NEWS SUMMARY AROUND THE WORLD 4 July, 2014 More than 1mn affected by heavy rains in China About 1.16 million people have been affected by heavy rains in several Chinese provinces, Itar-Tass reported. On Friday, two more people were killed and one went missing, according to Xinhua. Thousands were forced to evacuate, and traffic was interrupted in several cities. Damage is estimated at tens of millions of dollars. 14:22 Nigerian soldiers burn buses in Lagos after 1 killed in traffic accident Nigerian soldiers blocked roads and burned several buses in Lagos on Friday after a soldier was killed in a bus accident, Reuters said. “The rampaging soldiers already burnt five buses,” said Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, director general of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, calling their actions “barbaric and uncivilized.” No injuries were reported. The protesters were reacting to the killing of a soldier who was hit by a bus while riding a motorcycle. Nigerian bus drivers have a reputation for reckless driving. However, it was not clear who was at fault in the incident. 13:10 Moldova bans Russia 24 TV from broadcasting in its territory Moldova’s TV and radio broadcast authorities have banned the Russia 24 TV in Moldova until January 1, 2015, ITAR-TASS said, citing the news channel. Moldova’s Coordination Council for Television and Radio Broadcasts took the decision at its meeting on Friday for the reason that the channel’s programs were allegedly mismatching the principles of Moldova’s TV broadcasting code. In April, Ukraine banned the Russian TV channel. 12:04 Nearly 50 Indian nurses abducted in Iraq released – official Indian officials said Friday that 46 nurses who were abducted by suspected Islamist militants in Iraq have been released and will soon be flown home, Reuters said The nurses, all from the southern Indian state of Kerala, were being moved from the northern city of Mosul to the city of Erbil, some 80km away, according to P. Sivadasan, an aide to Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. The nurses were stranded in a hospital in the militant-controlled city of Tikrit for weeks. Forty Indian construction workers are still in captivity. 11:10 Ex-News of the World editor Coulson jailed for 18 months for phone hacking Former No. 10 Downing Street spin doctor Andy Coulson has been jailed for 18 months for conspiracy to hack phones while he was in charge of the News of the World, the Guardian said. Last week he was found guilty of conspiring to intercept voicemails at the now-defunct tabloid. Coulson, 46, received a discount of several months for his previous good character. 10:27 France announces security measures on US-bound flights for summer period France is increasing security on flights headed for the US this summer, AP said. US earlier this week voiced concerns that Al-Qaeda is trying to develop a new kind of bomb. The French civil aviation authority on Friday announced stepped-up security measures “for the summer period.” The measures might cause delays on US-bound flights. The Obama administration called for tighter security measures at foreign airports, prompting British airports to increase security Thursday. 09:09 Putin calls for better relations with US in congratulatory message to Obama President Vladimir Putin called for better relations between Russia and the US on Friday in a goodwill message to President Barack Obama on US Independence Day, Reuters said. Putin highlighted that the two states carry exceptional responsibility for safeguarding international stability and security, and should cooperate “in the interests of the whole world,” the Kremlin said. 08:36 USS Oscar Austin calls at Lithuanian port USS Oscar Austin has reportedly called at the port of the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda. The destroyer is making a friendly visit to Klaipeda Seaport, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defense said. On July 4, President Dalia Grybauskaite, Minister of National Defence Juozas Olekas, US Ambassador in Lithuania Deborah McCarthy are expected to visit the vessel, the Baltic Course reported. 07:49 Hungary monitors 5 people for suspected anthrax infection An infection of the deadly anthrax disease has been identified in beef in eastern Hungary, the health authority ANTSZ said on Friday. Five people are being monitored in hospital for suspected infection from the disease, Reuters reported. The disease was identified in frozen beef after two cattle were illegally slaughtered in a farm in the town of Tiszafured, 160km east of Budapest. 07:24 Police detain organizers of huge rally in Hong Kong Police on Friday arrested the organizers of Hong Kongs biggest pro-democracy rally since the city was handed back to China, AFP said. Five members of the Civil Human Rights Front, including its convener, were arrested three days after the march, with campaigners denouncing the detention as the “political suppression.” The group said it had mobilized half a million people to voice anger at Beijings ever-tightening grip on Hong Kong. 06:42 70,000 ask Google to delete personal links More than 70,000 people have asked Google to delete links about them under Europe’s right to be forgotten ruling. Google had received 70,000 requests since it put a form online on May 30 as a result of the ruling by the European Court of Justice, AFP said. The search engine has restricted access to a BBC blog posting and several British newspaper stories under a legal ruling granting people a right to be forgotten in search engines. In particular, the BBC’s 2007 posting about former Merrill Lynch chairman Stan ONeal was removed from certain searches in Europe. The Guardian newspaper had been notified that six links to its stories had been removed from search results. 06:19 Bolivia MPs vote for child labor from age 10 Bolivian Congress has approved child workers as young as 10 years old, AFP said. Congress passed a new law that lays out specific conditions for employing children by consensus on Wednesday. Employers will have to follow certain criteria to ensure the physical and mental health of employed children, and to prevent child exploitation. “The age limit, as defined formally by the Code for Children and Adolescents, is 14 years old,” Senator Adolfo Mendoza said. However, the new code allows exceptions, when specific legal criteria have been met. 03:26 Hurricane Arthur reaches Category 2, makes landfall on North Carolina coast Hurricane Arthur was upgraded to a Category 2 storm Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour. By late Thursday night it had made landfall between Cape Lookout and Beaufort, North Carolina. The hurricanes strongest winds are now more likely to be experienced along the Outer Banks, rather than remain offshore, the US National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its latest advisory. The storm surge is forecasted to be 3 to 5 feet in the Outer Banks and other parts of eastern North Carolina. A tropical storm warning is now in effect for Nantucket and parts of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, while a hurricane warning extends from North Carolina to the border with Virginia.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Jul 2014 18:37:04 +0000