Category: News

A car bomb attack in the largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast region killed eight people Friday, hours after authorities detained at least 12 pro-Kurdish legislators for questioning in terror-related probes, the Associated Press reports.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said two police officers, a technician and five civilians died in the attack near a building used by the riot police. Up to 100 people were hurt in the blast but only seven of them remain in hospital, he said.

Yildirim also said one of the assailants was “caught dead” but did not provide details.

The Diyarbakir governor’s office said the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, had claimed the attack, which the state-run Anadolu Agency said was carried out with a minibus laden with a ton of explosives.

Europe has criticized the detentions of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and co-chairs.

The high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, reacted to the detentions of HDP lawmakers.

Mogherini said on Twitter she was “extremely worried” about the arrest of Selahattin Demirtaş and other HDP MPs and said she was in contact with authorities, while calling for an EU ambassadors meeting in Ankara.

“Very bad news from Turkey. Again. Now HDP members of parliament are being detained.” Kati Piri, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur said on her Twitter account.

Photo: AFP

 

Russian and Syrian government forces have begun a 10-hour ceasefire in the city of Aleppo to allow rebels and civilians to leave besieged areas, the BBC reports.

Russia has said this pause will be the last chance for rebels to leave eastern districts in safety.

The rebels have rejected the offer and have been continuing a counter-offensive aimed at breaking the siege.

About 250,000 people remain trapped and are enduring food and medical shortages as well as intensive bombing.

Rebels can leave unharmed and with their weapons using two specially created corridors between 09:00 and 19:00 (06:00 and 16:00 GMT), the Russian defence ministry said. Six other routes were to be opened for civilians.

Russian and Syrian warplanes are expected to resume attacks on rebel areas when the truce ends.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.

The interlocutors held a detailed discussion on the steps towards reinforcement of bilateral cooperation in different spheres.

Edward Nalbandian and Frank-Walter Steinmeier exchanged views on a number of urgent international and regional issues, namely the situation in the Middle East, flow of migrants and their integration. Reference was made to issues of Armenia-EU cooperation.

Minister Nalbandian drew Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s attention to Azerbaijan’s refusal to implement the agreements reached at Vienna and St. Petersburg summits aimed at creating conditions for furthering the Karabakh conflict settlement process. Moreover, he said, Azerbaijan keeps aggravating the situation at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces.

Edward Nalbandian hailed the support of the OSCE German chairmanship to the efforts of resolving the issue exceptionally in a peaceful way. The interlocutors agreed that there was no alternative to a peaceful settlement.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admits summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan “has to do more” to earn his place in the team ahead of the Reds’ other attacking options, according to MU’s official website.

Mkhitaryan replaced Marcus Rashford for the final half-hour of United’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce on Thursday, his first appearance since the Manchester derby in September.

But the Armenian and his team-mates couldn’t prevent a 2-1 defeat in Istanbul that leaves the Reds third in the Group A table with two games left to play.

Asked specifically about Mkhitaryan in his post-match press conference at Sukru Saracoglu, the boss replied: “He has to do more. It’s as simple as that.

“We have big expectations at this club, lots of players for these positions and he has to play better than Mata, Lingard, Martial – he has to play better than them. It’s as simple as that.

“Every manager wants to win matches, every manager in the world wants to play the players that he thinks can help the team more, and I’m no different.”

China’s top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met with Vazgen Manukyan, chairman of Armenia’s Public Council on Thursday, calling for joint efforts on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinhua agency reports.

Describing Armenia as China’s good friend and important partner in the south Caucasus, Yu said both countries have a healthy and stable relationship based on equality, mutual benefit and respect.

“China and Armenia have understood and coordinated with each other on issues related to their core interests and major concerns,” said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

“China is willing to work with Armenia to consolidate the political and public opinion foundations for bilateral relations, and jointly push forward the Belt and Road Initiative and practical cooperation,” he said.

Yu said the CPPCC National Committee is ready to strengthen exchanges with Armenia’s Public Council in state governance.

Manukyan said Armenia is along the ancient Silk Road and has great interest in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, welcoming more cooperation with China in all fields.

Du Qinglin, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, held talks with Manukyan later Thursday.

The so-called Islamic State group has released an audiotape which it says is from its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the BBC reports.

If true, it would be the first public message from him in about a year and would dispel rumours that he is dead.

The voice on the audio calls on Iraqis to defend the city of Mosul against the Iraqi army, which is attempting to re-take it from the militants.

Baghdadi’s whereabouts remain unknown. Some officials have said he may be inside Mosul alongside IS fighters.

It has not been independently verified that the voice in the audio belongs to Baghdadi. There have been repeated rumours of his death through the years, including last year when the Iraqi military said it had hit his convoy.

Mosul, the last IS urban stronghold in Iraq, is where Baghdadi declared a caliphate two years ago.

The celebrated performer passed away from a heart attack in Russia’s Rostov-on-Don on Wednesday, according to the director of the Moscow State Circus Edgar Zapashny.

“Oleg Popov died in Rostov, he was there on tour.  I got in touch with his producer — his wife was not able to talk — and said that we are ready to provide all possible assistance and to organize a farewell at the Moscow State Circus,” Zapashny told RIA Novosti.

The Russian State Circus Company, Rosgostsirk, said in a Facebook statement in the early hours of Thursday that the time and location of Popov’s funeral were being discussed with his daughter, who is currently in Germany. According to Rosgostsirk, Popov “died peacefully, sitting in an armchair” at his hotel. Oleg Konstantinovich Popov was born in Virubovo, Russia, on July 31, 1930.  He was known the world over for his talents, and was nicknamed the “sunshine clown” by French journalist Jaqueline Cartier.   He toured internationally beginning in the 1950s, and was honored with the title of People’s Artist of the Soviet Union in 1969. Popov moved to Germany in the 1990s, and in 2006 was invited to perform at the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo, where he received a lengthy standing ovation. Popov also appeared in several films.

Dr. Michael Carpenter, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense, paid a working visit to Armenia on November 2, 2016. During the visit he met with President Serzh Sargsyan as well as Armenia’s newly-appointed Defense MinisterVigen Sargsyan.
In addition to the meetings with top Armenian officials, he toured a number of programs highlighting U.S.-Armenian military partnership. He met with U.S. soldiers who were assisting their Armenian counterparts as they teach their first-ever combat medic course, at the Armenian NCO Academy, designed on a similar U.S. training program.

He also visited the 12^th Peacekeeping Brigade’s headquarters and met with the soldiers and commanders who have joined in numerous NATO- and UN-led peacekeeping efforts around the globe.
“The United States and Armenia have a longstanding security partnership rooted in the friendship between the American and Armenian peoples,” Dr. Carpenter said. “In the face of new challenges to European security in the 21st century, it is vital for the United States and Armenia to work together to strengthen security, stability and prosperity in the region and to keep advancing our vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.”

On 3 November President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan signed a decree appointing Victor Kocharyan deputy secretary of the NKR Security Council, releasing him from the post of the NKR Security Council Secretary.

According to another Presidential decree signed on the same day Vitaly Balasanyan was appointed Сecretary of the NKR Security Council.