First Turkish-made seismic survey vessel launched

28 March 2015 Saturday

The first Turkish-made seismic-survey vessel, named TURKUAZ, has been launched from Istanbul.

TURKUAZ, produced in a shipyard in Tuzla, Istanbul, for the Mineral Research & Exploration General Directorate at a cost of 300 million Turkish liras ($115 million) and launched on Saturday, will carry out climate change and ecologic research as well as comprehensive underwater search activities using a remote-controlled system.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc said in a speech if Turkey had not produced in its vessel, it would have cost much more.

He said: "This can be seen also as a move to cut the current budget deficit.

"Turkey now can easily produce by its own vessels like this -- all projects supported by the defense industry can be realized in Turkey."

'Increased potential'

Arinc said the vessel was 86 meters long, 23 meters wide and equipped with seismic operations capabilities, equipment and laboratory facilities and also had a helicopter platform.

"The vessel will increase our gas and oil search potential in the region, besides searching for potential mining in our seas," Turkey’s Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Thursday.

TURKUAZ, which began production in 2011, will serve for at least 30 years with a crew of 50 and has the capacity to operate uninterrupted for 35 days away from land.

Arinc said that this example showed that Turkey had arrived at a point where it could produce products not just for its needs, but products that could serve the entire world.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/157096/first-turkish-made-seismic-survey-vessel-launched.

Al-Qaida in Yemen captures a southern city, frees inmates

April 02, 2015

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants traveling in convoys flying black banners captured a major port city in southern Yemen on Thursday, seizing government buildings and freeing inmates from a prison, including a top Saudi-born leader, security officials said.

The fall of Mukalla — the capital of Yemen's largest province, Hadramawt — highlighted how al-Qaida is expanding its foothold in Yemen, taking advantage of the turmoil as a Saudi-led coalition backing the country's beleaguered president tries to fend off a takeover by Shiite rebels.

Mukalla's fall came as the rebels, known as Houthis, made dramatic advances in one of the main strongholds of the president's loyalists, the southern city of Aden. The rebels broke into the center of Aden and briefly captured a presidential palace in the city.

The rebels withdrew from the palace after raising the Yemeni flag, but the move showed their continued strength despite more than a week of heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition. If the Houthis succeed in capturing Aden, it would be a significant blow to the coalition, which has been planning to land ground troops in the city to allow the return of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who fled the country last week.

At least 519 people have been killed, many of them civilians and 90 of them children, in the past two weeks of violence in Yemen, as well as 1,700 wounded, the U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said. She said tens of thousands have also fled their homes.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, as the terror network's branch in Yemen is named, has been benefiting from the turmoil ever since the Houthis first surged from their northern strongholds last year to take over the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north. The rebels are backed in the campaign by military and police forces loyal to Hadi's predecessor, ousted autocrat Ali Abdullah Saleh.

Around the country, some Sunni tribal fighters have been making alliances with al-Qaida to fight the rebels, who adhere to the Zaydi branch of Shia Islam. But the capture of Mukalla was a startling advance. The city lies 300 miles northeast of Aden along the Arabian Sea coast in large but sparsely populated Hadramawt.

The militants fanned out along major roads leading into Mukalla on Thursday and took over the city's presidential palace, government agencies and the local Central Bank branch. They tried to break open the bank's vault with hand grenades but failed, according to witnesses. The witnesses spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Militants on pickup trucks set up checkpoints across the city, sealing off entrances and exits, while residents were seen entering the offices and looting electronic devices and files, the witnesses said.

The al-Qaida fighters also freed about 300 inmates from the city's main prison, including scores of militants, according to security officials. Among those freed was Saudi-born Khaled Batrafi, a senior al-Qaida operative believed to have masterminded past attacks, the officials said.

Also freed were 90 death row inmates convicted for a host of criminal offences, according to activists in the city. After the noon prayers, a top al-Qaida leader stood up in the middle of the worshippers in the city's al-Sharag mosque, telling them that he and fellow militants were there only to defend the city from the Houthis.

"People are terrified," said Ali al-Katheri, an activist in Mukalla. "They never expected that the city falls so easy in hands of al-Qaida." Police commandos in the city were loyal to Saleh, the former president, and did not resist the al-Qaida advance. Army units loyal to Hadi are stationed in bases on the city's outskirts but also did not move against the militants, apparently too weak to fight back. At one point, a military helicopter opened fire on the militants but withdrew after hitting residential homes, al-Katheri said.

Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is seen by Washington as the terror network's most dangerous branch ever since its attempt in 2009 to bomb a commercial carrier over the United States. It claimed responsibility for January's deadly attack in Paris on the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

The rebels' power grab, combined with nationwide chaos, has forced the United States to pull out military advisers who were backing the Yemeni military against al-Qaida, undermining U.S. counter-terrorism operations and drone strikes.

The air campaign by Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies has been pounding Houthi and pro-Saleh forces in Sanaa and multiple provinces around the country. In recent days, the warplanes have been hitting hard in Aden, trying to fend off the rebels and Saleh's troops amid fierce fighting with Hadi's loyalists on the ground.

Airstrikes in Aden on Thursday hit a base of pro-Saleh police commandos and a hotel being used by Houthi fighters, killing at least 20 people, Yemeni security officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the press.

Hadi's loyalists have held the city's center, located on a peninsula jutting into the Arabian Sea, while their opponents held the airport at the base of the peninsula and some neighborhoods to the north.

But on Thursday, Houthi fighters were able to break into the city center, driving through the commercial district, seizing several neighborhoods and capturing the presidential palace at the peninsula's tip. They held the palace as a "show of strength" before withdrawing for fear of airstrikes, the security officials said.

Fighting still raged in the evening as Hadi's forces and loyalists held onto scattered parts of the city, and airstrikes battered the airport. Warplanes also struck an island in the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, the southern entrance to the Red Sea, after Houthis took over the island earlier Thursday, officials said.

Saudi and Egyptian warships deployed to Bab al-Mandab which gives the only access to Egypt's Suez Canal from the Arabian Sea and is a vital passage for shipping between Europe and Asia. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said one of its guards along the border with Yemen was killed Wednesday night. It was the first known Saudi casualty since the airstrikes started.

A border post in the Asir region came under heavy fire from a mountainous area inside Yemen, followed by cross-border skirmishes, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Along with the Saudi guard who was killed, 10 other border guards were wounded, SPA said.

Islamic fighters led by al-Qaida in Syria seize major city

March 28, 2015

BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic fighters led by al-Qaida's branch in Syria seized almost full control of the northwestern city of Idlib on Saturday, taking over major roundabouts and government buildings in a powerful blow to President Bashar Assad whose forces rapidly collapsed after four days of heavy fighting, opposition activists and the extremist group said.

Idlib, a major urban center with a population of around 165,000 people, is the second provincial capital to fall into opposition hands after Raqqa, now a stronghold of the Islamic State group. Its capture by the Nusra Front underscores the growing power of extremist groups in Syria who now control about half the country.

Opposition fighters including Nusra have controlled the countryside and towns across Idlib province since 2012, but Assad's forces have managed to maintain their grip on Idlib city, near the border with Turkey, throughout the conflict.

On Saturday, Islamic fighters jubilantly swept in, taking over key buildings and tearing down posters of Assad. Videos posted online by activists and the Nusra Front showed a group of heavily armed fighters kneeling down in prayer in the city's sprawling Hanana square as others fired their guns in celebration.

"Allahu Akbar!" — God is great — they shouted. The fighters then took down a Syrian flag flying in the center of the square and set it on fire to the backdrop of incessant shooting. The video appeared genuine and consistent with AP reporting on Idlib's takeover Saturday.

On its Twitter account, Nusra posted pictures of the Clock Tower and other landmark locations now under its control. The Nusra Front is leading a group of ultra-conservative rebels in a major offensive that began earlier this week to take Idlib. They include the hardline Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa groups and a few smaller groups loosely affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.

With the takeover of Idlib, an island of government territory in the midst of mostly opposition terrain, the Nusra Front further cements its hold over an impressive stretch of land it controls from the Turkish border to central and southern Syria.

With the world's attention focused on the Islamic State group, the Nusra Front has quietly consolidated its power in Syria in recent months, crushing moderate rebel groups the West may try to work with while increasingly enforcing its own brutal version of Islamic law.

Idlib, besides being a major population city, is located near the main highway linking the capital Damascus with Aleppo. The main Western-backed Syrian National Coalition opposition group said the wresting of Idlib from government control is an "important victory on the road to the full liberation of Syrian soil from the Assad regime and its allies." However, it said more "decisive" assistance to Syrian rebels was needed for that to happen.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said rebel fighters seized control of Idlib in a push Friday evening and early Saturday after rapidly collapsing government forces withdrew. The group, which relies on an extensive network of activists across Syria, said some fighting continued Saturday amid heavy artillery shelling from both sides. The Local Coordination Committees, another opposition activist collective in Syria, also reported the "almost complete" capture of Idlib by rebels.

An unnamed Syrian military official quoted by state-run news agency SANA said army forces were fighting "fierce battles" against "armed terrorist groups" to regain control in Idlib. The government claimed earlier this week that "thousands of terrorists" streamed in from Turkey to attack Idlib and its suburbs. Turkey is one of the main backers of the rebels.

The humiliating losses in Idlib mark the second blow to government forces this week, after rebels, also led by Nusra, captured the ancient and strategic town of Busra Sham in southern Syria. Also Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said he was angry and shamed by the failure of the world to stop Syria's raging civil war. He promised to step up diplomatic efforts in comments at a summit of Arab leaders in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

More than 220,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which began with popular protests amid Arab Spring uprisings in March 2011 and turned into an insurgency following a brutal military crackdown.

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Hamza Hendawi in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt contributed to this report.

International court welcomes Palestinians as 123rd member

April 01, 2015

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Palestinian Authority became a member of the International Criminal Court on Wednesday, with a low-key ceremony at the court's headquarters marking the high-stakes move.

Joining the court is part of a broader effort by the Palestinians to put international pressure on Israel and comes at a time when the chances of resuming negotiations on Palestinian statehood are seen as slim following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's recent election victory and tough campaign rhetoric.

Palestinians signed the court's founding treaty in January and Palestinian membership came into force Wednesday. International justice activists hailed the occasion as an opportunity to bring accountability to years of conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

Israel is not a member of the ICC, but the country's military and civilian leaders could now face charges if they are believed to have committed crimes on Palestinian territory. Israel had no immediate comment Wednesday.

The court's chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, opened a preliminary investigation in mid-January after the Palestinians formally accepted the court's jurisdiction dating back to just before last year's Gaza conflict.

Bensouda was not at the behind-closed-doors welcoming ceremony attended by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki as she was out of the country. Human Rights Watch welcomed the Palestinian Authority as the court's 123rd member and stressed it is now up to Bensouda to weigh whether there is strong enough evidence to merit a full-scale investigation. It is not clear how long her preliminary analysis could take.

"The ICC prosecutor examines allegations of serious crimes no matter the perpetrator, and makes her own determinations about how to proceed based on the evidence" said Balkees Jarrah, international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch. "Any decision whether to pursue an investigation and against whom is not in the hands of the Palestinians or the Israelis."

Prosecution spokeswoman Florence Olara said there are "no timelines" for how long a preliminary examination can take. Some have taken months, others are continuing after years. The review will likely focus initially on last year's Gaza conflict. The Palestinians suffered heavy civilian casualties in the war, prompting allegations by some rights groups that Israel committed war crimes. Leaders of Hamas, which rules Gaza, could also face charges because the militant group fired rockets indiscriminately at Israeli civilian areas.

Prosecutors could also look at the issue of Israeli settlement building, considered illegal by much of the world. Since 1967, Israel has moved more than 550,000 of its civilians to occupied lands. However, prosecutors in The Hague do not have jurisdiction over events that happened before the Palestinians joined the court.

William R. Pace, convener of the Coalition for the ICC which supports and promotes the court's work, said Palestinian membership "gives hope to victims in both Palestine and Israel that they might see justice done and the conflict brought to a peaceful end."

Turkish NGO opens branch in Gaza

28 March 2015 Saturday

A Turkish medical NGO has opened a branch in the Gaza Strip with the aim of assisting the blockaded Palestinian enclave's ill-equipped medical sector.

"Today, we open the branch of our association in Gaza – blockaded by air, land and sea – which will greatly benefit [local] hospitals and the medical sector," Earth Doctors community chief Orhan Alimoglu told The Anadolu Agency at the opening ceremony.

"We are very happy about the opening of our Gaza branch – an achievement made possible with the help of charitable  people in Turkey and others," he added.

Earth Doctors will also support Gazan medical institutions with infrastructure, medical equipment and medicine, he added.

Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Palestinian faction Hamas took control of the territory.

The blockade has deprived the territory's roughly 1.9 million inhabitants of most basic commodities.

Several Turkish charities and humanitarian organizations, which offer assistance to the coastal territory's struggling residents, have branches in the Gaza Strip.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/todays-news/157071/turkish-ngo-opens-branch-in-gaza.

KAI preferred bidder for new Korean Air Force jet

by Richard Tomkins
Seoul (UPI)
Mar 31, 2015

Korea Aerospace Industries, partnered with Lockheed Martin, is the preferred bidder to build a new jet fighter for the country.

The Korea Times, quoting the country's arms procurement agency, said the selection was made after a review of their development plan, capabilities and bid offer for the KF-X program contract.

"After reviewing their development plan, ability and bid price by the evaluation team comprised of government officials and experts, we've selected KAI as the preferred bidder," the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said in a statement. "The decision was approved at a defense project committee meeting presided over by Defense Minister Han Min-koo.

"We will make a final selection after completing negotiations on details to launch the project in the first half of this year."

The KF-X program is for the indigenous building of F-16-class combat aircraft to replace the Korean Air Force's fleet of F-4s and F-5s. About 120 jets would be in service beginning in about 2025.

The contract for the program is worth an estimated $7.69 billion.

Losing out in the selection by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration is Korean Airlines, which teamed with Airbus Defense and Space for the contract.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/KAI_preferred_bidder_for_new_Korean_Air_Force_jet_999.html.