Mes: septiembre 2019

(CBS/AP) KABUL, Afghanistan – The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said a militant attack on a lakeside hotel in which 18 people were killed was likely carried out by fighters loyal to the Haqqani network. The al Qaeda-linked group is based in Pakistan and regularly targets Afghan and coalition forces in Afghanistan, and conducts deadly attacks in Kabul. Late Thursday heavily-armed Taliban insurgents stormed the Spozhmai hotel at Qargha Lake, 인천출장만남 a popular weekend retreat about a half-hour drive north from the capital Kabul, and opened fire on guests inside. Most of those killed were civilians. The 12-hour long siege ended Friday morning, after Kabul police said five attackers had been shot and killed. More in Afghanistan: The way forward “This attack bears the signature of the Haqqani network, which continues to target and kill innocent Afghans and blatantly violate Afghan sovereignty from the safety of Pakistan,” U.S. Gen. John R. Allen said. Allen said that some victims were killed in their sleep. He added that the coalition provided “minimal support” at the Afghans’ request. 18 people killed in Afghanistan hotel siege Officials have told The Associated Press that U.S. military and intelligence officials are so frustrated with Pakistan’s failure to stop local militant groups from attacking Americans in neighboring Afghanistan that they have considered launching secret joint U.S.-Afghan commando raids into Pakistan to hunt them...

(AP) KABUL, Afghanistan – A bomb in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday killed six NATO service members, on a day where a total of 29 people died from roadside bombs and insurgent attacks. NATO said the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device but provided no further details about the attack and did not identify the dead service members. The statement said NATO’s policy is to allow “national authorities” to give details about the soldiers. A surge in Afghan and coalition forces during the past two years routed Taliban fighters from many of their strongholds in the south, but the insurgents have stepped up their attacks this summer to take back key areas. The service members’ deaths were the latest on Sunday caused by bombs planted by insurgents along roadsides, paths or mountain tracks. More in Afghanistan: The way forward In addition to the six NATO deaths, bombs and attacks killed 16 Afghan civilians, five policemen and two members of the U.S.-led coalition in southern Afghanistan, Afghan and NATO authorities said. The civilians, including women and children, were killed in three blasts in Arghistan district, along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. Kandahar province spokesman Ahmad Jawed Faisal said one bomb exploded when a minivan ran over it Sunday morning. A second went off when other civilians riding a tractor arrived to help the wounded. A third explosion occurred about two...

(AP) ATHENS, Greece – Greece’s new three-party coalition government won a vote of confidence in parliament early Monday, ending a period of uncertainty that led to two elections in less than two months, though the country has a long way to go to emerge from a deep recession and pay down its huge debt. There were no surprises in the vote. All 179 deputies of the three parties supporting the government — conservative New Democracy, the socialist PASOK and the moderate leftist Democratic Left — voted in favor. Voting against were the 121 deputies of the Radical Left Coalition (Syriza), the nationalist right Independent Greeks, the extreme right Golden Dawn and the Communist Party. In his concluding speech just before the vote, Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said that, despite their diverse political backgrounds, the three coalition partners have a unity of purpose — to keep the country in the Eurozone and out of its deepest and longest recession, now in its fifth year. In the third quarter, the country’s GDP had its sharpest drop yet, declining 9.1 percent compared to the same period in 2011. Greece’s battered economy is forecast to shrink 6.7 percent for the whole year, far above earlier official forecasts of a 4.5 percent shrinkage. “Us three, we have admitted our past mistakes and we are now embarked in a common cause,” Samaras said, addressing the...

(AP) PYONGYANG, North Korea – Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters. Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from “Snow White,” “Dumbo,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV. The inclusion of characters popular in the West — particularly from the United States, North Korea’s wartime enemy — is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors and actresses also showed off new wardrobes, including strapless gowns and little black dresses. In recent years, performances such as the “Arirang” mass games featured performers dressed as panda bears in homage to North Korean ally China. This appears to be the first time Disney characters have been included in a major performance, though Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been popular among children for several years. Backpacks, pencil cases and pajamas imported from China often feature Disney characters, and stories such as “Dumbo” have been translated into Korean for North Korean schoolchildren. However, it is unusual to make such images a central part of a North Korean performance, and to publicize it on state TV. It was unclear whether the Disney characters were officially licensed. N.K.’s...