ONS: 03 September 2013

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents attempted to ambush Somalian President Mohamud
AMERICAS: Brazil and Mexico summoned US ambassadors to demand explanations over allegations that the NSA spied on their presidents’ communications.
ASIA: ISAF commander GEN Dunford said Afghanistan’s police and army may need up to five more years of western support before they can fight independently.
EUROPE: Italy warned that the EU lacks an adequate approach for the refugee problem that will worsen in case of an international intervention in Syria.
MIDDLE EAST: The UNHCR said that more than two million Syrians have fled the country.
TECHNOLOGY: The Marines’ recruiting website was hacked to redirect to a message from the Syrian Electronic Army.

TOP STORY

Syria: US continues to build case against Assad as tensions rise.
- US President Obama gained the tentative support of Senator McCain (R-AZ) for strikes in the county.
- President Obama is expected to urge reluctant world leaders to back a strike against the Assad regime on the sidelines of the G-20.
- Russia reported detecting the launch of two ballistic “objects” towards the eastern Mediterranean, which later fell into the sea.
- Syrian leader Assad warned that Western military strikes risked igniting a “regional war” in the “powder keg” of the Middle East.
- A news outlet close to the regime said the cost of the conflict in the country has reached $1.5 trillion USD.
- Coverage: AFP, AFP-2, AP, NYT, Reuters, WSJ, WSJ-2

AFRICA

Region: South Sudan’s President Kiir arrived in Sudan for a summit aimed at averting a shutdown of oil pipelines vital to both countries. (AFP)
Egypt: Two helicopter gunships fired 13 rockets at militant gatherings in al-Muqataa and Touma. (AP)
Senegal: PM Toure formed a new government. (Xinhua)
Somalia: Al-Qaeda linked Shebab insurgents attempted to ambush President Mohamud. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Region: Brazil and Mexico summoned US ambassadors to demand explanations over allegations that the NSA spied on their presidents’ communications. (AFP)
Colombia: Sixteen members of the Cabinet resigned ahead of an expected reshuffling. (Reuters)
Mexico: President Nieto called for further economic reform in his first State of the Nation address. (Xinhua)

ASIA

Afghanistan: ISAF commander GEN Dunford said Afghanistan’s police and army may need up to five more years of western support before they can fight independently. (The Guardian)
Korea, North: Kim Jong-Un made his third visit in a year to highly fortified frontline islands on the disputed maritime border with South Korea. (AFP)
Philippines: The government accused China of beginning to build on a small group of reefs and rocky outcrops in contested territory. (Reuters)
Sri Lanka: DS Rajapaksa criticized the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Pillay to the country. (AP)

EUROPE

Region: The government warned that the EU lacks an adequate approach for the refugee problem that will worsen in case of an international intervention in Syria. (AFP)
Moldova: Deputy PM and Economy Minister Lazar met with Russian Deputy PM Rogozin to discuss relations in light of Moldova’s movement toward the EU. (Interfax)
Serbia: Parliament approved the reshuffled cabinet of Socialist PM Dacic. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: The Foreign Ministry said the latest Arab League position on the Syrian crisis is “politically-motivated.” (Xinhua)
Iraq: Attacks in and around Baghdad killed eight people. (AP)
Iraq: EU foreign policy chief Ashton condemned “in the strongest terms” the killings at Camp Ashraf. (Xinhua)
Syria: The UNHCR said that more than two million Syrians have fled the country. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cybersecurity: The Marines’ recruiting website was hacked to redirect to a message from the Syrian Electronic Army. (AP)

WORLD

Cyclones: Tropical Storm 15W (Toraji)
- Location: 220 NM SSW of Sasebo, Japan
- Movement: NNE at 9 mph
- Winds: 51 mph
- Map
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- Novel Coronavirus (Sars)
  - Cases: Global Number of Cases as of 30AUG: 104 (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom)
  - Deaths: Global Number of Deaths as of 30AUG: 49 (Saudi Arabia, France, United Kingdom)
  - Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (04SEP)

Global: 4th Global Ethanol Focus 2013 conference will begin in Singapore (to 05SEP).
Djibouti: Anniversary of the country’s constitution being approved – 1992.
France and Syria: French parliament will hold an emergency session to debate the Syria crisis.
Mali: Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will take office as president of Mali.
Sweden: President Barack Obama will visit Sweden, either this day or 05SEP.
Judaism: Rosh Hashonah, the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown (to 06SEP).

END