Africa & Middle East
UN due to meet over Syria refugee crisis
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet with Turkey to discuss the refugee crisis instigated by what is now being described as a civil war. Turkey is demanding the set up of refugee camps inside Syria “without delay”; something the UN states raises “serous questions”. The call has come after Syria President al-Assad said he could not guarantee amnesty zones within his borders. The calls come in light of conflicting interests at a summit in Iran on Wednesday and with fighting continuing across the country. Yesterday rebels claimed to shoot down an air force fighter jet. Turkey continues to press an un-unified Security Council for the imposition of refugee camps within Syrian borders.
UN watchdog says growing fears over Iran Nuclear capacities
The United Nations (UN) Watchdog, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has claimed that Iran has doubled its production capacity at a nuclear site. It further claimed that Iran has “significantly hampered” their ability to fully assess the site on the ground. The official discourse that has come from Iran states clearly that its nuclear facilities are strictly for purposes other than military. Despite this the watchdog’s quarterly report on Iran claims that the capacity of Iran’s nuclear mission are great enough to potentially produce nuclear weapons; something Iran denies as true. Israel has also released a statement saying that it fears Iran is operation may be out of their military reach.
World
Work Bank warns over food price hike
The World Bank has warned of a coming crisis as soaring global food prices affect the poorest. The 10% jump in price throughout July has been in part owed to a heat wave across the US as well as a brought that covered most of Eastern Europe. The President of the bank said the food prices were “historic”, adding that there were potentially more threats to the increasing price. The Bank is now seeking to persuade governments to instigate methods that would protect their most vulnerable, naming those in sub-Saharan Africa as the most threatened.
North America
Romney’s running mate faces heavy criticism
The Republican vice-president candidate Paul Ryan has come under heavy criticism for his debut media appearance in this role at a Republican conference in Tampa, Florida. The nominee’s rather contrived-appearing speech has been hounded for having huge inaccuracies and empty statements. He attacked the President Incumbent for his ‘Obamacare’ plans, but failed to say his own budget plan would include the same savings. He also complained that proposals by a budge commission were not adopted, but further failed to say he opposed the report. Mr Ryan is due to join the race for the Whitehouse this coming November where he faces a closely polled President Barack Obama and his Vice-President Joe Biden.
CIA ends interrogation probe without any charges
An investigation into the CIA’s interrogation programme for ‘terror’ suspects has ended without charges, the US justice department says. The investigation looked into the death of a individual who died whilst in custody back in 2002. CIA Director David Petraeus said, “As intelligence officers, our inclination, of course, is to look ahead to the challenges of the future rather than backwards at those of the past. Nonetheless, it was very important that we supported fully the Justice Department in its efforts.” However the deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, said the investigation’s conclusions were a “nothing short of a scandal”.
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