- Overnight News Summaries ,
- Tags: Africa, Ahmadinejad, China, Colombia, earthquake, India, Iran, Lebanon, Mexico, Middle East, Protest, protests, Russia, World Bank
- 08 Jun
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
- Syria: Violence escalates in wake of government targeting of UN observers.
- 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
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Southern Peru
- Magnitude: 6.0
- Depth: 99.7 km
- Map
- Volcanoes: Shiveluch Volcano, Russia
TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (09JUN)
- India: Hacktivist group ‘Anonymous’ plans protests against Internet censorship.
END