ONS: 09 January 2014

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: South Sudanese FM Barnaba Benjamin reiterated that the army would soon recapture Bor and Bantio, towns held by rebel groups.
AMERICAS: Bolivian President Morales assumed chairmanship of the Group of 77 nations and said he would work towards removing coca leaf from the list of internationally banned drugs.
ASIA: Bangladeshi opposition members went into hiding as police carried out sweeping raids after the country’s violent national election.
EUROPE: The Russian government launched a counter-terrorism operation after five bodies were found in a southern region bordering the Olympic host city Sochi.
MIDDLE EAST: In Iraq, at least twelve people are dead after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military recruiting center in Baghdad.
TECHNOLOGY: France’s data protection watchdog fined Google USD205,000 for failing to comply with its privacy guidelines for personal data.

TOP STORY

Syria: Fighting spreads as the international community responds to violence.

Rebels extended their fighting to the central province of Homs, activists said.
Jihadists battled rebels in the north in an attempt to recover turf lost nearly a week ago.
A car bomb killed eighteen people in the village of Kafat in the country’s central Hama province.
Chinese FM Wang Yi said the Syria’s issues can only be resolved politically.
Russia blocked a UNSC statement condemning Syrian government attacks on Aleppo, diplomats said.
Sources: DPA, AFP, AFP-2, Xinhua, BBC

AFRICA

Sudan, South: FM Barnaba Benjamin reiterated that the army would soon recapture Bor and Bantio, towns held by rebel groups. (Xinhua)
Tunisia: The country’s ruling Ennahdha party expressed understanding over ongoing protests and called on the government to revise taxation measures. (Xinhua)
Tunisia: The country’s constitutional assembly appointed a new commission to oversee elections in 2014. (AP)

AMERICAS

Bolivia: Bolivian President Morales assumed chairmanship of the Group of 77 nations and said he would work towards removing coca leaf from the list of internationally banned drugs. (AP)
US: German Chancellor Angela Merkel accepted an invitation of President Obama to visit Washington. (AP)
US: FBI agents arrested seventeen members of a San Francisco gang running a vast prostitution ring that spanned 46 cities and 23 states. (AP)

ASIA

Bangladesh: Opposition members went into hiding as police carried out sweeping raids after the country’s violent national election. (AP)
Japan: A team of nuclear scientists said they plan to create a controlled reactor meltdown in a bid to learn how to deal with future disasters. (AFP)
Korea, North: The government rejected a South Korean proposal for resuming reunions for families separated by the Korean War. (NYT)
Philippines: President Aquino III ordered members of his Cabinet to speed up the rehabilitation of areas struck by Super Typhoon Haiyan. (Xinhua)

EUROPE

Region: A European Parliament committee approved plans to hear testimony from US whistleblower Edward Snowden. (AFP)
Russia: The government launched a counter-terrorism operation after five bodies were found in a southern region bordering the Olympic host city Sochi. (AFP)
Turkey: Oil deliveries from Iraqi Kurdistan via the country’s new pipeline are set to begin by the end of the month. (Reuters)
Turkey: The government moved to impose strict controls on Internet freedom by monitoring online activity and blocking certain keywords. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq: At least twelve people are dead after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military recruiting center in Baghdad. (AP)
Iraq: HRW condemned abuses by all sides in a days-long standoff in the country’s Anbar province which has left more than 250 people dead. (AFP)
Israel: Settlement watchdog Peace Now urged the government to dismantle an illegal outpost in the West Bank after violent clashes between Jewish and Palestinian settlers. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cyber Security: France’s data protection watchdog fined Google USD205,000 for failing to comply with its privacy guidelines for personal data. (AFP)

WORLD

Intensifying eruptions of gas, ash and smoke continue to displace inhabitants. (CNN)

Cases: Global Number of Cases as of 03JAN: 177 (Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Italy, France, Germany, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, UAE, United Kingdom)
Deaths: Global Number of Deaths as of 03JAN: 74 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE)
Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (10JAN)

END