ONS: 17 May 2014

by TRG Alerts Admin on May 17, 2014

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: Suspected rebels from Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked a Chinese plant in northern Cameroon near the town of Waza.
AMERICAS: The Colombian government has reached an agreement with FARC rebels in the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation of illicit crops.
ASIA: A plane carrying several senior Laotian government officials crashed Saturday morning, killing at least three people, including minister of defense, Douangchay Phichit.
EUROPE: European issues need to be addressed continually, rather than only ahead of European Parliament elections, said European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic.
MIDDLE EAST: UNSG Ban Ki-moon condemned rebels for cutting water supplies to the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo, calling for services to be restored immediately.
TECHNOLOGY: Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits in technology.

TOP STORY

India’s prime minister-designate Narendra Modi arrived here Saturday to a huge welcome of supporters at the airport after winning a sweeping victory in the general election.
A congratulatory phone call from President Barack Obama to Modi with an invitation to visit Washington aims to reset US policy towards India.
Incoming-PM Modi’s biggest challenges will be to revive the economy, curb food inflation and create jobs for the country’s youth.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left office Saturday, ending a 10-year run that began with strong economic growth but collapsed amid corruption scandals and political paralysis that he was seen as too aloof to stop.
After a landslide electoral triumph Friday by the Bharatiya Janata Party of Hindu nationalists, some Muslims here said they were worried that their place in India could become even more tenuous.
Coverage: BBC, IANS, LAT, NYT, Xinhua

AFRICA

Algeria: President Bouteflika announced a series of proposed amendments to the constitution to be considered at a national conference in June, including reintroducing two-term presidential limits. (Al-Awsat)
Cameroon: Suspected rebels from Nigeria’s Islamist militant group Boko Haram attacked a Chinese plant in the northern town of Waza. (Reuters)
Guinea-Bissau: UNSG Ban Ki-moon called on voters in Guinea-Bissau to continue to show sense of civic duty in Sunday’s presidential run-off, which is expected to bring the country’s transition period to an end. (Xinhua)
Kenya: The United States condemns ” despicable” terrorist attacks in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, that have killed at least 10 people and left 70 others injured. (Xinhua)
Nigeria: The country has concluded plans to launch a national policy on renewable energy and energy efficiency to boost power supply in the country. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

Brazil: The Brazilian Air Force is in talks to purchase 20 Harpoon missiles manufactured by U.S. company Boeing, including 16 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles designed for attacking ships or above-water submarines, and another four intended for training. (Xinhua)
Colombia: The government reached an agreement with FARC rebels in the fight against drug trafficking and cultivation of illicit crops, both sides announced. (CNN)
Cuba: A federal judge in Washington ordered the US military to at least temporarily stop force-feeding a hunger striking prisoner at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. (AP)
Guatemala: Dozens of war survivors and human rights activists are protesting against a congressional resolution that denies there was any attempt to commit genocide during the country’s bloody 36-year civil war. (AP)

ASIA

Region: UNSG Ban Ki- moon on Friday voiced his confidence in seeing a successful summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), in an effort to promote peace and development in Asia. (Xinhua)
Bangladesh: Rescuers called off the search for missing passengers of a sunken ferry in central Bangladesh on Saturday after retrieving 40 bodies, causing anger among relatives of those still unaccounted for. (AP)
Laos: A plane carrying several senior Laotian government officials crashed Saturday morning, killing at least three people, including minister of defense, Douangchay Phichit. (NYT)

EUROPE

Region: European issues need to be addressed continually, rather than only ahead of European Parliament elections, said European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic. (Xinhua)
Region: Slovenia dispatched two helicopters and rescue teams to Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) on Friday after the two countries were attacked by the cyclone Tamara with downpour, strong wind and low temperatures. (Xinhua)
Bulgaria: Customs and border police have seized 54.737 kg heroin at the Danube Bridge checkpoint near Russe at the border with Romania. (Xinhua)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: Venezuelan President Maduro pledged to send oil and diesel to the Palestinian Authority, as part of agreements signed with its leader Mahmud Abbas during his visit to Caracas. (AFP)
Iraq: US Vice President Biden “strongly” urged the government of Iraq to ensure the safety of the civilian population in its “difficult” fight against terrorism. (Xinhua)
Syria: UNSG Ban Ki-moon condemned rebels yesterday for cutting water supplies to the besieged northern Syrian city of Aleppo, calling for services to be restored immediately. (AFP)
Syria: The UN Security Council is expected to vote Thursday on a resolution to haul Syria before the International Criminal Court, although Russian and Chinese opposition will likely doom the measure. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: Apple and Google’s Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest-profile lawsuits in technology. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cases: Global Number of Cases as of 08MAY: 496 (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom, Egypt, US, Yemen)
Deaths: Global Number of Deaths as of 08MAY: 93 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman)

The WHO will update the global total number of deaths as soon as official information is provided by countries.

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (18MAY)

Guinea Bissau: Run-off election
India: Anniversary of India’s first nuclear test – 1974
Sri Lanka: Anniversary of the end of fighting between the Sri Lankan Government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – 2009

END

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