U.N. report expected to confirm chemical arms used in Syria: Ban

A report by U.N. chemical weapons experts will likely confirm that poison gas was used in an August 21 attack on Damascus suburbs that killed hundreds of people, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.

source reuters.com

EU hopes Somalia meeting will back reconstruction plan with cash

Somalia's government and international donors will sign up to a three-year plan on Monday to rebuild the violence-torn country, backed by pledges of new funding that EU officials hope could reach more than one billion euros.

source reuters.com

Syria attacks hospitals, denies healthcare as 'weapon of war': U.N

Syrian government forces are bombing and shelling hospitals in rebel-held areas to stop sick and wounded people getting treatment, acts which constitute war crimes, U.N. investigators said on Friday.

source reuters.com

US consulate in Afghanistan rocked by multiple blasts, gunfire

The US consulate in the Afghan province of Herat was attacked resulting in ten deaths, seven of them attackers, as well as two policemen and a security guard after a car bomb explosion was followed by a gun fight between militants and security forces.

source rt.com

Russia to expand Mediterranean fleet to 10 warships – Navy chief

The Russian Navy intends to build its presence in the Mediterranean Sea - particularly in the area close to Syrian shores - to up to 10 battleships, announced Admiral of the Fleet Viktor Chirkov.

“The task is crystal clear: to avoid a slightest threat to the security of the state. This is a general practice of all fleets around the world, to be there when a tension level increases. They are all going to act on operational command plan of the offshore maritime zone,” Chirkov told journalists on Friday. "Russia will be building up its Mediterranean fleet until it is deemed sufficient to perform the task set."  

source rt.com

UK: Arms fair protesters bring circus to the East End

Protesters from the Campaign Against the Arms Trade pressure group, fresh from demonstrating against the bi-annual Defence and Security International (DSEI) exhibition, brought their picket to London's Limehouse area on Thursday. Around 50 activists blocked the entrance to the Troxy theatre, the host of a charity dinner organised by the arms fair in aid of injured soldiers.

Despite a heavy police presence, with more than 200 officers deployed in the area, there were no arrests reported.

The DSEI fair, which bills itself as the 'world leading defence event', is held every two years and brings together major defence contractors with military and police force decision makers. This year's event features over 1500 exhibitors, showing a range of products stretching from armoured vehicles to unmanned drones and riot control gear.

Al Qaeda calls for attacks inside United States

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri called for attacks inside the United States to "bleed America economically", according to the SITE monitoring service.

In an audio speech released online a day after the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 strikes, Zawahri said such attacks would weaken the U.S. economy by triggering massive spending on security, SITE reported.

source reuters.com

No talk of changing NSA spy tactics at meeting of new surveillance review panel - report

Attendees said the tech representatives -- only identified in the meeting by their companies and not their names, Meinrath said -- also expressed being disturbed by the NSA’s undermining of encryption standards around the web.

"There was one discussion about how the NSA has been involved in the global encryption community, [to] develop better standards. The NSA won't be welcomed anymore in these conversations," Atkinson said of what seemed to be a new distrust coming from the companies.

Meinrath said once the conversation seemed to steer toward talk of surveillance reform, attendees and panel members hesitated to move forward, suggesting a classified meeting.

Some Internet firms have filed legal action in efforts to share more information about the nature of their work with the US government. Meinrath said they wished to express to the public the amount of coercion involved in the spying programs. 

source rt.com