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الخميس، 15 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

UN to meet with central African governments to fight Lord’s Resistance Army
EU suspends financial aid to Hungary due to its budget deficit
Death toll rises to 112 after ferry capsizes in Bangladesh
Fighter jet crashes in central Turkey, killing pilot
Prayer Breakfast Features Army Medal of Honor Recipient

UN to meet with central African governments to fight Lord’s Resistance Army

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 10:15 AM PDT

LIBREVILLE, Gabon (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday said it will meet in Uganda with government officials from central Africa next week to establish a comprehensive regional strategy to combat the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which came under worldwide media attention this month as a result of a YouTube documentary.

The meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday and Friday next week in the Ugandan city of Entebbe. The meeting follows a previous one in January in the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kinshasa, when African countries affected by the LRA agreed to toughen measures against the group.

Led by Joseph Kony, rebel group LRA gained notoriety for its atrocities in Uganda, many of them in the country's north in the 1990s. But in recent years, the group has extended its violence and operations to neighboring countries after a sustained military effort drove them from parts of Uganda in 2004. Remnants of the insurgency continue to attack civilians in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and DRC.

The group is notorious for carrying out massacres in villages, mutilating their victims, abducting boys for use as child soldiers, and forcing girls into sexual slavery.

In Libreville, Gabon, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) Abou Moussa spoke during a press conference, explaining that the meeting in Entebbe will also be in pursuance of the mandate given to UNOCA by the UN Security Council last year.

The mandate was issued to develop, in cooperation with UN missions and the African Union, a regional strategy for international humanitarian and development assistance, as well as peacebuilding in areas affected by the LRA violence.

"After the meeting in Entebbe, one of the milestones of our commitment will be the presentation to the Security Council of the Secretary-General's report on UNOCA activities, including measures taken to combat the LRA and ensure development in the affected areas," said Moussa.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voiced concern over the recent displacement of several thousand people as a result of fresh attacks by the LRA in DRC's north-eastern province of Orientale.

After a lull in LRA raids in the second half of last year that resulted in improved security, new attacks on civilians have been reported in the territories of Dungu, Faradje, Watsa, Niangara, Bondo and Ango in Orientale. The fresh attacks have caused 3,000 people to flee their homes.

There have been at least 20 new attacks in Orientale since the beginning of this year, with one person killed and 17 abducted, according UNHCR.

Kony was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands in 2005 but has evaded capture. Kony received a surge of attention earlier this month when campaign group 'Invisible Children' released a 30-minute documentary which called for an increased international effort to capture the LRA's leader. As of Wednesday, the YouTube video has more than 78 million views.

EU suspends financial aid to Hungary due to its budget deficit

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:19 AM PDT

BRUSSELS, Belgium (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday announced that it has decided to suspend the 495.2 million euros ($648 million) in scheduled commitments for Hungary due to the country's budget deficit issues.

The EU Council adopted the decision at a meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, and under the EU's cohesion fund, it will take effect as of January 1st next year. In addition, the Council recommended under the EU's excessive deficit procedure, setting 2012 as the target year for correction of Hungary's deficit.

"Adoption of these measures follows a decision taken in January deeming action taken to correct its excessive deficit to be insufficient," the Council said in a statement.

According to the EU, the cohesion fund provides assistance for environment and trans-European transport network projects in member states with a per capita GNP of less than 90 percent of the EU average, with the aim of strengthening economic and social cohesion and promoting sustainable development.

Since the fund's establishment in 1994, this is the first time that a clause enabling the suspension of commitments has been invoked. Beneficiary countries can face such a measure if the conditions of sound government finances are not maintained.

However, the Council agreed to review the situation at its June 22 meeting with a view to lifting the suspension if Hungary applies the necessary corrective measures. The European country has been subject to an excessive deficit procedure since July 2004, when the Council also issued a recommendation on action to be taken in order to bring its government deficit below the EU's reference value of 3 percent of GDP.

The recommendation adopted by the Council sets 2012 as the target year for putting an end to the current excessive deficit situation, calling on Hungary to bring its deficit below the 3 percent of GDP reference value in a credible and sustainable manner. Meanwhile, Hungary has requested further financial assistance from the IMF and the EU.

Death toll rises to 112 after ferry capsizes in Bangladesh

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 09:09 AM PDT

GAZARIA, Bangladesh (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll has risen to at least 112 after a ferry capsized in central Bangladesh on early Tuesday morning, officials said on Wednesday. More than 100 people are believed to remain missing.

The incident occurred at around 2:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday when the Dhaka-bound MV Shariatpur-1 ferry capsized and sunk after being struck by a cargo vessel carrying sand on the Meghna River in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj District, which is located in the country's Dhaka Division.

There was no official passenger list, but authorities believe between 250 and 300 people were on board the ferry. Between 30 and 50 passengers are believed to have swam to shore or were rescued by fishing vessels, but the vast majority of those on board are believed to have drowned.

Search-and-rescue workers recovered 36 bodies on Tuesday, but another 76 bodies were recovered on early Wednesday morning after a crane was able to lift up the wreckage of the ferry, raising the overall death toll to at least 112. As many as an estimated 140 people could still be missing.

The cause of the accident remains unknown. Local government officials have set up a five-member committee, led by Shipping Ministry joint secretary Md Baitul Amin Bhuiyan, to investigate the cause of the disaster. A preliminary report is expected within 5 days.

Ferry and boat accidents happen frequently in Bangladesh, which is criss-crossed by more than 250 rivers. In January, up to 10 people were killed when an overloaded boat capsized on the Karnaphuli river in southeastern Bangladesh.

Fighter jet crashes in central Turkey, killing pilot

Posted: 14 Mar 2012 07:28 AM PDT

KONYA, Turkey (BNO NEWS) -- A fighter jet crashed in the central region of Turkey on early Tuesday afternoon, killing the pilot, military officials said on Wednesday. There were no survivors.

The accident happened at around noon local time when the Northrop F-5 aircraft went down during a training mission near a factory of the Turkish Engine Industry and Trade Corporation in the province of Konya, located in Turkey's Central Anatolia Region.

"As a result of the accident, the pilot on board was killed," the Turkish military said in a brief statement, adding that the cause of the accident was not immediately known. "The accident review board will investigate the cause of the crash."

Turkish media identified the pilot, whose body was taken to the Konya Military Hospital, as Captain Umit Ozer.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed his condolences to the Turkish military forces and family members of the victim. The crash site and wreckage have been cordoned off as officials continue to investigate the accident.

In January, two crew members were killed when a small trainer-attack type Cessna T-37 aircraft of the Turkish military crashed over the Bay of Aliaga in the Aegean Sea, near Turkey's western province of Izmir. The main body of the aircraft was later located at a depth of 125 meters (410 feet), about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Yenifoça in Izmir province.

Prayer Breakfast Features Army Medal of Honor Recipient

Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:00 PM PDT

Army Sgt. 1st Class Leroy A. Petry, the Army's most recent Medal of Honor recipient, cited the "miracles" that saved his life one fateful day in Afghanistan during the Pentagon's national prayer breakfast, which featured spiritual resilience to overcome adversity as its theme.

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الخميس، 15 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

Lincoln Tribune

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