarte un Etat palestinien s'il est élu...
ReplyDelete(Belga) Le Premier ministre israélien sortant Benjamin Netanyahu a écarté lundi la création d'un Etat palestinien s'il conserve son poste après les élections parlementaires de mardi, invoquant le danger que les territoires qui seraient cédés tombent aux mains des extrémistes islamistes.
"Tous ceux qui veulent la création d'un Etat palestinien et le retrait de territoires rendent ces territoires vulnérables à des attaques de l'islam extrémiste contre l'Etat d'Israël. Telle est la réalité qui s'est imposée ces dernières années. Celui qui n'en tient pas compte joue les autruches", a-t-il dit au site d'information NRG. (Belga)
http://www.rtl.be/info/monde/international/israel-netanyahu-ecarte-un-etat-palestinien-s-il-est-elu-708451.aspx
16/3/15
Netanyahu says no Palestinian state as long as he's prime minister...
Delete(Reuters) - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a final bid to shore up right-wing support ahead of a knife-edge vote on Tuesday, said he would not permit a Palestinian state to be created under his watch if he is re-elected.
Trailing his centre-left opponent Isaac Herzog in opinion polls, the three-term leader has sought to shift the focus away from socioeconomic issues and on to security challenges, saying he alone can defend Israel.
Having previously hinted that he would accept a Palestinian state, Netanyahu reversed course on Monday, citing risks that he linked to the regional spread of Islamist militancy. He said that if he is re-elected, the Palestinians would not get the independent state they seek in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.
"Whoever moves to establish a Palestinian state or intends to withdraw from territory is simply yielding territory for radical Islamic terrorist attacks against Israel," he told the Israeli news site NRG.
Asked if that meant a state would not be established if he remained prime minister, he said: "Indeed."....................http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/16/us-israel-election-idUSKBN0MC1I820150316?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
16/3/15
Premier Jazenjuk: Ukrainische Armee in volle Einsatzbereitschaft versetzen..
ReplyDeletePremier Arseni Jazenjuk hat das Verteidigungsministerium und den Generalstab aufgefordert, die ukrainische Armee in volle Einsatzbereitschaft zu versetzen.
Die Situation im Krisengebiet Donbass „erfordert vom Verteidigungsministerium und dem Generalstab, die ukrainischen Streitkräfte in volle Einsatzbereitschaft zu versetzen“, äußerte Jazenjuk am Montag in einer Konferenzschaltung mit Vertretern der Gebietsbehörden.
Der ukrainische Zivilschutz müsse außerdem Schritte zum Schutz der Zivilbevölkerung unternehmen, darunter auch Luftschutzräume einrichten, betonte er................http://de.sputniknews.com/militar/20150316/301510156.html#ixzz3UZbbRqIE
16/3/15
Das politische Verhältnis zwischen Deutschland und Griechenland ist zerrüttet. Nun soll ein Besuch des griechischen Ministerpräsidenten Tsipras mit Kanzlerin Merkel die Wogen glätten...
ReplyDeleteBundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat den griechischen Ministerpräsidenten Alexis Tsipras für kommenden Montag nach Berlin eingeladen. Beide Politiker hätten am Montag telefoniert, sagte ein Regierungssprecher in Berlin. "Dabei hat die Bundeskanzlerin den Ministerpräsidenten zu einem Besuch in Berlin eingeladen und er hat die Einladung angenommen."....................http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/6316808/es-gibt-dringend-etwas-zu-besprechen-.html
16/3/15
Schäuble – Athen hat "alles Vertrauen zerstört"...
ReplyDeleteBundesfinanzminister Schäuble wirft dem griechischen Ministerpräsidenten vor, das Vertrauen seiner Euro-Partner zerstört zu haben. Tsipras kommt auf Einladung von Bundeskanzlerin Merkel nach Berlin.................http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article138476485/Schaeuble-Athen-hat-alles-Vertrauen-zerstoert.html
Kurds report more chlorine attacks, Iraq pauses Tikrit offensive...
ReplyDeleteIraq paused its Tikrit offensive on Monday and officials called for more air strikes against Islamic State militants, while an officer said Kurdish forces sustained two more chlorine gas attacks by insurgents.
General Aziz Waisi told journalists the insurgents used chlorine twice during a January offensive west of Mosul and once in a December attack on his military police brigade in the Sinjar mountain area. One attack near Mosul, on Jan. 23, was described by Kurdish authorities on Saturday.
Waisi said a number of military police - he did not say how many - were taken to hospital, where blood tests indicated they had inhaled chlorine gas released by the bombs.
"When it exploded, we realized it was not a normal smoke because it caused unconsciousness and vomiting," he said...............http://www.todayonline.com/world/iraq-needs-more-airstrikes-dislodge-tikrit-officials
U.S. and Cuban delegations met Monday in Havana for closed-door talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between the longtime foes...
ReplyDeleteAssistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson led a small U.S. delegation while Josefina Vidal, the Cuban foreign ministry’s chief of U.S. affairs, led the Cuban team.
Talks will continue through Monday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, leaving the door open that they could extend further into the week..........http://www.aa.com.tr/en/rss/479379--us-cuba-hold-third-round-of-talks-in-havana
17/3/15
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said on Tuesday that he will personally lead New Zealand' s delegation to mark the centenary commemorations of the Australian and New Zealand troop landings at Gallipoli, Turkey, next month...
ReplyDeleteThe landings by the ANZACs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on April 25, 1915, were part of a failed offensive against the Ottoman Empire.
Gallipoli was the first major combat role for New Zealand forces in the World War One and 2,721 New Zealanders, a quarter of the total New Zealand forces sent to the peninsula, were killed there.
"At these commemorations we'll be honoring their sacrifice and remembering all New Zealand veterans of conflict," Key said in a statement.
Key would attend a number of commemorative services on the Gallipoli Peninsula on April 24 and April 25, and he and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott will jointly attend the Anzac Day services on April 25.
The official delegation would include Veterans Affairs Minister Craig Foss, Opposition Leader Andrew Little, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Tim Keating and other senior defense personnel.......http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/912413.shtml
17/3/14
A senior US official on Tuesday brushed off Beijing's objection to the possible deployment of a US missile defence system in South Korea, saying North Korea's missile programme poses a "significant threat."...
ReplyDeleteThe comments by US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel, who is visiting Seoul, came after China's Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Liu Jianchao expressed concern on Monday over the idea of a US missile defence system on South Korean soil.
Liu's statement followed similar comments made by Chinese Defence Minister Chang Wanquan during his visit to Seoul last month. China sees the system as designed to curb its own military might.........................http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/125418/World/International/US-official-dismisses-Chinas-concern-over-missile-.aspx
17/3/15
Irán suministra a Irak misiles modernizados como parte de la ayuda a los militares iraquíes para la liberación de Tikrit de los militantes del grupo radical Estado Islámico (EI), informa el rotativo New York Times, citando fuentes no identificadas norteamericanas...
ReplyDeleteSegún datos de inteligencia de EEUU, durante las últimas semanas Irak ha enviado a Tikrit cerca de 30.000 militares, dos tercios de los cuales pasaron entrenamientos dirigidos por el ejército iraní.
Además, Irak recibió municiones de origen iraní...............http://mundo.sputniknews.com/orientemedio/20150317/1035424825.html#ixzz3Ud105MwD
17/3/15
Opposed to EU bailouts, Finland's populists eye power...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - Finland's populist opposition leader could join a new government after April's general election with his calls to end bailouts and kick Greece out of the euro likely to ensure Helsinki sticks to its tough line on EU affairs.
The Finns party, formerly known as True Finns, rose from obscurity to come third in the 2011 vote, spooking markets but winning over voters with criticism of EU financial rescues for fellow members of the euro during the debt crisis.
Finland has taken one of the hardest lines in negotiations with Greece but party leader Timo Soini refused to join the pro-bailout government coalition, a move many saw as a mistake as it threw the party into ineffective opposition for four years..............http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/17/us-finland-populists-idUSKBN0MD0M520150317?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
17/3/15
Six killed in 'Syria gas attack' ...
ReplyDeleteA group monitoring the Syrian civil war has said that government forces had carried out a poison gas attack that killed six people in the northwest, and medics posted videos of young children suffering what they said was suffocation.
The Syrian government has previously denied accusations that it has used chemical weapons in the four-year-old war.
A Syrian military source said he did not have any information about the alleged attack in the village of Sarmin in Idlib province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, said the six dead included a man, his wife and their three children.
It cited medical sources as saying that they died as a result of gas released from barrel bombs and that the chemical used was likely chlorine.
Dozens more people had been wounded in the attack, the Observatory said.
The report could not be independently verified.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0317/687637-syria/
17/3/15
Ukraine's finance minister says IMF loan not enough...
ReplyDeleteThe financial support promised by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to Ukraine for restoration of the national economy won't e enough, the country's Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.
The minister said the approved loan is enough for stabilizing the banking system but not to regain economic growth. The IMF board last week approved financial assistance to Ukraine ammounting to $17.5 billion, the first tranche ammounting to $5 billion. Besides, according to Jaresko, Ukraine is expected to get other countries' assistance in the ammount of $7.5 billion.
http://tass.ru/en/economy/783182
Pakistan hanged 12 male convicts on Tuesday, an interior ministry spokesman said, the largest number of people executed on the same day since an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment was lifted in December....
ReplyDeletePrime Minister Nawaz Sharif lifted a de facto moratorium on capital punishment on December 17, a day after Pakistani Taliban gunmen attacked a school and killed 132 students and nine teachers. The slaughter put pressure on the government to do more to tackle the Islamist insurgency.
Twenty-seven people have been hanged since then, most of them militants, but last week it emerged that officials had quietly widened the policy to include all prisoners on death row whose appeals had been rejected........................http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-hangs-12-men-in-largest-execution-since-moratorium-lifted/articleshow/46593474.cms
17/3/15
Reiche Griechen flüchten vor Steuer nach London...
ReplyDeleteDas Bundesfinanzministerium spricht im Bezug auf die britische Steuerreglungen von "schädlichem Steuerwettbewerb" in der EU.
Der britische Vermögensverwalter Martin Graham, von der Oracle Capital Group sagte REPORT MAINZ: "Von den Superreichen Griechen kommt immer mehr neues Geld aus Griechenland dazu in den letzten 18 Monaten. Wegen der Krise in Griechenland. London ist besonders attraktiv für die Griechen wegen der Steuergestaltung."................http://www.swr.de/report/london-als-steueroase-fuer-griechische-millionaere-bundesregierung-kritisiert-britische-steuerschlupfloecher/-/id=233454/did=15036074/nid=233454/tmgegv/index.html
17/3/15
US Should Move Military Bases Closer to the Kremlin – General...
ReplyDeleteFox News military analyst Gen. Jack Keane believes that economic sanctions and NATO drills close to the Russian border are not enough to ensure European security, and so the US should move its air and ground bases further into Eastern Europe.
nstead of undermining the Kremlin’s authority, the sanctions are actually boosting it, the General said. Russia has responded to the joint exercises in the Baltics, where the Pentagon is sending thousands of its soldiers, by holding its own war games involving 38,000 servicemen, 110 aircraft and more than 50 surface ships and submarines.
All of the West's measures are not enough to clearly demonstrate that Europe is firmly secured on the east. We need to act more decisively, General Keane added.............http://sputniknews.com/us/20150317/1019618188.html#ixzz3Uf3yLTJl
17/3/15
Citing need to break ‘cycle of impunity,’ UN panel urges referral of Syria to ICC...
ReplyDeleteA culture of impunity continues to flourish inside Syria amid a conflict that has generated over four million refugees and hundreds of thousands of dead, the head of a United Nations-mandated Commission of Inquiry said today, urging the international community to step up efforts in bringing the four-year-long war to a close.
Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro warned that the Syrian civil war had intensified in its destructive scale as combatants used aerial and ground weapons “indiscriminately and disproportionately” and committed an alarming number of human rights violations.
The use of barrel bombs, the proliferation of small arms, the introduction of extremist groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) into the fighting, and the surge in sexual violence has precipitated the country’s plunge into “darkness,” Mr. Pinheiro said, as he presented the Commission’s report...............http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=50346#.VQhXVo4YE9Q
17/3/15
Continental police agency Europol Tuesday launched a specialist unit to tackle rampant people smuggling across the Mediterranean, despite the increasingly chaotic situation in North Africa...
ReplyDelete"We needed a better intelligence network to stop and dismantle those criminal networks before they start" sending people across the sea, Europol director Rob Wainwright told AFP.
The unit, comprised of experts from 13 European countries and based at Europol headquarters in The Hague, will build an intelligence network to "pick up the strands and use our analytical capability," said Wainwright.
"This team will be able to act immediately," he said, admitting the uphill struggle police face given political turmoil in some countries from which migrants travel............http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Mar-17/291137-europol-unit-to-tackle-mediterranean-people-smugglers.ashx
17/3/15
Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on Tuesday approved the president’s decision to involve foreign troops to multi-national military drills in 2015...
ReplyDeleteThe move enrolled support from 305 lawmakers, whereas 226 votes are commonly needed to pass a bill into law.
The law allows to stage Ukrainian-US exercises Fearless Guardian-2015 in Ukraine’s western Lviv region (in March-November 2015), Sea Breeze-2015 drills in the Black Sea and at a number of military facilities in the Nikolayev and Odessa regions (June-October), Saber Guardian/Rapid Trident-2015 drills in the Lvov region (July-October 2015).............http://tass.ru/en/world/783370
Netanyahu claims surprise victory in Israeli election...
ReplyDeleteIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looked set for victory on Wednesday as a preliminary vote count put his Likud party well ahead of its nearest rivals, in a result that the incumbent said went "against all odds".
Netanyahu claimed victory after exit polls showed he had erased his centre-left rivals’ lead with a hard rightward shift in which he abandoned a commitment to negotiate a Palestinian state.
Refusing to concede defeat, Netanyahu’s chief opponent, head of the centre-left Zionist Union Isaac Herzog, said “everything is still open” and that he already had spoken to party leaders about forming a government.
But with around 70 percent of votes counted, Likud was leading with 23.73 percent, the Central Elections Committee said, with the Zionist Union trailing on 19.06 percent.........http://www.france24.com/en/20150317-live-israel-votes-tight-general-elections/
Russia celebrates Crimea annexation anniversary...
ReplyDeleteThe Crimean flag is being flown on state buildings across Russia to mark the anniversary of the country's annexation of Crimea.
The region was absorbed into Russia after a disputed referendum that was boycotted by those loyal to the government in Ukraine and condemned by the European Union and by the United States.
A year after Russia's takeover of Crimea, residents are suffering growing hardship as prices rise and many fear for the future.
However, despite this President Vladimir Putin's popularity has soared and some Crimeans, such as pensioners, say they have benefited.
But foreign investors have fled, the banking sector is paralysed and many other residents are struggling to make ends meet.
Life was hard when Crimea was part of Ukraine but it is proving no easier as part of Russia, which has been hit by Western economic sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support for separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine..........http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0318/687783-crimea/
18/3/15
Syrian opposition calls for establishing no-fly zone in north-east...
ReplyDeleteNational Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (Syrian National Coalition) has sent a request to the UN Security Council on Tuesday to establish a no-fly zone in the north-east of the country. The Syrian National Coalition calls on UN member-countries to act unilaterally, as Russia and China may veto the decision in the UN Security Council.
The Syrian National Coalition said that government forces delivered an air strike using chlorine in the Indlib Governorate on March 16. More than 70 people were injured in the incident, the coalition’s spokesman Najib Gadban said.
http://tass.ru/en/world/783420
18/3/15
A group of around 500 anti-establishment protesters marched in central Athens Tuesday, burning cars and destroying public property....
ReplyDeleteThey marched toward Syntagma Square, which is close to the Greek parliament, and held banners that called for the immediate abolition of the anti-terror law.
Protesters are demanding the release of prisoners serving sentences for terrorism-related crimes, closure of high security prisons and changes to the country's anti-terror laws.
The march was then divided into two groups and one of them headed toward the Exarcheia area in central Athens.
Protesters then set fire to two cars outside the National Technical University of Athens and continued destroying public property.
Fire was also set to several garbage containers and the same group immobilized a bus driver and destroyed his vehicle.
Police forces were present but did not intervene.
http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/479931--greece-protesters-destroy-property-burn-cars-in-athens
18/3/`5
100% of votes counted; Israel's Likud wins 30 seats: Radio...
ReplyDeleteBenjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party has won 30 seats in Israel's Knesset, Israeli media reported Wednesday.
The Zionist Union, which is led by Isaac Herzog, came in second position with 24 seats, Israel Public Radio added after counting 100 percent of votes in Israel's Knesset election, which was held on Tuesday.
Millions of Israelis cast their votes in their country's 20th Knesset election on Tuesday to determine Israel's next prime minister and the make-up of its parliament.
The radio said the joint list, which is made up of four Arab parties, won 13 seats, whereas Yesh Atid Party, which is led by former finance minister Yair Lapid, won 11 seats.
It added that Kulano party, which is led by former communication minister Moshe Kahlon, won 10 seats and the Jewish Home Party, which is led by former economy minister Naftali Bennett, 8 seats.
Shas and United Judaism won 7 seats each, the radio said, adding that Yisrael Beiteinu Party won 6 seats and Meretz ffour seats..............http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/479405--polls-open-in-israels-knesset-elections
18/3/15
Tension avec les créanciers: la Bourse d'Athènes perd 4,16% à mi-séance...
ReplyDeleteLa Bourse d'Athènes chutait mardi en milieu de séance, cédant 4,16% vers 12h40 GMT, sur fond de tensions accrues avec les créanciers avant le sommet européen de jeudi et vendredi à Bruxelles.............http://www.rtbf.be/info/economie/detail_tension-avec-les-creanciers-la-bourse-d-athenes-perd-4-16-a-mi-seance?id=8934455
18/3/15
Ukraine intends to restore peace and regain control over the south-eastern Donbas region by all means, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Wednesday...
ReplyDeleteHe said local elections should be held in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
"The elections should be honest and democratic, otherwise they are useless," the prime minister said.
http://tass.ru/en/world/783469
18/3/15
Dijsselbloem: Kapitalverkehrskontrollen gegen den „Grexit“...
ReplyDeleteKapitalverkehrskontrollen gegen den „Grexit“
In der Griechenland-Debatte bringt Eurogruppen-Chef Jeroen Dijsselbloem die Idee von Kapitalverkehrskontrollen ins Spiel. So will er das finanzschwache Land im Euro behalten. Er zitiert als Positivbeispiel Zypern.............http://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/jeroen-dijsselbloem-kapitalverkehrskontrollen-gegen-grexit-13490965.html
18/3/15
Juncker inquieto com falta de progressos nas negociações com a Grécia...
ReplyDeleteO presidente da Comissão Europeia, Jean-Claude Juncker, disse, em Bruxelas, que continua inquieto com a falta de progressos nas negociações entre a Grécia e os seus credores, e exortou "todas as partes" a intensificarem os seus esforços.
Numa conferência de imprensa conjunta com o primeiro-ministro francês, Manuel Valls, após um encontro de trabalho na sede da Comissão Europeia, Juncker, questionado sobre o impasse nas negociações entre Atenas e os seus parceiros da zona euro e restantes credores internacionais, respondeu de forma concisa, para assinalar que está insatisfeito.
"Sobre a Grécia, continuo inquieto. Não estou satisfeito com os progressos feitos nos últimos dias", disse, fazendo votos para que "todas as partes" façam realmente um esforço para consumar o acordo alcançado no final de fevereiro com vista ao prolongamento da assistência financeira à Grécia.
http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Economia/Interior.aspx?content_id=4460785&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JN-ULTIMAS+%28JN+-+Ultimas%29
18/3/15
The United Arab Emirates has recalled its ambassador to Sweden, a Swedish government source with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday, a week after Saudi Arabia made the same move...
ReplyDeleteThe source did not say why the UAE had withdrawn its envoy or provide other details.
Last week the UAE's larger neighbour Saudia Arabia recalled its own envoy to Stockholm after branding Swedish criticism of its human rights record as "interference in its internal affairs."............http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Mar-18/291272-united-arab-emirates-recalls-envoy-to-sweden-swedish-source.ashx
Washington prétend que Moscou pourrait violer le Traité sur les forces nucléaires à portée intermédiaire (FNI) et se prépare à riposter...
ReplyDeleteCraignant que la Russie ne viole le Traité sur l'élimination des missiles de moyenne et de plus courte portée (Traité FNI), les Etats-Unis envisagent une riposte militaire, a indiqué mercredi le secrétaire américain à la Défense Ashton Carter lors des auditions au Congrès.
"Nous examinons nos alternatives en matière de défense contre les systèmes que les Russes peuvent déployer en violation du Traité sur les forces nucléaires à portée intermédiaire", a déclaré le chef du Pentagone.
Les Etats-Unis ont plus d'une fois accusé la Russie d'avoir mis au point des systèmes susceptibles, selon Washington, de violer le Traité FNI. Moscou rejette toutes ces accusations et appelle les Américains à produire des preuves concrètes des violations supposées............http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150318/1015244430.html#ixzz3UlmCwHE8
18/3/15
Griechenland setzt Troika wieder vor die Tür...
ReplyDeleteDas Verhältnis zwischen Griechenland und den Euro-Partnern erreicht einen neuen Tiefpunkt. Bei Verhandlungen zwischen hohen Beamten zeigte Athen keine Kooperationsbereitschaft. Die Troika-Institutionen werden ignoriert..............http://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/krise-bei-verhandlungen-griechenland-setzt-troika-wieder-vor-die-tuer/11524748.html
18/3/15
At least two people have been killed and several injured in a shooting in a restaurant in the south-western Swedish city of Gothenburg, police say...
ReplyDeleteThey say automatic weapons - believed to be Kalashnikov assault rifles - were used in the attack late on Wednesday.
Police spokeswoman Ulla Brehm was quoted as saying the shooting could have been gang-related.
One witness told Sweden's SVT broadcaster that two men entered the restaurant and opened fire.
The attack happened as customers were watching a football game.
The gunmen are believed to have fled.
The police sealed off the area and launched a murder investigation...............http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31957453
New Moscow-Kyiv Dispute Strains Ukraine Peace Plan ...
ReplyDeleteA peace plan to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine came under renewed strain Wednesday, with Ukraine and Russia clashing publicly over the next steps and further Ukrainian military casualties from rebel attacks testing a fragile cease-fire.
Moscow reacted sharply after Ukraine agreed Tuesday to confer special status on rebel-controlled eastern regions and grant them limited self-rule — but only once local elections had been held under Ukrainian law, something unpalatable for rebel leaders who have proclaimed their own "people's republics.''
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Ukrainian parliament had sought to "rewrite'' the agreement reached in Minsk, Belarus, last month. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "we are today further from realizing the Minsk agreement than we were a few days ago.''
In Kyiv, Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk responded that no one on the Ukrainian side had much optimism that Russia "and the terrorists'' would readily fulfill the Minsk plan.
"First and foremost: to comply with the Minsk agreement, the Russian bandits must clear out of the territory of Ukraine and give the possibility to Ukraine of carrying out honest and transparent elections in line with international standards,'' he said in televised comments at a government meeting.................http://www.voanews.com/content/fresh-moscow-kyiv-dispute-strains-ukraine-peace-plan/2686428.html
US likely to delay planned closure of two Afghanistan bases ...
ReplyDeleteThe US military bases in Kandahar and Jalalabad are likely to remain open beyond the end of 2015, a senior US official said, as Washington considers slowing its military pull-out from Afghanistan to help the new government fight the Taliban.
The anticipated policy reversal reflects the US embrace of Afghanistan's new and more cooperative president, Ashraf Ghani, and a desire to avoid the kind of collapse of local security forces that occurred in Iraq after the US pull-out there............http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-likely-to-delay-planned-closure-of-two-Afghanistan-bases-394413
United States to Offer Tunisia Assistance in Museum Attack Investigation...
ReplyDeleteWhite House Press Secretary Josh Earnest stated that the US was prepared to offer assistance to Tunisian authorities in the investigation of the terrorist attack at Tunisia’s National Bardo Museum............http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150319/1019702121.html#ixzz3Uo7Vjgt1
19/3/15
Hellas: Verhandlungen vorerst gescheitert...
ReplyDeleteDie Troika bemängelt die Kooperationsbereitschaft Athens. Gespräche auf Eis.
Die Gespräche zwischen der griechischen Regierung und den internationalen Geldgebern über die weitere Zusammenarbeit sind vorerst gescheitert. Politische Kreise in Athen bestätigten am Mittwochabend eine entsprechende Meldung von Handelsblatt Online, in Brüssel hieß es, die Gespräche seien auf Eis gelegt worden. Athen zeige keinerlei Kooperationsbereitschaft, berichteten Vertreter von EU-Kommission, Europäischer Zentralbank (EZB) und Internationalem Währungsfonds (IWF) nach Angaben des Blattes nach einer Telefonschaltung mit dem Finanzministerium in Griechenland.
Zudem habe die Regierung in Athen ohne Rücksprache neue Staatsausgaben beschlossen und verstoße damit gegen Vereinbarungen. Damit sei die Chance, die Auflagen des laufenden Hilfsprogramms bis Ende April zu erfüllen, nur noch gering. Die Griechen hätten die Troika- Institutionen "wieder vor die Tür gesetzt", hieß es laut Handelsblatt in Brüssel.....................http://kurier.at/politik/eu/griechenland-verhandlungen-mit-geldgebern-vorerst-gescheitert/120.283.876
19/3/15
US-Präsident Barack Obama hat laut seinem Vize Joe Biden eine Trainingsmission für 780 Angehörige der ukrainischen Nationalgarde beschlossen, hieß es am Donnerstag in einer Mitteilung auf der Internetseite des ukrainischen Staatschefs. Diese sei für die nächste Zeit geplant...
ReplyDeleteIn einem Telefongespräch mit dem ukrainischen Staatschef Pjotr Poroschenko gab Biden zudem bekannt, Ende März komme die erste Lieferung von Militärfahrzeugen zur Erhöhung der Verteidigungsfähigkeit in die Ukraine an...............http://de.sputniknews.com/militar/20150319/301555351.html#ixzz3UojByXBb
19/3/15
A U.S.-based rights group says both government and rebel forces used cluster bombs in eastern Ukraine in January and February, killing at least 13 civilians including two children...
ReplyDeleteHuman Rights Watch said Thursday that neither side in the conflict should be using such weapons and warned that their use could constitute a war crime.
A spokesman for the rights group said not only do the weapons affect a large area when detonated, which endangers civilians, but unexploded munitions remain dangerous to civilians long after the attack.
“Using cluster munitions shows utter disregard for civilians,” said Ole Solvang, senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch...............http://www.voanews.com/content/rights-group-criticizes-use-of-cluster-bombs-in-ukraine/2686511.html
Russia to boycott UN Security Council informal meeting on Crimea...
ReplyDeleteThe UN Security Council members are due to hold an informal meeting on Crimea on Thursday at the initiative of Lithuania, while Russian diplomats said they plan to boycott the event.
The meeting, to be held behind the closed doors, will be attended by Mustafa Dzhemilev, who is a member of the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, and the former head of the Crimean Tatar community, and Andrey Zubarev, the representative of the so-called Crimean human rights field mission.
The event will begin at 22:00 Moscow time (1900 GMT). The meeting will be held under the so-called "Arria-formula" that will allow the Security Council members to exchange views in a private order with the participation of persons who are not the official representatives of the UN member-states.
The Lithuanian permanent mission's press attache, Ruta Jazukeviciute, said not only the Security Council members, but also all the UN countries have been invited to attend the discussion.
"The goal of the meeting is to give them an opportunity to get the first hand information on the situation in the sphere of human rights and the freedom of mass media and the situation of national minorities and also learn about the latest events in Crimea and eastern Ukraine," she told a TASS correspondent.
The participants will be also able to discuss the possible role that the UN Security Council and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) can play in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, she added.
Russia’s permanent mission to the UN said the upcoming event is "counterproductive and provocative." "It does not refer to the UN Security Council’s activities. The Russian delegation will not take part in it and, as far as we know, the delegations of several other countries won’t do it either," the mission said in an official statement...............http://tass.ru/en/russia/783680
19/3/15
Die Kanzlerin macht Griechenland zur Chefsache...
ReplyDeleteAngela Merkel zieht den Fall Athen auf ihren Tisch. Auch, weil ihr Finanzminister und sein griechischer Kollege sich heillos zerstritten haben. Doch der Vorstoß der Kanzlerin ist nicht ohne Risiko................http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article138550626/Die-Kanzlerin-macht-Griechenland-zur-Chefsache.html
19/3/1
Casualty among Ukrainian soldiers rises despite truce ...
ReplyDeleteThe casualty among Ukrainian government soldiers fighting pro-independence rebels in the country's east regions keeps rising despite the truce deal reached last month, a military spokesman said here Wednesday.
"In the past 24 hours we have lost one serviceman, and 5 others were injured," Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for the government's military operation in eastern Ukraine, told reporters.
Although the ceasefire deal has helped reduce the number of rebel attacks and there was no artillery shelling of government positions in the past day, insurgents now deploy snipers to fire at Ukrainian forces, Lysenko said..............http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/912926.shtml
19/3/15
Griechenland droht die Staatspleite. Premier Alexis Tsipras braucht frisches Geld. Auf einem EU-Gipfel will Tsipras neue Hilfszahlungen einfordern. Er setzt auf einen riskanten Strategiewechsel...
ReplyDeleteDer griechische Premier Alexis Tsipras sucht im Schuldenstreit mit der EU die Entscheidung. Das ist verständlich: Athen geht das Geld voraussichtlich noch in diesem Monat aus. Nach Berichten griechischer Medien fehlen im März noch mindestens 1,7 Milliarden und im April noch einmal zwei Milliarden Euro...................http://www.n24.de/n24/Nachrichten/Politik/d/6331496/alexis-tsipras-wagt-riskanten-strategiewechsel.html
19/3/15
La Grèce au bord de la faillite s'invite au sommet à Bruxelles ...
ReplyDelete«Sommet de la dernière chance.» Sur la Grèce, les termes sont si galvaudés que personne ou presque n'ose encore s'en servir. Cette fois-ci, ce serait plutôt la réserve, voire le silence avant la tempête, qui fait monter la tension. «Nous avons tous l'impression que le temps est compté pour la Grèce», a déclaré Wolfgang Schäuble, le ministre allemand des Finances à Berlin.«Il va être de plus en plus difficile de trouver des solutions, c'est cela le gros souci», a-t-il ajouté, alors que le spectre d'une sortie de la Grèce de la zone euro recommençait à agiter les esprits.
Alexis Tsipras, enfant terrible de l'euro, doit retrouver cette nuit et à huis clos les maîtres créanciers d'Athènes, Angela Merkel, François Hollande, Mario Draghi et Jean-Claude Juncker pour trouver l'issue face à la faillite qui approche......................./lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2015/03/19/20002-20150319ARTFIG00010-la-grece-au-bord-de-la-faillite-s-invite-au-sommet-a-bruxelles.php
19/3/15
US begins destroying its largest cache of chemical weapons...
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. Army began destroying the nation's largest remaining stockpile of chemical weapons on March 18, using explosives to rip open a container of mustard agent inside a sealed chamber and then flooding it with another chemical to neutralize it.
It was the first few pounds of 2,600 tons of mustard agent that will be destroyed at Pueblo Chemical Depot in southern Colorado, most of it contained in about 780,000 shells.
"Everybody's really excited, but we're being cautious, making sure all the procedures are followed exactly," said Bruce Huenefeld, manager of the first destruction process to get underway at the depot.
Mustard agent can maim or kill by damaging skin, the eyes and airways. It's being destroyed under a 1997 international treaty banning all chemical weapons. It will take four years to destroy the Pueblo stockpile.
Another 523 tons of mustard and deadly nerve agents are stored at Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky. Blue Grass isn't expected to start destroying its weapons until 2016 or 2017, finishing in 2023.
The destruction process is safe, officials said...............http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-begins-destroying-its-largest-cache-of-chemical-weapons.aspx?pageID=238&nID=79880&NewsCatID=358
19/3/15
South Korea and the United States will launch a massive landing drill next week, the climax of an ongoing joint military exercise which North Korea views as an invasion rehearsal...
ReplyDeleteThe amphibious drill will start March 28 and run until April 1 at the port of Pohang, some 360 kilometers south of Seoul, the US-South Korea Combined Forces Command said in a statement.
It will include some 1,000 US Marines, three US amphibious ships and 3,000 South Koreans, Yonhap news agency said.
US sailors and marines from the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) based in Okinawa, Japan, are also participating in the drill, known as Ssangyong in South Korea and the Korean Marine Exchange Program (KMEP) in the United States.................http://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=201573&cid=24&fromval=1
19/3/15
Some US allies may send troops to Syria with trainees: Army chief...
ReplyDeleteSome U.S. allies in the fight against ISIS militants in Syria may be willing to send troops to accompany and support the Syrian opposition force the coalition is planning to train and send back to Syria, Army General Ray Odierno said Wednesday.
Odierno, the U.S. Army chief of staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee the military was aware the Syrian opposition force would need help and support once it returned home and was studying how best to provide that assistance.
Asked whether forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad might immediately try to wipe out the coalition-trained opposition, Odierno said the allies would be cautious about where the troops were inserted and what operations they initially undertook.................http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2015/Mar-19/291362-some-us-allies-may-send-troops-to-syria-with-trainees-army-chief.ashx
19/3/15
UK troops start training mission in Ukraine: Ministry...
ReplyDeleteBritish troops have begun a training mission in Ukraine, helping government forces fighting pro-Russian separatists, the Ministry of Defence in London said Thursday.
The BBC reported that 35 personnel are in the southern city of Mykolaiv as part of a two-month mission, although the ministry spokeswoman declined to confirm the details.
"The first elements of the training package began in March... We have got troops out there training," she told AFP, adding: "The numbers will vary depending on the schedule."
Ministers announced last month that up to 75 troops at a time would be deployed to Ukraine, providing training on tactical intelligence, logistics and medical care.
However, the British government has ruled out supplying any lethal equipment to the Ukrainian forces.
"The UK is committed to supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's aggression," the spokeswoman said.................http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/2/9/125596/World/International/UK-troops-start-training-mission-in-Ukraine-Minist.aspx
19/3/15
Los clientes de Banco de Madrid solo recuperarán por ahora 100.000 euros, independientemente de los fondos que tuvieran depositados en la entidad...
ReplyDeleteEl Fondo de Garantía de Depósitos de Entidades de Crédito anunció a última hora del miércoles que próximamente se pondrá en contacto con los clientes del banco para proceder al pago de los importes garantizados “hasta un límite máximo de 100.000 euros por titular de depósito dinerario”.
Se trata de la primera vez desde el inicio de la crisis financiera y de deuda que se aplica en España el límite que marca la ley, de acuerdo con el Real Decreto aprobado en 2011, para resarcir a los clientes de entidades financieras insolventes. El Fondo de Garantía señaló en su comunicado que el pago se efectuará con la “máxima celeridad” posible................http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2015/03/18/actualidad/1426713073_081696.html?ref=rss&format=simple&link=guid
Japan will sign a defense pact with Indonesia next week, officials in both governments said, the latest effort by Tokyo to forge closer security ties with Southeast Asian nations and build a counter-balance to China...
ReplyDeleteJapan has already bolstered military partnerships with the Philippines and Vietnam, the two countries most at odds with China over a territorial row in the South China Sea. Japan itself is embroiled in a bitter dispute with China over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, further to the north...........http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-japan-to-expand-se-asia-security-ties-with-indonesia-pact/2686569.html
EU to tell Greece time, patience running out...
ReplyDeleteEuro zone leaders will tell Greece on Thursday that time and patience are running out for its leftist-led government to implement agreed reforms to avert a looming cash crunch that could force it out of the single currency.
Greece has been kept from bankruptcy by two international bailouts but now risks running out of money within weeks if it does not receive more funds. Greek banks reported the largest deposit withdrawals since Feb. 20, a sign savers are worried about the outlook for the country's finances and institutions.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has requested a meeting with the leaders of Germany, France and the main EU institutions on the sidelines of a European Union summit to press for Athens to receive short-term funds to keep itself afloat.
"I will repeat to him what I’ve already told him twice: Greece must undertake the necessary reforms, Greece must ensure that the commitments it made to the Eurogroup in 2012 and more recently are followed up on," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told France's Europe 1 radio...............Reuters.........http://www.todayonline.com/world/eu-tell-greece-time-patience-running-out?singlepage=true
19/3/15
Jetzt kommen Griechenlands wahre Pläne ans Licht...
ReplyDeleteBislang ging Europa davon aus, dass Athen mehr oder weniger hart an neuen Reformen arbeitet. Doch nun kristallisiert sich heraus: Tsipras' Regierung verfolgte von Beginn an einen ganz anderen Plan.
Von Anfang an läuft die Telefonkonferenz der 19 EU-Staatssekretäre am Montag nicht nach Plan. Vorgesehen war, dass die Troika-Beobachter über Fortschritte bei den neuen Reformplänen in Griechenland referieren würden. So wie es die Planung für solche Telefonschalten seit Jahren vorsieht. Doch schon an diesem Punkt hakt es.
Denn die Vertreter von Internationalem Währungsfonds (IWF), EU-Kommission und Europäischer Zentralbank (EZB) können nicht viel mehr erzählen, als dass sie immer noch nur in einem Hotel in Athen arbeiten dürften. Nicht im griechischen Finanzministerium wie unter früheren Regierungen. Schlimmer noch: In den vergangenen Wochen haben die Griechen nicht nur die Kooperation erschwert. Sie haben sich geweigert, konkrete Reformpläne vorzulegen..............http://www.welt.de/wirtschaft/article138577608/Jetzt-kommen-Griechenlands-wahre-Plaene-ans-Licht.html
19/3/15
Tunisian authorities have arrested four people allegedly directly linked to Wednesday's attack apparently targeting tourists at a museum that killed at least 21 people...
ReplyDeleteFive others suspected of having ties to the gunmen behind the raid, have also been detained, the presidency said in a statement.
Forty seven others were also reportedly injured in the shootings.
Earlier on Thursday, officials identified two of the gunmen as Yassine Laabidi and Hatem Khachnaoui, saying one of the assailants was known to the intelligence services.................http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/03/tunisia-war-terrorism-museum-attack-150319045824986.html
Lavrov: Washington is pushing Kiev to military solution of Donbass conflict...
ReplyDeleteThe US is inciting Kiev to end the crisis in eastern Ukraine by force, said the Russian foreign minister citing US support of the recent Ukrainian law on the special self-governing status of Donbass, which Moscow says undermines the Minsk-2 deal.
“If Washington welcomes the action, which undermines the Minsk agreements, then we can only conclude that Washington is inciting Kiev to resolve the issue by military means,” said Lavrov at a media conference in Moscow on Thursday.
His comments were a reference to the telephone conversation between US Vice-President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Wednesday, during which Biden welcomed the decision by the Ukrainian parliament to give special status to Donbass.
On March 17, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), passed a law granting the self-proclaimed Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk special self-rule status, but Moscow said the law violated the peace agreement........................./rt.com/news/242273-lavrov-washington-kiev-military/
19/3/15
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg: Russia did not have the right to sign alliance treaty with South Ossetia ...
ReplyDeleteNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the treaty of alliance and Russia's integration with South Ossetia that presidents Vladimir Putin and Leonid Tibilov signed on March 18, 2015 in the Kremlin, was a brazen violation of international law, as well as a violation of Georgia's sovereignty.
"This so-called treaty is yet another move by the Russian Federation that hampers ongoing efforts by the international community to strengthen security and stability in the region," Stoltenberg said in a statement. According to him, NATO did not recognize the treaty, Pravda.Ru reports..................http://english.pravda.ru/news/world/19-03-2015/130070-nato_stoltenberg_russia_south_ossetia-0/
19/3/15
The United States continues its provocative policy in the Ukrainian crisis, Russia’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations Vitaly CHurkin said on Thursday...
ReplyDeleteHe said that at a closed-door session of the United Nations Security Council earlier on Thursday he had voiced criticism of Washington’s commending a recent Ukrainian law on specific governance of territories in Donbass and continuing to look at weapons supplies to Kiev.
"We criticized the United States, which has already commended this law, not even bothering to look into details or purposely. Moreover, yesterday (U.S. Vice President Joseph) Biden spoke with (Ukrainian President Petro) Poroshenko about arms supplies. All this indicates that Washington sticks to its provocative policy in Ukrainian affairs," the Russian diplomat said, adding that "a brief but principled" exchange of views had taken place at the Security Council session................http://tass.ru/en/russia/783914
Tokyo marks 20th anniversary of deadly sarin attack on subway system...
ReplyDeleteJapan on Friday commemorated the 20th anniversary of doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo’s sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system, which killed 13 people and left more than 6,000 sick or injured.
Families, acquaintances and former colleagues of the victims gathered in the morning at one of the scenes of the coordinated attack — Kasumigaseki Station in Chiyoda Ward — to observe a moment of silence and leave flowers in honor of the victims..........http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/03/20/national/tokyo-marks-20th-anniversary-of-aums-deadly-sarin-attack-on-subway-system/#.VQv_Go4YE9Q
20/3/15
Moscow slams US plans for armor deployment in eastern Europe...
ReplyDeletePlans for deploying US armor on NATO’s eastern flank cast doubt on NATO’s compliance with its liabilities, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday following a statement by the chief of NATO’s Allied Land Command in Europe Ben Hodges.
"We have taken note of the statements Hodges made in Washington on March 17," the Russian Foreign Ministry’s comment runs. "As follows from what he said, in the near future there will follow a build-up of the US forces in the East European countries within the framework of the operation Atlantic Resolve. In particular, the fleet of US armor (the number of both Abrahams main battle tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles) will be increased from 60 pieces to 220. As he dwelt on the deployment options, Hodges speculated it would be preferable to keep the vehicles in the East European countries on open-ended terms, saying that it would be a normal state of affairs.............http://tass.ru/en/world/783958
20/3/15
EU-Gipfel: Mehrheit gegen Russland-Sanktionen...
ReplyDeleteBei dem am Donnerstag begonnenen zweitägigen EU-Gipfel wurde die vorzeitige Verlängerung der Wirtschaftssanktionen gegen Russland, die im Juli ablaufen, erörtert. Bereits im Vorfeld des EU-Gipfels wurde bekannt, dass ein Viertel der EU-Mitgliedsstaaten einen Sanktionskrieg gegen Moskau ablehnt, schreibt die „Rossijskaja Gaseta“ am Freitag.
Italien und Zypern, deren Staats- und Regierungschefs vor kurzem in Moskau zu Besuch waren, aber auch Spanien, Österreich, Ungarn und die Slowakei sind nach Angaben der Agentur Bloomberg gegen neue Sanktionen gegen Russland. Gegen Sanktionen ist auch Griechenland, wo die Landwirte unter den Gegenmaßnahmen Moskaus am schwersten leiden. Eine Fortsetzung des Sanktionskrieges gegen Moskau wird auch von Finnland, Bulgarien, Portugal, Frankreich und Malta nicht besonders gewünscht......http://de.sputniknews.com/zeitungen/20150320/301576077.html#ixzz3UvUHEtix
20/3/15
Sanctions contre la Russie: sept pays de l’UE disent "stop"...
ReplyDeleteHongrie, Grèce, Italie, Autriche, Espagne, Chypre, et Slovaquie: ces sept pays ont lancé une fronde au sein de l’UE contre la politique de sanctions systématiques contre la Russie dans le cadre du conflit ukrainien. Des experts interrogés par Sputnik décryptent la position de leurs pays respectifs...............http://fr.sputniknews.com/international/20150320/1015268174.html#ixzz3UwlfNd6h
20/3/15
Turkey not to allow LNG tankers to Ukraine across Bosporus — ambassador...
ReplyDeleteTurkey will not allow the passage of tankers with liquefied natural gas (LNG) across the Bosporus Strait for fuel supplies to Ukraine, Turkish Ambassador to Kiev Yonet Can Tezel said in an interview with Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform on Friday.
The Ukrainian media reported on Friday, citing Deputy Energy and Coal Minister Oleksandr Svetelik that Ukraine was in talks with Turkey on the possibility of liquefied natural gas supplies to its territory across the Bosporus Strait..............http://tass.ru/en/economy/784061
Grèce : les impôts des pauvres ont quadruplé...
ReplyDeleteD'après une étude de la fondation Hans Böckler, les impôts des plus pauvres en Grèce ont augmenté de 337%, contre une hausse de 9% chez les plus riches. La responsabilité incombe au gouvernement grec rétorque-t-on à Berlin............./lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/2015/03/20/20002-20150320ARTFIG00251-grece-les-impots-des-pauvres-ont-quadruple.php
20/3/15
The European Union has produced an explosive new report recommending sanctions against Israel over its construction policies and security measures in Jerusalem, the British daily Guardian reported on its website on Friday....
ReplyDeleteThe leaked report, which comes just days after incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handily won re-election, describes Israel's capital as a city gripped by the worst "polarization and violence" since the Second Intifada of a decade ago.
The document, which is an amalgamation of recommendations prepared by European diplomats stationed in the region, accuses the Israeli government of exacerbating tensions in the city by accelerating construction in the contest eastern part of the capital..................http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Politics-And-Diplomacy/EU-report-urges-sanctions-against-Israel-over-Jerusalem-policies-394586
20/3/15
China on Friday rebuked a US navy officer over his suggestions that the Southeast Asian nations should jointly build a maritime force to patrol areas of contested sovereignty in the South China Sea and that his fleet would provide support...
ReplyDelete"We hope the US will strictly honor its commitment of not taking positions or sides on territorial sovereignty issues," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei in response to the reported remarks by Robert Thomas, commander of the US Navy's Seventh Fleet.
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/913270.shtml
20/3/15
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and urged him to renew Israel's commitment to a "two-state solution" with the Palestinians...
ReplyDeleteNetanyahu won re-election this week after a close fought parliamentary campaign in which he toughened his stance, vowing he would thwart the creation of a Palestinian state.
AFP
almanar.com.lb
20/3/15