Conservatives publish EU referendum bill

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In EU

The Conservatives have published a parliamentary bill setting terms for a referendum on whether the UK should leave the European Union, in the hope of reassuring the party's MPs.

Many Tories are unhappy plans for an "in-out" vote were not mentioned in the Queen's Speech, and will try to amend it in a Commons debate on Wednesday.

But the draft bill says it "must be held" before the end of 2017.

David Cameron's spokesman said this offered a "clear route" towards change.

H&M and Zara to sign Bangladesh safety accord

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In bangladesh

European retailers, including Hennes & Mauritz and Inditex which owns Zara, have said they will sign an accord to improve safety conditions in factories in Bangladesh.

The move comes three weeks after a garment factory building collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people.

Hundreds of factories were forced to close due to recurrent worker unrest sparked by the disaster, officials say.

The government has since announced steps aimed at improving conditions.

That includes raising the minimum wage for industry workers and making it easier for them to form unions.

Factory closures

G8 summit: Road works in NI to stop for 11 days

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In G8

Construction work on many of Northern Ireland's main roads is to be stopped for 11 days next month because of the G8 conference summit in Fermanagh.

According to a Roads Service memo, a moratorium has been placed on road and street works.

Roads Service has told some utility companies that no work can take place on motorways and main trunk roads.

The Department for Regional Development (DRD) said the move followed a request from the police.

Libya deadly car bomb near Benghazi hospital

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In Bomb

A car bomb explosion near a hospital in the Libyan city of Benghazi has killed several people, officials say.

The death toll is unclear. Local officials initially said nine people had been killed. A hospital spokesman later said three bodies had been found.

The blast follows a string of bombings in the eastern city in recent days.

Security remains precarious in Libya since the uprising against long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, with protests by militias and attacks by Islamists.

'Totally destroyed'

Georgian soldiers killed in Afghanistan attack

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In Afghanistan

Three Georgian soldiers serving with the Nato-led force in Afghanistan have been killed in an insurgent attack on a base in the south of the country.

Defence Minister Irakli Alasania told Georgian TV the servicemen had been killed when a suicide bomber drove a lorry carrying explosives into their base in Helmand province.

In all, 22 Georgian troops have been killed in Afghanistan since 2009.

Although not a member of Nato, Georgia has taken part in several missions.

With 1,570 soldiers serving in Helmand province, it has the biggest non-Nato contingent in Afghanistan.

Outrage at Syrian rebel seen eating soldier's heart

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A video which appears to show a Syrian rebel taking a bite from the heart of a dead soldier has been widely condemned.

US-based Human Rights Watch identified the rebel as Abu Sakkar, a well-known insurgent from the city of Homs, and said his actions were a war crime.

The main Syrian opposition coalition said he would be put on trial.

The video, which cannot be independently authenticated, seems to show him cutting out the heart.

Rohingya boats sink off west Burma - many missing

May 15, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In Burma

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.

US soldier guilty of murdering five at Iraq stress-clinic

May 14, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In Iraq

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.

Death Toll Passes 700 in Bangladesh Factory Collapse

May 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In bangladesh

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.

North Korea Removes Missiles From Launch Site

May 8, 2013 / By Armoured Cars / In North Korea

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.