Israeli Warplanes Launch Airstrike In Syria

Israeli officials have confirmed its air force carried out an airstrike allegedly targeting a shipment of advanced missiles in Syria.

The officials said the target was not chemical weapons, but of "game changing" arms bound for the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The strike took place overnight on Thursday into Friday, just as Israel was flying many warplanes over Lebanon.

The US earlier said it did not believe Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace to conduct the strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly warned in recent weeks that his country would be prepared to take military action if chemical weapons or other arms were to reach Hezbollah.

Earlier this month, Israel admitted carrying out a January airstrike on a weapons convoy believed to be carrying anti-aircraft equipment in Syria thought to be en route to Hezbollah.

The confirmation of the strike came hours after Barack Obama refused to rule out options in dealing with the crisis in Syria but said he did not foresee sending in US ground troops.

Mr Obama, on a trip to Costa Rica, rules out US 'boots' on Syrian ground

Speaking during a visit to Costa Rica, the US President said: "As a general rule, I don't rule things out as commander-in-chief because circumstances change and you want to make sure that I always have the full power of the United States at our disposal to meet American national security interests.

"Having said that, I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria, would not only be good for America but also would be good for Syria."

Mr Obama said there was evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, but that "we don't know when, where or how they were used".

But if "strong evidence" is found of such weapons being used by the regime of President Bashar al Assad, then "that is a game changer for us" because "there is a possibility that it lands in the hands of organisations like Hezbollah", Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama said if use of chemical weapons in Syria is confirmed, the US will present that evidence to the international community, because it concerns the entire world.

But he called for caution to avoid unintended consequences, saying: It's important for us to do it right."

Meanwhile, warnings of a new "large-scale massacre" in Syria have emerged following reports Mr Assad's troops bombarded Sunni areas near the city of Bania.

There have been reports of a 'large-scale massacre' in Baida

The opposition National Coalition accused the regime of "war crimes and genocide", citing witness reports of civilians being stabbed to death.

"The Coalition calls on the Arab League and the United Nations to act rapidly to save the civilians of Baida, Banias and other villages across Syria," it said in a statement.

"Several sources in the village say at least 50 people were killed in summary executions and shelling in Baida village,"Rami Abdel Rahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP news agency.

Syria's official Sana news agency said troops killed "terrorists" and seized arms in an operation targeting rebels.

Regular forces were supported by pro-regime "shabiha" militiamen, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its information.

The Banias region is predominantly Alawite, an offshoot of Shia Islam and the sect of Mr Assad, while the insurgents battling to topple his regime are mainly Sunni Muslims.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sarah Palin Praises NRA For 'Not Giving Up'

Sarah Palin has urged America's National Rifle Association not to back down in the face of pressure.

Thousands of gun fans have been listening to speakers addressing the NRA's annual convention in Houston, Texas, at which the former vice presidential candidate praised members for 'not giving up'.

Mrs Palin said: "The Washington establishment sneers at you, and you don't give up.

"The lamestream media just plain doesn't get you, and you don't give up, you don't retreat."

The convention was the first since the start of a national debate over gun control following December's mass shooting of teachers and school children in Newtown, Connecticut.

Mrs Palin said recent mass shootings had prompted leaders in Washington DC to exploit tragedy in order to limit the freedoms of law-abiding people.

While she and others were saddened and angered by the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, she added, the emotions that resulted from it would not make anybody safer and would not "protect the good guys' rights".

The former Governor of Alaska asked those at the convention to "keep the faith" and "stand up and fight for our freedoms".

Last month a US Senate bill aimed at forcing restrictions on who could own guns was thrown out.

More than 70,000 NRA members were expected to attend the three-day convention.

The Sandy Hook shooting has prompted further debate on gun control

Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre said his organisation would not stop defending the rights of gun owners.

He told the convention: "We will never back away from our resolve to defend our rights and the rights of all law-abiding American gun owners."

US President Barack Obama, who has pushed for gun control measures, was a prime target for criticism.

Gary DuBois, a member of the NRA, claimed gun control pushes crime up.

He told a film crew: "I hate to sound like I'm paranoid or something, but the deal is, any thinking person, you can look at Britain, Australia, any place where they put gun control in effect, crime goes up.

"They can say that they are doing it for public safety, but it's just not right, they are doing it for another reason. I think it's for control."

Across the street from the conference hall, America's campaign against gun violence - called No More Names - was protesting by reading out the names of all those shot dead since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

The campaign was trying to remind NRA members that 30,000 Americans die every year from gun violence.

Erica Lafferty, whose mother, Sandy Hook principal Dawn Hochsprung, was killed in the elementary school shooting, said: "The most recent polling that I've seen was that 74 per cent of NRA members do support the universal background check.

"It seems like it's their leadership that's kind of way more right than that and is really giving a lot of push back against it."

Recent national polls have indicated that a majority of US citizens are in favour of expanding background checks.

But many convention attendees said on Friday that they were not in favour of such efforts.

Politicians have said they intend to continue pressing for restrictions to be brought in at the federal level.

Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, has said he will re-introduce the bill to require criminal and mental health background checks for gun buyers.

Some states have taken matters into their own hands and introduced gun controls without the need for national legislation.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

To Kill A Mockingbird Author In Copyright Feud

The author of To Kill A Mockingbird is suing her literary agent's son-in-law for allegedly taking advantage of her declining hearing and eyesight to secure the book's copyright.

Harper Lee has launched legal action in a federal court in Manhattan to re-secure the copyright and seek unspecified damages from Samuel Pinkus and the companies he apparently created.

She alleges Mr Pinkus failed to properly protect the copyright of the book after his father-in-law Eugene Winick became ill a decade ago.

Mr Winick had represented Ms Lee as a literary agent since the book was published in 1960 through the firm McIntosh and Otis.

The 87-year-old author claims Mr Pinkus took advantage of her declining health seven years ago to get her to assign the book's copyright to him and a company he controlled.

She has no memory of agreeing to relinquish her rights or signing any transfer agreement, according to court papers.

Ms Lee, who lives in Monroeville, Alabama, has asked the court to reassign any rights owned by Mr Pinkus and pay any royalties he has received since 2007 to her.

"The transfer of ownership of an author's copyright to her agent is incompatible with her agent's duty of loyalty; it is a gross example of self-dealing," the lawsuit says.

Mr Pinkus did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

To Kill A Mockingbird, the only novel MS Lee ever published, tells the story of two children growing up in a small southern US town.

It addresses racial injustice, as the children's lawyer father is selected to defend a black man accused of raping a white woman. The man is convicted despite his innocence.

The book won the Pulitzer for fiction and is widely studied in schools. The film version won three Academy Awards.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bodies Found After Kyrgyzstan Plane Crash

Two bodies have been found in the wreckage of an American military aircraft that crashed not far from its base in Kyrgyzstan.

The KC-135 refuelling aircraft came down on Friday afternoon near the village of Chaldovar, about 100miles (160km) west of the Manas air base, outside the capital Bishkek.

The authorities said they were still looking for a third person who was on board.

On Friday, it was reported that local people had seen an airman parachute from the plane before it came down.

The plane came down in the Chaldovar region, in Kyrgyzstan

The refuelling plane was said to have exploded in mid air when its cargo of fuel ignited on its way to Afghanistan on Friday, accident investigators said.

Experts were still trying to work out what led up to the crash.

Kuvan Mamakeev, the Kyrgyz state prosecutor responsible for investigating transport crimes and accidents, said: "It could be because of the fuel, because of the engine, the weather conditions or the human factor."

Remains of the two bodies were found on Saturday. They have yet to be identified.

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker took off from the US military's transit centre at Kyrgyzstan's Manas airport, which American forces maintain for operations in Afghanistan.

A KC-135 Stratotanker, like the one that crashed in Kyrgyzstan (File Pic)

It had around 70 tonnes of fuel on board, a local ministry official said.

The wreckage of the plane was scattered over a three and a half mile (5km) area in a mountainous part of the Central Asian republic.

The plane reportedly broke into three pieces when it crashed into an uninhabited region.

The deputy district chief Anatoly Ivannikov told local radio on Friday: "The preliminary information is that the pilot jumped out with a parachute. They have gone to look for him."

A spokeswoman at the US base said they were still confirming the report.

Wreckage of the Kc_135 was scattered over a wide area

The US base, outside the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, was established in late 2001 to support the international military campaign in Afghanistan. Around 1,200 US military personnel are located there.

It has been the subject of a contentious dispute between the United States and its host nation. In 2009, the US reached an agreement with the Kyrgyz government to use the base in return for $60m (£38.5m) a year.

But the lease runs out in June 2014 and the United States wants to keep the base beyond that point to aid in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

The KC-135 is an aerial refuelling aircraft, used to give fighter jets and bombers greater range.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bangladesh Makes EU Plea Over Factory Collapse

Bangladesh has urged the EU not to take tough measures against its economically crucial textile industry after the collapse of a factory which killed 550 people.

Bodies were still being pulled from the rubble of the clothing plant on Saturday as tearful families stood waiting for news of victims.

The EU, which gives preferential access to Bangladeshi clothing, had threatened punitive measures to press Dhaka to improve worker safety standards after the collapse of the illegally-built factory on April 24.

The disaster, thought to have been triggered when the building's electricity generators were started up during a blackout, put the spotlight on Western retailers who use Bangladesh as a source of cheap goods.

A security guard sits in front of missing persons posters in a hospital

Four million people work in the country's textile industry - making it the second largest clothing exporter after China. Some earn as little as $38 (£24) a month.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the factory owners for the disaster, saying they ignored warnings about cracks in the walls of the building.

Duty-free access offered by Western countries and low wages have helped turn Bangladesh's garment exports into a $19bn-a-year (£12.2bn) industry with 60% of clothes going to Europe.

Mahbub Ahmed, top civil servant in Bangladesh's Commerce Ministry, said: "If the EU or any other buyers impose any harsh trade conditions on Bangladesh it will hurt the country's economy ... millions of workers will lose their jobs."

He added the government had not received any formal notification of punitive action from the EU.

Authorities have arrested nine people in connection with the building collapse, including an engineer who had raised safety concerns about the eight-storey complex the day before the disaster.

Mr Hasina told a news conference on Friday: "The Industrial Police had asked the owners of the factories to suspend operations after cracks were noticed in the building.

"But they decided to operate their factories. After a power blackout when they started their generators the building caved in."

The owners of the factories have not commented publicly on the accusation that they were to blame. Four factory owners have been arrested, as has the owner of the building.

The collapse was the third deadly incident in six months that raised questions about worker safety and labour conditions in Bangladesh.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bhutto Assassination Case Prosecutor Shot Dead

A leading Pakistani prosecutor working on the Benazir Bhutto murder case has been shot dead in the capital Islamabad.

State prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar was shot multiple times by gunmen who intercepted his vehicle in a busy street in the capital.

His bodyguard was also wounded and a woman passer-by killed during the attack.

Police officer Mohammad Yousuf said: "Chaudhry Zulfiqar was driving his car. He lost control and the car crushed a woman passer-by.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007

"Zulfiqar was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries."

The gunmen fled and a massive search has been launched.

The prosecutor was on his way to the anti-terrorism court hearing the Bhutto case in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi.

Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was this week placed under two-week house arrest over charges that he conspired to murder Ms Bhutto.

Mr Zulfiqar had been given extra government security last year after police investigators working on the case received threats which also named him.

Former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf has been placed under house arrest

He was also the government's lead prosecutor in a case related to the 2008 terrorist attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the shooting, which comes days before Pakistan holds general elections.

No one has ever been convicted for Ms Bhutto's assassination after a campaign rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

Mr Musharraf's government blamed the killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

He returned to Pakistan in March after four years in self-imposed exile to make a political comeback, but was barred from running in the parliamentary election because of investigations into his rule between 1999 and 2008.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bangladesh Factory Collapse: Engineer Arrested

An engineer who warned a building in Bangladesh was unsafe a day before it collapsed has been arrested on suspicion of negligence.

Details of Abdur Razzak Khan's arrest came as the number of people killed in the disaster passed 500, after dozens more bodies were pulled from the rubble.

The eight-storey Rana Plaza in Dhaka housed five clothing factories, including one which made garments for Primark.

A woman cries as she searches for her missing brother

Khan was a consultant for Mohammed Sohel Rana, the building's owner, when three floors were illegally added.

He was called to inspect the building when it developed cracks on April 23 and later appeared on television, saying he had told Rana to evacuate workers because the structure was not safe.

Police ordered an evacuation but witnesses say Rana told people gathered outside the building on the morning of the tragedy that it was safe to go inside.

A Bangladeshi soldier stands in front of the collapsed building

Hours later, the complex collapsed into 600 tons of rubble with around 3,000 people inside.

Lieutenant Mir Rabbi, of the Bangladeshi army control room, said the death toll now stands at 501.

More than 100 people are still missing.

Major General Chowdhury Hassan Suhwardy, an army commander who is supervising the rescue operation, said: "We are still proceeding cautiously so that we get the bodies intact."

Rana has also been arrested and is expected to be charged with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work.

The offences are punishable by a maximum of seven years in jail.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Euro Forecast: Jobless Total To Stay Static

Unemployment levels are not expected to reduce significantly in any key eurozone nation during 2014, according to new forecasts released by the European Commission.

Recession in 2013 in the eurozone will be worse than expected, with GDP slipping 0.4% against a previous forecast of -0.3%.

The commission's spring forecast showed the situation improving however in 2014 in the nations sharing the euro, with growth at 1.2%, slightly less than forecast in February.

But France and Italy are both expected to see jobless numbers rise next year, it said.

However Spain is set to see dole queues drop by 0.6% while Greece's are expected to reduce by 1%, the commission added.

Meanwhile Germany, which is Europe's biggest economy, has been forecast to see a drop of just 0.1% in its jobless, down to 5.3%.

Across the 17-nation eurozone the commission said it expected the unemployed total to also ease by 0.1% in 2014, to 12.1%.

The commission said that in total across the whole 27 nations of the EU, which includes Britain, unemployment would remain static at 11.1% in both 2013 and 2014.

The commission warned that Cyprus, which has just gone through a major banking crisis, would head into a sharp recession.

It said GDP would contract in Cyprus in 2013-14 by 12.6%.

The forecasts come a day after the European Central Bank cut its base rate to an historic low of 0.5%.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stolen Cash Dropped In Street Taken By Locals

People in a quiet Belgian town who stole hundreds of thousands of pounds after a robbery went wrong are being threatened with jail if they do not return the money.

The drama started two weeks ago when burglars broke into a home and made off with a safe containing about one million euros (£840,000).

Their car was then chased by a motorcycle police officer and the thieves tried to shake him off by throwing the safe in his path as they made their way through a street in Zedelgem.

The vault cracked open and a lot of the cash flew out as locals scrambled to get a slice of the stolen loot.

Authorities said the money was spread over an area of about 100 metres, and dozens of people, including children and the elderly, rushed out of their homes or cars to grab a share of the accidental bounty.

One woman even came out of her house with a broom and swept the money inside, according to mayor Patrick Arnou.

Police are still trying to recover half the stolen loot

Police were quickly on the scene and literally plucked cash from the hands of those who were too slow in stashing it away.

But now officers want the money back, and the people who pocketed the cash could face two years in jail if they do not do the right thing.

A veil of suspicion has fallen over the town as neighbours watch neighbours amid door-to-door enquiries by police, questioning residents about what they did, and what they saw others do.

Some Zedelgem inhabitants who missed the windfall said they understood the actions of their fellow locals but insisted the money involved should have made them think differently.

"There are those who say that they should give it back but there are also those who say 'if it were me ...' but we are talking about such an amount," said resident Hector Clarysse said.

"If you pick up so much money you know it is not normal."

The postbox has been repaired after it was damaged

A postbox outside city hall was designed as a spot for people to hand over money - no questions asked.

But thieves tried to unhinge the heavy stone letterbox and make off with its contents.

Mr Arnou said authorities have retrieved nearly half of the million euros originally in the safe.

But the majority of the cash has disappeared into the hands of those who happened to be on that street in Zedelgem.

As for the robbers, they have still not been caught - as police attention was diverted by trying to get back the money.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sudan Gold Mine Collapse: 100 Feared Dead

Around 100 miners are feared to have died when a gold mine collapsed in Sudan with another nine rescuers sent in to free them also trapped, a miner has said.

The rescuers went in to try to save those engulfed after the mine in Jebel Amir, Darfur, caved in on Monday.

They had attempted to reach dozens of men trapped at the bottom of a 40m deep well-shaft.

It was originally thought that about 60 were unaccounted for, but the latest estimate puts the number at nearly double that figure.

So far, it is understood that none have been brought out alive.

A miner, who asked to remain anonymous, told the AFP wire service that the situation looked grim.

The miner said: "Nine of the rescue team disappeared when the land collapsed around them. "(On Thursday) eight bodies have been found and still they are looking for the others.

"According to a count by people working in the mine, the number of people inside is more than 100."

The unlicensed gold mine is in the desert, more than 125 miles (200km) northwest of the North Darfur state capital El Fasher. It is about 500 miles (800km) west of the capital Khartoum.

Gold has become a key commodity for Sudan since the country split in two with the secession of the south of the country last year.

The gold mining takes place underground in a dry, arid region where the soils are often prone to structural failure.

Earlier in the week, rescuers said they could only use traditional tools as machines could cause a further collapse.

The Jebel Amir mine was fought over by rival groups in February.

Darfur was at the centre of a bitter power struggle in Sudan for many years with nomadic Arabs engaged in a civil war with black African farmers who claimed the land as their own.

The subsequent humanitarian crisis led to claims of ethnic cleansing as 2.7m people fled their homes to live in refugee camps.

Gold mining, despite its dangers, is one of the few ways that those living in Darfur can earn hard currency.

A humanitarian source said earlier this year that close to 70,000 people were digging for gold in Jebel Amir.

According to Reuters, Sudan hopes to increase gold production in 2013 up to 50 tons a year, putting it among the top 15 producers in the world.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

North Korea Reactor 'Could Produce Plutonium'

New satellite images of North Korea suggest it is nearing completion of a reactor designed for generating electricity - but which will have the capability to produce plutonium.

US academics who visited the site at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in 2010 concluded the reactor was being built for electricity.

Kim Jong-Un shut down a reactor in 2007 during aid negotiations

But analysts say that once complete the reactor will have a residual capability to produce weapons-grade plutonium.

The pictures have been published on 38 North - the website of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

The images - the most recent taken last month - show what appear to be external finishing touches made to the complex.

North Korea revealed an industrial-scale uranium enrichment facility in 2010 designed to provide fuel for the light-water reactor.

This development caused international alarm because of the potential for the centrifuges to be reconfigured to produce highly-enriched uranium - another means of creating fissile material for weapons.

If North Korea has produced enough low-enriched uranium to run the new reactor, it could commence the lengthy process of starting it up in the coming weeks, and be fully operational during the first half of 2014.

Containing the nuclear fuel and keeping the reactor cool pose major challenges - as would unforeseen events like natural disasters that caused a meltdown in Japan's Fukushima reactor in 2011, the analysis says.

"Pyongyang is probably planning to build additional power reactors to end its electricity shortage and help solve its economic problems," said Joel Wit, a former State Department official and editor of 38 North.

The latest image taken in March 2013 shows what could a water channel

"It may have some residual ability to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, but the biggest concern about these reactors is whether they are safe or not," he added.

North Korea announced in April that it was restarting an older reactor at Yongbyon from which it is estimated to have derived enough plutonium for six bombs.

The reactor was closed in 2007 during aid-for-disarmament negotiations.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cannibalism Confirmed At Early US Settlements

Scientists say they have found definitive archaeological evidence that some of the earliest English settlers in America turned to cannibalism to survive.

Archaeologists say they have found bones of a 14-year-old girl at Jamestown, Virginia, that show evidence of being chopped clumsily as though to be butchered - what they call clear proof that she was eaten by humans.

The girl, whom researchers have given the name "Jane", is believed to already have been dead at the time, the Smithsonian National Museum of History announced on Wednesday.

Stories have persisted for years that the 6,000 starving English settlers resorted to eating dogs, mice, snakes and shoe leather at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.

There were also written accounts of the settlers eating their own dead, but archaeologists had been sceptical of those stories until recently.

"Historians have questioned, well did it happen or not happen?" said Smithsonian forensic anthropologist Douglas Owsley. "And this is very convincing evidence that it did."

A stone cross marks a grave at the Jamestown colony

Mr Owsley said the human remains date back to a deadly winter of 1609-1610 known as the "starving time" in Jamestown. The colony was first settled in 1607.

The settlers were under siege from the indigenous Indian population and had insufficient food to last the brutal winter and severe drought.

They were relatively inexperienced at gathering food, and had few stockpiled supplies.

Early Jamestown colony leader George Percy wrote of a "world of miseries" that included digging up corpses from their graves to eat when there was nothing else.

"Nothing was spared to maintain life," he wrote.

There is also a record of a man killing his pregnant wife, salting her remains and eating them. He was later executed for the crime.

The remains of the 14-year-old girl discovered in the summer of 2012 marks the fourth burial of human remains uncovered at Jamestown.

The bones show a bizarre attempt to open the skull. Animal brains and facial tissue would be considered accepted and desirable meat in the 17th century, Mr Owsley said.

The 14-year-old's skull shows signs of primitive butchery

Her remains were found in a cellar at the site that had been filled with trash, including bones of animals that had been consumed, according to archaeologists.

John Smith was the leader of the Virginia Colony, which was based at Jamestown.

He made a famous threat to those settlers who were not working hard enough: "He that will not work shall not eat."

He also said that the efforts in Jamestown helped to preserve the entire colony: "She next under God, was still the instrument to preserve this colony from death, famine and utter confusion; which if in those times, had once been dissolved, Virginia might have lain as it was at our first arrival to this day."

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Somali President Says Terrorists Are Defeated

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Mogadishu

Al Shabaab terrorists operating in Somalia have been "defeated as a fighting force" after decades of creating havoc, according to the country's president.

But President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned that the extremists are an international network with links to al Qaeda and they still have the ability to mount attacks both inside Somalia and abroad.

The president is travelling to England next week to jointly chair an international conference with the British Prime Minister on Somalia's future.

He will be trying to convince backers like Britain and America that, despite more than two decades of financial support, their help is not only still needed but as crucial as ever.

"Somalia is so close to coming out of the quagmire," he told Sky News in his only television interview ahead of the conference.

"I say, please bear with us and stretch your patience just a little bit and you will get the kind of Somalia you have been dreaming of for 22 years."

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has asked for patience

The president is the first elected leader in more than two decades and is heading up the first permanent government in that time.

He has only been in his job for eight months but with United Nations support there finally seems to be some progress in a country known as being the world's most fragile state.

International money along with the 18,000 African Union peacekeepers in the country has meant tentative stability in a nation more used to war.

The extremists have mostly been driven out of the capital Mogadishu and the joint Somali and African Union troops continue to take territory once held by the Islamists.

Many Somalis who once fled to safety in exile are now returning from their bolt holes around the world to set up businesses and live once again in their homeland.

There are big efforts to train the newly bolstered national army and police force, and the first permanent government is widely seen as legitimate and progressive.

But the terrorists' capacity to wreak havoc was demonstrated just a few weeks ago when al Shabaab extremists stormed the capital's court buildings, firing guns and setting off explosions.

The attack triggered a gunfight between the terrorists and the Somali security forces and at least 20 people were killed.

And over the past few days the capital has been virtually locked down due to fears of another attack.

But there is still a definite feeling of confidence among the Somali forces and the African Union peacekeepers that progress is being made bit by bit.

A new British embassy has been opened in the terror-ravaged country

Colonel Kassim Roble is one of the returning diaspora, lured back to his motherland after becoming convinced Somalia has turned the corner.

He had spent the previous eight years in Leicester before deciding to return home last year.

"Security is getting better every day, every month, every hour," he told Sky from the newly renovated Ministry of Defence in the capital. "We are in charge of 85% to 90% of the city (of Mogadishu)."

He put much of the change down to a fresh focus by the country's new president who has insisted funds be used to improve conditions for the troops with better salaries, better food and better training.

"The morale is now very good," said the colonel.

His words were echoed by peacekeepers from the African Union who are involved in helping secure areas but also mentoring and training the Somali security forces.

"Peace is coming back to Somalia," one Nigerian commander said. "The people are out on the streets, doing business again. The danger is not so much now. There's is a lot of difference even since a few months ago."

But the insecurity is never far away and there are concerns that without international community help, the fragile stability will shatter and be reversed.

"Al Shabaab is an international operation. They are operating inside Somalia but they are part of an international terror network," the president told Sky News.

"Somalia is just a small country, ill-equipped and ill-trained. Shabaab is defeated as a fighting force. Soon there will be no front line or no place they are in control of.

"But when they are defeated militarily, the way they work is they go into the society - so the suicide bombers and roadside bombings and grenade-throwing will go on for some time.

"But they will be defeated. They are about to be defeated and they are on the run."

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Death Row Prisoner Dies After Cell Attack

By Neville Lazarus, Asia Producer

An Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistan has died in hospital after being attacked by fellow inmates in a high-security jail.

Sarabjit Singh died of a cardiac arrest in the early hours following the attack in a prison in Lahore, doctors said.

Singh was convicted of being a spy and of involvement in a string of deadly bomb attacks in Pakistan's Punjab province in 1990.

He had spent about 22 years in Pakistani prisons.

Singh's family campaigning in 2009

His mercy petitions were rejected by the courts and then by former President Pervez Musharraf. 

The Zardari government put off Singh's execution for an indefinite period in 2008.

His family has always insisted he was innocent and had inadvertently strayed across the border when drunk. 

Police have charged two death row prisoners over the attack.

They reportedly told investigators that they had attacked the prisoner because he had allegedly carried out bomb attacks in Lahore.

Singh had earlier told his lawyer about threats against him and the matter was brought up with the authorities but no action was taken. 

Threats to his life had increased after the execution of Ajmal Kasab, the lone Pakistani terrorist captured in the 2008 Mumbai attacks and also of Kashmiri-born Afzal Guru, who was hanged over the 2001 attacks on the Indian parliament.

Singh's sister Dalbir Kaur speaking to the press after his death

Singh's family visited him in hospital on Tuesday and raised questions about the quality of medical care at the hospital.

They asked the Pakistani authorities to allow him to be transferred to India or a third country. 

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed sadness over Singh's death, saying criminals responsible for the barbaric and murderous attack on the Indian national must be brought to justice.

An official tweet from his office stated: "Particularly regrettable that the government of Pakistan did not heed the pleas ... to take a humanitarian view of this case."

The Indian government is under intense pressure over the death amid accusations it did not do enough to help him. 

Pakistan has agreed to return Singh's body for cremation at his village in Punjab. 

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bird Flu: Death Toll In China Reaches 27

The death toll from a new strain of the bird flu virus has risen to 27 after a man died in central China's Hunan Province.

The 55-year-old, whose surname was given as Jiao, died after receiving medical treatment, according to state news agency Xinhua.

At least 126 people have been diagnosed with the H7N9 virus since it was first reported in late March, with most cases so far confined to eastern China. One case has been reported in Taiwan.

The H7N9 virus

China confirmed 19 new cases of the virus in the week leading up to May 1, Xinhua said.

The World Health Organisation has called the outbreak "one of the most lethal" flu viruses ever seen, but there is no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission.

The virus is contracted after contact with poultry, but experts believe it is possible it could mutate, triggering a pandemic.

Public Health England (PHE) has taken the precaution of writing to GPs, warning them to be alert for symptoms in travellers returning from the Far East.

Most of the bird flu cases have not yet resulted in death, with some patients suffering lung problems but later being discharged from hospital after apparently recovering.

Meanwhile, a new Sars-like virus has sparked a health alert in Saudi Arabia after five deaths in the past few days.

The Saudi health ministry said all those cases were in the Ahsaa province, in the oil-rich eastern region of the kingdom.

Known as novel coronavirus or hCoV-EMC, the virus was first detected in mid-2012 and is related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars), which triggered a scare 10 years ago when it erupted in east Asia.

The new strain is different in that it can cause rapid kidney failure.

Sixteen people have now died from 23 reported cases in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Germany and Britain.

However, the World Health Organisation does not yet know how it is transmitted or how widespread it is.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kercher Family 'Not Interested' In Knox Book

Meredith Kercher's family has no interest in reading Amanda Knox's book, the sister of the murdered British student has said.

Stephanie Kercher's comments came after Miss Knox appeared in her first television interview since being freed from an Italian prison to promote her memoir.

She said she would like to visit Miss Kercher's grave, but only with the permission of the Kercher family.

Stephanie Kercher said in a statement: ''We are not interested in this book, as well as all the others regarding the case and we will not be reading it.

''The Italian legal system still has an appeal procedure underway and as a result a new trial will be heard. The sentence can still be overturned."

Stephanie Kercher (C) with her mother and brother

She did not address the wish expressed by Miss Knox, but said: "I have no doubts that even on the other side there is a story of pain and loss and of enormous lack of trust, but on the other side there is also one of hope and an opportunity of life.

"Something that Meredith will never have and something that we will never share with her. Meredith is the victim in this tragic case."

Italian prosecutors say Miss Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, killed Miss Kercher, 21, in a drug-fuelled sex game along with another man in 2007.

She has always denied the accusation.

Her murder conviction was overturned in October 2011, but in March an Italian court ordered a retrial for both her and Mr Sollecito, 29.

Miss Knox says she is considering a return to Italy for the retrial, even against her lawyer's advice.

"My lawyers have said that I don't have to and that I don't need to. I'm still considering it, to be honest," she told USA Today.

Miss Knox says she wants to visit the grave of Miss Kercher

"It's scary, the thought. But it's also important for me to say, 'This is not just happening far away from and doesn't matter to me'.

"So, somehow, I feel it's important for me to convey that. And if my presence is what is necessary to convey that, then I'll go."

Miss Knox's alibi rests on her claim that she was at Mr Sollecito's house on the night of the murder, and not at the Perugia flat she shared with Miss Kercher.

But during a police interrogation she said she was at home with Miss Kercher.

In the interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, she insisted that initial claim was the result of her "breaking down".

"I didn't confess. I was interrogated," Miss Knox told ABC News. "(The police) acted like my answers were wrong, they told me I was wrong, that I didn't remember correctly, that I had to remember correctly, and that if I didn't I would never see her family.

"I can only describe it as breaking down, I didn't know what I remembered and what I didn't remember anymore. I was incredibly vulnerable at that time."

As she expressed her desire to visit Miss Kercher's grave, she said: "Eventually I can have their permission to pay my respects at her grave and I would also like them to know that she talked about them to me."

Miss Knox insists she was at Mr Sollecito's home on the night in question

In the memoir, which came out on Tuesday and is called Waiting To Be Heard, she writes about how she also considered suicide while in prison.

Miss Knox insists in the interview that she did not leave Mr Sollecito's home.

"We stayed in, had dinner, we watched a movie, we smoked, we had sex, we were together.

"We just hung out together, we talked, we talked about his mum, we made silly faces at each other. We stayed in the whole night."

The 25-year-old said she returned to the home she shared with Miss Kercher the next morning, but despite the front door being wide-open and spotting blood on the sink she took a shower.

"At the sink when I was taking out my earrings I noticed there were speckles of blood. But speckles, a few drops."

She said that when she got out of the shower she noticed a bloodied bath mat, adding: "I thought it was strange."

Miss Knox cried during a press conference in Seattle after leaving Italy

She returned to Mr Sollecito's home, and says she told him of her concerns after breakfast. He called police, who discovered Miss Kercher's body.

"It never occurred to me that I would ever be considered a suspect. Ever."

Miss Knox denied claims there had been any tension with Miss Kercher in the run-up to her death.

"It bothers me when people suggest that she wasn't my friend," she said. "I was stunned by her death, she was my friend."

During her original trial, much was made of Miss Knox's apparent lack of grief following Miss Kercher's death.

Miss Knox said she "could have been more sensitive" but said people deal with grief in different ways.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boy, 5, Kills Sister, 2, With Children's Rifle

A five-year-old has accidentally shot dead his two-year-old sister as he played with his own rifle.

The tragedy happened on Tuesday afternoon at a home in southern Kentucky.

Cumberland County coroner Gary White told the Lexington Herald-Leader it was "just one of those crazy accidents."

The boy had picked up the .22-calibre Crickett gun, which he was given as a birthday present last year, when it went off.

Police said the family did not realise it was loaded. The children's mother was at home at the time but had just stepped away.

"She was actually cleaning her house, and she had went out on the porch," the coroner told WKYT-TV.

"She said no more than three minutes had went by and she actually heard the rifle go off. She ran back in and found the little girl."

The child was pronounced dead at Cumberland County Hospital. Doctors worked on reviving her for about an hour without success.

The coroner said the shooting would be ruled as accidental.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Irish Backpacker Murder In Oz: Guilty Plea

A martial arts enthusiast has pleaded guilty in court to killing an Irish backpacker in Melbourne last August.

Luke James Wentholt , 31, appeared in the Supreme Court via video link from prison and pleaded guilty to the murder of David Greene.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of recklessly causing serious injury to another Irish backpacker, David Byas.

Wentholt's then girlfriend, Shayla Pullen, said the group had been having drinks at a hostel in St Kilda, a suburb of Melbourne, on August 26, when an argument broke out.

"He wouldn't stop stomping" on the two, she told Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

Another witness, Christine Babuczki, who also lived in the house, said Wentholt acted like a "crazy monster".

Mr Greene, 30, died in hospital on September 7, almost two weeks after the attack.

Mr Byas, 28, suffered serious injuries and was in a coma for four days before being transferred to a rehab facility.

Ms Pullen said Wentholt was drunk. She believed he was angry because Mr Greene had joked about accidentally seeing her partially naked earlier that week.

"He said, 'Dave, I want to talk to you outside,' in a stern voice," Ms Pullen told the court.

Then she heard "smashing noises" and ran up to Wentholt to try and stop him.

"They were both bleeding, (blood) was just everywhere," Ms Pullen said.

Wentholt trained in jujitsu up to five times a week, she said.

Outside court, Australian Irish Welfare Bureau president Marion O'Hagan said Mr Greene's family was suffering.

"It's been horrific. It's been devastating," she said.

Wentholt is due to appear in court again on July 30.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Stolen US Lottery Ticket: Man Found Guilty

One of two brothers accused of swindling a man out of a winning $5m (£3.21m) lottery scratchcard has been found guilty by a judge in upstate New York.

Andy Ashkar, 35, was convicted of possessing stolen property. He faces one to three years in prison when he is sentenced on May 29.

His older brother, Nayel Ashkar, 36, was cleared of conspiracy charges.

It is not yet clear if the original winner will receive any kind of compensation or the rest of his jackpot.

Police and lottery officials had originally accused both men of convincing maintenance worker Robert Miles that the ticket he bought in 2006 was worth only $5k (£3,210).

Authorities said the brothers paid Mr Miles $4k, taking a $1k handling fee, then waited until the ticket was about to expire before trying to claim the jackpot in 2012.

"Why did they wait when there were so many other factors out there?" prosecutor Beth Van Doren asked in court.

The ticket was bought at the Green Ale Market in Syracuse

"Why? It just didn't make sense, other than they were waiting for time to pass so witnesses would no longer be around, documents would be lost, or the statute of limitations would pass."

The $20 winning ticket was sold at their parents' store in Syracuse.

Andy Ashkar said he bought it when he went there for lunch on October 27, 2006.

He claimed he scratched the ticket, then handed it to his father.

"He scanned it. He said, 'Shut up!' He didn't want anyone to know," he said.

Andy Ashkar said he planned to go to the lottery office that day, then changed his mind, called his brother and went to his parents' home.

"I was hesitant. I wanted to do it the right way," he said. "I didn't want it to have a negative impact on my family."

The Ashkars' father, Nayef, is also charged with conspiracy and faces a separate trial in September.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boston Bombing: Three New Suspects In Custody

Three additional suspects have been taken into custody by police investigating the Boston Marathon bombings.

Boston Police announced on Twitter that three more suspects are in custody and more details will follow - but emphasized that there is no threat to public safety.

Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca confirmed the tweet but referred all other questions to the FBI.

The three people arrested are connected to bombing accused Dzhokhar Tsarnaev through the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, where he was a student and allegedly helped him after the attacks, according to the Boston Globe.

Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line.

Police have been investigating if suspects the Tsarnaev brothers had help

Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev died after a gunfight with police several days later. His brother Dzhokhar was captured and lies in a hospital prison.

The surviving brother, 19, faces federal charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death over the double bombing.

Authorities say the brothers also killed an MIT police officer as they tried to escape, although no charges have been filed yet over his death.

More follows...

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Syrian Prime Minister Survives Bomb Attack

Syria's prime minister Wael Nader al Halqi has reportedly survived an assassination attempt after a bomb blast targeted his convoy in Damascus.

According to state-run television, the explosion happened near a school in the capital's western neighbourhood of Mazzeh.

It said: "The terrorist explosion in al Mazzeh was an attempt to target the convoy of the prime minister.

"Doctor Wael al Halqi is well and not hurt at all."

Wael Nader al Halqi is said to have been unhurt in the explosion

Mazzeh is where many government and military institutions are situated and where senior Syrian officials live.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the blast killed one of the prime minister's bodyguards. His driver and a second bodyguard were also seriously injured.

A government official said an improvised explosive device had been placed under a car parked in the area and was detonated as the convoy drove past. No one has claimed responsibility.

Mr al Halqi was appointed prime minister last year after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected to Jordan.

Damascus has been hit by a string of bomb blasts in recent months. Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded.

The Syrian government blames Muslim extremists trying to overthrow President Bashar al Assad for the attacks.

In July last year, an explosion at the Syrian national security building in the capital during a meeting of Cabinet ministers killed the defence minister and his deputy - Mr Assad's brother-in-law.

In December, a car bomb targeted the Interior Ministry in Damascus, killing several people.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prague Explosion Leaves Dozens Injured

A powerful explosion in the centre of Prague has injured up to 40 people and left several others buried under rubble, police have said.

The blast in a building on Divadelni Street, close to the National Theatre, was heard as far away as Prague Castle, over a mile away across the Vltava river.

It blew out the windows on many of the surrounding buildings which were evacuated.

Zdenek Schwarz, head of the rescue service in Prague, said up to 40 people have been injured but mainly suffered bruises and cuts from glass.

Prague emergency service spokeswoman Jirina Ernestova said there were fears three people may be buried in the rubble of the damaged building which police said was a former block of flats now used as office space.

Sniffer dogs were being used and Ms Ernestova said ambulances were staying at the scene "in case someone was pulled out of the rubble".

The explosion was near the National Theatre in the city

A police spokesman said the explosion was probably caused by natural gas and that there had been around 15 people in the building, which included an office of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and an art gallery.

Pensioner Venceslava Sehnotkova, who lives in a nearby house, told Reuters: "I was sitting quietly in my flat, making coffee. Then there was an incredible explosion. I thought the building would collapse.

"I looked out the window, and there was only dust everywhere."

Students and teachers from two nearby universities panicked and ran out when the blast shook their buildings, fearing a terrorist attack, an unnamed student told Czech TV.

"I was in the bathroom, no windows, the door was closed, honestly, if I had been in my bed I would have been covered in glass," said Z B Haislip, a student from the US.

Prime Minister Petr Necas said in a statement he was "deeply hit by the tragedy of the gas explosion".

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sochi: Ex-Olympic Official In Mercury Claim

A Russian Olympic Committee official sacked by Vladimir Putin over building delays for the 2014 Winter Games says higher than normal levels of mercury have been found in his body.

The committee's deputy chief Akhmed Bilalov, who is being investigated by prosecutors for abuse of authority, said medics at a German resort where he is being treated had discovered traces of the toxic metal.

The Interfax news agency reported that Mr Bilalov said he was now feeling "satisfactory" after starting a course of treatment.

The Russian president publicly humiliated Mr Bilalov when he visited Olympic venues in the Black Sea resort of Sochi in February and found that the ski jumping facilities were behind schedule.

A day later Mr Putin fired Mr Bilalov from the Olympic committee.

He also sacked him as chairman of the board of North Caucasus Resorts, the state-funded company responsible for the development of resorts across the region.

Construction takes place near the ski jumping hill of Krasnaya Polyana

Mr Bilalov said he would raise the issue with prosecutors when he returns to Russia.

But he refused to point the finger at anyone over the possible poisoning saying he had started feeling ill last autumn and that the mercury had been at his Moscow office.

Russian officials told Interfax they had not been contacted about the possible presence of mercury at the office.

The government has struggled to justify the expenses associated with the Olympic construction in Sochi, which, together with infrastructural development in the city, has topped $50bn (£32bn).

Traditionally used in thermometers and fluorescent light bulbs, mercury is a highly toxic substance that can be absorbed through the skin or inhaled. 

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Triad Boss' Hacked To Death: Four Held

Four people have been arrested in Hong Kong after a man, thought to be a triad boss, was hacked to death outside a hospital.

The 30-year-old man, with the surname Tse, was struck multiple times with an axe and meat cleaver by two masked men, according to The Standard newspaper.

Reports said he had been nearly disembowelled.

The paper cited a police source as saying he was a senior member of the city's Wo Shing Wo triad society.

Television news footage showed blood splattered on the ground at the scene, along with a yellow-handled axe, walking stick, smartphone and glasses.

"Police officers sped to the scene and found the man lying unconscious on the ground," said a police statement, adding that Tse sustained multiple wounds. He was rushed to hospital but declared dead an hour-and-a-half later.

The arrested men are aged between 18 and 30, police said.

Tse had just seen a doctor in rural Sheung Shui district and was limping with the help of a walking stick when he was attacked, The Standard reported.

Around 100 people thought to be members of the Wo Shing Wo group were seen burning incense and offering prayers at the scene of the killing late on Sunday.

Hong Kong's notorious triads have a hand in extortion rackets, prostitution, drugs and copyright piracy - although violence is rarely seen in tourist areas.

In 2011, three Hong Kong triad members were jailed for life for the grisly murder of a crime boss who was rammed by a vehicle and then hacked to death outside a luxury hotel.

Hong Kong police last August said they had arrested nearly 1,200 people in raids on illegal gambling dens and brothels during a month-long crackdown on triad activities.

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More

Daredevil Dies In Zip-Line Ponytail Stunt

An Indian man who holds the Guinness World Record for covering the longest distance on a zip-line while hanging by his hair has died while performing a stunt.

Sailendra Nath Roy, a 49-year-old police officer, was attempting to cross the River Teesta in the state of West Bengal on Sunday on a 180m (594ft) wire above the water.

After attaching his shoulder-length hair to a pulley on the wire, Mr Roy had completed around half the distance but then became entangled and found himself unable to move.

Spectators initially cheered him on before he got into trouble

Hundreds of spectators initially cheered him on, but then began screaming in horror when they saw he was making increasingly desperate attempts to move forward.

Senior police officer K Jayaraman said: "Roy tried frantically to get hold of a second rope to reach the finishing point."

After several minutes, Mr Roy stopped moving and was eventually rescued. No ambulance or doctor was present during the stunt.

He was admitted to hospital in nearby Siliguri, but was declared dead by doctors after a suspected heart attack.

Mr Roth pulling a train on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway last year

A post-mortem examination is expected to be completed later on Monday.

Mr Roy achieved the Guinness World Record after covering 82.5m (271ft) on a zip-line while attached by his hair in 2011 at the Neemrana Fort, a heritage hotel in the desert state of Rajasthan.

Last year he used his hair to drag a train and four coaches on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

His younger brother Benoy, who was witnessing his brother's stunt for the first time, said: "We were proud of his bravery.

"He was sure to win but destiny has taken his life and the most beloved member of our family as well."

22.56 | 0 komentar | Read More