China Scrambles Fighter Jets In Islands Row

China Island Strategy 'Risky'

Updated: 2:13pm UK, Friday 29 November 2013

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

Politically, nothing happens by accident in China.

It was no co-incidence that as China sent its fighter jets into the newly declared 'air defence identification zone', President Xi Jinping was visiting a site connected with the country's war-time struggle against Japan.

Mr Xi was quoted as saying "though life is becoming better, history can't be forgotten and those who made sacrifices for the new China's founding must be remembered".

Every few months the issue of islands in the East China Sea disputed by both China and Japan raises its head.

This is probably the first time since Mr Xi was made China's new leader that the country has flexed its muscles over the islands.

It is Mr Xi sending a message that China will not roll over when it comes to ownership of the islands.

The issue has become a hot topic in various (state-controlled) newspapers. 

The Global Times praised the government for its "calm response in the face of provocations". 

This kind of comment article doesn't appear by chance.

It means the Communist Party wants to send a message to the world and in particular to Japan and Japan's allies in the Pacific region, America.

Ties between China and Japan have become increasingly fraught over recent years. 

The deep-rooted mistrust and regional rivalry goes back to Japan's occupation of part of China and the perceived lack of contrition by Japan over war-time atrocities.

But by raising the stakes over the islands China may have put itself in an awkward position.

It has informed the world that foreign aircraft passing through the new air defence zone - including passenger planes - would have to identify themselves to Chinese authorities. 

Japan's two biggest airlines have defied the identification order. South Korea and the US have also flown through the zone.

China's Defence Ministry has said it would be "incorrect" to suggest China would shoot down aircraft which entered the zone without first identifying themselves. 

But quite how China will respond and police its unilaterally declared zone appears unclear.

China wants to annoy its neighbours and assert its power in the region - particularly with America looking on.

There is a lot at stake - both in an economic sense but crucially also in terms of prestige.

With the islands come seabed resources which need to be explored along with local fisheries stocks.

But it is a risky strategy. Things can easily spiral out of control in the fast-moving air zone - and mistakes happen.  If that is the case China will need to show it is no paper tiger. That could be dangerous.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Germany: 'Cannibal Cop' Buried Victim In Garden

A German policeman has been arrested after the butchered body of a man he met on a fetish website for cannibalism was found buried in his garden.

The 55-year-old confessed to slashing the throat of his willing victim and then cutting his body into small pieces and burying them, police said.

But there was no evidence that the suspect, identified by media as police officer Detlev G of the eastern state of Saxony, had eaten any of the body parts of his victim, prosecutors said.

Maik Mainda laid out the details of the investigation at a news conference

The victim, a 59-year-old man from Hanover, Lower Saxony, had "since his youth fantasised about being murdered and eaten," Dresden police chief Dieter Kroll told a news conference.

When the Hanover business consultant went missing, police began a search and weeks later tracked him down using his electronic communications with the suspected killer, whom he met for the first time on November 4.

Dresden head of criminal investigations Maik Mainda told the press conference the pair had extensive email, SMS and telephone contact since October to arrange their fatal date.

The two men met at Dresden railway station before driving back to the suspect's house in the town of Hartmannsdorf-Reichenau.

"The agreement was that the killing should take place immediately," Mainda said.

The suspect "then used a knife to cause a life-threatening wound on the throat of the victim, which led to his death," he said.

He added: "The suspect has told us that he then cut the victim into separate pieces, including many very small pieces, and that he also cut through bones. The suspect then buried the body parts on the sloping lawn of his property."

Police wait outside the scene where the victim was found buried

The suspect was cooperating and had pointed investigators to the sites where he buried the remains, police said.

The investigation has echoes of the case of Armin Meiwes, dubbed the "Cannibal of Rothenburg".

In 2001, German cannibal Meiwes made international headlines for admitting to killing, mutilating and eating the flesh of a lover whom he had met on the Internet via an advertisement looking for a "slaughter victim".

Armin Meiwes admitted killing and eating a lover in 2001

Meiwes was originally convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to eight and a half years in prison in 2004, but another court found him guilty of murder in a retrial and jailed him for life.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bulgaria Builds Fence To Keep Out Immigrants

Bulgaria is building a razor wire fence on a 30-kilometre (19-mile) stretch of the country's border with Turkey, which it claims is to try to stop illegal immigration.

The three-metre-high fence is expected to be ready by February. It it will run mainly through forested, hilly areas where visibility for border patrols is limited.

During the Cold War, Bulgaria's barbed-wire borders prevented its citizens from fleeing to the West, but after the country joined Nato in 2004 all fences were removed.

Turkey's border with Bulgarian is 170-miles long

"The number of incoming illegal immigrants in Bulgaria has now been reduced several times," Defence Minister Angel Naydenov told a news conference in the border village of Golyam Dervent.

"We have enhanced the border patrols, had additional activities in border surveillance, backed by the presence of the troops right here (in the village of Golyam Dervent).

"I'd like to add something else. No illegal immigrants have entered Bulgarian territory in that particular controlled area."

Border controls have been increased

The authorities have denied claims that the fence is intended to stop refugees from Syria and other war-ravaged countries from entering the country.

More than 11,100 refugees, most of them Syrian, have entered Bulgaria illegally this year, crossing the porous 170-mile border with Turkey, and the country has faced an influx of migrants that far outnumbers its capacity.

Grozyo Milushev Georgiev, a villager from Golyam Dervent, said the flow of refugees has been "really big".

More than 11,000 refugees have crossed the border this year

"In early summer, it periodically started to rise, five to 10 people, then to 20, 40, 50, and finally reached 100 people a day," Mr Georgiev said.

"Mothers with young children, pregnant women, elderly men and women, all kinds of people - but since the authorities took urgent measures, this flow has stopped."

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

China Scrambles Fighter Jets In Islands Row

Chinese fighter jets have reportedly been sent to patrol disputed air space over the East China Sea after Japanese and South Korean planes flew into the region.

The move, described as a "defensive measure" by an air force spokesman quoted by a state news agency, raises the stakes in the long-running row over a string of tiny islands.

The military is on "high alert and will take measures to deal with diverse air threats to firmly protect the security of the country's airspace", Xinhua reported.

The warning comes days after China laid claim to the islands, which it calls the Diaoyu but are known as the Senkaku in Japan.

It previously threatened "emergency" action would be taken against aircraft which do not comply with new identification rules.

The islands cover an area of just seven square kilometres - roughly 2% of the size of the Isle of Wight.

However, they are thought to be surrounded by energy-rich waters.

Chinese and Japanese boats have been patrolling the coastline and there have been several reports of military aircraft flying too close to each other.

In October, Chinese military aircraft flew near Japan for three days in a row.

Japan scrambled fighter jets each time in response.

Earlier this week, the US sent two unarmed B-52 bombers to the disputed region without telling China first.

US Vice President Joe Biden is visiting China, Japan and South Korea next month, when he is expected to attempt to diffuse tensions over the islands.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Falklands Oil Row: Argentina's Threat To Firms

Argentina has threatened oil firms seeking to operate off the Falkland Islands with 15-year jail terms, huge fines and confiscation of assets.

It is just the latest chapter in the dispute with Britain over sovereignty.

Its London embassy announced that new laws have been passed by the Argentine Congress to punish exploration it claims is in breach of a UN resolution.

But the Foreign Office insisted the activities were "wholly legitimate and legal" and entirely under the control of the Government of the island - a British overseas territory.

A spokesman said: "The UK Government unequivocally supports the right of the Falkland Islanders to develop their natural resources for their own economic benefit.

"This right is an integral part of their right of self-determination, which is expressly contained in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

"Argentine domestic law does not apply to the Falkland Islands or South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which are UK overseas territories."

Buenos Aires has issued repeated written legal warnings to firms that they face administrative, civil and criminal action for operating off the islands - which Argentina calls Las Malvinas.

In a statement, the embassy said the new law "provides for prison sentences for the duration of up to 15 years; fines equivalent to the value of 1.5 million barrels of oil; the banning of individuals and companies from operating in Argentina; and the confiscation of equipment and any hydrocarbons that would have been illegally extracted".

It added: "The Argentine Government has protested against and rejected all of the United Kingdom's attempts to promote and authorise such hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation activities in the area of the Argentine continental shelf."

Islanders voted by 1,513 to three to remain a British overseas territory in a referendum in March but Argentina has since stepped up its claim over the territory at the UN.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Thailand: Opposition Protesters Invade Army HQ

Around 1,200 protesters have broken into Thailand's army headquarters, calling on the military to help topple the government.

The crowd broke a padlocked gate at the Royal Thai Army compound and forced their way inside, saying they wanted to submit a letter to the army chief, army spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.

"We want to know which side the army stands on," one protester said.

The compound is next to the United Nation's Asia-Pacific headquarters in Bangkok.

The protesters gained access to the Royal Thai Army compound

"They are now gathering in the courtyard, but they have not entered buildings," Col. Sansern said. "We will make them understand that this is a security area and we will ask them to leave."

Suthep Thaugsuban has refused to back down on his supporters' demands

Demonstrators also massed outside the headquarters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's Puea Thai party, setting up a tense standoff with riot police guarding the building.

The prime minister survived a no-confidence vote in parliament on Thursday and urged the demonstrators to end their protests.

She has been reluctant to use force to evict the opposition-led protesters for fear of escalating a tense political crisis and sparking bloodshed.

Security forces have done little to stop protesters who have spent the week seizing government buildings and camping out at several of them in an effort to force a government shutdown and get civil servants to join their rally.

Crowds of protesters have occupied the Finance Ministry since Monday and others remain holed up at a sprawling government complex that houses the Department of Special Investigations, the country's equivalent of the FBI.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent days

On Thursday, the demonstrators cut power at Bangkok's police headquarters and asked police to join their side.

The demonstrations that started Sunday have raised fears of fresh political turmoil and instability in Thailand and pose the biggest threat to Ms Yingluck's administration since she came to power in 2011.

The protesters accuse Ms Yingluck, 46, of serving as a proxy for her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra - a former prime minister who was ousted in a 2006 military coup but retains strong support from the rural majority in Thailand.

Yingluck Shinawatra is accused of being a proxy for her exiled brother

Mr Thaksin, who lives in Dubai to avoid serving a jail term for a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated, is a highly polarising figure in Thailand.

An attempt to push a general amnesty law through parliament - which would have paved the way for his return - sparked the latest wave of protests earlier in November.

Crowd sizes peaked at over 100,000 and have dwindled in recent days to tens of thousands, but organisers have called for bigger crowds over the weekend.

Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, who resigned as an opposition Democrat Party MP to lead the protests, says he will not negotiate. He says his goal to rid the country of Mr Thaksin's influence.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

World Cup Stadium Delay After Crane Deaths

Brazil is holding three days of national mourning for the two construction workers killed at a World Cup stadium that will now be completed up to two months late.

The pair died when a crane at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo collapsed as it was hoisting a 500-tonne structure.

It damaged the outer walls of the 70,000-seater venue - popularly known as the Itaquerao - and a giant LED screen.

Work on the stadium, which is due to stage the opening World Cup fixture, was due to be finished by December 31.

The competition's organisers Fifa say they expect a delay of between 45 and 60 days.

The stadium was said to be very close to completion

Fifa, football's world governing body, had originally set December 31 as the deadline for the completion of all the stadiums for next summer's tournament.

The latest delay will increase worries over whether Brazil will be fully prepared for the June 12 kick-off.

Six venues have already been declared ready but there are concerns about three others in Cuiaba, Manaus and Curitiba.

Bosses at the Corinthians Arena said the "structure of the grandstand was not compromised" by the crane accident and that work will resume on Monday.

Two died when the crane "derailed" and dropped a 500-tonne structure

Andres Sanchez, operations director, said the two construction workers were crushed to death.

They have been named as Ronaldo Oliveira dos Santos, 44, a fitter, and driver Fabio Luiz Pereira, 42, who was inside his truck when it was hit by the falling structure.

Most of the 1,700 workers at the site were on lunch break when the crane toppled over.

In a statement, Corinthians said it was the 38th time the crane had performed the procedure and that a similar structure had been successfully installed a week ago.

Fifa had set a December 31 deadline for all stadium building work

The crane, which has a reach of 114 metres, can lift up to 1,500 tonnes.

Investigators are looking into the reason for the collapse.

Fifa said the safety of workers was a "top priority", while the organisation's president, Sepp Blatter, said he was "deeply saddened by the tragic death of workers".

The incident is by no means the first to hit Brazil's World Cup preparations. One worker died last year during construction of a stadium in the capital, Brasilia, and another was killed at the Manaus stadium last March.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Man Swapped At Birth Regrets Lost Life

A 60-year-old Japanese man switched at birth in a Toyko hospital has told of his shock at learning the truth of how different his life could have been.

After winning a lawsuit against the hospital that mistakenly cast him from a wealthy family into a life of poverty, the man said: "I've wondered how on earth could this happen.

"I couldn't believe it. To be honest, I didn't want to accept it.

"I might have had a different life. I want (the hospital) to roll back the clock to the day I was born," he told Japanese media.

A Tokyo district court this week ordered the hospital to pay 38 million yen (£227,600) in damages over its 1953 blunder which saw the man switched with another baby boy who was delivered 13 minutes later.

The court ruled that 32 million yen (£191,780) should go to the man and the rest to his three biological brothers.

It is not clear if the hospital, which has not been named by Japanese media and has not commented on the bizarre case, will appeal.

The man, an unmarried truck driver, would have grown up as the eldest of four brothers in a wealthy family where siblings enjoyed a lavish lifestyle including private tutors.

Instead, he was raised on benefits by his non-biological mother who also supported older siblings after her husband passed away when he was two.

The family lived in a one-room apartment with a radio one of their few luxuries, according to the man who studied at night school while working in a factory.

"It was like she was born to experience hardship," the man said of the woman he knew as his mother. She is now also dead.

The man has been helping take care of his non-biological brothers, one of whom suffered a stroke.

The decades-old mistake was uncovered when the wealthy family's three younger brothers had DNA testing done on their oldest sibling - who looked nothing like them - after their parents died.

They checked hospital records and confirmed the identity of their biological eldest brother last year.

The man switched at birth said he cried daily for several months after learning the truth.

"As I saw pictures of my (biological) parents, I wanted to see them alive. I couldn't hold back tears for months every time I saw their pictures."

One of my brothers "told me that we will have 20 more years to live so we should make up for lost time", he added.

"I was happy to hear that and I want to do it."

Judge Masatoshi Miyasaka cut the size of the award but said he recognised the man had lost a chance of higher education and had suffered emotional pain.

The mothers in both families had seemingly suspected they had been raising the wrong babies.

"I think my foster mother might have sensed it," the man said, noting physical differences from the siblings he grew up with.

His real brothers remember their mother saying her first baby came back from his first bath in hospital wearing the wrong clothes.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Ireland: Teen Held After Woman Killed At Home

A 19-year-old man has been arrested over the suspicious death of an English mother-of-one who was reportedly attacked with a hatchet at a remote cottage in Ireland.

The body of Susan Dunne, aged in her 50s, was discovered with serious head injuries in the house in Ballinageragh, just outside the small village of Lixnaw, near Listowel, in Co Kerry.

The Irish Independent reported that she had been bludgeoned to death after being attacked with the hatchet.

Neighbours raised the alarm after Ms Dunne's car was seen being driven by another person.

The front door of the cottage was then found open and the local gardai were contacted, arriving at the property at around 11.15am on Wednesday morning.

Irish police later arrested the 19-year-old in the Listowel area.

Police, who have not released any details about the man's identity, described the circumstances surrounding the woman's death as suspicious.

The man can be detained for 24 hours before being charged or released.

Ms Dunne, who was known as Susan Sheehy, was also known  was originally from England and was understood to have moved to the isolated house with her son within the last few years.

She was reportedly well known as a campaigner with Autism Ireland and the chairperson of the Kerry branch of the group.

On its Facebook page, Kerry Autism Action said: "Tonight we are very sad to announce the death of Kerry Autism Action's Sue Sheehy.

"Sue was an amazing lady that will never be forgotten by many familys for all her help to them.

"We would like to express our Sincere Condolonces to Sue's family and friends at this tragic time, and we hope that everyone will respect the privacy and wishes of the family."

Robert Beasley, a local councillor, said neighbours were "very saddened".

"There's a gloom over the area," he said.

:: Anyone with information or who may have seen any unusual activity around Ballinageragh, Lixnaw, Co Kerry, is asked to contact the Gardai in Listowel on 068 50820, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111 or any Garda station.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Haitian Refugees Cling To Capsized Freighter

The US Coast Guard is trying to rescue nearly 100 Haitian refugees whose overloaded vessel capsized off the Bahamas.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force says at least 20 migrants may have been killed after the 40ft freighter grounded and capsized about 15 nautical miles southwest of Staniel Cay.

The vessel ran aground on Monday night. Pic: US Coast Guard

Interviews with migrants suggested the death toll could reach as many as 30 people.

Video and images released by the Coast Guard shows the migrants clinging to the hull of the boat.

Officials say at least 10 refugees have died. Pic: US Coast Guard

The Royal Bahamian Defence Force, which first reported the incident, is aiding in the rescue effort.

Helicopters hoisted 13 people from the water after deploying a mass rescue raft, the Coast Guard said.

Rescue teams have dropped rafts and supplies. Pic: US Coast Guard

Food, supplies and an additional eight life rafts were dropped to provide immediate relief for the refugees.

Staniel Cay is in the Exumas, a Bahamian island chain east of Nassau.

Haitian migrants have long passed through the archipelago east of Florida on overloaded vessels seeking to settle in the Bahamas or reach the US.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kenya: Pair Arrested By Anti-Terror Police

The Foreign Office is investigating reports that two British citizens have been arrested by anti-terror police in Kenya.

Sky News sources believe one of the suspects was from Britain and that the pair may have been carrying hand grenades.

They were detained in Diani, a beach resort on the country's south coast.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We're looking into reports of two British nationals detained in Kenya.

"We stand ready to offer consular assistance."

The reason for the arrests was not immediately clear.

Briton Samantha Lewthwaite is wanted by Kenyan police

They come two months after the Westgate shopping mall siege in the capital Nairobi in which 67 people, including six Britons were killed.

Earlier this month four men appeared in a Nairobi court charged with "supporting a terrorist group" in connection with the attack in September.

The Somali-based rebel group al Shabaab has said it was behind the siege, which lasted four days.

Claims that a woman was involved has prompted speculation it was British-born Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of a 7/7 suicide bomber Germaine Lindsay.

Interpol issued a warrant for her arrest shortly after the massacre for terrorist offences in Mombasa, just along the coast from Diani, dating back to 2011.

Lewthwaite, who has two children by Lindsay and has been dubbed the 'White Widow', is also wanted in connection with seven murders in Kenya.

The 29-year-old is a member of al Shabaab and has been described by Kenyan security officials as an "incredible threat".

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Simon Gittany Guilty Of High-Rise Murder

A man has been found guilty of throwing his fiancee off the balcony of their high-rise apartment in central Sydney.

Ms Harnum was planning to leave Gittany

Simon Gittany was accused of hurling Lisa Harnum from their 15th floor home in a fit of "apoplectic" rage in July 2011 after discovering she planned to leave him and return to her native Canada.

Gittany, 40, who was supported in court by his new girlfriend Rachelle Louise, had maintained throughout the trial that Ms Harnum, 30, had slipped and fallen after climbing over a railing.

He said he had tried to save Ms Harnum, a former ballerina.

But Justice Lucy McCallum said the lack of Ms Harnum's fingerprints on the glass barrier made his claim implausible.

"At many times in his evidence, the accused struck me as being a person playing a role, telling a story which fitted with the objective evidence, but which did no more than that," she said.

Gittany barely reacted in court as the verdict was read out.

Gittany with his new girlfriend, Rachelle Louise, who screamed at the judge

His current girlfriend screamed at the judge "You're wrong", and stormed out of the packed courtroom. Ms Louise's outburst continued after she left the court.

Delivering the verdict in the judge-only trial, Justice McCallum said witness Josh Rathmell, who had been walking past the apartment building on his way to work when he saw Ms Harnum fall, gave a compelling account.

At the time, Mr Rathmell thought he had seen Gittany "unload" a piece of luggage or rubbish and continued on his way. It was only later he realised it was a body and contacted the police.

Justice McCallum said while Gittany and Ms Harnum had loved each other, there was no doubt the accused was "controlling, dominating and at times abusive".

"I am satisfied by the end of July 2011, those tensions had reached a point of crisis," she said.

Gittany and Ms Harnum's apartment was in central Sydney

The New South Wales Supreme Court heard that Gittany had secretly monitored Ms Harnum's phone and had installed CCTV cameras inside and outside their apartment.

One of the cameras showed Gittany restraining Ms Harnum outside the flat and then dragging her back inside on the night she died. Ms Harnum was heard yelling: "Please help me, help me, God help me."

Ms Harnum's mother said there were no winners in the case. Her only hope was that her daughter's death would be a powerful wake-up call to other young women.

"Young women who are caught up in situations like my daughter found herself in need a voice," Joan Harnum said.

Gittany, who was held in custody for the final weeks of the trial, will be sentenced in February.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Sandy Hook Gunman 'Obsessed With Columbine'

The gunman who carried out last year's Connecticut school shooting lived an isolated existence and was obsessed with mass killings, a report by the lead investigator says.

The review, released after a year-long investigation, provides chilling insights into Adam Lanza, but sheds no more light over a possible motive for one of the worst shootings in US history.

On December 14, Lanza shot dead his mother and then killed 20 children and six teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown before committing suicide.

"The obvious question that remains is: 'Why did the shooter murder 27 people, including 20 children?' Unfortunately, that question may never be answered conclusively," the report said.

State Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said there was no clear indication why the 20-year-old gunman chose Sandy Hook as his target other than the fact that it was close to his home.

Police at first thought there could have been several gunmen

The 48-page report said that in fifth grade Lanza wrote a book that included tales of children being slaughtered and a son shooting his mother in the head.

In the years that followed, he developed an obsession with violence and mass murders, especially the 1999 Columbine school massacre.

The report says he assembled articles, photos, books, footage and violent video games, including one in which players gun down students in school, and even kept a spreadsheet ranking mass murders.

Nobody was allowed into his bedroom. Its windows were covered with black garbage bags.

Lanza communicated with his mother by email only even though they lived in the same house, according to the review.

He refused to sleep in hotels, reacted badly to loud noises and liked to play a video game called Dance Dance Revolution in addition to more violent fare.

His food had to be arranged on the plate in a certain way and he changed clothes and washed his hands often during the day, the findings said.

Twenty children and six adults were killed in the shooting at Sandy Hook

His mother, Nancy Lanza, was planning to buy her son a new pistol for Christmas, even though he disliked Christmas and birthdays.

Adam Lanza had significant mental health issues that affected his ability to live a normal life and interact with others, but did not affect his mental state for the crimes, the report said.

In 2005, he was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, an autism-like condition that is not associated with violent crimes.

Mr Sedensky said Lanza "was undoubtedly afflicted with mental health problems.

Demolition of the elementary school began in October

"Yet despite a fascination with mass shootings and firearms, he displayed no aggressive or threatening tendencies."

The mother of Victoria Soto, who was killed in Sandy Hook, said in a statement that nothing could make sense of the shooting.

Donna Soto said: "Yes, we have read the report. No, we cannot make sense of why it happened.

"We don't know if anyone ever will. We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again."

A timeline released with the report indicated that nearly six minutes passed between the arrival of the first Newtown police officer and the time officers entered the school.

The report said law enforcement officers were operating under the belief there may have been more than one shooter.

The massacre shook America and reignited a national debate on gun control.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghanistan: Karzai Defiant Over US Deal Delay

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign a security deal which could see all US troops leave the country next year.

There are still 47,000 American forces in the country and there have been discussions about keeping a small residual force of about 8,000 troops there after it winds down operations in 2014.

But Mr Karzai told National Security Adviser Susan Rice in Kabul the US must put an immediate end to military raids on Afghan homes and demonstrate its commitment to peace talks before he would sign a bilateral security pact.

Following the meeting a White House spokesman quoted Ms Rice as saying: "Without a prompt signature, the US would have no choice but to initiate planning for a post-2014 future in which there would be no US or Nato troop presence in Afghanistan."

On Sunday an assembly of Afghan elders endorsed the security pact, but Mr Karzai suggested he might not sign it until after national elections next spring.

There are still 47,000 American forces in Afghanistan

US troops have been in Afghanistan since leading multinational forces in ousting the Taliban regime in late 2001.

Officials, including Secretary of State John Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, have said the bilateral security deal must be signed by the end of 2013 to begin preparations for a post-2014 presence.

Ms Rice told the Afghan president it was "not viable" to defer signing the deal until after the election.

The delay "would not provide the United States and Nato allies the clarity necessary to plan for a potential post-2014 military presence".

The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) includes a provision allowing raids in exceptional circumstances - when an American life is directly under threat - but it would not take effect  until 2015.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jail For Dentists Who Slit Daughter's Throat

A couple who slit the throats of their daughter and a servant have been sentenced to life in prison by a court in India.

A judge handed the sentence to wealthy dentists Rajesh and Nupur Talwar who were earlier convicted of murdering Aarushi, 14, and Nepalese servant Hemraj Banjade.

The killings happened at their home in the affluent New Delhi suburb of Noida in 2008.

"It's life," independent lawyer Naresh Yadav told reporters outside the court in Ghaziabad, a satellite city just outside the capital.

Judge Shyam Lal spared the couple the death penalty, which had been sought by the prosecution after their conviction on Monday.

The sentence was the latest dramatic twist in the long-running case that has been awash with sexual rumour and charges of police bungling and media bias.

Investigators allege the Talwars killed Aarushi in a fit of rage after finding her with the 45-year-old domestic servant in an "objectionable position", suggesting the double-murder was a so-called honour killing.

Rajesh Talwar was attacked outside court in 2011

The couple - successful, middle-class dentists - have vowed to appeal, insisting that they are victims of police incompetence and a media witchhunt.

Aarushi was found on her bed with her throat cut "with clinical precision" one morning in May 2008.

Police initially blamed the missing servant - only to find his decomposing body on the roof a day later with a similar cut and head wounds.

Rajesh Talwar recently told the AFP news agency: "We loved Aarushi, we have no lives without her. This has been a never-ending nightmare."

The prosecution had conceded there was no forensic or material evidence against the couple, and based its case on the "last-seen theory" - claiming the victims were last seen with the accused.

Defence lawyer Satyaketu Singh said after  sentencing that "there is no evidence against them" and expressed confidence that "this judgment will be overturned."

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran Nuclear Deal Reached At Talks In Geneva

An agreement has been reached between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

The deal, announced by European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton, is a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West.

The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was nailed down after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva.

US President Barack Obama said it was an important first step towards a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear programme.

William Hague hailed the agreement as 'very important and encouraging'

He said Iran could not use its next-generation centrifuges under the deal and the limitations under the agreement "cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb".

He added that if Iran did not meet its commitments during a six-month period, the US would turn off sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the nuclear deal as a "historic mistake" and reserved his country's right to defend itself.

"Today the world became a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world made a significant step in obtaining the most dangerous weapons in the world," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement recognises Tehran's "rights" to maintain a nuclear programme, and it would "never" seek atomic weapons.

The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "This can be the basis for further intelligent actions. Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success."

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron said the deal leaves Tehran further from getting a nuclear weapon and "demonstrates how persistent diplomacy and tough sanctions can together help us to advance our national interest".

Foreign Secretary William Hague said the agreement was "very important and encouraging", adding that it meant "the nuclear programme won't move forward for six months".

However, he acknowledged that "legitimate concerns" remained.

The Iranian foreign minister got a hero's welcome back in Tehran

He and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the deal, as well as the latest developments in Syria, during talks in London on Sunday.

Speaking in London, Mr Kerry said: "This could not have happened if our friends had not come together to create sanctions and force sanctions and to press this agreement.

"Now the really hard part begins; the effort to get the comprehensive agreement in terms of verification, transparency and accountability.

"We are determined to work together. We will start today to continue the efforts out of Geneva. President Obama could not be more grateful for David Cameron's support."

High purity uranium stockpiles will be destroyed or diluted

Mr Kerry offered assurances to Israel over the nuclear agreement, saying it would make the Jewish state safer over the next six months because the world would have "insights" into Iran's nuclear programme.

President Obama also telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the deal, said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

He said the US was looking forward to consulting with Israel over ongoing negotiations with Iran.

Speaking on Iran's Press TV, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was an opportunity for the West to restore trust with the Iranian nation.

He said Tehran would expand co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.

European Union policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Javad Zarif

The easing of sanctions could boost Iran's economy by up to $7bn (£4.3bn).

In return, it has committed to stop uranium enrichment above a purity of 5% - enough for medical use and nuclear power, Iran's stated goal, but not enough for a weapon.

Any uranium it has above 20%, which is close to the level needed for weapons, will be destroyed or diluted. 

Equipment capable of enriching weapons-grade uranium will also be switched off and the deal calls for intrusive UN nuclear inspections.

The agreement has sparked fears in Israel, said Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley.

"Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett has said this deal could result in the use of suitcase nuclear devices five years down the line. It could be traced to this historic moment," he said.

"What they're really saying is that the international community, the world's diplomats, have been suckered by Iran in the same way that the international community was successfully suckered, let's face it, by the North Koreans who agreed to a similar deal to downscale their nuclear programme, and after a few months went by actually demonstrated that they had developed a nuclear weapon in secret.

"That is precisely what worries the Israelis."

Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June, replacing nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Israel Says Nuclear Deal Is 'Historic Mistake'

It's "an historic mistake" that will "make the world more dangerous" - the result of cosmetic concessions - and the consequences "threaten Israel". And: "We will not allow Iran to obtain military capability."

Benjamin Netanyahu's take on the interim deal to limit Iran's nuclear programme could not be more out of tune with how the US President plays it.

Barack Obama said the agreement "opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure".

That the two men don't get along could be a diplomatic understatement. But why the huge gulf over what is an historic turning point in Iran's relations with the outside world?

It's partly caused by policy, and partly by personality. The deal with Iran is less of a turning point - more a junction.

The Israelis contend the world's superpowers and global diplomats have been suckered and that Iran has taken a devious route. The Saudis probably agree - though may not say so out loud.

Israel sees an Iranian nuclear weapon as an existential threat - the Saudis fear Iran's Shi'a agenda which has already established an arc of influence from Iraq to Syria.

The US, Europe, Russia and China see Iran has opted for a different road - one that will lead it back into the community of nations - and one that will have checkpoints manned by the International Atomic Energy Authority.

It will only be clear which direction Iran has really chosen over the next six months. These are rational differences of difference of policy.

Mr Obama says the deal opens a path to 'a world that is more secure'

An objective analysis of the interim deal, which is intended to lead to a permanent end to Iran's nuclear weapons programme in return for the end of crippling sanctions in six months, it is pretty good.

Enrichment of uranium will be halted at 5% (well below the weapons threshold purity of 90%). Iran's stockpile of 30% enriched uranium will be neutralised.

Tehran's capacity to re-start its nuclear weapons programme is also being rolled back. Centrifuges for enrichment will be put out of action and no new ones built. The plutonium reactor at Arak will, effectively, be mothballed before its completion.

IAEA inspectors will be given regular and unrestrained access to the nuclear sites and even access to CCTV cameras to try to ensure that Iran isn't backsliding.

In return, Iran gets access to airplane parts, and partial lifting of sanctions on the oil and gold industry worth $1.5bn a year.

It will also get, in instalments, revenues from $4.2bn worth of oil revenues - and $400m will be allowed to be sent to Iranian students and other educational projects abroad.

Iran will still be losing out on $4bn a month in oil sales because of caps on its exports, and $100bn of its foreign exchange will remain in frozen bank accounts.

The nuclear talks in Geneva

These simply are not the "cosmetic concessions" that the Israeli Prime Minister claims.

It is true that many western intelligence agencies share the Israeli fear that the international community may be falling into an Iranian trap.

"They are world class liars," one senior spook said.

But there is no need to say so - yet.

"All Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) needs to do is say he reserves judgement on the interim agreement and hope that diplomacy will work - give the whole thing its six months and then if Iran is indeed cheating, Israel will have global support for more drastic action," said one western diplomat.

He risks being 'tuned out' by the international community - even if what he may say, in the end, is proved incorrect, the diplomat added.

Often belligerent Israel, led by Mr Netanyahu's personal style, is now being seen as petulant.

Behaviour that is trying the patience of its father figure -  the USA.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dentists Slit Daughter And Servant's Throats

A wealthy dentist couple have been found guilty of murdering their teenage daughter and servant by slitting their throats.

Rajesh and Nupur Talwar burst into tears when the verdict was read out in a packed courtroom - in a case which has gripped India.

"We are deeply disappointed, hurt and anguished for being convicted for a crime that we have not committed. We refuse to feel defeated and will continue to fight for justice," the Talwars said in a written statement.

The couple face life in prison and possibly the death penalty when Judge Shyam Lal hands down his sentence on Tuesday.

They had been charged with killing 14-year-old Aarushi and Nepalese employee Hemraj, 45, at their home in a New Delhi suburb in 2008.

Investigators alleged Aarushi was murdered in a fit of rage when her parents found her with the servant in an "objectionable" situation.

The trial heard the affluent couple slit their victims' throats "with clinical precision".

Lawyer Manoj Kumar Rai, who was inside the court to hear the verdict, told reporters: "They have been found guilty of murder. They have been found guilty of the destruction of evidence."

Rajesh Talwar was attacked outside court in 2011

The defendants insisted they were victims of police incompetence and a media witch-hunt.

Rajesh Talwar recently told the AFP news agency: "We loved Aarushi, we have no lives without her. This has been a never-ending nightmare."

He was attacked in 2011 just outside the court building during the trial by a man with a meat cleaver, leaving his cheek and hand deeply scarred.

The prosecution had conceded there was no forensic or material evidence against the couple, and based its case on the "last-seen theory" - claiming the victims were last seen with the accused.

When Aarushi was found on her bed with her throat slit one morning in May 2008, police initially blamed the missing domestic servant Hemraj.

A day later, they discovered his decomposing body on the roof - his throat was also cut and he had a head wound.

Officers then arrested Rajesh Talwar's Nepalese dental assistant along with two other local servants - Hemraj's friends - but they were all later released because of a lack of hard evidence.

The case was closed in 2010 by police, citing no substantial evidence, amid allegations of a botched probe with investigators failing to seal off the crime scene, allowing neighbours and relatives to walk over it.

The Talwars insisted they wanted the killers found and petitioned a court to re-open the case.

But they found themselves charged with murder, as media speculation about the successful couple intensified.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Latvia Supermarket Collapse: Hope Fades

The chances of finding any more survivors after the collapse of a supermarket in Latvia is "almost zero", officials have said.

Fifty-four deaths have now been confirmed since the roof of the Maxima store caved in in the capital Riga on Thursday.

Recovery efforts were due to begin on Sunday after the search was called off on Saturday evening, when a third section of the roof collapsed.

The remaining structure is being described as unstable.

The rescue operation has been dangerous for firefighters

President Andris Berzins on Saturday called for the disaster to be "investigated at maximum speed", adding: "This case must be treated as the murder of many unprotected people.

"This is a case where we need to say clearly that an enormous number of defenceless people were killed, and that's how we should proceed."

Some 40 people were wounded, including 13 firefighters.

It was the worst accident in the Baltic country since it regained independence in 1991. The government has declared three days of mourning and thousands of floral tributes and candles have been placed at the scene.

More than a dozen children have lost parents in the incident.

At least 52 people were killed

Antons Ryakhin said "about 100 people" had been inside the building with him.

The 19-year-old said: "I was queuing at the cash desk when the roof suddenly caved in. It all happened within a few seconds.

"It was dark but still light enough to see the exit. I ran out. The doors were open, but a lot of rubble fell in front of them - I think that's why some people couldn't get through."

The rescue operation has been hampered by the risk of further collapses.

Preliminary reports indicate the roof caved in due to either faulty construction or building activities on the roof, where workers were creating a garden area and children's playground for a new high-rise residential building adjacent to the supermarket.

Pictures show that a large amount of building materials, including bags of soil, were left in areas of the roof that, according to Riga city officials, could have been vulnerable to heavy loads.

The police investigation could take several weeks to complete.

The central government, Riga's city council and the Maxima retailer have promised compensation to victims, while charities are also raising cash.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran: Western Powers Got What They Came For

Slam dunk for the Yanks? It's a tempting headline, there's some truth in it, but it's too early to write it.

The Western powers got what they came for. 

The interim agreement does not accept that Iran has the 'right' to enrich uranium.  The Iranians have agreed they will not enrich uranium to 20% purity.

Its existing stockpiles enriched to 20% will be blended down. Tehran will not increase its stockpiles of uranium enriched to 3.5% during the six-month duration of the agreement.

The heavy water plutonium plant at Arak will not open next year as planned. Iran will not install any new centrifuges. All the above will be monitored by UN inspectors.

The Iranian team is able to return home claiming its 'right' to enrich has not been expressly challenged, and that, in its view, sanctions have been seen to fail as they have been, albeit partially, relaxed.

Baroness Ashton may have led the talks, but behind them was American diplomacy and the threat of military power. 

Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif hugs French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius

However, the slam dunk headline cannot yet be written because the ink is barely dry on the agreement and it has yet to be put to the test.

If, as the hawks in Congress, the Gulf states, and Israel suspect, the Iranians are simply playing the Americans and intend to build a nuclear weapon clandestinely, this centre piece of President Obama's foreign policy will be in tatters and his reputation along with it.

However, the US/Iran back channel negotiations revealed by the Associated Press suggest that the relative thaw in the icy relationship between the two countries is real.

The thinking behind this interim agreement is to use it as the foundation for a comprehensive agreement within six months. 

Then, if that is achieved, they build to create what has long been called 'The Grand Bargain' - shorthand for detente between Washington DC and Tehran, full recognition of each other, and a welcoming of Iran back into the various organisations of world trade.

That is for 2015. First this agreement has to stick. The foundation has been laid. Now we are to discover if it is built on rock or sand.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More

Iran Nuclear Deal Reached At Talks In Geneva

An agreement has been reached between Iran and six world powers to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

The deal, announced by European Union policy chief Catherine Ashton, is a first step towards resolving a decade-old stand-off between Tehran and the West.

The agreement between the Islamic state and the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia was nailed down after more than four days of negotiations in Geneva.

US President Barack Obama said it was an important first step towards a comprehensive solution to Iran's nuclear programme.

William Hague hailed the agreement as 'very important and encouraging'

He said Iran could not use its next-generation centrifuges under the deal and the limitations under the agreement "cut off Iran's most likely paths to a bomb".

He added that if Iran did not meet its commitments during a six-month period, the US would turn off sanctions relief and "ratchet up the pressure".

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised the nuclear deal as an "historic mistake" and reserved his country's right to defend itself.

"Today the world became a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world made a significant step in obtaining the most dangerous weapons in the world," he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran's Mohammed Javad Zarif

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the agreement recognises Tehran's "rights" to maintain a nuclear programme, and it would "never" seek atomic weapons.

The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: "This can be the basis for further intelligent actions. Without a doubt the grace of God and the prayers of the Iranian nation were a factor in this success."

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said the agreement was "very important and encouraging", adding that it meant "the nuclear programme won't move forward for six months".

He and US Secretary of State John Kerry are holding talks in London today on the Iran deal and the latest developments in Syria.

Speaking on Iran's Press TV, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the deal was an opportunity for the West to restore trust with the Iranian nation.

He said Tehran would expand co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog, to address what he called some concerns.

Iran will get access to $4.2bn (£2.6bn) in foreign exchange as part of the accord, a Western diplomat said.

A senior US official added that the agreement halted progress on Iran's nuclear programme, including construction of the Arak research reactor.

It would neutralise Iran's stockpile of uranium refined to a fissile concentration of 20%, which is a close step away from the level needed for weapons, and calls for intrusive UN nuclear inspections.

European Union policy chief Baroness Catherine Ashton and Javad Zarif

Iran has also committed to stop uranium enrichment above a fissile purity of 5%, a US fact sheet said.

The deal has no recognition of an Iranian right to enrich uranium and sanctions would still be enforced, the US official added.

Refined uranium can be used to fuel nuclear power plants - Iran's stated goal - but also provide the fissile core of an atomic bomb if refined much further.

The deal has sparked fears in Israel, said Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley.

"Israel's economy minister Naftali Bennett has said this deal could result in the use of suitcase nuclear devices five years down the line. It could be traced to this historic moment," he said.

"What they're really saying is that the international community, the world's diplomats, have been suckered by Iran in the same way that the international community was successfully suckered, let's face it, by the North Koreans who agreed to a similar deal to downscale their nuclear programme, and after a few months went by actually demonstrated that they had developed a nuclear weapon in secret.

"That is precisely what worries the Israelis."

Diplomacy was stepped up after the landslide election of Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate, as Iranian president in June, replacing nationalist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

18.46 | 0 komentar | Read More