25 January, 2015 23:49 Kiev urgently summons NATO-Ukraine meeting in Brussels Ukraine has called an emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC) for Monday to discuss the fighting in southeastern Ukraine, Ukrinform news agency quoted Deputy Chief of the Ukrainian Mission to NATO for Political Affairs, Yegor Bozhok, as saying. “The head of Ukrainian Mission to NATO, Igor Dolgov, called on the NATO Secretary General to convene an emergency meeting of the Commission Ukraine-NATO to discuss the current situation and further action,” Bozhok said. He added that the mission activated the mechanism for crisis consultations with NATO in accordance with the Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between Ukraine and NATO. According to RIA Novosti, the meeting will take place in Brussels. 16:13 12 dead, over 30 wounded in Egypt on uprising anniversary Twelve people have been killed, one child among them, and over 30 wounded in unrest in Cairo suburbs on Sunday, according to the Egyptian Health Ministry. Supporters and opponents of President Fattah al-Sisi also clashed in the center of the capital. To add to the chaos, followers of Shaimaa al-Sabbagh, a recently killed Socialist party activist, were also present. The Interior Ministry reported 10 bombs were found and 12 people were arrested. The revolution started four years ago, on January 25, and finished up with President Mubarak being ousted after 30 years in power. 15:48 Gunmen kidnap Libya’s deputy foreign minister Gunmen kidnapped Hassan al-Saghir, the deputy foreign minister of Libya’s internationally recognized government, on Saturday. According to the interior minister Omar al-Zanki, the official was abducted from his hotel in the city of Bayda, where the government is situated. Things remain chaotic and unstable in Libya after Muammar Gaddafi’s ousting. 13:26 Mass blackouts leave 80% of Pakistan without electricity A militant attack on a transmission tower briefly left 80 percent of Pakistan without electricity, which caused a power surge in the country, AP reports. Officials rushed to try and solve the problem, which was the fourth major breakdown in a month. By Sunday morning around half of Pakistan was without power. Zafaryab Khan, a spokesman for the Ministry of Water and Power said on Twitter, We are awake and monitoring the situation to ensure the earliest possible restoration of electricity to all.” He said it would take up to eight hours to fully restore power. 11:12 Bodies of six skiers found in French Alps, following avalanche The bodies of six skiers were discovered in the French Alps, following an avalanche. The group was on a ski hike along the Queyras mountain range when tragedy struck, according to the police. All were experienced skiers aged 50-70. They left on Saturday for the ski touring trip. The bodies of three were found at the foot of the avalanche, which was in a small valley at about 8,200 feet. Bad weather got in the way of finding the rest of the group, but later efforts involving 18 rescue workers, dogs and a helicopter, were successful in recovering the bodies. Avalanches in France are said to kill 30 people annually. The Association for Snow and Avalanche Studies has reported 11 deaths since the start of the 2014-2015 season. Another two skiers were found in the snow on Thursday in the Ecrins mountain range. 11:00 Protester killed in Egypt on 2011 uprising anniversary A protester has been killed in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, according to a security source, which was reported by Reuters. The protester fell victim to gunshot wounds on the fourth anniversary of the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Honsi Mubarak. 11:00 US and India settle civil nuclear disputes - reports The United States and India have managed to overcome a standoff, which was preventing civil nuclear trade between the two countries, according to Indian media reports cited by Reuters. US President Barack Obama is currently in New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Reports say that America has dropped its demand to be able to track nuclear materials supplied to India, while differences concerning the liability of suppliers to India in the event of a nuclear accident have also been settled. 07:57 Yemeni parliament postpones meeting to discuss president’s resignation Yemen’s parliament has postponed the meeting to discuss President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi’s resignation. This threatens to prolong the power vacuum in a country struggling with extremism, as well as being a terrorist hub to the most violent branch of Al Qaeda. Hadi is a key US ally in the fight on terrorism. His Thursday request to step down was meant to be discussed on Friday, but AFP was told by presidential adviser Sultan al-Atwani that lawmakers will gather on Sunday “at the earliest” to continue the discussion. Not all members of parliament are in Sanaa at the time being. 00:17 UN: Over 1.5 mn displaced in Ukraine, Kiev prevents aid delivery to east More than 1.5 million civilians have been forced to leave their homes due to the conflict in south-eastern Ukraine, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its latest report. “Renewed fighting in the east of the country has resulted in additional displacement, civilian loss of life, destruction of infrastructure, all resulting in increasing humanitarian needs,” the report said. As of January 21, 921,640 people were classified as internally displaced persons and another 600,000 fled as refugees to neighboring countries, mostly Russia. Moreover, Kiev restrictions on access to the eastern regions “have produced new difficulties for the established supply schemes for state target programs and humanitarian aid delivery.” OCHA states that at least 5,086 people were killed and 10,948 injured between mid-April 2014 to January 21, 2015, citing the office of OHCHR and WHO. At least 262 of the dead, including seven children, were killed between January 13 and 21, the report added.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:18:06 +0000
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