Security News

Rohingya boats sink off west Burma – many missing

mai 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 50 Rohingya Muslims are feared drowned after their boats capsized off western Burma, officials say.

The boats, said to be carrying about 100 passengers, were evacuating people ahead of powerful Cyclone Mahasen.

The vessels sank off Pauktaw township in Rakhine state late on Monday. More than 40 survivors have been found and eight bodies recovered.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims are living in temporary camps in Rakhine after violence last year.

The UN had called for an urgent evacuation ahead of the storm, warning that many areas where displaced people are now living are in low-lying coastal areas at risk of flooding or tidal surges.

US soldier guilty of murdering five at Iraq stress-clinic

mai 14, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A US military judge has found a US soldier guilty of the premeditated murder of five fellow servicemen in Iraq in 2009.

Sgt John Russell pleaded guilty to the killings last month in a deal to be spared the death penalty.

Russell, 48, killed two medical staff officers and three soldiers at a combat stress clinic at Camp Liberty, Baghdad.

He had been referred to the clinic by his superiors and his weapon had been taken away a week before the attack.

Russell, a 14-year-veteran, now faces the sentencing phase of his court martial, where a judge will determine whether he will spend the rest of his life in prison or have the possibility of release one day.

Death Toll Passes 700 in Bangladesh Factory Collapse

mai 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The death toll from the collapse of an eight-storey factory building near the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, has passed 700, officials say.

The announcement came after workers pulled dozens more bodies from the rubble. Many people are still missing.

Several people, including the building’s owner, have been arrested.

The collapse of the Rana Plaza on 24 April stands as Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster. It sparked outrage among workers in the country.

The previous most deadly structural failure in modern times – excluding the 9/11 terror attacks in New York – was the Sampoong department store in Seoul, South Korea, in 1995, in which 502 people died.

North Korea Removes Missiles From Launch Site

mai 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

North Korea has removed two medium-range missiles from a coastal launch site, indicating a lowering of tension on the peninsula, a US official said.

Pyongyang was believed to be preparing for a launch last month, having threatened attacks in the region.

The threats followed tough new UN sanctions imposed on North Korea in March after its third nuclear test.

North Korea has been angered by wide-ranging annual US-South Korea military drills, which ended a week ago.

The news that the missiles had been removed from the site on the east coast came on the eve of a summit in Washington between the US and South Korean presidents.

Democratic Republic of Congo toughest place for mothers

mai 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The Democratic Republic of Congo is the world’s toughest place to raise children, Save the Children reports.

Finland was named the best place to be a mother, with Sweden and Norway following in second and third places.

The charity compared factors such as maternal health, child mortality, education and income in 176 countries.

In India, over 300,000 babies die within 24 hours of being born, accounting for 29% of all newborn deaths worldwide, the report says.

The 10 bottom-ranked countries were all from sub-Saharan Africa, with one woman in 30 dying from pregnancy-related causes on average and one child in seven dying before his or her fifth birthday.