Syria:
BRUSSELS (AP) — Members of Syrian opposition groups met in a conference in Belgium on Sunday to discuss their
political differences and Syria’s democratic transition. Groups discussed whether the Syrian opposition should request foreign military intervention and whether the groups should begin negotiations with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. According to activists more than 14,000 Syrians have been killed, most of which are believed to be civilians. About 50 people took part in the conference which started Sunday and was funded by the European Union. The conference will continue tomorrow as well. Pierre Vimont, a top EU diplomat, said the future of Syria will be decided by the people of Syria alone.
Turkey:
ANKARA (AP) — Turkey called for an extraordinary NATO meeting on Sunday, following the downing of a Turkish fighter jet by the Syrian military. The plane was shot in international airspace, Turkish officials said. Foreign Minister of Turkey, Ahmet Davutoglo, called for the meeting, to be held on tomorrow based on an article within the NATO charter that stipulates that member countries “will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.” Remnants of the jet were retrieved on yesterday 1,000 meters deep in the Mediterranean Sea.
Sudan:
(AP) — Sudan’s police vowed yesterday to take even stronger measures against demonstrators as protests entered their second week. The top Sudanese police chief gave his forces orders to disperse “firmly and immediately” anti-government demonstrations that began on June 16. Leading opposition members have been largely targeted by the police. The protests were sparked by the government’s most recent austerity plan which aimed to raise taxes, cut services and lift state subsidies on food and oil. Police met demonstrators with excessive violence, attacking protesters with machetes, iron clubs, tear gas, and even arresting them at their homes.
Yemen:
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Yemeni army announced yesterday the recapture of the town in southern Yemen from Al-
Qaeda militants. Ali Al-Ahmadi, governor of the province of Shabwa said that the militants were driven out of Azzan following three days of shelling by the army along with warnings to tribe leaders of increased attacks. The United States is largely supportive of Yemen’s new president Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has tried to remove Saleh loyalists from the army in order to restructure the army.
Kenya:
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenyan police seized material that could be used to make a bomb, a Kenyan official said only one day after the US warned of a possible terrorist attack in Kenya. On Saturday, police confronted three suspects who dropped a bag containing six kilograms of ammonium nitrate and other materials used to create explosive devices. Last month, one person was killed and 32 injured in a bomb explosion in downtown Nairobi. It is believed that the bomb that exploded last month was also created using ammonium nitrate. Members of Al- Shabab, a Somali militant group linked to Al-Qaeda, have threatened to attack Kenya in retaliation for the Kenyan Army’s incursion into Somalia to combat militants.
