Patrick deHahn
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From reuters:
Obama gives major foreign policy speech: President Barack Obama plans to limit the use of U.S. drone strikes and close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Obama also asked the Attorney General to report on how the Department of Justice investigates the media. The report is due by July 12, 2013.
Photo: REUTERS/Larry Downing
AFRICA
M23 rebels announce ceasefire near Goma as UN’s Ban Ki-moon visits DR Congo (Reuters)
Suicide bombings in Niger kill at least 17 soldiers (BBC News)
AMERICAS
Secretary of State Kerry may make bid to restart Middle East peace talks (NYTimes)
ASIA
Car bomb in Pakistan kills eleven police officers and one civilian (AP)
Malaysia police arrest opposition figures in crackdown (Reuters)
Iran says a new report by the IAEA shows its nuclear drive is “peaceful” (AFP)
North Korea says they are willing to take China’s advice to start talks (Reuters)
EUROPE
European banks stop sending money to North Korea, aid groups say (Reuters)
Sweden’s Stockholm continues to experience riots through city (NYTimes)
France backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list (Reuters)
MIDDLE EAST
In clashes, five killed and 50 wounded in Lebanon’s Tripoli (Reuters)
Former head of Syria’s opposition puts forward a new proposal on governing Syria (Al Jazeera)
A solid primer to catch up on what evolved last night:
Josh Rogin reports on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s approval of a bill to arm the rebels.
While not the defining legislation at this point, the proposal was approved last night by a Senate panel 15-3 and will be brought to the full Senate for a vote.
Even after it has the chance of passing through the Senate, it is not clear what opposition group fighting against the Syrian government will receive American arms. That will be a tough one to tackle.
Something to watch. Definitely give Rogin’s writing a read through.
AFRICA
Mortar lands in Congo city of Goma as U.N. secretary general arrives in capital (AP)
Egyptian security abducted in Sinai freed (Al Jazeera)
Egypt’s Morsi calls on people of Sinai to “give up their arms” (BBC News)
World Bank pledges $1 billion to aid peace in Africa’s Great Lakes (Reuters)
Mugabe signs Zimbabwe constitution into law (Reuters)
AMERICAS
Mysterious respiratory illness kills two, leaves five others hospitalized in Alabama (AP)
ASIA
North Korea has named hardline general as new military chief, state media shares (AP)
North Korea leader sends “special envoy” to China (NYTimes)
Iran bars candidates for June Presidential election (Reuters)
China premier to discuss trade ties with incoming Pakistan government (Al Jazeera)
EUROPE
Hague says, “we are working on lifting the arms embargo for the Syrian opposition” (Al Jazeera)
Ukraine prime minister bars reporters from government meetings after protest (Reuters)
France boosts up Africa and Middle East embassy security (Reuters)
Germany backs call to put Hezbollah armed wing on EU terror list (Reuters)
MIDDLE EAST
Sunni fighters backing Syria rebels fight Assad supporters in Lebanon’s Tripoli (Al Jazeera)
Refugee numbers drop dramatically on the Jordan-Syria border (Al Jazeera)
Rafah border crossing off Egypt and Gaza reopens after abduction (Al Ahram)
Syrian National Coalition to attend Friends of Syria meeting in Jordan’s Amman Wednesday (Al Jazeera)
Syria opposition calls for reinforcements in embattled Qusair (Reuters)
Came across this today:
The sudden reduction in aggressive rhetoric and actions by North Korea has led to suggestions that Pyongyang has realized it has pushed its only ally in the region to the brink of severing its friendship.
The superpower state, China, may be working with members of the North Korean government, to encourage regime change and shift their stances, direction as a state. Intelligence reports tell this story, that China is preparing for such contingency plans, for Kim Jong-un’s brother to take over if the country fails under his control. Interesting finds.
Writers with TomDispatch writes on “how America became a third world country.” They cite the unsettling political sphere in America with the poor economy and the new society America has. Give it a read here.
AFRICA
South Sudan’s army says their city Boma was retaken from rebels (Voice of America)
Egypt troops search Sinai villages for kidnapped soldiers (Ahram Online)
Security guards fire rubber bullets at South Africa strikers (Reuters)
Congolese army and rebels clash for a second day near Goma (Reuters)
Nigeria seeks Niger’s military support against rebel group Boko Haram (Reuters)
ASIA
Chinese fishing boat with a crew of 16 released by North Korea after two weeks (AP)
Myanmar court sentences Muslims for killing Bhddhist monk during sectarian unrest (AP)
Roadside bomb kills six policemen in western Afghanistan, official says (AP)
South Korea sees North Korea’s threats at “unprecedented” levels (Voice of America)
EUROPE
Russia says two rebels were killed in North Caucasus (Reuters)
European Union mission seeks to rebuild Mali army after U.S. faltered (Reuters)
MIDDLE EAST
Israel fires back at Syria after gunshots were fired at its troops (Reuters)
New wave of bomb attacks in Iraq in weeks of unrest, deaths reported Tuesday (BBC news)
Syria says its army destroyed an Israeli vehicle in Golan Heights, IDF says jeep was “damaged” in exchange of fire. (Haaretz News)
Kerry works with Oman to finalize a deal for an air-defense system for Oman (AFP)
A Guardian editorial takes angle that “having rejected the option of talking to Assad, neither the US nor Britain can lead from behind.” The conflict has gone on for two years now and there hasn’t been a solid attempt to talk to Assad, as this editorial points out, and what actions can superpowers take when rejecting such talks?
From reuters, a very valuable infographic of Syria’s casualties after two years of civil war.
- HRW report shows torture evidence found in Syrian prisons (AP)
- United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon says an international conference on Syria should be held as soon as possible (Reuters)
- More than 1.5 million Syrians have fled the country to escape the conflict there and register as refugees, UN says (CNN)
- More advanced missiles - antiship cruise missiles - have been sent by Russia to Syria to support Assad (NYTimes)
- Russian FM: “I don’t understand the uproar over supplying weapons to Syria.” (Al Jazeera)
Things to watch today: Egypt with a possible million man march against its president Morsi, Syria with its conflict unraveling and international relations regarding the war occurring there. Follow @patrickdehahn for updates all day.
MIDDLE EAST
Turkey detains a new prime suspect in car bombings near their country’s Syrian border (Reuters)
United Nations’ UNCHR say that more than 1.5 million people have fled Syria since January of this year (Reuters)
Bahrain’s opposition say security forces raided top cleric’s house (Reuters)
AFRICA
A new revolutionary group in Egypt says they have collected millions of signatures against their president Morsi (Al Jazeera)
Nigerian forces bomb Islamist rebel camps using jets and attack helicopters in the northeastern part of their country (Reuters)
ASIA
Two bombings hit mosques in Pakistan killed twelve people after Friday prayers (Al Jazeera)
Myanmar frees 23 political prisoners before President Thein Sein leaves to visit the United States (Reuters)
Philippine “massacre clan” enjoys election wins, even with their historic political crimes (AFP)
AMERICAS
Obama pins hopes on more peace talks regarding Syria, while maintaining a cautious approach (The Guardian)
Guantanamo hunger strike reaches 100th day (CNN)
From theamericanprospect, a good primer to who’s fighting who in Syria.
The Alaskan village, Newtok, is losing to the ferocious sea at a dangerous rate. The state has presented an option to move its its population to a new area while “an entire community will cease to exist and the villagers will become America’s first climate refugees.”
