Situation becoming critical, says Iraqi official
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Wednesday captured three villages near the city of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province in Iraq. Fighting also took place about 2-km from the eastern edge of the city, said villagers who were forced to flee their homes. The situation is becoming critical, said an Iraqi intelligence official, adding that the militants are planning to launch an assault from the western side of the city. But defence ministry spokesperson Tahseen Ibrahim said that the situation was under control and that "the standoff will be resolved in the coming hours".
Man arrested for landing gyrocopter in US Capitol
Police in the United States arrested a man on Wednesday for landing a gyrocopter on the grounds of the US Capitol in Washington DC. Officials said that the gyrocopter had been searched for bombs and other weapons. While Capitol Police did not release any information about the man, a postal worker named Doug Hughes claimed responsibility for the incident on his website. Hughes stated that he had been attempting to protest corruption in US election campaign financing, adding that he wanted to deliver letters on the issue to all the 535 members of the country’s Congress. The incident took place less than a week after another man shot himself in front of the Capitol on Saturday.
Yemen ex-President asks Gulf countries for safe exit
Former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday asked Gulf States to allow him and his family to safely exit the country. Saleh, who has been linked to the country's Shia Houthi rebel, sent his request through former Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi. However, Saleh’s request was rejected by Saudi Arabia, the head of the coalition against the rebels and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saleh was forced to resign from the Yemeni Presidency in 2012 after protests against his rule.
Colombia resumes airstrikes on rebels
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday ordered the resumption of airstrikes against the country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, after an attack by their fighters killed ten soldiers on Tuesday. Santos said that the attack would not go unpunished, adding that the group, known as the FARC, had deliberately broken the ceasefire agreement between them and the government. However, he clarified that peace talks with the group would still go on. “Acts of this nature, of this seriousness show once again the need to accelerate the negotiations to put an end to this conflict,” he said. The conflict between the government and the FARC has lasted for five decades.
UN condemns airstrikes near Tripoli
The United Nations on Wednesday condemned airstrikes carried out near the Libyan capital of Tripoli by the country’s internationally-recognised government even as peace talks between opposing factions resumed in Morocco. “We have never seen air strikes at the moment when one of the delegations is taking off on its way to the talks,” said Bernardino Leon, a Special Envoy of the world body. “We hope that there will be an investigation into who is behind the attack,” he said. A spokesperson for the country’s government stated that the airstrikes had been carried out as part of its campaign against terrorism. The UN-brokered peace talks have aimed to establish a unity government and permanent ceasefires in the country.
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The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Wednesday captured three villages near the city of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province in Iraq. Fighting also took place about 2-km from the eastern edge of the city, said villagers who were forced to flee their homes. The situation is becoming critical, said an Iraqi intelligence official, adding that the militants are planning to launch an assault from the western side of the city. But defence ministry spokesperson Tahseen Ibrahim said that the situation was under control and that "the standoff will be resolved in the coming hours".
Man arrested for landing gyrocopter in US Capitol
Police in the United States arrested a man on Wednesday for landing a gyrocopter on the grounds of the US Capitol in Washington DC. Officials said that the gyrocopter had been searched for bombs and other weapons. While Capitol Police did not release any information about the man, a postal worker named Doug Hughes claimed responsibility for the incident on his website. Hughes stated that he had been attempting to protest corruption in US election campaign financing, adding that he wanted to deliver letters on the issue to all the 535 members of the country’s Congress. The incident took place less than a week after another man shot himself in front of the Capitol on Saturday.
Yemen ex-President asks Gulf countries for safe exit
Former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh on Wednesday asked Gulf States to allow him and his family to safely exit the country. Saleh, who has been linked to the country's Shia Houthi rebel, sent his request through former Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi. However, Saleh’s request was rejected by Saudi Arabia, the head of the coalition against the rebels and a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Saleh was forced to resign from the Yemeni Presidency in 2012 after protests against his rule.
Colombia resumes airstrikes on rebels
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday ordered the resumption of airstrikes against the country’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, after an attack by their fighters killed ten soldiers on Tuesday. Santos said that the attack would not go unpunished, adding that the group, known as the FARC, had deliberately broken the ceasefire agreement between them and the government. However, he clarified that peace talks with the group would still go on. “Acts of this nature, of this seriousness show once again the need to accelerate the negotiations to put an end to this conflict,” he said. The conflict between the government and the FARC has lasted for five decades.
UN condemns airstrikes near Tripoli
The United Nations on Wednesday condemned airstrikes carried out near the Libyan capital of Tripoli by the country’s internationally-recognised government even as peace talks between opposing factions resumed in Morocco. “We have never seen air strikes at the moment when one of the delegations is taking off on its way to the talks,” said Bernardino Leon, a Special Envoy of the world body. “We hope that there will be an investigation into who is behind the attack,” he said. A spokesperson for the country’s government stated that the airstrikes had been carried out as part of its campaign against terrorism. The UN-brokered peace talks have aimed to establish a unity government and permanent ceasefires in the country.
