#who was killed by russians on the front line with a phosphorus bomb which are prohibited to be used in the whole world | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

studentofrhetoric-blog · 7 years

Text

Part 1, Monday, April 10th, 2017

International News:

--- "Families of victims of Sunday's bombing at Alexandria's Coptic cathedral gathered at the Monastery of Saint Mina under heavy security on Monday as Egypt's cabinet approved a three-month state of emergency ahead of a scheduled trip by Pope Francis. Hundreds of mourners, many outraged by what they said was the state's failure to keep them safe on one of their holiest days, carried wooden coffins to the beat of drums interrupted by the wails of those dressed in all black. "Where should we go pray? They are attacking us in our churches. They don't want us to pray but we will pray," said Samira Adly, 53, whose neighbors were killed in the attack. "Everyone is falling short...the government, the people... nothing is good." The blast in Egypt's second largest city, which killed 17 including 7 police officers, came hours after a bomb struck a Coptic church in Tanta, a nearby city in the Nile Delta, that took the lives of 28 and wounded nearly 80. The twin attacks marked one of the bloodiest days in recent memory for Egypt's Christian minority,the largest in the Middle East. Both attacks were claimed by the Islamic State, which has waged a campaign against Egypt's Christian minority. The Copts, whose presence in Egypt dates to the Roman era, have long complained of religious persecution and accused the state of not doing enough to protect them."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-idUSKBN17C1AV

--- "Pope Francis' trip to Egypt this month is expected to go ahead despite twin attacks on Christian churches that killed 44 people, Vatican officials said on Monday. However, diplomats and Vatican sources cautioned that the trip could be put in jeopardy or parts of it changed if the security situation worsened. The pope is due to spend about 27 hours in the Egyptian capital Cairo on April 28-29, meeting with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, grand imam Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb and the country's Coptic Pope Tawadros. Archbishop Angelo Becciu, the Vatican deputy secretary of state, told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper that the events on Sunday, however tragic, "could not impede the pope from carrying out his mission of peace.""

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-pope-francis-idUSKBN17C1T0?il=0

--- "The International Monetary Fund sees a more favorable outlook for the global economy this year and next than in 2016, but it has concerns beyond the near term, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said on Monday. "Our forecast for 2017 and 2018 is certainly more favorable than what we have seen in 2016, and probably a bit more so than we had forecast previously," she said before the IMF releases its world economic outlook later this month. "So there is a positive short-term outlook on the horizon, which is unfortunately tainted by the risks that are still there, and that lead us to be concerned about the risk of complacency," Lagarde added. "I have also identified two key concerns that we at the IMF have: one is persistent low productivity and, second, excessive inequalities that grow together with that low productivity," she said after meeting the chiefs of other leading global economic organizations and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin. On the influence of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, Merkel said she had no reason to believe the IMF's mission was endangered in any way."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-economy-imf-idUSKBN17C21Y?il=0

--- "Syrian or Russian warplanes dropped incendiary bombs on areas of Idlib and Hama provinces just days after a deadly gas attack in the region, activists and a monitoring group reported on Monday. Moscow and the Syrian army were not immediately available for comment. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Russian jets had used an incendiary substance called thermite in bombs they dropped over the towns of Saraqeb in Idlib and al-Latamenah in Hama, further south, on Saturday and Sunday. A rescue worker in Saraqeb said warplanes had dropped phosphorus bombs there, but he had not heard of the use of thermite. He said use of phosphorus was not a new development. "It's normal, these are often used," said Laith Abdullah of the Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, a rescue group working in rebel-held areas."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idlib-idUSKBN17C1MK?il=0

--- "Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen drew protests from her political rivals and the Israeli government on Monday by denying the French state's responsibility for a mass arrest of Jews in Paris during World War Two. Two weeks before the first round of the election in which she is a frontrunner, Le Pen touched a raw nerve by reopening debate about the state's role in one of the darkest episodes in French history under the Nazi occupation. "I think France isn't responsible for the Vel d'Hiv," Le Pen said on Sunday, referring to the German-ordered roundup by French police of 13,000 Jews in July 1942. Most were crammed into the Velodrome d'Hiver cycling stadium, commonly known as the Vel d'Hiv, before being deported to the Auschwitz concentration camp. "I think that, in general, if there are people responsible, it is those who were in power at the time. It is not France," Le Pen said in an interview with media groups Le Figaro, RTL and LCI. Le Pen's rivals pounced on her comments, which could set back her attempts to clean up the image of her anti-immigration National Front and distance it from the anti-Semitic views of her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the party's founder."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-le-pen-idUSKBN17C0V8?il=0

--- "The United States military is still able to deconflict operations with Russia over Syria, a U.S. military spokesman said on Monday, but it was unclear how that was happening. On Friday, Interfax news agency, citing a Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, said Russia had notified the Pentagon it would close down a communication line used to avoid accidental clashes in Syria. "We have continued to deconflict as necessary with the Russians because whenever we are flying we have to use all the available means to make sure that we don't have any mid-air incidents. That particular line and how it is used, we are not talking about it," U.S. Central Command spokesman Colonel John Thomas told reporters."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-communication-idUSKBN17C1YT?il=0

--- "Forces aligned with a U.N.-backed government in Tripoli said on Monday that three of their men had been killed in air raids against a desert air base by rivals allied to eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar. The oil-producing North African state slipped into turmoil during the 2011 uprising that ended Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year-old and has been riven by factional strife since then. The struggle for control around Tamanhent air base 30 km (19 miles) northeast of Sabha risks escalating into the first major confrontation between forces officially linked to the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). Haftar is aligned with an eastern parliament and government that have spurned the GNA since it arrived in the capital Tripoli, in the far west of the country, a year ago. His forces have been extending their reach along Libya's central Mediterranean coastline and into the desert regions of Jufra and Sabha, and say they also intend to take control of Tripoli. After an LNA strike against Tamanhent last week the GNA warned of the risk of civil war and said it was mobilising forces to repel the attack."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-idUSKBN17C1Z3?il=0

--- "An Oslo court ruled on Monday that Norwegian police could continue to detain a Russian teenager while they investigate suspicions that he was plotting an attack with a primitive explosive device. The 17-year-old was detained on Saturday night, accused of possessing a container of lighter gas with nails taped around it in what his lawyer said was a "boyish prank". The bomb squad used a robot to blow up the object in central Oslo. No one was hurt...In Oslo, judge Mads Wilhelm Ruland ruled police could detain the Russian for two weeks, the maximum allowed for a minor, while they investigate under anti-terrorism laws."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-police-idUSKBN17C1PY?il=0

--- "The role of trade as a driver of global growth is threatened by a slowdown in trade reform since the early 2000s and an uptick in protectionism after the financial crisis, the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization and World Bank said on Monday. Unveiling a joint report in Berlin entitled 'Making Trade an Engine of Growth for All,' the three organizations urged governments to address the negative effects that global trade has had on manufacturing jobs, workers and communities, especially in advanced economies. "Recent evidence on the effect of import competition on manufacturing jobs in certain locations in Europe and the United States demonstrates how harsh such impacts can be in the absence of accompanying policies," the IMF, WTO and World Bank said. "The role of trade in the global economy is at a critical juncture." The report said a lack of reform to make trade more beneficial to broader sections of societies has been a drag on productivity and income growth."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-imf-idUSKBN17C1AN?il=0

--- "German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a joint statement on Monday with leaders of top international economic organizations saying they wanted to strengthen the global trade system in the face of protectionism. Merkel joined the heads of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, World Trade Organization, OECD and the International Labor Organization in calling open markets and free trade necessary for economic growth. They also said stressed the importance of fighting climate change and protecting resources."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-merkel-trade-idUSKBN17C1VT?il=0

--- "The United States has made slight adjustments to its military activities in Syria to strengthen protection of American forces following cruise missile strikes last week on a Syrian air base that heightened tensions, U.S. officials told Reuters on Monday. The officials, citing the need to safeguard operations in Syria, declined to specify exactly what measures the United States has taken after the strikes, which Damascus, Tehran and Moscow have roundly condemned. They spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked about the Reuters report, a U.S. military spokesman later told a Pentagon news briefing that the U.S. commander for the campaign has been "calling in the resources that he needs" to protect U.S. forces in the wake of the strikes. The spokesman, Colonel John Thomas, also said U.S. strikes in Syria had become more defensive and acknowledged the pace had slowed somewhat since last Friday. "I don't think that is going to last for very long, but that is up to (Lieutenant General Stephen) Townsend," Thomas said, stressing there had been no attempts by Syria or its allies to retaliate against U.S. troops so far."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-syria-idUSKBN17C1S3?il=0

--- "On banners hung from mosques, cultural centres, construction sites and bridges, President Tayyip Erdogan's face punctuates the landscape along the highway to his ancestral home town of Rize on Turkey's northern Black Sea coast...Viewed with deepening suspicion by liberal Turks and some Western allies, who fear his Islamist ideals and authoritarian leadership are eroding Turkey's secularism and democracy, here Erdogan is seen as a hero of the pious, patriotic, working man...But Erdogan - Turkey's most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern secular republic almost a century ago - is also its most divisive. Polls show a close race, putting the "yes" vote slightly ahead, but with nearly half the country rejecting changes that would replace Turkey's parliamentary system with the executive presidency Erdogan says is needed to give the country strength. Even around Rize, there are pockets of dissent among conservative Turks who, while sharing the ideals of Erdogan's ruling AK Party, are uncomfortable with the powers being amassed in one individual's hands..."Why would I vote Yes? I'm not a sheep. There's a republic, there's our constitution. Why are we throwing all this away?," said Ibrahim Ceylan, a waiter at a nearby fish restaurant."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-referendum-erdogan-conservativ-idUSKBN17C1TP?il=0

--- "Serbia and the United States agreed to step up efforts to bolster regional security including joint military and police training drills, Serbian Prime Minister and President-elect Aleksandar Vucic said on Monday. Serbia is maintaining a balancing act between the West and Russia, its traditional Orthodox Christian and Slavic ally. Although it wants to join the European Union, Belgrade has adamantly refused to join NATO which bombed it in 1999 during the war in Kosovo. In 2008, with the U.S. backing, Kosovo declared independence. After meeting Republican Senator John McCain, who also chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, Vucic told reporters that the two sides will have "six or seven" joint training drills this year. During his one-day visit to Serbia, McCain attended a training between country's elite SAJ police unit, a detachment of the U.S. Special Operations Command and a military unit from Slovenia, a ex-Yugoslav republic and now NATO member...Vucic said the two also discussed regional stability, including talks between Serbia and Kosovo on normalizing relations, and the political crises in ethnically divided Macedonia and Bosnia."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-serbia-usa-idUSKBN17C1RF?il=0

--- "Sweden's Prime Minister said on Monday the country would never yield to terrorism, as he led a minute's silence for those killed and injured when a truck driver mowed down pedestrians on a Stockholm shopping street.Four people died and 15 were hurt in Friday's attack, the first of its kind in the country. "We will never surrender to terror," Lofven said in his speech outside Stockholm's city hall, as flags flew at half mast across the capital and church bells chimed while shoppers and tourists thronged the city center. Lofven was flanked by the royal family dressed in black, government ministers, and members of the emergency services."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sweden-attack-silence-idUSKBN17C18W?il=0

--- "A panel of global regulators could police a new system that allowed Britain and the European Union to use each other's financial rules after Brexit without disrupting markets, an advisory group said on Monday. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney called last week for such a "mutual recognition" system, and on Monday the International Regulatory Strategy Group (IRSG) fleshed out how it could work in practice. The IRSG, backed by TheCityUK, which promotes Britain as a financial center, and the City of London Corporation, home to the "Square Mile" financial district, said a dispute resolution model would be needed as the EU and UK regulatory systems diverge over time. The IRSG set out several options, some currently used in free trade agreements, and some that would have to be started from scratch..."A joint UK-EU committee or forum could be established to make sure that regulation and principles of supervision are monitored as they evolve over time," the IRSG said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-city-idUSKBN17C1KX?il=0

Domestic & International News:

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump is open to authorizing additional strikes on Syria if the use of chemical weapons continues in the country, the White House said on Monday. "The sight of people being gassed and blown away by barrel bombs ensures that if we see this kind of action again, we hold open the possibility of future action," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at a briefing on Monday."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-whitehouse-idUSKBN17C25O?il=0

Domestic News:

--- "Donald Trump reveled in the biggest political victory of his presidency at a White House ceremony on Monday in which his Supreme Court pick Neil Gorsuch was sworn in, poised to make an instant impact on a court once again dominated by conservatives. Trump was able to fulfill a top campaign promise when the Republican-led U.S. Senate voted to confirm the conservative Colorado-based federal appeals court judge to the lifetime job on Friday despite vehement Democratic opposition. With Gorsuch aboard, the court has five conservative justices and four liberals, a majority that could be pivotal in deciding a range of issues including abortion, gun control, the death penalty, presidential powers, political spending, environmental regulation and religious rights. Standing in the White House Rose Garden under bright sunshine on a warm spring day, Trump tied the occasion to the political aims of his administration, as the eight other members of the nation's highest court looked on. "Together we are in a process of reviewing and renewing and also rebuilding our country," Trump told an audience that included conservative activists and administration officials. "A new optimism is sweeping across our land and a new faith in America is filling our hearts and lifting our sights." Gorsuch filled a vacancy that had lingered for nearly 14 months after conservative Justice Antonin Scalia's February 2016 death. Gorsuch's judicial oath was administered by Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom Gorsuch worked as a clerk as a young lawyer. Gorsuch becomes the first justice to serve alongside a former boss."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-gorsuch-idUSKBN17C10J?il=0

--- "Shareholder activism is rare in Islamic finance, but one wealth manager has staked out new territory as the most outspoken voice among Muslim investors in the United States. Working from an office in Falls Church, Virginia, Bashar Qasem was the only Islamic financial representative among religious shareholder advocates who sent a letter in February to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban. It was only one of a number of such moves since 2015, when Qasem's Azzad Asset Management firm started weighing in on issues like worker safety, climate change and lobbying disclosures. This direct advocacy will test whether many U.S. Muslim investors will support the sort of faith-based shareholder activism common among other religious groups even as many cite safety concerns or have experienced bullying. Qasem said his clients seemed to welcome his growing public role. Most are Muslim, and about half are immigrants. "Most of them, they feel it's about time," said Qasem, who grew up in Jordan, moved to the United States in 1987 and became a citizen in 1996."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-islam-investing-idUSKBN17C0AT?il=0

--- "Measures of U.S. inflation expectations dropped to their lowest levels in four months in March, reversing a brief run-up, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey released on Monday that could temper hopes for broader price pressure. The survey of consumer expectations, an increasingly influential gauge of prices for the U.S. central bank, showed that both year-ahead and three-year-ahead expectations fell to 2.7 percent, from 3 percent in February."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-survey-idUSKBN17C1PG?il=0

--- "Efforts to breathe new life into an ageing Manhattan office building that is the flagship property of the family of President Donald Trump's son-in-law has gained a green light after a partial owner of the building indicated a willingness to sell. Steven Roth, chairman and chief executive of Vornado Realty Trust, said in a letter to its shareholders that there had been "much press" recently about 666 Fifth Avenue, a 60-year-old building that Vornado owns with the Kushner family. "This is an ongoing, complex, dynamic, and unpredictable situation," Roth said in the letter dated April 4. Vornado has a joint venture in the building with Kushner Cos., a real estate company whose chief executive until recently was Jared Kushner, an adviser to Trump who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka. Jared sold his interests to a family trust in January..."Kushner Cos. is in active, ongoing discussions around 666 Fifth Avenue," spokesman James Yolles said in a statement. A previous statement had termed talks as "advanced." Kushner said two weeks ago it ended talks to re-develop the 39-story building, valued for its proximity to Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, and St. Patrick's Cathedral, with China's Anbang Insurance Group [ANBANG.UL]."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-property-kushner-vornado-realty-idUSKBN17C1UT?il=0

#international affairs #domestic affairs #source: reuters

0 notes