QUESTIONS BANK: July 2017

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

ANNAPURNA MOUNTAIN RANGE NEPAL

ANNAPURNA MOUNTAIN RANGE
NEPAL

26 Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban attack on Kandahar base

26 Afghan soldiers killed in Taliban attack on Kandahar base

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 26, 2017 (AFP) - At least 26 Afghan soldiers have been killed in a Taliban attack on a military base in southern Kandahar province, the defence ministry said Wednesday, the latest blow to the country's struggling security forces.

The Afghan air force said it carried out strikes backing up soldiers on the ground during the hours-long attack on the base, which began late Tuesday and ended in the early hours of Wednesday.

At least 13 soldiers were also wounded in the attack, MOD spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said. The Afghan forces "bravely resisted", he added, killing more than 80 insurgents.

The camp was located in the remote Karzali area of Khakrez district, near the border with restive Helmand, where the Taliban hold vast swathes of territory.

"We conducted multiple airstrikes killing dozens of them. Our helicopters transported wounded soldiers to hospitals in Kandahar," said General Raziq Shirzai, the provincial air force commander.

One senior army source said up to 12 soldiers are still missing following the assault, which he described as a "very heavy attack".

The insurgents stole guns and vehicles as they retreated, he said.

Residents described hearing the airstrikes, and said the attack was launched by a 30-strong convoy carrying "hundreds" of Taliban who assaulted the base from multiple directions.

The insurgents claimed the attack via their Twitter account.

The resurgent Taliban have been ramping up their campaign against beleaguered government forces, underscoring rising insecurity in the war-torn country during the summer fighting season when the warmer weather tends to spur an increase in militant attacks.

- 'Shockingly high' casualties -

Afghan security forces -- beset by a high death toll, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll -- have been struggling to beat back the insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

Casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.

The insurgents have carried out more complex attacks against security forces in 2017, with SIGAR describing troop casualties in the early part of the year as "shockingly high".

In April at least 135 soldiers are believed to have been killed on a base outside the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, one of the deadliest ever Taliban attacks on a military installation. Some sources put the toll as high as 200.

Meanwhile in early March gunmen disguised as doctors stormed the Sardar Daud Khan hospital -- the country's largest military hospital -- in Kabul, killing dozens.

The Taliban have a heavy presence in poppy-growing Kandahar province and have launched repeated attacks on security forces there, including multiple assaults on military bases in May which killed dozens of soldiers.

A recent UN report described Kandahar, which lies on the border with Pakistan, as also one of the most dangerous places in the country for civilians.

More than 70 villagers were kidnapped by the Taliban over the weekend, officials said. Seven were found dead and some 30 returned, while Afghan police have launched a search and rescue operation for the remainder of the missing.

Afghan forces now control 59.7 percent of the country, up from 57.2 percent the previous quarter, according to SIGAR.

But the Taliban and other insurgent groups have also seen their areas of control or influence increase slightly from about 10 percent to 11.1 percent.

10 kidnapped on Nigeria oil exploration mission

10 kidnapped on Nigeria oil exploration mission

KANO, Nigeria, July 26, 2017 (AFP) - Gunmen believed to be Boko Haram Islamists have kidnapped 10 members of an oil exploration team in northeast Nigeria, colleagues and the state-run oil firm said on Wednesday.

The abduction of the high-profile targets is the latest in the restive region, which security experts said was a clear sign the jihadists are cash-strapped and needed money.

Ndu Ughamadu, of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, said the team had been contracted to carry out research work on oil exploration activities in the Lake Chad basin.

"About 10 staff from the survey and geological department of the University of Maiduguri were abducted on Tuesday," he told AFP.

"They were kidnapped around Jibi village in Borno state after a gun duel between the security agents accompanying them and suspected Boko Haram fighters."

Efforts were under way to track down the captors before a possible rescue operation. Jibi village is in the Magumeri area of Borno, northwest of the state capital, Maiduguri.

University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) spokesman Danjuma Gambo confirmed the abduction and said the institution was awaiting further details from security operatives.

"There is no denying the fact that this incident happened, involving our staff, NNPC workers and security escorts from the military and the (civilian militia)," he added.

"Our staff who were recruited as consultants were on the team that was ambushed."

There was no official comment from the military or police.

But a humanitarian worker in the Magumeri area said there were about 30 people in the exploration team, including the university staff, armed soldiers and the militia.

"Unknown to them, Boko Haram had lain in wait and dug holes, pits and trenches," he said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

"Some of the vehicles fell into the holes and immediately Boko Haram started shooting heavily at the trapped vehicles. The escort fought back but they were overpowered."

The aid worker said four of the 30 had made it to Magumeri and three had gunshot wounds. Some survivors had managed to flee but it was unclear how many, he added.

Another member of staff at UNIMAID, who asked not to be named, said the oil prospecting team had been working in Magumeri for the last month.

"It was clear Boko Haram studied their movements before attacking them," he said.

- 'All about money' -

Oil production has been concentrated in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region since it was first found in commercial quantities in 1956.

But repeated attacks by militants wanting a fairer share of profits for local people has hit production, cutting government revenues.

Exploration has been started in inland basins ranging from central Benue state to Boko Haram's heartland in northeast.

But insecurity caused by the jihadists' insurgency over the last eight years has disrupted work and the latest kidnapping underlines the continued threat.

Boko Haram has used kidnapping as a weapon of war in the conflict. Thousands of women and girls have been seized, and men and boys have been made to fight in the Islamist ranks.

Recent kidnappings of more high-profile targets appear to have a financial motivation.

On June 20, armed gunmen abducted 10 women, said to be civil servants, after an attack on a convoy of vehicles travelling towards the town of Damboa from Maiduguri.

In May, Britain and the United States updated security advice for their nationals in northeast Nigeria, warning that Boko Haram was "actively planning" to kidnap foreign workers.

A security source in northeast Nigeria said the kidnapping on the Damboa road last month was "all about money", as Boko Haram was "in a serious cash squeeze".

"They are looking for money and want to force the government to dole out ransom," the source added.

"They've tried with the 10 women hostages but the government hasn't played ball.

"Now they are trying with the prospectors since foreign hostages are hard to come by in the area."

Saturday, July 15, 2017

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE

13- France aims to be 'facilitator' in Gulf crisis talks

DOHA, July 15 : (AFP) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in Doha on Saturday that Paris wants to assist Kuwait-led mediation on the crisis between Qatar and four other Arab states.

"France should be a facilitator in the mediation" led by Kuwait, Le Drian told reporters following talks with his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.

Le Drian flew in to Qatar at the start of a Gulf tour aimed at helping defuse the crisis pitting Qatar against Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt.

"France is very concerned by the sudden deterioration in relations between Qatar and many of its neighbours," said Le Drian, who also met with the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

"France is talking to all these countries to help in the search for a solution," he said, calling for "dialogue and calm" between the Arab states concerned.

Le Drian is to travel on to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE, following a four-day mediation mission by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that ended on Thursday without any announcement of progress towards defusing mounting tensions in the Gulf.

Qatar's foreign minister welcomed France's support for mediation aimed at finding a solution "based on constructive dialogue... and respect of state sovereignty and international law".

"We look forward to France's support of the Kuwaiti mediation and American efforts," he said.

Riyadh and its allies imposed sanctions on Doha on June 5, including closing its only land border, denying Qatar access to their airspace and ordering their citizens back from the emirate.

They accuse Doha of supporting extremism and being too close to their arch-rival Iran.

Le Drian said France counted on "reinforcing cooperation with Qatar in the fight against terrorism, particularly in combatting terrorism financing".

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His Qatari host said the fight against terrorism needed collective efforts and "cannot be shouldered by one state".

"Combatting terrorism also cannot be through practising political and intellectual terrorism against a state," Sheikh Mohammed said, in reference to measures taken against Doha by its neighbours.

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14- Turkey marks year since 'epic' defeat of anti-Erdogan coup

ISTANBUL, July 15 : (AFP) - Turkey on Saturday marked one year since the defeat of the coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking to showcase national unity and his grip on power in an increasingly polarised society.

The authorities have declared July 15 an annual national holiday of "democracy and unity", billing the foiling of the putsch as a historic victory of Turkish democracy.

"It's one year since the darkest night was turned into an epic," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a special session of parliament that kicked off a day of celebrations set to last until dawn.

He said the night of July 15 was a "second War of Independence" after the war that led to the creation of the modern Turkish state in the ruins of the Ottoman Empire in 1923.

Two hundred and forty nine people, not including the plotters, were killed when a disgruntled faction in the army sent tanks into the streets and war planes into the sky in a bid to overthrow Erdogan after one-and-a-half decades in power.

But they were thwarted within hours as the authorities regrouped and people poured into the streets in support of Erdogan, who blamed followers of his ally turned nemesis, the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

The authorities embarked on the biggest purge in Turkey's history, arresting 50,000 people and sacking over 100,000 more. Erdogan also shored up his position by winning a referendum on enhancing his powers earlier this year.

In the latest dismissals ordered just hours before the commemorations were due to begin, another 7,563 police, soldiers and other state employees were fired under the state of emergency that has been in place since July 20 last year.

'Outside the law'

The scale of the purge has intensified political divisions in Turkey, with the opposition accusing the authorities of seeking to silence anyone who dares criticise Erdogan.

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The celebrations come less than a week after the head of the Republican People's Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu held the largest opposition rally in Turkey in years, pushing for "justice" in the country.

Turkey's opposition put political disputes aside on the night of the attempted coup. But this has frayed since the April 16 referendum that Erdogan narrowly won.

"Over the last year, the judicial proceedings... moved outside the framework of the law," Kilicdaroglu told the parliament.

He also called for full clarity over what happened on the night of July 15, with questions still remaining over when the authorities first found out an uprising was afoot.

"The details need to be made clear in the name of the martyrs and the heroes," he said, accusing the authorities of "hindering" efforts to find out the truth.

Erdogan, who was present at the session but was not scheduled to speak, gazed down stonily from the VIP balcony.

The coup bid also frayed ties between the United States and European Union with NATO member Turkey, which accused its allies of failing to show solidarity.

Gulen has always denied involvement in the coup bid and in a new statement Friday said the accusations were "baseless, politically motivated slanders" and slammed a "witch hunt" of Erdogan's critics.

'Epic of July 15'

The scale of Saturday's nationwide commemorations is aimed at etching July 15, 2016 into the minds of Turks as a key date in the history of the modern state.

Giant posters designed by the presidency have sprung up across billboards in Istanbul showing gaudy paintings that portray the key events of the coup night, including the surrender of the putschist soldiers.

"The epic of July 15," says the slogan. However some have criticised the posters for belittling the Turkish army.

Public transport is free in Istanbul over the weekend while mobile operator Turkcell has sent text messages to clients promising them a free extra gigabyte of data from July 15.

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Meanwhile, illuminated anti-coup slogans have been hung between the minarets of some of Istanbul's greatest Ottoman mosques.

Erdogan, at the centre of the events, will later take part in a people's march on the Istanbul bridge across the Bosphorus that saw bloody fighting a year ago.

The bridge has since been renamed Bridge of the Martyrs of July 15.

At midnight local time (2100 GMT) people across Turkey will take part in "democracy watches", rallies commemorating how people poured out into the streets.

Erdogan will return to Ankara and at 2300 GMT give a speech in parliament to mark the time it was bombed.

A monument to those killed will then be unveiled outside his palace in the capital as the dawn call to prayer rings out.

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15- Death toll in ongoing Marawi conflict rises to 537, says Philippine military

MANILA, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Saturday that the death toll in the ongoing conflict in the southern city of Marawi has reached 537, including 93 soldiers and policemen.

AFP spokesman Restituto Padilla said that as of 7 p.m. local time Friday, the military has also recorded deaths of at least 399 Islamic militants and 45 civilians. The death toll is expected to rise as the fighting to retake rebel-controlled areas within the city continues, he said.

Fighting broke out in the Philippines' only Islamic city on May 23 when militants allied with Islamic State (IS) attacked a hospital, a school and government buildings in a failed attempt to control the city.

The military said the attack was part of the militants' big plan to establish an IS caliphate in the southern Philippines, home to Filipino Muslims and several groups of Muslim insurgents that have plagued the country for decades.

The militants laid the siege while President Rodrigo Duterte and all his security officials were on an official visit to Russia. Duterte and his defense chief Delfin Lorenzana have admitted that the government has underestimated the capability of the armed insurgents that spearheaded the attack.

The military said foreign IS fighters based in Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, and the Middle East like Syria have helped in planning and executing the attack.

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Marawi City's more than 200,000 residents have fled the fierce fighting and military airstrikes that have damaged or destroyed several buildings and houses. Most of the evacuees, including women and children, are now housed in different evacuation centers in Iligan City and nearby areas.

The military is still conducting clearing operations to retake the city from about 100 militants who are still hiding inside some buildings and mosques in some parts of the city.

Duterte has placed the entire Mindanao Island under 60-day martial rule in the wake of the deadly attack. The AFP is currently studying whether to extend or lift the martial law, Padilla said, adding the final assessment report and recommendation will be submitted to Duterte this coming week before the martial law declaration expires on July 22.

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16- 77 Afghan insurgents killed in 24 hours: defense ministry

Kabul, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- Up to 77 militants have been killed and 27 others wounded during series of operations across the insurgency-plagued Afghanistan over the past 24 hours, the country's defense ministry said in a statement released on Saturday.

"Afghan troops backed by aircrafts launched series of operations in different provinces over the past 24 hours, as a result, 77 militants including 17 Islamic States (IS) fighters have been killed, 27 injured and seven others arrested," the statement said.

The operations that covered parts of Nangarhar, Kunar, Nuristan, Kapisa, Paktika, Khost, Logar, Kandahar, Zabul, Oruzgan, Kunduz, Faryab, Takhar and Helmand provinces during which weapon caches have also been discovered.

Similarly, Taliban militants attacked an Afghan army checkpoint in Ab Kamary district of the western Badghis province early Saturday and captured eight soldiers, provincial governor Mohammad Anwar Eshaqzai confirmed.

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17- Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo's ashes scattered in the sea: brother

SHENYANG, China, July 15 : (AFP) - The ashes of late Chinese Nobel laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo were scattered in the sea on Saturday, his brother said, hours after his body was cremated.

His older brother, Liu Xiaoguang, made the announcement at a news conference organised by the authorities, which have tightly controlled access to the family of the prominent government opponent, who died of liver cancer while in custody on Thursday.

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18- Trump appeals weakened travel ban ruling

WASHINGTON, July 15 : (AFP) - The US Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to block a federal judge's ruling that exempted grandparents of people living in the United States from President Donald Trump's travel ban.

In a filing on Friday, the Trump administration asked the nine Supreme Court justices to overturn Thursday's decision by a federal judge in Hawaii that placed limits on the measure temporarily barring refugees and other travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries.

Trump's March 6 executive order bars visitors from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for 90 days, and refugees for 120 days. The administration insists it is necessary to keep violent extremists out of the country.

After a series of judicial roadblocks in the lower courts, the administration scored a partial victory in June, when the Supreme Court ruled that it could proceed with the ban, though people with a "bona fide relationship" to a US person or entity were exempt.

The ruling, which capped months of legal wrangling, left unclear the question of just who had such a "credible claim."

The Trump administration provided a list defining the category as including parents, spouses, children, sons- and daughters-in-law, siblings and step- or half-siblings.

But federal Judge Derrick Watson in Hawaii ruled that the administration's criteria unfairly excluded grandparents and grandchildren, expanding the list of "bona fide" relatives to include them, along with brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins of people in the United States.

Watson's "interpretation empties the (Supreme) Court's decision of meaning, as it encompasses not just 'close' family members, but virtually all family members," Acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall said in the administration's filing. However, arguing -- before a panel of justices aged 49 to 84 -- that grandparents and grandchildren are not "close" relatives may be an uphill battle.

And it was unclear how quickly the Supreme Court -- now in summer recess but able to act on emergency motions -- might respond, and when or if the expanded terms set by the Hawaii judge might take effect. If they do, thousands of potential travelers could be affected.

- 'Antithesis of common sense' -

In his ruling, Watson said the government's distinction of what constitutes "close" family was "the antithesis of common sense."

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The judge also ruled that the government could not exclude refugees who have assurances of a placement by a resettlement agency in the United States.

But the Justice Department said in its filing with the Supreme Court that Watson's decision as concerns refugees would render the related portion of the high court's decision "effectively meaningless."

The original ban, announced days after Trump became president on January 20, was successfully challenged in lower courts on the grounds that it overstepped Trump's presidential authority and discriminated against Muslims in violation of the US constitution. A revised version also did not pass legal muster.

Judges in lower courts had cited Trump's repeated statements during the presidential campaign that he intended to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

Oral arguments are due to take place after the court returns for a new session in October over whether the ban violates the US Constitution.

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19- Raul Castro warns of "a setback" in US-Cuba relations

HAVANA, July 15 : (AFP) - Cuban President Raul Castro on Friday said that Donald Trump's hardline stance towards the country marks "a setback" in relations with the United States after ties were gradually restored in 2015.

"The announcements made by the current president... mean a setback in bilateral relations," Castro said in remarks, broadcast on state television, at the closing of the first session of Cuba's Parliament.

Castro criticized Trump's partial rollback of his predecessor Barack Obama's rapprochement with the communist island in comments made less than a week before the second anniversary of Havana embassy's reopening in Washington on July 20.

The remarks came after Trump in June -- standing before a crowd of anti-Castro activists in Miami's Little Havana -- announced tightened rules for Americans traveling to Cuba, banned ties with a military-run tourism firm and reaffirmed the existing US trade embargo.

Castro called the new measures a toughening of the US embargo against the island, imposed since 1962, saying they evoked "an old and hostile rhetoric that characterized the Cold War."

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE

01- Truck-bus collision kills 10 in S. India

NEW DELHI, July 15 : (Xinhua) --At least 10 people were killed and 23 others injured when a passenger bus collided with a steel laden truck in southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, police said Saturday.The accident took place on an overbridge in Vallam town in Thanjavur district, 373 km south of Chennai, thecapital city of Tamil Nadu.

"Last evening a truck collied with passenger bus in Thanjavur killing 10 people and injuring 23 others," a police official said, "The steel rods pierced some of the bus passengers." The state-run passenger bus was carrying around 60 local passengers on an inter-district route.

The deceased include eight passengers and drivers of the two ill-fated vehicles. "The injured people have been admitted to Thanjavur medical college hospital," health officials said.Police said they were ascertaining the cause of the accident.

"We are trying to ascertain the actual cause of the accident but preliminary investigations point out at over speeding," police said.

The local government has expressed grief over the accident and announced a monetary relief for killed and injured in the mishap.Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

India's ministry of road transport in 2015 said 146,133 people were killed and 500,279 others injured in 501,423 road accidents across the country.Global Road Safety Report 2015 released by WHO last year however said India accounts for more than 200,000 deaths annually due to road accidents. Enditem

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02- Families, friends bid farewell to Liu Xiaobo

SHENYANG, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- Family members and friends of Liu Xiaobo on Saturday bid him farewell in northeast China's Shenyang city, according to a press conference held by the information office of Shenyang.

Liu's body was cremated Saturday morning in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs. Prior to the cremation, a simple ceremony was held with the attendance of Liu's wife Liu Xia and his friends.

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03- Turkey dismisses over 7,000 police, soldiers, ministry officials: report

A total of 7,563 people -- including police -- have been dismissed in the latest purge, the Anadolu news agency reported.Turkish authorities also stripped 342 retired army personnel of their rank, Anadolu said.

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Earlier, Hurriyet daily reported that 7,348 people including 2,303 police -- were dismissed in total.The new decree came a day before Turkey marks the first anniversary of a military-led bid to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey blamed the failed putsch on US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who denies the accusations, and vowed to root out his "virus" from state institutions.Since then some 50,000 people have been arrested and over 100,000 fired or suspended from their jobs.

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04- Leader of Afghan IS branch killed in US raid: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, July 15 : (AFP) - US forces have killed the leader of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan branch in a raid in the northeastern province of Kunar, the Pentagon said Friday.

"US forces killed Abu Sayed, the emir of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria -- Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) -- in a strike on the group's headquarters in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, July 11," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement."The raid also killed other ISIS-K members and will significantly disrupt the terror group's plans to expand its presence in Afghanistan."

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05- Gulen blasts 'despicable' 2016 Turkey coup bid, subsequent 'witch hunt'

WASHINGTON, July 15 : (AFP) - US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, the man blamed by Turkey for a failed coup attempt a year ago, on Friday again denied any involvement in what he called a "despicable putsch," and called on Ankara to end its "witch hunt" of his followers.

"Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless, politically motivated slanders," Gulen, who lives at a compound in rural Pennsylvania, said in a statement.

"I reiterate my condemnation of the despicable putsch and its perpetrators," he said, while decrying a government "witch hunt to weed out anyone it deems disloyal to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his regime."

Gulen's statement came a day before Turkey marks the first anniversary of a military-led bid to seize power from Erdogan.Some 50,000 people have been arrested and over 100,000 fired or suspended from their jobs as Erdogan seeks to clean house.

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06- Chinese Confucius museum to house over 700,000 relics

JINAN, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- A Confucius museum under construction in the hometown of the ancient Chinese educator will be home to more than 700,000 relics, including well-known Confucius family documents, sources with the museum said Saturday.

A display plan of the museum, which is expected to open in the second half of 2018, was finalized following a meeting in Qufu City of Shandong Province earlier this month, following eight years of discussion.The major museum complex in Qufu consists of a 11,000-square-meter display area, 7,000 square meters of warehouses and a 1,000-square-meter cultural heritage restoration center, according to deputy curator Yang Jinquan.

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The items to be displayed on rotation include more than 300,000 documents of the Confucius family from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) to 1948, which contain details of the family history during feudal times.In addition, there will be more than 40,000 books dating back as early as the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and over 8,000 pieces of clothing and accessories from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Confucius (551-479 BC), an educator and philosopher, founded Confucianism, a school of thought that deeply influenced later Chinese generations. He was also the first Chinese person to set up private schools and enroll students from all walks of life. Enditem

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07- Iraq celebrates victory over IS militants with military parade in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- Iraq's military on Saturday paraded in Baghdad Green Zone to celebrate the landmark victory over the Islamic State (IS) group in Mosul, the Iraqi government said.

The parade was held in early morning at the Celebrations Square in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the main government offices and foreign embassies, a brief statement by the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on its website.

The parade was attended by Abadi, who is the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, and top officers from the ministries of defense and interior, as well as leaders of the government-backed paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units, the statement said.

According to a security source, the parade was held in the morning hours to avoid the scorching weather of Iraq's summer as temperatures could reach to 50 degrees Celsius at midday.

Most of the local and international media were not invited to cover the parade for security reasons, the source anonymously told Xinhua.This came after Abadi on July 10 formally declared Mosul liberated from IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq. Enditem

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08- Libya's oil revenues unable to cover salaries for 2017: central bank

TRIPOLI, July 15 : (Xinhua) -- Libya's central bank predicted Thursday that this year's oil and gas revenues will not cover the salaries of government employees.

"The total income expected from oil and gas exports in 2017 is 16.6 billion dinars (11.9 billion USD). However, this sum does not cover the salaries for the year 2017, estimated at 21 billion dinars (15.1 billion USD)," the bank stated.

The bank says it is cooperating with a number of government bodies and experts "to develop a comprehensive economic reform program for financial, trade and monetary policies," according to the statement.Libya has been suffering a financial and economic crisis for years due to a reduction of oil revenues since the closure of major oil ports by armed militias.

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The militias have now been expelled and current oil production has been increased to one million barrels per day since military commander Khalifa Haftar's forces took over the oil ports last year. Enditem

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09- Families, friends bid farewell to Liu Xiaobo

Liu, convicted of subversion of state power in 2009, died of multiple organ failure due to liver cancer Thursday after medical treatment failed, according to the justice bureau of Shenyang city, Liaoning Province. He was 61. Liu's body was cremated Saturday morning in accordance with the will of his family members and local customs. Prior to the cremation, a simple ceremony was held with the attendance of Liu's wife Liu Xia and his friends. Enditem

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10- Turkey dismisses over 7,000 police, soldiers, ministry officials: report

ISTANBUL, July 15 : (AFP) - Turkey dismissed more than 7,000 police, soldiers and ministry officials under a new decree published Friday under a state of emergency imposed after last year's failed coup, state media reported.A total of 7,563 people -- including police -- have been dismissed in the latest purge, the Anadolu news agency reported.

Turkish authorities also stripped 342 retired army personnel of their rank, Anadolu said. Earlier, Hurriyet daily reported that 7,348 people including 2,303 police -- were dismissed in total.The new decree came a day before Turkey marks the first anniversary of a military-led bid to seize power from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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11- Leader of Afghan IS branch killed in US raid: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, July 15 : (AFP) - US forces have killed the leader of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan branch in a raid in the northeastern province of Kunar, the Pentagon said Friday.

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12- Gulen blasts 'despicable' 2016 Turkey coup bid, subsequent 'witch hunt'

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"Accusations against me related to the coup attempt are baseless, politically motivated slanders," Gulen, who lives at a compound in rural Pennsylvania, said in a statement.