Edward Snowden Wants Asylum In Russia

Intelligence services whistleblower Edward Snowden plans to request asylum in Russia, accusing the US of trying to block him from travelling to other countries.

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday but appeared to make no headway on Washington's demand that Moscow send Snowden back to the US to face espionage charges.

Snowden's asylum remarks came in a statement after closed-door talks with human rights groups and lawyers at the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks.

In a statement released after the 45-minute meeting, Snowden said: "That moral decision to tell the public about spying that affects all of us has been costly, but it was the right thing to do and I have no regrets."

He said he had given up his family and a "home in paradise" to put an end to what he said was a "serious violation of the law".

Pic: Courtesy of Tatyana Lokshina/Human Rights Watch

"I did not seek to enrich myself. I did not seek to sell US secrets. I did not partner with any foreign government to guarantee my safety," he said in the statement.

"Instead, I took what I knew to the public, so what affects all of us can be discussed by all of us in the light of day, and I asked the world for justice."

Snowden is wanted by the US over a series of leaks about spying programmes, with his most recent claims involving collaboration between Microsoft and American intelligence services.

Washington had previously criticised Moscow for giving Snowden a "propaganda platform", saying it was "disappointed" that Russia had allowed him to hold the meeting at Moscow airport.

The talks drew politicians, lawyers and activists including representatives of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

A picture of Snowden at the meeting, taken by Human Rights Watch representative Tanya Lokshina, shows him with WikiLeaks representative Sarah Harrison on his right. 

Politician Vyacheslav Nikonov took part in the meeting

It was the first time that he had been seen since the scandal broke last month.

He seemed nervous, but in apparently good health, according to one of the participant, Duma member Vyacheslav Nikonov.

The former NSA contractor, 30, accuses Washington of waging a campaign to stop him from leaving Russia and getting asylum.

"The government and intelligence services of the United States of America have attempted to make an example of me, a warning to all others who might speak out as I have."

"I have been made stateless and hounded for my act of political expression," the statement said.

Protesters have shown their support for Snowden

Snowden said he was grateful for those countries, including Venezuela, Bolivia and Nicaragua, which offered support and asylum, saying he accepted all offers that had been extended and any future one.

But, he said, given the "unlawful threat" posed by the US and his inability to reach those countries, he planned to formally request asylum in Russia until he can legally travel to Latin America.

Austrian authorities last week searched the Bolivian president's plane when it was diverted to Vienna because the US suspected Snowden was on board.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Mr Putin said Snowden might be allowed to stay in Russia if he stops releasing leaks that would damage the US or Russia-US relations, repeating conditions the Kremlin had set out earlier.

Both Mr Nikonov and Genri Reznik, a lawyer who participated in the meeting, said Snowden was willing to stop leaks.

"He said he was informed of this condition and that he can easily accept it. He does not intend to damage US interests given that he is a patriot of his country," Mr Nikonov said.

Snowden fled to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 and has been in limbo in Sheremetyevo airport's transit area despite the offers for asylum.

The US has revoked his passport, and doubts have also been raised about whether Snowden could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the US or its allies.

The UN human rights chief has weighed in for the first time, giving guarded support for the fugitive ex-contractor.

Entrances were guarded during the meeting at the airport

"Snowden's case has shown the need to protect persons disclosing information on matters that have implications for human rights, as well as the importance of ensuring respect for the right to privacy," Navi Pillay said in a statement.

Snowden is seeking to avoid extradition after divulging embarrassing evidence about the activities of US spies, as well as the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, to newspapers including The Guardian.

The latest files said Microsoft helped America's National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent encryption so it could view web chats on the Outlook.com portal, which is replacing Hotmail.

Evidence seen by the paper said Microsoft also worked to give the NSA easier access to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which has more than 250 million users. And by July 2012, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the Prism intelligence programme was collecting triple the amount of Skype video calls.

Microsoft told the paper it only provides information about users when demanded to do so by the government.

Snowden's files have also revealed the NSA claimed to have access to the servers of web firms including Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, while GCHQ scans vast amounts of internet traffic through a system of fibre-optic cables.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt: US Calls For Release Of Detained Morsi

The US has called for the release of Mohamed Morsi as tens of thousands of supporters of the ousted Egyptian president staged protests across the country.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US agrees with the German Foreign Ministry, which had called for an "end to all restrictive measures considering Morsi".

Mr Morsi, an Islamist who became the country's first freely elected leader, was ousted on July 3 by the military.

His removal followed a wave of protests calling on him to step down.

He has been kept at an undisclosed Defence Ministry facility since then, but no formal charges have been filed.

Mohamed Morsi was ousted by the Army in what many called a coup

Supporters vowed to continue their campaign of street rallies as long as necessary to force Mr Morsi's reinstitution.

At the main Islamist rally in Cairo, the crowd poured into a large boulevard in front of a main mosque where his supporters have been camped out for two weeks.

Some held up photos of Mr Morsi, others carried posters depicting army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sissi with blood coming out of his mouth and emblazoned with the word "traitor".

"We are ready to stay for a month, two months, a year or even two years," an ultraconservative Salafi cleric, Safwat Hegazi, told protesters.

Friday prayers on the third day of Ramadan

The day of protests marked the first Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

During Ramadan, Muslims abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset, which usually cuts down on activity during the day - particularly outdoors in warm summer temperatures.

During the daytime fast, some at the rally rested in their tents, reading the Quran or sleeping.

Similar rallies were held across the Nile River in Cairo's sister city Giza, in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and several other cities.

Clashes have broken out between Mr Morsi's supporters and his critics

A week of violence in a bitterly divided nation has left dozens of Mr Morsi's Islamist supporters dead.

The new military-backed administration has intensified its crackdown on the leadership of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood, issuing several arrest warrants.

The administration is pushing ahead quickly with its transition plans, which the military said would include new elections.

However, the new prime minister Hazem el Beblawi said members of the Muslim Brotherhood would be offered cabinet posts.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Moscow Crash: 'At Least 14 Dead'

Fourteen people have been killed and many injured in a traffic accident in Moscow, according to Russian officials.

A truck, a passenger bus and several other vehicles were involved and the dead includes a young girl, said the interior ministry.

Police believe the accident took place when a truck carrying gravel turned onto a main road and ploughed into the bus.

Helicopter teams and 30 ambulance crews have been sent to the scene.

The crash occurred near Oznobishino, about 25 miles south of Moscow city centre.

The bus was broken up into two parts by the force of the collision, according to local reports.

More follows...

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Paris Train Crash: Faulty Track Likely Cause

A faulty part on a set of points may have triggered the derailment of a packed train outside Paris that left at least six people dead and dozens injured.

Pierre Izard, a general manager of the SNCF national rail company, said a joint bar, a kind of steel clip that links two rails on a switch, broke away, became detached and came out of its housing.

The detached joint "lodged itself at the centre of the switch, prevented the normal progression of the train's wheels and seems to have caused the train's derailment," he said, adding that checks had been ordered on some 5,000 similar devices on the network.

Carriages came off the tracks and smashed into Bretigny-sur-Orge station

The head of the SNCF, Guillaume Pepy, said the "detachment of this joint bar" was the focus of investigations.

He said the third and fourth carriages initially came off the track, then knocked the others off. He called the accident a "catastrophe", adding that "some cars simply derailed, others are leaning, others fell over".

Earlier, transport minister Frederic Cuvillier had said that human error was unlikely to have caused the tragedy, and that authorities were looking into a possible mechanical error in the switching system as well as other possibilities.

Rescuers pull survivors from the wreckage. Pic: @aishakurdish

The crash was France's deadliest in years, but Mr Cuvillier said it could have been worse and praised the driver who sent out an alert quickly, preventing a pile up.

Responding to criticism that France had not invested enough in maintaining infrastructure, he added: "For the moment we have no information that allows us to confirm that the dilapidation of the network was the cause of this derailment."

The seven-carriage service with 385 passengers on board was about 20 minutes into a three-hour journey to Limoges when it crashed 12 miles south of the capital at about 5.15pm local time on Friday.

Part of the metal roof over the platform was crushed as carriages came off the tracks and smashed into Bretigny-sur-Orge station.

Up to 200 passengers are said to have been injured in the smash

Interior minister Manuel Valls said at least six people had been killed. He added that nine people were gravely injured, and warned the number of dead could rise. In all, nearly 200 people were hurt.

A large, heavyweight crane is expected to be brought in later to try to lift one of the carriages which toppled over.

Sky's Ian Woods, who was at the scene, said: "They don't know for certain, but there may well still be people underneath that carriage they haven't been able to get to.

The French interior minister has called the crash a "catastrophe"

"It's unclear whether anyone at the station was hurt by the impact of the train and flying debris, or whether all of those injured were on the train."

Footage from the scene showed crushed metal on the platform and debris from the crash clogging up the stairs.

Emergency services went on red alert with 300 firefighters, 20 paramedic teams and eight helicopters deployed to the area.

All Paris regional hospitals were put on standby to deal with casualties.

Firefighters rescue passengers trapped in a carraige

Within hours French President Francois Hollande was at the scene and said: "I want to express our solidarity to all the families.

"It will take a long time to identify the victims. Investigations are under way and as soon as possible we will name them and inform their families - I understand their anxiety and pain."

Briton Graham Hope, a passenger in the third carriage, told Sky News: "The carriage I was in was bouncing for several seconds before we came to a halt.

"Everyone was very calm. A couple of people were quite concerned, but we worked together to get out of the carriage.

People at the station look on from across another platform

"When I got out we could see the rest of the train was further up the line ... I would be very surprised if people got out of the front carriage unscathed."

A witness in a nearby train, 19-year-old Bazgua El Mehdi told Le Parisien newspaper: "I heard a loud noise. A cloud of sand covered everything. Then the dust dissipated.

"I thought it was a freight train, but then we saw the first casualties ... many passengers on the (train) were crying."

The passenger train crashed into the platform and some cars tipped over

A police source said: "The train arrived at the station at high speed. It split in two for an unknown reason. Part of the train continued to roll while the other was left on its side on the platform."

But a passenger speaking on France's BFM television said the train was going at a normal speed and was not meant to stop at Bretigny-sur-Orge.

The station is expected to remain closed for several days during the investigation and clear-up operation.

French President Francois Hollande speaks to some of the injured

The crash comes as France prepares to celebrate its most important national holiday, Bastille Day, on Sunday.

Many people have been heading out of Paris and other big cities to see their families or to go on holiday.

Earlier, passengers observed a minute's silence at Austerlitz railway station in Paris as a mark of respect.

The train derailed at Bretigny-sur-Orge, just south of Paris

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Indonesia: Prisoners Escape Amid Jail Riot

Security forces have retaken control of a crowded prison in western Indonesia where inmates started a massive riot that left five people dead and hundreds of prisoners, including convicted terrorists, on the loose.

About 500 policemen and 300 soldiers have been deployed around Tanjung Gusta prison in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, where the riot broke out on Thursday night.

Fire brigades have also been battling fires started by prisoners which had engulfed the jail.

Prison directorate spokesman Akbar Hadi said the situation is now under control after soldiers entered the prison without resistance.

Prisoners stand inside the Tanjung Gusta prison amid the riot

Hundreds of policemen have blocked roads linking Medan to the provinces of Aceh, Jambi and West Sumatra while searching for inmates who escaped during the riot, which began after a protest over a lack of water and electricity turned violent.

Indonesian authorities said security forces had recaptured 64 out of 240 prisoners who fled the facility in the nation's third-largest city.

Inmates had been in control of the jail until early on Friday morning, casually chatting outside their cells while heavily armed security forces formed a cordon round the building.

Five people, three prisoners and two prison staff, were killed in the riots. Ten civilian guards had briefly been held hostage but were later released.

The jail was set ablaze by inmates

Prisoners still on the loose included five of the 14 terror convicts that were being held at the institution.

The terrorists are believed to have links to Toni Togar, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a separate prison for a series of church bombings in Sumatra in 2000, according to the Jakarta Post.

A spokesman for the justice and human rights ministry, Goncang Raharjo, said that, like many jails in Indonesia, Tanjung Gusta was overcrowded - holding more than double its official capacity.

"The prison capacity is only 1,054 but it now holds about 2,600 convicts and suspects on trials.

"Most prisons across the country have this problem," he said.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kremlin Typewriters: Russian Plan To Stop Leaks

The Kremlin's security agency is buying up typewriters to avoid damaging leaks in a move said to be motivated by recent US surveillance scandals.

Russia's Federal Protective Service, the KGB's successor in charge of protecting President Vladimir Putin and his officials, placed an order for 20 typewriters, according to the state procurement website

The agency, known by its Russian acronym FSO, is ready to pay £500 each for them, the Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia reported.

It said the FSO believed it was necessary to expand the use of typewriters after American Edward Snowden reportedly used a simple flash drive to reveal the extent of the US government's phone and internet surveillance programmes.

"After the scandal with the spread of classified documents WikiLeaks, revelations of Edward Snowden, reports of tapping Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to the G20 summit in London, it has been decided to expand the practice of creating paper documents," a FSO source told the newspaper.

Typewriters have already been used for printing drafts of some official documents and reports presented to Mr Putin, according to the report.

Leaks by Edward Snowden Julian Assange leaks may have sparked the move

The Russian newspaper also said the FSO has been ordering print cartridge ribbons for the Triumph Adler Twain 180.

The Triumph model "allows you to create fairly complex documents for use in their professional organisations", it said.

The FSO has not commented on why it needs the devices.

Snowden abandoned his high-paying intelligence contractor job in Hawaii and went to Hong Kong on May 20 to begin issuing a series of leaks on the National Security Agency (NSA).

He revealed the NSA's access to vast amounts of internet data such as emails, chat rooms and video under a government programme known as Prism.

Snowden is now holed up in the transit area of a Moscow airport, seeking to avoid extradition to the US to face espionage charges.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Edward Snowden Letter: US Blocking Asylum

Intelligence services whistleblower Edward Snowden has accused US officials of waging a campaign to stop him taking up offers of asylum.

The claim was made in a letter sent to a Human Rights Watch official, ahead of a meeting with human rights officials at the Moscow airport where he has been holed up for weeks.

The letter said: "I have been extremely fortunate to enjoy and accept many offers of support and asylum from brave countries around the world. These nations have my gratitude.

"Unfortunately, in recent weeks we have witnessed an unlawful campaign by officials in the US government to deny my right to seek and enjoy this asylum under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Protesters have shown their support for Snowden

"The scale of threatening behaviour is without precedent: never before in history have states conspired to force to the ground a sovereign president's plane to effect a search for a political refugee."

That remark appears to refer to how Austrian authorities last week searched the Bolivian president's plane when it was diverted to Vienna because the US suspected Snowden was on board.

The letter continues: "This dangerous escalation represents a threat not just to the dignity of Latin America or my own personal security, but to the basic right shared by every living person to live free from persecution."

Snowden is wanted by the US on espionage charges over a series of leaks about spying programmes, with his most recent claims involving collaboration between Microsoft and American intelligence services.

He fled to Moscow from Hong Kong on June 23 and has been in limbo in Sheremetyevo airport's transit area despite three countries - Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia - saying they would be willing to grant him asylum.

It is unclear whether Snowden could fly from Moscow to any of those countries without passing through the airspace of the US or its allies.

The head of Amnesty International in Russia, Sergei Nikitin, confirmed he had been invited to meet the former National Security Agency contractor at the airport this afternoon and said he planned to attend.

The letter to Human Rights Watch said Snowden wanted to discuss the "next steps forward in my situation" at the meeting.

He is seeking to avoid extradition after divulging embarrassing evidence about the activities of US spies, as well as the British eavesdropping agency GCHQ, to newspapers including The Guardian.

Snowden's latest evidence concerns the NSA spying on Skype video calls

The latest files said Microsoft helped America's National Security Agency (NSA) to circumvent encryption so it could view web chats on the Outlook.com portal, which is replacing Hotmail.

Evidence seen by the paper said Microsoft also worked to give the NSA easier access to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which has more than 250 million users. And by July 2012, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the Prism intelligence programme was collecting triple the amount of Skype video calls.

Major tech firms in Silicon Valley have been calling on the Obama administration to let them reveal more about their co-operation with the NSA, to alleviate customers' privacy concerns.

Microsoft told the paper it only provides information about users when demanded to do so by the government.

Snowden's files revealed the NSA claimed to have access to the servers of web firms including Apple, Google, Facebook and Yahoo, while GCHQ scans vast amounts of internet traffic through a system of fibre optic cables.

The US on Thursday told China it was "disappointed" that Snowden was not handed over before he had a chance to leave Hong Kong. He had fled to the Chinese territory after he began to leak documents.

President Barack Obama expressed his "concern" as he met with Chinese officials in Washington, a month after he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping had agreed to co-operate more on "difficult issues".

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Free Syrian Army Killing Exposes Rebel Rifts

The assassination of a senior Free Syrian Army (FSA) commander by militants linked to al Qaeda is tantamount to a declaration of war, FSA rebels have said.

Kamal Hamami - better known as Abu Bassir al Jeblawi - of the FSA Supreme Military Council was killed by members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a hardline Islamist group, on Thursday.

A senior FSA commander said the al Qaeda-linked militants had previously warned FSA rebels that there was "no place" for them in the northern Latakia province, where Hamami was killed.

He added that there would be retaliation for the killing.

"We are going to wipe the floor with them. We will not let them get away with it because they want to target us," he said on condition of anonymity.

The FSA and Islamists have sometimes joined forces

The statement is the latest sign of disarray in the armed opposition to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who has regained the upper hand more than two years into an insurgency that grew out of Arab Spring-inspired pro-democracy protests.

Opposition sources said the killing of Mr Hamami followed a dispute over control of a strategic checkpoint in Latakia.

"FSA rebels fired into the air, and subsequently, an ISIS fighter shot Abu Bassir dead and wounded two other fighters from his battalion," the opposition Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said

The Observatory for Human Rights added that the FSA and the Islamic State have had violent exchanges in several areas of Syria over the past few weeks, showing growing antagonism between Assad's foes.

"Last Friday, the Islamic State killed an FSA rebel in Idlib province and cut his head off. There have been attacks in many provinces," the Observatory's Rami Abdelrahman said.

The West is considering arming the Free Syrian Army

FSA Supreme Command Political Coordinator Louay Mekdad said Mr Hamami and his brother were shot dead at the roadblock by Abu Ayman al Baghdadi, the Islamic State's Emir of the coastal region.

He said a fighter who was travelling with them was set free to rely the message that the Supreme Command was now an al Qaeda target.

"If these people came to defend the Syrian revolution and not help the Assad regime, then they have to hand over the killers," Mr Mekdad said.

Syria's conflict turned violent in the face of a crackdown on protests. Civil war ensued with disparate rebel groups taking up arms and the Observatory says more than 100,000 people have been killed.

The FSA and the jihadists have sometimes joined forces on the battlefield but the divisions have been highlighted as the West considers arming the FSA and some Gulf states have funnelled weapons to the Islamists.

US congressional committees are holding up plans to arm the rebels because of fears that such deliveries will not be decisive and the arms might end up in the hands of Islamist militants.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

San Francisco Crash Pilot 'Blinded By Light'

The pilot of a plane which crashed at San Francisco airport, killing two people, may have been temporarily blinded by a bright light as he came into land.

Lee Kang Kuk, who was making his first landing at the airport and had just 43 hours' experience at the controls of the Boeing 777, said he saw a bright flash as he approached the runway.

It happened around 35 seconds before impact when Asiana Airlines flight 214 was around 500ft (150m) off the ground - the point at which the aircraft began to slow down and drop steeply.

Deborah Hersman, who chairs the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), said the use of lasers had not been ruled out.

Passenger Eugene Anthony Rah took this photo of the aftermath of the crash

It is not clear whether the flash of light caused the crash or whether other factors were to blame.

The pilot's claim came as phone calls to the emergency services made by passengers on board the plane were released, demonstrating the confusion caused when the Boeing 777 hit the runway.

Pleading for ambulances to be sent, one woman can be heard saying: "There are a lot of people that need help ... We have people over here who weren't found and they're burned really badly."

Meanwhile, it has emerged that passengers were initially told not to evacuate the aircraft.

The airline stewardesses at a press conference following the crash

The plane hit a sea wall as it came into land, causing its tail fin to break off and the rest of the fuselage to spin across the runway.

However, the NTSB found people did not begin leaving the plane until a fire erupted 90 seconds after impact.

"We don't know what the pilots were thinking, though I can tell you in previous accidents there have been crews that don't evacuate, they wait for other vehicles to come to be able to get the passengers out safely," Ms Hersman said.

She suggested that the pilots in the cockpit may not have been in a position to spot the fire outside the plane.

Air crash investigators at the site in San Francisco

At least one of the emergency escape slides opened inside the aircraft, pinning down two flight attendants.

Three other crew members were flung from the aircraft onto the runway but survived.

The NTSB is using pilot interviews, cockpit recordings and control tower communications to piece together the moments leading up to the crash.

They found both Mr Lee and his co-pilot, Lee Jung Min, who was on his first flight as an instructor, both thought the aircraft's speed was being controlled by an autothrottle, which was set to 157mph.

Wreckage from Asiana Airlines flight 214 was strewn across the runway

When they realised the plane was approaching the waterfront runway too low and too slow, they both reached for the throttle.

Passengers heard a loud roar as the pilots made a desperate attempt to abort the landing.

Two Chinese students were killed in the crash, which left 180 people injured. The students, who began their journey to the US in Shanghai, were on their way to a 15 day camp to study English.

Families of around 20 survivors who remain in hospital have begun arriving to care for their loved ones.

Flight 214 was a direct flight from Incheon in South Korea to San Francisco.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Canada Train Blast: Engineer Blamed For Crash

Fifty people have now been confirmed dead or are presumed dead after a runaway freight train derailed and exploded in Canada.

Twenty bodies have already been found and officials are telling the families of 30 other people missing that all are believed to have been killed.

A railway boss has blamed an employee for failing to set the brakes properly.

Edward Burkhardt, chief executive of Rail World, made his comments during his first visit to the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic.

Mr Burkhardt, who arrived with a police escort and was heckled by angry residents, said a train engineer had been suspended without pay.

The boss said: "I think he did something wrong. It's hard to explain why someone didn't do something.

"We think he applied some hand brakes but the question is did he apply enough of them.

"He said he applied 11 hand brakes, we think that's not true. Initially we believed him but now we don't."

Edward Burkhardt, chief executive of Rail World visited Lac-Megantic

Mr Burkhardt does not suspect sabotage was involved.

An area of Lac-Megantic was flattened in the inferno caused by the crash, as a wall of fire tore through homes and businesses.

Some parts of the devastated scene have been too hot and dangerous to enter and find bodies even days after the disaster.

The blaze forced about 2,000 residents to flee their homes in the town, which has a population of 6,000. Most residents started returning on Tuesday.

The train, operated by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway and carrying crude oil, had been stopped for a crew change in the nearby town of Nantes when it broke loose and hurtled downhill without a conductor towards Lac-Megantic.

It travelled for nearly seven miles before derailing at a curve in the tracks at 63mph and several wagons exploded.

Investigators are looking closely at a fire that happened on the train less than an hour before it became loose while stationary in Nantes.

The train's engine was shut down - standard operating procedure but one that might have disabled the brakes.

Police said a range of possibilities remain under investigation, including criminal negligence.

Some officials have raised the possibility the train was tampered with before the crash.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Driver Drags Child After Reversing Into Buggy

Police are hunting for a driver who reversed into a mother pushing her child in a pushchair and dragged it across a car park before speeding off.

Video and images of the driver in a shop before the incident have been released by police in Muskegon, Michigan in an attempt to identify him.

The video shows the car backing into the woman and knocking her over before driving off with the pushchair containing the child apparently hooked on to the back.

The 18-year-old woman chases after the car, which stops long enough for her to unbuckle her son, and then drives off - taking the buggy with him.

The mother had a scraped knee but the one-year-old was not injured.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Magnitsky Trial: Dead Lawyer Guilty Of Tax Fraud

A Moscow court has found the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky guilty of tax evasion three years after his death.

The investment fund lawyer, who died while in pre-trial detention in 2009, was convicted in Russia's first ever posthumous trial - branded a "show trial" by his supporters.

The Tverskoy District Court also found Mr Magnitsky's former boss, the London-based investor William Browder, guilty of tax evasion. He was tried in absentia after declining to return to Russia and received a nine-year jail term.

But Russia's options for jailing US-born Mr Browder are limited since Interpol has refused to include him on its international search list after deciding that Russia's case against him was political.

Mr Browder has all along dismissed the trial as a politically motivated effort to discredit him and Mr Magnitsky.

Court bailiffs wait before a session in the trial

Speaking to Sky News from New York after the verdicts, Mr Browder said it was "one of the most shameful moments in modern Russian history".

" ... They're prosecuting the dead man, what they should be doing is prosecuting the people who killed him. It's truly a travesty of justice."

He said he was "not too worried" about being pursued by the Russian authorities as long as he was in the West because Western governments and Interpol had rejected the allegations.

"It shows the desperation of Putin to cover up the crimes of his regime by going after the whistleblowers," he added. 

An empty cage in the Moscow courthouse - where normally the defendant hears the verdict - symbolised the absence of the late Mr Magnitsky and his co-accused.

"I did not doubt that the decision would look like this," the lawyer for Mr Magnitsky's family Dmitry Kharitonov told the RAPSI legal news agency.  "I know that he committed no crimes."

Magnitsky died on his 358th day in custody in a Moscow detention centre

Mr Magnitsky was jailed in 2008 soon after accusing Russian law enforcement officers of corruption. The lawyer was held on charges of tax evasion after claiming officials conspired to claim $230m (£150m) in tax rebates through Mr Browder's Hermitage Capital investment company.

A year later, the 37-year-old father died in prison of pancreatitis, after what supporters claim was a systematic torture campaign. A report by Russia's presidential human rights council found in July 2011 that he had been repeatedly beaten and deliberately denied medical treatment.

Campaigners say the fraud was committed by state officials who subsequently had him framed and arrested for the crime.

His death sparked widespread condemnation and a US law named after Mr Magnitsky imposing sanctions on Russians implicated in the lawyer's death.

The legislation infuriated Moscow, which in retaliation passed legislation prohibiting Americans from adopting Russian children.

Mr Browder, who is a British citizen and is campaigning for other governments to adopt the Magnitsky Act also told Sky News that Britain was acting "very shamefully" by not enforcing the sanctions, especially since his investment fund that sparked the case is based in the UK.

Friends and relatives attend Magnitsky's funeral ceremony

Mr Magnitsky had kept a diary in which he documented the conditions he was being held in and his deteriorating health.

Entries recorded in the months before he died describe excruciating pain from his untreated pancreatitis, raw sewage flooding prison cells and the sound of rats running through the prison at night.

Shortly before his death, the lawyer wrote: "I'm being subjected to punishment only for trying to defend the interests of my client and my country."

The Kremlin's own human rights council has said there was evidence suggesting Mr Magnitsky was beaten to death, but President Vladimir Putin has dismissed allegations of torture or foul play and told the nation last year that he died of heart failure.

Russian authorities closed the case against Mr Magnitsky after his death but reopened it in 2011, in a move former colleagues say was illegal because they did not have the consent of his relatives.

"This show trial confirms that Vladimir Putin is ready to sacrifice his international credibility to protect corrupt officials who murdered an innocent lawyer and stole $230m (£150m) from the Russian state," Hermitage Capital said in a statement.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boston Bomb Suspect To Face Victims In Court

By Tom Parmenter, Sky Correspondent in Boston

Survivors and people who lost relatives in the Boston bombings are due to come face to face with the man accused of the deadly attacks.

Dzhokar Tsarnaev, 19, is scheduled to make his first public appearance in a Boston courtroom.

Bereaved family members and people who lost limbs in the blasts have vowed to attend the hearing.

One mother Liz Norden, whose sons Paul and JP both lost a leg in the attack, has said she wants to go into court to "face down evil".

The 19-year-old faces 30 charges that include killing four people and "using a weapon of mass destruction".

A total of 17 of the charges carry a possible sentence of life imprisonment or the death penalty. 

Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lingzi Lu were killed

Three people were killed when two bombs exploded close to the finish line of the Boston marathon on April 15.

Eight-year-old Martin Richard, Restaurant manager Krystle Campbell and university student Lingzi Lu were killed.

A further 260 people suffered injuries - many of them losing limbs.

Days after the bombings police officer Sean Collier was shot dead during an extraordinary manhunt that ended in the suburb of Watertown.

Tsarnaev was discovered hiding in a boat parked in a Watertown backyard

Large parts of the city of Boston were put on lockdown as armed police tried to arrest the suspects.

Tsarnaev's older brother Tamerlan was killed in a shoot-out with police.

The indictment states he wrote inside the boat where he hid from police for hours: "The US government is killing our innocent civilians" and "I can't stand to see such evil go unpunished".

Tsarnaev, whose family hail from Dagestan in southern Russia, had been studying in Boston before the attacks and has been held at a secure hospital in Massachusetts since his arrest.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

San Francisco Crash: Pilot Warnings 'Ignored'

One of the pilots of Asiana Flight 214 that crashed in San Francisco shouted warnings that were ignored, according to South Korean media.

Sources in the country's transport ministry confirmed Bong Dong Won - who was in the cockpit jump seat - repeatedly yelled "sink rate" in the final minute before the crash, it was reported.

If the sink rate - the rate of decrease in altitude - was checked when Mr Bong raised the alarm, it may have prevented the plane from hitting the seawall as it landed at San Francisco Airport, reports said.

But the two pilots at the controls - Lee Kang Kuk and his instructor Lee Jung Min - apparently did not respond to Mr Bong's shouted warnings, the respected Joongang Daily newspaper said.

The crash killed two Chinese students and left more than 180 injured.

Among those injured were two flight attendants in the back of the plane who survived despite being thrown onto the runway as the plane crashed on Saturday.

The charred remains of the plane remain on the runway

US investigators previously said that just 1.5 seconds before the plane crashed, a member of the flight crew asked to abort the landing, though it was too late to take such action.

However, it is now being reported that Mr Bong started giving warnings 54 seconds before impact.

There was also a fourth pilot - the relief captain - on board, but he was not in the cockpit at the time of the crash. 

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed that Mr Bong had flown five to six times to San Francisco and previously worked for the Korean air force as a fighter pilot.

Lee Kang Kuk was around halfway through his training for the Boeing 777, but had led 29 flights to San Francisco on Boeing 747s in the past, according to the airline.

Wang Linija (left) and Ye Mengyuan died in the crash

However, his trainer had not flown in that role before, the NTSB said.

At 41, Mr Bong is much younger than the other two pilots in the cockpit.

A Korean Airlines Boeing 747 crashed in Guam in 1997 - a crash that investigators blamed in part on an authoritarian cockpit culture that made newer pilots reluctant to challenge captains.

But since then, the industry has adopted broad training and requirements that mean pilots who are not at the controls should feel free to voice any safety concerns.

Sky News producer Jen Kwon, a South Korean based in Beijing, said: "Even though Bong Dong Won is younger than the other two pilots in the cockpit I do not believe that age or rank would be a reason why people would not respond to a warning.

"Perhaps conservative Korean traditional culture might be a bar to communication in many aspects of Korean life, it is hard to imagine the same happening in a cockpit of a civil airliner after seeing what had happened to their competing airline company, Korean Airlines."

Mr Yoon (centre) has defended the four pilots

South Korean-based Asiana has defended the four pilots as "very competent".

The airline's chief executive, Yoon Young-Doo, lashed out at reports that pilot inexperience may have been to blame for the fatal crash, saying such speculation was "intolerable".

The aircraft went skidding out of control after clipping the seawall, breaking up and bursting into flames when one of its engines caught fire.

The NTSB said the plane was flying far too slowly before the landing. Its investigation is expected to continue for months and it has warned against speculating about the cause of the crash.

But the Air Line Pilots Association International (Alpa) has already criticised the information provided by the NTSB.

"The NTSB's release of incomplete, out-of-context information has fuelled rampant speculation about the cause of the accident," Alpa said.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ireland Set To Pass Historic Abortion Law

Ireland is preparing to set in stone legislation which would confirm abortion is not illegal in cases where a woman's life is at risk.

Politicians will vote on the divisive legislation following a European court ruling that Ireland needlessly endangers the lives of pregnant women in life-threatening situations.

The Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill would enshrine a woman's right to a termination if her life is at risk - including if she is suicidal.

Pro-choice campaigners hold a 24-hour protest in Dublin

Several members of the coalition Government are expected to rebel over the reforms but it is understood that passing the legislation is not in doubt.

The Taoiseach said the vote could take place as late as midnight, but insisted he was willing to extend the debate further if necessary.

Protests by pro-life groups, hate mail, death threats and intimidation to politicians and campaigners have worsened already bitter disputes over the reforms in the predominantly Catholic country.

Savita Halappanavar died after she was refused an abortion in Ireland

On Tuesday night, Pro-life activists held a vigil and slept outside Leinster House where the vote will take place.

The abortion debate in Ireland has become heated following the death of Savita Halappanavar, an Indian woman who miscarried and died in an Irish hospital in 2012 after being denied an abortion.

She was 17 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to Galway University Hospital suffering from agonising pain and requesting an abortion.

Her husband, Praveen, said doctors refused to terminate the pregnancy after discovering there was a foetal heartbeat, saying his wife was told: "This is a Catholic country."

Previously, doctors acted under guidance from the Irish Medical Council and a Supreme Court ruling from 1992 which allowed abortion if there was a threat to the mother's life, including suicide.

But the 1992 ruling has yet to be officially preserved in legislation.

Pro-life protesters hold a vigil ahead of the vote

The case was taken by a 14-year-old rape victim who became pregnant and was refused permission to travel to have the pregnancy terminated.

Ireland has also been under pressure after a European Court of Human Rights ruling that a woman in remission with cancer was discriminated against because she was forced to travel overseas for a termination.

Choice campaigners have demanded action and claim Ireland only exports its problem with 4,000 women registering with an Irish address for an abortion in the UK every year.

The inclusion of the suicide clause has been the most contentious, with some claiming abortion in those circumstances could do more damage to a woman's mental health.

Following the vote, the bill will be considered by the Seanad - the upper house of parliament.

The Government expects the law to be enacted before the Irish parliament breaks for summer on July 18.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt Orders Brotherhood Arrests Over Clashes

Egypt's public prosecutor has ordered the arrest of Muslim Brotherhood supreme guide Mohammed Badie and other top leaders of the movement for inciting violence that left dozens dead outside the headquarters of an elite army unit.

At least 51 people were killed in Monday's clashes outside the Republican Guard headquarters in Cairo where supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi were calling for him to be reinstated.

Other senior Brotherhood officials were also ordered to be held over the violence, including Mr Badie's deputy Mahmoud Ezzat and party leaders Essam El-Erian and Mohamed El-Beltagi, according to judicial sources.

Prosecutors said that 200 people had been charged altogether over their involvement in the deadly clashes. Mostly Morsi supporters, they will be held for 15 days pending investigation into accusations of murder, incitement to violence, carrying unlicensed weapons and disrupting public order and security.

Thousands of followers of the Brotherhood have been maintaining a vigil near a mosque in northeast Cairo demanding the reinstatement of Mr Morsi, toppled as president by the army last week.

His ousting, after mass protests calling for his resignation, has prompted widespread violence in the divided country. Monday was the deadliest day so far.

Interim PM Hazem el Beblawi is trying to put together a cabinet

A spokesman for the Brotherhood movement said the charges were an attempt to break-up their protests and that the leaders had not been detained.

Mr Morsi himself is said to be in a "safe place" and has not had any charges levelled against him.

"Morsi is in a safe place, for his safety and he is being treated with dignity," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

It came as the ousted president's Islamist group said it would reject any offers to join a new interim government.

Amid reports that the Muslim Brotherhood is to be offered positions in the transitional cabinet, a spokesman for the movement said: "We do not deal with putschists. We reject all that comes from this coup."

Egypt's new interim prime minister Hazem el Beblawi said he would start work on forming his new cabinet on Wednesday, first meeting liberal leaders Mohamed ElBaradei and Ziad Bahaa-Eldin.

The new leader said he accepted that it would be difficult to win the unanimous support of Egyptians for his new government.

Violent clashes have erupted between Morsi supporters and opponents

Mr Beblawi, a liberal economist and former finance minister, was appointed prime minister by interim president Adly Mansour on Tuesday. He also made Nobel peace laureate Mr ElBaradei interim vice president responsible for foreign affairs.

Mr Mansour has set a timetable to hold elections early next year as part of a new charter to try to halt the unrest.

However, the plan has since been shunned by the Muslim Brotherhood, while the National Salvation Front, the main liberal coalition that called for Mr Morsi's overthrow, has demanded amendments - stopping short of rejecting the decree outright. 

Tamarod, the movement that spearheaded the grassroots campaign against the former president, complained that it had not been consulted on the transition plan announced by Mr Mansour and would also make proposals for changes to the blueprint.

The decree, outlining the interim president's new powers, gives the country five months to amend the Islamist-drafted constitution suspended on Mr Morsi's ouster and ratify it in a referendum.

Parliamentary elections will then be held by early 2014 and Mr Mansour will announce a date for a presidential election once the new parliament has convened.

The continued standoff with Mr Morsi's loyalists, who demand the reinstatement of Egypt's first democratically elected leader, has exacerbated fears of further bloodshed after his overthrow.

In the worst incident on July 3, at least 51 people, most of them supporters of the ousted Islamist, died in clashes outside a military barracks in Cairo.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

China Pollution 'Cuts Lives By Five Years'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in Beijing

The dire quality of the air in China will shorten lives by an average of five-and-a-half years, according to a major new study.

Scientists from four universities collaborated to produce ground-breaking research which provides the first-ever scientific evidence of the health implications of China's air pollution.

The study, by scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, Tsinghua University and Peking University in Beijing, and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, used data covering an unusually long time span - from 1981 to 2000.

Published today, it concludes that the effect of air pollution will reduce China's workforce by one-eighth.

"We can now say with more confidence that long-run exposure to pollution, especially particulates, has dramatic consequences for life expectancy," Michael Greenstone, the Professor of Environmental Economics at MIT, said.

This year has been the worst on record in the Chinese capital.

In January, the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached a level of more than 700. The World Health Organisation's recommended safe limit is just 25.

Since then, there have only been 20 days when the pollution levels in Beijing recorded an AQI of below 50.

China's air quality was 28 times above safe levels in January

"Everyone understands it's unpleasant to be in a polluted place," Professor Greenstone said.

"But to be able to say with some precision what the health costs are, and what the loss of life expectancy is, puts a finer point on the importance of finding policies that balance growth with environmental quality."

The study focused on northern China where pollution levels are at their worst.

The scientists compared pollution levels with mortality rates north and south of the Huai River, which runs west to east through central China.

In the 1980s, the river was used by the Chinese government as a boundary determining access to free heating.

The population living north of the river, who endure extreme winters, received free coal for fuel boilers and had access to a municipal heating system fuelled by coal power stations, which was switched on and off automatically.

The scientists linked pollution data to mortality statistics from between 1991 and 2000.

The results highlighted a stark difference in mortality rates on either side of the river.

For many years the Chinese government has been accused of ignoring the country's worsening air quality.

Until recently, state media would refer to 'fog' rather than 'smog'.

The swift rise of China's economy poses serious health risks for its people

But last year the Chinese government changed its policy and began to publish data for air quality - first in Beijing and then around the country.

The move came after the US government's decision to place an air quality monitor on the roof of its Beijing embassy. It published its data, initially causing a diplomatic row, but eventually prompting the Chinese to publish their own data.

The worsening air quality is the result of a variety of factors. Coal-fired power stations are only believed to be part of the problem.

The sharp and continuing rise in the number of cars on China's roads, combined with low quality fuel, is a contributing factor.

China's breakneck economic growth over the past three decades has effectively prompted what amounts to a frightening human health experiment.

The effect of China's modern-day industrial revolution will probably not be known for a generation.

In cities across the country, the air is unsafe to breathe, the water is unsafe to drink and the soil contaminates whatever is grown.

As China's population becomes more physically mobile and technologically connected, they are becoming more aware of the dangers posed by the environment.

Pollution issues are increasingly the focus of social unrest and public protests.

The Chinese government is now fully aware of the pressure to act and has introduced measures to improve the quality of vehicle fuel, limit the number of cars on the roads and invest in greener energy models.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fraudster Held After 'Catch Me' Twitter Taunt

A fraudster who cheekily tweeted to US authorities to "catch me if you can" after skipping her trial for an insurance scam is now behind bars.

Wanda Podgurski was captured on July 4 in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, a popular retirement spot for American expats only 15 miles south of San Diego.

She pleaded not guilty on Monday to failure to appear while free on bail.

The 60-year-old was sentenced in absentia by a California court last month to more than 20 years in prison and ordered to pay more than $1m in fines and restitution.

Three weeks after her initial tweet on June 5, Podgurski's Twitter feed read: "Help find me before I con anyone else."

Two other posts were links to stories about her vanishing act.

Her profile stated: "On the run possibly in Iran."

New Twitter messages have appeared on the account

Newer unverified messages since her capture appear to show she was tired of life on the run.

"For justice sake, I am glad you caught me," reads one tweet.

Podgurski follows 32 people and agencies, many of them FBI branches and other law enforcement authorities. 

The District Attorney's Office declined to say how authorities tracked down the taunting fugitive, saying only that information from her Twitter account was turned over to its Computer and Technology Crime High-Tech Response Team, known by the acronym Catch.

Podgurski was convicted of receiving $664,555 in disability payments in January.

While earning $44,000 a year as a clerk for rail service Amtrak, she allegedly held six insurance policies with premiums that topped $60,000.

She made claims with all six insurance companies after reporting that she fell at her home in August 2006.

Private investigators working for the insurers reported seeing her walk up and down stairs without assistance and drive to the shops.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dozens Injured In South Beirut Explosion

A car bomb at a shopping centre in southern Beirut has injured 37 people, according to security officials in the city.

Southern Beirut is a stronghold for the Lebanese pro-Syrian Shiite Hizbollah militant group.

The group said the blast, in the Beir el Abed area, was caused by a car bomb in the parking area of the shopping centre.

Earlier reports of several deaths have not yet been confirmed.

The explosion was close to Hizbollah's 'security square' where many of the party's officials live and have offices.

Two men at the scene of the blast

The group's Al Manar TV station broadcast pictures of black smoke rising into the sky and people rushing to help the wounded.

Hizbollah members, some of them carrying Kalashnikov rifles, cordoned off the site with yellow ribbons.

Around 100 supporters of the group marched in the area after the blast, shouting slogans in support of Hizbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.

"The Shiite blood is boiling," Hizbollah supporters shouted.

Tensions have been high following the intervention of Hizbollah fighters in the Syrian war where Sunni Muslim rebels are trying to topple President Bashar al Assad.

Hizbollah fighters gave vital help when Syrian government forces regained control of the strategic town of Qusair, close to the Lebanese border.

Some Syrian rebel groups, which are mainly made up of Sunni Muslims, have threatened to strike in Lebanon.

In May, two rockets hit southern Beirut and injured four people.

That attack came hours after Sheik Hassan Nasrallah promised to help the Syrian regime defeat rebel forces.

Hizbollah, much like the Syrian regime, accuses Syrian rebels of being agents of the US and Israel.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ohio Kidnap Victims In 'Thank You' Video

Three women who were abducted and held captive in a house in Cleveland, Ohio, for a decade have thanked the public for their support in a YouTube video.

Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight broke their silence in the video, saying the encouragement of family, friends and the public had allowed them to restart their lives.

Former bus driver Ariel Castro is alleged to have kidnapped the women off the streets between 2002 and 2004.

Ariel Castro is charged with 329 crimes and could face the death penalty

He has pleaded not guilty to 329 charges, including 139 counts of rape, and aggravated murder over the death of an unborn child.

The women were rescued in May when Ms Berry broke through a door at the home and yelled to neighbours for help.

"I'm getting stronger each day and having my privacy has helped immensely," she said in the video.

"I want everyone to know how happy I am to be home with my family and my friends. It's been unbelievable.

"I want to thank everyone who has helped me and my family through this entire ordeal."

Ms Berry, now 27, was reportedly forced to give birth to her daughter Jocelyn in an inflatable children's paddling pool, while fellow captive Michelle Knight gave the baby mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

In the video, Ms Knight said she had "been through hell and back", but she was doing well and did not want to be "consumed by hatred".

Ms Berry, who was snatched at the age of 20 and is the eldest of the three women, spoke of how her faith in God had helped her deal with the situation.

The three women before they were taken between 2002 and 2004

"I have no problems expressing how I feel inside," she said.

"Be positive. Learn that it is important to give than to receive. Thank you for all your prayers. I'm looking forward to my brand new life."

The three victims' rehabilitation has been helped by more than $1m (£670,000) of public donations to the Cleveland Courage Fund.

Gina DeJesus, now 23 and the youngest of the kidnapped women, spoke briefly only to say "thank you for the support".

The three women were apparently held at Ariel Castro's home

However, her father, Felix DeJesus, and aunt Nancy Ruiz, also spoke in the video to thank people for being "awesome".

Castro, 52, was last week refused a visit with the six-year-old girl he fathered with Ms Berry, with a judge calling the request "inappropriate".

An upcoming meeting will discuss the possibility of seeking the death penalty for the alleged crimes.

Castro's lawyers had previously hinted that he might plead guilty if talk of capital punishment was taken off the table.

A trial is scheduled for August 5, but the judge said it could be delayed.

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More