ONS: 08 June 2012

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: In Mali, Tuareg rebels clashed with Ansar Dine in the north of the country.
AMERICAS: In Colombia, a joint military operation left seven members of ELN dead.
ASIA: In Pakistan, a bomb targeting a bus, carrying government employees, killed 18 people and wounded 32.
EUROPE: Italian officers seized 630 kilograms of high-purity cocaine hidden in a shipment of nuts from Brazil.
MIDDLE EAST: Iran and the IAEA began a new round of talks.
TECHNOLOGY: A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to FCC Chairman Genachowski this week, urging him to free up military spectrum frequencies for the private company LightSquared.

TOP STORY

UN monitors planned a fresh attempt to reach Qubeir.
Activists reported renewed bombardment by government forces on Homs.
China called for both sides in Syria to halt the violence and implement of Annan’s peace plan.
A car bomb hit a police station in Idlib, killing two police officers.
Coverage: NYT, AFP, Telegraph, DPA, Xinhua

AFRICA

Region: Peace talks between Khartoum and Juba to set up a demilitarized buffer zone have ended with Sudan accusing South Sudan of seeking to create “10 disputed areas.” (AFP)
Burundi: The UN appointed Parfait Onanga-Anyanga as the new UN special envoy and head of office for the country. (Xinhua)
Mali: Tuareg rebels clashed with Ansar Dine in the north of the country. (AFP)
Nigeria: A bomb suspected to be linked to Boko Haram killed one person in Maiduguri. (AFP)
Somalia: Twenty-one Filipino crew members of a Greek-owned vessel were released by Somali pirates after eight months of captivity. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

Region: Outgoing World Bank chief Zoellick said leftist regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua would struggle without support from President Chavez. (AFP)
Region: US federal authorities say they have seized 728 pounds of cocaine and arrested six men from the Dominican Republic who were aboard a boat traveling toward Puerto Rico. (AP)
Colombia: A joint military operation left seven members of ELN dead. (Xinhua)
Mexico: Police found fourteen dismembered bodies in an abandoned cargo vehicle in Tamaulipas. (AFP)
Mexico: A panel of Mexican judges agreed to the extradition to the US of a suspected drug trafficker known as the “Queen of the Pacific”. (AP)

ASIA

Region: Chinese President Hu Jintao pledged “selfless help” to Afghanistan and the leaders of the two nations agreed to upgrade their ties. (AFP)
Afghanistan: Approximately 30 prisoners managed to escape an Afghan prison after Taliban gunmen attacked the jail. (AFP)
Burma: The government called for sanctions to be completely lifted. (AFP)
China: President Hu Jintao held talks with his Iranian counterpart Ahmadinejad. (Xinhua)
Korean Peninsula: South Korea accused North Korea Friday of “crossing the line” with its recent threats and insults, and pressed the impoverished country to start repayments for past food aid. (AFP)
Pakistan: A bomb targeting a bus, carrying government employees, killed 21 people and wounded 40 in Peshawar. (Xinhua)

EUROPE

Region: German Chancellor Merkel and British PM Cameron agreed the EU fiscal pact is not sufficient to pull the eurozone out of the debt crisis. (Xinhua)
Region: EU nations agreed to enable countries to temporarily restore border checks in the visa-free Schengen area in the case of a surge of illegal migrants. (AFP)
Albania: Lawmakers for a third time failed to elect a new president. (AP)
Italy: Officers seized 630 kilograms of high-purity cocaine hidden in a shipment of nuts from Brazil. (AFP)
Slovenia: The government will close its embassies in Sweden, Finland, Portugal and Ireland as part of its efforts to “reorganize the diplomatic network”. (Xinhua)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: The IAEA and Iran began a new round of talks. (Reuters)
Lebanon: The visiting German FM reiterated his country’s support for and commitment to Lebanon and UNIFIL. (Xinhua)
Syria: The government used heavy weapons, armor-piercing bullets and surveillance drones against UN observers. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications: A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter to FCC Chairman Genachowski this week, urging him to free up military spectrum frequencies for the private company LightSquared. (Hillicon Valley)

WORLD

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (09JUN)

India: Hacktivist group ‘Anonymous’ plans protests against Internet censorship.

END