International News snap shots
Google service outage takes down Gmail for an hour
A service outage hit Google Friday, taking down widely-used Internet email service Gmail. Google first acknowledged the outage at 14:12 EST, saying it restored some service about an hour later. “We’re investigating reports of an issue with Gmail. We will provide more information shortly,” the company said on its service-monitoring “App Status” dashboard online. It is unknown what caused the outage, which affected users in at least Britain, India and the United States. Google did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
Six terrorist shot dead by police in China
Six people died in three explosions during a “terrorist” attack while the six assailants were shot dead by police on Friday in the far west region of Xinjiang, China, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. The assailants threw explosives that hit a hair salon, a produce market and a vehicle in Xinhe county. The police captured five more suspects and the case is under investigation. The region, home to the ethnic minority Uighurs, is predominantly Sunni Muslim. The violence is part of the insurgency by the Uighurs against what they see as discrimination and religious suppression by China’s majority.
Afghan Prez Hamid rejects US security deal over Taliban peace talks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has once again refused to sign a Bilateral Security Agreement with the US, insisting on a start to the peace process with the Taliban. “Afghanistan will absolutely not accept or sign anything under pressure,” Karzai said. The pact, without which the US would have to withdraw its troops before the end of 2014, was debated last year and presupposed that some 15 thousand international troops would maintain a presence to train the country’s military forces. Earlier Karzai promised to make a decision after the presidential poll in April.Philippines flood death toll rises to 56
The death toll from flooding in the southern Philippines has risen to 56, according to a National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council report. 10 people are reported missing with 83 wounded. More than 180 thousand have been left homeless as a result of two weeks of torrential rains. This tropical depression dubbed Lingling is the year’s first and has caused floods and landslides on the island of Mindanao.4 Egyptian diplomats kidnapped in Libya
Four Egyptian Embassy staff have been kidnapped in the Libyan capital of Tripoli, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. Among the kidnapped was a cultural attaché from the embassy. It comes after an Egyptian administrative attaché was abducted on Friday by unknown gunmen, following the arrest of Shaban Hadia, the leader of a large militia group, the Operations Room of Libya’s Revolutionaries. The group has denied responsibility for the incident.Syria ‘face-to-face’ peace talks begin in Geneva – UN
The Syrian government and opposition delegations started a face-to-face meeting within the framework of the Geneva 2 peace conference on Saturday, a UN spokeswoman said. UN-Arab League peace envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, is mediating the talks. The conference, which is aimed at putting an end to the Syrian crisis that has been going on for nearly three years, suffered a delay on Friday as the delegations refused to talk directly.Damascus has ‘real reservations’ against transitional govt
The Syrian government says it opposes creating a transnational ruling body, a proposed solution to the domestic conflict that has plagued the country for nearly three years. “We have real reservations regarding it,” said Information Minister Omran Zoabi, as peace talks with an opposition delegation have reportedly started in Geneva. Zoabi said that the reasoning behind this decision lay in the fact that Syria has its own institutions, and the need to create a transitional governing body arises only when a state is in disintegration, or has no institutions.10 Russian border guards die in marine incident
A border patrol squad was in icy waters near the island of Kunashir (South Kurils) attempting to inspect a ship just 500 meters from the shore. The rubber boat with 10 border guards onboard was overturned by a high wave and nobody was able to get to the shore. Patrol ships and a helicopter are engaged in search operation and four bodies have already been found. The area is known for strong underwater currents and other bodies could have been dragged far from the scene of the incident. According to one version of events, the incident happened because the guards didn’t observe the rules and wore no life vests.Cyberattack takes down US federal court system websites
US federal court system websites were hacked Friday, blocking public access and preventing the filing of legal documents online. The intrusion impacted uscourts.gov, the main federal court website, as well as the government’s electronic filing system and its access page, PACER, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of the US Courts said Friday. The federal court system, which manages its own cybersecurity, is investigating what occurred, the spokesman said, adding that the incident was a denial-of-service attack. It is not yet known who was responsible.Romanian hacker ‘Guccifer’ appeals for release
“Guccifer” – the Romanian hacker renowned for accessing the private emails of former US president George W. Bush and various key entertainment figures appealed his arrest on Friday, according to Reuters. Marcel Lazar Lehel, whose name roughly translates as “Small Fume” was detained in Bucharest on Wednesday after hacking the email accounts last February. Leading Romanian lawyer, Catalin Dancu, stated there was “close to no chance” of the request for release being granted.Argentina govt lifts restrictions on buying foreign currency
Argentinian authorities on Friday lifted restrictions in place since 2011 that limited the purchase of foreign currency, AFP reported. The announcement came a day after the peso suffered its worst single-day dive since the 2002 financial crisis. Jorge Capitanich, President Cristina Kirchner’s cabinet chief, said the government has decided “to authorize the purchase of dollars for holding or savings.” At a rate of 8.01 pesos to the dollar, the peso “has reached a level acceptable to the objectives of economic policy convergence,” he said. The peso plunged by more than 11 percent against the dollar on Thursday.Three killed in US Yemen drone strike
Three suspected militants have been killed in a drone strike in Yemen, east of the capital Sanaa. Local officials and tribal sources told media that it was a US drone which killed the trio. A succession of explosions was heard by witnesses, after which a car with the charred remains of three bodies was found. Fifteen people were killed and a further five injured in December when a US drone struck a wedding party.Morsi supporters clash with security forces in Cairo
Fierce clashes broke out between about 2,000 supporters of deposed Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and Egyptian security forces in Cairo on Friday, Reuters reported. They happened hours after a suicide bomber attacked a major police compound in the capital. The fighting took place on the road that leads to the Pyramids of Giza. Some Islamists burned tires and hurled petrol bombs at security forces, who responded by firing tear gas.Child dead in apartment explosion in Nice, France
An explosion in an apartment building on Friday morning in Nice, in the south of France, has killed a four-year child and injured four others – two of them were hospitalized. The multi-story building was seriously damaged, local media say. The blast ripped through two apartments, and parts of the roof and wall crumbled. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.65,000 flee Iraqi fighting in week
More than 65,000 people have fled fighting in the Iraqi cities of Fallujah and Ramadi during the past week, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said on Friday. More than 140,000 have been made homeless since fighting broke out at the end of last year, Reuters quoted UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards as saying.Syria delegation to leave Geneva if no ‘serious sessions’
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on Friday that if no serious work sessions were held by Saturday, the government delegation would leave, Reuters reported. “If no serious work sessions are held by [Saturday], the official Syrian delegation will leave Geneva due to the other side’s lack of seriousness or preparedness,” state television quoted Muallem as telling UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi.UK can renegotiate ties with the EU to avoid exit – Cameron
British Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday he was confident he could renegotiate his country’s relations with the EU to allow it to remain in the bloc. “I’m confident that we’ll have a successful renegotiation and a successful referendum,” Reuters quoted him as saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos. He referred to his plan to reshape his country’s EU ties before offering Britons an in/out referendum if he is re-elected next year.No talks between Syrian govt, opposition due to transitional body demands
Face-to-face talks between the Syrian government and the opposition will not take place on Friday, the UN said. It also confirmed that the Syrian mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi, will meet Syrian government and opposition delegations separately on Friday, Reuters reported. The opposition delegates earlier said they would not meet with the delegation led by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem until it endorses the Geneva communique of June 30, 2012, calling for a transitional governing body to be established. Syria’s Information Minister, Omaran Zoabi, said Damascus will not accept opposition demands to form a transitional body. The Syrian delegation also said it is ready to discuss a ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners of war.S. Sudan looters steal food to feed 220,000 for a month – UN
The UN World Food Program may have lost more than 3,700 tons of food in looting in South Sudan, enough to feed 220,000 people for a month, Reuters reported. WFP’s warehouses in Malakal had been almost entirely emptied, spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs said on Friday in Geneva. The agency was working to recover lost stocks wherever possible and trying to protect remaining stocks.Attack at German сourt leaves 1 killed and 1 wounded
One man has been killed and another is in a life-threatening condition after an attack in a courthouse in Frankfurt, German police said. The suspected attacker used a firearm and wielded a knife, dpa reported. He was arrested shortly afterward.Philippine police detain 4, seize drugs worth $22mn
Philippine police have arrested four men and seized 1 billion pesos ($22 million) worth of methamphetamine. This was the second large drug bust in Manila in 10 days. The National Police anti-illegal drugs task force said the men were driving a van filled with five wooden crates containing 200kg of crystal methamphetamine when they were stopped on Friday. Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation arrested four Canadian men suspected of trafficking drugs from Mexico in separate raids. Agents recovered $2.25 million worth of cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, which is similar to Ecstasy.Homemade bomb explodes near French church in Rome
A small homemade bomb exploded in a street in central Rome early on Thursday, Reuters said. The bomb caused slight damage to a building belonging to a French religious establishment and three parked cars. The explosion occurred ahead of a visit to Pope Francis by President Francois Hollande.Gunman kills 5 Afghan cricket players
A gunman on a motorcycle opened fire at a group of local cricket players, killing five of them during a game in eastern Laghman province, AP reported. The attacker fled the scene in Alinghar district, a provincial spokesman, Sarhadii Zhouak, said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack that took place on Thursday. Also, police in southern Helmand province found the body of slain journalist Noor Ahmad Noori late on Thursday night.China issues warnings to foreign military planes
Beijing has begun issuing warnings to foreign military planes entering its self-declared air defense zone over the East China Sea, AP reported. Air Force spokesman Shen Jinke said that multiple types of Chinese planes recently conducted a long-range patrol inside the sweeping zone that was declared in November. The Chinese planes flew alongside a number of foreign military aircraft and issued warnings to them. The spokesman did not identify the planes or say when the patrol was conducted. The US, Japan and other countries earlier denounced the zone’s declaration as provocative.UN urges Myanmar to probe killings of Rohingya Muslims
The UN has called on Myanmar to investigate reports that dozens of people were killed in attacks on Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state. It said “credible information” was received of a series of attacks in a remote area of Rakhine earlier this month. The western state of Rakhine remains tense after outbreaks of inter-communal violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities since 2012.South Sudan ceasefire signed in Ethiopia
South Sudan’s government and rebels have signed a ceasefire agreement, considered to be the first step to reconciliation between the two sides, following violence that erupted in mid-December and is thought to be a result of strained relations between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar, whom Kiir sacked in July 2013. The conflict had since taken on an ethnic dimension. The deal was reached on Thursday in Ethiopia and was greeted by mediators and regional leaders alike. It is expected to come into effect 24 hours after being signed.Blast reported in Cairo
A large blast was heard in Cairo on Friday, eyewitnesses report. Smoke was seen rising over the city center. State TV said the blast happened near police headquarters, indicating that it may have been an attack.N. Korea practiced attack on Seoul’s Incheon airport – report
The North Korean military secretly carried out a practice exercise simulating an attack on a South Korea’s largest airport, using specially designed jets that are meant to enter Southern airspace. A South Korean government source told JoongAng Ilbo that the nighttime exercises came on January 19, one day before North Korean state media reported that Kim Jong-un attended a military drill without expanding on any details. The North Koreans are suspected of practicing entering South Korea by parachute, staging a terrorist attack at the Incheon International Airport, and then occupying planes sitting on the runway. The South Korean official added that such an event is “extremely rare.”Media agencies
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