health: Lincoln Tribune

الجمعة، 23 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

French police kill gunman responsible for school shooting
EU and Israel reach comprehensive aviation deal
Latest Avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan kill at least 22
UN: Iran violated nuclear program sanctions in past 3 months
At least 10 dead, 3 missing in Burma ferry accident

French police kill gunman responsible for school shooting

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:53 PM PDT

TOULOUSE, FRANCE (BNO NEWS) -- The French gunman behind Monday's shootings at a Jewish school, and allegedly behind the recent attacks against soldiers, was confirmed dead after several hours of confrontation with police forces, local authorities said Thursday.

Mohamed Merah, 23, was killed after a police surrounded the gunman at an apartment in Toulouse, France since the early hours of Wednesday morning, at around 3 a.m. local time.

Merah had confessed of opening fire at the Ozar Hatorah school in the Roseraie District of Toulouse, which resulted in the death of four people, including a Rabbi and three children. Police forces were trying to negotiate his surrender, but communication was suddenly lost for around 12 hours.

Police forces decided to slowly enter the apartment when Merah, who had been sitting quiet, opened fire. With hundreds of security forces surrounding the apartment, an exchange of fire continued, and shortly before noon on Thursday, police said the gunman was dead.

A large number of firearms were recovered at the apartment, as well as a video recording of Monday's attack at the school. It remains uncertain how Merah was able to gather such a large collection of weapons since he had been under close supervision because he had been linked with Islamic extremist groups in the Middle East.

Monday's shooting had come just eight days after a soldier was shot dead in Toulouse as well. And last Friday, only four days after the first incident, a similar shooting in not far from Toulouse in Montauban, resulted in the death of another three soldiers.

EU and Israel reach comprehensive aviation deal

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:53 PM PDT

BRUSSELS (BNO NEWS) -- The European Union (EU) announced on Thursday that it has finalized negotiations on a comprehensive aviation agreement with Israel.

Following eight rounds of negotiations since December 2008, the two sides have agreed to develop a common aviation area between Israel and the EU based on common rules. According to the agreement, all EU airlines will be able to operate direct flights to Israel from anywhere in the EU and Israeli carriers will be able to operate flights to airports throughout the EU.

The EU–Israel air transport market will be opened gradually so that by the start of the summer season in 2017, the market will be fully open with no restrictions on the number of weekly flights between Israel and the EU.

During the final round of negotiating in Tel Aviv on March 22, both parties reached an agreement, which is expected to gradually open up and integrate the respective markets, strengthen cooperation and offer new opportunities for industry, including airlines, and consumers.

The deal is also expected to offer more travel opportunities, more direct connections and economic benefits for both sides. In addition, higher volumes of tourism in both directions are expected to create additional jobs and economic benefits on both sides.

Vice-President Siim Kallas, EU Commissioner for transport, welcomed the agreement and said the deal will further strengthen the overall economic, trade and tourism relations between Israel and the EU. "Israel is a key partner for the EU and the agreement will do much to develop the aviation links between the two partners and establish a high level of regulatory convergence," he said.

The EU said that in addition to gradually opening up the respective markets, the agreement also aims to integrate Israel into a wider Common Aviation Area with the EU.

As a result, Israel will implement regulatory requirements and standards equivalent to EU aviation rules in areas such as aviation safety, environment, consumer protection, including passenger rights, air traffic management, economic regulation, competition issues and social aspects.

Latest Avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan kill at least 22

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:50 PM PDT

FAIZABAD, AFGHANISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- At least twenty-two people were confirmed dead after the latest series of avalanches in northeastern Afghanistan, local authorities said Thursday.

The avalanches struck late Wednesday night, one of them in the remote province of Badakhashan, where a number of people were killed in the village of Irak in the Wakhan District.

Afghan National Disaster Management Authority provincial chief Sanaullah Amiri told Pajhwok Afghan News that 21 people were confirmed dead in initial reports, while District chief Syed Fairoz said that massive search and rescue operations are currently underway.

In a separate incident, in the province's Sohadai District, a shepherd and about 100 of his livestock died after being buried by an avalanche, according to Abdul Maroof Khairkhwa, the town's administrative chief.

UN: Iran violated nuclear program sanctions in past 3 months

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:50 PM PDT

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The United Nations (UN) on Thursday alerted of recent sanctions violations relating to the arms embargo imposed on Iran over its nuclear program.

Ambassador Néstor Osorio of Colombia, the current head of the Security Council committee monitoring the arms embargo, said during the past three months, reports showed violation of the resolution prohibiting Iran from carrying out activities related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, in the wake of Iran's launch of a Navid satellite into space using its own space launch vehicle.

Specifically, in Osorio's quarterly report, which covers the period between December 21, 2011 and March 20, four Member States noted the violations and submitted them on February 28.

In addition, a Member State had also provided information on the results of inspections carried out on material confiscated in February last year from a truck on Iran's border with Syria; while another Member State had brought to the committee's attention a public statement by the Secretary-General of Hizbollah, dated February 7, in which he acknowledged that his group had received "materialistic support in all possible and available forms from Iran."

Furthermore, the report also mentioned a Member State which had informed the committee about the transfer to Iran of items "intended for nuclear power plants with light-water reactor."

International concern has surrounded Iran's nuclear program, which its officials have stated is for peaceful purposes, although some other countries have contend that it is driven by military ambitions.

In 2003, it was discovered that the country had concealed its nuclear activities for 18 years in breach of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In December 2006, the Security Council committee established that under resolution 1737 trade with Iran in all items, materials, equipment, goods and technology which could contribute to the country's enrichment-related, reprocessing or heavy water-related activities, or to the development of nuclear-weapon delivery systems was banned.

The following year, the resolution was further tightened with sanctions imposing a ban on arms sales and expanding the freeze on assets.

The Council imposed increased sanctions against Iran in resolution 1803 in 2008, which included the inspection of cargo suspected of carrying prohibited goods, the tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes, over its nuclear program.

At least 10 dead, 3 missing in Burma ferry accident

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:49 PM PDT

YANGON, BURMA (BNO NEWS) -- The death toll has risen to at least ten after a ferry boat carrying some 100 people capsized in Burma, local authorities said on Thursday.

The Pathein Thu ferry capsized on Tuesday afternoon at around 2 p.m. local time in Burma's Irrawaddy Delta shortly before docking near the township of Ngapudaw.

A senior police spokesman told The Irrawaddy that at least 10 people had died, among them five women and one child, while three others were still missing. Emergency teams were able to save 72 passengers.

The ferry boat was traveling from Pathein Township on the Pathein River, located around 135 km west of Rangoon, and it had just completed its 30 kilometer journey when the deadly accident occurred.

Exact details of the accident are still being investigated, but initial reports indicate that a large wave crashed into the vessel, causing it to lose control and eventually capsize. In addition, witnesses said it was overloaded.

Boat accident are not uncommon in Burma, as many townships and areas of the country's coastal regions are usually connected by vessels. While roadways are in poor conditions, vessels are often overloaded.

One of Burma's deadliest accidents in recent times occurred in November 2009 when some 40 people were killed and 50 others remained missing during an incident involving a cargo ship carrying several passengers.

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الجمعة، 23 مارس 2012

Lincoln Tribune

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