ONS: 23 October 2012

by TRG Alerts Admin on October 23, 2012

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: France plans to send drones to Mali in order to assist in an international intervention aimed at freeing the country from al-Qaeda militants.
AMERICAS: FARC rebels killed three Colombian soldiers in the northeastern region of Arauca.
ASIA: Three people have been killed in a new wave of violence between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhists in the Western Rakhine state in Myanmar.
EUROPE: Russia will begin to withdraw peacekeeping helicopters from the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria.
MIDDLE EAST: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani entered the Gaza Strip in a landmark visit in which he will invest 245 million dollars into rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
TECHNOLOGY: Android applications downloaded from Google’s Play Market can expose users’ online banking and social networking information due to inadequate encryption.

TOP STORY

Syria: President Bashir al-Assad declares an amnesty for crimes committed before October 23, 2012, but excludes “terrorist crimes”

The Assad regime desginates rebels as “terrorists.”
The decree will only apply to those who surrender to the authorities and not to those “on the run.”
Syrian opposition has dismissed the amnesty as a “sham.”
Coverage: AFP, AJE, DPA, Xinhua,

AFRICA

Ghana: Crew members of the Argentinian naval ship ARA Libertad will return home while the ship remains impounded in Ghana. (Xinhua, Reuters)
Mali: France is planning on sending drones to Mali in order to assist in an international intervention aimed at freeing the country from al-Qaeda militants. (Guardian)
Somalia: The American One Earth Future foundation reported that Somali pirate attacks are at their lowest in three years. (Reuters)
Somalia: The Philippines will send a coast guard team on board UN vessels delivering food to Africa to protect against Somali pirates. (Xinhua)
Sudan: The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North claimed to have shelled the South Kordofan capital of Kadugli as a matter of self-defense after government troops started firing upon them earlier this morning. (Reuters)

Two children have been reported killed and eight injured in the shelling. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

Colombia: FARC rebels killed three Colombian soldiers in the northeastern region of Arauca (Xinhua)
Haiti: Hillary Clinton spoke at the formal opening of the new Haitian industrial zone meant to boost economic development following the 2010 earthquake (AFP)
Mexico: Authorities have exhumed the remnants of a relative of Heriberto Lazcano in order to take DNA samples that will confirm whether or not the drug lord was killed on October 16th (AP)

ASIA

Afghanistan: Fourteen people, including high-ranking police officials, have been killed in an ongoing military operation in Herat (Xinhua)
Afghanistan: The United Kingdom plans to double its drone fleet to ten (AP)
Japan: Keishu Tanaka has resigned as Japan’s justice minister after admitting to past links with organized crime (AFP)
Myanmar: Three people have been killed in a new wave of violence between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhists in the Western Rakhine state (AFP)
South Korea: Members of the South Korean National Defense Committee are visiting the disputed Dokdo Islands today in a move expected to stoke tensions with Japan (AFP)

EUROPE

Region: British foreign minister William Hague warned against further centralization of the European Union citing state sovereignty and state-based competitive industries as the victims of further centralization (AFP)
Hungary: Rival rallies are expected in Budapest today as part of a gearing up for the 2014 elections. (AFP)
Moldova: Russia announced that it will begin to withdraw peacekeeping helicopters from the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria. (Itar-Tass)
Russia: A suicide bomber kills a policeman and wounds three others at a checkpoint between North Ossetia and Ingushetia in Russia’s North Caucus region. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

Gaza Strip: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani entered the Gaza Strip in a landmark visit in which he will invest 245 million dollars into redeveloping the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Iran: Iranian oil minister Rostam Qasemi said Iran could discontinue oil exports if Western sanctions intensified.(Reuters)
Iraq: Eight people have been killed and 24 injured in car bombs and mortar attacks targeting Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad. (AP)
Israel: An explosion along the Gaza security fence wounded an Israeli soldier. (AFP)
Kuwait: Gatherings of more than 20 people have been banned and police given more authority amid protests against changes to Kuwait’s election laws. (Reuters)
Lebanon: The US is sending a FBI team to Beirut to investigate the car bombing that killed police intelligence chief General Wissam al-Hassan last Friday. (AFP)
Syria: The United Nations is planning for a peacekeeping force to be sent to Syria if a political deal or ceasefire is achieved. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Security: Android applications downloaded from Google’s Play Market can expose users’ online banking and social networking information due to inadequate encryption protections. (ARS-Technica)

WORLD

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (24OCT)

Global: Anniversary of the founding of the UN – 1945.
Europe: EU FMs meet in Luxembourg to discuss Syria.
Germany: European Central Bank President Draghi meets with lawmakers to discuss EU bailouts.
United States: South Korea and the US hold high-level security talks on the DPRK in Washington.

END