Diberdayakan oleh Blogger.

Popular Posts Today

MH370 Missing Remembered A Year After Disaster

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 07 Maret 2015 | 20.18

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent

Exactly a year ago, Wang Le was preparing for his mother's return from a holiday in Malaysia.

Zhang Chi had been to Kuala Lumpur with a friend. She sent her son a text message just before leaving. "At Kuala Lumpur airport" it read. She then boarded her plane for Beijing: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

"I miss my mum every day," Wang Le says.

"Many moments I think 'Hmm, maybe I should call her now'. I want to call her, but I cannot. Too many memories."

We have joined him for dinner at his father's Beijing apartment. Wang Le and Wang Yongzhi spend every weekend together.

The two men, father and son, look after each other. Really though, it is clear that Wang Le is his father's support. Wang Yongzhi appears to be a broken man.

"Some times he misses my mum too much and he puts a bowl here and chopsticks here and he feels like he's having dinner together with my mum," Wang Le says.

They show me to a bedroom. "This is my mum's room," Wang Le says.

"Everything is not changed. The same as when she lived. Everything the same," he says.

The room is precisely as it was a year ago. Zhang Chi's makeup sits on a dressing table. The bed is made. Some washing hangs in the window.

The only change is a collection of white origami birds. Wang Yongzhi makes one almost every day in memory of his wife.

"Today is your birthday" he has written on one. "It is February already" another says.

As if to cruelly compound their grief and remind them of their loss, the apartment is under the Beijing flight path. Overhead every few minutes is the noise of a jet.

They know it makes no sense to leave the room untouched, but then none of this tragedy makes sense. Over and over again, they have asked themselves how a plane can simply disappear.

MH370 disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur airport in the early hours of 8 March, 2014, bound for Beijing.

A total of 239 people including crew were on board the flight. Searches first took place in the South China seas before radar data concluded it had veered west off course and over the Malay peninsula. The searches then shifted to the Andaman Sea.

However, painstaking analysis of satellite data from British company Inmarsat eventually concluded that the plane had flown south for up to eight hours before coming down in the southern Indian Ocean off the western Australian city of Perth.

An initial surface search of that area involved 22 military aircraft and 19 ships from eight countries. They covered search areas of more than 4.6 million square kilometres.

Since then the focus has been an extremely challenging search of the seabed within a 'priority search area' which was determined by further satellite analysis.

Currently, four ships from the Dutch firm Fugro are scanning a mountainous 60,000 square kilometre seabed.

The search is being jointly funded by the Malaysian and Australian governments and coordinated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

A little over 40% of the area has been searched with no sign of the plane. The search is due to be complete by May.

"Of course she knows we miss her. She is my mum and we have a very, very good relationship just like friends and we can talk [about] everything. We like to 'date' every week," Wang Le tells us.

I ask if he and his father blame anyone for what has happened. "We don't know what happened exactly, we don't know the truth so [to] blame anyone is not helpful," he says.

"For me I just think if my mother can see me, she can watch me somewhere. She doesn't want to see her son very sad every day so maybe she is happy to see me work hard and take care of my father, my grandmother, my whole family."


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Obama: Ferguson 'Oppressive And Abusive'

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Barack Obama has labelled what happened in the Missouri city of Ferguson as "oppressive and abusive", on the eve of a visit to one of the civil rights movement's most historic landmarks.

The US President will speak in Selma, Alabama, later to mark the 50th anniversary of the marches that took place to protest against the lack of voting rights.

The anniversary comes with America digesting the report from the Department of Justice detailing racial bias in Ferguson, a city which saw violent protests over the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer last summer.

"What we saw was that the Ferguson Police Department in conjunction with the municipality saw traffic stops, arrests, tickets as a revenue generator, as opposed to serving the community, and that it systematically was biased against African-Americans in that city who were stopped, harassed, mistreated, abused, called names, fined," Mr Obama said at a town hall-style meeting in Columbia, South Carolina.

He said Ferguson must now make a decision about how to move forward.

"Are they going to enter into some sort of agreement with the Justice Department to fix what is clearly a broken and racially biased system?" Mr Obama said.

"Or, if they don't, then the Justice Department has the capacity to sue the city for violations of the rights of the people of Ferguson."

Mr Obama will later be joined in Selma by the first family and former president George W Bush.

"Selma is not just about commemorating the past, it's about honouring the legends who helped change this country through your actions today, in the here and now," Mr Obama said at the South Carolina meeting.

"Selma is now."

The city has been propelled into the global spotlight again this year with the release of the movie Selma and the controversy over its shortage of Oscar nominations.

In March 1965, the city saw police beat back crowds attempting to march to the state capital Montgomery to protest over the inability of black people to register to vote.

The violent images broadcast on national television helped lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act after protesters were joined by Dr Martin Luther King.

Dr F D Reese, who invited Dr King to Selma to lead the protests, says some of the legacy has been wasted.

He told Sky News: "The civil rights movement still has more to do because when you deal with human beings, people have opportunities to do great things but then after doing great things, they fail to do certain things that they should do in the future."

The anniversary events will be focussed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge.

A unity march of leaders from all faiths will be staged over the weekend.

Dr Jerry Light, leader of the First Baptist Church, said: "1965 was a horrible time for Selma but it was a horrible time for all of the South and, just like many of the other cities, we have overcome.

"We are not where we want to be but we are working in that direction."

Selma, which sits on the Alabama River, grew as a cotton port but its economy has suffered with the loss of a major military base.

Some in the city say it suffers a stigma from its association with such a notorious chapter in American history and has struggled to attract investment, but the mayor denies that.

George Evans told Sky News: "I think there is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to race relations.

"There are still people living in the past but I think the mass majority of people in the United States and Selma are interested in moving forward.

"What happened in '65 is what happened in '65, what is happening now is another world.

"The idea now is not to try and get even but to get it right."

1/44

  1. Gallery: Nov 25 - Protests Turn Ugly In Missouri

    A man watches a burning building after a grand jury returned no indictment in the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri

Lesley McSpadden, mother of Michael Brown, reacts to hearing the grand jury decision over the death of the 18-year-old unarmed black teenager, shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Two Suspects Held Over Boris Nemtsov Shooting

Two Suspects Held Over Boris Nemtsov Shooting

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Two suspects have been detained over the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Russian state TV Rossiya-24 quoted the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, as saying President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the detention.

"I would like to inform you that the work that has been conducted has resulted in two suspects in this crime being detained today. They are a Gubashev, Anzor and a Dadayev, Zaur," he said in a video posted on state TV Channel One's website.

No further details were provided about the suspects, but RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Bortnikov as saying that both were from the Caucasus.

No charges were immediately announced.

1/6

  1. Gallery: Boris Nemtsov: Funeral Of Murdered Putin Opponent Held In Moscow

    People stand in line at a memorial service before the funeral of leading Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in Moscow

Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued to pay their respects. Mr Nemtsov was shot dead by an unknown gunman last week as he walked with his girlfriend

]]>

The apparent assassination has shocked Russia. President Putin has blamed the killing on enemies trying to discredit the Kremlin

]]>

Continue through for more pictures of the memorial service and funeral

]]>
]]>
Two Suspects Held Over Boris Nemtsov Shooting

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Two suspects have been detained over the murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov.

Russian state TV Rossiya-24 quoted the head of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, as saying President Vladimir Putin has been informed of the detention.

"I would like to inform you that the work that has been conducted has resulted in two suspects in this crime being detained today. They are a Gubashev, Anzor and a Dadayev, Zaur," he said in a video posted on state TV Channel One's website.

No further details were provided about the suspects, but RIA Novosti news agency quoted Mr Bortnikov as saying that both were from the Caucasus.

No charges were immediately announced.

1/6

  1. Gallery: Boris Nemtsov: Funeral Of Murdered Putin Opponent Held In Moscow

    People stand in line at a memorial service before the funeral of leading Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in Moscow

Several hundred Russians, many carrying red carnations, queued to pay their respects. Mr Nemtsov was shot dead by an unknown gunman last week as he walked with his girlfriend

]]>

The apparent assassination has shocked Russia. President Putin has blamed the killing on enemies trying to discredit the Kremlin

]]>

Continue through for more pictures of the memorial service and funeral

]]>

]]>

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

MH370 Search Could 'Go Back To Drawing Board'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent, in Kuala Lumpur

A year since MH370 disappeared, the Malaysian transport minister has said his country remains committed to finding the plane but refused to pledge that the search would continue beyond May.

In an interview with Sky News, Liow Tiong Lai said that when the current search of the southern Indian Ocean is completed, "we will have to go back to the drawing board".

Families of those on board MH370 are holding the Malaysian government to a previous pledge to "never give up" in the search for the plane.

The ongoing search of a "priority search area" of some 60,000 square kilometres of seabed is due to be completed in May.

Four ships from the Dutch firm Fugro, jointly funded by the Malaysian and Australian governments and coordinated by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), are scanning a mountainous seabed.

Mr Liow said: "Beyond May, if we have completed the 60,000 square kilometres, if we still cannot find the plane, then we have to go back to the drawing board, we have to go back to the expert group and discuss further what we should do next."

Pressed on whether he would give up or continue, the minister said that the next of kin needed answers but was not explicit in committing to a continued search.

"These are important issues not only for the next of kin but for the world and we are trying our level best as you can see and we stand guided by the expert search group.

"We are in the same shoes as the next of kin. We are together with the next of kin. We want to find the plane."

On the first anniversary, the minister again offered his condolences to the families.

"My heart goes out to the families and loved ones," he said.

"My thoughts and prayers are always with them. Malaysia together with others stand together with the families at this difficult time. I would like to commit to the families that we will continue the search."

The Malaysian government and Malaysia Airlines have been continually criticised for their handling of the tragedy.

Family members have complained of a lack of compassion, a flow of misinformation and have accused the authorities of knowingly misleading them.

In an open letter, published this week, one group of families said they were "subjected to a disorganised barrage of information from varied sources, much of which later proved to be incorrect".

1/5

  1. Gallery: Vigils Take Place To Remember Missing Flight MH370 One Year After Disappearance

    A Chinese relative of passengers on board the airliner attends a gathering to mark the one-year anniversary of the disappearance in Kuala Lumpur

A child is comforted by her mother during a vigil to remember the victims

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tunisia: A Breeding Ground For Jihadists

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 06 Maret 2015 | 20.18

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Corrrespondent

It's seen as the success story of the Arab uprisings. In four years Tunisia has gone from revolution to reform - a stable democracy in a region blighted by conflict.

There may have been bumps along the road but it's been a relatively peaceful transition culminating in the first freely elected president in the country's history.

So many are asking why Tunisia is currently the biggest exporter of foreign fighters in the world, with thousands of young men travelling to Syria and Iraq to fight with the extremists.

Khalil (not his real name), 24, says he fought with Islamic State in Iraq's second city Mosul. Eventually he left, after being shot in the leg during battle.

But Khalil was not recruited to be a fighter. He says he was sought out by the group and offered money for a specific task.

"They told me you are doing something focusing on telecommunications, which is your specialty, so nobody can hack our communications. And in case someone is listening in, you would be notified," Khalil told Sky News.

"In terms of their structure, it was very strong. Everything was carefully calculated … even if you were going to the battlefield they would arrange things so a group would fight and another would pray and then they would swap ... there were even a group of therapists available."

Khalil describes himself as a moderate Muslim and admits he was attracted to join IS because it sounded adventurous, but after six months he started having doubts.

The Tunisian government says there are around 1,200 men who have left to fight in Syria, Iraq and now increasingly Libya, while other organisations say it's more than double that figure.

Tunisia has a history of exporting fighters to other countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. But since the toppling of former president Ben Ali's regime in 2011, the numbers have spiralled. The declining economy has certainly contributed to this phenomenon but not all the fighters come from poor backgrounds.

Mounir, 19, like hundreds of others here, was radicalised by Muslim preachers in his neighbourhood despite not being particularly interested in religion.

Seven of his friends have died fighting alongside extremist groups, including IS in Iraq and Syria. Although he says he's never gone to fight, he admits he and his friends do think about it.

"All of my friends have dropped out of school at an early stage. Their understanding of social science, politics, even in religion is very little. Even in schools they don't teach us about deep religious issues, you study simple Koran verses to please your parents, nothing complicated," Mounir told Sky News.

Although they are operating less visibly now than in 2012, ultra conservative - or Salafi - mosques and associations in Tunisia actively recruit and traffic young men through a network of intermediaries that facilitate their entry into Syria and Iraq.

Under the 23-year rule of former president Ben Ali, Islamist movements were persecuted, mosques shut down and thousands imprisoned.

Some Tunisians blame the moderate Islamist Ennahda government, which took over after Ben Ali was ousted in 2011, for the spike in numbers of foreign fighters.

They may not have agreed with the former president's crackdown but are also weary of the influence of hardliners within the Ennahda party.

One imam taking matters into his own hands is Sheikh Farid Beiji, a moderate cleric. He works with the government to identify extremist mosques and preachers.

For him, deradicalisation is possible by using the Koran to counter extremist ideology, but he admits it doesn't always work.

"We have studied how to turn young people from violence to non-violence... but for those who have reached an advanced state in adopting Islamic State's thinking, they don't listen to anyone," says Sheikh Farid.

Hundreds of fighters are returning home. A crackdown on so-called extremists under the new president has resulted in mass arrests, but with an increase in attacks on the police, some think the government's strategy is backfiring.

The heavier the crackdown, the more fuel you give to extremists to recruit young men, especially in prisons.

What's happening today is sure to have repercussions in Tunisia and elsewhere for generations to come.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

IS Militants 'Bulldoze' Ancient City In Iraq

Islamic State militants have started bulldozing the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud in northern Iraq, the country's tourism and antiquities ministry has said.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the ministry said IS had "assaulted the historic city of Nimrud and bulldozed it with heavy vehicles".

The statement did not elaborate on the damage, saying only the group continues to "defy the will of the world and the feelings of humanity" with its actions.

Officials said the destruction began after noon prayers on Thursday and that trucks that may have been used to take away artefacts had also been spotted at the site.

"Until now, we do not know to what extent it was destroyed," the official said on condition of anonymity.

UNESCO has said the destruction, if true, "constitutes a war crime" and called on people around the world "especially youth" to protect "the heritage of the whole of humanity".

Built in the 13th century BC, Nimrud is located on the Tigris River just south of Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, which was captured by IS in June.

The extremists, who control a third of Iraq and Syria, have attacked other archaeological and religious sites, claiming they encourage people to abandon Islam.

Abdulamir Hamdani, an Iraqi archaeologist from Stony Brook University, said: "I'm sorry to say everybody was expecting this. Their plan is to destroy Iraqi heritage, one site at a time.

"Hatra, of course, will be next," he said, referring to a beautifully-preserved city in Nineveh that is more than 2,000 years old and is a UNESCO world heritage site.

The destruction at Nimrud came a week after IS released a video showing militants armed with sledgehammers and jackhammers smashing priceless ancient artefacts at the Mosul museum.

That attack sparked widespread condemnation, with some archaeologists and heritage experts comparing it with the 2001 demolition of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Last year, IS destroyed the Mosque of the Prophet Younis - or Jonah - and the Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis, two revered ancient shrines in Mosul.

The group also threatened to destroy the city's 850-year old Crooked Minaret, but local residents surrounded the structure, preventing the militants from approaching.

Iraq's national museum in Baghdad opened its doors to the public last week for the first time in 12 years in a move Prime Minister Haider al Abadi said was to defy efforts "to destroy the heritage of mankind and Iraq's civilisation".

IS has imposed a harsh and violent version of Islamic law in the territories it controls and has terrorised religious minorities.

A US-led coalition has launched a military campaign against the group, and this week Iraqi forces began an offensive to try to retake the city of Tikrit, on the main road linking Baghdad to Mosul.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mob Lynches Rape Suspect After Storming Jail

A rape suspect was kidnapped from jail, strung up and beaten to death by a mob in northeastern India.

The man was accused of raping a female student multiple times - but had yet to stand trial.

He had reportedly been held at the Dimapur Central Prison in Nagaland since 24 February.

The Hindustan Times newspaper said the crowd "tore down two gates and took custody".

The suspect was then dragged to Dimapur's clock tower, where he was stripped, beaten and pelted with stones.

Photographs show the apparently gleeful mob capturing the incident on their phones.

They had reportedly marched four miles to the prison as part of a protest against the high rate of sexual violence in the country.

"The situation is very tense," said Superintendent Meren Jamir. "We are trying our very best to restore order."

The suspect, reportedly a 35-year-old car dealer, was also accused of being an illegal immigrant from Bangladesh.

The Indian government recently sparked outrage by banning a British-made documentary about the gang-rape of a student in 2012.

Officials even asked YouTube to block access to the film - but more than 100,000 people have managed to watch it online.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel: Suspect Shot After Car Rams Crowd

A Palestinian suspect has been shot and five people have been injured after an attack on pedestrians in Jerusalem, police say.

The attacker ploughed onto the curb next to an Israeli paramilitary border police station in East Jerusalem.

The vehicle hit three border policewoman and lightly injuring them, according to police spokeswoman Luba Samri.

The assailant then drove forward again, hitting another policewoman and an Israeli man.

A border police officer and a security guard began firing at the vehicle from the station's entrance.

The man got out of the car and tried to attack the guards with a butcher's knife, Ms Samri added.

The suspect was then shot and seriously wounded by the guards.

The driver and those who were injured have been taken to hospital.

Moshe Edri, a regional police commander, said: "The swift and determined response stopped the attack as it was beginning and prevented more innocents from being injured."

The attack is being treated by police as a suspected terror attack, and happened on the Jewish holiday of Purim, when the streets are busy with pedestrians.

The attacker has been identified as a Palestinian man in his 20s from East Jerusalem, police said.

Tensions flared in Jerusalem last year, both before and after the war in Gaza, but the city has been relatively calm recently.

The attack mirrors a series of incidents in the city last year in which Palestinians ploughed vehicles into groups of pedestrians, killing several people.

Friday's attack happened at the same intersection where a Palestinian rammed his car into a crowded train platform and attacked people with an iron bar.

That attack, which happened last November, left one person dead and 13 injured.

It comes after the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) agreed on Thursday to suspend security coordination with Israel in the occupied West Bank.

Officials are concerned this could have a knock-on effect on security throughout the territory.

The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which have been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War, and in Gaza, a strip of land on the Mediterranean coast that is separated from the West Bank.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

New York And Manchester Bomb Plotter Guilty

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 05 Maret 2015 | 20.18

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

A man who was plotting to blow up the Arndale shopping centre in Manchester has been found guilty of terrorism offences in New York.

The jury convicted Abid Naseer, 28, of providing material support to al Qaeda, conspiracy to provide material support to the terror group and conspiracy to use a destructive device.

The verdict was reached at a federal court in Brooklyn. No date has yet been set for Naseer's sentencing.

During the trial prosecutors argued that Naseer played a major part in a global al Qaeda plot to launch coordinated attacks in Manchester, Copenhagen and New York City.

The attacks were designed to "replicate the devastation" of the attacks on 11 September, 2001.

Greater Manchester Police's chief investigating officer in the case, Detective Superintendent Mark Smith, told Sky News it was "as big a plot as we've seen in the UK, quite seriously".

He said: "The scale of the intended attack, the number of casualties that I think we would have seen in Manchester, would have been comparable to the 7/7 attack."

The court saw photographs of alleged co-conspirator Tariq Ur-Rehman, who was never charged, posing as a tourist at the Arndale centre and other locations.

The prosecution said the images were actually reconnaissance, and that the terror cell had concentrated on locations with glass-fronted shops to maximise casualties.

To assist with the US government's case, serving undercover MI5 agents gave evidence in full public view, disguised with wigs and makeup.

They described how they followed Naseer in March and April 2009, and the jury saw surveillance notes describing him watching a video of the 9/11 attacks on his mobile phone.

Det Supt Smith told Sky News that his operation had learned that Naseer had sent emails to a suspected al Qaeda handler speaking in coded language about an impending "wedding", meaning an attack.

He said: "Those emails indicated that he was ready to attack, and that attack was more than likely going to take place over the following weekend, which would have been the Easter bank holiday weekend."

But Manchester police were rushed into making arrests ahead of schedule when Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer, Bob Quick, accidentally allowed details of the operation to be photographed as he walked into Downing Street.

Naseer and 11 others were taken into custody, but little evidence was found and all were released without charge.

In 2013 he was extradited to America.

Det Supt Smith said: "It's always disappointing not to be able to prosecute a case in the UK, but having said that, I just wanted to see Abid Naseer brought to justice."

One of the New York plotters who had planned to target the subway system, and who is already in prison, described receiving bomb-making training in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He told the court how he had been taught to use ball bearings to injure and kill as many commuters as possible.

The prosecution said Naseer had received the same training, and was communicating using the same coded language with the same senior al Qaeda handlers.

Before they rested their case lawyers produced their final piece of evidence - never before seen documents recovered from the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan.

In a court building with a direct view of the 9/11 attack site, they said letters from senior terror chiefs to bin Laden made direct reference to the Manchester plot, and revealed the group's determination to attack America and its allies at home.

Naseer argued that he had come to the UK from Pakistan on a student visa to study and to find a wife.

He told the court that all the evidence against him was circumstantial, but it wasn't enough to convince the Brooklyn jury in federal court room 10A.

Naseer is facing life in prison.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hundreds Forced To Flee Cape Town Wildfires

Hundreds of people have been forced to leave their homes in the South African city of Cape Town because of wildfires.

The fires have been burning for several days and swept out of control, with smoke and flames illuminating the night sky around Table Mountain National Park.

People who could not stay with family were housed in a community centre and later returned home even though the fire was not yet fully under control.

An emergency services spokesman said 150 firefighters had been working 24-hour shifts in hot summer temperatures of up to 29C (84F) to tackle the blaze, which started on Sunday.

Rain showers were not enough to put it out, he said.                 

1/23

  1. Gallery: Wildfires Rage Near Cape Town

    A firefighter hoses down smouldering vegetation, as one of the largest wildfires in recent times is brought under control, near Fishoek in the greater Cape Town area

It has taken more than 1,000 professional and volunteer firefighters three and half days to bring the fire under control

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

US Ambassador Slashed In Face With Knife

The US ambassador to South Korea has been slashed on the face and wrist by a knife-wielding attacker shouting for unification of the divided peninsula.

The 42-year-old Mark Lippert was taken hospital after the attack during a breakfast speech in Seoul, and underwent surgery for more than two hours. His injuries were not life-threatening.

He needed 80 stitches for an 11cm (4in) gash to the right of his face and a cut to his left arm which ruptured a tendon and caused nerve damage.

Footage taken after the attack showed the ambassador being rushed out of the building holding one hand to his bleeding right cheek, with his other hand smeared with blood.

Security staff and police officers were seen jumping on the ambassador's assailant, who was armed with a 10-inch blade.

Hours later, Mr Lippert tweeted that he was "doing well&in great spirits!"

Doctors said he will probably be in hospital for up to four days and may experience sensory problems in his left hand for several months.

President Barack Obama called Mr Lippert, a former aide, to wish him a swift recovery, while a US State Department spokeswoman said: "We strongly condemn this act of violence."

Police have identified the suspected attacker as 55-year-old Kim Ki-Jong, who has a previous conviction for assaulting the Japanese ambassador to Seoul in 2010.

"I carried out an act of terror," he shouted as he was pinned to the floor.

Police said they had detained the attacker and started an investigation.

North Korea described the attack as "just punishment" for the US decision to push ahead with joint military exercises with South Korea.

1/4

  1. Gallery: US Envoy Injured In Knife Attack

    US Ambassador Mark Lippert was slashed on the face and wrist by a knife-wielding attacker

The suspect, identified as im Ki-Jong, screamed demands for a unified North and South Korea

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

$4.8m Gold Robbery May Have Been Inside Job

By Sky News US Team

North Carolina officials say a multimillion-dollar robbery of gold bars from a truck in North Carolina may have been an inside job.

The heist last Sunday happened when two armed guards aboard the truck pulled over on a remote stretch of highway as one of them said he was feeling car sick, according to what they told police.

The guards told police they got out of the truck without their weapons.

They were immediately accosted by three armed men with Cuban accents who forced them onto the ground, tied their hands with duct tape and walked them into the woods.

Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard Jr said the suspicion that the robbery might have been an inside job could not be ruled out.

But he added that the guards had been co-operative. "Right now, they're still considered victims," he said.

The robbers cut a lock on the back of the tractor-trailer and off-loaded 275 pounds of gold bars from barrels inside it, estimated to be worth $4.8m (£3.1m).

Nobody was hurt in the heist.

It is possible that the robbers were watching the armoured truck carrying the gold and knew it was transporting valuables, Sheriff Woodard said.

Authorities described one suspect as a heavy-set man around 40 wearing a red traffic vest and said he told the guards he was a police officer. Another was a man wearing a hooded jacket and all-black clothing, Mr Woodard said.

The victims could not offer a description of the third suspect.

The armoured vehicle from TransValue Inc, a Miami-based company that specialises in transporting valuables to banks, was traveling from Miami to Massachusetts.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Video: Islamic State-Themed Wedding Party

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 04 Maret 2015 | 20.18

An Egyptian bride and groom were placed in a cage by masked men brandishing knives as part of an Islamic State-themed wedding.

The video, which was shot in Menoufia, Egypt, begins with a wedding attendant with his face covered conducting as a jihadi anthem used in propaganda released by the militants is played.

He then leads the bride and groom into the cage, similar to that used in the horrific video of Jordanian pilot Mu'ath Al Kassasbeh being burned alive in February.

Inside the newlywed break into dance along with the masked attendants as other guests clap and cheer them on.

The idea was apparently thought up by the groom, who had told his bride-to-be he was planning something different for the wedding.

Only the groom, his attendants and the photographer, Ahmed Kassem, knew of the plan beforehand.

As the scene unfolded, some guests believed the wedding was being stormed by IS militants, according to the Youm7 newspaper.

Last month, footage emerged showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by IS militants in Libya.

Egypt responded by bombing IS camps, training sits and weapons storage areas along the border with Libya.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thirty Two Killed In Ukraine Mine Explosion

Thirty two people have been killed and 70 more are trapped underground following an explosion at a coal mine in rebel held eastern Ukraine.

The blast took place at a mine in the Donetsk region of the country and emergency services have launched a rescue attempt to reach those trapped.

"More than 30 people were killed. Rescue workers have not yet come to the place of the explosion, they are removing the poisonous gas and then will go down," said Vladimir Tsymbalenko, head of the local mining safety service.

One of the men caught up in the blast and taken to a Donetsk hospital said: "I was blown away by an explosion. I came round. There was dust everywhere and people were moaning."

Families of those caught up in the disaster have been gathering at the entrance to the mine in Zasyadko, Donetsk.

The mines in Donbass are among some of the most dangerous in the world due to the high levels of methane produced which increase the risk of explosions.

Separatist authorities in Donetsk said the blast occurred at a depth of more than 1,000 metres (0.6 miles) and that 230 workers were in the mine at the time.

The statement added the explosion was caused by a mixture of gas and air - a common cause of industrial mining accidents.

Some 300 men die in mine accidents in the region every year.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Family 'Reeling' After Briton Dies Fighting IS

The mother of the first Briton to be killed fighting IS in Syria has told Sky News the family is "reeling" after learning of his death

Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, a former Royal Marine, was fighting alongside Kurdish YPG forces in the northern province of Hasakah.

Mr Scurfield's mother, Viki Scurfield, told Sky News: "We are reeling. We just want to get our heads round everything."

She said the family was waiting for confirmation from the police and Foreign Office.

Neighbours said the lights had been on all night at the family's house in Royston, a village on the edge of Barnsley.

The YPG has contacted the family about repatriating his body to the UK, according to Sky sources, but have also offered to bury him as one of their own at a special burial site.

It is understood he died on 2 March and had been fighting alongside the Kurds since the start of December.

Kurdish rights activist Mark Campbell told Sky he had broken news of the man's death to his family.

"To be honest it was a harrowing phone call," he said.

"There were three questions really his mother wanted to know immediately...

"She wanted to know if there's a body - and there is. She wanted to know when he died - he died yesterday. And she wanted to know if he died in combat - which he had."

Mr Scurfield was reportedly wounded in a mortar attack during fighting near the town of Tal Barak, and died from his injuries.

Jordan Matson, a former US soldier believed to be fighting with the Kurds, described him on Facebook as a "disciplined warrior".

He wrote: "Kosta volunteered for every attack and guard duty opportunity. He wanted nothing more than to bring the fight to the enemy.

"I'm going to carry on your legacy, brother, I will never forget you. I love you, man. Save me a place up there, big guy."

The Foreign Office said in a statement: "We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Syria.

"As we do not have any representation in Syria, it is extremely difficult to get any confirmation of deaths or injuries and our options for supporting British nationals there are extremely limited."

Barnsley MP Dan Jarvis told Sky News he believed Mr Scurfield had gone to Syria to provide humanitarian help and for "honourable reasons".

"My understanding is that he had very significant ideological concerns about what is happening, about the actions Islamic State were taking in the region, and he wanted to make a contribution.

"He went there to make a humanitarian contribution, he didn't go there to fight, he provided medical assistance."

Rami Abdulrahman, the head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said just over 100 Westerners had joined Kurdish forces in Syria from countries including the US, France, Spain and the Netherlands.

Their numbers are small in comparison with those foreign recruits who have joined IS and other hardline groups.

An Australian man fighting with Kurdish forces was killed in the country last week, the Observatory and a Kurdish source said.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Jihadi John' Family Moved To Secret Location

Counter-terrorism officers have moved members of Mohammed Emwazi's family from their west London home to a secret location, Sky News understands.

The move is believed to have taken place on Monday night, with the family being escorted out of their home in Paddington.

Sky's Mark White says it is not clear how many people were moved, or who the family members are.

"It's possible it's his mother. We know he has brothers and sisters in the UK as well," said White.

There are also unconfirmed reports from Kuwait that Emwazi's family there might also have been moved to a safe house.

Mohammed Emwazi's father, who lives in the Gulf country, has reportedly said there is no proof his son is the Islamic State killer known as Jihadi John.

Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas says Jassem Emwazi dismissed claims he and his wife had told officials they recognised their son from the group's videos.

"There is nothing that proves what is being circulated in the media, especially through video clips and footage, that the accused is my son Mohammed, who is being referred to as the alleged executioner of Daesh (Islamic State)," Mr Emwazi was quoted as saying.

Mohammed Emwazi, from London, was named in the media last week as the masked man who appears in IS beheading videos posted on the internet.

But his father said: "I have a message to the Kuwaiti people that many of the rumours are false.

"Because I felt that some people have believed it, I have assigned a lawyer to defend me and to prove ... that what is being said is untrue."

Jassem Emwazi's lawyer, Salem al Hashash, said his client had been questioned by Kuwait's interior ministry for three hours but released because he is not suspected of doing anything wrong.

He threatened legal action against people making unsubstantiated accusations and said a lawyer had also been appointed to defend family members in the UK.

Mohammed Emwazi, 26, was born in Kuwait and his parents moved to the UK in 1993 and settled in London.

The alleged killer graduated from the University of Westminster with a computing degree in 2009.

In an audio recording from that time Emwazi denied plans to become an extremist and condemned the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks.

But security experts believe he travelled to Syria in 2013 to join the terror group, eventually taking on the mantle of IS "executioner", responsible for beheading at least five hostages, Britons David Haines and Alan Henning and Americans James Foley, Stephen Sotloff and Peter Kassig.


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mourners Gather For Boris Nemtsov Funeral

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 03 Maret 2015 | 20.18

Mourners are gathering in Moscow for the funeral of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was shot dead four days ago.

Thousands of people filed past Mr Nemtsov's body as it lay in state in the Sakharov Centre in central Moscow ahead of a funeral later this afternoon.

The former deputy prime minister and long-time critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin was gunned down on a bridge near the Kremlin while walking with his girlfriend late on Friday.

No suspects have been arrested following the murder, considered the most shocking political assassination of Mr Putin's rule.

Sky News' Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard, who was at the Sakharov Centre, said people had queued since the early hours of the morning to pay their respects to Mr Nemtsov, 55.

Many were carrying carnations, the traditional flower of mourning in Russia.

Leading Russian opposition figures have suggested the murder was politically motivated, although authorities say it could have been a provocation aimed at tarnishing Mr Putin's image.

The chief witness to the killing, Mr Nemtsov's Ukrainian girlfriend Anna Duritskaya, who has now left Russia after claiming she was barred from leaving by investigators, has said she did not catch sight of the killers.

The Kremlin has pledged to hold a full investigation into what Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has described as a "heinous crime".

Although one mourner told Sky's Katie Stallard she did not feel confident the killers would be brought to justice.

1/8

  1. Gallery: Thousands in Moscow to honour opposition politician

    Russia's opposition supporters carry portraits of Boris Nemtsov through Moscow with the words "He fought for a free Russia," "He died for the future of Russia"

Riot police stand guard during the march in memory of Nemtsov

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boris Nemtsov's Girlfriend: 'I Saw No One'

Boris Nemtsov's Girlfriend: 'I Saw No One'

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

The girlfriend of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov who was with him when he was gunned down in Moscow has been allowed to return home to Ukraine.

Anna Duritskaya had earlier complained she was being held against her will by investigators following the murder.

The 23-year-old said in an interview she had not seen the killer as the shots were fired behind her and had little recollection of the attack as the couple walked across a bridge in Moscow after having dinner in Red Square.

She said she had given all the information she could to the authorities but they were preventing her from leaving Russia, citing concerns for her security.

But Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman later announced she had left Russia and was travelling to Kiev.

1/6

  1. Gallery: Profile: Who Was Boris Nemtsov?

    Rose to prominence under Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s and grew into a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin. He was also an environmentalist, a nuclear scientist and father of four

In 1997 he was made deputy prime minister and put in charge of economic reform. The economic crisis of 1998 cost him his job in parliament and any presidential hopes he had

]]>

In 1999 he co-founded the Union of Right Forces (SPS) which began promisingly, but later lost supporters when it moved from conditional support to open opposition. In 2003 the party failed to reach the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament. Nemtsov resigned as SPS leader

]]>

Founded several opposition movements after leaving the Russian parliament in 2003 and served as the co-chair of the opposition Republican Party of Russia since 2012

]]>

Played a major part in the large opposition marches in Moscow after Russia's controversial 2011 elections. He was arrested for taking part in the protests and detained in 2011 for 15 days

]]>
Boris Nemtsov's Girlfriend: 'I Saw No One'

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

The girlfriend of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov who was with him when he was gunned down in Moscow has been allowed to return home to Ukraine.

Anna Duritskaya had earlier complained she was being held against her will by investigators following the murder.

The 23-year-old said in an interview she had not seen the killer as the shots were fired behind her and had little recollection of the attack as the couple walked across a bridge in Moscow after having dinner in Red Square.

She said she had given all the information she could to the authorities but they were preventing her from leaving Russia, citing concerns for her security.

But Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman later announced she had left Russia and was travelling to Kiev.

1/6

  1. Gallery: Profile: Who Was Boris Nemtsov?

    Rose to prominence under Boris Yeltsin in the 1990s and grew into a fierce critic of Vladimir Putin. He was also an environmentalist, a nuclear scientist and father of four

In 1997 he was made deputy prime minister and put in charge of economic reform. The economic crisis of 1998 cost him his job in parliament and any presidential hopes he had

]]>

In 1999 he co-founded the Union of Right Forces (SPS) which began promisingly, but later lost supporters when it moved from conditional support to open opposition. In 2003 the party failed to reach the 5% threshold needed to enter parliament. Nemtsov resigned as SPS leader

]]>

Founded several opposition movements after leaving the Russian parliament in 2003 and served as the co-chair of the opposition Republican Party of Russia since 2012

]]>

Played a major part in the large opposition marches in Moscow after Russia's controversial 2011 elections. He was arrested for taking part in the protests and detained in 2011 for 15 days

]]>

20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pangolin: Battle To Save Most Hunted Animal

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Vietnam

The elephant, the tiger and the rhino are the undisputed "celebrities" of the world's endangered species, but they are by no means the animals most at risk of extinction.

The most hunted animal in the world is a creature so sought after by Chinese and Vietnamese consumers that, as Prince William recently remarked, it could be extinct before most people have ever heard of it.

As the Duke of Cambridge uses his state visit to China to press for an end to the country's massive illegal trade in wildlife, Sky News has been given access to a unique British-funded conservation facility fighting to save the pangolin.

A cross between an armadillo and an artichoke with legs, the pangolin is the most extraordinary of creatures.

The only mammal covered in scales; it is a little larger than a cat; it is shy, harmless and oddly enchanting. 

The pangolin conservation centre is run by a 33-year-old Vietnamese man called Nguyan Van Thai, the director of a charity called Save Vietnam's Wildlife.

The centre's only permanent funding comes from Newquay Zoo in the UK.

"I remember pangolin everywhere in this forest when I was young," Thai says as we swap our shoes for special disinfected boots to enter the facility.

We are inside the Cuc Phuong National Park in northern Vietnam. This 220,000-hectare rainforest was once one of the pangolins many homes across Asia and Africa.

It is one o'clock in the morning; the most appropriate time for Thai to show us some of the 12 nocturnal pangolins he is rehabilitating at the centre.

The purpose-built 'pangolarium' is lit only by red bulbs.

There are four large enclosures, each a little smaller than a squash court. Underneath each one is a small bed box with access to the enclosure via a drain pipe.

Inside one of the boxes is Lucky, one of the first pangolins to arrive at the centre ten years ago.

He and the others will not be released to the wild again until the risk that they could be re-poached has gone. 

Thai explains the pangolin is a creature invincible to everything in the wild except man. 

On his phone he plays some footage of a crate of live pangolins destined for China but confiscated on the border in December. 

They are curled into their trademark scaled balls, their defence mechanism. 

The poachers who snared them in the forest have force fed them gravel to increase their weight and value.

Some 100,000 pangolins a year are hunted and trafficked like this.

This is the recorded figure. Many more will go untraced.

Conserving the pangolin is incredibly hard because they seldom survive in captivity. Only five zoos globally have them.

Thai is one of the few people who knows how to care for them, having spent three months 'living nocturnal' with them in the jungle.

We drive two hours north of the forest to Hanoi.

Thai wants to show us where many of the pangolin end up: medicine shops and restaurants. 

On one street lined with traditional medicine shops it takes just five minutes to be offered a bag of pangolin scales.

It is claimed the scales can cure cancer and help mothers produce breast milk but there is no scientific evidence to back that up.

We are offered a bag: £50 per 100g.

Across town we visit a number of restaurants.

Despite pangolin meat being illegal, it is on the menu complete with a picture. The waitress boasts that government officials like to eat it.

The tragedy is that, like elephants and their tusks, the rarer the pangolin becomes, the more sought after it is.

Increasingly prosperous middle classes in China and Vietnam are the problem, Thai tells us.

Owning ivory and eating pangolin are now symbols of status.

Back at the conservation centre Thai has recruited a new member of staff. Heidi Quine is an animal behavioural expert.

She said: "The very real possibility exists that they are going to be eaten to extinction ... before most of us have ever even heard of them.

 "If we don't save the pangolin then what else do we let go?

"There is absolutely no reason that these mammals need to be the most trafficked on the face of the planet."

:: Click here to watch the Sky News extended investigation.

:: To find out more about Thai's work to save the pangolin, visit www.savevietnamswildlife.org


20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Emwazi Recording: I'm Not An Extremist

A recording has emerged of Mohammed Emwazi denying plans to become an extremist in 2009, and condemning the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks.

In the clip, released by the CAGE advocacy group, the 26-year-old describes being interviewed by British security officials - and complains about being threatened by MI5.

According to Emwazi, he was asked for his views on the terrorist attacks in London and New York, to which he replied: "Innocent people are getting killed. What happened was wrong. If I had the opportunity to make those lives come back, I would."

The Londoner told CAGE that despite his condemnation of al Qaeda, his interrogators were still convinced that he was planning to train as a terrorist in Somalia - and had vowed to "keep a close eye" on him.

Emwazi told the officials: "After what I told you what's happening is extremism, you're still saying I'm an extremist?"

The University of Westminster graduate was identified as "Jihadi John" last week, and is believed to be the Islamic State fighter who has appeared in videos which depict the beheading of Western aid workers and journalists.

In emails to a journalist in 2010, Emwazi claimed he was a "dead man walking", and revealed he had contemplated suicide because of the treatment he had received at the hands of MI5.

Asim Qureshi, a research director for CAGE, said last week that the militant was "the most humble young person that I ever knew".

1/6

  1. Gallery: Jihadi John's email exhanges with Cage and a reporter

    This email Mohammed Emwazi sent to a Mail On Sunday reporter in 2010 revealed his first encounter and his fear of MI5

He later made contact with the campaign group Cage and told them about clashes with border control officers

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More

Emwazi 'Best Employee We Had', Says Ex-Boss

Written By Unknown on Senin, 02 Maret 2015 | 20.18

The former boss of the Briton identified in reports as the sadistic Islamic State killer "Jihadi John" has said he was "the best employee we ever had".

Mohammed Emwazi was "very good with people" and was "calm and decent", according to the head of an IT firm in Kuwait, which hired the then 21-year-old as a salesman.

He also expressed shock the person he had known was behind the reign of terror in the IS videos.

Emwazi, 26, is believed to have murdered at least five Western hostages, including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines.

His ex-boss told The Guardian newspaper: "He was the best employee we ever had.

"He was very good with people. Calm and decent. He came to our door and gave us his CV."

The executive added: "How could someone as calm and quiet as him become like the man who we saw on the news? It's just not logical that he could be this guy.

"Maybe he fell into the wrong hands when he went back."

Emwazi left the company suddenly in April 2010 after returning to London.

Further details about the killer came as emails emerged suggesting Emwazi considered suicide when he was a student, after suspecting MI5 was closing in on him.

He told a journalist in 2010 that he felt like a "dead man walking".

Emwazi had also contacted a campaign group after he was questioned by counter-terrorism officers while attempting to fly from Heathrow to his native Kuwait in 2010.

In emails to the CAGE organisation, he claimed the security services were "stopping him from living his new life" abroad, where he had secured a job and was getting married.

When Emwazi was first unmasked as "Jihadi John", representatives from CAGE described him as "extremely kind and gentle" and "the most humble young person we ever knew".

Meanwhile, divisions have opened up between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats over whether radical preachers should be banned from university campuses.

Conservative Party chairman Grant Shapps revealed on Sky News there is a "difference of opinion" within the coalition.

It comes after a former student at the London university where Emwazi studied said the campus was a toxic environment of radical Islam.

The University of Westminster, where Emwazi studied from 2006 and 2009 and earned a computer programming degree, has vehemently denied the claim.

In an interview on Sky's Murnaghan programme, Mr Shapps said: "Vince Cable doesn't want to do what the Conservatives want to do, which is to make sure that on campus we do not have radical preachers saying things which incite violence which ultimately can lead to the radicalisation of young people."

The department headed by the Lib Dem Business Secretary is responsible for higher education.

Mr Shapps said: "We have seen these three girls go off to Syria. We have seen Jihadi John. We don't think that sort of preaching should happen in our universities.

1/3

  1. Gallery: Jihadi John's University Academic Record

    Mohammed Emwazi, aka Jihadi John, studied a computing course at university. Sky News has exclusively obtained his student record

His file shows mostly middling academic grades for his course modules. He graduated with a lower second (2.2) degree

]]>
20.18 | 0 komentar | Read More
techieblogger.com Techie Blogger Techie Blogger