Israel points finger at Iran over drone from Lebanon

Israel believes that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the unmanned drone launched from Lebanon that was shot down in Israeli airspace on Thursday.

An Israeli navy vessel and helicopter search for the wreckage of the drone shot down by the air force  Photo: AP

Phoebe Greenwood, Gaza City

7:44PM BST 27 Apr 2013

The United States has urged Israel to demonstrate restraint in its response to the alleged incursion, according to Lebanese media reports.

"The Israeli military command doesn't treat drones launched from Lebanon lightly, since their goal may be not only taking pictures, but also an assassination of senior officials, military or political," an unnamed Western diplomat is quoted in Nahar newspaper.

The Israeli prime minister was flying across northern Israel when the drone was spotted above the sea on Thursday, 10km west of the port city Haifa. Mr Netanyahu's helicopter was forced to land and was grounded until the Israeli Air Force had secured Israeli air space.

Initial media reports presumed the drone had been launched by Hizbollah. In October last year, the Lebanese militant group has claimed as a great victory their successful piloting of an unmanned drone in the skies above the Israeli Negev for more than half an hour before it was downed, several miles from Israel's Soreq nuclear facility. In fact, the Israeli military had stated only that an unmanned aircraft had been launched "from Lebanon".

Iran's involvement in this cross-border incident, and Washington's pleas for restraint, may explain Benjamin Netanyahu's failure to threaten retaliation for the incursion. The Israeli prime minister said only that he has taken "the attempt to breach our borders very seriously".

According to Syrian rebels and Israeli intelligence, Tehran has poured Revolutionary Guard soldiers into Syria and Lebanon to support its Shiite allies. The Iranian fighters, thought to include several senior commanders, have been tasked with arming and training Syrian soldiers in sophisticated weaponry, such as short and long range missiles, and upgrading Hizbollah's drone capabilities. Arab media outlets have reported that Iran transfers five tonnes of weaponry into Syria every week.
But while drone flights over Israel may be provocative, it is Bashar al-Assad's vast cache of chemical weapons in Syria that are of urgent concern to both Israel and the US. Barak Obama warned the Assad regime on Friday that proof it had used chemical weapons against its people would be a 'game-changer'.
"Israel has laid down a clear red line that if strategic weapons are moved, it will take action. Otherwise it is sticking by the international understanding that there is almost nothing Israel can do that will make the situation better. There is no great a

Hamas teaches Palestinian schoolboys how to fire Kalashnikovs

Palestinian schoolboys are learning how to fire Kalashnikovs, throw grenades and plant improvised explosive devices as part of a programme run by Hamas's education ministry. 

A Palestinian boy takes part in military training organized by the Hamas education ministry in Gaza City Photo: AP Photo/Adel\

Adam Afriyie attacks David Cameron over 'jobs for the boys'

A Tory backbencher thought to be considering a future leadership bid has hit out at the “jobs for the boys” culture in David Cameron’s Government. 

 

Adam Afriyie, the MP for Windsor, said there are too many ministers and that new posts are being created to “alleviate political pressures”.

His comments came just days after the Prime Minister promoted Jo Johnson to head his policy unit.

The Prime Minister appointed Mr Johnson, the Orpington MP and brother of London Mayor Boris, as a Cabinet Office minister last week, giving him a key post overseeing policy.

Labour has accused Mr Cameron of trying to buy loyalty in the Conservative ranks by handing out official roles.

In an article for the ConservativeHome website, Mr Afriyie wrote: “In our 2010 manifesto we were committed to reducing the size of government.

Vince Cable calls for 'protected' pensioners to lose benefits

Pensioners have been protected during the financial crisis and should now lose some of their benefits, Vince Cable has suggested. 

 

The Business Secretary said it is an “anomaly” that all elderly people in the UK currently receive universal benefits from the Government.

He made the comments after Iain Duncan Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, called on well-off pensioners to voluntarily pay back their taxpayer-funded benefits.

David Cameron has promised to protect universal benefits for pensioners, including the bus passes, television licenses and winter fuel payments, during this Government.

They are almost the only area of welfare spending to remain unaffected by billions of pounds in spending cuts.

However, senior minister including Mr Duncan Smith have hinted that the Conservatives will go into the next election pledging to cut pensioners’ benefits.

Kordofan Kaskazini yakumbwa na ghasia

 28 Aprili, 2013 - Saa 17:41 GMT

Wakaazi wa mji muhimu wa Sudan ambao ulishambuliwa na wapiganaji hapo jana, wamechoma moto majengo ya serikali na kuwarushia mawe wakuu wa jimbo.

Taarifa zinazohusiana

• Sudan,
• Ghasia

Walikuwa wakipinga ziara ya gavana wa jimbo ambaye alizuru mji wa Umm Rawaba, kwenda kuona uharibifu uliosababishwa na mapigano.
Wapiganaji wa kundi la JEM na wapiganaji wengine waliuteka mji wa Umm Rawaba kabla haujakombolewa na jeshi la serikali.
Kawaida wapiganaji wa GEM wanaendesha harakati zao katika jimbo la Darfur.
Waandishi wa habari wanasema shambulio hilo lilikuwa la kijasiri kwa sababu limetokea katika jimbo la Kordofan Kaskazini, eneo ambalo lilikuwa halikuathirika na harakati za wapiganaji.

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52 min Van Persie teases in a ball from the left, with Arsenal suddenly looking a lot looser at the back. His ball is just ahead of Rooooooooooney in the middle, though.
51 min Far more even contest so far in this half, but Jones, who's been everywhere thus far, ends a promising United move with an overhit cross. Here are the emailed thoughts of Nik Swift:
Appropriate greeting for Van Persie? Depends how seriously you take your football and whether the Arsenal fans can accept RVP decision - shown to be correct in all aspects. But applause for being a clever boy are in order. Why stick with a poor functioning team, it's not like he was an Arsenal product. Now if Jack Wilshire left for another London club then boos would be in order. Arsenal haven't looked like achieving anything in years and don't look like doing so in the future. To be honest RVP always looked like a Man Utd player since he first arrived in the EPL. Just surprised he didn't make the move sooner.
48 min Nice work from Rosicky, charging forward from deep and finding Ramsey ahead of him to his left. I think Ramsey's aiming for Podolski, in space on the right, with his subsequent pass but Rosicky collects it, annoyingly. Still, he manages to work the ball into shooting position and tries a reasonable curling effort with the outside of his boot. Just wide.
46 min Here comes a second half. Manchester United kick off. The Arsenal players all applaud.
16.49 United were coming into that even before the penalty, but what a moment of monumental idiocy from Sagna, who played a suicidal pass to Van Persie then fouled him like a big stupid stupidhead. United extremely lucky to go in on terms, but Arsenal were oddly unconvincing despite giving the under-par champions a battering for much of that half. You can't see them looking so listless in this second half, and the game has now shifted to a point where Arsenal need to scrap to get back into it. It should not have been this way. Silly boy Bacary. Silly, silly, silly, silly boy. See you in 15.
 

Bouteflika auguzwa ng'ambo

 28 Aprili, 2013 - Saa 09:43 GMT

Rais wa Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, amesafirishwa na kupelekwa hospitali ya Paris baada ya kupata ugonjwa wa kiarusi kidogo.

Taarifa zinazohusiana

• afrika magharibi,
• Siasa

Wakuu wa Algeria wanasema Bwana Bouteflika alipelekwa Paris kufuata pendekezo la daktari wake lakini hali yake si ya kutia wasiwasi.
Rais Bouteflika, mwenye umri wa miaka 76, anaonekana hadharani mara chache tu, na amekuwa akiuguwa kwa miaka kadha.
Taarifa rasmi zinaeleza kuwa Jumamosi alipata ugonjwa wa kiarusi kidogo lakini haifikiriwa afya yake itaathirika kwa muda mrefu.
Waziri Mkuu wa Algeria alisema hali ya rais siyo mbaya.
Lakini kwa vile amesafirishwa na kupelekwa Paris, Ufaransa, watu wanauliza kama taarifa rasmi inaeleza ukweli.
Bwana Bouteflika alifanyiwa upasuaji kwenye hospitali mjini Paris miaka kadha iliyopita.
Taarifa rasmi ilieleza kwamba alikuwa na kidonda cha tumbo; lakini nyaraka za siri za wana-diplomasi wa Marekani zilipofichuka zilisema kumbe alikuwa na saratani.
Kuna watu wanaoamini kuwa Bwana Bouteflika anaweza kugombea muhula wane katika uchaguzi wa mwaka ujao, juu ya umri na afya yake.
Yeye ni mmoja kati ya viongozi wakongwe ambao wameshikilia madaraka katika siasa za Algeria tangu nchi hiyo kupata uhuru kutoka kwa Ufaransa zaidi ya miaka 50 iliyopita.

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Aliyemiliki jengo liloporomoka akamatwa

 28 Aprili, 2013 - Saa 12:33 GMT

Jeshi la Bangladesh linajitayarisha kutumia zana nzito kuondosha kifusi katika jengo la viwanda liloporomoka Jumatano na kuuwa mamia ya watu.

Taarifa zinazohusiana

• Asia,
• ajali

Wafanya kazi za uokozi wanatoboa shimo kwenye kifusi kujaribu kuwafikia haraka manusura walionasa wakati jengo hilo lilipoanguka.
Baadhi ya waokozi wameondolewa kwa sababu hawakuweza kuhimili uvundo mkali wa maiti zilizooza ndani ya kifusi.
Watu 2400 wamenusuriwa tangu jengo hilo la ghorofa nane kuporomoka mjini Dhaka.
Zaidi ya watu 360 wanajulikana kuwa wamekufa.
Msemaji wa jeshi la Bangladesh, Brigadier General Siddiqul Alam Sikder, alisema hawataondoa kifusi kwa sasa, ila katika kusaidia kumuokoa mtu:
"Hatutaondoa chochote hadi tuna hakika kwamba hakuna mtu aliye bado hai ndani ya kifusi.
Makundi yote yanayofanya uokozi chini ya kifusi yatatuarifu.
Tukipata taarifa hiyo, tutakutana kuamua kama tutaingia kwenye kifusi, au tunyanyue paa kwa crane.
Kisha tutaingia kipindi cha pili cha operesheni."

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