Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, October 23, 2012

23 Oct Weekday News Wrap: Wednesday, October 23, 2012

• Iran has said it may stop oil production if Western sanctions tighten.
• The United Kingdom will double the number of drones it has in Afghanistan for combat and surveillance missions.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Germany could take part in assisting a European mission to Mali that would train troops to fight Islamist insurgents in the north of the country.
• Former US President Jimmy Carter has said that the Israel-Palestinian peace process has reached a crisis point and he accused Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu of not pursuing a two-state solution.
• The UNHCR has reported that there are more than 100,000 Syrian refugees now in Lebanon.
• Russia has condemned the United States on its human rights record, citing Guantanamo Bay and the continued use  of the death penalty in some US jurisdictions as evidence.
• The UN is mulling a Syrian peacekeeping plan in the case of a ceasefire in the conflict-torn country.
• Mexico has sought the establishment of a WTO dispute panel to examine the legality of Argentinian trade restrictions. Japan, the EU and the US have already joined the request.
• The French Minister behind a “Made in France” campaign has defended the initiative against claims of protectionism and has in turn claimed that the WTO is not doing enough to protect members against unfair competition from China.
• During the presidential election debate on foreign policy, President Obama has claimed that Osama bin Laden would have escaped if Pakistan had been told about the planned raid on his compound in Abbottabad.

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