Friday, March 17, 2017

World News Briefs -- March 17, 2017 (Evening Edition)



Reuters: Syrian rebels say U.S.-led coalition attacks mosque, Pentagon denies it

Syrian rebel group Ahrar al-Sham said on Friday that the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State attacked a mosque near Syria's Aleppo, in a strike that a war monitor said killed dozens of people.

The Pentagon denied the accusations and, in a rare move, showed an aerial image to illustrate the mosque was intact and the building destroyed was across the street.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said jets hit around a mosque in al-Jina village near Atarib in the western part of Aleppo province, a few miles (km) from Idlib province on Thursday evening.

Read more ....

MIDDLE EAST

Syrian Kurdish YPG says Raqqa attack to start in early April.

US military confirms Syria bombing, denies mosque was hit. US confirms air raid but denies targeting mosque.

Israeli jets strike inside Syria; military site near Palmyra reportedly targeted. Syria fires three missiles at Israeli jets in most serious military incident since outbreak of civil war.

Syria claims to have shot down an Israeli jet.

Israel denies Syrians shot down military jet.

Iraq forces seize ground in Mosul Old City.

Yemeni army, backed by Arab coalition, advance toward Sanaa.

Yemen: Agencies call for aid as skeletal starving children on brink of death.

Iran pilgrims to join this year's hajj: Saudi Arabia.

Erdogan accuses EU of 'crusade' against Islam.

Turkish daily depicts Merkel as 'Frau Hitler' on front page.

ASIA

China, Russia block U.N. council concern about Myanmar violence.

Sirens blare as Japan, fearing North Korea, holds first missile drill.

Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says military action against North Korea an option 'on the table'.

Trump accuses China of doing 'little' to contain North Korea.

Taliban car bomb hits army base in eastern Afghanistan.

Clashes hit Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

China arrests more than a dozen North Korea defectors.

Japan court rules government liable for Fukushima disaster.

Pakistani authorities ask Facebook to help fight blasphemy.

UN urges China to act as bird flu deaths spike.

Trump, Xi eye Mar-a-Lago summit.

AFRICA

Nigeria militant amnesty program faces cash crunch, says official.

Little new damage found as east Libyan forces push to secure oil ports.

Somali refugees killed near Bab al-Mandeb Strait. 31 Somali refugees killed in helicopter attack off Yemen coast.

Morocco says arrests 15 for Islamic State links.

Morocco king names new premier to end deadlock.

South Sudan government buying arms with oil money while millions face starvation: confidential UN report.

Kenyan troops head to troubled northern region.

Somali pirates give up hijacked ship without ransom.

Controversy in Benin over single-term presidency plan.

Northern Namibia braces for worst flood in memory.

EUROPE

Europe is our common future, 27 leaders to say after Brexit - draft.

UK raps White House over 'ridiculous' Trump spy claims.

France's Macron gains on Le Pen, Fillon in Ipsos poll.

NGOs criticise Turkey-EU deal on refugees.

US 'condemns Russian occupation of Crimea'.

Spain: Eta militant group 'to disarm fully by 8 April'.

Greek far-left group suspected of sending letter bombs.

U.K. lawmakers: Not enough evidence to probe Blair over Iraq.

AMERICAS

House Intelligence panel receives documents on wiretapping.

Trump administration files notice to appeal ruling blocking travel ban.

Trump affirms support for NATO but says member nations ‘must pay what they owe’.

US President Trump welcomes Chancellor Merkel to the White House. Trump welcomes Merkel to White House for high stakes visit.

Long before new hacks, US worried by Russian spying efforts.

Argentine union steps up pressure on president.

Four bakers arrested over illegal brownies in Venezuela's 'bread war'.

Dozens of rights activists killed in Colombia in 2016.

Mexican morgues overflow with bodies.

Floods, mudslides kill dozens in Peru after unusually heavy rainfalls.

TERRORISM/THE LONG WAR

Al Qaeda branch rallies jihadists to join forces after Mali merger.

Saudi Arabia offers to contribute troops to ISIS fight.

India beefs up security at Taj Mahal after IS threat.

India expresses dismay over UN's struggle to define terrorism.

ECONOMY/FINANCE/BUSINESS

World stocks touch record high, dollar decline deepens.

EU authorities demand changes from Facebook, Google, Twitter.

G20 finance chiefs to grapple with tackling tax evasion.

S&P cuts troubled Toshiba's credit rating.

Andy Warhol portrait of Mao goes on auction in Hong Kong.

4 comments:

James said...

It seems that after a certain date this year US munitions can only hit religious, funeral, refugee, and any other non combatant gathering, with an error rate of about = or - 1,000 miles.

James said...

As for the Bab al-Mandeb attack on refugees. There has been no confirmation or even plausible reporting on what type of platform or munitions were used. It is strongly implied in the writing it was an Apache, but an eyewitness report said it was only small arms fire. The only thing that is sure is that there some poor people who are dead, how and by whom is apparently not even close to certainty.

Jay Farquharson said...

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/03/war-torn-us-slaughter-in-syria-somalia-and-yemen.html#comments

"The U.S. military said it did not hit the local mosque but a building on the other side of the small plaza.

The U.S. maps and intelligence were not up-to-date. A new, bigger mosque had been build some years ago opposite of the old mosque. The old mosque was indeed not hit. The new one was destroyed while some 200 people were in attendance. Eight hellfire missiles launched from two Reaper drones were fired at it and a 500lb bomb was then dropped on top to make sure that no one escaped alive."

Jay Farquharson said...

"Mohammed Abdiker, emergencies director at the International Organization for Migration [IOM] in Geneva, said, however, that various survivors provided conflicting messages about whether the attack came from a military vessel or an attack helicopter that had taken off from the vessel."

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/17/somali-refugees-killed-helicopter-attack-off-yemen-coast