DPA: THE WORLD IN YOUR POCKET - NEWS SUMMARY AND UPDATE 15 March, 2014 23:18 Five car bombs in Iraq claim 9 lives At least nine people have been killed in 5 car bombings targeting commercial neighborhoods of Baghdad, security and medical officials said. The blasts occurred at markets or commercial areas of the Sadr City, Amin, Amil, Qahira and Shuala neighbourhoods said police and medical sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. More than 30 people were wounded, the authorities said. No one yet has claimed the responsibility for the attacks. Authorities fear that Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant was behind the bombings. 19:42 Tear gas fired on anti-government protesters in Sudans capital Sudanese police fired tear gas at a group of 200 anti-government protesters in the north of Khartoum, the capital Saturday, according to an eyewitness, Reuters reports. The demonstration was the second this week by pro-democracy activists, in which a student protester was killed by police in clashes on Tuesday. 19:21 French government to limit vehicle use in Paris Monday The French government has said it will limit vehicle use in Paris on Monday amid soaring pollution levels. The French Health Ministry has also issued warnings for the elderly, pregnant women and young children as well as those people with respiratory problems in some of the worst pollution seen in the French capital in years. On Friday Parisian authorities announced that all public transport would be free until Sunday evening in an attempt to lure people out if their cars. 17:46 Clashes in Turkey after funeral of teen killed by riot police Clashes have erupted in Turkey for a second night between police and mourners of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year old who was seriously wounded during protests nine months ago and died Wednesday. Berkin Elvan spent nine months in a coma after being struck in the head by a tear gas canister as he went to buy bread. Turkey is polarized between supporters and opponents of the Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in the run up to municipal elections scheduled to take place on March 30. 16:54 3 killed, 16 more wounded as policeman opens fire at Argentinian night club Three people were killed and 16 more wounded when a police officer started shooting in a night club in a city of Naschel, central Argentina, Friday overnight, local media reported. Among the dead is the commissioner of the local police. The wounded have been taken to hospital. The police have detained the shooter after a pursuit. The motives of the shooter are not yet clear, although the media reports that he was drunk. The governor of the San Luis province has announced three days of mourning. 15:55 Three people killed in South Africa light aircraft crash Three people have been killed when the small aircraft they were in crashed in the South African province of KwaZulu Natal on Saturday, according to police and emergency services, Reuter’s reports. A media liaison officer for a private ambulance service said the plane was burned beyond recognition. 14:32 Erdogan links dead teenager to ‘terrorist’ groups The Turkish Prime Minister, Tayyip Erdogan, said a 15-year old who died Tuesday, nine months after sustaining a head injury in anti-government protests was linked to a ‘terrorist organization’. His comments are likely to inflame political tensions. Berkin Elvan’s death on Tuesday has sparked the worst unrest since nationwide anti-government demonstrations in June. Erdogan has presided over a decade of increased living standards and remains Turkey’s most popular politician but critics say that he is becoming increasingly authoritarian and intolerant, citing recent moves to impose government control on the judiciary and the internet. 13:57 Ex-Rwanda intelligence chief jailed for genocide in France A Paris court has sentenced Pascal Simbikangwa, a former army captain and intelligence officer, to 25 years in jail for genocide and crimes against humanity in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide where up to 800,000 Tutsis and Hutus died. Simbikangwa was arrested in 2008 on the French island of Mayotte in the Indian Ocean. Throughout the six-week trial he maintained that he was the victim of a “witch-hunt” originating from the now ruling Tutsis, and insisted he had never seen any of the bodies that littered the towns and roads of Rwanda at the time. 11:45 Car bomb hits Somali capital A car bomb has exploded in the center of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, near a hotel popular with government officials and businessmen, according to police and witnesses, AFP reports. Police confirmed that at least one person was injured in the blast. The area close to the hotel has been targeted several times recently and in November 2013 the hotel itself was hit, leaving several people dead. 10:53 Putin meets Ukrainian Paralympics chief in Sochi Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the head of Ukraines Paralympic committee, Valery Sushkevich, on Saturday, a day before the Games’ closing ceremony and the referendum on the status of Crimea. Shushkevich described the meeting to Reuters as profound, long and substantive, but gave no further comment. Sushkevich earlier said that he regarded the Crimean referendum as illegitimate and that the Ukrainian team was considering boycotting the closing ceremony. 10:06 Shooting at Cairo checkpoint: 6 officers killed Unidentified armed people have opened fire at a police and army checkpoint in a Cairo suburb, killing six soldiers. Two bombs left behind by the attckers were difused, according to security officals. After the army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last July, the number of attacks on the military installations has grown rapidly, with over 300 security officers killed in the last few months. The violence comes after another soldier was shot dead two days ago in an attack on an army bus in eastern Cairo.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 23:35:15 +0000