NEWS OF THE DAY
1_ Syria fighting: Troops shelled a village in a rebel-controlled area near Damascus on Sunday, killing at least 12 civilians and injuring several others who were taking shelter in a banquet hall. Recent violence in the water-rich Barada Valley has tested the country’s fragile cease-fire and restricted the flow of water to the capital. On Sunday, shells fell on Deir Qanoun village. The activist-operated Wadi Barada Media Center said 12 were killed and more than 20 were injured. In recent days, government and allied troops have been advancing in the valley despite talks to stem the violence.
2_ Iraq battle: U.S.-backed government troops fully liberated the sprawling complex of Mosul University on Sunday, an Iraqi military spokesman said, a major step in the huge operation to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul. Iraqi forces had entered the university grounds Friday and managed to secure more than half of the campus the next day amid tough resistance from militants. The Islamic State group captured Mosul in 2014 along with almost a third of Iraqi territory and large parts of neighboring Syria. Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, is the last major Islamic State urban bastion in the country.
3_ Asia relations: Japan and Indonesia affirmed a deepening of economic and political ties Sunday during a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is using a fournation tour of Asia to underscore his government’s role in countering China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea. After meeting with Abe in the city of Bogor, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said the increase in Japanese investment in Indonesia has been “very significant,” doubling to $4.5 billion in January-September of last year. Abe’s tour has included two of America’s main allies in the region, Australia and the Philippines. After Indonesia, Abe will visit Vietnam.
4_ Serbia warning: Fueling tensions in the Balkans, Serbia warned Kosovo on Sunday that it will defend “every inch of its territory,” including its former province where Serbs allegedly are under threat from Kosovo Albanians. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic issued the warning after a Serbian train, bearing signs reading “Kosovo is Serbian,” was halted Saturday before it entered Kosovo due to reports of a planned attack by ethnic Albanians. Nikolic accused the Kosovo Albanians of “wanting war.” Kosovo leaders viewed the train as a provocation and a threat to the sovereignty of the former Serbian province. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia and its ally Russia do not recognize the split. Serbia has sought to maintain influence in Kosovo’s north.
5_ India stampede: At least six people were killed in a stampede during a Hindu religious festival Sunday in eastern India, officials said. The stampede took place as hundreds of thousands of people had assembled on the banks of the Buriganga river in West Bengal state about 75 miles south of Kolkata. Six women were killed and seven other people were injured.
6_ Turkey crackdown: Nine Turkish colonels were detained Sunday in northern Cyprus as part of the investigation into the movement allegedly responsible for a failed coup in July, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Ankara accuses the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen of masterminding the violent coup attempt and has launched a sweeping purge of his followers, arresting 41,000 people and ousting more than 100,000 from government jobs. Gulen denies the claims.
Chronicle News Services