Written By Unknown on Selasa, 17 Maret 2015 | 10.52
Russian President Vladimir Putin has appeared in public for the first time since 5 March.
The 62-year-old met Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev at the Constantine Palace, outside St Petersburg, on Monday.
Laughing off speculation that ill health had forced him out of the public eye, Mr Putin said: "It would be boring without the gossip."
The Russian President in his last public appearance on 5 March
Mr Atambayev also vouched for his health, saying Putin "just now drove me around the grounds, he himself sat at the wheel".
The Russian leader was last seen in public when he hosted Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.
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Gallery: Vladimir Putin - Man Of Action
Vladimir Putin has earned a reputation as something of an action man. Here in 2013 he is seen shaking hands with a walrus on a visit to the under-construction Primorsky Aquarium.
Seemingly always keen to be seen with members of the animal kingdom, he was also pictured touching a dolphin during his trip to the new attraction on the Russky Island, in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
Vladimir Putin has reappeared alive and apparently well at a meeting with the president of Krygyzstan in St Petersburg.
"Life would be boring without gossip," he said, looking arguably slightly pale, but rather pleased with himself.
The Kyrgyz president, Almazbek Atambayev, chimed in, reassuring waiting journalists: "He just now drove me around the grounds, he himself sat at the wheel."
Mr Putin's public appearance has put an end to 10 days of increasingly wild speculation as to his whereabouts.
The Russian phrase "Putin umer" - Putin died - had been trending on the Russian internet, as theories ranged from sudden death, to serious illness.
Video:Putin Back In The Public Eye
Others suggested he had been overthrown in a coup, he was having cosmetic surgery or was overseeing the birth of a love child in Switzerland.
People posted photographs on Twitter of a convoy of trucks approaching Red Square - troops coming in under cover to secure the Kremlin, they suggested.
Something was being built in Red Square and a big announcement was coming, the rumour mill said.
The reality - that they were building a stage for a concert to celebrate Wednesday's anniversary of the annexation of Crimea - only partially reassured those who were determined that "something was going on".
Ukrainian children made an animation showing Putin being abducted by aliens from the roof of the Kremlin.
The alarm was triggered by what increasingly seemed to be a Kremlin cover-up of the president's movements.
Video:Aliens Abduct Putin In Animation
He was previously last seen in public on 5 March, at a meeting with the Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi in Moscow.
A meeting the Kremlin said happened on March 11 turned out to have been pre-recorded on March 4.
Similarly, photographs of Putin supposedly meeting women for International Women's Day on 8 March were found to have been taken several days earlier.
The paranoia became such that even pictures released by the Kremlin of a meeting with the head of the supreme court on Friday were not enough to damp the flames.
It could have been at filmed any time, sceptics said, there are no windows, no calendars, no proof.
He was late to the meeting on Monday, keeping nervous journalists on edge, but pretty typical of his general approach to timekeeping. He is rarely on time for these events.
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Gallery: Vladimir Putin - Man Of Action
Vladimir Putin has earned a reputation as something of an action man. Here in 2013 he is seen shaking hands with a walrus on a visit to the under-construction Primorsky Aquarium.
Seemingly always keen to be seen with members of the animal kingdom, he was also pictured touching a dolphin during his trip to the new attraction on the Russky Island, in the far eastern city of Vladivostok.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 16 Maret 2015 | 10.52
The president of a Pacific island nation devastated by a tropical cyclone says he "fears the worst" as the first aid teams reached the disaster zone.
Up to 50 people are reported to have been killed by Cyclone Pam, which brought winds of more than 185mph when it struck Vanuatu, levelling homes, smashing up boats, destroying roads and bridges, and bringing down power and phone lines.
But aid agencies say the real number is expected likely to be much higher as rescuers reach the outlying islands.
Thousands have been left homeless on the archipelago.
A Red Cross spokesman described the situation as "apocalyptic" and Vanuatu's government has declared a state of emergency.
Video:Scenes of Devastation in Vanuatu
President Baldwin Lonsdale, who happened to be at a disaster risk conference in Japan, compared the storm to a monster.
He said most houses in the capital Port Vila had been damaged or destroyed.
President Lonsdale said the impact would be "the very, very, very worst" in isolated outer islands but he held out hope the number of casualties would be "minor".
He had earlier made a tearful appeal for international assistance.
Video:Cyclone: On Board C-130 Aid Plane
Aid workers were particularly concerned about the southern island of Tanna, about 125 miles south of the capital, Port Vila.
An official with the Australian Red Cross said an aircraft had managed to land there and confirmed "widespread destruction".
"Virtually every building that is not concrete has been flattened," the official said.
Witnesses in Port Vila described sea surges of up to 26ft (8m) and widespread flooding.
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Gallery: Fears Dozens Killed By Powerful Cyclone Pam
At least 10 people have been killed by Cyclone Pam, after winds of more than 185mph struck the South Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago
The streets of Porta Vila are littered with debris and uprooted trees
Israel's prime minister has implored right-wing voters to "stop a left-wing government from coming to power" at a rally in Tel Aviv before the country goes to the polls on Tuesday.
Crowds gathered in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv on Sunday night as Mr Netanyahu urged supporters to turn out in high number to combat flagging opinion poll ratings.
"Our rivals are investing a huge effort to harm me and the Likud, to open a gap between my party, the Likud, and (our rivals)," Mr Netanyahu said.
"If we don't close this gap, there is a real danger that a left-wing government will rise to power."
The three-time Israeli prime minister has in recent days intensified his rhetoric, making accusations that foreign powers are conspiring to unseat him.
Video:Israeli Elections In 60 Seconds
Speaking to Israel's Channel 2 News on Saturday, he said: "There is a huge international effort, with major money, partnering up with leftist organisations here and also with media figures in order to bring down the Likud government that I head."
The final opinion polls of the campaign show the Zionist Union, led by Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, taking between 24 and 26 of parliament's 120 seats, compared with 20-22 seats for Likud.
The Zionist Union has accused Mr Netanyahu of mounting a scare campaign, in an effort to divert attention from Israel's socio-economic challenges, such as rising house prices and high living costs.
Their campaign has focused on a plan to combat rising house prices, as well as a commitment to improve relations with the US, which they say were damaged by Mr Netanyahu's recent speech to Congress on Iran that was derided by the White House, and to re-start negotiations with the Palestinians.
But the party that gets the most seats will not necessarily lead the next government.
The next prime minister will be the leader who is able to build a coalition commanding a majority of at least 61 seats.
"The two largest parties are at about 20% in the polls, they'd be declared losers in a British election, but they're going to win the election here," says Professor Reuven Hazan, head of the political science department at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.
"Whatever the percentage of the national vote a party gets, that's exactly the number of seats it will get," he added.
"With only 20% of the votes, and therefore only 20% of the seats, they will have to form a majority coalition.
"So the name of the game is not so much who gets more seats, but who can actually form that majority after the elections."
The comparative strength of the right-wing bloc over the left and centre bloc has led some analysts to consider Mr Netanyahu better placed to form a governing coalition, even if his Likud party receives fewer seats than the Zionist Union.
There are likely to be at least 11 parties taking seats from across the political spectrum, including the Jewish orthodox and Arab parties.
Final polls put the newly formed Joint Arab list - an alliance of Israel's main Arab parties - in third place at around 13 seats.
Both the hard right Jewish Home and centre-right Yesh Atid look set to win between 11 and 12 seats, while the newly formed centre-right Kulanu could pick up between 8 and 10 seats.
Written By Unknown on Minggu, 15 Maret 2015 | 10.52
The UK is giving up to £2m in aid to help the Pacific islands of Vanuatu where a devastating tropical cyclone is feared to have flattened entire communities.
Cyclone Pam is thought to have caused widespread destruction across the 65 inhabited Vanuatu islands, killing at least eight people, aid officials have said.
Unconfirmed reports say dozens more people are feared dead after the storm, which is one of the strongest ever recorded.
Communication systems in many of the outer islands remains down, meaning it could take some time before the full extent of the damage is known.
Britain's Department for International Development said "up to £1m" will be made immediately available to UN organisations and international aid agencies already working in the region following a request from the Vanuatu government.
Video:Vanuatu President Lonsdale In Tears
An additional £1m will be made available through the UK's Rapid Response Facility, which provides emergency support.
The Category Five storm - the highest on the scale - struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 168mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.
The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines. Officials in the capital Port Vila say there is no power or running water.
Video:Drive Shows Extent Of Island Damage
Save the Children's Vanuatu country director, Tom Skirrow, added: "The scene here this morning is complete devastation."
Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer, said: "The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands."
Vanuatu is about a quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii. About 47,000 people live in the capital. Most of those left their homes for the safety of shelters.
Video:Husband Missing Since Cyclone Hit
Speaking in Japan, where he was at a conference on global risk, President of Vanuatu Baldwin Lonsdale choked up as he said: "I stand to appeal on the behalf of the government and people of Vanuatu to the global community to give a lending hand in responding these very current calamities that have struck us."
New Zealand, which is braced for Pam's arrival in the next 12 hours, donated a million NZ dollars.
Australia said it was preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed, while Save The Children launched an appeal for youngsters affected by the storm.
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Gallery: Fears Dozens Killed By Powerful Cyclone Pam
There are fears dozens of people have been killed after Cyclone Pam stuck the Pacific's Vanuatu archipelago
The streets of Porta Vila are reportedly littered with debris and uprooted trees following the storm
Kurdish authorities claim to have evidence which shows Islamic State used weaponised chlorine gas against Peshmerga fighters in January.
The Security Council of the Kurdish region said soil and clothing samples showed traces of chlorine after an IS car bombing attempt.
Analysis of the samples showed they "contained levels of chlorine that suggested the substance was used in weaponised form".
The allegation has not been independently verified.
Peter Sawczak, spokesman for the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, said: "We have not had a request from Iraq to investigate claims of use of chemical weapons in Iraq, and the OPCW cannot immediately verify the claims."
The use of chlorine as a chemical weapon dates back to World War One.
The substance was banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997.
Smoke rises from a vehicle which the Kurds say was carrying chlorine gas
Chlorine has been used "systematically" in the civil war in neighbouring Syria, an OPCW fact-finding mission found last year.
The Kurdish authority said in a statement that the car bombing attempt happened on 23 January on a highway between Mosul and the Syrian border.
Peshmerga fighters fired a rocket at the car, killing the driver.
About a dozen Peshmerga fighters later experienced symptoms of nausea, vomiting, dizziness or weakness.
Video footage and photographs of the incident were sent to the Reuters news agency.
In some of the photographs, several canisters are seen lying on the ground.
The White House said in a statement it could not confirm the allegations but found them "deeply disturbing" and was monitoring the situation "very closely".
A US defence official said the use of chlorine as a weapon was a possible sign of "growing desperation due to the pressure being applied by coalition air power and Iraqi ground forces".
Iraqi Kurds were the victims of the deadliest chemical attack of modern times when Saddam Hussein's air force bombed the town of Halabja in 1988, gassing at least 5,000 people to death.
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015 | 10.52
The conflict in eastern Ukraine is not NATO's responsibility despite Russia's "violation of international law", the alliance's Secretary General has said.
Jens Stoltenberg also told Sky News the UK must maintain its military contributions to the organisation, which is set at 2% of GDP.
But, asked if NATO would do anything stop Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine, he said: "Our main responsibility is to defend and to protect all NATO allies and no NATO ally has been attacked.
"So deterrence is working because everyone sees that NATO is a very strong alliance and we are now implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defence since the end of the Cold War.
"Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so there is a difference between Ukraine and NATO members, because the security guarantee is for NATO allies.
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Gallery: Ukraine: The Rubble Of Donetsk Airport
A Ukrainian army tank destroyed in fighting with the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic army lies outside a terminal at Donetsk airport
The once-gleaming Donetsk airport has been one of the most fiercely contested spots in east Ukraine
Powerful winds from Cyclone Pam have caused widespread destruction in the Vanuatu islands with unconfirmed reports saying dozens of people have died.
The Category Fire storm struck the South Pacific archipelago with winds of up to 167mph, threatening more than 267,000 residents.
The storm blew roofs off houses, uprooted trees and downed power lines.
Officials in Port Vila say there is no power or running water in Vanuatu's capital.
There are reports of entire villages being destroyed in more remote areas, according to Chloe Morrison, a World Vision emergency communications officer.
Video:Cyclone Pam Hits South Pacific
"It's still really quite dangerous outside. Most people are still hunkering down," she said.
"The damage is quite extensive in Port Vila but there are so many more vulnerable islands.
"I can't even imagine what it's like in those vulnerable communities."
Australia is preparing to send a crisis response team to Vanuatu if needed, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said.
"There are destructive winds, rain, flooding, landslides, sea surges and very rough seas and the storm is exceedingly destructive there," she said.
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Gallery: Red Alert In Vanuatu Ahead Of Cyclone Pam
A satellite image of Cyclone Pam. Pic: Japan Meteorological Agency
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 13 Maret 2015 | 10.52
A senior member of the al Shabaab militant group who helped plan the Westgate Mall attack in Kenya has been killed by a US drone strike.
Adan Garar and two other people are believed to have died in the strike near the town of Bardhere in Somalia, US and Kenyan officials said.
Garar was also suspected of planning failed attacks on Kenya's coastline and in the Ugandan capital of Kampala, according to a Kenyan official.
Kenyan authorities said police foiled a planned attack in the coastal city of Mombasa in March 2014.
The attack on the Westgate Mall was the largest in Kenya since 1998
Al Shabaab militants had planned to carry out simultaneous attacks on the city's airport, a ferry crossing and a supermarket.
The attack was foiled when anti-terror police intercepted a car packed with explosives.
Video:How Gunmen Launched The Attack
Al Shabaab has vowed to carry out violent attacks in Kenya and Uganda in retaliation for the countries' contribution to the African Union force supporting Somalia's government.
Some 67 people, including six Britons, were killed in the Westgate Mall attack in September 2013.
The attack was the largest in Kenya since the 1998 bombings by al Qaeda of the US Embassy in Nairobi.
Islamic State has accepted a pledge of allegiance from the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram and called on Islamists to fight in Africa.
Abu Mohammad al Adnani, a spokesman for IS, announced in an audio message the group's leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, had accepted the loyalty of the Nigerian militants.
"Our caliph, God save him, has accepted the pledge of loyalty of our brothers of Boko Haram so we congratulate Muslims and our jihadi brothers in West Africa," he said.
It comes after an audio statement attributed to Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was released on Saturday through the group's Twitter account.
The statement urged "Muslims everywhere to pledge allegiance to the Caliph".
Video:Boko Haram Pledges Allegiance To IS
The apparent alliance highlights increased coordination between the two terror movements across North Africa and the Middle East.
IS has declared a caliphate and captured large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The group has also faced global condemnation for killing or kidnapping members of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as Western hostages.
In his audio message, al Adnani called on Muslims who could not join IS in Iraq and Syria to enter combat in Africa instead.
He added that Boko Haram's pledge had opened a "new door for you to migrate to the land of Islam and fight".
Video:Fighting Boko Haram
"We are calling you up for jihadis, go."
The group, which rejects all but its own limited interpretation of early Sunni Muslim theology as heresy, also issued a threat to Jews and Christians.
"If you want to save your blood and money and live in safety from our swords... you have two choices: either convert or pay jezyah," he said, referring to tax for non-Muslims under Islamic rule.
"(Otherwise) you will soon bite your fingers with remorse."
