settlements
AFP, Jerusalem
Israel is considering authorising wildcat settlement outposts in the West Bank near a village where a firebombing killed an 18-month-old Palestinian boy and his parents, court documents showed Thursday.
The government confirmed it was considering the authorisation in a court document first made public by rights group Yesh Din, which has been involved in legal action against one of the outposts.
India rejects Pakistan peace plan
Reuters, Washington
India on Thursday rejected a four-point peace plan for Kashmir proposed by Pakistan but said talks among officials of both countries on terrorism that collapsed in August should be revived.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced his proposal at the annual United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, saying the two nuclear-armed countries should formalise a ceasefire in Kashmir and take steps to demilitarise the divided region.
Spain’s election set for Dec 20
AFP, Madrid
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Thursday announced that Spain’s forthcoming general election will be held on December 20.
Rajoy, who announced the date in an interview with Antena 3 television, enjoys an absolute majority in parliament with his conservative Popular Party, but opinion polls suggest support for the opposition Socialist Party is running close behind.
Russian, Ukrainian leaders to hold talks in Paris
AP, Paris
Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet leaders of Ukraine, France and Germany in a revived European push to bring peace to eastern Ukraine.
The long-awaited summit in Paris on Friday is being overshadowed by international concerns about Russia’s military intervention in Syria this week.
N Korea calls for peace treaty
AFP, United Nations
North Korea’s foreign minister told the United Nations on Thursday that a peace treaty was urgently needed to prevent a repeat of the military standoff that rattled Asia two months ago.
Tensions soared on the Korean peninsula in August following a rare exchange of cross-border fire that also saw North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un put his frontline troops on war-footing.
US carrier arrives in Japan
AP, Yokosuka
The American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan docked at its new home in Japan’s Yokosuka naval port Thursday just as Tokyo tries to deepen defense ties with the U.S. under new security laws that expand the role of Japan’s military.
The warship’s arrival received a warm welcome from Japanese officials because of its role in disaster relief after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster as part of the U.S. government’s “tomodachi,” or friends, project.
