Italy: Baggage Handlers In Airport Bust

Italian police have arrested 29 baggage handlers from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport after an investigation into the theft of valuable objects from passengers' luggage.

Those arrested are accused of stealing items, including cameras and mobile phones, from passengers' bags.

The arrests took place after hidden cameras were installed in plane cargo holds to capture footage of the alleged thefts.

Images from the cameras released by Italian authorities show baggage handlers rifling through people's possessions and stealing a number of items, including cash.

Police captured footage of the alleged thefts on hidden cameras

Italian national carrier Alitalia said it cooperated with police at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport and in Lamezia Terme, where the investigation began in 2011 and spread to a half-dozen airports across the country.

Lamezia Terme airport deputy police chief Ferruccio Martucci said investigators were stumped as to where the loot was being stolen and theorised that the only place where handlers could be assured of secrecy was in the cargo holds.

He said police installed temperature and pressure-resistant cameras in the holds and identified the thieves.

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Israeli Warplanes Launch Airstrike In Syria

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bodies Found After Kyrgyzstan Plane Crash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The plane came down in the Chaldovar region, in Kyrgyzstan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Bhutto Assassination Case Prosecutor Shot Dead

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

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

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

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

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007

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

The gunmen fled and a massive search has been launched.

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

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

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

Former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf has been placed under house arrest

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

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

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

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

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

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Bangladesh Factory Collapse: Engineer Arrested

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

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

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

A woman cries as she searches for her missing brother

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

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

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

A Bangladeshi soldier stands in front of the collapsed building

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

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

More than 100 people are still missing.

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

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

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

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Euro Forecast: Jobless Total To Stay Static

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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North Korea Reactor 'Could Produce Plutonium'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Somali President Says Terrorists Are Defeated

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Mogadishu

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

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

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

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

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

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

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has asked for patience

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Man Jailed For Selling Fake Bomb Detectors

A businessman who made £50m selling fake bomb detectors that allegedly caused the deaths of innocent Iraqis has been jailed for 10 years.

James McCormick was sentenced at the Old Bailey, after he was found guilty of three counts of fraud last month.

Judge Richard Hone said the 57-year-old, of Langport, Somerset, was responsible for a "callous confidence trick".

He added: "Your fraudulent conduct in selling so many useless devices for simply enormous profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent individuals."

The kits also came with fake sensor cards to detect drugs and people

During his trial, the court heard the devices, which were sold for up to £27,000 each, had no scientific basis and were based on novelty golf-ball finders.

They were marketed to the military, police forces and government departments around the world using glossy brochures, and were said to be capable of finding bombs hidden underground or under water.

McCormick boasted: "It's a phenomenon. It's been known for a number of years."

McCormick showed salesmen how to use the fake devices

However, Richard Whittam QC, prosecuting, said: "The devices did not work and he knew they did not work."

Mr Whittam told the judge that former senior British officers in Iraq believed the detectors had cost lives - although McCormick's defence said there is no evidence to support such a claim.

In a statement read in court, Brigadier Simon Marriner said: "The inescapable conclusion is that devices have been detonated after passing through checkpoints. Iraqi civilians have died as a result."

African soldiers were among those who trialled the useless detectors

As well as Iraq, McCormick sold detectors to police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong and the army in Egypt.

He said one of them had been used to check a hotel in Romania before the visit of an American president in the 1990s.

Det Supt Nigel Rock, of Avon and Somerset Police, said the profits made by McCormick "fed his greedy and extravagant lifestyle".

"He has shown no shame or remorse and carried on with a complete disregard for the consequences of his con trick," he added.

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Three British Soldiers Killed In Afghanistan

Three British soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

The soldiers from The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) whilst on a routine patrol, the Ministry of Defence said.

The attack took place on Tuesday in the Nahr-e Saraj district. The three were evacuated by air to the military hospital at Camp Bastion but could not be saved, the MoD said.

Their families have been informed.

Sky's Defence Correspondent Alistair Bunkall says another six have been injured.

Prime Minister David Cameron said the country has paid a "very high price" for the work it is doing in Afghanistan.

The soldiers were aboard a heavily-armoured Mastiff vehicle

"It is important work because it's vital that country doesn't again become a haven for terrorists - terrorists that can threaten us here in the UK," Mr Cameron added.

"But today our thoughts should be with the families and friends of those that have suffered."

Labour leader Ed Miliband called the deaths "tragic news".

The deaths bring to 401 the overall number of British troops killed in Afghanistan in the past 12 years, with total losses at 444.

Six have now died in 2013.

A ministry spokesman said the attack "underlines the threats faced by our personnel as they continue to hand over security operations to their Afghan counterparts ahead of UK combat operations concluding by the end of next year".

"Security in Helmand, where most UK forces are based, is steadily improving with Afghan forces already responsible for the bulk of the province - but the environment in which our troops operate remains risky and dangerous, including the threat of improvised explosive devices and insurgent attack.

"We will continue to do all we can to minimise these risks but they can never be removed entirely."

The attack came on the third day of what the Taliban has called its spring offensive. In past years, spring has marked a significant upsurge in fighting between the Taliban and Nato forces with their local allies.

This fighting season is a key test, as the international coalition is scheduled to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces next year.

Sky News' Foreign Affairs Editor Tim Marshall said: "The Taliban have announced their annual spring offensive in a brutal manner.

"By carrying out this attack they are not only saying that spring has come, they are also underlining that even though everyone knows the British are leaving, they will still be coming after them all the way to the end."

The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion.

They deployed to Afghanistan in March from their base in Penicuik, Midlothian, near Edinburgh.

The last time so many UK soldiers were killed in one attack was in March 2012, when six died as their Warrior armoured vehicle was blown up by a massive improvised explosive device near the town of Lashkar Gah.

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Irish Backpacker Murder In Oz: Guilty Plea

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Kercher Family 'Not Interested' In Knox Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

When questioned by ABC News' Diane Sawyer, she insisted the partial confession was the result of her "breaking down".

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

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

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

In the memoir, called Waiting To Be Heard, she writes about how she also considered suicide while in prison.

Miss Knox - who is facing a retrial over the killing - insists in the interview that she did not leave Mr Sollecito's home.

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

"We just hung out together, we talked, we talked about his mum, we made silly faces at each other.

"We stayed in the whole night."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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NYC Hit-And-Run Suspect: 'Accidents Happen'

A driver charged over the hit-and-run deaths of a pregnant woman and her husband in New York City has played down his part in the fatal smash, telling a local TV reporter that "accidents happen".

Julio Acevedo told WABC in an exclusive interview recorded in prison that he was deeply sorry.

But he insisted he was not speeding when his car crashed into a taxi carrying ultra-orthodox Jewish couple Nachman and Raizy Glauber in the Williamsburg district of Brooklyn on March 3.

"I can't bring 'em back; it was an accident," he said. "I apologise deeply."

The 44-year-old admitted he shared some guilt but attempted to shift some of the blame to the cab driver.

The remains of the cab the couple was travelling in

"Sure I played a part. I couldn't stop. Accidents happen," he went on.

"Let's ask the cab driver why did he run the stop sign. He was more in a rush than I was. He was rushing the woman to the hospital."

The couple's premature baby was delivered afterwards but died a day later.

Acevedo fled the scene but was arrested four days later in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

He told the New York Daily News he was attempting to get away from a gunman who was trying to shoot at him.

He had previously served about 10 years in prison in the 1990s for manslaughter after being convicted of shooting the infamous Brooklyn gang member Kelvin Martin - known as the original "50 Cent".

Acevedo has pleaded not guilty to three counts of vehicular manslaughter.

He is facing life in prison.

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Syrian Prime Minister Survives Bomb Attack

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Prague Explosion Leaves Dozens Injured

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

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

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

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

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

"We have treated up to 20 people, and we are trying to find out if there are people buried in the rubble," Prague emergency service spokeswoman Jirina Ernestova told AFP.

The explosion was near the National Theatre in the city

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

Ms Ernestova said ambulances were staying at the scene "in case someone was pulled out of the rubble".    

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

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

A fire department spokeswoman said there had been no reports of any deaths.

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

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