ONS: 20 August 2012

by TRG Alerts Admin on August 20, 2012

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: The election of a new Somali president was delayed by the parliament.
AMERICAS: Guatemalan police seized 405 kilograms of cocaine and detained 12 suspected smugglers at La Aurora international airport.
ASIA: The US and ROK forces began their annual joint military exercise “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” near the Korean peninsula.
EUROPE: Turkey stated that it cannot handle more than 100,000 Syrian refugees and proposed a UN buffer zone inside Syria to shelter them.
MIDDLE EAST: The Israeli army deployed an Iron Dome air defence system near the border with Egypt.
TECHNOLOGY: A well-known hacker claims to have found a significant security flaw in iOS, allowing SMS messages to be spoofed.

TOP STORY

Afghanistan: Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff arrives in Afghanistan amid force restructuring.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey will hold meetings with the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen, and USCENTCOM commander Gen. James Mattis.
US and Afghan special operations forces have been combined under a single command in an effort to improve coordination.
A NATO diplomat stated that Afghanistan will not unravel into a civil war after the withdrawal of NATO combat troops in two years, or return to Taliban rule.
New Zealand said it was considering an early withdrawal from Afghanistan after three of its soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb attack.
Coverage: AFP, AFP-2, AFP-3, USA Today, NYT

AFRICA

Gambia: President Jammeh announced his government’s plan to carry out death sentences in mid- September to curb crimes and terrorism. (Xinhua)
Somalia: The election of a new Somali president was delayed by the parliament. (AFP)
Somalia: Parliament will convene for its inauguration under the protection of African Union troops inside Mogadishu’s airport. (AFP)
South Africa: Miners will be fired if they do not return to work at platinum mine which was the site of violence, that led to the deaths of 44 people in a week. (AP)

AMERICAS

Guatemala: Police seized 405 kilograms of cocaine and detained 12 suspected smugglers at La Aurora international airport. (Xinhua)
Mexico: The media reported that President Calderon was warned during the early years of his administration of a credible threat to assassinate him. (Reuters)
Mexico: The army rescued 77 illegal immigrants who were being held captive at a house in Tamaulipas. (EFE)
Mexico: The federal police have replaced all 348 officers responsible for security at the capital’s biggest airport after three agents were killed by corrupt colleagues. (AFP)

ASIA

Afghanistan: An Afghan in police uniform shot and killed a NATO soldier, bringing the death toll from insider attacks this year to 40. (AFP)
Burma: The information ministry announced that the government had abolished censorship of the media. (AP)
Japan: The government rejected Chinese protests over the raising of a Japanese flag on a disputed island, but called for progress in “mutually beneficial” relations with Beijing. (AFP)
Korean Peninsula: The US and ROK forces began their annual joint military exercise “Ulchi Freedom Guardian.” (AP)
Tajikistan: US Secretary Clinton will visit Tajikistan on OCT22-23 for talks on regional security. (Itar-Tass)

EUROPE

Region: Greek and German foreign ministers will meet Monday to open new round of financial diplomacy regarding the Euro. (AP)
Italy: A man died on Sunday after setting himself on fire outside the Italian parliament last week to highlight his struggle with unemployment. (Reuters)
Turkey: An operation by security forces left at 15 members of the PKK dead. (Xinhua)
Turkey: The government stated that it cannot handle more than 100,000 Syrian refugees and proposed a UN buffer zone inside Syria to shelter them. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: The government said that the UNSCG decision stay away from the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran would sideline the role of the UN. (DPA)
Israel: The army deployed an Iron Dome air defence system near the border with Egypt. (AFP)
Israel: Israeli and American naval counterparts concluded joint search-and-rescue exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. (Xinhua)
Syria: The mandate of the UN Supervision Mission in Syria expired after a four-month deployment. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications: A well-known hacker claims to have found a significant security flaw in iOS, allowing SMS messages to be spoofed. (TG Daily)

WORLD

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (21AUG)

Europe: Black Sea countries begin naval exercises codenamed Confidence-2012.
Iran: Bushehr, a nuclear power plant, began operations – 2010.

END