Terror attacks that killed 55 in Syria condemned
NEW YORK - The UN Security Council has "condemned in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks" that ripped through the Syrian capital Thursday, killing 55 people and leaving trails of death and destruction on the streets.
The 15-member council urged all warring sides in Syria to "immediately and comprehensively" implement the peace plan for Syria brokered by special Arab and UN envoy Kofi Annan on Syrian crisis.
"The Secretary-General (Ban Ki-moon) reiterates his urgent call on all sides to fully comply with their obligations to cease armed violence in all its forms, and to protect civilians, as well as to distance themselves from indiscriminate bombings and other terrorist acts," a UN spokesperson.
The US State Department joined the UN in condemning the attack and said indiscriminate killing could not be justified.
The suicide car bombings the deadliest terror attack in Syria since the country's uprising began in March 2011 has been blamed by the government on "foreign-backed terrorists".
The Syrian interior ministry said the attackers used two cars "loaded with more than 1,000 kg of explosives and driven by suicide bombers".
The explosions damaged a 10-storey military intelligence building involved in the crackdown on the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Syria's ambassador to the UN Bashar Ja'afari alleged that Arab and other foreign powers were supplying and supporting armed groups in his country and urged the UN to take steps to stop such activities.
Violence has continued unabated across Syria even as the government and rebels were to observe a ceasefire monitored by a UN team.
The UN says Syrian forces have killed more than 9,000 people in their crackdown on the protests. Syrian authorities however allege that foreign-backed Islamist militants have killed 2,600 soldiers and police since March 2011.
Comments
More Taiwan's News
RSS-
Taiwan seeks joint probe
: Taiwan on Sunday repeated calls for a joint investigation into the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine coastguards, an incident which has ignited a major diplomatic dispute. A team of Taiwanese investigators returned to the island Saturday, accusing the Philippine government of failing to honour its agreement to conduct a joint probe. "The decision to send the investigators ...
-
Manny Ramirez ‘moonwalks’ like Michael Jackson after losing balance in Taiwan
Manny takes a big swing on a foul ball, loses his balance, and prevents himself from falling on his bottom by walking backward until he finds his bearings. And it looks like he's moonwalking like Michael Jackson. (OK, it's kind of a stretch. But they did a nice job with the video cuts and "Billie Jean" sound clips.) It's just Manny being Michael. As showmen go, and ...
-
American boat crew gets help from Taiwans Coast Guard
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Crew members of an American sailboat en route to Okinawa were helped by Taiwan's Coast Guard Monday after going ashore in Taitung County in southeastern Taiwan because they ran out of drinking water. Officers from the Coast Guard Administration's office on the east coast gave Ronald Slagle, 60, and his two companions five cartons of bottled water before sending ...
-
Bill allowing fishermen to hire armed guards clears first hurdle
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) The Legislature's Economics Committee passed a draft bill Monday that would allow Taiwanese fishermen to hire private armed security guards when operating in pirate-infested waters. Ship owners would be able to deploy armed guards on their vessels when sailing in dangerous waters after receiving permission from the government, according to the legislation. The bill also ...
-
Opposition divided on proposal to recall the president
Ma Ying-jeou first took office in 2008, on the idea of recalling the president. Many in Taiwan have been dissatisfied with the government's performance over the past year because of the country's stagnant economy, driving Ma's approval ratings in many polls below 20 percent. The strongly pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union held a demonstration Monday outside the Legislative ...
-
Opposition marks Ma’s 5th anniversary in office with warnings
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang held a press conference Monday to criticize the Ma administration on eight key points. The list included causing the people to lose confidence in the nation's system of justice, failing to stem corruption and neglecting to reform the judiciary, ignoring calls to halt construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and generally failing to address Taiwan's ...
-
Taiwan to buy two U.S. frigates
China Navy Command confirmed Monday that it is seeking to purchase two active Perry-class frigates from the United States. The Navy Command said in a press release that the price and date of delivery will not be decided until after the U.S. Congress passes legislation allowing the transfer. It denied a news report saying that the proposed acquisition includes a "mini-Aegis" fire ...
-
Foreign Ministry cannot confirm Philippine team to come Tuesday
Philippines will arrive in Taiwan Tuesday to investigate an attack by a Philippine government vessel on a Taiwanese fishing boat. "I've not heard any such information," Lin said when asked about a United Evening News report that Taiwan and ...
-
Ang Lee Graces Taiwan Cinema Party
TAIPEI, TAIWAN--(Marketwired - May 20, 2013) - Drawing more than 500 people, Taiwan Cinema Party held at Plage Royale in Cannes Film Festival on May 18 was a successful ...
-
Taiwan launches new initiative to make case against Philippines
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Taiwan is preparing to distribute flyers around the world to further state its case to the global community in its dispute with Manila over the recent attack by ...
-
Local bourse closes higher led by financial stocks
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Shares in Taiwan underwent a moderate price correction Monday, dealers said, with the main weighted index closing marginally higher. Movements of financial and high-tech stocks led the market during the session, with a surge in buying of financial stocks at around noon pushing the index upward. The weighted index closed up 8.86 points, or 0.1 percent, at 8,377.05 after ...
-
Filipino senator supports Taiwan over shooting
Philippines has pushed for a formal inquiry into the shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine government vessel, saying that"the family of the slain Taiwanese fisherman deserves no less." Francis Escudero, who won re-election in May 13 midterm elections in the Southeast Asian country, made the appeal Sunday amid rising tension over the shooting, in which 65-year-old Hung ...
-
KMTs revised stock gains tax plan passes initial review
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan's Finance Committee gave initial approval Monday for a new version of ruling Kuomintang (KMT)-proposed amendments to the Income Tax Act that imposes a capital gains tax on income earned from securities. KMT Legislator Alex Fei said that if the KMT-proposed version does not encounter opposition during negotiations among the various legislative ...
-
Economic Daily News -- With changes Ma can outshine Abe
Ma Ying-jeou 's standing in the polls is at a new low. The most important reason for that is the yawning gap between his economic governance and the people's expectations. Compare his situation with that of the government ...
-
Film on Taiwans first baseball team to hit theaters in 2014
Taipei, May 20 (CNA)"Kano," a film about Taiwan's first baseball team, has finished shooting and editing and is expected to hit local theaters around Chinese New Year in 2014, Taiwanese director Wei Te-sheng, one of the film's producers, said Monday. Sound and special effects will be the next task in post-production of the film, which began shooting in November last year, Wei ...
-
Taiwanese youth express support for Pinoys
With media reports both in Taiwan and the Philippines showing the growing tensions between the two countries, a group of young people on Sunday proved that not all is lost when it comes to forgiveness and understanding.Postgraduate student Li Chun-da initiated a small protest action in solidarity with Filipinos. Through social networking site Facebook, Li invited some friends to St. ...
-
Binay urges Taiwan to protect Filipino workers
Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines -- Vice President Jejomar Binay has called on Taiwan to assure the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) there amid reports of attacks against Philippine nationals, an apparent backlash following the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman earlier this month. In a letter to Taiwan’s de facto embassy in Manila, Binay ...
-
The Perfect Balance between Performance and Comfort
The Mercedes-Benz luxury SUV family has a new member! Today Taiwan Mercedes-Benz launches the brand-new GL 350 with BlueTEC and 4MATIC, the perfect melding of premium materials and careful craftsmanship to create the ultimate in luxury SUVs. Fitted with a spacious full-size interior and a high-efficiency energy-saving engine, the GL 350 is the perfect machine for buyers who want the best for ...
-
Immigration officials to raise safety awareness among Filipinos
Taipei, May 20 (CNA) Immigration officials will visit places with large Filipino populations in the coming days ahead to raise safety awareness among Filipinos amidst the row between Taiwan and ...
-
ROCs overseas missions making case on Philippines shooting
China embassies and representative offices have begun making their country's case in the wake of the May 9 fatal shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by a Philippine government vessel. The overseas missions have written letters to the media or run ads so that the international community can learn about the excessive use of force against an unarmed and unprovocative Taiwanese fishing boat in ...
-
Taiwan exports in April decline 1.1 percent year-on-year
US $35.69 billion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) reported Monday. Exports to major countries and areas, including Europe and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, all dropped last month, with those headed ...
-
Scholar Non-official dialogue over East China Sea initiative
China Sea Initiative proposed by Taiwan, according to Song Yann-huei, a research fellow at the Institute of European and American Studies of Academia Sinica. The initiative, which calls for all parties that lay territorial claims to the Diaoyutai Islands in the ...
News from around our Network
Comments
No comments yet for this story
Have your say