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Friday, August 10, 2012

Syria: the rebels withdrew their main stronghold in Aleppo


The insurgents withdrew Thursday from the main area they controlled in Aleppo, Syria's second city and crucial issue of the conflict between the rebels and the regime of Bashar al-Assad. The Syrian president has in turn appointed a new head of government to replace Riad Hijab who defected this week. Meanwhile, Iran, a faithful ally of the Syrian regime in Tehran organized a "consultative meeting" on Syria, attended by representatives from 29 countries, including Russia, China, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. The Syrian Army rebels free (ASL) entrenched in Aleppo (north), economic powerhouse of the country where fighting has been raging since July 20, announced they have escaped from their stronghold of Salahuddin bombing because of particularly violent the government forces. "We made a tactical withdrawal of Salaheddin. There are more rebel fighters due to an unprecedented bombing and regime forces are moving in the neighborhood," said Hussam Abu Mohammad, commander of the brigade Dera Ashahba, one component of ASL fighting in this sector. For its part, Wassel Ayoub, the brigade commander Nur al-Haq of ASL, said this evening that five battalions of the ASL remained present in the area to facilitate évacution complete fighters. He said the rebels "strengthened" their "line of defense" to the east of Salahuddin in an arc from Soukkari, south of this neighborhood, Bustan al-Kasr (north) via Mashhad (center ). The bombing continued in the evening against the rebel districts, said the commander. The opposition has called for demonstrations Friday, the day of prayer, with the slogan "Give us the anti-aircraft weapons." A security source said that "the army was advancing rapidly towards the area of ​​Seif al-Dawla, but the next battle should take place Soukkari" further south. "Only 10% of army reinforcements have been used so far in the battle," the source said, who had earlier indicated that 20,000 soldiers were deployed in the region of Aleppo to conduct this crucial battle for the regime. Nearly 17 months of violence have left more than 21,000 deaths across the country, according to Syrian Observatory of Human Rights (OSDH), an organization based in Britain who has also reported 96 dead, including 37 civilians among which three children, the only day on Thursday.
Meeting in Tehran
While the flow of refugees fleeing the violence grows every day, France has flown a military medical team to help those who are at the Jordanian border. Violations of human rights and humanitarian law have led "to a major population shift in Syria," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling it "the Syrian authorities and the parties involved in the conflict to respect international law ". The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 276,000 Syrians fled the violence, mainly in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon. Some 2,200 refugees have crossed the Turkish border in the last 24 hours, the total number now exceeding 50,000 in Turkey, said Thursday the Turkish authorities. The regime of President Assad, shaken by the defection of his Monday Riad Hijab head of government, has appointed Thursday the Minister of Health Wael al-Halqi as Prime Minister, said on Syrian television. Most senior to break with the regime of President Assad, Riad Hijab joined the opposition, according to a spokesman in Amman, and it arrived Wednesday morning with his family in Jordan, according to Jordanian authorities. On the diplomatic front, the Iranian Foreign Minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, gave the kick-off Thursday in a conference on Syria in the presence of representatives of 29 countries, calling for "a national dialogue between the opposition with popular support and the Syrian government ", according to Iranian state television. Lebanon and Kuwait have declined the invitation, as Kofi Annan, the mediator has resigned from the UN and the Arab League. Western countries and most Gulf countries accused by Tehran of arming the rebels had not been invited.

United States: the "Usain Bolt of text", 17, retains his title in Times Square


A 17-year-old American retains his title as champion of the United States of SMS Wednesday, following a competition held in Times Square in New York. Taking on the top 10 opponents, Austin Weirschke won the sum of 50,000 dollars (40,000 euros) for the second consecutive year. The SMS contest included sprints, agility and memory, during which competitors have even had to type on their laptops while blindfolded. Sponsored by LG Electronics, which supplied the phones, the competition was attended by nearly 200 people crowding around the podium installed on Times Square. Weirschke Austin explained his agility on the phone with keyboards training provided by his mother, "coach texting". But when he was asked to describe how he felt after his victory, "Usain Bolt of SMS" would have preferred to be able to type his response on his laptop. Before the microphone, he could only stammer: "I do not know really what to say" ...

Philippines provides relief to almost 850,000 people affected by floods


Emergency teams and the Philippine Army have distributed food, water and clothing to nearly 850,000 people displaced or isolated by floods that began eleven days ago by monsoon rains that have affected the Philippine capital, Manila, and several neighboring provinces. About 60 percent of Manila, a metropolitan region home to some twelve million people, remains flooded on Wednesday, according to Reuters said the director of the National Council for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction, Benito Ramos. At least 19 people have been killed since Tuesday due to the constant rains in the wake of Typhoon Saola 'to the north of the island of Luzon in late July.The latest confirmed deaths bring to 72 the number of fatalities. Schools and many businesses remain closed for a second day. Meanwhile, the army, police and city officials are trying to distribute aid. According to authorities, many people are reluctant to leave their homes because they do not want to lose their belongings. "We are asking people living along rivers that have experienced flooding him go," said Ramos. "If we had to force them to leave their homes, we would, for their own safety," he added. Interior Minister Jesse Robredo, has indicated that the Government has begun to develop plans to permanently relocate people living along rivers and in coastal areas to limit deaths and property damage that may occur during the rest of the monsoon and typhoons. The National Council for Disaster Management and Risk Reduction noted Wednesday that has distributed food, water, clothing and medicine to people who are stranded in their homes due to flooding and those who are housed in temporary shelters. Monsoon rains, which occur each year in the Philippines, this time they have been more intense because of Typhoon Saola 'and Tropical Storm Haikui', which has passed through the Philippine Sea this week. But the national meteorological office on Thursday expected to decline substantially because rainfall 'Haikui' has already landed in China. In fact, on Wednesday has lowered the alert level of rainfall, although in the last 24 hours rainfall has increased to reach 390 mm, compared with 323 mm recorded the previous day. The highest level of rainfall, 454 mm was recorded in September 2009, when 80 percent of Manila was flooded. Over 700 people have died and damage to property valued at 1,000 million dollars (808 million euros). Ramos said that the authorities are concerned about the situation in the coastal areas. "It is difficult to distinguish the sea of ​​flood water," he added after evaluating the situation from the air. In four provinces near Manila, including Bataan and Pampanga, producing rice, has declared a state of calamity. Authorities estimate the damage to crops, mainly rice, represent 152 million pesos (2.9 million).

Nivea does not want the sexy Rihanna


Rihanna was considered too daring to continue to be the image of Nivea.Concerned seem behavior "inappropriate" the singer Caribbean, according to the chairman of the group that owns the brand, do not match the values ​​of trust and family. Having borrowed the image of Nivea advertising campaigns over the last year, Rihanna was dismissed. So decided Stefan Heidenreich, the new CEO of the Beiersdorf Group which owns the brand. "[It] Too sexy. I do not understand how the Nivea teamed up with Rihanna, "the CEO said the German newspaper Die Welt . The answer came via the singer's social network Twitter where Rihanna put a photo of Stefan Heidenreich accompanied only dry the phrase: "No comment." The singer was hired in 2011 by Nivea. Since then, his face went around the world printed on the can of cream white and blue cover song California King Bedalso appeared in some of the brand's ads. Nivea was also the sponsor of his most recent tour, Loud, a fact that Rihanna has helped to occupy the third spot in the top of the highest paid celebrities in the world with less than 30 years refers to 2011, where it appears with a total of 53 million dollars. The decision contrasts with the new CEO of its predecessor when it announced the hiring of a Barbadian singer. "We are thrilled to have Rihanna in celebrating our centenary to help us achieve a new generation of fans," said the president of Beiersdorf, Thomas Quaas.

14 bodies found in a van in northern Mexico


San Luis Potosi a state in northeastern Mexico, entered the day a dismal list of places where criminals drop dead in droves. The early Thursday, Mexican time, 14 bodies were found in a van parked near a gas station on the road connecting the capital to Potosi with Zacatecas. The Attorney (prosecutor) from San Luis Potosi reported that about four in the morning the police received a tip on a Mercedes Benz van, white and enrollment TP-55240 which was abandoned in the 12 kilometer road to Zacatecas . Upon inspection, authorities discovered the bodies. These are 14 males originating in the State of Coahuila, involved for years in a bloody struggle between organized crime cartels. The victims had been kidnapped and murdered there somewhere between Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi. The Attorney General's Office investigates and facts. Last May, on a rural road near Guadalajara, Jalisco, the dismembered bodies of 18 people were found in two vans. Six months earlier, in November 2011, the Jalisco capital was rocked by the news that 26 bodies had been dumped in a central small square known as Millennium Arches. These grim facts were interpreted as revenge for the killing Los Zetas, on 20 September, 35 people whose bodies were stacked in broad daylight on a major avenue in Boca del Rio, Veracruz. These deaths were attributed to groups linked to the Sinaloa cartel. Just last week, the Mexican government reported that the homicide rate seems to begin to decline after growing year after year, to the point that today exceeds 55,000 since the beginning of the war on drugs in December 2006. President Felipe Calderon said on August 2 at a meeting of the National Public Safety "for the first time in several years, the incidence of intentional homicides nationally is showing finally that is already decreased 7% the first half of this year compared to last year's first half in all intentional homicide, and in the case of homicides allegedly attributable to criminal rivalry, low homicide is now close to 15%. " The case of San Luis Potosi, where there was a shooting at noon in the heart of the capital, bearing the same name as the state, occurs in the same week in which Acapulco on the Pacific coast, has recorded 25 murders . Acapulco is one of the most notable outbreaks of violence, among which also Torreon, Coahuila city where there were 86 murders in July, slightly less than the 113 recorded in June.

Pakistan: Cheaper than food heroin

Cheaper than food is heroin in Pakistan, where users exceed half a million, according to UN report. Users are mostly young people who find an outlet in drugs due to the economic misery experienced because of unemployment and no hope for the future.characteristically describes the relative response to BBC, the situation in different districts of the capital Karachi is tragic, because drug addicts are getting their dose in plain sight in the middle of the road even before the eyes of small children.