Saudi Arabia jails 4 nationals for seeking to fight in Syria

2014-08-10

RIYADH - Saudi Arabia has jailed four of its citizens for up to nearly three years after convicting them of joining or trying to join the conflict in Syria, media reported Sunday.

Two of the men, who were not identified by name, had traveled to Yemen and then Turkey using falsified passports with the intention of joining rebel groups, news website Sabq.org reported.

It did not clarify whether the pair had surrendered to authorities, a possibility that would explain the lenient jail terms of four months for the first and two years and 10 months for the second, handed down by a special court in Riyadh.

King Abdullah in February decreed jail terms of up to 20 years for citizens who travel to fight abroad, as the country struggles to deter young Saudis from becoming jihadists.

The other two men made it to Syria but later gave themselves up to Saudi authorities after they were shocked by the extremist ideologies of the groups they had joined, Sabq said.

One was jailed for 18 months, and the second for two a half years, the website said.

The report did not mention which groups fighting in the Syria conflict, that has attracted foreign militants to fight mainly against the Syrian regime, had recruited the four Saudis.

The Sunni-majority conservative kingdom in the Gulf has been a key backer of the more than three-year revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, which is dominated by the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam.

There are no official figures on the numbers of Saudis who have joined jihadist ranks in Syria, but they are estimated at several hundred.

In 2011, Riyadh set up specialized terrorism courts to try dozens of Saudis and foreigners accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda or of being involved in a wave of bloody attacks that swept the country from 2003.

The interior ministry had urged those wanting to "repent" to hand themselves in at Saudi embassies, saying they would be repatriated and reunited with their families.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67520.

Japan's Nagasaki marks 69th anniversary of US bombing

Sat Aug 9, 2014

Japan has marked the 69th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city of Nagasaki by the United States in 1945.

A ceremony commemorating the victims of the US nuclear attack was held in Nagasaki’s Peace Park on Saturday.

The event was attended by the aging survivors of the bombing, relatives of the victims and high-ranking Japanese officials.

In a speech at the ceremony, Nagasaki Mayor pledged the city’s continued push for the elimination of nuclear weapons. He also criticized nuclear states for failing to disarm.

Taue further urged the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to address growing public concerns over Tokyo’s security policy.

The remarks came a month after the Japanese cabinet approved a reinterpretation of the country’s constitution that allows the military to help defend allies and others “in a close relationship” with Japan under what is known as “collective self-defense.”

The mayor said “the rushed debate over collective self-defense has given rise to the concern that this principle (Japan’s renunciation to war) is wavering.”

The US attack on Nagasaki, which killed over 70,000 people in the final stages of the World War II, happened three days after Washington’s atomic bombing of the city of Hiroshima, where over 140,000 Japanese died.

The United States possesses the largest stockpile of active nuclear warheads in the world and is the only country to have ever used nuclear weapons against another nation.

Based on figures released by the Federation of Atomic Scientists (FAS) earlier in January, the United States currently holds a stockpile of 4,650 nuclear warheads, 2,130 of which are operational. In addition, Washington has 2,700 retired nuclear warheads that are yet to be dismantled.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/09/374620/japan-marks-nagasaki-anniversary/.

Ukraine rebel leader: We are open to a cease-fire

August 09, 2014

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A top rebel leader announced Saturday that the rebel stronghold of Donetsk is surrounded by Ukrainian government troops and his forces were willing to accept a cease-fire in order to stave off a humanitarian catastrophe.

There was no immediate government response to the statement from Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the so-called prime minister of the Donetsk separatists. Russia, which the Ukrainian government in Kiev and Western countries allege is supporting the rebels, has called repeatedly for a humanitarian mission into eastern Ukraine. But Kiev and the West suggest that could be just a pretext to send in Russian forces — and say some 20,000 Russian troops are just across the border.

The rebel leader's comments could be aimed at increasing the international pressure to allow in a Russian mission. Conditions in Donetsk, the largest rebel-held city, were clearly deteriorating Saturday. The thunder of artillery reverberated and the streets of the city, home to nearly a million people before some 300,000 fled the conflict, were nearly empty of cars and pedestrians. Most stores were closed.

At least one person was killed and 18 wounded in shelling Saturday that hit about 30 apartment blocks, city council spokesman Maxim Rovinsky said. "The situation is getting worse with every hour," he told The Associated Press, adding that about 2,000 residential buildings had no electricity.

Explosions were also heard Saturday on the northern outskirts near Donetsk's airport. Ukrainian officials have consistently denied that their forces are shelling civilians, but the rebels dismiss that and claim the government is aiming to blame the insurgents for the increasing death and destruction.

Some say both sides are to blame. "We're afraid of the Ukrainian army, which is firing on the city, and of the rebels of the Donetsk People's Republic, who are robbing and killing civilians," said Dmitry Andronov, a 47-year-old resident.

Zakharchenko's statement that the city was surrounded came hours after the rebels' top commander said Ukrainian forces had seized a key town, Krasnyi Luch, and effectively cut off Donetsk and nearby territory from the rest of the rebel-held east.

"The Donetsk-Horlivka group of the fighters of Novorossiya is completely surrounded," Igor Girkin said on a rebel social media page. Novosrossiya, or "New Russia," is a term widely used by the rebels for the eastern area that seeks independence from the government in Kiev. Horlivka, where rebels and Ukrainian forces are also fighting, is 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Donetsk.

A spokesman for the Ukrainian military operation, Andriy Lysenko, told reporters Saturday that he could not confirm that the town was under government control. Concerns are rising about a looming humanitarian catastrophe in the rebel east's second-largest city of Luhansk, where fighting has been heavier and more prolonged. A map released by the Ukrainian military shows Ukrainian forces near the outskirts of Luhansk on three sides, with an opening to other rebel-held territory only at the south.

Russian news agencies quoted Luhansk authorities as saying Saturday that the city has been without water and electricity for a week and most of its stores are closed. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it is stepping up work to alleviate the crisis in eastern Ukraine but warned that any Red Cross aid convoy "will be taken in strict adherence to our fundamental working principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence."

The deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Valeriy Chalyi, claimed Saturday that Russian forces wanted to enter Ukraine under the guise of a humanitarian mission but Ukraine had blocked the move.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the claim, saying "there was no attempt by Russian soldiers at penetration," according to Russian news agencies. But he reiterated Russia's call for humanitarian action, saying "this catastrophe now is the No. 1 theme for discussion."

Donetsk rebels surrounded, commander says

August 09, 2014

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — A top commander of the pro-Russia insurgency in eastern Ukraine said Saturday that Ukrainian forces have seized a key town, leaving the rebel region's largest city of Donetsk surrounded.

The statement by Igor Girkin, a former Russian special service officer better known by his nom de guerre of Strelkov, appears to be a significant admission by the rebels that Ukrainian forces are gaining the upper hand in the four-month-old fight.

Strelkov said the town of Krasnyi Luch, which lies on one of the two main roads between Donetsk and the rebel-held east's other main city of Luhansk, "has been taken by the enemy." "The Donetsk-Horlivka group of the fighters of Novorossiya is completely surrounded," he said on a rebel social media page. Novosrossiya, or New Russia, is a term widely used for the rebel region. Horlivka, where rebels and Ukrainian forces are also fighting, is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Donetsk.

Seizing Krasnyi Luch would cut off much of the passage to other parts of the rebel east. A spokesman for the Ukrainian military operation, Andriy Lysenko, told reporters Saturday that he could not confirm the claim that Krasnyi Luch was under the forces' control.

In Donetsk, a spokesman for the city administration said at least one person was killed and several injured in shelling of the city's southern area on Saturday. Spokesman Maxim Rovninsky also told The Associated Press that about 30 apartment blocks came under fire during the night.

The city, whose population was nearly 1 million before the fighting, has increasingly come under fire over the past weeks. Ukrainian officials firmly deny that they are shelling civilians, but rebels claim the forces are doing just that and trying to shift blame to the separatists.

Explosions were also heard Saturday on the northern outskirts near the city's airport. As the fighting proceeds, concerns are rising about a looming humanitarian catastrophe in Luhansk, where fighting has been heavier and more prolonged. A map released by the Ukrainian military operation against the rebels shows Ukrainian forces near the outskirts of Luhansk on three sides with an opening to other rebel-held territory at the south.

Russian news agencies quoted a Saturday statement from the Luhansk city administration saying that the city has been without water and electricity for a week and that most of its stores are closed. Russia has been pushing for a humanitarian mission to Luhansk, but Kiev and Western countries suspect that could be a pretext for sending in troops. Western countries say Russia has assembled some 20,000 troops just across the border.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Friday that it is stepping up work to alleviate the crisis. In a statement, it acknowledged the Russian proposal about organizing aid convoys and said "any humanitarian initiative is welcome" but added that any Red Cross "action will be taken in strict adherence to our fundamental working principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.."

In Kiev, city workers and volunteers on Saturday removed the last of the barricades that had blocked the main street of Ukraine's capital since protests that forced a change of government arose late last year.

Protesters erected the barricades to protect a sprawling tent camp on the central city's main square. Although the camp's size dwindled sharply after President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country in February and a new government came to power, a determined core of demonstrators remained in a show of suspicion of the new authorities.

Some tents remained on Saturday. But Kiev mayor Vitali Klitschko, who was one of the leaders of the protests against Yanukovych, was quoted by Ukrainian media as saying an agreement has been reached with the protest holdouts to restore free movement in the center.

Yanukovych's ouster precipitated the crisis in Ukraine's east, which was his support base and where many were opposed to the new authorities, calling them nationalists with fascist leanings who intended to oppress the largely Russian-speaking east.

Peter Leonard in Kiev, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

French minister in Iraq to oversee aid delivery

August 10, 2014

PARIS (AP) — France says Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has gone to Iraq to supervise French aid delivery and show support.

A ministry statement Sunday said Fabius was visiting Baghdad and Irbil, in the Kurdistan region, and meeting with representatives of Christians and Yazidis. The minorities are being persecuted by the Islamic State group — radical Islamists who are taking over strategic swaths of northern Iraq.

Fabius was also supervising distribution of humanitarian aid, the statement said. On Saturday, President Francois Hollande spoke with Kurdish Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, assuring him that France "will stand by the civilian population, victims of continued exactions of the Islamic State."

Hollande also spoke Saturday with President Barack Obama, saying France "will take its full place" among nations willing to help the Kurdish minorities in Iraq.

Tens of thousands rally for Gaza in London

August 09, 2014

LONDON (AP) — Tens of thousands of people have turned out in central London to protest the bombing of Gaza.

Large crowds of protesters marched through the British capital's busy West End shopping area on Saturday, passing the U.S. Embassy before descending on Hyde Park for a rally. Many waved placards and the Palestinian flag, chanting "Free, Free Palestine!"

Saturday's rally came as Britain's Disasters Emergency Committee said its appeal for donations to help people affected by the conflict in Gaza has raised more than 4.5 million pounds ($7.5 million) in under 24 hours.

Israeli airstrikes and militant rocket fire continued Saturday after a three-day cease-fire ended Friday.

South Sudan rebel chief meets Sudan President as rivals miss deadline

2014-08-10

KHARTOUM - South Sudan's rebel leader Riek Machar held talks with Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on Sunday as a deadline passed to end months of civil war in the South.

Pressured by growing international condemnation of the war, the two sides had agreed on May 9 to forge a power-sharing government by Sunday.

Machar is on his first visit to Khartoum since December when his forces and those loyal to President Salva Kiir began the war which three ceasefires have failed to end.

There has been growing international condemnation of the fighting which has killed thousands of people and uprooted more than 1.5 million.

During the 1983-2005 Sudanese civil war which led to South Sudan's independence three years ago, Machar fought at varying times for both pro-independence rebels and for Sudan's government in Khartoum.

"We have a long history together," Machar said after briefing Bashir about peace talks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, led by the East African regional block IGAD.

"There are some problems in the negotiations," he told reporters, citing disagreements over whether talks should occur directly with the government or involve broader representation.

An IGAD deadline for rebel and government forces to agree on a power-sharing deal and implement a ceasefire expired on Sunday.

Machar said his visit to Khartoum follows trips to other IGAD member nations, Djibouti and Kenya. In May, Machar held talks in Nairobi with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Source: Middle East Online.
Link: http://middle-east-online.com/english/?id=67516.

South Africa to sue citizens serving Israel military

Sat Aug 9, 2014

South African authorities have warned that they will prosecute nationals who serve in the Israeli military.

South Africa’s Defense Department said earlier this week that it has granted no permission to any South African citizen to take part in Israel’s military aggression against the besieged Gaza Strip, the Independent Online reported.

The official warning comes after Action Forum in Support of Palestine, a pro-Palestinian advocacy group, opened a case against a South African national for participating in the Israeli operation against Gaza.

The group said it is now planning to similarly prosecute at least four other South Africans serving in the Israeli military.

This comes as the Israeli regime resumed its onslaught on the Gaza Strip on Friday after the expiry of a 72-hour truce between Tel Aviv and the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas.

More than 1,900 Palestinians, including more than 400 children, have been killed and over 9,500 others wounded since the Israeli military first launched its brutal military aggression against the blockaded coastal enclave on July 8.

According to a report, published by the Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights last month, about 6,000 foreign mercenaries are currently fighting within the Israeli army. Hamas officials also say they have killed a number of foreign soldiers operating alongside the Israeli army.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/09/374621/s-africa-to-sue-citizens-serving-israel/.

Central African Republic names first Muslim prime minister

Sun Aug 10, 2014

The Central African Republic (CAR) has named its first Muslim prime minister in a bid to end more than a year of conflict in the country.

Mahamat Kamoun, a former adviser to interim President Catherine Samba-Panza, was appointed by a presidential decree on Sunday, according to an announcement on the state radio.

Kamoun will lead a transitional government that will be tasked with implementing a truce agreed last month between the representatives of the mostly Muslim Seleka group and armed Christians.

The two sides signed the tentative ceasefire in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, pledging to end the hostilities.

Kamoun is now facing the demanding task of revitalizing a political transition aimed at ending the deadly violence in the Central African Republic.

The African country descended into chaos last December, when Christian armed groups launched coordinated attacks against the Seleka group that toppled the government in March 2013.

On December 5, France invaded its former colony after the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution giving the African Union and France the go-ahead to send troops to the country.

In March 2014, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said almost all of more than 100,000 Muslims once residing in the capital, Bangui, had fled the violence perpetrated by the armed Christians.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/08/10/374824/car-names-first-muslim-prime-minister/.