TOP NEWS
· Syria: Over 11,000 children killed - study
· Philippines: typhoon death toll feared to hit 7,000
· Sudan: peacekeeper killed in new Darfur ambush
MIDDLE EAST
Syria and region
Situation
Syrian government air strikes have killed at least 40 people in and around the city of Aleppo, activists say. In one attack, warplanes are reported to have targeted rebel positions in Aleppo itself, but missed and hit a vegetable market instead, killing 15. There are also reports that the government's reconciliation minister has survived an assassination attempt. There were several deadly airstrikes on Saturday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says. The deadliest was reported from al-Bab, north of Aleppo, where 22 people died, according to the group. (BBC)
Geneva peace talks set for January
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Syria's government and opposition will for the first time attend peace talks - in Geneva on 22 January. It would be "unforgivable not to seize this opportunity to bring an end to the suffering and destruction", he warned. (BBC)
Over 11,000 children killed in Syria - study
More than 11,000 children have been killed in Syria since the conflict there began over two and a half years ago, many of them summarily executed or targeted by snipers, a UK-based think tank said in a report published on Sunday. The Oxford Research Group study, which called on all sides in the conflict to stop targeting children, said seven out of 10 of the children killed in the war had lost their lives in shell fire, by aerial bombardment or by improvised explosive devices. One in four children had been killed by small arms fire, with almost 800 executed and almost 400 targeted by snipers. Over 100, including some of infant age, were reported to have been tortured "One of the most disturbing things about this is that the evidence shows that children being killed by bullets are being deliberately killed," said Hamit Dardagan, one of the report's co-authors. "They are not being killed in cross-fire." (Reuters)
Top UN, US, Russia Diplomats Meet to Discuss Syria
The U.N.-Arab League's Syria envoy is meeting with senior U.S. and Russian officials to explore prospects of bringing Syria's warring sides for peace talks in Geneva. Previous attempts to bring the two sides together have failed mainly because of disputes over who should represent the Syrian opposition and government, and whether Iran, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers should be at the table. Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is holding closed-door meetings Monday with Russian Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Bogdanov and Gennady Gatilov, whose country is Syria's main ally, and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. (AP)
AFRICA
Sudan
Peacekeeper killed in new Darfur ambush
Attackers killed a Rwandan peacekeeper in an ambush on a UN convoy in conflict-stricken Darfur on Sunday, the United Nations said. At least 12 UN-African Union peacekeepers have been killed in the troubled Sudanese region in the past five months. The ambush took place near Kabkayiya in North Darfur, said the UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "was deeply disturbed to learn of another attack today by unidentified armed assailants on a convoy of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)," said Nesirky. "The secretary general condemns in the strongest terms this attack on UNAMID and expects the government of Sudan to take swift action to bring the perpetrators of this and previous attacks on UNAMID to justice," Nesirky added. (AFP)
Mali
Mali vote in parliament polls
Mali has voted amid high security in parliamentary elections, the second nationwide poll since a French military intervention against Islamist militants in the north earlier this year. Correspondents reported a low turnout, with some incidents of unrest. Mali held a peaceful presidential election in August, but since then there has been a surge in violence. 8BBC)
Nigeria
Several killed in Boko Haram raid
Suspected Boko Haram Islamists have killed 12 people in a raid on a village in north-east Nigeria, police say. Police said about 30 gunmen also burnt houses and stole cars in the village of Sandiya, in Borno state. (BBC)
ASIA
Philippines
Typhoon death toll feared to hit 7,000
The number of people dead or missing after one of the world's strongest typhoons struck the Philippines climbed towards 7,000 on Saturday, as the United Nations warned much more needed to be done to help desperate survivors. The government's confirmed death toll rose to 5,235, with another 1,613 people still missing more than two weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan destroyed entire towns across a long stretch of islands in the central Philippines. (AFP)
Maoist rebels extend truce in Philippine disaster areas
Maoist rebels extended on Sunday for another month a unilateral ceasefire in areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines, ordering guerrillas to help distribute food, water and other relief supplies in coastal and mountain villages. (Reuters)
Survivors plead for more help
In the coastal city of Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas where five-metre (16-feet) waves surged deep inland and destroyed most buildings, survivors continued to complain about a lack of help. "There is no steady supply of relief goods. It comes in trickles," said Maribel Senase, 41, as she held a baby and her husband sawed wood near their shattered home. Senase, who has four children, said her family had received rice, dried fish and sardines, but they remained hungry. (AFP)
World Bank raises Philippine typhoon aid package to almost $1 bln
The World Bank said it raised to almost $1 billion its financial aid package to support relief and reconstruction in typhoon-devastated areas in the central Philippines, as the toll of death and destruction kept rising more than two weeks after the storm. The World Bank said it offered $480 million on top of a $500 million emergency loan it committed earlier to the Philippines, with the additional funds to be used for the early rebuilding of communities and crucial infrastructure such as water, rural roads, schools and clinics. (Reuters)
Indonesia
Indonesia raises Sumatra volcano alert to highest status
Indonesian officials have raised the alert for the Mount Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra to the highest level. The status was raised from "stand-by" to "caution" - the highest alert for volcanic activity - on Sunday. People have also been warned to stay at least 5km (3 miles) from the crater. Mt Sinabung has been showing signs of life since September, after being dormant for three years. Over the weekend, it shot ash and rocks far into the air, prompting the alert move. More than 15,000 villagers in the area had already been moved to temporary shelters, disaster management officials said in a statement. Airlines have also been advised not to fly near the area. (BBC)
Myanmar
EU ups food aid to Myanmar after Kachin rebel spike
The EU said Saturday it is upping mainly food aid to Myanmar after clashes between state troops and ethnic Kachin rebels which trapped children in a remote area. The European Commission said it was earmarking three million euros ($4 million) on top of 45 million in humanitarian aid awarded over the past two years. Fighting in Kachin, near the northern border with China, erupted in June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire crumbled. It has displaced some 100,000 people.The EU executive said the new funds would go essentially on food aid in Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan states. "Thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions," said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. (AFP)
Pakistan
Pakistan militants kidnap 11 teachers in polio vaccination campaign
Militants kidnapped 11 Pakistani teachers involved in a polio vaccination campaign for school children on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks on health workers trying to eradicate the deadly disease. (Reuters)
OTHER
Environment
Fraught UN talks reach climate deal consensus
UN negotiators agreed in fraught overtime talks Saturday on cornerstone issues of an ambitious, global climate pact to stave off dangerous Earth warming. While sleep-deprived delegates congratulated themselves on the outcome, which followed 36 hours of non-stop haggling at the end of a fortnight of talks, observers and climate-vulnerable nations said there was not much to be happy about. "Just in the nick of time, the negotiators in Warsaw delivered enough to keep the process moving," said climate analyst Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute. But climate economist Nicholas Stern warned that "the actions that have been agreed are simply inadequate when compared with the scale and urgency of the risks that the world faces from rising levels of greenhouse gases, and the dangers of irreversible impacts." (AFP)
EU climate chief says UN talks hinge on 2015 deal
After another U.N. climate conference gave only modest results, European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says the process needs to provide a "substantial answer" to global warming in two years to remain relevant. Even if it succeeds, it's worth reconsidering whether the international confabs need to be held every year, and whether the scope of each session should be narrower, Hedegaard told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Maybe it would be time now to think if there should be themes for the conferences so that not each conference is about everything," she said in a telephone interview. (AP)
· Syria: Over 11,000 children killed - study
· Philippines: typhoon death toll feared to hit 7,000
· Sudan: peacekeeper killed in new Darfur ambush
MIDDLE EAST
Syria and region
Situation
Syrian government air strikes have killed at least 40 people in and around the city of Aleppo, activists say. In one attack, warplanes are reported to have targeted rebel positions in Aleppo itself, but missed and hit a vegetable market instead, killing 15. There are also reports that the government's reconciliation minister has survived an assassination attempt. There were several deadly airstrikes on Saturday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says. The deadliest was reported from al-Bab, north of Aleppo, where 22 people died, according to the group. (BBC)
Geneva peace talks set for January
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Syria's government and opposition will for the first time attend peace talks - in Geneva on 22 January. It would be "unforgivable not to seize this opportunity to bring an end to the suffering and destruction", he warned. (BBC)
Over 11,000 children killed in Syria - study
More than 11,000 children have been killed in Syria since the conflict there began over two and a half years ago, many of them summarily executed or targeted by snipers, a UK-based think tank said in a report published on Sunday. The Oxford Research Group study, which called on all sides in the conflict to stop targeting children, said seven out of 10 of the children killed in the war had lost their lives in shell fire, by aerial bombardment or by improvised explosive devices. One in four children had been killed by small arms fire, with almost 800 executed and almost 400 targeted by snipers. Over 100, including some of infant age, were reported to have been tortured "One of the most disturbing things about this is that the evidence shows that children being killed by bullets are being deliberately killed," said Hamit Dardagan, one of the report's co-authors. "They are not being killed in cross-fire." (Reuters)
Top UN, US, Russia Diplomats Meet to Discuss Syria
The U.N.-Arab League's Syria envoy is meeting with senior U.S. and Russian officials to explore prospects of bringing Syria's warring sides for peace talks in Geneva. Previous attempts to bring the two sides together have failed mainly because of disputes over who should represent the Syrian opposition and government, and whether Iran, Saudi Arabia and other regional powers should be at the table. Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi is holding closed-door meetings Monday with Russian Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Bogdanov and Gennady Gatilov, whose country is Syria's main ally, and U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman. (AP)
AFRICA
Sudan
Peacekeeper killed in new Darfur ambush
Attackers killed a Rwandan peacekeeper in an ambush on a UN convoy in conflict-stricken Darfur on Sunday, the United Nations said. At least 12 UN-African Union peacekeepers have been killed in the troubled Sudanese region in the past five months. The ambush took place near Kabkayiya in North Darfur, said the UN spokesman Martin Nesirky. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon "was deeply disturbed to learn of another attack today by unidentified armed assailants on a convoy of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID)," said Nesirky. "The secretary general condemns in the strongest terms this attack on UNAMID and expects the government of Sudan to take swift action to bring the perpetrators of this and previous attacks on UNAMID to justice," Nesirky added. (AFP)
Mali
Mali vote in parliament polls
Mali has voted amid high security in parliamentary elections, the second nationwide poll since a French military intervention against Islamist militants in the north earlier this year. Correspondents reported a low turnout, with some incidents of unrest. Mali held a peaceful presidential election in August, but since then there has been a surge in violence. 8BBC)
Nigeria
Several killed in Boko Haram raid
Suspected Boko Haram Islamists have killed 12 people in a raid on a village in north-east Nigeria, police say. Police said about 30 gunmen also burnt houses and stole cars in the village of Sandiya, in Borno state. (BBC)
ASIA
Philippines
Typhoon death toll feared to hit 7,000
The number of people dead or missing after one of the world's strongest typhoons struck the Philippines climbed towards 7,000 on Saturday, as the United Nations warned much more needed to be done to help desperate survivors. The government's confirmed death toll rose to 5,235, with another 1,613 people still missing more than two weeks after Super Typhoon Haiyan destroyed entire towns across a long stretch of islands in the central Philippines. (AFP)
Maoist rebels extend truce in Philippine disaster areas
Maoist rebels extended on Sunday for another month a unilateral ceasefire in areas devastated by typhoon Haiyan in the central Philippines, ordering guerrillas to help distribute food, water and other relief supplies in coastal and mountain villages. (Reuters)
Survivors plead for more help
In the coastal city of Tacloban, one of the worst-hit areas where five-metre (16-feet) waves surged deep inland and destroyed most buildings, survivors continued to complain about a lack of help. "There is no steady supply of relief goods. It comes in trickles," said Maribel Senase, 41, as she held a baby and her husband sawed wood near their shattered home. Senase, who has four children, said her family had received rice, dried fish and sardines, but they remained hungry. (AFP)
World Bank raises Philippine typhoon aid package to almost $1 bln
The World Bank said it raised to almost $1 billion its financial aid package to support relief and reconstruction in typhoon-devastated areas in the central Philippines, as the toll of death and destruction kept rising more than two weeks after the storm. The World Bank said it offered $480 million on top of a $500 million emergency loan it committed earlier to the Philippines, with the additional funds to be used for the early rebuilding of communities and crucial infrastructure such as water, rural roads, schools and clinics. (Reuters)
Indonesia
Indonesia raises Sumatra volcano alert to highest status
Indonesian officials have raised the alert for the Mount Sinabung volcano in North Sumatra to the highest level. The status was raised from "stand-by" to "caution" - the highest alert for volcanic activity - on Sunday. People have also been warned to stay at least 5km (3 miles) from the crater. Mt Sinabung has been showing signs of life since September, after being dormant for three years. Over the weekend, it shot ash and rocks far into the air, prompting the alert move. More than 15,000 villagers in the area had already been moved to temporary shelters, disaster management officials said in a statement. Airlines have also been advised not to fly near the area. (BBC)
Myanmar
EU ups food aid to Myanmar after Kachin rebel spike
The EU said Saturday it is upping mainly food aid to Myanmar after clashes between state troops and ethnic Kachin rebels which trapped children in a remote area. The European Commission said it was earmarking three million euros ($4 million) on top of 45 million in humanitarian aid awarded over the past two years. Fighting in Kachin, near the northern border with China, erupted in June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire crumbled. It has displaced some 100,000 people.The EU executive said the new funds would go essentially on food aid in Rakhine, Kachin and Northern Shan states. "Thousands of people have lost their homes and are living in dire conditions," said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. (AFP)
Pakistan
Pakistan militants kidnap 11 teachers in polio vaccination campaign
Militants kidnapped 11 Pakistani teachers involved in a polio vaccination campaign for school children on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks on health workers trying to eradicate the deadly disease. (Reuters)
OTHER
Environment
Fraught UN talks reach climate deal consensus
UN negotiators agreed in fraught overtime talks Saturday on cornerstone issues of an ambitious, global climate pact to stave off dangerous Earth warming. While sleep-deprived delegates congratulated themselves on the outcome, which followed 36 hours of non-stop haggling at the end of a fortnight of talks, observers and climate-vulnerable nations said there was not much to be happy about. "Just in the nick of time, the negotiators in Warsaw delivered enough to keep the process moving," said climate analyst Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute. But climate economist Nicholas Stern warned that "the actions that have been agreed are simply inadequate when compared with the scale and urgency of the risks that the world faces from rising levels of greenhouse gases, and the dangers of irreversible impacts." (AFP)
EU climate chief says UN talks hinge on 2015 deal
After another U.N. climate conference gave only modest results, European Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says the process needs to provide a "substantial answer" to global warming in two years to remain relevant. Even if it succeeds, it's worth reconsidering whether the international confabs need to be held every year, and whether the scope of each session should be narrower, Hedegaard told The Associated Press on Sunday. "Maybe it would be time now to think if there should be themes for the conferences so that not each conference is about everything," she said in a telephone interview. (AP)