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- ADVISORY – Headlines from BNO News at 1:30 a.m. EST
- The Federal Reserve
- Turkey suspends all ties with France after approval of Armenian genocide bill
- Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from disputed temple
- UNICEF calls for global action to help malnourished children in Africa’s Sahel
| ADVISORY – Headlines from BNO News at 1:30 a.m. EST Posted: 22 Dec 2011 10:32 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO (BNO NEWS) -- The following are stories BNO News is following as of 1:30 a.m. EST on Friday, December 23rd, 2011. UNITED STATES -- U.S. House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday announced that he has agreed with U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on a two-month extension of a package which includes a payroll tax cut and an extension of unemployment benefits. -- The U.S. government on Thursday offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the capture of Yasin al-Suri, who is accused of operating from Iran as a facilitator and financier for al-Qaeda. -- Initial claims for unemployment insurance in the United States dropped to 364,000 in the week ending December 17, a decrease of about 4,000 when compared to the previous week, the U.S. Labor Department (DOL) reported on Thursday. This is the lowest level it has been since April 2008. INTERNATIONAL -- At least 50 people sustained minor injuries on early Friday afternoon when two strong earthquakes, measuring 5.8 and 6.0 on the Richter scale, struck off the New Zealand city of Christchurch. Several buildings collapsed, and power outages were reported in the region. -- At least 72 people were killed and more than 200 were injured when a series of explosions hit the Iraqi capital of Baghdad throughout Thursday, according to security officials. The bomb blasts occurred as political turmoil shakes through the Iraqi government and comes days after the last U.S. troops left the country. -- An Indonesian girl who was thought to have died when a huge tsunami devastated the island of Sumatra in December 2004, has been found alive and reunited with her parents, local media reported on Thursday. The girl, who is now 15, could not remember the names of her parents and is believed to have wandered across the province of Aceh for seven years until she was recognized on Wednesday. -- The Turkish government on Thursday suspended all ties with France after the lower chamber of its parliament approved a draft bill which proposes a prison sentence and/or a large fine for those who deny genocides recognized by France. This includes the 'genocide' of Armenians by the Ottoman government during World War I, which Turkey has refused to use the word 'genocide' for. -- The British government on Thursday said Iran has blocked access to a foreign office website. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said the Iranian government has added the website of Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to its list of censored websites and condemned the move as 'counter-productive and ill-judged.' -- Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to withdraw their troops from the area surrounding the disputed Preah Vihear temple. The two countries agreed to implement the International Court of Justice's order to establish a "provisional demilitarized zone." It follows deadly clashes in recent years at the temple, which is claimed by both countries. BUSINESS -- A U.S. federal judge on Thursday ruled that Texan financier Allen Stanford is mentally fit to stand trial for allegedly operating a $7 billion Ponzi scheme. His lawyers had argued he suffers from memory loss following a prison attack in September 2009. SPORTS -- ESPN announced during a broadcast Thursday that University of Southern California (USC) football quarterback Matt Barkley will return to the college for his senior year. -- U.S. Major League Baseball free agent Outfielder Carlos Beltran has signed a two-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals. The deal is worth $26 million, according to reports. -- World road race champion and Tour de France green jersey winner Mark Cavendish has been voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year. He is the third cyclist to win, and the first since 2008. Northern Irish horse racing jockey Tony McCoy (also known as AP McCoy) won in 2010. HEALTH -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday urged for global action to prevent the severe malnourishment of as many as one million children in West and Central Africa's Sahel region. The biggest challenge is to distribute specially developed ready-to-use therapeutic foods to the region. UNICEF appealed for $65.7 million to respond to the crisis earlier this month. -- The Indian government on Thursday put a draft law before parliament which seeks to provide subsidized food to more than half of the country's 1.2 billion population. Up to 75 percent of the people in rural India would be covered under the bill, which provides 'priority households' with 7 kilograms (15.5 pounds) of rice, wheat and coarse grains for just 6 rupees ($0.11 dollar). -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has approved Isentress (raltegravir) for use with other antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in children and adolescents. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| Posted: 22 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST
Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2011, p. 609
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| Turkey suspends all ties with France after approval of Armenian genocide bill Posted: 22 Dec 2011 08:00 PM PST ANKARA/PARIS (BNO NEWS) -- The Turkish government on Thursday suspended all ties with France after the lower chamber of its parliament approved a draft bill which would criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide during World War I, officials said. Lawmakers in France's National Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favor of the draft law, which proposes a prison sentence of up to one year and a fine of 45,000 euros ($58,000) for those who deny or 'outrageously minimize' the 'genocide' of Armenians by the Ottoman government during World War I. It also criminalizes other genocides recognized by France. Turkey has reacted with outrage to the approval of the draft bill and immediately suspended all economic, political and military meetings with France. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also said Ankara would cancel permission for French military planes to land and warships to dock in Turkey. Erdogan said the proposed law is 'too heavy and difficult' and opens old wounds. "There is no such thing as a genocide in our history," the prime minister said, claiming the bill is based on 'racism, discrimination and xenophobia.' "I ask the following question: Is there freedom of thought in France, is there freedom of expression? I am giving the answer: no. This is a free discussion environment being eliminated," Erdogan added. "Unfortunately, the French Revolution, known as a symbol of liberty, equality and fraternity, has been trampled on by the parliament of France today." Meanwhile, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused France of using the genocide bill for 'electoral purposes' ahead of next year's presidential elections in which President Nicolas Sarkozy faces a tough re-election battle. "This law proposal constitutes a grave example of politicization of history on account of narrow political calculations and stifling of freedom of expression by a democratic institution," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "France has thus preferred to ignore the universal values which it had a share in developing." The spokesperson pointed out that the proposed law restricts the freedom of expression of all academics and researchers who are looking at historical events from different perspectives. The Ministry said the law will be unable to prevent the expression of views developed on scientific bases, and said Turkey cannot accept the 'unilateral imposition of memory.' The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has recalled its Ambassador to France for consultations in Ankara. "In the forthcoming period, which constitutes a test for France, we expect that necessary actions will be taken before the damage caused by this initiative on our bilateral relations reaches more severe dimensions, and we hope that ultimately common sense and reason will prevail," the spokesperson added. Others have also expressed concern about France's plans to criminalize genocide denial. "I fully acknowledge the humanitarian intentions of those members of the National Assembly who authored and supported this proposal," said Dunja Mijatović, the Representative on Freedom of the Media at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). "However, I believe that the final adoption of these legal amendments would raise serious concerns with regard to international standards of freedom of expression." Mijatović said the French bill could also have international effects. "It could set a precedent internationally for politically construed, ad-hoc criminalization of public debates," she said. "Criminalization of debates on history's true course, even of obviously false and offensive statements about a nation's tragic moment, is not conducive to a better understanding among people, communities and authorities of OSCE participating States." Mijatović further said she fears the passing of this law by a nation with a great history of press freedom might prompt other countries in the OSCE region to follow France's example and similarly criminalize historical statements in violation of their OSCE commitments which aim at encouraging free discussion on issues of public interest. "A proliferation of national prohibitions on particular statements related to the culture and history of different nations and regions would render international free-speech standards inapplicable and subordinate them to a plethora of fragmented national strategies on regulation of speech and expression," she added. The French Senate, the upper house of parliament, will debate the bill next year before it goes before a vote. It is estimated that between 600,000 and 1.5 million people of the Armenian population were killed by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923, but Turkey has refused to use the word 'genocide' to describe the events. Numerous countries have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, including France. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| Thailand and Cambodia to withdraw troops from disputed temple Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:53 PM PST PHNOM PENH (BNO NEWS) -- Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to withdraw their troops from the area surrounding the disputed Preah Vihear temple, the Thai MCOT news agency reported on Thursday. The two countries agreed to implement the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) order to establish a "provisional demilitarized zone." A joint working group will be set up to oversee troop withdrawals from the newly defined demilitarized zone, Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh said after meeting with Thai Defense Minister Gen Yutthasak Sasiprapa in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. Gen Tea Banh also said the withdrawal of troops will be carried out as soon as possible. It will be done under the supervision of the joint observers from Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In July, a ruling by the Hague-based International Court of Justice asked both nations to withdraw military personnel from around the Preah Vihear temple complex. Both Cambodia and Thailand claim the 4.6 square kilometer (1.7 square miles) area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple on their shared border, which has never been formally established. However, the military tension has eased since former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Pheu Thai Party won a landslide victory in July's general election. Tensions first escalated between the two countries in July 2008 following the build-up of military forces near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple. The United Nations Security Council urged both sides to establish a permanent ceasefire after at least 10 people were killed. Clashes resumed earlier this year as both nations claim the lands surrounding the ancient Hindu Temple, which has been damaged due to the conflict. The Preah Vihear temple dates back to the 11th century. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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| UNICEF calls for global action to help malnourished children in Africa’s Sahel Posted: 22 Dec 2011 07:49 PM PST NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday urged for global action to prevent the severe malnourishment of as many as one million children in West and Central Africa's Sahel region. UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said "the challenge is great and the window is closing," noting the vast size of the region. "To prevent a wide-scale emergency in the Sahel, UNICEF and our partners in this effort must begin at once to fill the pipeline with life-sustaining supplies to the region before it is too late," Lake stated. A significant number of children are already suffering from malnutrition in the Sahel, making them extremely vulnerable and susceptible to any reduction in the quantity and nutritional quality of the food they consume. Lake also underlined the urgency to act before the 'lean season' when food runs out due to inadequate rain or poor harvests, which can start as early as March in some of the countries across the Sahelian belt. The UNICEF chief pointed out that the best way to treat severe acute malnutrition among children under five is to distribute specially developed ready-to-use therapeutic foods. These foods provide the best chance of survival and recovery for young children. The biggest challenge, however, is getting sufficient amounts of these critical foods to children as the need is expected to increase further in the coming months. "The children at risk today in the Sahel are not mere statistics by which we may measure the magnitude of a potential humanitarian disaster. They are individual girls and boys, and each has the right to survive, to thrive and to contribute to their societies. We must not fail them," Lake said. Earlier this month, UNICEF appealed for $65.7 million to respond to the crisis. It is currently distributing emergency stocks in affected countries such as Niger, where an estimated 33,600 children under the age of five are at risk. (Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: sales@bnonews.com.)
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