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EU, Japan hold joint counter-piracy exercise

Brussels, Oct 18 (IANS) The European Union (EU) said Friday the EU Naval Force(EU NAVFOR) Somalia-Operation Atalanta and Japan's Self-Defence Forces (SDF) conducted a joint counter-piracy exercise in the Gulf of Aden. The EU External Action Service said in a statement this was the first joint exercise between EU NAVFOR and the SDF in counter-piracy activities, which was started in the early morning and led by the Italian Navy Destroyer "ANDREA DORIA" of EU NAVFOR- Atalanta and the Japanese Destroyer "Takanami", Xinhua reported. "It aimed to increase interoperability and mutual knowledge between the respective navies, through various actions related to communications, tactical manoeuvring, flying operations, and boarding team," said the statement.

UN appeals to Mali factions to reach peace deal

United Nations, Oct 18 (IANS) The UN Security Council Friday called on Mali's warring parties "to engage in good faith and in the spirit of compromise" towards a peace deal as the Malian government and rebels are set to resume peace talks in Algeria.

UN envoy stresses political solution to Syrian crisis

Beirut, Oct 18 (IANS) Visiting UN Special envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura stressed Friday that the political path to solve the Syrian crisis is the best tool to confront the threat of Islamic State(IS) that is rapidly progressing in the region. De Mistura told reporters following his talks with Speaker Nabih Berri that "the solution to the Syrian crisis can only be political, not military." He also said that amidst the quick outspread of Daesh, there was a dire necessity to move hastily in a political course through visiting Tehran and Moscow so as to confront the growing danger of terrorism, xinhua reported.

Four men charged with terror plots against police in London

London, Oct 18 (IANS) Four men have been charged with intending to commit terrorist attacks on British police and army barracks in London, the Metropolitan Police said Friday. Tarik Hassane, 21, Suhaib Majeed, 20, Nyall Hamlett, 24, Momen Motasim,21, all from west or northwest London, faced a total of 21 charges, xinhua reported citing the police.

UN demands safe release of abducted staff in South Sudan

United Nations, Oct 18 (IANS) The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and the World Food Program (WFP) Friday strongly condemned the recent abduction of their staff at the airfield in Malakal, and demanded the safe release of those still being detained, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. "UNMISS and WFP are actively engaging with authorities in Juba, as well as the Upper Nile State authorities, as well as the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) and militia groups in Malakal, in an effort to secure the release of the two abducted individuals," Xinhua quoted Dujarric as saying at a daily news briefing here

Egyptian army arrests leading Sinai militant

Cairo, Oct 18 (Xinhua) Egyptian military arrested Friday a leading member of Al Qaeda-inspired Sinai-based Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis group in a raid on southern Arish city of North Sinai province, a security source said. "Walid Waked Attallah is leader of Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis military wing and he is the one responsible for last night's blast that targeted a police vehicle and killed three police recruits in Arish," xinhua reported citing the source.

UN calls for more efforts to eradicate poverty

United Nations, Oct 18 (IANS) The UN Friday marked the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, with its Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling for more efforts to eliminate poverty in all its forms as 2.4 billion people still live on less than $2 a day. "Entrenched poverty and prejudice, and vast gulfs between wealth and destitution can undermine the fabric of societies and lead to instability," Xinhua quoted Ban as saying in his message for the International Day, which is commemorated annually Oct 17. "Where poverty holds sway, people are held back.

Hong Kong police remove barricades in protest area

Hong Kong, Oct 17 (IANS) More than 100 Hong Kong police officers started removing barricades in Mong Kok, one of the main demonstration areas, Friday morning where Occupy Central movement participants had blockaded roads and streets from Sep 28.

Chavan faces flak for controversial interview

Mumbai, Oct 17 (IANS) Senior leaders of the Congress' Maharashtra unit and rivals are gunning for former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan after his recent interview to a Kolkata-based daily in which he criticized several party colleagues on certain issues. Senior leader Narayan Rane is upset with Chavan's comments in the interview in which, among other things, he blamed his predecessors - the late Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ashok Chavan and Sushilkumar Shinde - for the Adarsh Society row. In the interview, Chavan had said that if he had taken action against the Congress leaders for their alleged role in the Adarsh Society scam, the party would have been decimated in Maharashtra.

Unprotected sex rises in final year of college: Study

New York, Oct 17 (IANS) For those who join college, the odds of unprotected sex in hook-ups get doubled between freshers and the final year students, says a study. Freshmen or freshers from less advantaged socio-economic backgrounds more frequently protect themselves with a condom when they have intercourse in a hook-up than freshmen from more advantaged backgrounds. "However, by the final year, they adopt the same lower condom use rate of their peers from more advantaged backgrounds," said Jonathan Marc Bearak, doctoral candidate in sociology from New York University.