World News for 16/01/13

[ApfelGanja]

- French troops in Mali have been deployed to frontline areas in a bid to stop the advance of the Islamist insurgency. Meanwhile in the city of Gao, rebels reportedly cut telecommunications links to prevent residents from aiding the intervention force.

- Two Japanese airlines have grounded all their Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes after technical failures struck several of the jets within a matter of days. Boeing is now trying to salvage the Dreamliner’s image as the world’s most advanced passenger jet.

- Two people died when a helicopter collided with a crane close to Vauxhall train station in central London during the morning rush hour, reports Scotland Yard. Nine people were also injured in the incident and have been taken to hospital. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEVR9QzEBt8

- Germany’s central bank is set to reclaim some of its vast gold reserves held in the US and France, a German daily reported. The move follows an audit criticizing Bundesbank for mismanagement, stating the funds had never been “verified physically.” Bundesbank voiced plans to withdraw its entire 450-ton store of gold bullion from the Bank of France in Paris, and a portion of the 1,500 tons currently held by the New York Federal Reserve, Handelsblatt reported.

- A teenager has been killed by the Israeli military near the West Bank separation wall as scuffles erupted with the local Palestinian community. It’s the latest in a series of violent incidents in both Gaza and the West Bank. According to the Israeli military, a group of students breached the fence dividing soldiers from protesters. Witnesses reported students were throwing rocks at the soldiers. The army has confirmed it opened fire on protesters who got through the barrier. Seventeen-year-old Samir Ahmed Awad died after being shot three times in the village of Budrus, Palestinian medical sources say. The local mayor says the IDF targeted him deliberately.

- An Egyptian mother and her seven children have been given lengthy jail sentences for illegally changing their names on official documents. The family wanted to use their Christian names again after a conversion following their Muslim father's death.