ONS: 24 January 2012

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: Explosions were heard in Kano, Nigeria, following a week of violence
AMERICAS: A former CIA agent was arrested in the US for leaking classified documents
ASIA: Hundreds of rebels surrendered their weapons in northeast India
EUROPE: The French Senate adopted a bill criminalizing the refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide; Turkey condemned the legislation
MIDDLE EAST: Two bombs exploded in Baghdad, Iraq, killing eight
TECHNOLOGY: A YouTube video suggested Anonymous plans an attack to shutdown Facebook on 28JAN

TOP STORY

EU agreed to freeze the assets of the Iranian central bank
European foreign ministers agreed to ban oil imports starting 01JULY
Gold, precious metals, diamonds and petrochemical products from Iran were also banned
US vowed to continue to impose new sanctions on Iran
Japan and Australia considered cutting crude oil imports in an effort to align with the West
Coverage: Reuters, Bloomberg, NYT, Kyodo, Reuters-2

AFRICA

Nigeria: Explosions were heard near a police station in Kano, the site of suicide attacks earlier in the week. (AFP)
Sudan: UN Security Council condemned a deadly ambush that led to the killing of a UN peacekeeper of the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur. (Xinhua)
Tunisia: PM Jebali deplored security breaches indicating they are causing economic havoc. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Region: Canadian and Colombian labor ministers met to examine the free trade agreement that took effect last August. (Xinhua)
Region: Due to the booming Brazilian economy, at least 4,000 Haitians have immigrated to Brazil since an earthquake destroyed Haiti in 2010. (DPA)
United States: A former CIA officer was charged with disclosing classified information to reporters. (AP)

ASIA

India: Hundreds of rebels surrendered their weapons Tuesday as several local insurgent groups formally joined a cease-fire with the government in a step toward ending three decades of insurgency in the northeast of the country. (AP)
Korea, North: The air force conducted more winter training than normal despite Kim Jong-Il’s death. (AFP)
Pakistan: Police suspected a Kenyan aid worker was kidnapped in the Sindh province. (AP)
Pakistan: Pakistan released a report laying out its version of a cross-border airstrike by U.S. and coalition forces that left 24 Pakistani soldiers dead, repeating its disagreement with the U.S. version of events. (CNN)

EUROPE

Region: Turkey dismissed the French Senate’s passage of a bill criminalizing the refusal to recognize the mention of Armenian killings in 1915 as genocide. (Xinhua)
Hungary: PM Orban continued to seek European acceptance by stacking the government with party loyalists, drawing criticism from US. (Reuters)
United Kingdom: The government planned to cut penalties for small-scale drug dealers while increasing the severity of jail with more serious offenders. (BBC)

MIDDLE EAST

Iraq: Two car bombs exploded, killing eight and injuring 32 others, in a Shiite district in Baghdad. (AP)
Israel: Six Israeli diplomatic missions throughout the US and Europe received envelopes containing a white powder, initially thought to be anthrax. (AFP)
Syria: The GCC, in a joint statement with the Arab League, decided to pull its observers from the violence-laden country. (Reuters)
Yemen: Army forces killed six al-Qaida militants in Abyan during a heavy shelling operation. (Xinhua)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cybersecurity: A YouTube video suggested Anonymous plans to shutdown Facebook on 28JAN. (Mashable)
Technology: Google introduced a new feature called “Hotel Finder,” which allows users to find lodging near popular landmarks. (Mashable)

WORLD

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (25JAN)

Global: Annual World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland.
Egypt: National day of celebration commemorating Egyptians’ initial protests against Hosni Mubarak – 2011.
Tunisia: US Deputies of State and Treasury visit to discuss economic issues and democratic reform.
United States: Department of Defense hosts Cybercrime Conference in Atlanta.

END