North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Un Injures Wrist

Obama And Castro Share Historic Handshake

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 11 April 2015 | 22.57

US President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro have greeted each other at a summit in Panama - a symbolically-charged gesture, as the pair seek to restore ties between their countries.

For Barack Obama this will surely be amongst the highlights of his presidential legacy.

He's in Panama for a gathering of leaders from across the Americas - but it's a meeting that has taken place on the sidelines of the summit which will attract the headlines.

That meeting has taken place with Raul Castro.

Touching down in Panama City, even getting invited is a first for the Cuban President - after half a century in exile for his communist country.

The two men had spoken by phone - hours before they were due to meet.

It was only the second conversation between the leaders of the US and Cuba in 50 years.

Four months ago Mr Castro and Mr Obama simultaneously announced an ending of hostilities.

President Obama said starkly: "Fifty years of isolation hasn't worked."

It was quite a statement. But words come easy to the eloquent president. Now it's time to show Cuba has come in from the cold.

The handshake between the two leaders is symbolic proof of that.

It isn't technically the first time they have shaken hands.

There is a grainy image of them fleetingly meeting at the Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela in South Africa in 2013.

But this time the handshake is supposed to mean more because it comes after the leaders' December declaration of a new beginning.

Speaking in Panama, President Obama said: "As we move towards the process of normalisation, we'll have our differences government to government with Cuba on many issues, just as we differ at times with other nations within the Americas, just like we differ with our closest allies, there is nothing wrong with that.

"But I am here to say when we do speak out we're going to do so, because the United States of America does believe, and will always stand for, a certain set of universal values."

And that means probably taking Cuba off America's designated list of state sponsors of terrorism. Something which infuriates Cuba.

The rapprochement will also open the door towards loans and aid for Cuba after decades of a crippling trade embargo. And that is a move worth its weight in gold.

Fidel Castro came to power in 1959 after overthrowing the US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista.

For half a century, the leader of the first communist country in the western hemisphere was a thorn in America's side.

In 2006 after abdominal surgery he started the transfer of power to his brother Raul who took the landmark step in 2014 of appearing with the US President.

Removing Cuba from the terror list will be a major step if ties really are to be rebuilt between the US and Cuba.

An historic moment after 50 years which has seen America try to isolate Cuba and finally acknowledge it as a neighbour.

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Arrest Warrant Issued For Justin Bieber

An arrest warrant has been issued for Justin Bieber in Argentina after the singer failed to respond to summons related to allegations he ordered his bodyguards to attack a photographer.

Judge Alberto Julio Banos, who issued the warrant, ordered the "immediate detention" of Bieber and bodyguards Hugo Alcides Hesny and Terrence Reche Smalls.

The accusations relate to a 2013 incident outside a Buenos Aires nightclub where Bieber is accused of sending the two bodyguards to attack photographer Diego Pesoa.

Under Argentine law, he would face a jail sentence between one month to six years if convicted on a charge of causing injuries - but the troubled singer never returned to Argentina to face police questions.

It is not clear whether the warrant extends outside Argentina but Mr Pesoa's lawyer spoke to a local television station and implied that the warrant would force Bieber to return to the South American country.

Matias Morla said: "Now we just need to wait for the police to find him and bring him" to Argentina.

"For us, this is a triumph against all those who said this case was a bluff and that we didn't have anything."

Bieber has so far not responded to the warrant being issued.

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Walter Scott Killing: Cop's Dashcam Released

By Sky News US Team

Dashcam video has emerged showing a black South Carolina man running from his car after a traffic stop by a white officer, who gave chase before shooting him dead.

The footage, released by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, does not show Officer Michael Slager shooting Walter Scott but does reveal more about the minutes before the killing in North Charleston last Saturday.

Slager, who has been charged with murder and dismissed from the police, is seen approaching a car and asking the driver for his licence and proof of insurance.

The patrolman tells Mr Scott he has been pulled over because of a broken brake light. After a brief exchange, the officer returns to his patrol car.

The 50-year-old gets out of the vehicle, and Slager tells him to stay in the car. Several seconds later he leaves the black Mercedes-Benz again and runs away.

After Slager gives chase, someone can be heard shouting: "Taser, taser."

The 33-year-old patrolman said in a call to a dispatcher that he fired his weapon because Mr Scott took his stun gun and he feared for his life.

But he was charged over the killing after a separate video, filmed on a mobile phone by an onlooker, showed the officer firing eight shots at Mr Scott's back as he flees.

In the second video, Mr Scott does not appear to be armed.

A post-mortem examination has found Mr Scott had multiple gunshot wounds on the back of his body.

His father has said his son, a father of four, may have run away because he owed child support money and did not want to go to jail.

Mr Scott owed nearly $7,500 (£5,100) in child support when he was pulled over by Slager, according to court records cited by the Associated Press.

He had been jailed three times for failing to pay child support, reports AP.

He was sentenced to six months in 2008 and then in 2011 spent a night in jail for missed payments, and again a year later.

The dashcam video emerged as a man who was hit with a stun gun by Slager in a 2013 incident said he would sue.

Mario Givens, 34, told a news conference Slager came to his house, pushed in the door and fired the stun gun at his stomach.

Mr Givens, who was unarmed, filed an excessive-force complaint at the time, but Slager was exonerated and allowed to remain on the force.

North Charleston police have said they will now review the case.

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Gallery: Walter Scott's Death Sparks Protest

Demonstrators rallied on Wednesday against what they described as a culture of police brutality

The protest came after a white officer, Michael Slager, was caught on video killing 50-year-old Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who was apparently running away

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Muslim Brotherhood Leader Sentenced To Death

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and 13 other senior members of the group have been sentenced to death for inciting violence and unrest in Egypt.

The court in Cairo also sentenced US-Egyptian citizen Mohamed Soltan to life in jail for supporting the Brotherhood and spreading false news.

Soltan, who is on hunger strike, is the son of Brotherhood preacher Salah Soltan, who was among those sentenced to death on Saturday.

Judge Mohamed Nagy Shehata also handed life terms to 23 other Brotherhood members.

The defendants were among thousands of Brotherhood supporters arrested after the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

They were accused of plotting unrest from their headquarters in a sprawling Cairo protest camp after the Islamist leader was toppled.

The Rabaa al Adawiya camp was dispersed by police in August 2013 after a 12-hour operation that left hundreds of protesters and 10 policemen dead.

It came after weeks of failed European and US-brokered negotiations with the Brotherhood, who insisted on Mr Morsi's return to power.

Mr Morsi was the country's first freely-elected president and ruled for a year before he was ousted.

President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, the former army chief who toppled him, then won an election and has vowed to eradicate the Brotherhood, which he calls a terrorist organisation.

The group is blamed for a string of militant attacks that have killed dozens of policemen and soldiers.

The deadliest attacks took place in the Sinai Peninsula and Cairo.

The Muslim Brotherhood claims it is committed to peaceful activism and had nothing to do with the bloodshed.

The men's sentences can be appealed before Egypt's highest civilian court, the Court of Cassation, in a process that could take years to reach a final verdict.

The mass trials have drawn international criticism of Egypt's judicial system.

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British Boy, 7, Killed In Alps Ski Tragedy

A seven-year-old British boy has died in a skiing accident in the French Alps.

The child, who had been on a family holiday in the resort of Flaine in the Haute Savoie region, went over a cliff after straying off piste, emergency services told news agency AFP.

Some reports suggested the boy got lost after attempting the final descent of the day on his own.

Others said he got separated from the group after taking a wrong turn, while skiing with the rest of the group.

An emergency services spokesman said: "He hit a rocky outcrop, then fell 50 to 100 metres (160ft to 320ft)."

His desperate mother raised the alarm at 7pm on Friday, said reports.

The child's body was found by a rescue helicopter, about two hours after the fall, according to reports in French media.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Flaine, France, on April 10.

"We are providing consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

An investigation by French authorities is under way.

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'Voice Of Cricket' Richie Benaud Dies

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 10 April 2015 | 22.57

Former Australian cricketer and commentator Richie Benaud who has died in a Sydney hospice, aged 84.

Benaud, widely regarded as the most respected person in the game's history, had been receiving radiation treatment for skin cancer since November.

Channel Nine, the Australian network where he took the lead commentator's position in 1977, said he had died in his sleep on Thursday night local time.

Nine's head of sport, Steve Crawley said: "You didn't have to know Richie to love him - everything about him.

"Best in the business bar none.

"We will miss him the way you miss loved ones. And at the same time we will thank our lucky stars he came our way at all."

Nine Entertainment Co's chief executive David Gyngell said Benaud's death had "robbed" the world of "not only a national treasure but a lovely man".

Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott tweeted: "What an innings. RIP Richie Benaud," He added: "This is the greatest loss for cricket since the loss of Don Bradman and for that reason I'm pleased to have offered the Benaud family a State funeral."

Hollywood actor Russell Crowe tweeted: "RIP Richie Benaud. My deep gratitude for all you gave to the sport of cricket as a player and as a broadcaster. Sad, sad day."

And Piers Morgan wrote: "RIP Richie Benaud. The greatest cricket commentator of them all & a wonderful man. Mourning Everyone."

Benaud played 64 test matches as an all-rounder between 1952 and 1964, taking 945 wickets in 259 first-class matches and making 11,719 first-class runs, scoring 23 centuries at an average of 36.50.

He was the first man to achieve 2,000 runs and 200 wickets at test level.

Australia's Test side did not lose a Test series under his captaincy, which he held from 1958 until his retirement.

Benaud will be remembered by millions for his measured, laconic brand of commentary and he was as popular in England, where he worked on television from 1963 to 2005, as he was in his homeland.

Speaking about his commentary work, he once said: "My mantra is: put your brain into gear and if you can add to what's on the screen then do it, otherwise shut up.

"What I want most from being a television commentator is to be able to feel that, when I say something, I am talking to friends."

The news arm of Cricket Australia, www.cricket.com.au, described him as "an Australian test great who nurtured a generation's love for the game with his commentary".

They added: "After Don Bradman, there has been no Australian player more famous than Richie Benaud."

He became one of the greatest commentators in world cricket before a car crash outside his Coogee home in 2013 left him with two fractured vertebrae.

The injuries and cancer combined to keep him away from the job he loved in his final years, but he made occasional pre-recorded appearances on Channel Nine and he rallied to record a moving tribute to Phillip Hughes when the Australia batsman died last year after being struck by a bouncer.

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North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Un Injures Wrist

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un appears to have hurt his wrist.

The 32-year-old appeared in a video on North Korean Central TV with what seemed to be a bandaged right wrist.

If he is hurt, however, it does not seem to be bothering him too much.

The bandage can be spotted as Kim waves and smiles at supporters during an inspection of a weapons factory in Pyongyang.

"He didn't have the injury when he inspected a military unit on April 4," a South Korean government official said, "so it must be recent."

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Gallery: Supreme Leader: Kim Jong-Un Images

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un has been seen in public for the first time in more than five weeks, appearing to scotch rumours of a coup. PICS: Rodong Sinmun

The secretive state's Supreme Leader is pictured visiting scientific facilities 40 days after he was last in public, state media reports.

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The failure of Mr Kim to appear on TV since 3 September has led to a mass of speculation about what could have happened to the 31-year-old. Continue through for more images

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But the supreme leader did not attend Thursday's meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang.

An official from South Korea's unification ministry said Kim Jong-Un probably stayed away because there was nothing very interesting to rubber stamp.

Last autumn, rumours swelled around Kim's health when he vanished from public for 40 days. Theories on why he had disappeared included power struggles in the regime, gout, obesity and a broken ankle.

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Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Inspecting Things

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un makes regular public appearances across the country

Kim Jong Un provides field guidance to the Ryuwon Shoes Factory

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The state later admitted he had been suffering some "discomfort" but did not elaborate.

Kim is expected to make his first foreign trip since becoming leader after being invited to Moscow in May where he will meet President Vladimir Putin, among other world leaders. The occasion is the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

It is thought that Russia could be pursuing a deal with Pyongyang worth £16.5m ($25m) to overhaul North Korea's railways in return for access to mineral resources.

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Gallery: Kim Jong-Un Guides Artillery Fire And Landing Exercises

A view of artillery fire exercises guided by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un

The set of photos was released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. Continue through for more pictures

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US President Barack Obama has declined an invitation to the Moscow commemorations.

North Korea has been engaged in a tit-for-tat diplomatic spat with the US over The Interview movie and the hacking of Sony Pictures.

And Pyongyang's strong language, including threatening the US with "final doom" has been backed by a series of military drills and Kim urging his army to be combat ready.

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Written By Unknown on Kamis, 09 April 2015 | 22.57

A man has been arrested after a judge and lawyer were among three people shot dead in a court in Milan, the Italian Interior Minister has confirmed.

The man was found by police in the town of Vimercate, 25km (15 miles) from Milan, after fleeing on a motorbike and is being held in a military police barracks, Angelino Alfano said.

He was named in reports as Claudio Giardiello, a defendant in a bankruptcy case at the Palace of Justice, which is in the historic centre of the city, a few streets from its cathedral and main shops.

The gunman shot dead his lawyer and one of his co-defendants first, before walking through the building, going down one floor and killing the judge, prosecutor Edmondo Bruti Liberati said.

The president of Milan's appeals court, Giovanni Canzio, named bankruptcy judge Fernando Ciampi as the one who had been killed.

The ANSA news agency identified the lawyer as Lorenzo Alberto Claris Appiani.

A second co-defendant was seriously injured, Mr Bruti Liberati said.

A fourth person was found dead in the court buildings with no apparent sign of injury, emergency services said.

The area around the court was cordoned off after the shooting and people were initially told to remain inside.

Court employees barricaded themselves inside their offices and took cover under their desks while police searched for the gunman.

A person speaking from inside the president's office at the court told Sky News shortly after the shooting that they had been locked in a room and instructed not to leave.

Women were later seen leaving the building first followed by men, after having their identification checked.

The gunman fired "at least three or four shots", according to lawyer Marcello Ilia.

"We tried to find out what was going on. There were suddenly lots of police officers who told us not to leave the room, they shut us in," he said.

"After a few minutes we came out. They told us someone in a suit and tie was armed and at large in the court."

It was unclear how an armed man gained access to the building as visitors must pass through metal detectors.

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HSBC Tax Scandal: France Starts Criminal Probe

HSBC has expressed outrage at being placed on €1bn bail amid a criminal investigation in France into historical tax issues.

The UK-listed bank said it was informed on Wednesday that French magistrates were examining the "conduct of its Swiss private bank in 2006 and 2007 for alleged tax-related offences."

Its statement said the court's decision is "without legal basis and bail is unwarranted and excessive".

The bank added that it intended to appeal and "defend itself vigorously in any future proceedings".

Activities at the private bank are being examined in several other countries including Germany and Argentina in the wake of the publication of stolen files.

The papers claimed the Swiss operation had helped clients in more than 200 countries, including Britain, evade and avoid tax.

The accounts in question were said to contain £77bn ($119bn).

HSBC chief executive Stuart Gulliver apologised earlier this year for past practices at the Swiss arm.

He and chairman Douglas Flint told a committee of MPs in February they had completed a series of reforms to help restore trust and confidence.

Argentina last month stepped up its tax evasion row with HSBC by demanding it repatriates $3.5bn (£2.32bn) of cash allegedly moved from the country to its Swiss private bank.

The country's tax authorities issued the request weeks after the Central Bank of Argentina temporarily suspended HSBC Bank Argentina's operations of transferring money and assets abroad for a period of 30 days.

Argentina accuses HSBC of aiding more than 4,000 clients to evade taxes by shifting assets offshore.

HSBC Argentina denied the claim - insisting it respected Argentine law.

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IS Supporters Hack Into France's TV5Monde

One of France's largest TV stations, TV5Monde, says it has been the victim of a cyberattack by people connected with the Islamic State group.

Broadcasts were brought to a halt and the company's websites and social networks were hijacked with the words "Cybercaliphate" and "Je suIS IS" plastered over the front.

The international TV network, broadcast in more than 200 countries worldwide and based in Paris, was off air for three hours overnight, director general Yves Bigot said.

Systems had been "severely damaged" by the "unprecedented attack", Mr Bigot explained.

The hackers posted documents on the company's Facebook page claiming they were identity cards and CVs of relatives of French soldiers involved in anti-IS operations.

The hackers also posted threats against the troops.

"Soldiers of France, stay away from the Islamic State! You have the chance to save your families, take advantage of it," read one message.

"The CyberCaliphate continues its cyberjihad against the enemies of Islamic State," the message added.

Mr Bigot said TV broadcasts were likely to take hours, if not days, to get back to normal.

Speaking at the time, he said: "We are no longer able to broadcast any of our channels. Our websites and social media sites are no longer under our control and are all displaying claims of responsibility by Islamic State."

The hackers also accused President Francois Hollande of committing "an unforgivable mistake" by getting involved in "a war that serves no purpose".

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Gallery: World Reacts In Solidarity To France Attacks

Women in South Africa unveil a Tricolore in a show of solidarity with the people of France

Graffiti reads Je suis Charlie (I am Charlie) in east London

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Ambassador Summoned Over Falklands Oil Threat

Argentina claims three British companies drilling for oil and gas in the Falklands do not have the right to be there and has threatened to prosecute them.

The threat was made by president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner in a speech on the 33rd anniversary of the Falklands Conflict.

She vowed to take action against UK oil companies if they drilled in waters around the islands.

Sky sources say Argentina's UK ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Office by Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. It is understood that Britain considered the comments to be "unreasonable" and the ambassador was given a "dressing down".

The three British firms involved in oil and gas exploration in the Falklands are Premier Oil, Rockhopper and Falkland Oil and Gas.

They hold stakes in the Zebedee well and want to test for oil and gas in another well in the North Falkland Basin.

They are set to begin drilling and the results are expected at the end of the month.

However, the Argentine government is firmly opposed to the move and has threatened to take them to court.

It warned it "could end with an Argentine judge issuing an arrest warrant against those who operate illegally in Argentine waters".

The dispute comes after the British government announced plans to spend £280m over the next 10 years on renewing and strengthening Falklands forces.

President Fernandez responded by saying Britain should concentrate on fighting poverty instead of increasing the amount spent on defence.

"What a paradox," she said, "when there are more than one million Britons eating at the food banks they have had to open in one of the most powerful countries in the world."

"Don't worry. Don't spend another pound sterling on defending the Malvinas," she added, using the Argentine name for the Falklands.

"Spend your money feeding the English, on providing jobs for your young people and a better quality of life for the British, because we are not a threat to anyone."

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Iran Warning On Final Nuclear Agreement

Iran has warned it will not sign a final nuclear deal unless the six major powers lift all sanctions imposed on the country.

"We will not sign any deal unless all sanctions are lifted on the same day," President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech on Thursday.

"We want a win-win deal for all parties involved in the nuclear talks."

A tentative deal reached last week between Iran and the six powers on curbing the country's nuclear programme has revived hopes of an end to sanctions.

Iran wants them lifted altogether and at once - but the United States made it clear on Monday sanctions would have to be phased out gradually.

Under the accord reached in Switzerland last Thursday, Iran would reduce its reserves of enriched uranium, which some nations fear could be used to produce a nuclear bomb.

It would also dismantle nearly 13,000 centrifuges and allow "invasive" inspections of its nuclear plants by international bodies.

In return, many sanctions would be lifted, providing £100bn of relief to the Iranian economy.

President Barack Obama hailed the deal as "our best bet", while Mr Rouhani said it would "remain in the historic memory of the Iranian nation".

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it would give Iran a "free path to the bomb" and could lead to the destruction of his country.

In a statement, he said: "Israel demands that any final agreement with Iran will include a clear and unambiguous Iranian commitment to Israel's right to exist."

Iran has always maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Iran and the six powers - the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China - are expected to meet shortly for more discussions.

Diplomats have said tough negotiations lie ahead of the deadline to reach a final agreement on 30 June.

Mr Rouhani came to power in a landslide election victory two years ago, pledging to bring decades of international isolation to an end.

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Briton Held After Girl's Hong Kong Death Fall

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 08 April 2015 | 22.57

The British father of a teenager in Hong Kong has been arrested after she plunged to her death from an upmarket apartment block.

Nick Cousins, and the girl's Filipina mother, were arrested on suspicion of "ill-treatment or neglect of a child or a young person".

Police emphasised that there was "no suspicious element" in the 15-year-old girl's fatal fall.

Mr Cousins, 58, is the managing director of the Hong Kong office of British multinational Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT), one of the world's leading insurance brokers.

The girl's mother is a 53-year-old Philippine national, the consulate in the Hong Kong said, adding that they were still ascertaining her identity.

She is reported to be a former domestic helper, according to local media.

Mr Cousins has been released on bail but the teenager's mother was still in police custody on Wednesday afternoon.

The 15-year-old plunged from the 21-storey apartment block in upmarket Repulse Bay in the early hours of Tuesday morning, police said.

The teenager's mother has also been accused of overstaying her visa, while Mr Cousins was accused of aiding or abetting the overstay.

The couple were not married, Hong Kong police said.

JLT confirmed Mr Cousins had lost his eldest daughter "in tragic circumstances".

"We are giving Nick our full support through this difficult time and he will be on extended compassionate leave until further notice," the statement said.

Police said that the teenager was pronounced dead at the scene after a security guard found her lying on the ground.

"It was suspected that the subject fell from a height," police said without confirming which floor.

"We learned that the subject was probably upset about some daily life issues," the spokesman said in an email to the AFP news agency.

Local media reported that she had locked herself in a bathroom before her death.

Residents of the Repulse Bay neighbourhood expressed their dismay.

"I was shocked because she (the teenager) would always say 'Hi' to me. She was friendly," a domestic helper said.

She was often in the complex's playroom or at the pool with her younger sister, said the helper.

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Two Israeli Soldiers Injured In Stabbing

Two Israeli soldiers have been injured in a stabbing near a settlement in the West Bank, with the attacker killed shortly afterwards, the Israeli army has said.

An army spokeswoman said: "There was a stabbing attack near Shilo junction. Two people were stabbed and taken to hospital. The terrorist was targeted and killed by IDF (Israel Defence Forces) forces."

The incident happened on route 60, the main road linking the cities of Ramallah and Nablus.

Military sources told AFP one of the soldiers was in a serious condition after being stabbed in the neck.

The other soldier was said to have suffered light to moderate injuries.

Emergency services confirmed paramedics were called to a report of a stabbing near the entrance to the Maale Levona settlement near Shilo.

A statement said: "Paramedics are transferring a young man of around 20 to (Jerusalem's) Shaarei Tzedek hospital in serious condition with a stab wound to his upper body."

Palestinian security sources said they have sent an ambulance to pick up the body of the attacker.

There was a similar wave of attacks in the West Bank and Jerusalem towards the end of last year, but the violence has mostly subsided.

Palestinians demand the West Bank, which was captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 war, as part of their future state and object to an Israeli presence there.

Soldiers and Jewish settlers are often targeted by militants.

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Amazon Founder To Launch Spaceship This Year

Amazon's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos is to launch a spaceship which could one day take passengers into Earth's orbit.

His space firm Blue Origin has finished testing the rocket engine which will power the New Shepard craft - and if the test flights are successful then it could be used to fly three people to a height of 62 miles.

The liquid-oxygen fuelled rocket will be attached to the main capsule for the maiden voyage later this year, which will take off from the company's Texas facility near Van Horn.

Dozens of unmanned flights are likely to take place before paying passengers would be allowed on board.

Tickets for future suborbital flights are not yet on sale, and Blue Origin has not released any pricing information.

It is likely to begin flying commercially within 10 years.

Meanwhile Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo will resume test flights later this year after a fatal accident in California in 2014.

Other companies such as SpaceX are skipping suborbital space flight - part-way around the world - in favour of developing programmes for full orbital flight.

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Litvinenko Suspect: Death 'Suicide By Accident'

One of two ex-KGB agents suspected of using a radioactive poison to kill a former spy in London has said the victim may have accidentally poisoned himself.

Alexander Litvinenko died three weeks after after meeting the two agents at a London hotel on 1 November 2006.

Speaking at a Moscow news conference, Dmitry Kovtun said Mr Litvinenko may have already been contaminated before another meeting they had in October that year.

He suggested the former spy had accidentally poisoned himself, calling it a "suicide by accident".

"I am sure he was dealing with polonium without realising," Mr Kovtun said.

"Maybe at some point there was a leak of this polonium and it was gradually storing in his body. There were outbreaks, like on 16 October when he was vomiting."

Sky's Moscow Correspondent Katie Stallard said people would find the suggestion hard to believe, particularly considering the coincidence around the timing of it.

Police have said a "massive trail" of radiation followed Mr Kovtun and his co-accused, Andrei Lugovoi, across London.

Traces were found in each of the hotel rooms they stayed in, restaurants they visited and even on their plane seats back to Moscow.

The former KGB agent did not deny he and his colleague had met Mr Litvinenko on 16 October 2006 at Itsu restaurant in London, but said Mr Litvinenko had told them he was feeling unwell and had been sick the night before.

Mr Kovtun suggested he had been contaminated when the group shook hands.

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Gallery: Police Photo Evidence From Litvinenko Inquiry

A graphic showing the levels of contamination in the bathroom of room 848 at the Sheraton hotel in London's Park Lane where Andrei Lugovoi, one of the men suspected of killing Mr Litvinenko, stayed just days before he was poisoned

A photograph of the bathroom

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US Soldier Killed In Afghan Insider Attack

An Afghan soldier was shot dead after opening fire on American troops - killing one and wounding seven others - in a failed assassination attempt on a US ambassador.

The attack took place after a meeting between Afghan provincial leaders and Ambassador Don Yamamoto in the compound of the provincial governor in Jalalabad.

According to sources, his convoy was leaving the compound when the Afghan soldier opened fire on the last car using a vehicle-mounted machine gun.

The car carrying the ambassador - who is not the US ambassador to Afghanistan, but a recently appointed special advisor to the country - had already left the compound by this stage.

General Fazel Ahmad Sherzad, police chief for eastern Nangarhar province, said American troops immediately returned fire, killing the Afghan soldier.

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

An Afghan interpreter working with the US troops had previously said no US soldiers had died in the incident.

It is the second insider attack in the country this year, after an Afghan soldier killed three American contractors on 29 January.

The Western-backed Afghan government's 13-year war against the insurgents has intensified as both sides seek to strengthen their positions ahead of possible peace talks.

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Six Injured In Huge Chemical Plant Explosion

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 07 April 2015 | 22.57

Six people have been injured after an explosion at a chemical plant in southern China.

Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to tackle the hydrocarbon fire following the blast at Goure PX Plant in Zhangzhou, Fujian province.

Strong tremors were felt up to 30 miles (50km) away, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

Footage posted by China's CCTV News showed flames shooting into the air following the explosion.

Authorities said there were no leaks from the plant's three tanks of burning hydrocarbon liquids and no signs of environmental contamination.

The factory produces the toxic chemical paraxylene and this is the second explosion there in 20 months.

Concerns over the safety of plants that make paraxylene, a chemical used for producing fibres and plastics, have prompted several protests in China.

Exposure to the chemical, which is also known as PX, can cause eye, nose and throat irritation.

Zhang Yiteng, deputy mayor of Zhangzhou, said one person was injured at the blast site and five hurt by broken glass.

A total of 177 fire trucks and 829 firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze and all nearby residents were evacuated, Mr Zhang said.

He added that the fire was under control and authorities were monitoring the environment for contamination.

There were protests against the plant before it was even built.

It was originally meant to be built in the densely populated city of Xiamen in Fujian, but demonstrations in 2007 by residents concerned about potential health hazards led to it being moved to a less populated area in Zhangzhou.

Several other cities around China have seen similar protests.

In a sign of the ruling Communist Party's sensitivity to the debate surrounding environmental issues, comments on a report on the incident on the Netease web portal have been disabled.

Discussion of the explosion dominated China's popular online social networks, with many users saying the blast vindicates the environmental protesters' fears.

"Do you remember what we were worried about at the time?" wrote a user on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter equivalent, referring to protests in the northeastern city of Dalian in 2011.

"What we worried about is now the reality in Zhangzhou."

Another wrote: "Only when the city officials and their families live near a PX plant will their assurances be convincing."

"They should build a PX plant in Beijing," said another.

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Father And Seven Children Die In Gas Tragedy

A man and his seven children were found dead after being poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator they were using after a power company cut off their electricity.

Police discovered the bodies of 36-year-old Rodney Todd, his five daughters and two sons at their home in Princess Anne, Maryland.

Officers said the cause of the deaths was still under investigation, but the man's mother and stepfather said police told them the family died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Bonnie and Lloyd Edwards identified the children as sons Cameron, 13, and Zycheim, 7, and daughters Tynijuiza, 15, Tykira, 12, Tybree, 10, Tyania, 9, and Tybria, 6.

Mr Edwards said they had been left in a state of "disbelief" following the tragedy.

"It's so hard," he said.

"How can you understand something like that?"

He said Delmarva Power had cut off the family's electricity to the house because of an outstanding bill.

"To keep his seven children warm, (Mr Todd) bought a generator," Lloyd Edwards said.

"It went out and the carbon monoxide consumed them."

Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller said there was a generator in the kitchen that was out of fuel.

Matt Likovich, a spokesman for Delmarva Power, declined to say whether the power had been cut off and said the matter was being investigated.

Bonnie Edwards described her son as a loving, caring young man who set an example for his children.

"I don't know anyone his age who would have done what he did" for his children, she said.

"I was so proud to say he took care of seven kids."

Mr Todd was a utility worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

His supervisor, Stephanie Wells, said she had not seen Mr Todd since 28 March.

She said she reported him missing after no one answered when she knocked on the door of the family's home on Monday.

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Security Council Appeal As IS Nears Damascus

The UN Security Council has called for life-saving assistance and the safe evacuation of Palestinians after fighting among militants threatened a refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus.

The council was forced into an emergency meeting late on Monday after Islamic State (IS) militants began pushing into the Yarmouk camp in what is the group's deepest foray into the Syrian capital so far.

During the meeting, UN head of Palestinian refugees Pierre Krahenbuhl called the humanitarian situation in the camp "completely catastrophic."

The capture of the camp places IS just five miles from the centre of the capital, with 18,000 residents without access to food, water or medicine.

The situation in Yarmouk has been described as "beyond inhumane" by civil rights activists, with the area being shelled and people trapped in their homes.

Yarmouk has seen increased shelling and sporadic street fighting after the militant group stormed the southern area of the city on Wednesday.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWSA, a UN support agency for Palestinian refugees, said activists had not been able to get aid into the area since the current round of fighting began.

Yarmouk has been under siege for two years since it was surrounded by Syrian government forces.

Some Palestinian civilians who were trapped have managed to flee to safer areas, but the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syria's government air force has dropped several barrel bombs on the camp since Sunday.

Palestinian officials and Syrian activists said they were working with rivals from the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front.

The two groups have fought bloody battles against each other in other parts of Syria, but appear to be cooperating in the attack on Yarmouk.

Only around 2,000 civilians have been able to leave the camp so far.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros said: "Yarmouk is about 10km from the centre of Damascus and IS militants are reportedly in control of most of the camp.

"It's a dire situation and desperate for those people waiting for UN aid but it simply can't get in there because of the fighting.

"We've been told that more than 20 people have been killed since this latest fighting began and several instances where women have been kidnapped by IS militants."

Mr Gunness has called for a "political framework" to solve the crisis and allow aid to be delivered on the ground.

"We need a political framework which will give some kind of meaning and substance to this humanitarian work. So, we need political action and we need it urgently."

Meanwhile, Iraqi forensic teams in the Sunni city of Tikrit, recently recaptured from IS forces, have begun excavating 12 suspected mass grave sites.

The graves are thought to hold the bodies of up to 1,700 soldiers killed last June as Islamic State fighters fought to capture large areas of northern Iraq.

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Iraqi Forensic Teams Exhume Mass Graves

A survivor of a massacre of some 1,700 troops by IS forces in Tikrit last June has been talking of his escape as forensic teams begin exhuming the graves.

Iraqi soldier Ali explained how IS lulled him and fellow troops into believing they would be well treated.

"They told us they had no problem with us and promised us we would be sent to our families, they brought us cars and even gave us water to make us feel secure," he said.

"Once they put us in large cars, they managed to control us and brought us here and tied us up, and I still have a mark from my cuffs here."

He went on: "The fourth bullet was meant to kill me, but I was not hit.

"The fifth bullet was fired, killing the one who was next to me. Playing dead, I fell to the ground. I was covered by the blood of my colleagues and I rolled down into the valley."

Up to 12 suspected mass graves are now being exhumed.

"We dug up the first mass grave site today," said an Iraqi health official working with a forensic team sent in to Tikrit, outside the former US base camp of Camp Speicher.

"Until now we found at least 20 bodies. Initial indications show indisputably that they were from the Speicher victims.

"It was a heartbreaking scene. We couldn't prevent ourselves from breaking down in tears. What savage barbarian could kill 1,700 persons in cold blood?" he asked.

The mass killing of the Shi'ite troops took place as the fighters fought their way across northern Iraq.

Their deaths came to symbolise early on the brutality of IS, as well as the group's hatred of the country's Shi'ite majority.

1/7

Gallery: Iraq's Battle For Tikrit

Smoke billows during Iraqi military operation to retake Tikrit from Islamic State militants

Iraqi flags fly on outskirts of Tikrit as government forces move into the city

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Russian Nuclear Sub 'On Fire In Dry Dock'

A Russian nuclear submarine has caught fire in a shipyard but there were no weapons on board, according to Russian news agencies.

The 155m (508ft) 949 Antei was reportedly being repaired in Zvyozdochka shipyard in Russia's northern province of Arkhangelsk, when the blaze broke out.

The ship reportedly caught fire as welding works were being carried out, with rubber insulation catching fire.

A shipyard source told the Interfax news agency: "There is a fire on the submarine.

"We are fighting the fire now."

The emergencies ministry has so far refused to comment.

The United Shipbuilding Corporation, which runs the shipyard, said the submarine's weapons and critical elements of its nuclear reactor had been taken out before the repairs started.

Spokesman Ilya Zhitomirsky said no one was injured.

A nuclear-powered submarine carrying atomic weapons was engulfed in flames in 2011, nearly leading to a nuclear disaster.

Officials insisted the sub was not armed.

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Refugee Crisis As Islamic State Nears Damascus

Written By Unknown on Senin, 06 April 2015 | 22.57

The situation in a Palestinian refugee district of Damascus seized by Islamic State has been described as "beyond inhumane" by civil rights activists.

Yarmouk has seen increased shelling and sporadic street fighting after the militant group stormed the southern area of the city on Wednesday, marking the group's deepest foray into the capital.

Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWSA, a UN support agency for Palestinian refugees, said activists had not been able to get aid into the area since the current round of fighting began.

"That means that there is no food, there is no water and there is very little medicine. People are holed up in their houses, there are reports of aerial bombardment, and there is fighting going on in the streets.

"This has to stop and civilians must be evacuated. Some 18,000 people, including 3,500 children, are at risk of death or serious injury. The situation is beyond inhumane."

Yarmouk has been under siege for two years and is home to the largest Palestinian refugee community in the country.

Some civilians who were trapped in the district have managed to flee to safer areas amid continuing clashes between Palestinian armed factions and IS, and intense airstrikes by the Syrian government.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syria's government air force has dropped several barrel bombs on the camp since Sunday.

Palestinian officials and Syrian activists said they were working with rivals from the al Qaeda affiliate in Syria, the Nusra Front.

The two groups have fought bloody battles against each other in other parts of Syria, but appear to be cooperating in the attack on Yarmouk.

Palestine Liberation Organisation officials said around 2,000 civilians were able to leave the camp at the weekend via secure roads to the Zahira district, which is under army control.

Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros said: "Yarmouk is about 10km from the centre of Damascus and IS militants are reportedly in control of most of the camp.

"It's a dire situation and desperate for those people waiting for UN aid but it simply can't get in there because of the fighting.

"We've been told that more than 20 people have been killed since this latest fighting began and several instances where women have been kidnapped by IS militants."

Mr Gunness has called for a "political framework" to solve the crisis and allow aid to be delivered on the ground.

"We need a political framework which will give some kind of meaning and substance to this humanitarian work. So, we need political action and we need it urgently."

22.57 | 0 komentar | Read More

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