Migrants say they were shot at leaving Libya

UN refugee agency calls for an investigation after several injured refugees say gunmen may have "shot to kill".

Syrian refugees who survived after their boat capsized off Malta say they were fired on by warring trafficking gangs as they set out on their perilous journey from Libya, the UN refugee agency reported.
Thirty one people were killed and more than 200 people were rescued after the boat capsized a week after another shipwreck left 369 dead, prompting Malta to warn the Mediterranean was turning into a cemetery.

The boat, carrying up to 400 migrants, mostly Syrians, left the Libyan port  of Zwara on Thursday, just 60km from the Tunisian border. Citing testimonies from some of those who survived the 10-hour crossing, the UNHCR, spoke of "several injured passengers", saying that the shots were fired "perhaps by militiamen who shot to kill". News agency Ansa said witnesses spoke of two people being killed. Molhake Al Roarsan, 22, interviewed in Valletta by the newspaper La Stampa , said that three people were injured after being shot in the arms and legs. He said on Sunday that he thought the shootings were related to a dispute between different groups of traffickers. "There was a furious fight, screaming on the radio and on the phone with someone who demanded that we return to land, but the captain did not stop," said the Syrian. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres called for an investigation into the shooting incident and expressed hope that the perpetrators will be brought to justice. He also expressed concern that Syrians fleeing conflict have sought to reach Europe by such a perilous route, calling it "inhumane." "They escaped bullets and bombs only to perish before they could ever claim asylum,'' he said. The twin tragedies have prompted the European Union to call for sea patrols   to cope with the flood of migrants.

Red Cross members kidnapped in Syria

Gunmen kidnapped a team of seven workers from the International Committee of the Red Cross, according to ICRC spokesman

The International Committee of the Red Cross has said that six of its aid workers and a member of the Syrian Red Crescent had been kidnapped by gunmen in Syria.

"Six ICRC staff members and one member of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have been abducted in Idlib in northwestern Syria," ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson told AFP at the organisation's Geneva base on Sunday. "We don't know who took them. It was unidentified armed men," he added. The road on which the members were travelling is notorious for kidnappings, Al Jazeera’s Omar Al Saleh reported. “We understand from talking to activists in that area there are a number of armed groups.” Magne Barth, head of the ICRC's delegation in Syria has called for the immediate release of the members in a statement released Sunday.  "Both the ICRC and the SARC work tirelessly to provide impartial humanitarian assistance for those most in need across Syria on both sides of the front lines, and incidents such as these potentially undermine our capacity to assist those who need us most," she said.  The team had traveled to Idlib on October 10 to assess the medical situation in the area and deliver supplies to Sarmin and Idlib city. The convoy, on its way to Damascus was clearly marked with the ICRC emblem.  Kidnapping has become an increasing problem in Syria, with journalists and aid workers frequently targeted in rebel-held parts of the country, largely located in the north.  Last month a German aid worker held for almost four months escaped his kidnappers in Idlib, just like his two colleagues who managed to flee in July, according to their aid group Gruenhelme. Large parts of the province are under the control of groups who fighting to oust Assad's regime in a conflict that has killed more than 115,000 people in two and a half years.

news aljazeera

 

americas: Tourists finally exit storm-stricken Acapulco

Search for survivors of deadly Mexico storms continues, as thousands line up for aid and tourists begin journey home.

Thousands of Mexicans have lined up for food and shelter following deadly storms, as many tourists finally left flood-stricken Acapulco by road after being stranded for days. 
Rescuers continued to search for survivors of a deadly mudslide in mountains near the holiday resort, as tourists trapped in the city for almost a week packed into cars and buses after authorities reopened the road link to Mexico City on Friday.
The highway department told travellers that the trip north on the Sun Highway, which usually takes about four hours, would last nine to 10 hours, with only a single lane open in some stretches.
Two tropical storms, Ingrid and  Manuel, have left a trail of destruction across the country, damaging 35,000 homes, flooding cities and killing about 100 people.
After regenerating into a hurricane and hitting the northwestern state of  Sinaloa late on Thursday, affecting 100,000 people and killing three, Manuel  finally dissipated over the mountains.
The government said on Friday at least 165 people were dead or missing across the country.
The southwestern state of Guerrero was the hardest hit, with at least 65 deaths.
While rescuers dug through mud in La Pintada, authorities were searching for a police helicopter that disappeared while conducting relief missions in the same mountain region of Guerrero.
Authorities said 68 people had been reported missing and two bodies were pulled out for now, but villagers fear that scores have perished.
Local farmer Diego Zeron said many were believed to be dead.
"A lot of my relatives died, they're buried and we can't do anything," he said.
Local farmer Diego Zeron said many were believed to be dead.
"A lot of my relatives died, they're buried and we can't do anything," he said.
Villagers evacuated
The mud collapsed on the village of 400 people during independence day celebrations on Monday, swallowing homes, the school and church before crashing into the river.
Soldiers and civil protection workers, many wearing surgical masks, removed pieces of broken homes and chopped up fallen trees with machetes.
Helicopters evacuated more than 330 villagers to Acapulco, but a few families decided to stay back, waiting for news on the missing.
Traffic piled up in Acapulco as police allowed cars to leave in groups of 50 to avoid huge backups on the Sun Highway.
Waiting to board a bus, Alejandro Tubias, a Mexico City resident, said it was high time to leave after his wife contracted a stomach bug that they blamed on the lack of drinking water.
"We are more than happy. We are in a hurry to go because my wife is sick and because we don't have any money to pay the hotel room," he said.
                       
                                          news aljazeera

 

Baghdad bombings target Shia funeral

At least 65 people killed after three explosion strike near funeral tent in Sadr City neighbourhood of Iraqi capital.



                                                                                                                                                                    
At least 65 people have been killed in car bombings targeting a funeral in the Iraqi capital, officials said.
Police said a first car bomb went off near a funeral tent for a Shia man in the Baghdad neighbourhood of Sadr City on Saturday afternoon. A suicide bomber driving a car then blew himself up near the tent, and a third explosion came as police, ambulances and firefighters were gathering at the scene.
The officials said women and children were among the dead, and that at least 60 people were wounded.
The first explosion set several nearby cars on fire, sending a towering plume of thick black smoke over the city.
Earlier in the day a suicide assault on a police headquarters and other attacks in northern Iraq killed 11 members of the security forces.
Police officials said four suicide bombers stormed a headquarters for police commandos in the city of Beiji, killing seven policemen and wounding 21 others.
Guards killed one suicide bomber while the three other bombers were able to set off their explosive belts inside the compound, they said.
Beiji, a centre for oil refining, is 250km north of Baghdad.
Soldiers killed
In other violence, gunmen shot and killed two prison guards after storming their houses in a village near the city of Mosul early on Saturday.
Also in Mosul, two soldiers were killed and four others were wounded when a roadside bomb struck their convoy.
Saturday's violence comes as voters in the northern Kurdish autonomous region cast ballots in local elections for the Kurdistan Regional Government's 111-seat legislature.
Iraqi Kurds are looking to bolster their autonomy while insulating their increasingly prosperous enclave from the growing violence roiling the rest of the country.
Violence has surged this year to levels not seen since 2008, when Iraq was emerging from a sectarian conflict that peaked in 2006-2007 and killed thousands of people.
With the latest incidents, more than 500 people have been killed so far this month and more than 4,300 since the beginning of the year, according to AFP news agency figures based on security and medical sources.

Pope urges more understanding for gays

Francis calls to end 'obsession' with doctrine in interview on the church's stance on homosexuality, abortion and women.

 

Pope Francis has said the Catholic church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality and become more merciful or risk the collapse of its entire moral edifice "like a house of cards".
Signalling a dramatic shift in Vatican tone, Francis said in an interview with an Italian Jesuit journal, published on Thursday, that the church had "locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules" and should not be so prone to condemn.
Its priests should be more welcoming and not cold, dogmatic bureaucrats. The confessional, he said, "is not a torture chamber but the place in which the Lord's mercy motivates us to do better".
His comments were welcomed by liberal Catholics; but theology commentators said they were likely to be viewed with concern by conservatives who have already expressed concern over Francis' failure to address publicly the issues stressed by his predecessor, Benedict.
Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, the first from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope, did not hold out the prospect of any changes soon to such moral teachings.
But, in the 12,000-word interview with Civilta Cattolica, he said the church must find a new balance between upholding rules and demonstrating mercy.
The pope told the magazine he envisioned a greater role for women in the 1.2 bn-member church but suggested it would not include a change in the current  ban on a female priesthood.
In a remarkable change from his predecessor Benedict, who said homosexuality was an intrinsic disorder, Francis said that when homosexuals told him they were  always condemned by the church and felt "socially wounded", he told them "the church does not want to do this".
He re-stated his comments first made on a plane returning from a visit to Brazil in July that he was not in a position to judge homosexuals who are of good will and in search of God.
"Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free," Francis said.
"It is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person."
American Jesuit and author of several books on the Vatican, John Gehring, said Francis was "rescuing the church from those who think that condemning gay people and opposing contraception define what it means to be a real Catholic.
"It's a remarkable and refreshing change," Gehring said.
Abortion repremand
However, Francis alluded to criticism of him within the conservative Catholic establishment.
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible." he said.
"I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that."
Last week, US Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, spoke for many conservative Catholics when he said he was disappointed that the pope had not addressed "the evil of abortion" more directly to encourage anti-abortion activists.
US bishops were also behind Benedict's crackdown on American nuns, who were accused of letting doctrine take a backseat to their social justice work caring for the poor - a priority that Francis is endorsing.
The pope said the church's pastoral ministry could not be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.
"We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards," he said.
However, the comments contained no change in church teaching, and the pope said reform should not happen quickly.
                               
                                news aljazeera

maroc: ABDELILAH BENKIRANE PRIS DANS SES PROPRES PIÈGES

Pour l'anecdote, la symbolique et pour commencer par le premier, relatons l'incident récent quand le premier ministre qui se rendait chez son photographe au centre de la capitale, lieu de rassemblement connu des diplômés chômeurs a vu sa voiture et lui-même encerclés par plusieurs d'entres eux l'ayant reconnu. Le ton est vite monté entre les deux parties, les manifestants très remontés contre le chef du gouvernement pour son refus de les engager dans la fonction publique, ont usage d'insultes et de propos déplacés à son encontre, certains allant même jusqu'à piétiner son véhicule avant qu'un cordon de policiers en civil ne l'entoure pour lui épargner d'autres agressions jusqu'à l'arrivée en nombre important de membres des forces auxiliaires pour disperser les manifestants et permettre au chef du gouvernement de se sortir de ce guêpier.
Plus concrètement et sur le plan politique, ce dernier doit regretter de s'être vu entrer dans des négociations longues et ardues pour la formation d'un nouveau gouvernement et aurait peut-être préféré garder son intenable ancien allié de l'istiqlal pour lui éviter de se trouver dans une situation aussi inconfortable comme celle d'aujourd'hui.
En effet, le voilà pris au piège d'un blocage pour avoir trop cédé devant les demandes devant son nouveau partenaire au sein de la majorité , le RNI, ce qui lui vaut d'être pris entre les feux de l'aile gauche de son parti, le PJD, qui lui reproche de l'avoir sacrifié dans les tractations en vue de la formation du nouveau gouvernement, et ceux de ses alliés de la majorité, peu satisfaits de la part belle faite au niveau venu qui les dépasserait en nombre de ministères accordés dans la future configuration.
Enfin il y a ces derniers  jours , sans doute une coïncidence avec l'annonce imminente de la formation d'une nouvelle équipe gouvernementale, cette tension sociale qui se dessine avec acuité et ces mouvements de grève en cascade  annoncés pour les prochains jours dans différents secteurs vitaux pour protester contre les différentes augmentations entrées déjà en vigueur ou à venir et qui placent le premier ministre et son gouvernement sortant ou futur dans une zone d'instabilité qui aura un impact négatif sur le climat général du pays et surtout sur l'économie.
L'impression générale de ce fait est que l’exécutif ne semble pas être en mesure de gérer son planning ni d'avoir la main sur la situation afin de se sortir des pièges qu'il s'est lui-même et à son corps défendant placés sur son chemin.

Jalil Nouri pour Actu-maroc.com

Pope urges more understanding for gays

Francis calls to end 'obsession' with doctrine in interview on the church's stance on homosexuality, abortion and women.

 

Pope Francis has said the Catholic church must shake off an obsession with teachings on abortion, contraception and homosexuality and become more merciful or risk the collapse of its entire moral edifice "like a house of cards".
Signalling a dramatic shift in Vatican tone, Francis said in an interview with an Italian Jesuit journal, published on Thursday, that the church had "locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules" and should not be so prone to condemn.
Its priests should be more welcoming and not cold, dogmatic bureaucrats. The confessional, he said, "is not a torture chamber but the place in which the Lord's mercy motivates us to do better".
His comments were welcomed by liberal Catholics; but theology commentators said they were likely to be viewed with concern by conservatives who have already expressed concern over Francis' failure to address publicly the issues stressed by his predecessor, Benedict.
Francis, the first non-European pope in 1,300 years, the first from Latin America and the first Jesuit pope, did not hold out the prospect of any changes soon to such moral teachings.
But, in the 12,000-word interview with Civilta Cattolica, he said the church must find a new balance between upholding rules and demonstrating mercy.
The pope told the magazine he envisioned a greater role for women in the 1.2 bn-member church but suggested it would not include a change in the current  ban on a female priesthood.
In a remarkable change from his predecessor Benedict, who said homosexuality was an intrinsic disorder, Francis said that when homosexuals told him they were  always condemned by the church and felt "socially wounded", he told them "the church does not want to do this".
He re-stated his comments first made on a plane returning from a visit to Brazil in July that he was not in a position to judge homosexuals who are of good will and in search of God.
"Religion has the right to express its opinion in the service of the people, but God in creation has set us free," Francis said.
"It is not possible to interfere spiritually in the life of a person."
American Jesuit and author of several books on the Vatican, John Gehring, said Francis was "rescuing the church from those who think that condemning gay people and opposing contraception define what it means to be a real Catholic.
"It's a remarkable and refreshing change," Gehring said.
Abortion repremand
However, Francis alluded to criticism of him within the conservative Catholic establishment.
"We cannot insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods. This is not possible." he said.
"I have not spoken much about these things, and I was reprimanded for that."
Last week, US Bishop Thomas J. Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, spoke for many conservative Catholics when he said he was disappointed that the pope had not addressed "the evil of abortion" more directly to encourage anti-abortion activists.
US bishops were also behind Benedict's crackdown on American nuns, who were accused of letting doctrine take a backseat to their social justice work caring for the poor - a priority that Francis is endorsing.
The pope said the church's pastoral ministry could not be obsessed with the transmission of a disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.
"We have to find a new balance; otherwise even the moral edifice of the church is likely to fall like a house of cards," he said.
However, the comments contained no change in church teaching, and the pope said reform should not happen quickly.
                                 
                                news aljazeera