Amritsar Sword Fight On Massacre Anniversary

Six people have been injured after members of a Sikh group brandishing swords and wooden sticks clashed with guards at the Sikhs' holiest shrine in India.

The violence broke out during a ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian army in 1984 in the northern city of Amritsar.

 

Kiran Jyoti Kaur, a Golden Temple management spokeswoman, said supporters of the Shiromani Akali Dal, a Sikhism-centric political party, turned violent and then were chased away by temple guards.

They were shouting slogans for an independent homeland for the Sikhs.

The CNN-IBN television channel said police detained nearly 50 people, and that many shops closed because of the tension.

The 1984 operation to establish control over the shrine, ordered by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, was one of the most contentious episodes in India's battle against Sikh separatists in the 1980s.

Sikh militants had holed up in the temple for months. The Indian army botched an attempt to clear them from the holy site, underestimating the resistance at first before being drawn into a three-day assault more than 1,000 were massacred.

The attack outraged Sikhs and led to a catastrophic breakdown in communal relations. Recently it has emerged the British SAS had a role in helping to deal with the insurgency, offering some advice to the Indian government of the time.

When Ms Gandhi was killed by her Sikh guards in a revenge attack a few months later, the country erupted. Mobs overran trains and went house-to-house across northern India, beating and killing thousands of Sikhs.

The insurgency was stamped out in the late 1980s.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mass Grave Of Babies 'May Have To Be Exhumed'

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent

An Irish MP says bodies may have to be exhumed to ascertain if a secret grave at Tuam, County Galway, contains the remains of nearly 800 children who died in a home for unmarried mothers.

Local residents had long believed it to be a burial ground from the period of the Irish famine but recent studies have convinced them that the bodies may be those of children from a workhouse.

Colm Keaveney TD, from the Fianna Fail party, said: "If it's established by forensics that there are bodies on site that have been buried there under the auspices of the local authority with the Bon Secours Sisters, that opens up a different degree of investigation because then we have to ask the key question - what were the circumstances in which these vulnerable children died?"

The Bon Secours Sisters, a religious order, ran the St Mary's Home at Tuam. Some 796 babies and infants are known to have died there, with death certificates citing measles, tuberculosis and malnutrition among the causes.

St Mary's Home in Tuam (Pic: Connacht Tribune Newspaper Galway)

Former resident, JP Rodgers, cannot believe he is not among the dead. He struggled with his emotions when recalling how he had been separated from his mother at 13 months and did not see her for 33 years.

He said: "I can't explain why I was saved and why I was one of the lucky ones.

"I think I inherited that from my mother. She was a very, very determined person. She was very resilient.

"At the same time, she was so ladylike that I wanted to write her story because I knew, as far as I was concerned, I could feel it in my blood and in my bones, that she was a very special person."

The Bon Secours Sisters ran the St Mary's Home at Tuam

It was only when the local community began raising funds for a memorial that authorities came under pressure to explain how the bodies came to be here, even though they had been discovered years ago.

Historian Catherine Corless said: "Two little boys, when they were playing in the early 1970s, came across this massive hollow in the ground here and what they found terrified them. They found some slabs on top of this hollow and one of them was cracked and when they opened the cracked slab, they said it was full to the brim with little skulls and bones."

Some 4,000 children are thought to have died in 10 similar institutions across Ireland and the Tuam community want the names of the 796, whom they believe to be buried here, listed on memorial plaques.

The only indication of the tomb, under a plot of land within a housing estate, was a statue of the Virgin Mary, where an elderly lady was praying for the souls of Ireland's departed children.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Teenager Survives 'Honour' Killing Attempt

An 18-year-old Pakistani woman has survived an attack on her life by relatives angry with her for marrying for love.

Saba Maqsood appealed for protection from the authorities after telling how she had been shot and thrown into a canal in the city of Hafizabad, in Punjab province.

A local police official said Ms Maqsood had been attacked by her father, uncle, brother and aunt on Thursday because they disapproved of her marrying her neighbour Muhammad Qaiser five days earlier.

The official said the family had taken the young woman to Hafizabad under the pretext of a reconciliation, shot her twice, put her in a sack presuming she was dead and then thrown her into the canal.

Her relatives fled the scene, and after minutes in the water she regained consciousness and managed to struggle to the bank, where two passers-by helped her.

"After bringing me there, they shot me," the victim said from her hospital bed.

"I was hit in the cheek by the first shot, and in the hand by the next one.

"They thought I had died, but I was not dead. I was slightly conscious, but alive.

"They put me into a sack, tied up the mouth of the sack, and threw it into the canal. Inside a sack, and into the canal. They thought I was dead, but I was not."

Police went to Ms Maqsood's father's home in the nearby city of Gujranwala but all the suspects had disappeared, the police official said.

Many conservative Pakistani families believe it is dishonourable for a woman to fall in love and choose her own husband.

In parts of Pakistan - a Muslim nation of 180 million people - women are expected to agree to arranged marriages and refusal can lead to so-called "honour killings".

A Pakistani woman was last month attacked and killed by suspected family members because she had married the man she loved.

The killing, which took place in broad daylight outside a court in Lahore, drew intense global attention, including condemnation from the UN.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

D-Day: Sacrifice Of Troops 'Must Be Honoured'

French President Francois Hollande has said nations owed it to the sacrifice of those who took part in the D-Day landings to build "a fairer world".

Paying tribute to the courage of troops 70 years ago, he said their spirit will always be felt on the Normandy beaches, where they came ashore.

And Mr Hollande said the appreciation of France to the liberating forces "will never die".

Normandy veteran Ken Scott, 98, remembers his fallen comrades War veterans arrive for the service at Bayeux Cathedral

He was speaking at the main ceremony at Sword Beach in Ouistreham, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of history's biggest amphibious invasion.

Veterans, politcians and members of the Royal Family including the Queen had gathered in Normandy to mark the events of June 6, 1944.

The D-Day operation, involving 150,000 Allied troops, changed the course of the Second World War.

Soldiers landing on Juno Beach in Bernieres-sur-Mer on June 6, 1944

Mr Hollande said: "We have to be faithful to their sacrifice to build in their name, and the name of future generations, a fairer world and a more human world."

He also said freedom is a fight, and continued to be threatened around the world.

"There are always men and women who have to get up and defend freedom," he said.

The Queen joined world leaders to mark the 70th anniversary Mr Obama applauds US veterans during the ceremony in Colleville-sur-Mer

The same courage shown by the troops on D-Day must now be shown in defeating the "ills" of the modern world, including terrorism, and crimes against humanity.

Earlier, David Cameron had also called for leaders to set aside their differences on the "incredibly moving" anniversary of the landings.

The events of D-Day "show the importance of standing up together ... for freedom and security", he said.

Vintage US military vehicles are driven along Gold Beach

Described by wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "undoubtedly the most complicated and difficult (operation) that has ever taken place", D-Day proved to be a pivotal moment of the Second World War.

It marked the start of an 80-day campaign to liberate Normandy, that involved three million troops and cost some 250,000 lives.

Services marking their sacrifice were held at beaches and war cemeteries across the region.

Cemeteries along the French coast are a focal point for the commemorations A British veteran walks past a line of gravestones for fallen soldiers

In Colleville-sur-Mer, Barack Obama joined Mr Hollande for a service at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, where more than 9,000 soldiers are buried.

"These men waged war so that we might know peace, they sacrificed so that we may be free, they fought in hope of a day that we would no longer need to fight and we are grateful to them," the US President said.

In nearby Bayeux, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Commonwealth War Graves cemetery, where 4,144 soldiers, 338 of them unidentified, are buried.

Further along the coast in Arromanches, the Normandy Veterans' Association had organised a day of events.

This anniversary will be the group's last as it plans to disband later this year.

Commemorations began at midnight when Mr Cameron attended a memorial at Pegasus Bridge, the first strategic landmark to be captured.

At the exact time the first gliders landed, a champagne toast was raised at Cafe Gondree, the restaurant next to the bridge, which became the first house to be liberated in France.

American veterans gathered at dawn on Omaha Beach, where a statue of two soldiers was unveiled.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ukraine: Leaders Talk Ceasefire At D-Day Event

Ukraine's President-elect Petro Poroshenko has met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for informal talks on the sidelines of the D-Day commemorations in France.

French President Francois Hollande told a war veteran at the ceremony that world leaders had wanted to use the 70th anniversary commemorations to bring the two men together to discuss the Ukraine crisis.

An official in Mr Hollande's office said the two leaders discussed how Russia could recognise the Ukrainian elections and a possible ceasefire.

Their brief interaction, which some reports said was as short as one minute while others said lasted 15 minutes, took place after world leaders gathered for a group photograph.

The two men spoke for up to 15 minutes, according to some observers

Mr Hollande, responding to a question about Mr Putin during a conversation with the war veteran, described the meeting as "friendly".

He said: "Yes we talked to him and with President Poroshenko, we made Ukraine and Russia talk."

After the photo, Petro Poroshenko, Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel remained outside as they talked.

No plans have been announced for a formal meeting between the two men despite a week of intense diplomacy aimed at resolving the crisis in Ukraine.

The talk is the first meeting between the two leaders since Mr Poroshenko was elected.

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a statement that he and Mr Poroshenko had called for a "soonest end to bloodshed in southeastern Ukraine and combat action by both parties, the Ukrainian armed forces and supporters of the federalisation of Ukraine".

US President Barack Obama also spoke to Mr Putin at the commemoration ceremonies, marking their first face-to-face conversation since the crisis began in Ukraine.

The White House said the conversation was informal and lasted around 15 minutes as the leaders ate lunch inside a chateau.

Mr Putin has held meetings with Prime Minister David Cameron, Mrs Merkel and French president Francois Hollande this week to discuss sanctions imposed on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula.

It comes after 15 pro-Russian rebels were killed at a border crossing on Thursday.

Anton Herashchenko, an aide to the Ukrainian interior minister, said guards clashed with armed men who approached the border in trucks from the Russian side of the border close to the village of Marynivka.

Five Ukrainian soldiers were also injured during the clashes. Parts of the border in eastern Ukraine were closed after the incident.

Officials have claimed more than 200 people have died in fighting between Ukraine government troops and pro-Russian rebels in recent weeks.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Body Found In Search For Brit Gareth Huntley

Police on Malaysia's Tioman Island have confirmed that a body has been found in the search for British backpacker Gareth Huntley, who went missing after going on a jungle trek.

Local media reports say the body was found less than 100m from the conservation camp where he was working as a volunteer. 

According to Malaysian newspaper The Star, search personnel stumbled across the corpse in a pond close to a kayak storage unit at around 12pm local time.

The 34-year-old disappeared last week after attempting to find a waterfall nearly four miles away from the camp in the jungles of the paradise island.

Mr Huntley's mother has been notified of the discovery

Deputy Superintendent Johari Yahaya told the newspaper he could not confirm whether the body was that of the missing Briton.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "Malaysian police have confirmed that a body has been found on Tioman island in Malaysia.

"Foreign Office consular staff on the ground are continuing to work closely with the Malaysian authorities and are investigating with them as a matter of urgency.

"We continue to provide support to the family of Gareth Huntley at this very difficult time."

The area where the body was found. Pic: Thestar.com.my

Mr Huntley's mother, Janet Southwell, and his girlfriend, Kit Natariga, are on the island off Malaysia's east coast to assist the search effort.

Dozens of rescue personnel have been backed by paramilitary commandos, multiple helicopters, speedboats and sniffer dogs in the latter days of the search following initial criticism of the Malaysian authorities' response.

Mr Huntley's girlfriend (pictured) and his mother are both on the island

Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly spoke to Malaysia's prime minister Najib Razak after receiving an open letter from Mrs Southwell in which she urged him to seek more resources for the search.

The letter said: "Make one phone call to the Malaysian leader to insist that they deploy real help to find Gareth before time runs out".

The backpacker had been volunteering in a turtle sanctuary on the island

The 34-year-old from Hackney, east London, set off on May 27 telling friends at the Juara Turtle Project where he was volunteering that he would be back by 2pm but failed to return.

Mr Huntley, who was originally from West Yorkshire, was on a sabbatical from his job in the City.

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Fate Of Anonymous 'Tank Man' Still A Mystery

'It Crushed Our Hope For Democracy'

Updated: 6:25am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Lee Cheuk Yan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party and the founder of the June 4th Museum.

In 1989 he travelled to Beijing to support the uprising and provide the protesters with money.

He told Sky News: "I was in the Beijing Hotel looking down in the Tiananmen Square, seeing the tricycles bringing bodies to the hospital.

"I remember them switching off the light in Tiananmen Square, and I would say that was the darkest hour of my life. At that time it crushes all our hope for democracy.

"Then I was arrested, detained for three days, money confiscated, and only allowed to come back [to Hong Kong] after three days of detention back in 1989.

"In a way, that was the turning point of my life, I promised myself I will dedicate my life to the democratisation of China, to continue our struggle in Hong Kong for democracy.

"It was a moment of despair. We had a hope ... Over the May, the spring time, you can (feel) democracy, and then suddenly the guns and the tanks come in.

"It really crushes our hope and into a moment of despair. And that was the really saddest moment of my life."

"Already a quarter of a century [has passed]. A new generation of young people have grown up, but then when you look at China itself, they try to erase all the memory of June 4th and ban any discussion of June 4th.

"So in that environment, it's a sort of brainwashing.

"This museum is to fill the void ... We hope by having this museum and preserving the truth, it is a struggle of remembering against forgetting.

"And also we hope that the truth [will] struggle against lie. Therefore, we felt it's very important.

"Twenty-five years after the massacre, we have a museum to commemorate those who sacrificed for democracy and at the same time to educate the public, especially the younger generation and the mainlanders, [to explain] exactly what happened and challenge the Communist Party, to reveal the truth."

Mr Lee dismisses the suggestion that the crackdown stabilised China, prevented civil war and allowed the country to become a global economic giant.

"I'm really very angry with that because it assumes that economic growth and democracy cannot go hand in hand, which is absurd ... It is totally compatible and I can imagine that if there [was] democracy 25 years ago, there would still be economic growth, there would be better distribution of wealth, and there can be freedom, people would be happier.

"One important thing is, now in China, it's all a culture of lies.

"People make money by lying, and get corrupted, and get a lot of money buy doing all sorts of immoral acts.

"If there is democracy, at least in culture, I believe, would not be a culture of lies.

"But there would be freedom, checks and balances, and a democratic China.

"I think corruption can only be totally erased if there is democracy."

22.58 | 0 komentar | Read More

Taliban Releases Video Of Hostage Handover

The Taliban have released a video showing American hostage Sgt Bowe Bergdahl being handed over to US forces in Afghanistan.

Sgt Bergdahl, clean shaven and dressed in white Afghan clothing with a shaved head, is seen waiting in a white pickup truck close to the Afghan border with Pakistan as Taliban militants outside lean in to talk to him.

He is blinking frequently in the bright light as he looks at and listens to his captors. He appears to struggle to speak English.

The 17 minutes of footage shows armed gunmen dotting the hills around the valley, as US Black Hawk helicopters overhead draw closer to the meeting point.

The Taliban reporter speaking over the clip explains: "We told them there are 18 armed fighters and the Americans said that's all right."

The Taliban's message to the Americans and Sgt Bergdahl

As one of the helicopters lands, throwing up a cloud of dust, Sgt Bergdahl is led to his rescuers by two men, one leading him by the hand, and another waving a white cloth tied to a wooden stick.

Most of the Taliban have their faces covered with scarves, while Sgt Bergdahl wears his over his shoulders.

After a brief exchange of handshakes between insurgents and US forces, Bergdahl moves unsteadily towards the helicopter.

Before boarding the helicopter the freed man is patted down to check he is not carrying any weapons.

The aircraft takes off and the message in English flashes up: "Don' come back to afghanistan (sic)."

Heaviliy armed Taliban fighters dotted the hillside around the exchange

The Taliban video, entitled Ceremony Of The American Soldier Exchange, is laced with religious music and chants of "Allahu Akbar", or "God is greatest".

At one point the voiceover says: "I congratulate all the mujahiedeen for this victory."

Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall said: "The meaning of the pictures is that we see visual evidence that the Taliban are negotiating with the Americans on almost an equal basis.

"It is a propaganda coup for the Taliban."

US defence officials have said dozens of US special forces troops backed up by helicopters were sent for the handover.

Five years after he was captured by Afghan militants, Sgt Bergdahl was freed at the weekend in exchange for five militants held at Guantanamo Bay.

Sgt Bergdahl awaits the handover in a Taliban vehicle

There is a suggestion Sgt Bergdahl could face disciplinary action over claims from members of his unit that he was captured in 2009 after abandoning his post.

However, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Wednesday that critics should not rush to judgement.

"It's not in the interests of anyone and certainly, I think, a bit unfair to Sergeant Bergdahl's family and to him to presume anything," he told reporters at a Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels.

"We don't do that in the United States. We rely on facts."

Sgt Bergdahl's release has lead to sharp criticism of the Obama administration, with some US politicians fearing it poses a threat to Americans abroad.

He was the only US soldier held by the Taliban after being captured in Afghanistan.

The 28-year-old is now in a military hospital in Germany, undergoing physical and mental assessments.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Hostage Video Rare Glimpse Into Mind Of Enemy

The Taliban video is a rare glimpse into a ritual as old as warfare, writes Sky's Diplomatic Editor Tim Marshall.

The Taliban wave white flags

We see several fighters armed with rifles and at least one grenade launcher. They carry white flags. This symbol of a truce is also the Taliban flag. The numbers and types of weapons for both sides will probably have been agreed by both sides in advance.

A Taliban fighter at the scene

Sergeant Bergdahl is in the back seat of one of the vehicles. He looks bewildered but in good physical health.

On the video a voice speaks on what sounds like a satellite phone. It is one of the Taliban men speaking to a radio station about the release. He says: "We did not take our fighters with us for any offensive purposes but only to secure us."

Sgt Bergdahl awaiting his release in the back of a vehicle

The Taliban then chant, "long live the Afghan Mujahideen" and praise their leader, Mullah Omar.

A plane appears, probably for reconnaissance. If so, details of how many Taliban fighters are present, and where they are, will have been communicated back to the commander of the operation on the US side. 

One of the Black Hawks in the air

As two Black Hawk helicopters come into sight, Bergdahl is taken from the vehicle and readied for the transfer.

One of the helicopters lands as the other flies "top cover". In the unlikely event of a double cross this would be the moment the Americans were most vulnerable. They are not seen, but it is likely the Americans would also have had fighter jets nearby and a drone at high altitude.

Sgt Bergdahl appears in good health

Three men in civilian clothes emerge from the Black Hawk. They are not openly armed. They walk a few yards to meet two Taliban men, one each side of Bergdahl. In the background you see several US military men inside the helicopter.

The two sides shake hands, and one of the Americans puts his hand to his chest in an approximation of the Islamic gesture of respect. It's his left hand, traditionally the right hand is used, but the meaning is clear.

The hostage is readied for his release to the Americans

The commentary had said the Talibs were expecting a formal meeting: "I was hoping we would spend hours discussing things but to my surprise they were in a hurry to leave."

As they turn to leave you can see one American surreptitiously puts his hand on Bergdahl's back as if checking to feel for anything suspicious. 

The Taliban approach the Black Hawk with Sgt Bergdahl

They retreat to the helicopter and one of the Americans walks backwards in case of a last-minute problem.

As they reach the aircraft another frisks Bergdahl. It's now clear he is checking in case the Talibs have fitted him with a suicide belt.

Sgt Bergdahl is frisked by the Americans

There's a thumbs up from one of the occupants to the pilot, and as the Black Hawk lifts off in a cloud of dust, there's another thumbs up which may be for the Taliban fighters.

The helicopter heads away from the camera towards the mountains and then comes the Taliban's final twist in what has been for them a propaganda coup designed to show that they have parity with the superpower and can dictate terms.

A Black Hawk lifts off with Sgt Bergdahl on board

A graphic appears on the screen, the spelling is faulty, but the message is clear and aimed not at Bergdahl, but at the United States. It says: "Don' come back to afghanistan."

The Taliban's message to the United States

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tiananmen: China Lockdown For 25th Anniversary

'It Crushed Our Hope For Democracy'

Updated: 6:25am UK, Wednesday 04 June 2014

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

Lee Cheuk Yan is the Chairman of the Hong Kong Labour Party and the founder of the June 4th Museum.

In 1989 he travelled to Beijing to support the uprising and provide the protesters with money.

He told Sky News: "I was in the Beijing Hotel looking down in the Tiananmen Square, seeing the tricycles bringing bodies to the hospital.

"I remember them switching off the light in Tiananmen Square, and I would say that was the darkest hour of my life. At that time it crushes all our hope for democracy.

"Then I was arrested, detained for three days, money confiscated, and only allowed to come back [to Hong Kong] after three days of detention back in 1989.

"In a way, that was the turning point of my life, I promised myself I will dedicate my life to the democratisation of China, to continue our struggle in Hong Kong for democracy.

"It was a moment of despair. We had a hope ... Over the May, the spring time, you can (feel) democracy, and then suddenly the guns and the tanks come in.

"It really crushes our hope and into a moment of despair. And that was the really saddest moment of my life."

"Already a quarter of a century [has passed]. A new generation of young people have grown up, but then when you look at China itself, they try to erase all the memory of June 4th and ban any discussion of June 4th.

"So in that environment, it's a sort of brainwashing.

"This museum is to fill the void ... We hope by having this museum and preserving the truth, it is a struggle of remembering against forgetting.

"And also we hope that the truth [will] struggle against lie. Therefore, we felt it's very important.

"Twenty-five years after the massacre, we have a museum to commemorate those who sacrificed for democracy and at the same time to educate the public, especially the younger generation and the mainlanders, [to explain] exactly what happened and challenge the Communist Party, to reveal the truth."

Mr Lee dismisses the suggestion that the crackdown stabilised China, prevented civil war and allowed the country to become a global economic giant.

"I'm really very angry with that because it assumes that economic growth and democracy cannot go hand in hand, which is absurd ... It is totally compatible and I can imagine that if there [was] democracy 25 years ago, there would still be economic growth, there would be better distribution of wealth, and there can be freedom, people would be happier.

"One important thing is, now in China, it's all a culture of lies.

"People make money by lying, and get corrupted, and get a lot of money buy doing all sorts of immoral acts.

"If there is democracy, at least in culture, I believe, would not be a culture of lies.

"But there would be freedom, checks and balances, and a democratic China.

"I think corruption can only be totally erased if there is democracy."

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Spain's King Juan Carlos Abdicates For His Son

Juan Carlos Held Reins During Rocky Times

Updated: 2:20pm UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Juan Carlos may have been tainted by recent scandals, but he can abdicate knowing he has led his country through some very testing times.

One of the most testing was when he helped bring an end to a failed coup that nearly sent Spain - now a member of the EU - back to being ruled by a military junta in 1981.

Soon after politicians were pictured cowering under their benches as armed guards burst into parliament, Juan Carlos appeared on television in his green military uniform ordering an end to the revolt.

He said: "I have ordered the civil authorities and the chiefs of staff to take the necessary measures to maintain constitutional order."

It's now largely forgotten in Britain how close one of Europe's most powerful countries came to reverting to military dictatorship.

Juan Carlos kept his son Felipe, then aged 13, at his side throughout the crisis.

"I wanted him to see what one has to do when one is king," he said later.

For years, the Royal family remained popular as Spain emerged from being one of the EU's poorer countries to being one of its most powerful.

After the Madrid train bombings in March 2004, Juan Carlos and his wife Queen Sofia threw protocol aside at a memorial service when they comforted the families of some of the 191 people killed.

But, with the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, things began to change. 

Juan Carlos' image was dealt a blow after he went on a luxury elephant-hunting safari in April 2012 as his subjects struggled in a recession, during which one in four people was unemployed.

Then, his family became embroiled in a corruption investigation when a judge indicted former Olympic handball player Inaki Urdangarin, the husband of the king's youngest daughter Cristina, who has also been accused of involvement.

He has also suffered long term health problems, undergoing surgery nine times between 2010 and 2013.

But, despite the setbacks, history may in time be kinder to him.

He is regarded as playing a determining role in Spain's modern history by stepping up as the first crowned head of state in 44 years, after the death of Franco.

He then defied the hopes of the Francoists for an extension of autocratic rule and instead oversaw the creation of a new system of parliamentary monarchy, with a new constitution that was approved by referendum in 1978.

Without his guiding hand, the country many people regard as their favourite holiday destination could have remained being run by those who followed a similar ideology to Adolf Hitler.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Boy, 6, Dies After Children Stabbed In Lift

A six-year-old boy has died and a seven-year-old girl is fighting for her life after the playmates were stabbed multiple times in a lift in Brooklyn.

Police are searching for a man in his 20s who fled the scene of the attack in Boulevard Houses, Schenck Avenue, East New York.

A police source said Prince Joshua Avitto and Mikayla Capers were in a lift in the building when the attacker, described as heavyset, pulled out a knife and stabbed the children several times in the torso.

He then ditched the weapon and fled the scene.

The boy's body was found inside the lift, while the girl managed to stumble outside and was found collapsed on the floor.

They were rushed to Brookdale University Hospital, where Prince Joshua, known to family and friends as PJ, was pronounced dead a short time later.

Police are searching for the attacker who fled the scene

News outlet NBC reported that the boy's mother was heard shouting: "They done killed my baby.

"His birthday was in 16 days. Lord, they done killed my baby!"

Seven-year-old Mikayla has been transferred to New York-Presbyterian Hospital where she has undergone surgery. She remains in a critical condition.

New York Daily News quoted her mother, Sherina Capers, 21, as saying: "This don't make no sense. This is kids. You don't do this to kids."

According to Inez Rodriguez, the president the Boulevard Houses Tenant Association, the playmates were on their way to buy a snack when they were attacked.

"They were just coming outside to get some ice cream and ices," she said.

"This is the worst thing that I've ever seen in this neighbourhood."

The attack came two days after an 18-year-old girl was stabbed to death nearby.

She was stabbed 32 times in the chest while on the way to a friend's house on Friday evening.

Police have not ruled out a connection between the two attacks.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

India Rape Protesters Clash With Police

Police in India used water cannon to disperse women protesting against the gang rape and hanging of two girls.

TV pictures showed jets of water being sprayed over the top of several hundred people who had gathered outside the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's office in Lucknow.

According to Zee and Aaj Tak TV stations, the protest had been organised by the BJP, who are in opposition in Uttar Pradesh.

The protesters were stopped by police from moving forward

The group, mostly made up of women, waved placards and shouted slogans for some time as police held them back before they started firing water cannon.

The demonstrators refused to move and attempted to continue making their point despite the soaking.

"We're not going to sleep, we'll be here, they have to stop this (violence against women)," one protester told the NDTV network.

BJP members are hit by water during the protest

The bodies of the two teenage cousins were found hanging from a mango tree in their impoverished village of Katra, in Badaun district, last Wednesday morning.

Tests showed they had suffered multiple sexual assaults.

The deaths were the latest in a string of violent attacks on women across the country, where many say not enough is being done to tackle the problem.

TV footage showed the protesters being soaked by the water jets

The girls are understood to have gone into the fields on Tuesday night because, like millions of families living in rural areas, they did not have toilets in their home.

Police have been accused of acting too slowly and two officers are among the five people arrested in the case. Family members say police ignored their pleas because they were of a lower caste. 

India revised its laws on sex attacks in the wake of the December 2012 gang rape of a student on a bus in New Delhi.

The girls' bodies were found hanging from a mango tree

But the tide of sex attacks has shown no sign of slowing down. It is claimed that a rape is reported in India every 22 minutes.

The chief minister in Uttar Pradesh is Akhilesh Yadav.

Four out of the five are from the Yadav community, a land-owning Hindu caste that holds political sway in Uttar Pradesh.

Asked at a news conference last week about the number of rapes occurring in the state, Mr Yadav told a female reporter: "You haven't been harmed, have you? No, right? Great. Thank you."

The head of Uttar Pradesh's ruling party, Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is also the chief minister's father, sparked uproar during the recent election campaign when he said rapists should not receive the death penalty because "boys will be boys".

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

PM And Putin To Meet Over Ukraine Violence

Prime Minister David Cameron will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Downing Street confirmed the plan as the Kremlin announced it will submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding an end to violence in the country.

The Prime Minister will sit down with Mr Putin after the two leaders attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy on Friday.

The talks will take place the day after Mr Cameron, US President Barack Obama and other G7 leaders meet in Brussels for a summit at which Russia's annexation of Crimea and the ongoing hostilities in the east of Ukraine will be high on the agenda.

The meeting was hastily arranged after they decided to boycott a planned summit of the G8 - which includes Russia  - that Mr Putin was due to host in Sochi this week.

It also comes amid heightened between Russia and Britain after Prince Charles reportedly compared Mr Putin to the Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler over his actions in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman dismissed suggestions that Friday's talks with Mr Putin were an attempt to "make peace" with him.

The PM will also meet Mr Poroshenko, Ukraine's new leader

He said Mr Cameron would "restate our very clear and unchanged position on the Crimea which is we do not recognise the annexation".

Mr Cameron is also due to meet Ukraine's newly elected president Petro Poroshenko at the D-Day commemorations. Mr Poroshenko has vowed to rid eastern Ukraine of insurgents and restore calm to the region.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces killed five rebels while repelling an attack by hundreds of pro-Russian gunmen on a federal border guard camp in the east on Monday, Kiev officials said.

The border guard service said seven of its servicemen were wounded when "around 500 terrorists" attacked one of its units stationed outside the industrial city of Luhansk.

The rebels are "not only using mortar, grenade launchers and machine guns, but also firing from residential apartments and rooftops, using civilians as human shields," the border guard service said in a statement.

A spokesman for Ukraine's self-proclaimed "anti-terrorist operation" said the border guards eventually received air cover from fighter bombers that managed to destroy "two mortar crews of militants".

A pro-Russian rebel at a barricade in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine

Video footage showed a building within the camp compound on fire.

"After the aircraft returned to base, we received information that fighting around the Luhansk border unit resumed," Vladyslav Seleznyov told Kiev's ICTV television.

Ukraine's defence ministry said on Friday the seven-week eastern insurgency had claimed the lives of 49 Ukrainian servicemen and 128 civilians and separatists.

Russia has accused Ukraine of breaching the 1949 Geneva Conventions protecting civilians in wartime by killing peaceful citizens.

It piled further diplomatic pressure on Kiev by announcing it would submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council on Monday demanding an immediate end to fighting and the creation of a corridor that would allow civilians to escape affected areas.

Ukraine has previously rejected the need for such an "aid corridor" for fear that Russia might want to send in troops to supervise the evacuation.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qatar: Fifa Investigator To Meet Organisers

Organisers of the Qatar 2022 World Cup are to meet Fifa's chief ethics investigator amid calls for the Gulf State to be stripped of the tournament if corruption allegations are proven.

US lawyer Michael Garcia's talks with officials from the Qatar bid in Oman come after the Sunday Times published fresh claims about payments being made to African federations to win support for the successful 2022 campaign.

The newspaper says it has seen millions of documents which show Qatar's victory was helped by a covert campaign by Mohamed Bin Hammam, a former Qatari vice-president of Fifa.

The claims came ahead of the findings of an inquiry into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding processes conducted by Mr Garcia.

Fifa president Sepp Blatter, right, with Mr Bin Hammam in 2010

He said his Fifa ethics committee was expected to complete its investigation by June 9 this year and would report on its findings six weeks later - which would be after the World Cup in Brazil.

The newspaper alleged Mr Bin Hammam used secret funds to make "dozens" of payments totalling more than $5m (£2.98m) to win support for Qatar's bid.

It was also claimed he paid $1.6m (£950,000) into bank accounts controlled by Jack Warner, the former vice-president of Fifa.

Qatar's bid committee has denied any wrongdoing and said it would "take any steps necessary" to defend the process.

Qatar and Russia's bid committees celebrate their World Cup successes

Fifa has not commented on the newspaper's allegations.

Prime Minister David Cameron says Mr Garcia's inquiry should be allowed to run its course.

"There is an inquiry under way quite rightly into what happened in terms of the World Cup bid for 2022. I think we should let (it)  take place rather than prejudge it," he said.

In a statement the Qatar 2022 bid committee insisted Mr Bin Hammam had played no role in its bid and that it was "cooperating fully with Mr Garcia's ongoing investigation".

Artist's impression of one of Qatar's proposed stadia

It said it was confident the inquiry would show it had won the World Cup fairly "because it was the best bid and because it is time for the Middle East to host its first Fifa World Cup".

Meanwhile, the Football Federation Australia (FFA) has revealed it has also been investigating claims of corruption in the Qatari bid.

FFA chief executive David Gallop told SEN radio in Melbourne the association has been "heavily involved" in interviews and the production of documents.

FA boss Greg Dyke says the bribery allegations are alarming

"We need to get more information about what's been revealed in the last 48 hours," he said.

"But don't be under any illusion that we haven't been heavily involved in all of this for some time now.

"We've been involved in interviews, production of documents and also following carefully what's been happening away from Australia - so we've got people that have been involved for some time now."

Australia was one of five countries that competed to host the 2022 World Cup along with Qatar, South Korea, the United States and Japan.

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke is among those who have called for the bidding process to be rerun if the bribery claims are shown to be true.

He told Sky Sports News: "If there is a proper investigation and that investigation says that there was corruption involved, which I know the Qataris are denying, then obviously there will have to be a revote."

He added that "a lot of people" have wondered why Qatar was awarded the tournament, given concerns about the heat in the country, its lack of football tradition and the decision to build eight new stadia in the country.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jewish Museum Shooting Suspect Arrested

Police investigating a shooting at a Jewish museum in Belgium that left four people dead have arrested a man.

Mehdi Nemmouche, a Frenchman with suspected ties to Islamic radicals in Syria, was detained in Marseille in southern France, investigation sources told the AFP news agency.

The 29-year-old, who is being held on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, was allegedly found with a Kalashnikov rifle and a handgun.

Two women and a man were killed in the shooting in Brussels on May 24, which French President Francois Hollande said was clearly of "anti-Semitic character".

Two women and a man were killed in the shooting on May 24

A fourth person who was injured in the attack died later in hospital.

The victims, who were shot in the face and neck, included two Israeli tourists who were visiting Brussels from Tel Aviv.

Following the attack, Belgian police released CCTV footage of a suspect dressed in sunglasses and a cap, who walked into the museum carrying two bags.

He can be seen removing an automatic rifle and shooting through a door before walking away.

Security around all Jewish institutions in Belgium was raised to the highest possible level in the aftermath of the shooting.

The country is home to about 42,000 Jews, half of whom live in Brussels.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pele's Son Jailed For 33 Years Over Drugs Money

One of Brazilian football legend Pele's sons has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for laundering money for drug traffickers.

Edson Cholbi Nascimento, nicknamed Edinho, denies the charges in the case, which date from 2005, and will reportedly be allowed to remain free pending appeal.

Edinho, 43, is accused of ties with a drug cartel led by Ronaldo "Naldinho" Duarte Barsotti.

But though he admits buying drugs from the cartel, he denies working with them.

Pele reacts during a 2005 news conference about Edinho's drug problems

Edinho had a relatively low-key career in the 1990s playing for Santos, the same club where his father shot to fame.

The Praia Grande criminal court in Sao Paulo also sentenced three other defendants to 33 years' jail and ordered the confiscation of all property seized in the police operation against them, including about 100 cars.

Pele, whose full name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, has seven children.

Considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, he won three World Cups with Brazil, in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

India Girls' Gang Rape: Suspects Confess

Three suspects have confessed to the gang rape and murder of two teenage girls in northern India last week, police have said.

The 14 and 15-year-old cousins, from the lowest Dalit caste, were found hanging from a tree in the village of Katra, in Uttar Pradesh, after disappearing from their homes on Tuesday.

The three suspects detained so far in the attack are cousins in their 20s from an extended family, and they face murder and rape charges, crimes punishable by the death penalty.

The father of one of the victims covers his face

Police officer Atul Saxena said a search for two additional suspects is continuing.

Mr Saxena said officers were preparing identity sketches of the two missing suspects based on descriptions provided by the arrested suspects in Katra, in Baduan district, about 300km (180 miles) from Lucknow, the state capital.

Authorities have also arrested two police officers and suspended another two for failing to investigate when the father of one of the teenagers reported the girls missing.

Onlookers at the site where the girls were found hanged

Federal authorities are expected to take over the investigation into the crime this week.

India tightened its rape laws last year - introducing the death penalty for gang rape - following the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.

The case sparked nationwide protests.

A rape is committed every 22 minutes in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people - and activists say many more cases go unreported because of a culture of tolerance.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Prisoner-Swap Soldier's First Day Of Freedom

A US soldier held for nearly five years by the Taliban in Afghanistan is undergoing a medical examination in Germany before being flown back to the US for a reunion with his family.

Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, from Idaho, was freed on Saturday evening in exchange for America turning over five Taliban detainees held in Guantanamo, to Qatari custody.

Sources say he is "weakened, scared and vulnerable" after having been tortured, and is currently receiving treatment at a US military hospital in Landstuhl.

His release follows months of indirect contact with the militants, with Qatar acting as intermediary.

President Obama at the White House with Sgt Bergdahl's parents

According to a senior defence official, once Sgt Bergdahl climbed onto the noisy helicopter he took a pen and wrote on a paper plate, the letters "SF?" - asking the troops if they were special operations forces.

They shouted back at him over the roar of the rotor blades: "Yes, we've been looking for you for a long time."

Then, according to the official, Sgt Bergdahl broke down and cried.

The parents of the freed soldier, Bob and Jani Bergdahl, said they were "joyful and relieved".

"We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son," they said.

Speaking at the White House flanked by Sgt Bergdahl's parents, US President Barack Obama said: "The Qatari government has given us assurances that it will put in place measures to protect our national security."

Sgt Bergdahl was released in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees

He added: "Sergeant Bergdahl has missed birthdays and holidays, and the simple moments with family and friends which all of us take for granted.

"But while Bowe was gone, he was never forgotten."

Mr Obama expressed his gratitude to the Emir of Qatar for helping secure the soldier's release, and also the support of the Afghanistan government.

Sgt Bergdahl was taken prisoner in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.

Mike Baker, a former CIA operations officer, told Sky News: "It's been a long time coming.

"It's been a very frustrating exercise over the years, in part because for quite along time it was not clear who we were supposed to be negotiating with.

"People are extremely happy here he's back."

There was a continuing campaign in the US to secure the soldier's freedom

On the US policy not to negotiate with terrorists and concerns the exchange could lead to further hostage-taking, Mr Baker said this was a consideration, but added: "We had to get our guy back.

"We have a very strict policy as does the UK, we don't leave people behind. This was just a festering wound for all of these years. It had to be dealt with."

The identities of the freed detainees have not been revealed, although reports claim they are senior Taliban figures.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

Qatar Committee Rejects World Cup Bribe Claims

The Qatar 2022 Bid Committee has denied any wrongdoing following reports that corruption was involved in their successful bid to host the World Cup.

The Sunday Times claimed Mohamed Bin Hammam, a former Fifa executive member for Qatar, made payments totalling $5m (£2.98m) to football bosses to secure support for the bid.

But the committee said in a statement it "always upheld the highest standard of ethics and integrity" in relation to its attempt to hold the tournament in the Middle East country.

Lusail Stadium which would host the final of the 2022 World Cup

And it added Mr Bin Hammam played no official or unofficial role in the committee.

It went on: "We vehemently deny all allegations of wrongdoing. We will take whatever steps are necessary to defend the integrity of Qatar's bid and our lawyers are looking in to this matter.

"The right to host the tournament was won because it was the best bid and because it is time for the Middle East to host its first World Cup."

Mohamed Bin Hammam with Fifa president Blatter in 2010

Meanwhile, a Fifa vice-president has told Sky News that if evidence of corruption in Qatar's bid is found then a revote would have to be considered.

Jim Boyce told Sky News: "I have absolutely no doubt that if there's concrete evidence being supplied by Mr Garcia (Fifa's chief investigator) to Fifa and to the executive committee then it's got to be taken very seriously and I hope the right decision would be made at that time."

The paper claims Mr Bin Hammam used 10 slush funds to pay cash to football officials in order to create a "groundswell" of support for Qatar's campaign.

The decision to award the World Cup to Qatar has proved controversial

Millions of emails and other documents relating to the payments were obtained by the newspaper.

Mr Bin Hamman also allegedly hosted lavish junkets for African officials at which he handed out almost $400,000 in cash.

It is also alleged he paid $1.6m (£950,000) into bank accounts controlled by Jack Warner, the former vice president of Fifa, some $450,000 (£268,000) of which was paid before the vote for the World Cup.

People celebrate after Qatar was awarded the World Cup in 2010

The newspaper said Mr Bin Hammam declined to respond when asked about the claims.

Former foreign secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind told Sky's Murnaghan programme that if the allegations "are even remotely correct" it brings into question whether Qatar should host the tournament.

Speaking on the same programme, a former director of public prosecutions said criminal proceedings could follow.

Ken MacDonald said: "This is evidence of very serious crime and the fact that the allegation is that they used dollars, US dollars, means that the Justice Department in Washington has jurisdiction over this.

"If the Justice Department started to take an interest in this then I think Fifa would feel the heat very very quickly."

Ex-Football Association chief executive Mark Palios meanwhile told Sky News people would find it difficult not to conclude the bidding process was "flawed" if the allegations are proven.

John Whittingdale, chairman of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport committee, told Sky News if the claims are true, Fifa president Sepp Blatter should resign.

"These are obviously very serious allegations and they need to be investigated very quickly," he said.

"The failure of Sepp Blatter over the past two years really to take this seriously ... does put his position into question."

Shadow sport minister Clive Efford said: "If these allegations are true then those involved should resign.

"FIFA must take urgent action and reopen the bidding for the 2022 World Cup if it wants to restore its credibility."

Mr Bin Hammam was banned for life from football administration by Fifa's ethics committee shortly after a failed campaign for the presidency in 2011.

In 2010, he was among the 22 people who decided to award the World Cup to Qatar.

The decision provoked widespread condemnation, and concerns about the safety of players, who will play in extreme heat.

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More