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At Mass on the solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima for the centenary of the apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima today, Pope Francis proclaimed Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto saints. He reminded the faithful that godlessness “risks leading to hell” but that Mary came to remind us that “God’s light dwells within us and protects us.” He said we can take the shepherd children “as our examples” whom the Virgin Mary “introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him.” “She enveloped them in the mantle of Light that God had given her,” he said. The Vatican said an estimated 500,000 faithful attended today's Mass. The Holy Father made the remarks in his homily which he gave after the rite of canonization. Here below is the full text: “[There] appeared in heaven a woman clothed with the sun”. So the seer of Patmos tells us in the Book of Revelation (12:1), adding that she was about to give birth to a son. Then, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus say to his disciple, “Here is your mother” (Jn 19:27). We have a Mother! “So beautiful a Lady”, as the seers of Fatima said to one another as they returned home on that blessed day of 13 March a hundred years ago. That evening, Jacinta could not restrain herself and told the secret to her mother: “Today I saw Our Lady”. They had seen the Mother of Heaven. Many others sought to share that vision, but… they did not see her. The Virgin Mother did not come here so that we could see her. We will have all eternity for that, provided, of course, that we go to heaven. Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures. Such a life – frequently proposed and imposed – risks leading to hell. Mary came to remind us that God’s light dwells within us and protects us, for, as we heard in the first reading, “the child [of the woman] was snatched away and taken to God” (Rev 12:5). In Lucia’s account, the three chosen children found themselves surrounded by God’s light as it radiated from Our Lady. She enveloped them in the mantle of Light that God had given her. According to the belief and experience of many pilgrims, if not of all, Fatima is more than anything this mantle of Light that protects us, here as in almost no other place on earth. We need but take refuge under the protection of the Virgin Mary and to ask her, as the Salve Regina teaches: “show unto us… Jesus”. Dear pilgrims, we have a Mother. Clinging to her like children, we live in the hope that rests on Jesus. As we heard in the second reading, “those who receive the abundance of the grace and the free gift of righteousness exercise dominion in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:17). When Jesus ascended to heaven, he brought to the Heavenly Father our humanity, which he assumed in the womb of the Virgin Mary and will never forsake. Like an anchor, let us fix our hope on that humanity, seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father (cf. Eph 2:6). May this hope guide our lives! It is a hope that sustains us always, to our dying breath. Confirmed in this hope, we have gathered here to give thanks for the countless graces bestowed over these past hundred years. All of them passed beneath the mantle of light that Our Lady has spread over the four corners of the earth, beginning with this land of Portugal, so rich in hope. We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him. That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering. God’s presence became constant in their lives, as is evident from their insistent prayers for sinners and their desire to remain ever near “the hidden Jesus” in the tabernacle. In her Memoirs (III, 6), Sister Lucia quotes Jacinta who had just been granted a vision: “Do you not see all those streets, all those paths and fields full of people crying out for food, yet have nothing to eat? And the Holy Father in a church, praying before the Immaculate Heart of Mary? And all those people praying with him?” Thank you, brothers and sisters, for being here with me! I could not fail to come here to venerate the Virgin Mary and to entrust to her all her sons and daughters. Under her mantle they are not lost; from her embrace will come the hope and the peace that they require, and that I implore for all my brothers and sisters in baptism and in our human family, especially the sick and the disabled, prisoners and the unemployed, the poor and the abandoned. Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to God with the hope that others will hear us; and let us speak to others with the certainty that God will help us. Indeed, God created us to be a source of hope for others, a true and attainable hope, in accordance with each person’s state of life. In “asking” and “demanding” of each of us the fulfillment of the duties of our proper state (Letters of Sister Lucia, 28 February 1943), God effects a general mobilization against the indifference that chills the heart and worsens our myopia. We do not want to be a stillborn hope! Life can survive only because of the generosity of other lives. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (Jn 12:24). The Lord, who always goes before us, said this and did this. Whenever we experience the cross, he has already experienced it before us. We do not mount the cross to find Jesus. Instead it was he who, in his self-abasement, descended even to the cross, in order to find us, to dispel the darkness of evil within us, and to bring us back to the light. With Mary’s protection, may we be for our world sentinels of the dawn, contemplating the true face of Jesus the Saviour, resplendent at Easter. Thus may we rediscover the young and beautiful face of the Church, which shines forth when she is missionary, welcoming, free, faithful, poor in means and rich in love. ||||| FÁTIMA, Portugal: Two young shepherds who had visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago in Fatima, a Portuguese site now a global draw for pilgrims, were declared saints on Saturday by Pope Francis. Catholic faithful from all over the world cheered, filling a giant, 400,000-capacity, esplanade that faces the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima, some of them crying—with many more watching the canonization from adjacent streets on giant screens. “We declare the blissful Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto saints,” the Argentine pontiff said in front of the white basilica where the siblings are buried, two giant portraits of the little shepherds hanging in the background. “We register them on the list of saints, declaring that they must be venerated as such by the Church.” The canonization took place on the 100th anniversary of the day when Jacinta, then aged seven, her brother Francisco, nine, and their cousin Lucia, 10, first reportedly saw the Virgin Mary on the spot where the sanctuary was built. She is said to have appeared six times between May and October 1917 to the three impoverished, barely-literate shepherds, and apparently shared three prophesies with the trio at a period marked by the ravages of World War I. These reportedly included a warning of a second conflict. Francisco died in 1919 and his sister Jacinta the following year in the Spanish Influenza epidemic that swept through Europe at the end of the war. Their cousin Lucia lived on until 2005, becoming a nun and meeting several popes including the late John Paul II. A process that could lead to her also becoming a saint has been opened. Pope John Paul II was possibly the most devoted to Fatima, attributing his narrow escape from an assassination attempt at St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981—the anniversary of the first reported apparition—to the intervention of the Virgin Mary. He beatified Jacinta and Francisco in 2000 following decades of debate over the events at Fatima and their meaning. They were canonized Saturday after the Church officially attributed two miracles to the pair—a necessary step to become a saint. Wheelchair-bound Maria Emilia Santos said she regained the ability to walk on February 20, 1989, the anniversary of Jacinta’s death, after praying to her. And the parents of a Brazilian boy say he healed at lightning speed after falling more than six meters from a window in 2013, after they prayed to the late Jacinta and Francisco for help. “The doctors, including non-believers, weren’t able to explain this recovery,” his father Joao Batista told reporters in Fatima on Thursday. Luisa Pacheco, a 48-year-old seamstress from the northern region of Porto, said she had spent the night in her car to see the ceremony. “They’re our little shepherds, it means everything to us.” Talk of apparitions and miracles outside of those described in the Old and New Testaments does not sit comfortably with everyone in the Church. At the time of the reported apparitions, local authorities considered the child shepherds to be troublemakers, throwing them briefly in jail before they were released under public pressure. The alleged apparitions, seen only by the trio, were followed by strange phenomena on October 13, 1917, when some 70,000 onlookers waiting for a sign of the Virgin are said to have seen the sun dancing in the sky. The reported apparitions have been officially recognized by the Catholic church since 1930. But generally, the recognition of visions or miracles follow a long and cautious process, so as not to risk the Church’s credibility. The Vatican, for instance, has yet to recognize the reported continuous apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the Bosnian town of Medjugorje since 1981. Jacinta and Francisco have joined the ranks of recognized saints such as Mother Teresa. AFP ||||| (FATIMA, Portugal) — Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were on hand, many of whom had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. "Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures," Francis said in his homily. "Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell." He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn't recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. "We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God's light and taught to adore him," he said. "That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering." Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death. The Martos now become the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs. At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts — hands, hearts, livers and limbs — into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. In Fatima for the occasion were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. The medically inexplicable healing of their son, Lucas, was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third "secret" that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a "bishop dressed in white" — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out "penance, penance, penance!" The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth "secret" remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. ||||| Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were on hand, many of whom had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. “It is amazing, it is like an answer to prayer because I felt that always they would be canonized,” said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet “nice boys like Francisco.” “The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful I couldn't ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers,” she said. Francisco and Jacinta, ages 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. “Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,” Francis said in his homily. “Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.” He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn't recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. “We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God's light and taught to adore him,” he said. “That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death. The Martos now become the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs. At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts — hands, hearts, livers and limbs — into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. In Fatima for the occasion were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. The medically inexplicable healing of their son, Lucas, was the “miracle” needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, age 5 at the time, had fallen 21 feet from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third “secret” that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a “bishop dressed in white” — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out “penance, penance, penance!” The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth “secret” remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. Conservative opposition to Pope Francis spurs talk of a schism in the Catholic Church 'He brought his blessing to Egypt.' Pope Francis embraces Muslim leaders in two-day visit First overseas foray for Trump will take him to sensitive turf: Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican ||||| FATIMA, Portugal — Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world’s most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrine’s basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. “It is amazing, it is like an answer to prayer because I felt that always they would be canonized,” said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet “nice boys like Francisco.” “The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful I couldn’t ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers,” she said. Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. “Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,” Francis said in his homily. “Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.” He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn’t recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. “We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him,” he said. “That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn’t die as martyrs. Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe’s Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn’t start until after her 2005 death. At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts — hands, hearts, livers and limbs — into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. They were with their son, Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the “miracle” needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. “We thank God for Lucas’ cure and we know in all faith from our heart that this miracle was obtained with the help of the little shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta,” Baptista told reporters earlier as the family broke their silence to reveal details of the case. In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third “secret” that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a “bishop dressed in white” — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out “penance, penance, penance!” The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth “secret” remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. ||||| Pope Francis has added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints at an open air Mass in Fatima. The young siblings’ visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the sleepy farm town into one of the world’s most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass on Saturday marking the centenary of their visions. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims were on hand, many of whom had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped in admiration after the pope recited the rite declaring the Martos saints. The siblings and their cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to them while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets – foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope – and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of the First World War and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. “Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,” Francis said in his homily. “Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.” He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they did not recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognised the apparitions as authentic in 1930. “We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him,” he said. “That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe’s Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification but her process could not start until after her 2005 death. The Martos now become the youngest ever saints who did not die as martyrs. At the end of the Mass, Francis offered a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts - hands, hearts, livers and limbs - into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. ||||| Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world's most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrine's basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. "It is amazing, it is like an answer to prayer because I felt that always they would be canonized," said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet "nice boys like Francisco." ''The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful I couldn't ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers," she said. Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. "Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures," Francis said in his homily. "Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell." He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn't recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. "We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God's light and taught to adore him," he said. "That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering." The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn't die as martyrs. Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe's Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn't start until after her 2005 death. At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts — hands, hearts, livers and limbs — into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. They were with their son, Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the "miracle" needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. "We thank God for Lucas' cure and we know in all faith from our heart that this miracle was obtained with the help of the little shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta," Baptista told reporters earlier as the family broke their silence to reveal details of the case. In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third "secret" that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a "bishop dressed in white" — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out "penance, penance, penance!" The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth "secret" remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. ||||| FATIMA, Portugal — Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world’s most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrine’s basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in quiet prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. “It is amazing, it is like an answer to prayer because I felt that always they would be canonized,” said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet “nice boys like Francisco.” “The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful I couldn’t ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers,” she said. Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them here while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion away from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. “Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,” Francis said in his homily. “Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.” He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn’t recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. “We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him,” he said. “That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn’t die as martyrs. Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe’s Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn’t start until after her 2005 death. At the end of the Mass, Francis was to offer a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Many toss wax body parts — hands, hearts, livers and limbs — into a giant fire pit at the shrine as an offering. Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. They were with their son, Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the “miracle” needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen about 21 feet from a window in 2013 and suffered such severe head trauma that his doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. “We thank God for Lucas’ cure and we know in all faith from our heart that this miracle was obtained with the help of the little shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta,” Baptista told reporters earlier as the family broke their silence to reveal details of the case. In 2000, St. John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third “secret” that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a “bishop dressed in white” — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out “penance, penance, penance!” The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth “secret” remained, but the Vatican has insisted there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. ||||| Pope to make pilgrimage to the Portuguese town for the centenary of the Virgin Mary’s ‘apparition’, writes Barry Hatton. Three shepherd children in Portugal were jailed and threatened with being boiled alive when they claimed 100 years ago that the Virgin Mary had appeared to them. The Catholic Church doubted them, too. But the children’s visions would strengthen the faith of Portugal’s persecuted Catholics and make the small farming town of Fatima one of the world’s foremost pilgrimage sites. It has 6m visitors a year. Now, two of three are about to become the Catholic Church’s youngest saints who did not die as martyrs. Today, Pope Francis plans to observe the centenary of their visions by canonising Francisco and Jacinta Marto when he makes his first pilgrimage to Fatima. Francis will also likely seek to make Fatima’s message of peace and prayer relevant to today, church officials say. According to church lore, the Virgin Mary urged penance, sacrifice, and turning away from sin during her appearances to the children. “At Fatima, the Pope could make an appeal to humanity that ‘if you don’t change your criteria, be it political or economic, the world will suffer’,” said Monsignor Carlos Azevedo, who led the Church commission that compiled the 15 volumes of documentation about the Fatima phenomenon. Jacinta was seven years old, and Francisco nine, when they first witnessed the apparitions on May 13, 1917, along with their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia dos Santos. While the Marto siblings died two years later during the Spanish flu pandemic that followed the First World War, Lucia became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005, aged 97. Efforts are underway to beatify her, too, but couldn’t begin until after she had died. According to Dos Santos’ written accounts, the Virgin Mary appeared to the three children six times in 1917, in a field near Fatima where they grazed their sheep. The visits culminated in October with the ‘Miracle of the Sun,’ when others in Fatima reported seeing the sun spinning in the sky. For believers, it was proof that the apparitions were authentic. Three months after the first reported vision, with news of their claims spreading, local administrative officials placed the children in separate cells and attempted, over three days, to coerce them into recanting. They were told they would be fried in olive oil if they continued with their lies. “Authorities said it was a prank,” said Francisco Marto, 78, whose father was Jacinta and Francisco’s older brother. Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, the retired head of the Vatican’s saint-making office, said the children’s steadfast faith, and refusal to disavow their visions, made them worthy of sainthood. Himself Portuguese, Cardinal Martins pushed through the Martos’ beatification in 2000, and will travel with the Pope to see them canonised. “Before, we couldn’t even talk about the beatification of children in the history of the Church, because the principle prevailed that they didn’t yet have the skills to exercise the heroic level of Christian virtues” required as a first step, said Cardinal Martins. Portuguese history helps explain the authorities’ initial hostility to the children’s story. The country was proclaimed a republic after the 1910 assassination of King Carlos I, and the first republican governments in Lisbon were determined to curb the Catholic Church’s influence. Religious teaching at schools was banned, and many bishops went into exile. Portugal also had entered the First World War in 1916. Food shortages brought widespread hardship, and people yearned for spiritual sustenance. The Fatima apparitions coincided with that need. “It was a strong moment of an eruption of the supernatural, in that difficult moment,” said Msgr Azevedo, now a Vatican official. A nun waits in the rain for the arrival of Pope Francis in the Sanctuary of Fatima yesterday. Picture: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty The Virgin purportedly revealed three secrets to the children, containing apocalyptic warnings that seemed to foreshadow the Second World War and the rise of communism. The contents of the secrets went undisclosed for many years, and the third secret wasn’t revealed until 2000 — a foretelling of the May 13, 1981 assassination attempt on St John Paul II in St Peter’s Square. The mystery furthered Fatima’s appeal, even as the government tried to curb its popularity. In 1921, with crowds numbering in the tens of thousands turning up on apparition anniversaries, the government tried in vain to outlaw large-scale religious gatherings. After the Church recognised the apparitions as authentic in 1930, people flocked in greater numbers to the site of the visions. Eventually, Church-friendly governments assumed power, the anti-clerical laws were rescinded, and Portugal re-emerged as the mostly Catholic country that it is today. Francisco, the 78-year-old nephew of the future saints, runs a souvenir store across the road from the tiny stone house where the Marto family lived, in the secluded village of Aljustrel, about 2km outside Fatima. He still remembers his grandfather sitting on the stone stoop and telling stories about his children to pilgrims visiting the shrine. The old family house is well-preserved, with dry-stone walls, bare timber roofs, small windows, and ill-fitting wooden doors. Some of the nine Marto children — Francisco and Jacinta had seven siblings — had to sleep in the barn with the farm animals. Only four would make it to adulthood. The children’s parents didn’t seek out celebrity and were reluctant centres of attention. “Life didn’t change much. They kept on farming,” Francisco said. His father, though, did get a construction job at the Fatima basilica, where the three seers are entombed. The shrine, with its basilica overlooking a vast square, is now the economic lifeblood of this otherwise unremarkable town. Stores selling souvenirs — statues of the Virgin Mary, rosaries, even wax limbs — line the streets, while hotels, restaurants, and cafes rely on a steady parade of tourists and pilgrims. One million of them are expected for Pope Francis’s visit. Many come to toss wax limbs into a huge fire pit as they pray for healings. The shrine’s Church of the Holy Trinity, dedicated in 2007, can seat 8,633 people. “Everyone used to be poor and humble” in the town, said Antonio Vieira, 79, and another nephew of the new saints. “Who’d have guessed that Fatima would turn out like this?” ||||| FATIMA, Portugal >> Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints Saturday, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the world’s most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrine’s basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna. They clapped as soon as Francis read the proclamation aloud. “It is amazing. It’s like an answer to prayer, because I felt that always they would be canonized,” said Agnes Walsh from Killarney, Ireland. She said she prayed to Francisco Marto for 20 years, hoping her four daughters would meet “nice boys like Francisco.” “The four of them have met boys that are just beautiful. I couldn’t ask for better, so he has answered all my prayers,” she said. The pontiff left Fatima on Saturday afternoon after a stay of less than 24 hours. From his popemobile he saluted thousands of people lining the streets who cheered, waved flags and shouted “Viva o Papa!” Francisco and Jacinta, aged 9 and 7, and their 10-year-old cousin, Lucia, reported that on March 13, 1917, the Virgin Mary made the first of a half-dozen appearances to them while they grazed their sheep. They said she confided in them three secrets — foretelling apocalyptic visions of hell, war, communism and the death of a pope — and urged them to pray for peace and a conversion from sin. At the time, Europe was in the throes of World War I, and the Portuguese church was suffering under anti-clerical laws from the republican government that had forced many bishops and priests into exile. “Our Lady foretold, and warned us about, a way of life that is godless and indeed profanes God in his creatures,” Francis said in his homily. “Such a life, frequently proposed and imposed, risks leading to hell.” He urged Catholics today to use the example of the Marto siblings and draw strength from God, even when adversity strikes. The children had been threatened by local civil authorities with death by boiling oil if they didn’t recant their story. But they held fast and eventually the church recognized the apparitions as authentic in 1930. “We can take as our examples Saint Francisco and Saint Jacinta, whom the Virgin Mary introduced into the immense ocean of God’s light and taught to adore him,” he said. “That was the source of their strength in overcoming opposition and suffering.” The Martos are now the youngest-ever saints who didn’t die as martyrs. Before the Mass, Francis prayed at the tombs of each of the Fatima visionaries. The Marto siblings died two years after the visions during Europe’s Spanish flu pandemic. Lucia is on track for possible beatification, but her process couldn’t start until after her 2005 death. At the end of the Mass, Francis offered a special greeting to the many faithful who flock to Fatima in hopes of healing. Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil. They were with their son, Lucas, whose medically inexplicable healing was the “miracle” needed for the Marto siblings to be declared saints. Lucas and the pope embraced. The boy, aged 5 at the time, had fallen 6.5 meters (21 feet) from a window in 2013 and suffered severe head trauma. His doctors said he would be severely mentally disabled or in a vegetative state if he even survived. The boy not only survived but has no signs of any after-effects. “We thank God for Lucas’ cure. We know in all faith from our heart that this miracle was obtained with the help of the little shepherd children Francisco and Jacinta,” Baptista told reporters earlier. In 2000, Pope John Paul II beatified the Marto siblings during a Mass at Fatima and used the occasion of the new millennium to reveal the third “secret” that the children reported they had received from the Madonna. The text, written by Lucia, had been kept in a sealed envelope inside the Vatican for decades, with no pope daring to reveal it because of its terrifying contents: a “bishop dressed in white” — the pope — on his knees at the foot of a cross, killed in a hail of bullets and arrows, along with other bishops, priests and various lay Catholics. The message featured an angel crying out “Penance, penance, penance!” John Paul II, now St. John Paul, credited the Virgin Mary with saving his life in an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981 — the same date of the first Fatima vision. One of the bullets fired at him rests in the crown of the statue of the Virgin at the Fatima shrine. The impending canonization of the children had led to speculation that a fourth “secret” remained, but the Vatican says there are no more secrets related to the Fatima revelations. | Pope Francis canonizes Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three Fátima children who reported seeing the Virgin Mary in the spring and summer of 1917. The Martos, who died during the post-World War I international influenza pandemic, are the Catholic Church's youngest saints who did not die as martyrs. The other child, Lúcia de Jesus dos Santos, survived until the year 2005, when she was 97 years old. |
As the world readies to open for business on Monday, companies and governments are bracing for a second round of cyberattacks in the aftermath of Friday’s WannaCry hack. Indeed, security experts are already warning that a new version of WannaCry has emerged over the weekend that doesn’t have the kill switch protocol that stopped the initial version of the cyberattack late on Friday. Earlier today, the U.K.’s National Cyber Security Center issued a new warning about the possibility of another attack. Since the global coordinated ransomware attack on thousands of private and public sector organisations across dozens of countries on Friday, there have been no sustained new attacks of that kind. But it is important to understand that the way these attacks work means that compromises of machines and networks that have already occurred may not yet have been detected, and that existing infections from the malware can spread within networks. This means that as a new working week begins it is likely, in the UK and elsewhere, that further cases of ransomware may come to light, possibly at a significant scale. By the end of the workday on Friday, when the initial version of the WannaCry hack was detected, hundreds of thousands of computers were affected. Past 24 hours #WannaCry infection map. What a bloodbath. pic.twitter.com/k5QvK2N0pu — Patrick Schanen (@patrickschanen) May 14, 2017 When workers in Asia wake up on Monday morning, security experts expect another wave of computers to be exposed to the ransomware attack. The New York Times reported that some security industry observers are saying that the second wave of attacks has already begun. Writing on his blog, Matt Suiche, the founder of Comae Technologies, elaborated on some of the new variants of the ransomware that cybersecurity specialists are finding in the wild. Today (14 May 2017), 2 new variants appeared. One working which I blocked by registering the new domain name, and the second which is only partially working because it only spreads and does *not* encrypt files due to a corrupted archive. A new variant had been caught by @benkow_ and sent to me for analysis. I reversed it and found a new kill-switch ( ifferfsodp9ifjaposdfjhgosurijfaewrwergwea.com ) which I immediately registered to stop the new wave of global attacks. Then, I synchronized with @MalwareTechBlog and @2sec4u to map the new domain to sinkhole name servers to feed the live interactive infection map. This is 32f24601153be0885f11d62e0a8a2f0280a2034fc981d8184180c5d3b1b9e8cf . A new variant with no kill-switch caught by Kaspersky. Although, this build does only work *partially* as the ransomware archive is corrupted — the spreading still works though. This is 07c44729e2c570b37db695323249474831f5861d45318bf49ccf5d2f5c8ea1cd . And the anonymous cybersecurity researcher who discovered the kill switch on the original malware attack has his own warning for system administrators. Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You're only safe if you patch ASAP. — MalwareTech (@MalwareTechBlog) May 14, 2017 By now, you’re likely aware that the original malware attack originated from leaked code developed by the National Security Administration. The attack worked by exploiting a flaw in Microsoft Windows. Although Microsoft had provided a patch for the software several months ago, not everyone updated their systems, which led to the vulnerabilities that the still-anonymous hackers exploited. According to this Symantec explainer, the ransomware encrypts data files and asks users to pay a bitcoin ransom of $300, which doubles if payment isn’t made after three days. After a week, the encrypted files will be deleted. Figure 1 Ransom demand screen displayed by WannaCry Trojan If you’re curious how Ransomware attacks work, here’s a primer from security firm Carbon Black. Companies affected by the attacks included the Spanish telecommunications company, Telefonica, Gas Natural and electricity provider Iberdrola. National Health Services hospitals in the UK were also affected by the attack. As was FedEx in the U.S. and Renault in France. The attacks also hit Germany’s rail system, Russia’s Interior Ministry and universities around China, according to reports in The New York Times. “It’s no surprise that over 45,000 targets across the globe were attacked by the WannaCry ransomware,” wrote Mark Kuhr, the co-founder and chief technology officer of the white hat penetration testing and bug bounty hunting startup Synack. “The frequency of these attacks will continue to rise exponentially because ransomware is such a lucrative business for criminal enterprises. A recent IBM survey of 1,000 business professionals found that 60% of victims are willing to pay ransom to get data back safely.” Part of what makes these attacks so inevitable is the availability of these tools to almost anyone. Would-be hackers don’t even need to be that skilled to deploy these kinds of malware programs. Thanks to groups like Shadow Brokers, which leaked the National Security Agency’s hacking tools, malware like the kind that seized systems around the globe are available to anyone with an internet connection. ||||| Friday’s unprecedented ransomware attack may have stopped spreading to new machines -- at least briefly -- thanks to a "kill switch" that a security researcher has activated. The ransomware, called Wana Decryptor or WannaCry, has been found infecting machines across the globe. It works by exploiting a Windows vulnerability that the U.S. National Security Agency may have used for spying. The malware encrypts data on a PC and shows users a note demanding $300 in bitcoin to have their data decrypted. Images of the ransom note have been circulating on Twitter. Security experts have detected tens of thousands of attacks, apparently spreading over LANs and the internet like a computer worm. However, the ransomware also contains a kill switch that may have backfired on its developers, according to security researchers. Wana Decryptor infects systems through a malicious program that first tries to connect to an unregistered web domain. The kill switch appears to work like this: If the malicious program can’t connect to the domain, it’ll proceed with the infection. If the connection succeeds, the program will stop the attack. A security researcher who goes by the name MalwareTech found that he could activate the kill switch by registering the web domain and posting a page on it. MalwareTech's original intention was to track the ransomware's spread through the domain it was contacting. “It came to light that a side effect of us registering the domain stopped the spread of the infection,” he said in an email. Security firm Malwarebytes and Cisco’s Talos security group reported the same findings and said new ransomware infections appear to have slowed since the kill switch was activated. However, Malwarebytes researcher Jerome Segura said it’s too early to tell whether the kill switch will stop the Wana Decryptor attack for good. He warned that other versions of the same ransomware strain may be out there that have fixed the kill-switch problem or are configured to contact another web domain. Unfortunately, computers already infected with Wana Decryptor will remain infected, he said. Friday’s ransomware attack first spread through a massive email phishing campaign. At least some of those emails appeared to be messages from a bank about a money transfer, according to Cisco’s Talos group. Victims who opened the attachment in the email were served with the ransomware, which takes over the computer, security researchers said. The Wana Decryptor itself is no different from other typical ransomware strains. Once it infects the PC, it’ll encrypt all the files on the machine, and then demand the victim pay a ransom to free them. But unlike other ransomware, Wana Decryptor has been built to spread quickly. It does so by incorporating a hacking tool that security researchers suspect came from the NSA and was leaked online last month. The hacking tool, dubbed EternalBlue, can make it easy to hijack unpatched older Windows machines. Once Wana Decryptor has infected the first machine, it’ll attempt to spread to other machines on the same local network. Then it will scan the internet for vulnerable machines. “It creates a snowball-like effect,” Segura said. “A few machines will be infected, then it’ll try to contact more.” Security firm Avast said it had detected more than 75,000 attacks in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan among the hardest-hit countries. The U.K.’s National Health Service was one of the biggest organizations hit by the ransomware. The ransomware was designed to work in numerous languages, including English, Chinese and Spanish, with ransom notes in each. Segura advised victims not to pay the ransom because it encourages the hackers. Instead, he says they should wait for next few days as security researchers study the ransomware’s coding and try to come up with free ways to solve the infection. On Friday, Microsoft said users will be protected from the ransomware if they’re running the company’s free antivirus software or have installed the latest patches. ||||| Das Schlimmste steht offenbar erst noch bevor: Sicherheitsexperten gehen davon aus, dass die Cyberangriffe mit Erpressersoftware noch nicht vorüber sind. Sie warnen zudem vor neuen Attacken. "Ich gehe davon aus, dass es von dieser Attacke früher oder später eine weitere Welle geben wird", sagte Rüdiger Trost von der IT-Sicherheitsfirma F-Secure. Der Angriff über die Windows-Sicherheitslücke habe zu gut funktioniert, um aufzugeben. Experten fürchten, dass es am Montag vor allem im bislang noch nicht so stark betroffenen Asien größere Probleme geben könnte, wenn sich viele Mitarbeiter nach dem Wochenende an ihrem Arbeitsplatz einloggen. Europol zählt 200.000 Betroffene Nach Angaben von Europol hat die weltweite Cyber-Attacke bisher mindestens 150 Länder getroffen. "Nach der letzten Zählung hat es 200.000 Opfer gegeben", sagte der Chef der europäischen Ermittlungsbehörde, Rob Wainwright, dem britischen Fernsehsender ITV. Darunter seien auch große Firmen. Die Rechner wurden von dem Erpressungstrojaner "WannaCry" befallen, der sie verschlüsselt und Lösegeld verlangt. Die Welt habe mit einer wachsenden Bedrohung zu tun, sagte Wainwright. Auch er rechnet mit weiter steigenden Zahlen zu Beginn der neuen Arbeitswoche. Europol schlug ein internationales Vorgehen der Behörden vor, um die Hintermänner zu finden. Der britische IT-Forscher, der die Ausbreitung des Erpressungstrojaners am Freitag gestoppt hatte, glaubt sogar an eine baldige neue Attacke. "Möglicherweise am Montagmorgen", sagte der 22-Jährige, der weiterhin anonym bleiben will, dem Sender BBC. "Da ist viel Geld im Spiel. Es gibt keinen Grund für sie, aufzuhören." Es sei kein großer technischer Aufwand, den Code zu ändern und eine neue Angriffswelle zu starten. Der Computerexperte Linus Neumann vom Chaos Computer Club schreibt in einem Gastbeitrag auf SPIEGEL ONLINE, dass bereits eine neue Variante der Schadsoftware im Umlauf ist. Diesmal ohne einen Kill Switch, mit dessen Hilfe der erste Angriff gestoppt werden konnte. Ausmaß des Schadens bisher unklar Noch ist das genaue Ausmaß der Schäden in Deutschland unklar. Das Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (BSI) rechnet erst in den kommenden Tagen mit einem Überblick. Die von der Attacke betroffene Deutsche Bahn kämpfte am Sonntag noch immer mit den Auswirkungen des Angriffs. In Deutschland übernahm das Bundeskriminalamt die Ermittlungen. Zu den Opfern der Cyber-Attacken zählen (Auswahl): Deutschland: Computer der Deutschen Bahn sind von dem Angriff erfasst. Betroffen seien Anzeigetafeln und Fahrkartenautomaten, teilte ein Sprecher mit. Der Zugverkehr rolle aber. Großbritannien: Die Schadsoftware hat in mehreren Krankenhäusern die Computer blockiert. Die Bevölkerung wurde gebeten, nur in wirklichen Notfällen zu kommen, einige Patienten mussten verlegt werden. Die Schadsoftware hat in mehreren die Computer blockiert. Die Bevölkerung wurde gebeten, nur in wirklichen Notfällen zu kommen, einige Patienten mussten verlegt werden. Russland: Das Innenministerium bestätigte, dass es angegriffen worden sei. Rund 1000 Computer seien betroffen. Allerdings seien keine Daten verloren gegangen - inzwischen habe man die Attacke im Griff. Das Innenministerium bestätigte, dass es angegriffen worden sei. Rund 1000 Computer seien betroffen. Allerdings seien keine Daten verloren gegangen - inzwischen habe man die Attacke im Griff. USA: Der US-Logistikriese FedEx entschuldigte sich bei Kunden für Ausfälle durch den Angriff. Der US-Logistikriese entschuldigte sich bei Kunden für Ausfälle durch den Angriff. Spanien: Die spanische Telefónica bestätigte einen "Cybersicherheitsvorfall". Der Service soll davon jedoch nicht beeinträchtigt worden sein. Die spanische bestätigte einen "Cybersicherheitsvorfall". Der Service soll davon jedoch nicht beeinträchtigt worden sein. Portugal: Der Telekom-Konzern Portugal Telecom (PT) riet den Mitarbeitern, alle Windows-Rechner herunterzufahren. Der Telekom-Konzern riet den Mitarbeitern, alle Windows-Rechner herunterzufahren. Schweden: 70 Computer der Gemeinde Timrå waren betroffen, wie es auf der Webseite der Verwaltung hieß. Die Monitore der Mitarbeiter seien erst blau, dann schwarz geworden. Auch der Stahlkonzern Sandvik wurde nach eigenen Angaben angegriffen. 70 Computer der Gemeinde Timrå waren betroffen, wie es auf der Webseite der Verwaltung hieß. Die Monitore der Mitarbeiter seien erst blau, dann schwarz geworden. Auch der Stahlkonzern wurde nach eigenen Angaben angegriffen. Frankreich: Der Autobauer Renault stoppte wegen der Angriffe die Produktion in einigen Werken, "um eine Ausbreitung der Schadsoftware zu verhindern". Taiwan: Der kleine Inselstaat südlich von China gilt als einer der Hauptziele der Hacker - genauso wie die Ukraine. Neu an dem Angriff von Freitag war, dass der Erpressungstrojaner selbstständig neue Computer infizierte, ohne dass ein Nutzer etwa auf einen präparierten Link klicken musste. Dadurch konnte sich das Schadprogramm binnen weniger Stunden weltweit ausbreiten und erreichte ein für Lösegeld-Software beispielloses Ausmaß. Die Schadsoftware basiert auf einer Sicherheitslücke, die ursprünglich vom US-Geheimdienst NSA für seine Überwachung ausgenutzt wurde. Bereits vor einigen Monaten hatten Hacker sie öffentlich gemacht. Microsoft hatte zwar schon Anfang des Jahres ein Update veröffentlicht, das die Schwachstelle schloss - aber jetzt traf es die Computer, auf denen das Update noch nicht installiert wurde. Nach der Attacke stellte der Konzern auch ein Update für das veraltete Windows XP bereit, das eigentlich nicht mehr gewartet wird. Der Angriff traf laut Experten viele XP-Rechner. Das aktuelle Windows 10 war dagegen nicht betroffen. Erpresser-Viren - wie kann ich mich schützen? Seien Sie vorsichtig mit E-Mail-Anhängen Deaktivieren Sie die Makro-Funktion in Dokumenten, die Sie per E-Mail erhalten. Vor allem bei Nachrichten von fremden Personen sollten Sie vorsichtig sein. "Locky" und andere Ransomware-Trojaner werden nach Angaben von Sicherheitsexperten meist über E-Mail-Anhänge eingeschleust, die sich etwa als harmloses Worddokument tarnen, aber im Hintergrund die gefährliche Software ausführen. Völlige Sicherheit lässt sich so aber nicht erreichen: Auch als "drive-by", also einfach beim Besuch einer Website kann man sich Ransomware einfangen. Es traf sogar schon Leser von Seiten wie Nytimes.com und BBC.com. Daten per Back-up sichern Ransomware-Trojaner verschlüsseln Ihre Dateien oft so gut, dass sie dauerhaft unbrauchbar werden. Sichern Sie Ihre Daten also möglichst per Back-up, damit Sie Ihre Dokumente im Notfall wiederherstellen können. Am besten eignet sich dafür eine Festplatte, die nicht ständig mit dem PC verbunden ist, wie eine externe USB-Platte. Auch ein Cloud-Back-up kann sinnvoll sein - das sollte man dann aber sicher verschlüsseln. Verwenden Sie aktuelle Software Um Sicherheitslücken zu schließen, sollten Sie möglichst alle Programme auf Ihrem Rechner auf den neuesten Stand bringen. Installieren Sie Patches für den Browser, für Office-Anwendungen und den Flash-Player. Malware-Programme nutzen Sicherheitslücken in dieser Software aus. Benutzen Sie aktuelle Virenschutz-Software Die neuesten Versionen der Erpressertrojaner schaffen es zuweilen auch an aktuellen Sicherheitsprogrammen vorbei, aber schon bekannte Varianten kann ein Virenschutzprogramm abfangen. Diverse Anbieter haben auch kostenlose Versionen ihrer Schutzsoftware im Programm, die zumindest einen Basisschutz bieten, und bereits bekannte Virensignaturen erkennen. Unklar ist auch, wie viele Nutzer auf die Lösegeldforderungen eingehen werden. Nach Erkenntnissen von Sicherheitsexperten, die von den Erpressern genannte Bitcoin-Konten beobachten, wurden zunächst nur wenige Zehntausend Dollar eingezahlt. Die Summe könnte aber steigen, wenn von den Erpressern gesetzte Fristen näherrücken. Wer bis zum 15. Mai nicht bezahlt hat, soll dann bereits 600 Dollar rausrücken, das Doppelte der ursprünglich geforderten Summe. Am 19. Mai sollen die verschlüsselten Daten angeblich unwiederbringlich verschwinden. Experten raten davon ab, den Forderungen nachzukommen. Denn Privatnutzer und Firmen, die zahlen, finanzieren die Angreifer, die dadurch mehr Ressourcen haben, nach Schwachstellen zu suchen oder sie zu kaufen. Wer allerdings kein Back-up für seine Daten hat, dem bleibt kaum eine andere Möglichkeit. ||||| Friday’s unprecedented ransomware attack may have stopped spreading to new machines -- at least briefly -- thanks to a "kill switch" that a security researcher has activated. The ransomware, called Wana Decryptor or WannaCry, has been found infecting machines across the globe. It works by exploiting a Windows vulnerability that the U.S. National Security Agency may have used for spying. The malware encrypts data on a PC and shows users a note demanding $300 in bitcoin to have their data decrypted. Images of the ransom note have been circulating on Twitter. Security experts have detected tens of thousands of attacks, apparently spreading over LANs and the internet like a computer worm. However, the ransomware also contains a kill switch that may have backfired on its developers, according to security researchers. Wana Decryptor infects systems through a malicious program that first tries to connect to an unregistered web domain. The kill switch appears to work like this: If the malicious program can’t connect to the domain, it’ll proceed with the infection. If the connection succeeds, the program will stop the attack. A security researcher who goes by the name MalwareTech found that he could activate the kill switch by registering the web domain and posting a page on it. MalwareTech's original intention was to track the ransomware's spread through the domain it was contacting. “It came to light that a side effect of us registering the domain stopped the spread of the infection,” he said in an email. Security firm Malwarebytes and Cisco’s Talos security group reported the same findings and said new ransomware infections appear to have slowed since the kill switch was activated. However, Malwarebytes researcher Jerome Segura said it’s too early to tell whether the kill switch will stop the Wana Decryptor attack for good. He warned that other versions of the same ransomware strain may be out there that have fixed the kill-switch problem or are configured to contact another web domain. Unfortunately, computers already infected with Wana Decryptor will remain infected, he said. Friday’s ransomware attack first spread through a massive email phishing campaign. At least some of those emails appeared to be messages from a bank about a money transfer, according to Cisco’s Talos group. Victims who opened the attachment in the email were served with the ransomware, which takes over the computer, security researchers said. The Wana Decryptor itself is no different from other typical ransomware strains. Once it infects the PC, it’ll encrypt all the files on the machine, and then demand the victim pay a ransom to free them. But unlike other ransomware, Wana Decryptor has been built to spread quickly. It does so by incorporating a hacking tool that security researchers suspect came from the NSA and was leaked online last month. The hacking tool, dubbed EternalBlue, can make it easy to hijack unpatched older Windows machines. Once Wana Decryptor has infected the first machine, it’ll attempt to spread to other machines on the same local network. Then it will scan the internet for vulnerable machines. “It creates a snowball-like effect,” Segura said. “A few machines will be infected, then it’ll try to contact more.” Security firm Avast said it had detected more than 75,000 attacks in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan among the hardest-hit countries. The U.K.’s National Health Service was one of the biggest organizations hit by the ransomware. The ransomware was designed to work in numerous languages, including English, Chinese and Spanish, with ransom notes in each. Segura advised victims not to pay the ransom because it encourages the hackers. Instead, he says they should wait for next few days as security researchers study the ransomware’s coding and try to come up with free ways to solve the infection. On Friday, Microsoft said users will be protected from the ransomware if they’re running the company’s free antivirus software or have installed the latest patches. ||||| Update — After reading this article, if you want to know, what has happened so far in past 4 days and how to protect your computers from WannaCry, read our latest article "WannaCry Ransomware: Everything You Need To Know Immediately." After reading this article, if you want to know, what has happened so far in past 4 days and how to protect your computers from WannaCry, read our latest article " "If NSA had privately disclosed the flaw used to attack hospitals when they *found* it, not when they lost it, this may not have happened," NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden says. Kill-Switch for WannaCry? No, It's not over yet! hxxp://www[.]iuqerfsodp9ifjaposdfjhgosurijfaewrwergwea[.]com hxxp://ifferfsodp9ifjaposdfjhgosurijfaewrwergwea[.]com/ Since the kill-switch feature was in the SMB worm, not in the ransomware module itself., "WannaCrypt ransomware was spread normally long before this and will be long after, what we stopped was the SMB worm variant," MalwareTech told The Hacker News. If you receive WannaCry via an email, a malicious torrent, or other vectors (instead of SMB protocol). If by chance your ISP or antivirus or firewall blocks access to the sinkhole domain. If the targeted system requires a proxy to access the Internet, which is a common practice in the majority of corporate networks. If someone makes the sinkhole domain inaccessible for all, such as by using a large-scale DDoS attack. WannaCry 2.0, Ransomware With *NO* Kill-Switch Is On Hunt! CIRCL c/o securitymadein.lu "I can confirm we've had versions without the kill switch domain connect since yesterday," told The Hacker News. Updated: WannaCry 2.0 is Someone Else's Work "The patched version matt described does attempt to spread. It's a full set which was modified by someone with a hex editor to disable the kill switch," Raiu told me. "Given the high profile of the original attack, it's going to be no surprise at all to see copycat attacks from others, and perhaps other attempts to infect even more computers from the original WannaCry gang. The message is simple: Patch your computers, harden your defences, run a decent anti-virus, and - for goodness sake - ensure that you have secure backups." Cyber security expert Graham Cluley told The Hacker News. "The next attacks are inevitable, you can simply patch the existing samples with a hex editor and it'll continue to spread," Matthew Hickey, a security expert and co-founder of Hacker House told me. "We will see a number of variants of this attack over the coming weeks and months so it's important to patch hosts. The worm can be modified to spread other payloads not just WCry and we may see other malware campaigns piggybacking off this samples success." "The worm functionality attempts to infect unpatched Windows machines in the local network. At the same time, it also executes massive scanning on Internet IP addresses to find and infect other vulnerable computers. This activity results in large SMB traffic from the infected host," Microsoft says. Video Demo of WannaCry Ransomware Infection And Second one… Get Prepared: Upgrade, Patch OS & Disable SMBv1 WannaCry has Hit Over 200,000 Systems in 150 Countries, Warned Europol "We are running around 200 global operations against cyber crime each year, but we've never seen anything like this," Wainwright said, as quoted by BBC. "The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations. The global reach is unprecedented." If you are following the news, by now you might be aware that a security researcher has activated a "Kill Switch" which apparently stopped the WannaCry ransomware from spreading further.But it's not true, neither the threat is over yet.However, the kill switch has just slowed down the infection rate.Multiple security researchers have claimed that there are more samples of WannaCry out there, with different 'kill-switch' domains and without any kill-switch function, continuing to infect unpatched computers worldwide (find more details below).So far, over 237,000 computers across 99 countries around the world have been infected, and the infection is still rising even hours after the kill switch was triggered by the 22-years-old British security researcher behind the twitter handle ' MalwareTech .'For those unaware, WannaCry is an insanely fast-spreading ransomware malware that leverages a Windows SMB exploit to remotely target a computer running on unpatched or unsupported versions of Windows.Once infected, WannaCry also scans for other vulnerable computers connected to the same network, as well scans random hosts on the wider Internet, to spread quickly.The SMB exploit, currently being used by WannaCry, has been identified as EternalBlue, a collection of hacking tools allegedly created by the NSA and then subsequently dumped by a hacking group calling itself " The Shadow Brokers " over a month ago.In our previous two articles , we have put together more information about this massive ransomware campaign, explaining how MalwareTech accidentally halted the global spread of WannaCry by registering a domain name hidden in the malware.The above-mentioned domain is responsible for keeping WannaCry propagating and spreading like a worm, as I previously explained that if the connection to this domain fails, the SMB worm proceeds to infect the system.Fortunately, MalwareTech registered this domain in question and created a sinkhole – tactic researchers use to redirect traffic from the infected machines to a self-controlled system. (Matthieu Suiche, a security researcher, has confirmed that he has found a new WannaCry variant with a different domain for kill-switch function, which he registered to redirect it to a sinkhole in an effort to slows down the infections.The newly discovered WannaCry variant works exactly like the previous variant that wreaked havoc across the world Friday night.But, if you are thinking that activating the kill switch has completely stopped the infection, then you are mistaken.You should know that the kill-switch would not prevent your unpatched PC from getting infected, in the following scenarios:MalwareTech also confirmed THN that some "Mirai botnet skids tried to DDoS the [sinkhole] server for lulz," in order to make it unavailable for WannaCry SMB exploit, which triggers infection if the connection fails. But "it failed hardcore," at least for now.Initially, this part of story was based on research of a security researcher, who earlier claimed to have the samples of new WannaCry ransomware that comes with no kill-switch function. But for some reason, he backed off. So, we have removed his references from this story for now.However, shortly after that, we were confirmed by Costin Raiu , the director of global research and analysis team at Kaspersky Labs, that his team had seen more WannaCry samples on Friday that did not have the kill switch.Raiu from Kaspersky shared some samples, his team discovered, with Suiche, who analysed them and just confirmed that there is a WannaCrypt variant without kill switch, and equipped with SMB exploit that would help it to spread rapidly without disruption.What's even worse is that the new WannaCry variant without a kill-switch believed to be created by someone else, and not the hackers behind the initial WannaCry ransomware.However, Suiche also confirmed that the modified variant with no kill switch is corrupted, but this doesn't mean that other hackers and criminals would not come up with a working one.Expect a new wave of ransomware attack, by initial attackers and new ones, which would be difficult to stop, until and unless all vulnerable systems get patched.Even after WannaCry attacks made headlines all over the Internet and Media, there are still hundreds of thousands of unpatched systems out there that are open to the Internet and vulnerable to hacking.Believe me, the new strain of WannaCry 2.0 malware would not take enough time to take over another hundred of thousand vulnerable systems.Hickey has also provided us two video demonstrations, showing packet traces that confirm the use of Windows SMB vulnerability (MS17-010).Since WannaCry is a single executable file, it can also be spread through other regular exploit vectors, such as spear phishing, drive-by-download attack, and malicious torrent files download, warned Hickey.MalwareTech also warned of the future threat, saying"Informed NCSC, FBI, etc. I've done as much as I can do currently, it's up to everyone to patch," he added.As we notified today, Microsoft took an unusual step to protect its customers with an unsupported version of Windows — including Windows XP, Vista, Windows 8, Server 2003 and 2008 — by releasing security patches that fix SMB flaw currently being exploited by the WannaCry ransomware.Even after this, I believe, many individuals remain unaware of the new patches and many organizations, as well as embedded machines like ATM and digital billboard displays, running on older or unpatched versions of Windows, who are considering to upgrade their operating system, would take time as well as it’s going to cost them money for getting new licenses.So, users and organizations are strongly advised to install available Windows patches as soon as possible, and also consider disabling SMBv1 ( follow these steps ), to prevent similar future cyber attacks.Apply Patches. Microsoft has been very generous to you.Almost all antivirus vendors have already been added signatures to protect against this latest threat. Make sure you are using a good antivirus, and keep it always up-to-date.Moreover, you can also follow some basic security practices I have listed to protect yourself from such malware threats.Speaking to Britain's ITV, Europol chief Rob Wainwright said the whole world is facing an "escalating threat," warning people that the numbers are going up and that they should ensure the security of their systems is up to date.Above map is showing the WannaCry ransomware infection in just 24 hours.This story is still updating, stay tuned to our Twitter page for more up-to-date information. ||||| London — The cyber attack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was thwarted by a young British researcher and an inexpensive domain registration, with help from another 20-something security engineer in the US. Britain's National Cyber Security Center and others were hailing the cyber security researcher, a 22-year-old identified online only as MalwareTech, who — unintentionally at first — discovered a so-called "kill switch" that halted the unprecedented outbreak. By then the "ransomware" attack had crippled Britain's hospital network and computer systems in several countries in an effort to extort money from computer users. But the researcher's actions may have saved companies and governments millions of dollars and slowed the outbreak before computers in the US were more widely affected. MalwareTech is part of a large global cyber security community, working independently or for security companies, who are constantly watching for attacks and working together to stop or prevent them, often sharing information via Twitter. It's not uncommon for them to use aliases, either to protect themselves from retaliatory attacks or for privacy. In a blog post on Saturday, MalwareTech explained he returned from lunch with a friend on Friday and learned that networks across Britain's health system had been hit by ransomware, tipping him off that "this was something big". He began analysing a sample of the malicious software and noticed its code included a hidden web address that wasn't registered. He said he "promptly" registered the domain, something he regularly does to try to discover ways to track or stop malicious software. Across an ocean, Darien Huss, a 28-year-old research engineer for the cyber security firm Proofpoint, was doing his own analysis. The western Michigan resident said he noticed the authors of the malware had left in a feature known as a kill switch. Huss took a screen shot of his discovery and shared it on Twitter. Soon he and MalwareTech were communicating about what they'd found: That registering the domain name and redirecting the attacks to MalwareTech's server had activated the kill switch, halting the ransomware's infections. Huss and others were calling MalwareTech a hero on Saturday, with Huss adding that the global cyber security community was working "as a team" to stop the infections from spreading. "I think the security industry as a whole should be considered heroes," he said. But he also said he's concerned the authors of the malware could re-release it without a kill switch or with a better one, or that copycats could mimic the attack. "I think it is concerning that we could definitely see a similar attack occur, maybe in the next 24 to 48 hours or maybe in the next week or two," Huss said. "It could be very possible." Who perpetrated this wave of attacks remains unknown. Two security firms — Kaspersky Lab and Avast — said they identified the malicious software in more than 70 countries. Both said Russia was hit hardest. These hackers "have caused enormous amounts of disruption— probably the biggest ransomware cyber attack in history," said Graham Cluley, a veteran of the anti-virus industry in Oxford, England. This is already believed to be the biggest online extortion attack ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the US, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain and India. Europol, the European Union's police agency, said the onslaught was at "an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits." In Russia, government agencies insisted that all attacks had been resolved. Russian Interior Ministry, which runs the national police, said the problem had been "localised" with no information compromised. Russia's health ministry said its attacks were "effectively repelled." The ransomware exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the US National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes. Hackers said they stole the tools from the NSA and dumped them on the internet. ||||| A security researcher may have helped stop the spread of the ransomware, which hit tens of thousands of PCs worldwide Friday’s unprecedented ransomware attack may have stopped spreading to new machines -- at least briefly -- thanks to a "kill switch" that a security researcher has activated. The ransomware, called Wana Decryptor or WannaCry, has been found infecting machines across the globe. It works by exploiting a Windows vulnerability that the U.S. National Security Agency may have used for spying. The malware encrypts data on a PC and shows users a note demanding $300 in bitcoin to have their data decrypted. Images of the ransom note have been circulating on Twitter. Security experts have detected tens of thousands of attacks, apparently spreading over LANs and the internet like a computer worm. However, the ransomware also contains a kill switch that may have backfired on its developers, according to security researchers. Wana Decryptor infects systems through a malicious program that first tries to connect to an unregistered web domain. The kill switch appears to work like this: If the malicious program can’t connect to the domain, it’ll proceed with the infection. If the connection succeeds, the program will stop the attack. A security researcher who goes by the name MalwareTech found that he could activate the kill switch by registering the web domain and posting a page on it. MalwareTech's original intention was to track the ransomware's spread through the domain it was contacting. “It came to light that a side effect of us registering the domain stopped the spread of the infection,” he said in an email. Security firm Malwarebytes and Cisco’s Talos security group reported the same findings and said new ransomware infections appear to have slowed since the kill switch was activated. However, Malwarebytes researcher Jerome Segura said it’s too early to tell whether the kill switch will stop the Wana Decryptor attack for good. He warned that other versions of the same ransomware strain may be out there that have fixed the kill-switch problem or are configured to contact another web domain. Unfortunately, computers already infected with Wana Decryptor will remain infected, he said. Friday’s ransomware attack first spread through a massive email phishing campaign. At least some of those emails appeared to be messages from a bank about a money transfer, according to Cisco’s Talos group. Victims who opened the attachment in the email were served with the ransomware, which takes over the computer, security researchers said. The Wana Decryptor itself is no different from other typical ransomware strains. Once it infects the PC, it’ll encrypt all the files on the machine, and then demand the victim pay a ransom to free them. ||||| Amid a desperate situation on Friday in which hundred of thousands of ransomware attacks pelted computers in nearly 100 countries, one stroke of good fortune hit, too. As the malware analysis expert who calls himself MalwareTech rushed to examine the so-called WannaCry strain, he stumbled on a way to stop it from locking computers and slow its spread. All it took was ten bucks, and a little luck. WannaCry swept Europe and Asia quickly yesterday, locking up critical systems like the UK’s National Health Service, a large telecom in Spain, and other businesses and institutions around the world, all in record time. Once infected, a victim’s computer denies access, and instead displays a message that demands the equivalent of around $300 in bitcoin. While many thousands have had their lives impacted—including countless people in need of medical care in the UK—two things have slowed WannaCry’s spread. First, Microsoft released a rare emergency patch to help protect Windows XP devices from its reach. (The company hasn’t officially supported XP since 2014.) That helps the many aging systems with no security resource get ahead of infection, if they can download the patch before WannaCry hits. The other, though, was MalwareTech’s happy accident. As he worked to reverse-engineer samples of WannaCry on Friday, MalwareTech discovered that the ransomware’s programmers had built it to check whether a certain gibberish URL led to a live web page. Curious why the ransomware would look for that domain, MalwareTech registered it himself. As it turns out, that $10.69 investment was enough to shut the whole thing down—for now, at least. It turned out that as long as the domain was unregistered and inactive, the query had no effect on the ransomware’s spread. But once the ransomware checked the URL and found it active, it shut down. There are competing theories as to why WannaCry’s perpetrators built it this way. One possibility: The functionality was put in place as an intentional kill switch, in case the creators ever wanted to rein in the monster they’d created. “Based on the behavior implemented in the code, the kill switch was most likely intentional,” says Darien Huss, senior security research engineer at the security intelligence firm Proofpoint, who was working on real-time WannaCry analysis and mitigation on Friday. MalwareTech theorizes that hackers could have included the feature to shield the ransomware from analysis by security professionals. That sort of examination often takes place in a controlled environment called a “sandbox.” Researchers construct some of these environments to trick malware into thinking it’s querying outside servers, even though it’s really talking to a bunch of dummy sandbox IP addresses. As a result, any address the malware tries to reach gets a response—even if the actual domain is unregistered. Since the domain MalwareTech acquired was supposed to be dormant but went live, WannaCry may have assumed it was in the middle of forensic analysis, and shut down. Building anti-analysis defenses into malware is common, but the WannaCry hackers appear to have botched the implementation. By relying on a static, discoverable address, whoever found it—in this case MalwareTech—could just register the domain and trigger WannaCry’s shutdown defense. “It was all pretty shocking, really,” MalwareTech says. The kill switch “was supposed to work like that, just the domain should [have been] random so people can’t register it.” The kill switch doesn’t help devices WannaCry has already infected and locked down. But by registering the domain, and then directing the traffic to it into a server environment meant to capture and hold malicious traffic—known as a “sinkhole”—MalwareTech bought time for systems that hadn’t already been infected to be patched for long-term protection, particularly in the United States where WannaCry was slower to proliferate because its spread had mostly been in Europe and Asia early on. “Thankfully MalwareTech already had infrastructure in place for the sinkhole,” Huss says. “If someone had sinkholed the domain and had not been prepared then we would be seeing many more infections right now.” If the setup doesn’t have those enough server space and bandwidth, the malware wouldn’t consistently become trapped and, in this case anyway, self-destruct. With so many security analysts working to reverse-engineer and observe WannaCry, someone else would have eventually found the valuable mechanism MalwareTech spotted. But when infections are spreading as quickly as they were on Friday, every minute counts. The discovery doesn’t amount to a permanent fix. All it would take to get around it would be a new strain of WannaCry whose code excludes the kill switch, or relies on a more sophisticated URL generator instead of a static address. And the more fundamental problem of vulnerable devices, particularly Windows XP devices, remains. Still, MalwareTech’s find helped turn a bad situation around—and saved people a lot of bitcoin in the process. ||||| Remember that "kill switch" which shut down the WannCry ransomware? An anonymous reader quotes Motherboard: ||||| New study: Smokers who switch to e-cigarettes reduce exposure to cancer | Shortly after the attack began a researcher found an effective kill switch, which prevented many new infections, and allowed time to patch systems. This greatly slowed the spread. Cyber security authorities discover new versions that lack the kill switch. |
In addition to thousands that have been killed outright, tens of thousands more may have died as vast numbers of detainees lived through conditions of neglect and abuse in packed, dirty cells, conditions so severe that a United Nations commission found that they amounted to the crime against humanity of “extermination.” The New York Times has confirmed that such conditions are widespread through dozens of interviews with survivors and their relatives, and with former officials. Beginning in 2013, The Times heard multiple accounts from residents in and around Damascus who said they detected the scent of something like burning hair. That led some to suspect that bodies were being burned in nearby security facilities like the Mezze airport, where former detainees have reported seeing bodies burned. Other witnesses have told of government soldiers and militiamen burning the bodies of those killed in the field. Some cases, like the massacre of civilians in Baniyas and Bayda in 2013, have been documented in multiple videos. Mr. de Mistura opened the latest round of talks in Geneva by meeting with Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar al-Jaafari, on Tuesday morning, before having lunch with Russia’s deputy foreign minister, Gennady Gatilov, and heading into a series of meetings with Syrian parties, starting with the head of the Syrian opposition delegation, Nasr al-Hariri, and members of the opposition High Negotiations Committee. To make the most of the few days set aside for this round of discussions, United Nations officials said Mr. Jaafari was likely to return for a second session with the special envoy in the evening. United Nations officials said on Monday that they had reason to believe the current Geneva talks would be more substantive than previous ones. Mr. de Mistura said that more countries would participate this time — he said all the signatories to the Security Council resolution would attend, which would include Iran as well as Russia — and that the intention was “to go a little bit more deeply and actually be more businesslike.” ||||| Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:28 am | YERUSHALAYIM - The time has come to eliminate Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, according to Housing Minister Yoav Galant. Speaking at a defense conference in Tel Aviv Tuesday, Galant, former head of the IDF’s Southern Command, said that “he is a despicable murderer who is responsible for genocide of a nation. It’s time to eliminate him.” The comments come a day after American revelations that Assad was eliminating as many as 50 of his opponents each day. The State Department said that detainees opposed to Assad’s rule were being hanged at a military prison north of Damascus. The bodies were then being cremated in order to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place,” said Stuart Jones, the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East. Galant said that as bad as Syria was, it was just a minor player in the drama of evil unfolding in the Middle East – and that when Assad was gone, the next target needed to be his sponsor, Iran. “When we are finished with the tail of the snake, we will be able to get to its head, in Tehran,” said Galant. “The pathetic leaders who demand the destruction of Israel such as Assad and his handlers in Tehran have no right to exist,” added Galant. “The world needs to send the ‘Shiite monster’ that Tehran represents back to its corner.” ||||| An Israeli cabinet member on Tuesday claimed that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should not simply be removed from office -- he should be killed. “The reality of the situation in Syria is that they are executing people, using directed chemical attacks against them, and the latest extreme — burning their corpses, something we haven’t seen in 70 years,” Yoav Gallant said in a speech, referencing the Holocaust. Gallant, a retired IDF general, said reports of the Syrian president executing prisoners and burning their bodies “crosses a red line”and is “nothing less than a genocide,” with “hundreds of thousands killed.” He said Assad needed to die before Israel could fully confront any threats from Iran, one of Syria's closest allies. “Once we'll be done with the tail of the snake, we will be able to deal with its head in Tehran,” he continued. ISIS ON 'BRINK OF TOTAL DEFEAT' IN MOSUL, COALITION SPOKESMAN SAYS In a conversation with The Times of Israel after his speech, Gallant stood by his comments. He acknowledged that targeted political assassinations are considered illegal under international law, but clarified that he “wasn’t speaking about practicalities.” However, he added, “Anyone who murders people and burns their corpses does not have a place in this world.” SYRIAN REGIME USING CREMATORIUM TO 'COVER UP' MASS MURDERS, STATE DEPARTMENT SAYS On Monday, the U.S. revealed evidence that the Syrian regime conducted mass killings of thousands of political opponents and burned the bodies to hide the evidence. State Department officials said Syria was hanging about 50 detainees each day at Saydnaya military prison, about 45 minutes north of Damascus, before burning them in a crematorium. The accusation came as President Donald Trump weighed options to try to bring an end to Syria's civil war. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| An Israeli minister on Tuesday called for the assassination of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, adding that the latter’s regime was the worst since Nazi Germany. Minister of Housing and Construction Yoav Galant, a former commander of the Israel Defence Forces and a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet since 2015, said at a conference near Jerusalem that al-Assad needed to be killed, Efe news reported. “The reality of the situation in Syria is that they are executing people, using directed chemical attacks against them, and the latest extreme…burning their corpses, something we haven’t seen in 70 years,” Galant said, in a reference to the systematic genocide of six million Jewish people during the Holocaust. Galant also used the actual term “genocide” to describe Assad’s actions against his own people, adding that “hundreds of thousands” were being killed by the Syrian regime in the country’s ongoing civil war. “In my view, we are crossing a red line. And in my view, the time has come to assassinate Assad. It’s as simple as that,” he added. ||||| Israeli housing Minister Yoav Galant has openly called for the assassination of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. This is the first time an Israeli Minister has called for the killing of the Syrian President. “We are crossing a red line, and in my view the time has come to assassinate Assad. And when we finish with the tail of the serpent, we will reach the head of the serpent which can be found in Tehran, and we will deal with it, too”. The last part of the quote appears to be a call for war against Iran. Such a crass and barbaric call to assassinate world leaders has no place in the 21st century. It is imperative that the United Nations condemns Israel for these despicable remarks. ||||| The Syrian regime is using a site outside Damascus to cremate the bodies of thousands of prisoners it has abducted, jailed and murdered during the country’s long-running civil war, the U.S. State Department alleged Monday. Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Stuart Jones showed surveillance photos that -- combined with intelligence assessments and other reports -- officials believe show Bashar Assad’s government is complicit in covering up evidence of mass killings at the Sednaya Prison. Located near Damascus, the prison previously has been called a "human slaughterhouse" by Amnesty International. “Although the regime's many atrocities are well-documented, we believe that the building of a crematorium is an effort to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place in Sednaya prison,” Jones said Monday. Jones also charged that the “atrocities” were carried out “with unconditional support” from Russia and Iran. The department released commercial satellite photographs showing what it said is a building in the prison complex that has been modified to support the crematorium. The photographs taken over the course of several years, beginning in 2013, do not definitely prove the building is a crematorium, but they show construction consistent with such use. The U.S. conclusion is based in part on photos that show snow melting near the building believed to be the crematorium. But, when pressed, the State Department wouldn’t say for certain that the melting was caused by a crematorium. The conditions at Sednaya – known to hold many of Assad’s political opponents, as well as violent Syrian rebels – are thought to be horrific, with 70 prisoners kept in cells designed for five people and up to 50 executions per day. Amnesty International has previously called Sednaya a “human slaughterhouse,” estimating 13,000 people were killed there from 2011-2015. It is believed Assad's regime kidnapped more than 100,000 people during that time. In presenting the photographs, Jones said Syrian President Assad's government "has sunk to a new level of depravity" with the support of Russia and Iran and called on both countries to use its influence with Syria to establish a credible ceasefire and begin political talks. Fox News’ Rich Edson and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| (AP) – A senior Israeli official has called for President Bashar Assad to be assassinated over alleged atrocities in the Syrian civil war. Housing Minister Yoav Galant, a former general, said Tuesday: “As far as I am concerned it is time to assassinate Assad.” He said “when we finish with the tail of the snake we can reach the head of the snake sitting in Tehran and deal with it as well.” Iran is a close ally of the Syrian government. His remarks came a day after the United States accused Syria of mass killings at a prison near Damascus. Syria denied the allegations. Galant says a “genocide” is underway in Syria, where an estimated 400,000 people have been killed and half the population has been displaced by a six-year-old civil war. ||||| Bashar Assad is as evil as his old man was and will defend his grip on Syria down to the last Syrian. Syrian President Bashar Assad has installed a crematorium in his most infamous prison complex in order to hide evidence of mass murder, and is executing as many as 50 people per day, according to newly-declassified U.S. intelligence. “We now believe that the Syrian regime has installed a crematorium in the Saydnaya Prison Complex which could dispose of detainees remains with little evidence,” Stuart Jones, the acting assistant secretary of near eastern affairs, told reporters Monday at the State Department. “Although the regimes’ many atrocities are well-documented, we believe that the building of a crematorium is an effort to cover up the extent of mass murders taking place in Saydnaya prison.” Saydnaya Prison was branded a “human slaughterhouse” by Amnesty International, which estimates that as many as 13,000 people “were extrajudicially executed” between 2011 and 2015. Jones added that the regime will put up to 70 prisoners in a cell designed to hold five people before they are killed. The State Department released the additional information in order to put pressure on Russia, which has provided Assad with crucial support. “Russia holds tremendous influence over Bashar al-Assad,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Monday. “The killing and devastation has gone on for far too long in Syria.” Russian President Vladimir Putin backs Assad because the regime has given Russia strategic benefits, such as access to a naval port on the Mediterranean Sea. Putin’s team is hosting a peace talks process in Astana, Kazakhstan, with the goal of ending the Syrian civil war in a way that allows them to retain the geopolitical benefits that first drew them to Assad. Former President Barack Obama’s team was not involved in those talks, and preferred a United Nations forum, but President Trump sent Jones to attend a conference in the first week of May. ||||| Time To Assassinate Syrian President Has Come – Israeli Minister, Yoav Galant The Isreali Minister of Housing and Construction, Yoav Galant has called for the assassination of the Syrian President, Bashar Assad. Yoav Galant who made the call days after the United States Department accused the Syrian president of carrying out mass killings of thousands of prisoners and burning the bodies in a large crematorium outside the… The post Time To Assassinate Syrian President Has Come – Israeli Minister, Yoav Galant appeared first on The Herald Nigeria. This post was syndicated from The Herald Nigeria. Click here to read the full text on the original website. Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook ||||| The Trump administration on Monday accused the Syrian government of installing a crematorium at a prison outside Syria's capital for the disposal of thousands of bodies of prisoners executed in mass killings. A State Department official said that the U.S. believes Syrian President Bashar Assad is using the crematorium to cover up mass murders at the prison complex, Reuters reported. "We now believe that the Syrian regime has installed a crematorium in the Sednaya prison complex which could dispose of detainees’ remains with little evidence," Stuart Jones said. "Credible sources have believed that many of the bodies have been disposed in mass graves." In light of the information about the mass killings, Jones said that Russia's calls for "de-escalation zones" in the country would be met with "skepticism." "In light of the failures of the past ceasefire agreements, we have reason to be skeptical," he said. "The regime must stop all attacks on civilian and opposition forces." A report by the international rights group Amnesty International found that between 25 and 50 executions are performed at the prison every week. The complex is located just 45 minutes outside Syria's capital of Damascus, the seat of the Assad government's power. President Trump ordered airstrikes on a Syrian airfield last month after Assad used chemical weapons on civilians, including children. | Israeli Minister of Construction Yoav Galant states that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should be assassinated. Yesterday, the United States Department of State accused the al-Assad government of using a crematory at Sednaya Prison to cover up the mass murders of thousands of political prisoners. The Syrian government denies the accusations. |
President Donald Trump’s White House was rocked on Tuesday night by another news report, this one alleging Trump tried to shut down an FBI investigation into one of his former aides, as the administration struggles to contain a cascade of scandals. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that former FBI Director James Comey wrote a memo detailing how Trump had asked him in the Oval Office to drop the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn, a request that came just one day after Trump ousted Flynn for lying to Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with the Russian ambassador. A friend of Comey’s confirmed the existence of the memo to POLITICO. "It's very rich in detail and hopefully it will come out soon,” said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "There are other memos about his meetings too. He wrote down every word Trump said to him as soon as he could." The news adds to the controversy overwhelming the White House, which was already dealing with the fallout from Trump’s firing of Comey last week and his alleged disclosure of highly classified information to Russian officials. The White House immediately pushed back against the story. “While the President has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the President has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn. The President has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations. This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey,” the White House said in a written statement. But the allegation, which suggests Trump tried to interfere in a federal investigation into one of his top associates, represents some of the most serious allegations against Trump to date. The reports also come at a critical time for Trump’s young administration, which sparked a furor last week when Trump abruptly fired Comey as the FBI is investigating possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government to influence the 2016 election. The initial explanation was that Trump fired Comey based on a recommendation from top Justice Department officials, but Trump later refuted this, saying he was going to fire Comey regardless and did it with the Russia investigation in mind. The move prompted questions from both Democrats and Republicans about whether Trump was impeding an investigation into his own campaign. Then, on Monday, news broke in the Washington Post that Trump had divulged classified information to Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The White House scrambled to contain the fallout, alleging Trump had done nothing improper even while declining to say whether he had in fact divulged confidential information. The report that Trump asked Comey to drop the investigation into Flynn follows months in which Trump has defended his former national security adviser, even after asking for his resignation. He said on Twitter that Flynn was right to ask for immunity and blamed “fake media” for their treatment of Flynn — even though top government officials have since corroborated media accounts. ||||| We are following developments this evening about a serious new accusation against President Trump. Back in February, Trump apparently asked then FBI Director James Comey to drop the bureau's investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's connections to Russia. The White House denies this account. Joining us now is NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson who has some new reporting on this story. Hi, Carrie. SHAPIRO: FBI Director James Comey apparently wrote a memo just after that February meeting with the president. What have you learned about what the memo says? JOHNSON: Yeah, I'm told that the FBI director, the former FBI director, Comey, wrote a memo the day after Mike Flynn lost his job in the White House memorializing his conversation with President Trump. I asked a source close to Comey, a Comey associate, why Comey felt the need to memorialize this conversation. The source says Comey was concerned. And in the memo, the former FBI director wrote that President Trump said, I hope you can let this go, referring to the FBI investigation of Mike Flynn. I'm told Comey gave a nonresponse response, and the meeting ended but that this was not the only conversation with President Trump that James Comey decided to take contemporaneous notes of for his files. Those materials were shared with a small circle of people inside the FBI and, later, other friends and associates of James Comey who are speaking about them now. SHAPIRO: And we're hearing tonight that lawmakers may subpoena those memos. If in fact the president did ask the FBI director to drop an investigation into one of his associates, does that constitute obstruction of justice? JOHNSON: Ari, that's a sensitive and complicated legal analysis. We need to know what was in President Donald Trump's mind at the time of this alleged request. Of course as you note, the White House denies the president asked Comey to end the Mike Flynn investigation or any investigation. The White House said tonight it has tremendous respect for law enforcement and would never meddle in that way. This could come down to a credibility test between President Trump, who's reported via Twitter that he has some kind of tapes of conversations with Comey, and Comey's own notes, which Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah and a House committee chairman, says he wants to subpoena. Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina, Republican, also says he wants Comey to testify in public about all this. SHAPIRO: This is a big mystery about whether or not there are tape recordings. If it comes down to Trump's word against Comey's, how does something like that get resolved? JOHNSON: Well, you know, it's a credibility test. James Comey has been known to take notes of sensitive and controversial issues in the past. In fact, Ari, during the George W. Bush administration, Comey was the deputy attorney general. Years later, memos came out that Comey had written to his chief of staff and right-hand man with respect to enhanced interrogation techniques or torture of detainees after 9/11. And in fact, those were reported on by the press years later and mostly held up as accounts of what happened in real time. James Comey and his friends may be hoping the same thing happens with respect to Mike Flynn, Russia and his firing - surprise firing only a week ago by President Donald Trump. SHAPIRO: NPR justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, thank you very much. ||||| President Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to close down the agency's investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn just one day after Flynn was let go. An associate of Comey's who is familiar with the matter confirms that the former FBI director memorialized the conversation with Trump in a memo he wrote immediately after their Oval Office conversation on February 14. The news was first reported by the New York Times. Comey — who was fired one week ago by Trump amid the FBI investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election and possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia — wrote in the February memo that Trump asked for the investigation of Flynn to go away — to which Comey gave a non-response response. Then he left and wrote detailed notes, according to the source. "It was an ask" not a command, the source said. A small number of FBI agents were made aware of the memo and the conversation, and agents kept working on the investigation. A second Comey associate told NPR that Comey wrote notes for his files after several conversations with Trump. "He was concerned," the second source said. "'I hope you can let this go,'" Trump told Comey of the Flynn investigation, the same source said. Flynn was fired on February 13 after it was revealed he had misled Vice President Pence about his conversations with Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak about U.S. sanctions recently imposed on Russia; Flynn had been speaking with Kislyak during the transition period between Election Day and Trump's inauguration. Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates, who was also fired by Trump after she refused to defend his travel ban, testified last week before Congress that she had told the White House more than two weeks before Flynn was asked to resign that he had been "compromised with respect to the Russians" because he had misled Pence. Comey's bombshell account of the February conversation is the latest headache for a White House increasingly in turmoil. On Monday, The Washington Post reported that Trump had revealed "highly classified information" to two top Russian diplomats — Kislyak and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — whom he met with in the Oval Office last Wednesday, the day after firing Comey, in a shocking display of puzzling optics. And amid the bubbling crises, Trump is set to depart at the end of the week on his first foreign trip as president, traveling to a NATO meeting in Brussels, Belgium; a G7 meeting in Italy; Saudi Arabia; the Vatican; and Israel — the country whose intelligence about an ISIS plot to use laptops on airplanes Trump reportedly breached protocol by sharing with the Russians. A White House official denied The Times' report about Trump's conversation with Comey in a statement: The FBI said they have no comment on the Times story. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, who took over last week after Comey was fired, testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee last week that, "There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date." Comey has a history of memorializing controversial conversations and issues — he did so during the George W. Bush administration, where he served as deputy attorney general, with respect to those controversial "enhanced interrogation techniques" used by the CIA on terror detainees in the wake of 9/11. He sent memos to his chief of staff that surfaced years later in The Times. Trump fired Comey last week, with the White House initially claiming it was because of a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein that concluded Comey had mishandled the investigation into Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server. But Trump told NBC's Lester Holt days later that he was going to fire Comey regardless of Rosenstein's memo, and that is was, indeed, in part, because of the ongoing Russia investigation, which Trump has dismissed as a "hoax." "When I decided to just do it [fire Comey]," Trump told Holt. "I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, it's an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have won." Trump also claimed in his letter firing Comey that the FBI director had told him on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation. He also tweeted on Friday suggesting he has secret recordings of his conversations with Comey, though the White House has since repeatedly refused to confirm or deny whether any such tapes actually exist. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Tuesday he intends to subpoena the FBI for the reported Comey memo. "We need to have all the facts, and it is appropriate for the House Oversight Committee to request this memo," House Speaker Paul Ryan's spokeswoman AshLee Strong also said in a statement. Democrats immediately pounced on The Times' report and called on their GOP colleagues to push for the truth from the White House. "Concerns about our national security, the rule of law, the independence of our nation's highest law enforcement agencies are mounting," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor shortly after the Times story broke. "The country is being tested in unprecedented ways. I say to all of my colleagues in the Senate, history is watching." "If these reports are true, the President's brazen attempt to shut down the FBI's investigation of Michael Flynn is an assault on the rule of law that is fundamental to our democracy. At best, President Trump has committed a grave abuse of executive power. At worst, he has obstructed justice," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in a statement. In response to the news of Comey's memo, more House Republicans on Tuesday evening called for a combination of White House briefings and public testimony from the former FBI director to assess the scope of the situation. "I think Director Comey should testify before Congress as soon as possible," said Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J., a moderate lawmaker from a swing district said Tuesday evening. When asked if he was concerned that Trump could hurt his reelection prospects, Lance replied: "I'm confident that I represent the views of the overwhelming majority of my constituents." "Obviously, we want a briefing from the White House," said House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., "I don't know that it's important to have Comey testify, but it is important to get to the bottom of it. We've got one standard and we need to make sure that applies to everybody." Meadows also told reporters that if memos exist, Congress should have access to them. "I just want to understand it better. It's one thing to have to have the New York Times report it, it's another to be able to look at what it is," he said. The president's loyalists on Capitol Hill echoed the White House's attacks on the media to question the latest revelation. "What seems overwhelmingly clear to me is that the White House is besieged by a spectrum of the media dedicated to the far left that is relentlessly committed to doing everything they can to delegitimize this president. So that alone sometimes calls into question almost all of these discussions," said Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz. However, Franks also said he would like Comey to testify. "I think it would be great," he said, "I'm someone who has always believed in sunlight, and that clarity is our friend, and truth is the best ally." As reporters huddled off the House floor questioning GOP lawmakers about the Comey memos, another staunch Trump loyalist, Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, walked by and entered the elevator as he quipped: "Almost sounds like fake news." Overlooked in The Times report: Trump also reportedly told Comey that he "should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information." ||||| James Comey’s unexpected ouster last Tuesday sent Washington into an unprecedented tailspin as the White House communications apparatus tried to explain away Donald Trump’s seemingly abrupt decision to fire the man heading the Justice Department investigation into his campaign’s alleged Kremlin ties. But, one week later, that scandal seems rather quaint by comparison. In another twist in the seemingly endless Russian melodrama, The New York Times’ Michael S. Schmidt reported that Trump explicitly asked Comey to shutter the F.B.I. investigation into Mike Flynn, his former national security adviser, shortly after his inauguration. “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go,” the president said, according to a memo that Comey prepared after the meeting, part of which was read to the New York Times by an associate of the former law enforcement official. “He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” Comey reportedly responded, “I agree he is a good guy,” but did not promise to close the probe. The existence of the memo was quickly confirmed by NBC News and The Washington Post. (Trump and his associates have denied any wrongdoing.) According to the Times report, the conversation between Trump and Comey took place in the Oval Office on February 14—the day after Flynn resigned amid scandal following the Post’s report that the former general had misled White House officials, notably Vice President Mike Pence, about whether he discussed election-related sanctions against Moscow with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Comey reportedly informed other F.B.I. officials of the existence of the memo, which sources told the Times was part of a broader paper trail kept by the seasoned law enforcement officer, detailing his interactions with the president. According to those two sources, Comey took detailed notes on every phone call and meeting he had with the president. The White House flatly denied the Times report. “While the president has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn,” an official said in a statement. “The president has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations. This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the president and Mr. Comey.” Acting F.B.I. Director Andrew McCabe also denied that the White House or Trump had attempted to interfere with the Justice Department investigation in sworn testimony before the Senate last week. “There has been no effort to impede our investigation to date,” said McCabe. The revelation that Trump allegedly asked Comey to close the Flynn investigation is the latest in a string of devastating headlines for the White House. Within hours of Comey's ouster, CNN revealed that federal prosecutors in Virginia had recently issued grand jury subpoenas seeking business records from associates of Mike Flynn, fueling speculation that Trump dismissed the F.B.I. director over the Russia investigation. The White House press shop subsequently spent the next few days denying that this was the case—arguing that Comey was dismissed for mishandling the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal, and on the recommendation of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein—only to be undermined by Trump himself. “Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey,” the president told NBC News's Lester Holt. In the interview, Trump created further headaches for his embattled staff when he revealed that he had a private dinner with Comey shortly after the election, during which the president reportedly asked for the F.B.I. director’s loyalty. On Friday, Trump seemingly leveled a threat against Comey when he wrote on Twitter, “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” (According to the Times, Trump began his February 14 conversation with Comey by suggesting that the F.B.I. consider jailing journalists who leak classified information.) The Trump administration was dealt another blow Monday when the Post reported that the president had revealed “highly classified” information to Kislyak and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov—a move intelligence experts characterized as “a stunning lapse in judgement.”. (The White House has denied that Trump did anything inappropriate during the meeting with the Russian officials.) The response from lawmakers on Captiol Hill to the Times report was swift. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “shaken” by the news and that the “country is being tested in unprecedented ways.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned that if the reports are true, “At best, Trump has committed a grave abuse of executive power. At worst, he has obstructed justice.” When asked during an interview with CNN by Wolf Blitzer whether the Times report could lead to an impeachment process, Independent Senator Angus King conceded, “Reluctantly, Wolf, I have to say yes.” Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said, “We are witnessing an obstruction of justice case unfold in real time.” Obstruction of justice was the first article of impeachment against President Richard Nixon, who resigned from office in 1974 amid a similar controversy. A number of Republicans, the vast majority of whom stopped short of publicly rebuking Trump over the past week, also began to speak out soon after news of the alleged Comey letter broke. Rep. Carlos Curbelo wrote on Twitter that “If recent allegations are true, they mark the beginning of a new and very sad chapter of scandal and controversy in our country.” House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz told NBC News, “If the memo exists, I need to see it and I need to see it right away,” adding that the subpoena process is already underway. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also stressed the importance of obtaining the memo. “I think the burden is on the New York Times, if they’re reporting it and they’ve got somebody who’s got the document,” he told Politico. “They need to get the document and get it released." ||||| U.S. President Donald Trump asked then-FBI Director James Comey to end the agency’s investigation into ties between former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and Russia, according to a source who has seen a memo written by Comey. The explosive new development on Tuesday followed a week of tumult at the White House after Trump fired Comey and then discussed sensitive national security information about Islamic State with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The Comey memo, first reported by the New York Times, is likely to raise questions about whether Trump tried to interfere with a federal investigation. Comey wrote the memo after he met in the Oval Office with Trump, the day after the president fired Flynn on Feb. 14 for misleading Vice President Mike Pence about the extent of his conversations last year with Russia’s ambassador, Sergei Kislyak. “I hope you can let this go,” Trump told Comey, according to a source familiar with the contents of the memo. The New York Times said that during the Oval Office meeting, Trump condemned a series of government leaks to the news media and said the FBI director should consider prosecuting reporters for publishing classified information. The White House denied the report in a statement, saying it was “not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey.” Flynn’s resignation came hours after it was reported that the Justice Department had warned the White House weeks earlier that Flynn could be vulnerable to blackmail for contacts with Kislyak before Trump took office on Jan. 20. Kislyak was with Lavrov at the White House last week when Trump disclosed the sensitive information. A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment on the details of the memo. The new development came as Republican and Democratic lawmakers pressured Trump to give a fuller explanation for why he revealed sensitive intelligence information to Lavrov. The information had been supplied by a U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State militant group, the officials said. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now ||||| WASHINGTON — Besieged from all sides, the Trump administration relented and appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller Wednesday evening as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations Russia and Donald Trump’s campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election. The appointment came as Democrats insisted ever more loudly that someone outside Trump’s Justice Department must handle the politically charged investigation. Republican congressional leaders had resisted the idea, and there had been no clear sign that Trump or his top White House aides were about to announce it. However, an increasing number of Republicans had joined in calling for digging deeper, especially after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey who had been leading the bureau’s probe — and after Comey associates said he had made notes of a meeting in which Trump asked him to drop the FBI’s investigation. Early reaction from Congress was generally positive to the appointment of Mueller. Democrats said it was not a moment too soon, though they also expressed caution, waiting to how Mueller would perform. Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah said Mueller was a “great selection. Impeccable credentials. Should be widely accepted.” Fellow Republican Peter King of New York was more leery because of the broad authority special prosecutors have. He said, “I’m worried with all special counsels because there’s no control over them and they can abuse their power.” In the 1990s, Democrats complained that independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who investigated President Bill Clinton, overstepped his authority. Earlier Wednesday, Trump gave no indication of the announcement to come in a commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy. He made no reference to the controversies about Russia or the Russia ties for fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn or Comey’s dismissal. But he complained bitterly that about criticism of his still-young presidency. “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly,” he said. “You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. ... I guess that’s why we won. Adversity makes you stronger. Don’t give in, don’t back down. ... And the more righteous your fight, the more opposition that you will face.” On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, three congressional committees, all led by Republicans, confirmed they wanted to hear from Comey. Congressional investigators have been seeking Comey’s memos on his meeting with Trump, as well as documents from the Justice Department related to his firing. The latest political storm, coupled with the still-potent fallout from Trump’s recent disclosure of classified information to Russian diplomats, overshadowed all else in the capital and beyond. Stocks fell sharply on Wall Street as investors worried that the latest turmoil in Washington could hinder Trump’s pro-business agenda. Republicans, frustrated by the president’s relentless parade of problems, largely sought to cool the heated climate with assurances they would get to the bottom of scandals. “There’s clearly a lot of politics being played,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said before the announcement of Mueller’s appointment. “Our job is to get the facts and to be sober about doing that.” Unimpressed, Rep. Elijah Cummings, top Democrat on a key House oversight panel, said, “Speaker Ryan has shown he has zero, zero, zero appetite for any investigation of Donald Trump. He accused the Republicans of taking great pains to ”do as little as humanly possible, just to claim that they’re doing something.“ Interest was hardly limited to the U.S. No less a commentator than Russia’s Vladimir Putin called the dramatic charges swirling around Trump evidence of “political schizophrenia spreading in the U.S.” He offered to furnish a “record” of the Trump-diplomats meeting in the Oval Office if the White House desired it. There was no word on what that record might entail, a question many were likely to raise in light of Trump’s recent warning to Comey that he had “better hope” there were no tapes of a discussion they’d had. The White House disputed Comey’s account of the February conversation concerning Flynn, but did not offer specifics. Several members of Congress said that if Trump did suggest that Comey “let this go” regarding Flynn’s Russian contacts, it was probably just a joke, light banter. Questions about Trump’s conduct have been mounting for weeks, most recently with the two explosive revelations — that in February the president pressed Comey to drop a federal investigation into Flynn’s contacts with Russia and that he disclosed classified information to the senior Russian officials last week.’ Both allegations came from anonymous sources, and the White House was quick to denounce the leaks and deny any impropriety, insisting the president never tried to squelch the Flynn investigation nor did he make inappropriate disclosures to the Russians. On Capitol Hill, Comey was clearly the man in demand, with three committees working to seat him at their witness tables. — The House oversight committee set a May 24 hearing on whether Trump interfered in the FBI probe, and invited Comey to testify. —The Senate intelligence committee invited Comey to appear in both open and closed sessions. It also asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to give the committee any notes Comey might have made regarding discussions he had with White House or Justice Department officials about Russia’s efforts to influence the election. —Top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to provide any Comey memos and asked the White House to turn over any audio recordings that might exist of conversations with the now-fired director. They expect to bring in Comey in to testify, as well. Trump is preparing to leave town Friday on his first foreign trip, and aides have been hopeful the journey will be a chance for the administration to get back on track after weeks of chaos and distractions. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speculated Trump was probably happy to get out of town — “and a lot of us are glad he’s leaving for a few days.” His advice to the president: “Stay disciplined, stay focused and deliver on the world stage.” Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann, Eileen Sullivan, Erica Werner, Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report ||||| WASHINGTON — Besieged from all sides, the Trump administration relented and appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller Wednesday evening as a special counsel to oversee the federal investigation into allegations Russia and Donald Trump’s campaign collaborated to influence the 2016 presidential election. The appointment came as Democrats insisted ever more loudly that someone outside Trump’s Justice Department must handle the politically charged investigation. Republican congressional leaders had resisted the idea, and there had been no clear sign that Trump or his top White House aides were about to announce it. However, an increasing number of Republicans had joined in calling for digging deeper, especially after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey who had been leading the bureau’s probe — and after Comey associates said he had made notes of a meeting in which Trump asked him to drop the FBI’s investigation. Early reaction from Congress was generally positive to the appointment of Mueller. Democrats said it was not a moment too soon, though they also expressed caution, waiting to how Mueller would perform. Republican House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz of Utah said Mueller was a “great selection. Impeccable credentials. Should be widely accepted.” Fellow Republican Peter King of New York was more leery because of the broad authority special prosecutors have. He said, “I’m worried with all special counsels because there’s no control over them and they can abuse their power.” In the 1990s, Democrats complained that independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who investigated President Bill Clinton, overstepped his authority. Earlier Wednesday, Trump gave no indication of the announcement to come in a commencement address at the Coast Guard Academy. He made no reference to the controversies about Russia or the Russia ties for fired National Security Adviser Michael Flynn or Comey’s dismissal. But he complained bitterly that about criticism of his still-young presidency. “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly,” he said. “You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. ... I guess that’s why we won. Adversity makes you stronger. Don’t give in, don’t back down. ... And the more righteous your fight, the more opposition that you will face.” On Capitol Hill, meanwhile, three congressional committees, all led by Republicans, confirmed they wanted to hear from Comey. Congressional investigators have been seeking Comey’s memos on his meeting with Trump, as well as documents from the Justice Department related to his firing. The latest political storm, coupled with the still-potent fallout from Trump’s recent disclosure of classified information to Russian diplomats, overshadowed all else in the capital and beyond. Stocks fell sharply on Wall Street as investors worried that the latest turmoil in Washington could hinder Trump’s pro-business agenda. Republicans, frustrated by the president’s relentless parade of problems, largely sought to cool the heated climate with assurances they would get to the bottom of scandals. “There’s clearly a lot of politics being played,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said before the announcement of Mueller’s appointment. “Our job is to get the facts and to be sober about doing that.” Unimpressed, Rep. Elijah Cummings, top Democrat on a key House oversight panel, said, “Speaker Ryan has shown he has zero, zero, zero appetite for any investigation of Donald Trump. He accused the Republicans of taking great pains to ”do as little as humanly possible, just to claim that they’re doing something.“ Interest was hardly limited to the U.S. No less a commentator than Russia’s Vladimir Putin called the dramatic charges swirling around Trump evidence of “political schizophrenia spreading in the U.S.” He offered to furnish a “record” of the Trump-diplomats meeting in the Oval Office if the White House desired it. There was no word on what that record might entail, a question many were likely to raise in light of Trump’s recent warning to Comey that he had “better hope” there were no tapes of a discussion they’d had. The White House disputed Comey’s account of the February conversation concerning Flynn, but did not offer specifics. Several members of Congress said that if Trump did suggest that Comey “let this go” regarding Flynn’s Russian contacts, it was probably just a joke, light banter. Questions about Trump’s conduct have been mounting for weeks, most recently with the two explosive revelations — that in February the president pressed Comey to drop a federal investigation into Flynn’s contacts with Russia and that he disclosed classified information to the senior Russian officials last week.’ Both allegations came from anonymous sources, and the White House was quick to denounce the leaks and deny any impropriety, insisting the president never tried to squelch the Flynn investigation nor did he make inappropriate disclosures to the Russians. On Capitol Hill, Comey was clearly the man in demand, with three committees working to seat him at their witness tables. — The House oversight committee set a May 24 hearing on whether Trump interfered in the FBI probe, and invited Comey to testify. —The Senate intelligence committee invited Comey to appear in both open and closed sessions. It also asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to give the committee any notes Comey might have made regarding discussions he had with White House or Justice Department officials about Russia’s efforts to influence the election. —Top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the FBI to provide any Comey memos and asked the White House to turn over any audio recordings that might exist of conversations with the now-fired director. They expect to bring in Comey in to testify, as well. Trump is preparing to leave town Friday on his first foreign trip, and aides have been hopeful the journey will be a chance for the administration to get back on track after weeks of chaos and distractions. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speculated Trump was probably happy to get out of town — “and a lot of us are glad he’s leaving for a few days.” His advice to the president: “Stay disciplined, stay focused and deliver on the world stage.” Associated Press writers Deb Riechmann, Eileen Sullivan, Erica Werner, Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report ||||| WASHINGTON — Surrounded by multiplying questions, President Donald Trump complained Wednesday that “no politician in history” has been treated worse. Democrats demanded an independent commission to dig into his firing of FBI Director James Comey, but Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan cautioned against “rushing to judgment.” Ryan said Congress needs to get the facts, but “it is obvious there are some people out there who want to harm the president.” Elijah Cummings, top Democrat on a key House oversight panel, countered that Ryan and the Republicans had shown “zero, zero, zero appetite for any investigation of President Trump.” The White House has denied reports that Trump pressed Comey to drop an investigation into Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn. In addition Trump is facing pointed questions about his discussions with Russian diplomats during which he is reported to have disclosed classified information. Also Tuesday, in an extraordinary turn of events, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to turn over to Congress records of Trump’s discussions with the diplomats. The White House has played down the importance and secrecy of the information Trump gave to the Russians, which had been supplied by Israel under an intelligence-sharing agreement. Trump himself said he had “an absolute right” as president to share “facts pertaining to terrorism” and airline safety with Russia. Yet U.S. allies and some members of Congress have expressed alarm. Republicans and Democrats alike were eager to hear from Comey, who has increasingly emerged as a central figure in the unfolding drama. The Senate intelligence committee on Wednesday asked Comey to appear before the panel in both open and closed sessions. The committee also asked acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe to give the committee any notes that Comey might have made regarding discussions he had with White House or Justice Department officials about Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Putin told a news conference that he would be willing to turn over notes of Trump’s meeting with the Russian diplomats if the White House agreed. He dismissed outrage over Trump’s disclosures as U.S. politicians whipping up “anti-Russian sentiment.” Asked what he thinks of the Trump presidency, Putin said it’s up to the American people to judge and his performance can be rated “only when he’s allowed to work at full capacity,” implying that someone is hampering Trump’s efforts. Trump himself hasn’t directly addressed the latest allegations that he pressured Comey to drop the Flynn investigation. But the swirling questions about his conduct were clearly on his mind when he told graduates at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut that “no politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.” Striking a defiant stance, he added: “You can’t let the critics and the naysayers get in the way of your dreams. … I guess that’s why we won. Adversity makes you stronger. Don’t give in, don’t back down. … And the more righteous your fight, the more opposition that you will face.” As for Comey, whom Trump fired last week, the FBI director wrote in a memo after a February meeting at the White House that the new president had asked him to shut down the FBI’s investigation of Flynn and his Russian contacts, said a person who had read the memo. The Flynn investigation was part of a broader probe into Russian interference in last year’s presidential election. Comey’s memo, an apparent effort to create a paper trail of his contacts with the White House, would be the clearest evidence to date that the president has tried to influence the investigation. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Republican chairman of the House oversight committee, sent a letter to the FBI on Tuesday requesting that it turn over all documents and recordings that detail communications between Comey and Trump. He said he would give the FBI a week and then “if we need a subpoena, we’ll do it.” John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said late Tuesday that the developments had reached “Watergate size and scale.” Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the Senate, said simply, “It would be helpful to have less drama emanating from the White House.” The person who described the Comey memo to the AP was not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The existence of the memo was first reported Tuesday by The New York Times. The White House vigorously denied it all. “While the president has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the president has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn,” a White House statement said. Trump fired Flynn on Feb. 13, on grounds that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russians. The intensifying drama comes as Trump is set to embark Friday on his first foreign trip, which had been optimistically viewed by some aides as an opportunity to reset an administration floundering under an inexperienced president. Mark Warner of Virginia, top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said he would ask Comey for additional material as part of that panel’s investigation. “Memos, transcripts, tapes — the list keeps getting longer,” he said. According to the Times, Comey wrote in the February memo that Trump told him Flynn had done nothing wrong. Comey said he replied that “I agree he is a good guy” but said nothing to Trump about limiting the investigation. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Firing FBI Director James Comey is already coming back to haunt President Donald Trump. In dismissing Comey last week, Trump created the very real possibility that a respected law enforcement official known for an outspoken nature and willingness to buck political convention could resurface in public. And while Comey himself has been silent, his associates have been exposing intriguing details of his encounters with Trump. On Tuesday, an associate revealed that Comey had written a memo in which he described Trump asking him to shut down an FBI investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Comey, who was known to keep a paper trail of sensitive meetings, chronicled the president’s request soon after the February Oval Office meeting with the president, an associate who has seen the memo told The Associated Press. The associate was not authorized to discuss the memo by name and spoke on condition of anonymity. The FBI and Justice Department declined to comment Tuesday on accounts of the memo, which was first reported by The New York Times. The White House disputed the account. The conversation occurred weeks after the FBI interviewed Flynn regarding his contacts with the Russia ambassador and after the acting attorney general, Sally Yates, warned the White House that Flynn had misled them about those conversations and could be vulnerable to blackmail. Flynn was forced to resign Feb. 13 after reports of the Yates-White House conversation. News Tuesday of Trump’s request of Comey immediately renewed concerns from congressional Democrats that Trump was trying to obstruct an investigation that’s been examining potential coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign. “We are witnessing an obstruction of justice case unfolding in real time,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Judiciary Committee member and former federal prosecutor, said in a statement. He called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate. Some Republicans also called for action, asking Comey to speak to Congress and demanding that any memos or recordings of his conversations with the president be presented to them. Comey, appointed as FBI director in 2013 by President Barack Obama, spoke often about his desire to be as transparent as possible about FBI actions and about proving to the public that his agency was independent, competent and thorough. “We’re not on anybody’s side, ever,” he said in a March speech. “We’re not considering whose ox will be gored by this action or that action, whose fortunes will be helped by this or that — we just don’t care and we can’t care.” He riled administrations of both parties with his moral certitude and decisions that critics said strayed from ordinary protocol, such as his public announcement — without the involvement of the Justice Department — that the FBI would not recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton for her email use. Testifying before Congress is familiar to Comey, a former Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration. As FBI director, he was accustomed to hours-long oversight hearings before Congress, including one a week before his firing. In 2007, he recounted to a rapt congressional audience the dramatic hospital room clash three years earlier with Bush officials over the approval of a domestic surveillance program. Comey was abruptly fired May 9 and learned of the dismissal as he was giving a talk in Los Angeles. While the White House initially cited a Justice Department recommendation and Comey’s very public handling of the Clinton email investigation as reasons, those explanations quickly shifted. Trump later admitted in a television interview about Comey’s firing that he was bothered by “this Russia thing” and said he would have fired Comey regardless of the Justice Department recommendation. He also tweeted a veiled threat warning the ex-director against leaking information. Soon after the firing, a Comey associate told the AP that Comey recounted being asked by Trump a January dinner if he would pledge his loyalty. The White House has denied that report. After Tuesday’s revelation, the White House said in a statement, “While the President has repeatedly expressed his view that General Flynn is a decent man who served and protected our country, the President has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn.” There is no sign the FBI’s Russia investigation is closing. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe told Congress last week the investigation is “highly significant” and said Comey’s dismissal would do nothing to impede the probe. Associated Press writers Sadie Gurman, Julie Pace, Chad Day and Stephen Braun contributed to this report. ||||| The White House grappled late Tuesday with the political ghost of James Comey, as an explosive new report said a memo written by the ousted FBI chief claimed President Trump once asked him to end the probe into former national security adviser Michael Flynn. The White House sharply disputed the report, as Democrats seized on it as potential proof of "obstruction" of justice. According to The New York Times the memo quoted Trump as saying he hoped Comey could "let this go" with regard to Flynn. The Times said Comey wrote the memo shortly after an Oval Office meeting on Feb. 14, the day after Flynn resigned from the Trump administration. The paper acknowledged it had not seen a copy of the memo, but said a Comey associate read parts of it to a reporter over the phone. The memo was presented as the clearest evidence yet that Trump tried to influence the Justice Department and FBI probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and alleged links to Trump’s associates. But the White House rejected the characterization that the president tried to shut down an investigation. “[T]he President has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn,” an official said. “The President has the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies, and all investigations. This is not a truthful or accurate portrayal of the conversation between the President and Mr. Comey.” Trump reportedly told Comey, “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. … He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.” According to the Times, Comey wrote in the memo that Trump told him Flynn had done nothing wrong. But Comey did not say anything to Trump about limiting the investigation, replying, "I agree he is a good guy." Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe also testified last week on Capitol Hill that there “has been no effort to impede our investigation to date." The FBI had no official comment on the Times report Tuesday. The Justice Department also declined to comment on the New York Times report, on the existence of the Comey memo, or whether there was any such conversation between Trump and Comey. A law enforcement source confirmed to Fox News that Comey documented a meeting with Trump that made him uneasy. The source added that the former FBI director is a copious note-taker, dating back to his days as a federal prosecutor. Last week, the Senate intelligence committee subpoenaed Flynn for documents related to its investigation into Russia's actions during the 2016 election campaign. Other congressional committees and the Pentagon's inspector general are also separately examining whether Flynn was fully forthcoming about his foreign contacts and earnings from organizations linked to the governments of Russia and Turkey. Trump’s inner circle has been dogged by critical reports about his discussions behind closed doors. His team is still grappling with a Washington Post report that he shared classified details on an ISIS threat with visiting Russian officials – the White House has defended Trump’s discussions as “wholly appropriate.” But more broadly, Trump has faced growing accusations from Democrats that he fired Comey last week out of frustration with the Russia investigation. “Enough is enough,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, told reporters moments after the Times report was published. “Congress really needs to get to the bottom of this.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said on the Senate floor that he was “shaken” by the report. “On a day when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, they have,” Schumer said. “Concerns about our national security, the rule of law, and the independence of our nation’s highest law enforcement agencies are mounting … the country is being tested in unprecedented ways.” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said in a statement that Trump's request "appears to cross the line into ... obstruction of justice" and called for the appointment of a special prosecutor. House Oversight Committee chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, requested that the FBI turn over all documents and recordings that detail communications between Comey and Trump by May 24. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had no immediate comment, but his spokeswoman AshLee Strong said, "We need to have all the facts, and it is appropriate for the House Oversight Committee to request this memo." House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told Fox News he had not read the Times report, but said, "In today’s Washington, I find there are a lot of allegations and small truths." Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, told reporters the Times was obligated to produce the memo. "I could write something and I could read it over the phone and tell them that it came from [Comey]," he said. "If they're reporting it and they've got somebody that's got the document, they need to get the document and get it released." Burr added that that he and ranking member Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., had met with Comey the day before he was fired last week. "The director of the FBI shared more information with Sen. Warner and myself than any director has ever shared," Burr said. "I think something as material as that probably would have been something he would have shared, had it happened." Fox News' Chad Pergram and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report. | The New York Times reports that a memo from James Comey, read in part to a reporter by a Comey associate, revealed that President Donald Trump asked him to end the F.B.I. investigation of Michael T. Flynn. The White House denies the version of events in the memo. |
Image copyright EPA Image caption Heavy firing erupted after the attackers stormed the TV compound At least six people and all four IS gunmen have been killed in a battle at the Afghan state television building in the city of Jalalabad, officials say. Four of the dead worked for the broadcaster RTA. Two police also died. The attack began when two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the compound. The other two entered it and battled security forces for four hours. So-called Islamic State claimed the attack, which is near an IS stronghold on the eastern border with Pakistan. The Taliban also has a strong presence in the area but the group said it was not involved. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Soldiers battled the gunmen and heavy firing was heard for several hours Twelve employees, including the head of the station, were evacuated early in the attack but others were trapped in the building, which is near the provincial governor's compound. A BBC Afghan service correspondent at the scene said the attack began when two gunmen on motorbikes blew themselves up about 30m (90 feet) away from the building. Heavy gunfire then erupted and at least three loud blasts were heard before the security forces regained control. It was not immediately clear if the two attackers who entered the compound were shot dead or blew themselves up. IS posted its claim on its news outlet Amaq, saying a "commando" operation targeting the broadcaster was under way. Both the Taliban and IS have conducted a series of high-profile attacks in recent months on targets including Afghanistan's largest military hospital in Kabul and a military base in the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif. ||||| Alwaght- A gunbattle is underway in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad as assailants raided building of Afghan state television and Radio on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Reuters cited the provincial governor's spokesman Attaullah Khughyani as saying "We can confirm that a number of insurgents have entered the building". "Who they are, and what their target is, is still not clear." He said there appeared to have been at least three attackers, two of whom had blown themselves up while at least one was still fighting. The attackers, which carried AK-47s, entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), Al Jazeera reported, adding so far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Nangarhar province, the eastern province on the border with Pakistan where Islamic State fighters have established a stronghold, but there is also a strong Taliban presence in the region. Insurgents fighting to oust the Western-backed government in Kabul have conducted a series of high-profile attacks this year on targets including Afghanistan's largest military hospital and a military base in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. ||||| The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an Afghan state television station that killed at least six people, as well as the attackers, and injured 24. The attack, in the eastern city of Jalalabad, was the latest in a series on Afghan journalists and media in recent years. It came just over a week after it was confirmed the leader of Islamic State in Afghanistan had been killed in a US drone strike. Islamic State has established a stronghold in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, of which Jalalabad is capital, where it fights both the Taliban and Afghan government forces. The raid on the RTA state broadcaster was carried out by four attackers, one of whom had detonated a suicide bomb at the entrance to the compound, said provincial governor Gulab Mangal. As the attack unfolded, heavy gunfire could be heard from around the RTA building, which is close to the governor's compound. "Islamic State fighters are currently carrying out an attack inside the state broadcasting building in the city of Jalalabad," the movement's AMAQ news agency said in a statement on instant messaging service Telegram. Among the dead were four RTA employees, including a driver, a guard, and two technical personnel, as well as two policemen, according to Mr Mangal. Seventeen civilians and seven members of the security forces were injured, he added. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee condemned the attack and said it was a violation of the rules of war that protect media. The Taliban, who also have a strong presence in the region, denied responsibility. Islamic State has recently been hit hard by US air strikes and special forces operations. ||||| Jalalabad — Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an Afghan state TV station on Wednesday, which killed at least six people as well as the attackers, and wounded 24. The attack, in the eastern city of Jalalabad, was the latest in a series on Afghan journalists and media in recent years. It came just more than a week after it was confirmed that the leader of IS in Afghanistan had been killed in a US drone strike. The militia group has established a stronghold in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, of which Jalalabad is the capital, where it fights both the Taliban and Afghan government forces. The raid on the RTA state broadcaster was carried out by four attackers, one of whom had detonated a suicide bomb at the entrance to the compound, said provincial governor Gulab Mangal. As the attack unfolded, heavy gunfire could be heard from around the RTA building, which is close to the governor’s compound "IS fighters are currently carrying out an attack inside the state broadcasting building in the city of Jalalabad," the movement’s Amaq news agency said in a statement on instant messaging service Telegram. The three others were killed by security forces in the gun battle. Among the dead were four RTA employees, including a driver, a guard and two technical personnel, as well as two police officers, according to Mangal. Seventeen civilians and seven members of the security forces were wounded, he added. The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee condemned the attack and said it was a violation of the rules of war that protect media as civilians. The Taliban, who also have a strong presence in the region, denied responsibility. IS has recently been hit hard by US air strikes and special forces operations. The head of IS in Afghanistan, Abdul Hassib, was reported to have been killed in a joint Afghan-US operation in Nangarhar at the end of April. IS has also claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile attacks in the capital, Kabul, including one in March on Afghanistan’s largest military hospital. ||||| Afghan security forces have engaged three gunmen who have attacked a state radio and television building in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar Province. The gunmen began the Wednesday attack by detonating a bomb and managed to enter the state-run radio and television building in the provincial capital Jalalabad. The building is close to the governor’s compound and a police station. Heavy gunfire erupted between the security forces and the assailants, while some journalists and staff were trapped in the building, according to a photographer, who said he fled the building as soon as the gunfight started. Government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said there were three assailants. “Two of them have been killed and one is still resisting,” he said. There were no immediate reports of casualties on the side of staff and security forces, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The Takfiri Daesh terror group, which is active in the mountainous eastern province, claimed responsibility for the assault. Elsewhere in the country, three civilians were killed in separate bomb attacks, officials said on Wednesday. Two civilians were killed and two others were wounded in a bomb blast late Tuesday in the Nijrab district in Kapisa Province. Another civilian was also killed and 10 others were wounded, including three policemen, in twin bomb blasts in the southern Kandahar Province. Those attacks have not been claimed by any group, either. The Taliban have stepped up their attacks with the start of spring. They have been engaging in militancy since a US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, which toppled a government run by them. Daesh has gained a foothold in Afghanistan more recently.
• Death Toll Rises To Six In RTA TV Attack ||||| At least six people, including a police officer, were killed after ISIS gunmen wearing suicide vests stormed a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, government officials say. The attackers, carrying AK-47s, entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday, in the latest assault on media workers in the country. The raid on the RTA state broadcaster was carried out by four attackers, one of whom had detonated a suicide bomb at the entrance to the compound, said provincial governor Gulab Mangal. As the attack unfolded, heavy gunfire was heard from around the RTA building, which is close to the governor’s compound. The three others were killed by security forces in the gun battle, Mangal said. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack that comes over a week after the leader of ISIL in Afghanistan was killed in a US drone strike. “Three attackers are dead and so are three other people,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said quoting police officials. At least 16 people, including journalists, were wounded in the attack which took place in central Jalalabad, close to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square, Hendren said. Among the dead were four RTA employees, including a driver, a guard, and two technical personnel, as well as two policemen, according to Mangal. ISIS has established a stronghold in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is capital, where it fights both the Taliban and Afghan government forces. ||||| Armed men wearing suicide vests storm TV station in the capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, police say. At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers, which carried AK-47s, entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. "So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists," Al Jazeera's John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, said. "The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor's office and a busy square," he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with Pakistan. ||||| Militants stormed the national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday, triggering a gunfight as journalists remained trapped inside the building, officials and eyewitnesses said. No insurgent group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack in Nangarhar province, a hotbed of Islamic State jihadists, where the US military dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb last month in an unprecedented attack. "Three gunmen entered the RTA (Radio Television Afghanistan) building this morning," government spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told AFP. "Two of them have been killed and one is still resisting." An RTA photographer said he fled the building as soon as the gunfight erupted, but some of his colleagues were still stuck inside. An AFP reporter near the scene of the attack also heard two explosions. Islamic State insurgents are active in Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital. The US military last month dropped the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb -- dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs" -- on IS positions in Nangarhar, killing dozens of jihadists. The unprecedented attack triggered global shock waves, with some condemning the use of Afghanistan as what they called a testing ground for the weapon, and against a militant group that is not considered as big a threat as the resurgent Taliban. According to the US Forces-Afghanistan, defections and recent battlefield losses have reduced the local IS presence from a peak of as many as 3,000 fighters to a maximum of 800. The Pentagon has reportedly asked the White House to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan to break the deadlocked fight against the Taliban. US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400 today, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, who also mainly serve in an advisory capacity -- a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago. Wednesday's attack marks the latest militant assault on an Afghan media organisation. Afghanistan suffered its deadliest year on record for journalists in 2016, according to the Afghan Journalists' Safety Committee (AJSC), adding that the country is the second most dangerous for reporters in the world after Syria. As least 13 journalists were killed last year, AJSC said, claiming that the Taliban was behind at least ten of the deaths. In January last year, seven employees of popular TV channel Tolo, which is often critical of the insurgents, were killed in a Taliban suicide bombing in Kabul in what the militant group said was revenge for "spreading propaganda" against them. It was the first major attack on an Afghan media organisation since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001 and spotlighted the dangers faced by media workers in Afghanistan as the security situation worsens amid a growing wave of militant attacks. ||||| At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with At least three gunmen wearing suicide vests have attacked a national television and radio station in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, police have told Al Jazeera. The attackers entered Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA) on Wednesday and engaged in a gun battle with security forces. Two of them detonated their vests and at least one remains at large, police said. “So far, there have been two people and six wounded, including journalists,” Al Jazeera’s John Hendren, reporting from Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, said. “The fight could go on for some time because this is in a central part of Jalalabad, right next to the provincial governor’s office and a busy square,” he added. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Jalalabad is the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, on the eastern border with Pakistan.(Al Jazeera) ||||| JALALABAD, Afghanistan The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an Afghan state television station on Wednesday that killed at least six people as well as the attackers and wounded 24.The attack, in the eastern city of Jalalabad, was the latest in a series on Afghan journalists and media in recent years. It came just over a week after it was confirmed that the leader of Islamic State in Afghanistan had been killed in a U.S. drone strike.Islamic State, or Daesh as it is generally known in Afghanistan, has established a stronghold in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, of which Jalalabad is capital, where it fights both the Taliban and Afghan government forces. The raid on the RTA state broadcaster was carried out by four attackers, one of whom had detonated a suicide bomb at the entrance to the compound, said provincial governor Gulab Mangal.As the attack unfolded, heavy gunfire could be heard from around the RTA building, which is close to the governor's compound "Islamic State fighters are currently carrying out an attack inside the state broadcasting building in the city of Jalalabad," the movement's AMAQ news agency said in a statement on instant messaging service Telegram. The three others were killed by security forces in the gun battle.Among the dead were four RTA employees, including a driver, a guard, and two technical personnel, as well as two policemen, according to Mangal. Seventeen civilians and seven members of the security forces were wounded, he added.The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee condemned the attack and said it was a violation of the rules of war that protect media as civilians. The Taliban, who also have a strong presence in the region, denied responsibility.Islamic State has recently been hit hard by U.S. air strikes and special forces operations.The head of Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abdul Hassib, was reported this month to have been killed in a joint Afghan-U.S. operation in Nangarhar at the end of April. Islamic State has also claimed responsibility for a series of high-profile attacks in the capital, Kabul, including one in March on Afghanistan's largest military hospital. (Additional reporting by Mohamed el Sherif in CAIRO; writing by James Mackenzie; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. | Four militants attack a state television building in Jalalabad, killing at least six people. The militants are also killed after engaging with Afghan police. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters injured outside Turkish embassy in Washington The US has summoned the Turkish ambassador after violence erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel in Washington on Tuesday. Ambassador Serdar Kılıç met Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon on Wednesday, officials tell the BBC. Eleven people were injured outside the Turkish ambassador's residence during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit. Video footage of the clash on Tuesday showed men in suits charging past police to kick and punch protesters. Washington police called the violence a "brutal attack on peaceful protesters". But the Turkish embassy said the demonstrators had aggressively provoked Turkish-Americans gathering to greet the president, and they in turn had responded in self-defence. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused senior US diplomat Brett McGurk of backing Kurdish militants and said he should be sent home. He said on Thursday that Mr McGurk, the US envoy to the coalition against so-called Islamic State (IS), was "definitely" supporting a Kurdish militant group, the Popular Protection Units (YPG), in Syria, as well as a Kurdish separatist group in Turkey, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Turkey sees the YPG as a terrorist group linked to the PKK, which has been fighting inside Turkey since the 1980s. Last week Mr Trump said he would arm the Syrian Kurds in the fight against IS. Tensions have been high since the violent scuffle outside the Turkish ambassador's residence. The incident drew an outcry among US lawmakers. Senator John McCain on Thursday called for the envoy to be expelled. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Trump and Erdogan met at the White House earlier that day "We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America..." he told MSNBC's Morning Joe programme on Thursday. "This kind of thing cannot go un-responded to diplomatically." Democratic senator Claire McCaskill said she agreed with her Republican colleague, tweeting: "Unacceptable. They were assaulting these people on US soil. Turkish Ambassador should be kicked out of country." Earlier this week the State Department released a statement saying it was "concerned by the violent incidents" and confirmed Turkish security guards were involved. Mr Erdogan, who met President Donald Trump earlier in the day, was visiting the Turkish ambassador's residence when the scuffle broke out. Washington's Metropolitan Police Department said it had arrested two US residents, Ayten Necmi, 49, and Jalal Kheirabadi, 42, over the incident. It was unclear if they were members of Mr Erdogan's security or protesters. Police Chief Peter Newsham said on Wednesday the violence was "not something we tolerate in our city". Several of Mr Erdogan's security personnel, he added, were armed with guns, which made the incident especially "dicey" for local police officers trying to keep protests peaceful. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce also sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging them to take action over the clashes. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said it was "an affront to DC values and our rights as Americans". ||||| What a week for investigative journalism. Since President Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the intrigue around possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia has swelled, culminating in the appointment of a special counsel to investigate the matter. But it's a series of bombshell scoops that have made the biggest splash day after day—exposing details of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's shady connections with Turkey, Trump's possible interference into the FBI's investigation of the 2016 campaign, the president's suggestion that the FBI throw journalists in jail, and a whole lot more. Trump has not been happy about this. "Look at the way I've been treated lately—especially by the media," the president said Wednesday. "No politician in history—and I say this with great surety—has been treated worse or more unfairly." And of course, in typical Trump fashion, he's been tweeting about it, too. Here's an overview of some of the great journalism that's been getting under Trump's skin this week: "Trump Revealed Highly Classified Information to Russian Foreign Minister and Ambassador" The Washington Post dropped the first bomb with a report that the president shared highly classified information with the Russian foreign minister and ambassador, a move intelligence experts worry will discourage a key ally from sharing more information with the United States. The ally in question—later revealed, in another scoop, to be Israel—has insight into the inner workings of the Islamic State and did not give the United States permission to share the information. Trump "revealed more information to the Russian ambassador than we have shared with our own allies," a US official with knowledge of the matter told the Post. "Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation" "I hope you can let this go," Trump told Comey in an effort to get him to drop the investigation into Flynn. That's according to a New York Times report based on a memo Comey wrote shortly after that meeting in February. An associate of the former FBI director also said Trump told Comey he should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information. "Trump Team Knew Flynn Was Under Investigation Before He Came to White House" Flynn secretly worked as lobbyist for the Turkish government during the Trump campaign and was under investigation by the Department of Justice. This week, the New York Times reported that the Trump team actually knew this before Flynn started working in the White House and offered him the job of national security adviser anyway. "Flynn Stopped Military Plan Turkey Opposed—After Being Paid as Its Agent" After being paid more than $500,000 to represent the interests of Turkey, Flynn moved to halt a military operation opposed by Turkey, according to McClatchy. The Obama administration's plan to retake the Islamic State's de-facto capital of Raqqa had been in the works for seven months and involved action strongly opposed by Turkey: cooperating with and arming Kurdish forces, who are considered one of the United States' most effective allies in combating ISIS. "As Investigators Circled Flynn, He Got a Message From Trump: Stay Strong" On the same day in April that House Oversight Committee leaders announced that Flynn may have broken the law for not disclosing a $34,000 payment from RT, a television network intelligence officials describe as a Russian propaganda outlet, Trump sent the former national security adviser a message to "stay strong," according to Yahoo News. The continued contact between the two men after Flynn was fired raises additional concerns about the president's reported request to Comey to drop the FBI's investigation into Flynn. "Trump Campaign Had At Least 18 Undisclosed Contacts With Russians" During the last seven months of the 2016 campaign, Trump's team had at least 18 contacts with Russia officials and other people with ties to the Kremlin that were not previously disclosed, according to Reuters. Those contacts are being reviewed by the FBI and congressional probes into whether Trump's team colluded with Russia. Reuters' sources say the communications reviewed so far don't show any evidence of wrongdoing. Six of the 18 contacts involved Russia ambassador Sergey Kislyak and Trump advisers, including Flynn. House Majority Leader to Colleagues in 2016: 'I Think Putin Pays' Trump" House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told top Republicans that he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin "pays" Trump, in a private conversation last year, according to the Washington Post. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) then jumped in to end that discussion and urge the group to keep it private, as captured in a recording of the conversation verified by the paper. "No leaks, alright?" Ryan said. "This is how we know we're a real family here." A spokesman for Ryan first claimed the exchange never took place and then called it "an attempt at humor." ||||| Have another. You thought you might actually make it through a day without a fresh revelation concerning the Trump team, didn’t you? We almost made it, but the New York Times reported Wednesday night that the president’s transition team knew weeks before the inauguration that Michael Flynn was under federal investigation for secretly working as a paid lobbyist for Turkey during the campaign. Flynn reportedly told current White House counsel Donald F. McGahn II about the investigation on Jan. 4, and “despite this warning, which came about a month after the Justice Department notified Mr. Flynn of the inquiry, Mr. Trump made Mr. Flynn his national security adviser. The job gave Mr. Flynn access to the president and nearly every secret held by American intelligence agencies.” And don’t forget. While he was advising then-candidate Trump during the presidential campaign, Flynn was also being paid $500,000 by a businessman with close ties to the Turkish government to represent Turkish interests in Washington. But Flynn neglected to register as a foreign agent until March of this year, a month after he was fired by president Trump for lying to VP Mike Pence over his conversations with the Russian ambassador before the inauguration. Just before Trump’s swearing-in, Obama’s national security advisor Susan Rice briefed Flynn on a plan to arm Kurdish YPG fighters in northern Syria in preparation for their assault on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa. The move was certain to enrage the Turks, who consider the YPG a terrorist group. Flynn told Rice to hold off on the plan, and Trump would make the call. It’s unclear if Flynn’s lobbying relationship had any influence over his decision-making. Just this month, the Trump administration decided to go with the Obama plan, after all, as FP reported first. More more more. And on Thursday morning, Reuters dropped a report that Flynn and other Trump advisers “were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the 2016 presidential race.” The interactions — which are not in themselves illegal — are being reviewed by FBI and congressional investigators looking into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election and contacts between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Of note, however: “six of the previously undisclosed contacts described to Reuters were phone calls between Sergei Kislyak, Russia’s ambassador to the United States, and Trump advisers, including Flynn.” The report notes that the frequency of the contacts were what has raised red flags. Naming names. On Wednesday, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named former FBI director Robert Mueller as special counsel to lead the investigation into whether there was any coordination between the Trump administration and Russian government officials. The White House was informed of the decision just 30 minutes before the public announcement was made, when Rosenstein called White House Counsel Donald McGahn at 5:30 p.m. Ankara still unhappy. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Thursday he wanted Brett McGurk, the U.S. special envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, to be kicked to the curb. McGurk, “is definitely and clearly giving support to the PKK and YPG,” he said. The U.S. sides with Turkey in labeling the Kurdish PKK a terrorist group, but disagrees with the Turkish view that the YPG should also be slapped with the label. “It would be beneficial if this person is changed,” Cavusoglu said. McGurk was appointed by president Obama to lead the diplomatic side of the fight against ISIS, and was kept on by the Trump administration. Trump keeps Iran deal alive. The Trump administration said Wednesday it will renew sanctions relief for Iran promised under a 2015 nuclear deal but also announced new punitive measures against Iranian officials over the country’s ballistic missile program. “The moves indicated that while President Donald Trump was not ready to openly jettison the international nuclear agreement with Iran, he was keen to display a tougher line over Tehran’s actions across the region,” FP’s Dan De Luce reports. The sanctions include two Iranian defense officials and a China-based network the U.S. says has supported Iran’s ballistic missile program, the Wall Street Journal reports. A U.S.official said the U.S. had notified China of the pending sanctions. More from the Journal: “One Iranian defense official who is sanctioned facilitated the sale of explosives and provided other support to Syria, the official said. Another is the director of an Iranian organization that is responsible for the Iranian regime’s ballistic missile program.” Road warrior. Trump leaves Friday for an eight-day international swing that few — including the president and his advisors — appear to be looking forward to. “In private, Mr. Trump’s advisers acknowledge that they are concerned about his off-script eruptions, his tendency to be swayed by flattery and the possibility that foreign leaders may present him with situations he doesn’t know how to handle. They worry he will accidentally commit the United States to something unexpected, and they have tried to caution him about various scenarios,” the New York Times reports. Trump has been intermittently meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, national security adviser H.R. McMaster, deputy national security adviser Dina Powell and senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner to prep. But it’s sometimes hard to retain his attention, according to multiple reports. The president skims reports quickly, and according to Reuters, “National Security Council officials have strategically included Trump’s name in ‘as many paragraphs as we can because he keeps reading if he’s mentioned,’” according to one official. Welcome to SitRep. Send any tips, thoughts or national security events to paul.mcleary@foreignpolicy.com or via Twitter: @paulmcleary or @arawnsley. Tapes. The Washington Post has access to a secret recording of House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from June of 2016 telling House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) and other Republican Congressmen that he thinks then candidate Donald Trump is one of two Republican Congressmen paid by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ryan swore the assembled representatives to secrecy following McCarthy’s statement, saying “No leaks…This is how we know we’re a real family here,” according to a transcript of the conversation. Ryan’s spokesman Brendan Buck initially denied to the Post that the conversation had taken place, but then said that the McCarthy’s comments about Trump had been made in jest once the paper informed him it had access to an audio recording. WiFi. Be careful what you send over the WiFi at Trump’s private club in Florida. Intrepid reporters at ProPublica decided to test the security of the network at Mar-a-Lago by renting a boat, packing up a long range antenna, and loitering just in range of President Trump’s Florida club, and checking to see what kind of encryption the WiFi network offers. Turns out that the club which Trump likes to call the “Southern White House” employs a weak encryption option which hackers can crack with basic, off-the-shelf free tools. Violence. The U.S. is condemning the brawl that took place outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence, expressing its “concern” to the Turkish government “in the strongest possible terms,” according to Reuters. Turkish security officials and supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan broke through Washington, D.C. police lines, beating anti-Erdogan protesters assembled outside the ambassador’s residence on Embassy Row. D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham called the incident a “brutal attack” on protesters and that his department was working to identify assailants. Towards that end, Bellingcat, the open source investigative news outlet, has a breakdown of imagery from the incident identifying individual officials involved in carrying out the violence. We’re from the U.S. government, and we’re here to help. In a move that almost perfectly encapsulates the American Way of War, the Pentagon is preparing to send 159 Black Hawk helicopters to the Afghan armed forces, despite the fact that the Afghans don’t know how to fly them, don’t have the capacity to repair or maintain them, and the birds might not be the best fit for the hot, high-altitude environment. The Military Times tell us. Even better: the choppers — slated to replace the aging Russian helicopters the Afghans currently fly — might not even arrive for another two years. Talks. The Taliban is ruling out the possibility of a negotiated settlement to the war in Afghanistan, RFE/RL reports. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that a peace deal with the Afghan government is “contrary to the national aspirations of millions of martyrs,” and against Islam. Mujahid also pushed back on reports that officials from warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Hezb-i-Islami faction, which recently signed a peace deal of its own with the government in Kabul, were in talks with Taliban members amenable to a settlement. ||||| Arziona Sen. John McCain said Tuesday night that scandals now engulfing President Donald Trump are of "Watergate size and scale," invoking the scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon. "I think we've seen this movie before," McCain said at a Washington, D.C., event honoring his commitment to freedom. Daily Beast reporter Tim Mak, who was covering the event, reported that McCain told moderator Bob Schieffer, the former host of CBS' "Face the Nation," what advice he would give Trump: "The same thing that you advised Richard Nixon, which he didn't do… get it all out … it's not going to be over until every aspect of it is thoroughly examined and the American people make a judgment. And the longer you delay, the longer it's going to last." McCain's comments go further than any other congressional Republican in describing the potential scope of Trump scandals. He spoke just hours after the New York Times reported on a memo from former FBI director James Comey that said President Trump had asked him to "shut down" a federal investigation of Michael Flynn, the president's former national security adviser. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake posted a seven-word tweet Tuesday evening: "Congress needs to see the Comey memo." Other Republican members of Arizona's congressional delegation have remained silent on the Comey memo. "This is obstruction of justice," Democratic Rep. Raul Grijvalva, of Tucson, said in a phone interview. "When you fundamentally ignore the rule of law and obstruct justice, this has to be investigated and those legal consequences need to be pursued." Grijalva and others suggested the need for a special independent prosecutor. "This is not about Trump - this is about democracy and the rule of law," said Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego, of Phoenix. "The Republicans, by holding back, are essentially aiding in this obstruction of justice. History is not going to look upon them very well." "The American people deserve to be able to trust their President," Democratic Rep. Tom O'Halleran, of Sedona, said in a prepared statement. "It is deeply troubling and would be a breach of that trust if the reports are accurate." Democratic Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema suggested in a tweet that possible "next steps" could include a public hearing and access to Comey's memos. Republican Representatives Martha McSally of Tucson; Trent Franks of Glendale; David Schweikert of Scottsdale; Paul Gosar of Flagstaff; and Andy Biggs of Gilbert did not respond to emails seeking comment. ||||| WASHINGTON — Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kılıç was summoned to the State Department on Wednesday following the violent beating of protesters that took place outside of the Turkish embassy in Washington earlier this week, a senior State Department official told CNN. “The conduct of Turkish security personnel earlier this week is deeply disturbing,” the official said. “The State Department has raised its concerns about these events at the highest levels and a thorough investigation that will allow us to hold the responsible individuals accountable is of the utmost importance to us.” The official also confirmed that two members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail “were briefly detained during the altercations and subsequently released” and returned to Turkey with Erdogan. “Customary international law affords heads of state and members of their entourage with inviolability from arrest and detention,” the official said. “The United States recognizes this inviolability, which provides reciprocal protection for the United States abroad.” Several lawmakers have joined a growing chorus of voices demanding action in the wake of the bloody brawl that sent nine to the hospital on Tuesday — just hours after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House. Arizona Sen. John McCain, the Republican chairman of the armed services committee, called for the Turkish ambassador to the US to be thrown out of the country on Thursday. “We should throw the Turkish ambassador out of the country, we should identify those people that performed these unlawful acts of beating people up and they should be charged,” McCain told reporters. McCain and his Democratic colleague Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California also wrote a letter to Erdogan condemning the violence. The State Department told CNN on Thursday that it is “working closely with the local authorities concerning this incident,” but declined further comment as the investigation is ongoing. The Turkish embassy claimed the groups that assembled were “affiliated with the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party)” without permission and “began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President,” according to a statement released late Wednesday. “The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense,” the statement from the Turkish embassy said. “We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur.” ||||| "We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America," McCain, who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC. "This kind of thing can not go unresponded to diplomatically," he said, adding that legal action could be pursued. "This isn't Turkey, this isn't a third world country." US officials expressed outrage after what they described as a "brutal attack" Tuesday by Erdogan bodyguards on a small group of pro-Kurdish protesters who gathered on the US capital's "Embassy Row" after Erdogan met with President Donald Trump at the White House. Close-up footage shared on social media showed Turkish officials dressed in suits beating and punching people in the crowd and, in at least one case, kicking out at a woman splayed on the ground. Washington Police Chief Peter Newsham said 11 people and one police officer were injured. Two people were arrested. The Turkish Embassy on Thursday released a statement on the violence. It made no mention of Turkish security personnel, and blamed the unrest on demonstrators supporting the PKK, a group "which the US and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organisation." "The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the president," the embassy said. "The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense and one of them was seriously injured." McCain laid blame directly at the feet of Turkish officials. "This is Erdogan's security detail. Somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators," he said. "I think it should have repercussions, including identifying these people and bringing charges against them. After all they violated American laws." Republican senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Marco Rubio issued a statement denouncing the violence and demanding an immediate apology from the Turkish government. ||||| Republican Senator John McCain told MSNBC that the Turkish Ambassador to the US should be kicked out of the country following the attack by the personal bodyguards of visiting Turkish President Recep Erdogan in Washington against Kurdish protesters in front of the Embassy. Mr. McCain tweeted: “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior”. During his interview on MSNBC the Senator said that the incident warranted a response by the US diplomacy, saying “We should the Ambassador to the United States the hell out of here”. He added that legal action could be taken to identify the attackers and punish them. According to Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, Turkish Ambassador to the US Serdar Kilic was summoned by the US State Department to explain the attacks. Two people were arrested and 11 were injured in protests outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence amid President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit. Video footage of the clash on Tuesday showed men in suits charging past police to kick and punch protesters. Police called the violence a “brutal attack on peaceful protesters”. But the Turkish Embassy said the demonstrators were aggressively provoking Turkish-Americans who had gathered to greet the president, and they in turn responded in self-defence. ||||| Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kiliç was called in to the State Department to meet with U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon hours after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s guards violently entered a crowd of protesters, U.S. officials said Thursday. “We can confirm that Ambassador Kilic was summoned to the State Department and met with Under Secretary Shannon on Wednesday,” a State Department official told NBC News. And new video revealed Thursday shows Erdogan — who hours earlier had met with President Donald Trump — watching the fracas from his car outside the Turkish embassy. Before it begins, a guard bends to speak to the Turkish president. That guard talks to another man who then begins the fight. Initial video only showed the bodyguards charging the protesters and the bloody aftermath. The State Department confirmed that two members of the Turkish security team were briefly detained after the brawl, and then released. International law protects heads of state and members of their entourage from arrest. Nine were hurt and two Kurdish protesters were arrested, police said on Wednesday. The Turkish government placed the blame at the feet of the protesters, claiming that they were affiliated with “terrorist” groups. “The violence and injuries were the result of this unpermitted, provocative demonstration,” read a statement from the Turkish embassy on Wednesday. “We hope that, in the future, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that similar provocative actions causing harm and violence do not occur.” They did not provide any evidence to support their assertion of the protester’s ties. U.S. government officials have been roundly critical of the guard’s actions. The initial response from the State Department condemned the violence. “Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Wednesday Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and John McCain, R-Arizona, sent a sharply worded letter to Erdogan on Thursday that demanded he punish his bodyguards and noted that it reflected his government’s oppressive tactics. Violent clashes broke out between protesters and supporters of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington. VOA “The violent response of your security detail to peaceful protesters is wholly unacceptable and, unfortunately, reflective of your government’s treatment of the press, ethnic minority groups and political opponents,” the letter said. Earlier in the day, McCain was slightly less diplomatic in an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, saying, “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.” This is not the first time that Erdogan’s entourage has been embroiled in a physical fight with protesters on U.S. soil. His security detail scuffled with demonstrators as well as members of the press outside the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. in March 2016. “The actions of your staff violate the constitutional protections of freedom of the press and freedom of assembly enjoyed by all Americans,” Feinstein and McCain wrote in Thursday’s letter. “Your staff’s blatant violation of these rights on American soil is an affront to those freedoms and reflects poorly on your government.” ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Top congressional Republicans are demanding the Trump administration take swift and severe action against the Turkish government in response to violence involving members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail, with one saying the U.S. “should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.” Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, expressed outrage Thursday at video that appears to show Erdogan’s bodyguards violently breaking up a protest earlier this week outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington. “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America,” said McCain on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” McCain said “this kind of thing cannot go un-responded to diplomatically.” He suggested that lawsuits should be filed if the responsible bodyguards can be identified. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said he wants “people prosecuted.” “If there were any Turkish Embassy officials involved in beating up these protesters, I will call for them to be removed from the country,” said Graham, the GOP chairman of the Senate subcommittee that controls the foreign affairs budget. A congressional aide told The Associated Press that two members of Erdogan’s security detail were detained on the scene Tuesday by diplomatic security agents. But the guards quickly claimed diplomatic immunity, and were released after diplomatic security consulted with counsel. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity to discuss the situation. The State Department said Wednesday that “violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest.” The remarks from Graham and McCain come after Rep. Ed Royce of California, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the Trump administration to investigate whether criminal charges are warranted against any of the bodyguards. Royce detailed his request for an inquiry in a letter sent Wednesday to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions. He wrote that bodyguards with Erdogan on his official state visit to Washington “viciously beat multiple individuals, throwing them to the ground and kicking them in the head.” The incident occurred after Erdogan arrived after a White House meeting with President Donald Trump. Video shows people pushing past police to confront a small group of protesters across the street in Sheridan Circle. Attacking the small group of protesters with their fists and feet, men in dark suits and others were recorded repeatedly kicking one woman as she lay curled on a sidewalk. Another person wrenches a woman’s neck and throws her to the ground. A man with a bullhorn is repeatedly kicked in the face. In all, nine people were hurt. Several other Senate Republicans, including Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, called on the Turkish government to immediately apologize for the violence. In a statement, the Turkish Embassy blamed the violence on the demonstrators, saying they were “aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the president. The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense and one of them was seriously injured.” Tensions between Washington and Istanbul are running high after the Trump administration announced plans to arm Kurdish Syrian militants fighting the Islamic State group despite intense opposition from Turkey, which considers the Kurds as terrorists. The decision is meant to accelerate the operation to recapture the key Islamic State group stronghold of Raqqa. But Erdogan’s government views the Syrian Kurdish group known as the YPG as an extension of a Kurdish terrorist organization that operates in Turkey. But Trump and his national security team say the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, is the most effective battlefield partner against the Islamic State in northern and eastern Syria. ||||| Group of GOP Senator Joins Chorus of Condemnation over Brutal Attack of Protesters WASHINGTON—Senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday urged the expulsion of Turkey’s U.S. ambassador after pro-Turkish groups brutally attacked protesters during Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s recent visit to DC. It was later revealed that members of Erdogan’s security team were involved in the bloody violence. “We should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America … This kind of thing cannot go unresponded to diplomatically,” McCain, the head of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC in an interview on Thursday, adding that legal action could also be pursued. McCain had earlier tweeted about the incident calling the attack “thuggish behavior. “This is the United States of America. We do not do this here. There is no excuse for this kind of thuggish behavior,” McCain added in his Twitter post. The U.S. State Department summoned the Turkish Ambassador in Washington Serdar Kılıç on May 17 after the attack outside the Turkish diplomatic mission, according to various sources, relaying their “strongest possible” concern over the event. Meanwhile, a group of Republican senators on Wednesday joined the chorus of condemnation of the brutal attack on demonstrators in Washington by Erdogan’s security team. “We strongly condemn the violence that took place yesterday outside the Turkish Embassy in Washington,” the Republican senators Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton and Mike Lee said in a statement. “Reports indicate that some Turkish officials were involved in assaulting protesters, which violates the most basic rules of democracy and is an affront to the United States and the value we place on the right to free speech, as embodied in our Constitution. We call upon the Turkish government to apologize immediately for the involvement of any officials,” the statement continued. “The Turkish government owes an apology; perhaps they forgot we have unalienable rights in this country,” Cardin tweeted. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce on Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging them to examine charges against those responsible. “Numerous news reports indicate these individuals were members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security detail who accompanied him on his official state visit this week. Alarmingly, this behavior is indicative of the broad crackdowns on political activists, journalists and religious freedom in Turkey that have greatly harmed Turkish democracy in recent years,” said Royce in his letter. Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee also voiced his strong condemnation of the attack, saying that while assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey, such acts do not have a place in the United States. “On Tuesday, President Trump hosted Turkish President Erdogan at the White House. Casting aside concerns about human rights abuses and the suppression of free speech in Turkey, President Trump lavished praise on this increasingly autocratic leader. President Trump’s embrace of Erdogan is another in the line of similarly warm embrace of autocrats around the globe,” Schiff wrote on Facebook. “Just hours after the meeting at the White House, Erdogan’s security detail violently assaulted Kurdish, Armenian, Ezidi and other peaceful protesters outside the Turkish Ambassador’s residence. While we’re still learning details about what occurred, disturbing videos show members of Erdogan’s security team turning on the protesters. The Administration has thus far been conspicuously silent on this incident, but it cannot go unanswered. There must be consequences for the individuals who attacked protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, and they should be identified and questioned before they leave the country,” added Schiff. “Assaults on freedom of speech, the press, and free assembly have become tragically commonplace in Erdogan’s Turkey. We must ensure that never becomes the case here at home,” said Schiff. On Thursday, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus, sent a letter to President Trump asking his administration to condemn the attacks by Turkish security forces on protesters at the Turkish embassy. “What is now needed is a clear signal from you that this type of behavior will not be tolerated, especially in light of your Administration’s support of the Erdogan regime. In the wake of a referendum last month that consolidated President Erdogan’s power – a result which was questioned by election observers in Turkey – and included intimidation and violence toward Erdogan opponents leading up to the vote, you personally called to congratulate President Erdogan. You have also been supportive of his efforts to suppress the Kurds in Turkey. You met personally with Mr. Erdogan on the same morning this abuse occurred, and according to media accounts, no mention was made of Erdogan’s human rights abuses,” Pallone told Trump in his letter. “Neither you nor your White House staff has made any comment about the attack. It needs to be made explicitly clear, from the highest level of our government, that bullying and brutality towards peaceful protesters will not be tolerated in this country – even from visiting heads of state. It also needs to be assured that your White House staff will comply fully with efforts to identify Turkish security forces who violated U.S. law, and allow justice to be pursued unfettered,” added Pallone. “Our Constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly and speech. Those rights cannot be trampled by an abusive foreign leader or his security personnel. I look forward to a more robust response from your Administration on this incident, and I thank you for your consideration,” concluded Pallone. Also on Thursday, California Republican congressman Jim Costa issued a statement regarding Tuesday’s brutal attack. “Given Turkey’s movement towards an authoritarian government, President Erdoğan’s visit with the President in the West Wing is unsettling. President Erdoğan’s recent elimination of individual freedoms and jailing members of the press should not be rewarded by a visit to the Oval Office,” said Costa. “To add injury to insult, it appears that a contingent of President Erdoğan’s security team unilaterally took violent action against peaceful demonstrators who were raising awareness of Turkey’s violations of human rights. The Turkish security guards clearly attacked the Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, and other human rights demonstrators, sending nine to the hospital,” added Costa. “Sadly, it appears that history may be repeating itself. Many of us in recent weeks have seen the movie “The Promise,” which is an accurate historical portrayal of the Armenian genocide that took place beginning in 1915 at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. In the movie, we witnessed the beginnings of these acts of atrocity with the depiction of young, Turkish men beating innocent people. As we know, modern-day Turkey has been unwilling as a country to acknowledge the genocide ever happened. We cannot allow Tuesday’s violent and illegal behavior by the Turkish security guards to go unaddressed,” stressed Costa. “The actions of the Turkish security guards are outrageous, and I condemn them. They violate both American law and deeply-held American values. The Turkish security guards must be held accountable. “Our American President should take appropriate diplomatic and legal action against these Turkish thugs for their violence towards the Armenian, Kurdish, Yezidi, and other human rights demonstrators. If he does so, I believe he will find overwhelming bipartisan support in the US Congress,” urged Costa. | The U.S. summons Turkish ambassador Serdar Kılıç after violence between protesters and Turkish security personnel outside the Embassy of Turkey, Washington, D.C. leaves over a dozen people injured. U.S. Senator John McCain calls on the Trump administration to expel the ambassador. |
U.S.-Turkey Dispute Over Washington Protest Heats Up A diplomatic dispute deepened when Turkey summoned the American ambassador in Ankara to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Monday, to protest "the aggressive and unprofessional actions taken" by American security personnel against Turkish security officers. It stems from a violent confrontation that broke out in front of the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., on May 17 — the same day Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was visiting President Trump at the White House. Video appears to show Erdogan's security forces pushing past D.C.'s Metropolitan Police officers and violently breaking up a group of protesters, knocking down some and repeatedly kicking them in the head. Around a dozen people were injured. D.C.'s police chief called it "a brutal attack on peaceful protesters." But now Turkey is requesting that "US authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation." The day after the incident, the Turkish Embassy blamed it on demonstrators, calling them, "groups affiliated with the PKK, which the U.S. and Turkey have designated as a terrorist organization." The embassy's statement goes on to say, "The demonstrators began aggressively provoking Turkish-American citizens who had peacefully assembled to greet the President. The Turkish-Americans responded in self-defense." The U.S. State Department took a different stand. It released a statement the same day, sharply condemning what happened and seemingly laying blame on Turkey: "Violence is never an appropriate response to free speech, and we support the rights of people everywhere to free expression and peaceful protest. We are communicating our concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms." The demonstration was arranged by pro-Kurdish and Armenian groups protesting a range of Erdogan policies. Under his rule, Turkey has seen a crackdown on freedom of expression, with dozens of media outlets shuttered and an array of judges, journalists and civil servants jailed following last summer's failed coup attempt. The New York Times reports that Turkey's summoning of Ambassador John Bass appears to be a tit-for-tat response to the State Department's summoning of the Turkish ambassador to Washington. The Turkish foreign ministry's statement closes by saying, "the lapses of security experienced during our President's stay in Washington, which were caused by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program, will not overshadow what in every other aspect was a very successful and important visit." ||||| (ANKARA, Turkey) — Turkey says it has summoned the U.S. ambassador in Ankara to protest what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by U.S. security personnel against Turkish bodyguards in Washington during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit last week. The move Monday appears to be in retaliation to calls in the United States for strong action against the Turkish security officers who were seen hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington during Erdogan's visit. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the U.S. ambassador was given a "written and verbal protest" against actions that is said were "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." It said it had requested that the U.S. authorities conduct "a full investigation of this diplomatic incident." ||||| Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's armed bodyguards beat up peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., apparently at Erdogan's direction. The State Department has since expressed its "concern to the Turkish government in the strongest possible terms" and on Thursday called in Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kiliç to meet with U.S. Under Secretary of State Thomas Shannon about the incident. Now Turkey is responding — by accusing United States personnel of "aggressive and unprofessional actions" against the bodyguards, The Associated Press reports. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it gave the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, John Bass, a "written and verbal protest" of actions that are "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices" and demanded a "full investigation of this diplomatic incident." Bass was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014. Eleven people were injured in the scuffle, including an American police officer and two Secret Service agents. On the other side, "Washington police said they arrested two people who live in the D.C. area — presumably protesters or pro-Erdogan demonstrators — but Erdogan's traveling security team enjoys diplomatic immunity, which means none will be held accountable for clearly criminal acts," the Los Angeles Times writes. Jeva Lange ||||| Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador on Monday to protest what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by American security personnel against Turkish bodyguards in Washington during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit last week. The action appeared to be in retaliation to calls in the U.S. for strong action against the Turkish security officers who were seen hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington during Erdogan's visit. A video shared on social media showed Erdogan watching the melee. Two Turkish bodyguards were briefly detained after the incident but later set free and returned to Turkey. The United States summoned the Turkish ambassador to raise concerns over the altercation, but President Donald Trump's administration is facing growing calls for a forceful response to the violence by Turkish security officials on American soil. The incident added to the already strained ties between the U.S. and Turkey — two NATO allies who are at odds over a U.S. policy to back Syrian Kurdish rebels fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey considers the fighters to be terrorists. A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said U.S. Ambassador John Bass was given a "written and verbal protest" over the treatment of two security officers that it said were "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." The statement said the two officers were part of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's security detail. The Turkish ministry said it had requested that the U.S. authorities conduct "a full investigation of this diplomatic incident." Just after news broke that he had been summoned, Ambassador Bass was at the airport in Ankara, where he greeted U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley as she arrived on a previously scheduled trip. Last week's incident wasn't the first time violence accompanied a visit by a Turkish leader to the U.S. Last year, a similar fight erupted outside a nuclear security summit in Washington, attended by Erdogan. ||||| Turkey summoned the American ambassador on Monday to protest what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by American security personnel against Turkish bodyguards during a violent incident last week in Washington. The U.S. ambassador told Turkey's government its guards violated U.S. laws, a senior U.S. official said. Turkey's action appeared to represent retaliation for the forceful U.S. criticism of the Turkish guards' behavior in the American capital, where they accompanied President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his visit. The U.S. summoned Turkey's U.S. ambassador last week after the Turkish security officers were seen hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence; one video shared on social media even showed Erdogan watching the melee. Turkey didn't specify the actions by U.S. security officials it deemed inappropriate. Video from the scene had showed U.S. police struggling to protect protesters, and two Turkish bodyguards were briefly detained after the incident. They were then set free and returned to Turkey. In the meeting with Turkey's Foreign Ministry in Ankara, U.S. Ambassador John Bass said the security personnel's behavior contradicted U.S. laws and protected speech and assembly rights, according to a senior U.S. State Department official. Bass and the Turkish officials disagreed about what prompted the outbreak of violence, said the official, who demanded anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations. The official said Bass told the Turks the U.S. was looking into what happened and why — an apparent nod to Turkey's demand for "a full investigation of this diplomatic incident." Pressure has been mounting on the Trump administration not to let the violence on U.S. soil go unpunished. Last week's incident wasn't the first such case during an Erdogan visit. Last year, a similar scuffle erupted outside a nuclear security summit that Erdogan attended in Washington. A pair of senators who oversee the U.S. foreign aid budget added to the pressure with a letter to Turkey's ambassador warning there could be fiscal repercussions if Ankara fails to punish the bodyguards responsible. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Patrick Leahy D-Vt., said in a letter released Monday that there could be "potential implications for assistance to Turkey" if the unseemly incident isn't taken seriously by Ankara. And a group of nearly 30 Democratic lawmakers led by Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York wrote Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday demanding that the Turkish guards be "arrested, prosecuted and jailed." The prospect of arrest is unlikely — many of them have already returned to Turkey, immunity for those posted in the U.S. is an issue, and the countries are already in an unrelated spat over extradition. The Democrats also faulted Tillerson for what they suggested was his failure to speak out loudly against the Turkish actions. "This kind of behavior by a foreign security detail is reprehensible and cannot be tolerated," they wrote. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert confirmed that Bass had been summoned to discuss the situation with the Turks and called the conduct of the Turkish guards "deeply disturbing." "The State Department has raised its concerns about those events at the highest levels," Nauert said. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that a formal, written protest was delivered to Bass, describing the treatment of its two security officers as "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." Although earlier reports suggested the detained officers had been Erdogan's guards, the statement said they were part of Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's security detail. Cavusoglu traveled with Erdogan. The fracas has added to already strained U.S.-Turkish ties. The NATO allies have publicly clashed over a U.S. decision to arm Syrian Kurdish rebels fighting the Islamic State group in Syria. Turkey considers the fighters to be an extension the Kurdish insurgency in Turkey known as the PKK, and claims without evidence that protesters who showed up during Erdogan's visit to Washington last week were themselves associated with the PKK. Shortly after news broke that he had been summoned, Bass was at the airport in Ankara to greet U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley as she arrived on a previously scheduled trip. Bass joined the visiting diplomat as her motorcade ferried Haley to an Ankara hotel. It wasn't clear if Haley would broach the subject in any meetings with Turkish officials. Associated Press writer Richard Lardner in Washington contributed to this report. ||||| Turkey summons US ambassador to protest violence during Erdogan visit to Washington Turkey has summoned the US ambassador to protest the "aggressive and unprofessional" treatment of Turkish security officials in Washington during a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week, the Foreign Ministry said. A brawl erupted between protesters and Turkish security personnel outside the Turkish ambassador's residence during Mr Erdogan's visit to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. Turkey blamed the violence on demonstrators linked to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) while Washington's police chief described the incident as a "brutal attack" on peaceful protesters by the security officials. The US State Department said in a statement the conduct of Turkish security personnel during the incident was "deeply disturbing" — it confirmed the US ambassador in Ankara had been summoned by the Turkish Government to discuss the "violent incidents". The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it summoned the US ambassador to protest "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by US security personnel to the security team of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. It said that lapses of security experienced during Mr Erdogan's stay in Washington were caused "by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program", adding that incidents would not overshadow what was otherwise a "very successful" visit. Police have said 11 people were injured, including a Washington police officer, and two people were arrested for assault. At least one of those arrested was a protester. Washington said last week it was voicing its strongest possible concern to Turkey over the brawl, while US senator John McCain, one of the leading foreign policy voices in Congress, on Thursday called for the expulsion of Turkey's US ambassador. ||||| Supporters Recep Tayyip Erdogan rally during meetings between Erdogan and US President Trump,at the White House. (AAP) Turkey summoned the US ambassador on Monday to protest "aggressive behaviour" by American security personnel and "security lapses" during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Washington last week. The key Israeli visit was marred by bloody clashes that took place outside the Turkish ambassador's residence after Erdogan met American counterpart Donald Trump. US officials and police have blamed Erdogan's bodyguards for the incident, accusing them of attacking a small group of pro-Kurdish protesters gathered outside the building and the incident ignited a storm of controversy. Witnesses at the scene last week confirmed this account to AFP, and on Monday the US State Department did not back down in the face of Turkey's complaint. "We can confirm the Turkish foreign ministry convoked our ambassador to Turkey to discuss the violent incidents involving protestors and Turkish security personnel on May 16," spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. "As we noted previously, the conduct of Turkish security personnel last week was deeply disturbing. The State Department has raised its concerns about those events at the highest levels," she added. Turkey blamed the violence on supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who picked on pro-Erdogan US-based Turks. The Turkish ministry summoned John Bass, American ambassador in Ankara, to deliver a "written and verbal protest" over "the aggressive and unprofessional actions taken." The ministry accused US security personnel of acting "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices... towards the close protection team" of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in front of the Turkish embassy chancery in Washington. "It has been formally requested that the US authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation," it added. 'Brutal attack': US anger after Erdogan guards beat protesters in Washington US officials expressed outrage after a 'brutal attack' on protesters by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's bodyguards cast a dark pall over his visit to Washington. The ministry said it told Bass there were "lapses of security" during Erdogan's stay. It hit out at "the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official programme." However, the ministry said it emphasised to Bass that this would not overshadow an otherwise "successful and important visit". US Senator John McCain said that the Turkish ambassador should be thrown "the hell out of the United States of America" after the fighting. "This is Erdogan's security detail. Somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators," McCain said Thursday. ||||| ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey summoned the U.S. ambassador in Ankara to protest what it called "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by U.S. security personnel against Turkish bodyguards in Washington during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit last week. The move Monday appears to be in retaliation to calls in the United States for strong action against the Turkish security officers who were seen hitting and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington during Erdogan's visit. "It has been formally requested that the U.S. authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation," the Turkish embassy stated in a press release. "During the meeting with the Ambassador, it was emphasized that the lapses of security experienced during our President's stay in Washington, which were caused by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program, will not overshadow what in every other aspect was a very successful and important visit." The Turkish Foreign Ministry said the U.S. ambassador was given a "written and verbal protest" against actions that is said were "contrary to diplomatic rules and practices." The State Department has not responded to a request for comment. ||||| Nevermind the videos of Turkish security officers in Washington stomping protesters. The country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs now says the real problem with last week's shocking brawl outside the Turkish Embassy was U.S. law enforcement's actions. The government on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador in Ankara and delivered a "written and verbal protest" over what it called the "aggressive and [unprofessional] actions taken ... by US security personnel" toward the "close protection team" in D.C. last week. That sound you hear is the gasping of U.S. lawmakers -- already outraged over Turkish bodyguards' violence toward demonstrators in a normally serene Washington neighorhood. “This is really rich," Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., told Fox News on Monday, in response to the Ministry statement. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted, “Can’t make it up…” in reference to the ambassador summons. The Turkish government's attempt to shift blame comes after their bodyguards were captured on video hitting and kicking protesters in D.C., as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan looked on from afar. The ministry is now requesting a "full investigation of this diplomatic incident," citing "lapses of security" during Erdogan's stay in Washington allegedly "caused by the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official program." But U.S. lawmakers say that's hardly the case. "D.C. Police intervened when Erdogan’s security thugs attacked Americans peacefully exercising their first amendment rights outside the Turkish Embassy," Lofgren said. Lofgren referred to video from the scene that showed U.S. officers struggling to protect protesters. Lofgren added: “The security thugs should not have been released from jail as they were clearly a flight risk. They should be charged with assault and arrested if they ever try to enter the U.S. again.” Lofgren also criticized President Trump, who is on his first overseas trip as commander-in-chief, for not directly addressing the incident, though his State Department has condemned the violence. The latest statement from the Turkish government could inflame an already tense situation, as multiple lawmakers have called on the Trump administration to punish Turkey severely. McCain suggested last week that “we should throw their ambassador the hell out of the United States of America.” And Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., warned the Turkish government there could be financial consequences if they failed to punish the security officials involved in the incident. Graham and Leahy, who oversee the U.S. foreign aid budget, sent a letter on May 18 to the Turkish ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Killic warning there could be “potential implications for assistance to Turkey should this matter be given less than the highest attention and consideration it deserves by the Government of Turkey.” The State Department confirmed on Monday that the Turkish government summoned U.S. Ambassador John Bass to the Foreign Ministry. “The conduct of Turkish security personnel last week was deeply disturbing,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. “The State Department has raised its concerns about those events at the highest levels.” Turkey is now claiming the protesters were associated with the PKK. But D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham said earlier the violence appeared to be unprovoked. The U.S. Secret Service announced last week it is investigating the brawl, which sent nine people to the hospital. D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department also told Fox News on Monday that the investigation “remains active” and is being conducted jointly by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Secret Service, and MPD. MPD added: “All three law enforcement agencies are actively sharing information and will remain in contact as the investigation proceeds.” Brooke Singman is a Reporter for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @brookefoxnews. ||||| Turkey summons US envoy over ‘security lapses’ in Erdogan visit Turkey summoned the US ambassador on Monday to protest “aggressive behaviour” by American security personnel and “security lapses” during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Washington last week. The key visit was marred by bloody clashes that took place outside the Turkish ambassador’s residence after Erdogan met American counterpart Donald Trump. US officials and police have blamed Erdogan’s bodyguards for the incident, accusing them of attacking a small group of pro-Kurdish protesters gathered outside the building and the incident ignited a storm of controversy. Witnesses at the scene last week confirmed this account to AFP, and on Monday the US State Department did not back down in the face of Turkey’s complaint. “We can confirm the Turkish foreign ministry convoked our ambassador to Turkey to discuss the violent incidents involving protestors and Turkish security personnel on May 16,” spokeswoman Heather Nauert said. “As we noted previously, the conduct of Turkish security personnel last week was deeply disturbing. The State Department has raised its concerns about those events at the highest levels,” she added. Turkey blamed the violence on supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) who picked on pro-Erdogan US-based Turks. The Turkish ministry summoned John Bass, American ambassador in Ankara, to deliver a “written and verbal protest” over “the aggressive and unprofessional actions taken.” The ministry accused US security personnel of acting “contrary to diplomatic rules and practices… towards the close protection team” of Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in front of the Turkish embassy chancery in Washington. “It has been formally requested that the US authorities conduct a full investigation of this diplomatic incident and provide the necessary explanation,” it added. The ministry said it told Bass there were “lapses of security” during Erdogan’s stay. It hit out at “the inability of US authorities to take sufficient precautions at every stage of the official programme.” However, the ministry said it emphasised to Bass that this would not overshadow an otherwise “successful and important visit”. US Senator John McCain said that the Turkish ambassador should be thrown “the hell out of the United States of America” after the fighting. “This is Erdogan’s security detail. Somebody told them to go out there and beat up on these peaceful demonstrators,” McCain said Thursday. This post was syndicated from The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper | Nigeria News and World News. Click here to read the full text on the original website. Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook | Turkey summons United States Ambassador John R. Bass to protest alleged "aggressive and unprofessional actions" by American security personnel against Turkish bodyguards, calling for the United States to conduct a full investigation on the May 17 clashes. The American ambassador told Turkey's government that its guards violated U.S. laws. Last week, the U.S. summoned Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kılıç to discuss about Turkish security officers hitting and kicking peaceful protesters outside the Turkish ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C. |
Authorities are identifying the victims of the terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on Monday night. Among them is an 8-year-old girl.Peter Rawlinson, deputy of the Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy in Croston, northwest of Manchester, told The Associated Press that the school confirmed Callander's death with members of her family.Rawlinson says "she was academically a very gifted student, very hard-working. Just lovely to speak to."The school posted a photo of Georgina on its website, smiling and looking smart in her school uniform. It said she died of injuries from the attack and described her as "a lovely young student who was very popular with her peers and the staff."Georgina, an Ariana Grande superfan, had posted a photo when she got to meet the star in 2015.Chris Upton, the headteacher at the Tarleton Community Primary School, where Saffie was a student, released a statement calling the girl's death a "tremendous shock," according to ABC News "I would like to send our deepest condolences to all of her family and friends," Upton said. "The thought that anyone could go out to a concert and not come home is heartbreaking. Saffie was simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word. She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly. Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair."An ambulance official says 12 children under the age of 16 were among 59 injured in the attack as people left a pop concert.David Ratcliffe, medical director of North West Ambulance Service, told reporters Tuesday that the children were among those taken to hospitals after the explosion at Manchester Arena Monday night, where scores of teenagers and youngsters were attending an Ariana Grande concert.ABC News confirmed that 15-year-old Olivia Campbell was among the victims. Her mother posted on Facebook, "go sing with the angels and keep smiling."Lauren Ashleigh Lees said that her mother, 43-year-old Lisa Lees, was among the victims. She gave this statement to ABC News: ||||| (CNN) It should have been a night they grew up to wistfully remember. The Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena was a rite of passage for some youngsters -- their first live show with a major superstar. They came, with their parents, with their friends and with their excitement, cell phones ready to capture every moment. There were the tunes to sing along with, energetic dance routines and the soaring voice of the young woman dubbed "the new Mariah Carey" in her early career. Instead, Monday evening was transformed into a night of terror and chaos after a bomb attack that left 22 people, including children , dead and at least 59 injured. And while it's not the first time children have been the victims of a terror attack, an explosion ripping through a crowd as they left a pop concert goes to the heart of so many fears in the Western world, where recreation is more on minds than how to avoid a bombing -- especially at an Ariana Grande show. Peruse #myfirstconcert on Twitter and the memories are pretty much the same, even when the decades are different. There's thrill and often a bemused adult chaperone along for the ride -- grownups like Andy James, who took his 9-year-old brother to see Grande at the Manchester Arena as an early birthday present. He ushered his little brother through the stampede of panicked concert goers, he said, and told him the loud noise was coming from the popping of pink balloons. (Grande always concludes her concerts with a balloon drop.) "I just told my brother this is what it was, you know, that it wasn't an explosion. It was the balloons," recalled James, who lamented that the youngster's first concert would forever be marred with the frightening memory. "He's nine years old, he knows what goes on in the world. It's such a shame really." At 23, Grande is not much older than some of the 21,000 fans who crowded into Manchester Arena to see her. Groomed as a member of the Nickelodeon stable of stars, her role as aspiring singer-actress Cat Valentine on the kids show "Victorious" helped pave the way for her music career and her role as the quintessential pop ingénue. With the exception of a 2015 controversy in which Grande appeared to lick some donuts for sale in a Los Angeles shop before making disparaging comments about the United States, the star has enjoyed a wholesome image that has garnered her more than 45 million Twitter followers. And no where is the petite pony-tailed-performer with the powerhouse voice more beloved than in the United Kingdom. This European tour was in support of the singer's first album to land at the top of the UK charts, 2016's "Dangerous Woman." "It just makes you frightened to take your child anywhere," Lunt said. "It was her first proper concert and I'm just thinking, will she want to do anything again." It is her hope that those who survived the Manchester Arena bombing are able to retain at least some of that joy. "There were 21,000 people in Manchester Arena last night, some of those will have been at their first concert," Vincent wrote. "All of them will carry what happened with them, both the tragedy, and the good that went before it. Hopefully they'll come to remember the pink balloons as well as the bombs." ||||| Image caption Eight-year-old Saffie Roussos and Georgina Callander, believed to be 18, are among the dead Twenty-two people, including an eight-year-old girl, were killed and 59 injured when a suicide bomber attacked concertgoers at Manchester Arena. A man set off a bomb in the foyer at 22:33 BST on Monday, at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande. Theresa May called the attack "sickening". Armed police have arrested a 23-year-old man in Chorlton, south Manchester, in connection with the attack. The Queen held a minute's silence at Buckingham Palace at 16:00 BST. Three victims have been named so far, the latest being 28-year-old John Atkinson from Bury, Greater Manchester. Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos was a pupil at Tarleton Primary School, in Lancashire. Her head teacher, Chris Upton, said she had been "simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word" and was "loved by everyone". Image caption John Atkinson was the third victim named Student Georgina Callander, believed to have been 18, has also been named as among the dead. She had been studying health and social care at Runshaw College in Leyland, Lancashire. The wounded are being treated at eight hospitals around the city, with 12 children under the age of 16 among them. Several people are still missing, including teenagers Laura MacIntyre and Eilidh MacLeod, from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, 15-year-old Olivia Campbell, Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19. Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said police were in contact with Laura and Eilidh's families, adding: "It is hard for any of us to imagine the anguish that their families are going through right now. "They are in our thoughts." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May says the Manchester attack was an act of 'sickening cowardice' In a statement in Downing Street on Tuesday, the prime minister said the bombing had been a "callous terrorist attack" that targeted "defenceless young people". She said the security services believed they knew the attacker's identity but were not yet able to confirm it. Number 10 later said Mrs May had been updated "through [Monday] night" and had phoned Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn at 04:00 BST to brief him. It is the worst terrorist attack in the UK since the 7 July bombings in 2005, in which 52 people were killed by four suicide bombers. So-called Islamic State has said - via IS channels on the messaging app Telegram - it was behind the Manchester attack, but this has not been verified. 'Fast-moving investigation' The BBC understands the perpetrator was British or from the UK. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the "fast-moving investigation" was now working to establish whether the attacker "was acting alone or as part of a network". Officers have carried out raids at two properties, one in Whalley Range and one in Fallowfield, where a controlled explosion was carried out. In its latest statement the force said the area around the arena remained cordoned off but said it wanted to "remind people that Manchester will not be defeated - the city is open for business." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mum Emma was 15 feet from blast at the Manchester Arena as she collected her children. In other developments: Relatives are using social media to hunt for missing loved ones, and an emergency number - 0800 096 0095 - has been set up - has been set up Flags are flying at half mast outside Number 10 and political parties have suspended general election campaigning until further notice Theresa May chaired a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee and is now in Manchester where she has visited the children's hospital and signed the book of condolence at the Town Hall Extra armed officers will be deployed to Wembley and Twickenham on Saturday, while security at all upcoming events and venues in England are under review. The Met Police has also increased the numbers of officers on duty across the capital World leaders have expressed solidarity with the UK, including US President Donald Trump, who called those behind the attack "evil losers" Exam boards are telling schools directly affected by the attack that they can re-arrange GCSE and A-level exams in the wake of the attack Police have established a help centre at Manchester City's Etihad Stadium, access Gate 11, for anyone who needs assistance in tracing loved ones The Queen extended her "deepest sympathy" to all those affected and other senior royals have said they are "shocked and saddened"; Pope Francis offered "heartfelt solidarity" with the victims and their families Take That are among a number a performers who have cancelled concerts "out of respect", including for the rest of the week at Manchester Arena Witnesses at the arena described seeing metal nuts and bolts among the debris of Monday's bomb, and spoke about the fear and confusion that gripped concert-goers. Andy Holey, who had gone to pick up his wife and daughter, said: "An explosion went off and it threw me about 30ft from one set of doors to the other set of doors." Emma Johnson, who went to pick up her children, aged 15 and 17, said: "The whole building shook. There was a blast and then a flash of fire afterwards. There were bodies everywhere." Teenager Abigail Walker, who was at the concert, told the BBC: "I had to make sure I had my sister. I grabbed hold of her and pulled hard. Everyone was running and crying. "It was absolutely terrifying." The explosion happened shortly after US singer Ariana Grande had left the stage and the 23-year-old actress-turned-singer, tweeted: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words". Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Eyewitness Andy: "When I got up, there were about 30 people scattered, some of them looked dead" Image copyright Goodman/LNP/REX/Shutterstock Image caption The wounded are being treated at eight hospitals around the city Analysis: Gordon Corera, BBC security correspondent The UK threat level has been judged to be severe for nearly three years - which means an attack is considered highly likely. But in recent months the tempo of counter terrorist activity has been increasing with - on average - an arrest every day. After the attack in Westminster by Khalid Masood in March, police and security officials have been warning that further attacks were almost inevitable. But they also believed that those were more likely to be low-tech involving knives or vehicles. The fact that the Manchester attack involved explosives will worry them. It may not have been at the level of complexity seen in Paris in 2015, when multiple attackers sent from Syria used guns and suicide belts, but it will still have required planning. Read more from home affairs correspondent Dominic Casciani Image copyright Mark Worswick Image caption A 23-year-old man was arrested in Chorlton on Tuesday in connection with the attack The blast happened close to the entrance to Victoria railway and tram station. The station has been closed and all trains cancelled. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the city would "pull together", adding: "That's what we are. That's what we do. They won't win." The Manchester Arena is the city's largest indoor venue with a concert capacity of about 21,000. A spokesman for the arena called the event "a senseless tragedy", but praised the emergency services for their response. Police are encouraging anyone with footage from the scene to upload it at ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or ukpoliceimageappeal.com. Other information can be reported to the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ian Hopkins from Greater Manchester Police gave an update on casualties Image copyright Getty Images Image copyright Getty Images Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning ||||| MANCHESTER, England — A lone attacker blew himself up at a pop concert filled with teenagers, killing 22 in an apparent effort to harm as many young people as possible, Manchester police said Tuesday. British Prime Minister Theresa May said it was “now beyond doubt” that it was a “callous, terrorist attack.” “This attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice deliberately targeting innocent defenseless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives,” she said, speaking outside of Downing Street, where flags are flying at half mast. She called it among the worst terrorist incidents in Britain and “the worst ever to hit the north of England.” Authorities believe they know the identity of the assailant, she added, “but at this stage of their investigations, we cannot confirm his name.” In a statement, the Greater Manchester Police said that they arrested a 23-year-old man in south Manchester in connection with the attack as hundreds of police swarmed through the city in the aftermath of the blast. Authorities are trying to determine if the suicide bomber acted alone or was part of a larger network. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, which injured 59 others. “We believe at this stage the attack last night was conducted by one man,” said Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins at a televised news conference. “We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device, which he detonated, causing this atrocity.” Messages of support poured in from around the world, including from President Trump. “We stand in absolute solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom,” he said at a news conference in Bethlehem, and called those responsible “evil losers in life.” The bombing appeared intended to inflict the maximum possible damage on young concertgoers — many of them in their early teens — who were making their way out of the Manchester Arena. Police said the blast occurred about 10:30 p.m., minutes after pop star Ariana Grande had finished her set. The explosion set off a panicked reaction as fans struggled to flee and parents and teens searched for one another amid the carnage. Well into Tuesday morning, fathers and mothers who had lost contact with their children posted desperate pleas for information on social media using the hashtag #ManchesterMissing. Charlotte Campbell told the BBC on Tuesday morning that she’s “phoning everybody,” including hospitals and centers trying to locate her 15-year-old daughter Olivia. She last spoke to her daughter on Monday night at the concert. “She’d just seen the support act and said she was having an amazing time, and thanking me for letting her go,” she said in an emotional interview. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, called it an “evil act” but praised the “spirit of Manchester that will prevail and hold us together.” He said that Manchester is “grieving today, but we are strong.” It is the worst terrorist strike on British soil since 2005, when Islamist extremists bombed the London subway and a bus, killing 54 people . The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said late Monday that there was “no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving music venues in the United States,” but added that Americans may see “increased security in and around public places and events as officials take additional precautions.” In France, the scene of several terrorist attacks over the past year, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called on people to be vigilant in the face of “a threat which is more present than ever before.” Britain has been on high alert for a major attack for several years, with authorities saying that a mass-casualty attack was likely. Grande, who is wildly popular both in Britain and the United States, was not injured in the attack. She expressed her sorrow in a tweet hours after the explosion, saying she was “broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so sorry. i don’t have words.” Cellphone video showed chaotic scenes of people screaming and running in the aftermath of the blast. Concertgoers said that they saw nuts and bolts littering the ground near the blast scene and that the smell of explosives hung in the air. The local hospital, Wythenshawe, said it was dealing with “mass casualties.” Eight other hospitals across the region were activated to treat the injured, and emergency supplies of blood were rushed in. Fans of Grande had come from across northern England to see the concert. On Twitter, people offered a place to stay for those stranded in the city, using the hashtag #RoomForManchester. A father told the BBC that he was leaving the arena with his wife and daughter when the blast blew him through a set of doors. Afterward, the man, identified as Andy, said he saw about 30 people “scattered everywhere. Some of them looked dead.” Separated from his wife and daughter, he said, he “looked at some of the bodies trying to find my family.” He later found them, uninjured. Karen Ford, a witness, told the BBC that “there were kids outside, crying on the phone, trying to find their parents.” The arena is one of the largest indoor venues in Europe and has a capacity of 21,000. Manchester transport police said the explosion occurred in the arena’s foyer, where people were congregating to buy concert merchandise. Manchester Arena said the attack took place just outside the facility, in a public space. The scenes of bloodied, panicked concertgoers running for safety brought to mind similar images at the Bataclan theater in Paris in November 2015. The concert hall became the scene of extreme carnage after multiple gunmen burst in during a show by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal and began shooting. The attack — for which the Islamic State later asserted responsibility — killed 89 people and injured hundreds more, becoming the deadliest event on French soil since World War II. Britain has had fewer terrorist attacks in recent years than several of its European neighbors. Monday night’s blast came two months after a speeding driver left four people dead on London’s Westminster Bridge, then stabbed to death a police officer at the gates of Parliament. Monday was the fourth anniversary of the killing of Lee Rigby, a British soldier who was attacked with a machete on the streets of southeast London. The two assailants, who were convicted of murder, said they were acting to avenge the killing of Muslims by British soldiers. Monday’s blast comes with just over two weeks to go before Britain holds a national election. Campaigning was suspended Tuesday, and perhaps beyond. Security has not featured as a prominent part of the debate, although that may change when campaigning resumes. ||||| Popstar, Ariana Grande, has reportedly offered to pay for the funerals of those who died as a result of a terror attack in Manchester on Monday. Suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, 22, killed himself and 22 others, including young children, when he detonated an improvised explosive device in the foyer of the Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande had finished. Twitter fan page Ariana Updates posted details last night on the US singer’s heroic gesture. The 23 year-old American singer has suspended the rest of her European ‘Dangerous Woman’ tour and has returned home to Florida. ||||| Broken Social Scene shared a message on social media ahead of the show saying: “Tonight, we play for the hearts of Manchester.” Before the show began, the venue posted an update on its website saying it would continue its programming for the week, and management was in regular communication with police to enhance security. The Toronto band headlined at Albert Hall on Tuesday night, which is a little more than two kilometres south of where the terrorist attack took place at the Manchester Arena. The performance comes a day after a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in the British city killed 22 people and wounded dozens more. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND—Canadian indie rock band Broken Social Scene has played the first show of their European tour in Manchester. “What’s most important is tonight we’re here together, all of us,” lead vocalist Kevin Drew told the crowd. “There’s no other place we’d rather be than here with you.” English musician Johnny Marr at one point joined them onstage in singing “Anthems for a Seventeen Year-Old Girl.” The suicide bombing at the concert has shaken the music world , with some artists cancelling upcoming gigs and others planning to go ahead as scheduled. Blondie cancelled a Tuesday night concert in London “as a mark of respect for the victims of the terrible attack” at the Manchester Arena. Lead singer Debbie Harry tweeted that the Round Chapel date will be rescheduled. Take That, formed in Manchester, also cancelled their Tuesday night concert in Liverpool and May 25-27 dates in Manchester “out of respect” for the victims of the attack. As for Grande, a person close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to publicly talk about the topic, said the pop star’s tour was not cancelled or postponed. The person said that Grande and her team are more focused on the victims at the moment, not the tour. It was unclear if Grande’s next scheduled show — Thursday in London — would take place. Manchester bombing was senseless but joy of live music will win out: Rayner What we can learn from the tragic events in Manchester After Manchester attack, parents weigh in on letting kids go to concerts But a number of music acts with upcoming summer gigs in Europe said Tuesday they won’t change their plans. Shawn Mendes, who’s scheduled to play in Paris on Wednesday, said his show will go on. “I hope I speak for every artist by saying that we will not stop spreading positivity and love through music no matter the situation,” he wrote on Twitter. “Concerts are events people should never be afraid to attend.” Céline Dion also will honour her upcoming dates in Copenhagen, Stockholm, London and Paris, including a June 25 stop at the Manchester Arena, her publicist said. A representative for Guns N’ Roses, currently on tour with upcoming stops in Dublin, Lisbon, Madrid, Zurich, Munich, London and Paris, said the rock band wasn’t making any changes. The manager for Phil Collins, scheduled to play Liverpool’s Echo Arena on June 2 and then five dates at London’s Royal Albert Hall starting June 4, said those shows would go on. Heavy metal band Iron Maiden also will perform as planned in Cardiff on Wednesday and committed to May 27-28 dates in London. If the shows do go on, there will probably be more security precautions. The 02 arena in London in a statement said it was “shocked and deeply saddened” by the tragedy and added that security had been stepped up for all events. “Please head down early and pack light as we only accept small bags into the area,” it said. Drake was one of several Canadian stars with teen followings who voiced sympathy and solidarity Tuesday for those affected by the bombing. Canadian pop idols Mendes, Justin Bieber and Alessia Cara all took to Twitter with messages of support. ||||| Following last night's horrific terrorist attack that has left 22 people dead and 59 injured, Ariana Grande has suspended her Dangerous Woman world tour. The singer, who was due to perform in London on Thursday night, also had dates to perform in Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerland. Ariana took to twitter to express her heart break over the night's events: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words." Her manager, Scooter Braun, released the following statement: "We mourn the lives of children and loved ones taken by this cowardly act. We ask all of you to hold the victims, their families, and all those affected in your hearts and prayers." Tributes and messages of support have been flooding in from people all over the world and Ariana's fellow musicians have taken to social media to express their shock and sadness over what happened. The first victim has been named as 18-year-old, Georgina Callander. Georgina had met Ariana two years ago and had tweeted over the weekend about how excited she was for the concert. ISIS have now claimed responsibility for the attack. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those that have been affected. ||||| Pop star Ariana Grande has suspended her "Dangerous Woman" tour in the wake of a terror attack following her concert in Manchester that left 22 people dead, a source with knowledge of the situation told CNN. The decision came less than one day after the explosion at the concert, which occurred after Grande had finished performing. 22 people were killed and 59 injured, including children. ISIS has claimed responsibility. Grande expressed her sorrow in the hours following the incident. "Broken," the singer tweeted. "From the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words." Grande was physically unharmed, a source close to the situation told CNN. Grande's management put out a lengthier statement, saying "words can not express our sorrow for the victims and families harmed in this senseless attack." The Manchester concert was to be the first of three concerts in the UK. Her next concert was set to take place on May 25 at the O2 Arena in London. Other dates included shows in Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerland. ||||| (AP) – Ariana Grande’s tour has not been canceled or postponed despite reports online, a person close to the situation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed to publicly talk about the topic, said. The person said that Grande and her team are more focused on the victims at the moment, not the tour. It was unclear if Grande’s next schedule show – Thursday in London – would take place. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — Does it feel like forever since we lost the style, splendor and scandals of "Downton Abbey?" Well, dust off your jewels and put up the kettle because the twists and turns at... | Campaigning in the United Kingdom general election is suspended after the bombing at the Manchester Arena. The death toll is 22 with 59 injured. ISIL claims responsibility. Singer and actress Ariana Grande suspends her Dangerous Woman Tour. |
(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a Wikipedia lawsuit that challenges a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) program of mass online surveillance, and claims that the government unconstitutionally invades people’s privacy rights. A man is silhouetted near logos of the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and Wikipedia in this photo illustration taken in Sarajevo March 11, 2015. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo By a 3-0 vote, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the Wikimedia Foundation, which hosts the Wikipedia online encyclopedia, had a legal right to challenge the government’s Upstream surveillance program. The decision could make it easier for people to learn whether authorities have spied on them through Upstream, which involves bulk searches of international communications within the internet’s backbone of cables, switches and routers. Upstream’s existence was revealed in leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. Lawyers for the Wikipedia publisher and eight other plaintiffs including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch, with more than 1 trillion international communications annually, argued that the surveillance violated their rights to privacy, free expression and association. The U.S. Department of Justice countered that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act had authorized Upstream’s review of communications between Americans and foreign “targets.” In October 2015, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Baltimore dismissed the lawsuit, finding a lack of evidence that the NSA, headquartered in Maryland, was conducting surveillance “at full throttle.” Writing for the appeals court panel, however, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz found “nothing speculative” about the Wikimedia Foundation’s claims. Diaz said the NSA interception and copying of communications showed “an invasion of a legally protected interest - the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.” The foundation could also pursue its First Amendment claim because it had “self-censored” some communications in response to the Upstream surveillance, Diaz said. By a 2-1 vote, the same panel also ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the NSA’s alleged “dragnet” to intercept “substantially all” text-based communications to and from the United States while conducting Upstream surveillance. Justice Department spokesman Mark Abueg declined to comment. Patrick Toomey, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said the ruling means Upstream “will finally face badly needed scrutiny” in the courts. “This is an important victory for the rule of law,” he said in a statement. “Our government shouldn’t be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk.” Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers are working on legislation to curtail parts of Upstream. A section of FISA that authorizes the program expires at year end. The case is Wikimedia Foundation et al v National Security Agency et al, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-2560. ||||| Watch out, National Security Agency: Wikipedia is coming after you. On Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 to revive a lawsuit brought by the Wikimedia Foundation — the nonprofit that operates Wikipedia — claiming that the NSA’s massive surveillance program is unconstitutional and invades people’s privacy. The case will now head back to Maryland court, and its impact could be enormous. Not only will it likely reveal more about the secret NSA surveillance program — it could also potentially end such surveillance, explained Jennifer Granick, director of civil liberties at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society. “This is a chance for a real challenge to the programmatic nature of the surveillance.” “The NSA has secretly spied on Americans’ internet communications for years, but now this surveillance will finally face badly needed scrutiny in our public courts,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney Patrick Toomey said in a statement. The ACLU is representing Wikimedia and the case’s eight other plaintiffs, which include Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International USA. “Our government shouldn’t be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk, examining the contents of Americans’ emails and chats day in and day out,” Toomey said. In October 2015, a federal District of Maryland judge dismissed the case after ruling that Wikimedia and its fellow plaintiffs couldn’t prove that their communications had been captured by the NSA’s warrantless “Upstream” collection program, which involves vacuuming up people’s communications as they fly through internet cables, switches, and routers. But the judges of the 4th Circuit found that the NSA has probably seized at least some of Wikimedia’s communications without a warrant, due to both the sheer volume of its communications and the fact that its users span the globe — meaning Wikimedia can continue to sue the NSA for violating the 4th Amendment. And that’s not all. “Because Wikimedia has self-censored its speech and sometimes forgone electronic communications in response to Upstream surveillance, it also has standing to sue for a violation of the 1st Amendment,” the judges found. “The idea that when people know that they’re being spied on, that they don’t say what they really think and they don’t read what they’re really curious about,” explained Granick, who filed an amicus brief on behalf of Wikimedia and the other plaintiffs. “They act differently, and the exercise of the freedom of speech and the freedom to read are curtailed or chilled as a result of this feeling that you’re being spied on.” This is not the only pending legal challenge to the NSA’s warrantless surveillance programs. But in the past, Granick added, groups have struggled to prove that they were spied on under specific NSA programs and statutes because there’s so little information publicly available about them. The reach of NSA’s Upstream collection program on ordinary civilians was revealed thanks to documents leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to VICE News’ request for comment, but the government has claimed in past court documents that Upstream’s warrantless surveillance is authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which the ACLU contends is unconstitutional anyway. However, the news isn’t all good for all the parties involved. Two of the members of the three-judge panel ruled that the case’s other plaintiffs, which include Amnesty international and Human Rights Watch, couldn’t prove that the NSA had also intercepted their communications. In a statement, the Wikimedia Foundation said it would work with its co-plaintiffs and the ACLU to “review the opinion and determine the next steps for our case. ||||| Wikipedia is suing the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) for their illegal mass surveillance of the general public, claiming the Obama administration unconstitutionally invaded people’s privacy rights. A federal appeals court on Thursday revived the lawsuit, agreeing by a 3-0 vote that the Wikimedia Foundation could challenge the government’s “Upstream” surveillance program. Yahoo News reports: The decision could make it easier for people to learn whether authorities have spied on them through Upstream, which involves bulk searches of international communications within the internet’s “backbone” of cables, switches and routers. Upstream’s existence was revealed in leaks by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden in 2013. Lawyers for the Wikipedia publisher and eight other plaintiffs including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch, with more than 1 trillion international communications annually, argued the surveillance violated their rights to privacy, free expression and association. The U.S. Department of Justice countered that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has authorized Upstream and its review of communications between Americans and foreign “targets.” In October 2015, U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III in Baltimore dismissed the lawsuit, finding a lack of evidence that the NSA, headquartered in Maryland, was conducting surveillance “at full throttle.” Writing for the appeals court panel, however, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz found “nothing speculative” about the Wikimedia Foundation’s claims. Diaz said the NSA interception and copying of communications showed “an invasion of a legally protected interest – the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.” The Wikipedia publisher can also pursue its First Amendment claim because it had “self-censored” some communications in response to the Upstream surveillance, Diaz said. By a 2-1 vote, the panel also ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge the NSA’s alleged “dragnet” to intercept “substantially all” text-based communications to and from the United States while conducting Upstream surveillance. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Patrick Toomey, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said the ruling means Upstream “will finally face badly needed scrutiny” in the courts. “This is an important victory for the rule of law,” he said in a statement. “Our government shouldn’t be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk.” The case is Wikimedia Foundation et al v National Security Agency et al, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 15-2560. ||||| Well, well, well, the NSA may not waltz away legally unscathed after spying on Americans’ private communications due to the dogged determination of the Wikimedia Foundation, the ACLU, the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and eight other co-plaintiffs. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to give Wikimedia a chance to legally challenge the NSA’s mass surveillance as being unconstitutional. The government has previously argued that the NSA’s Upstream warrantless spying is authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Thanks to Upstream surveillance, the NSA sucks up and searches through American’s international internet communications. The ruling yesterday reversed a lower court’s ruling which found Wikimedia, which publishes the internet behemoth Wikipedia, couldn’t prove the NSA’s “Upstream” surveillance program was secretly monitoring its communications, vacuuming the communications right off the internet backbones – even with leaked Snowden documents showing Wikipedia as an NSA target. Despite Wikimedia’s “99.9999999999%” assertion that at least one of its more than one trillion international text-based internet communications each year had been copied and reviewed by the NSA, the lower court ruled that Wikimedia couldn’t prove it was being surveilled. Thankfully the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals did not agree. In fact, due to the sheer size of Wikimedia, the judges found that the NSA probably had seized at least some of their communications. Watch out, NSA, as you are about to be sued for violating the Fourth and First Amendment. It’s about flipping time a lawsuit about such unconstitutional surveillance moved forward, instead of being killed off because the groups can’t prove the NSA was spying on them. The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled: Wikimedia has plausibly alleged that its communications travel all of the roads that a communication can take, and that the NSA seizes all of the communications along at least one of those roads. Thus, at least at this stage of the litigation, Wikimedia has standing to sue for a violation of the Fourth Amendment. And, because Wikimedia has self-censored its speech and sometimes forgone electronic communications in response to Upstream surveillance, it also has standing to sue for a violation of the First Amendment. “This is an important victory for the rule of law. The NSA has secretly spied on Americans’ internet communications for years, but now this surveillance will finally face badly needed scrutiny in our public courts. We look forward to arguing this case on the merits,” said ACLU attorney Patrick Toomey. “Our government shouldn’t be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk, examining the contents of Americans’ emails and chats day in and day out,” Toomey added. “This mass surveillance threatens the foundations of a free internet.” The ruling was not all good news as the court determined that the other eight co-plaintiffs did not have standing in the case. The dissenting judge found that all nine plaintiffs had standing: Wikimedia Foundation, The Nation Magazine, Amnesty International USA, PEN America, Human Rights Watch, the Rutherford Institute, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Global Fund for Women and the Washington Office on Latin America. Wikimedia said, “We, our co-plaintiffs, and our counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), will carefully review the opinion and determine the next steps for our case.” No trial date has been set and Wikimedia still has to prove the NSA’s surveillance is unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the Wikimedia Foundation added: ||||| A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court ruled the Wikimedia Foundation has standing to sue the National Security Agency over its "upstream" surveillance practice, reversing a lower-court decision tossing the group's case. An attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the case, called the decision an "important victory for the rule of law." "The NSA has secretly spied on Americans' internet communications for years, but now this surveillance will finally face badly needed scrutiny in our public courts," Patrick Toomey said in a statement. "We look forward to arguing this case on the merits," he said. This ACLU argues that the "upstream" surveillance of the internet's "backbone" of digital networks violates constitutional protections of free speech and privacy. The NSA recently announced it will no longer permit intelligence officials to collect emails, texts and other communications between two people who mention a target by name, but are not themselves targets of surveillance. The agency said it will limit such collection to internet communications sent directly to or from a foreign target. But Toomey said he doesn't believe the agency's decision to scale back its surveillance will have an impact on the case. While the NSA has suspended a controversial piece of its "upstream" surveillance, it still continues, Toomey said. Furthermore, the NSA hasn't said it won't go back to its broader collection practice in the future, he said. "That makes it very important that we continue to press ahead with this challenge," Toomey said. The 4th Circuit's decision only revives Wikimedia's claim; the court said other groups that brought the initial lawsuit in 2015—including Amnesty International USA and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers—don't have legal standing. The 4th Circuit said Wikimedia's allegations are enough to "make the plausible conclusion" that NSA has intercepted and reviewed some of its communications. Wikimedia can sue under the First Amendment because it has "self-censored its speech and sometimes forgone electronic communications" because of the NSA's surveillance, the court said. "Indeed, there's nothing speculative about it—the interception of Wikimedia's communications is an actual injury that has already occurred," Judge Albert Diaz wrote. The government can ask the full 4th Circuit to hear the case. ||||| A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived part of a lawsuit in which the publisher of Wikipedia and other groups said mass online surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency violated the U.S. Constitution. By a 3-0 vote, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, said the Wikimedia Foundation could pursue claims challenging the so-called Upstream surveillance, involving the bulk searching of Internet communications. The appeals court said a lower court judge erred in dismissing that claim because the main allegations were "not speculative," giving the group standing to sue for violations of the U.S. Constitution's First and Fourth Amendments. "The allegation that the NSA is intercepting and copying communications suffices to show an invasion of a legally protected interest," Circuit Judge Albert Diaz wrote. "Indeed, there's nothing speculative about it." Tuesday's decision also upheld the dismissal of related claims by eight other groups, including Amnesty International USA and Human Rights Watch, saying they could not plausibly show the NSA was intercepting their communications through what it called a "dragnet." Circuit Judge Andre Davis dissented from that part of the decision, saying he would have found the other plaintiffs had standing. A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union who argued the appeal for the plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ||||| The 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, in a unanimous 3-0 vote, will allow the Wikipedia online encyclopedia parent organization, Wikimedia Foundation, to proceed with a legal challenge to the NSA's "Upstream" global surveillance arm. NSA's Upstream, whose existence was made public following leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, is a US global spy program that accesses the cables, switches and routers comprising the principal data routes of the internet to conduct universal international communications surveillance. At least nine organizations, including Wikimedia Foundation, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch previously argued that, as their representatives source or receive over one trillion international communications every year, Upstream presented a violation of the right to privacy, free expression and association. In 2013 a US District Judge in Baltimore had dismissed the lawsuit, citing a lack of evidence that the NSA conducted global surveillance "at full throttle." But in the new appeal to allow the lawsuit to proceed, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz suggested that there was "nothing speculative" about the claims made by Wikimedia Foundation and the other plaintiffs. Diaz, Reuters reported, stated that the NSA interception and copying of international internet communications revealed "an invasion of a legally protected interest — the Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures." Rights organizations across the US hailed the move. "This is a wonderful example of how transparency creates a more just society," said Garland Nixon, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) board member and host of Radio Sputnik's "Fault Lines." "The Snowden leaks created the dynamic in which these public information and social justice organizations, who were made aware of otherwise unknowable government programs, are able to petition the judicial system and fight for the privacy protections that they have a right to expect." ACLU lawyer Patrick Toomey, representing the plaintiffs in the case, observed that Upstream "will finally face badly needed scrutiny." "This is an important victory for the rule of law," he said in a statement cited by Reuters. "Our government shouldn't be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk." The US Justice Department has not responded to requests for comment on the go-ahead vote. ||||| The Wikimedia Foundation has the right to sue the National Security Agency over its use of warrantless surveillance tools, a federal appeals court ruled. "A district judge shot down Wikimedia's case in 2015 , saying the group hadn't proved the NSA was actually illegally spying on its communications," reports Engadget. "In this case, proof was a tall order, considering information about the targeted surveillance system, Upstream, remains classified." From the report: ||||| A legal challenge to a controversial NSA program called is getting a second chance. A US appeals court reversed a lower court decision and ruled today that the , the non-profit that runs Wikipedia, has legal standing to object to Upstream in court. The 's Upstream program is authorized under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which is up for reauthorization by Congress this year. The NSA says Section 702 and the Upstream collection it allows are crucial for intercepting the communications of foreign terrorists. But critics of the program-Wikimedia among them-say that Upstream collection gathers virtually all international internet traffic and combs through it, violating the rights of American citizens who are caught up in the surveillance dragnet. But challenging Upstream in court has proved difficult because companies and individuals have to prove that they've been directly surveilled in order to establish standing. Due to the secretive nature of NSA surveillance, it's tough for anyone to prove they were a target-so these cases are often dismissed. To wit: A district court previously dismissed the lawsuit brought by Wikimedia and eight other organizations in October 2015, saying its claims of surveillance were too speculative. But the Wikimedia Foundation's global reach-it says it engages in one trillion international communications per year-convinced the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that the organization's data has likely been collected by the NSA. The court ruled today that Wikimedia could challenge the surveillance based on its First and Fourth Amendment rights. (Wikimedia argued that upstream collection is an unreasonable search and has a chilling affect on its speech.) "Wikimedia has plausibly alleged that its communications travel all of the roads that a communication can take, and that the NSA seizes all of the communications along at least one of those roads," the court ruled. "And, because Wikimedia has self-censored its speech and sometimes forgone electronic communications in response to Upstream surveillance, it also has standing to sue for a violation of the First Amendment." Now that Wikimedia has cleared this hurdle, the case will be an interesting test of the legality of dragnet surveillance, and it may put pressure on Congress as it considers Section 702 reform. "This is an important victory for the rule of law. The NSA has secretly spied on Americans' internet communications for years, but now this surveillance will finally face badly needed scrutiny in our public courts," attorney Patrick Toomey, who represents Wikimedia, said in a statement emailed to Gizmodo. "This mass surveillance threatens the foundations of a free internet." As Congress weighs wether or not to reauthorize Section 702 this year, the NSA is tweaking its surveillance programs to make them more palatable. The agency recently announced that it is ending "about" collection , which gathers digital communications that reference a surveillance target. The NSA said it was ending the collection due to privacy concerns and admitted that Americans' data had not been handled correctly. However, the Upstream collection at issue in Wikimedia's case continues. A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined to comment on the ruling. We've reached out to the Wikimedia Foundation for comment, and we'll update if we hear back. ||||| In a rare bit of good news for privacy activists in the United States, a federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday thatThe 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, in a unanimous 3-0 vote, will allow theNSA's Upstream, whose existence was made public following leaks by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, isAt least nine organizations, including Wikimedia Foundation, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch previously argued that, as their representatives source or receive over one trillion international communications every year, Upstream presented a violation of the right to privacy, free expression and association.In 2013 a US District Judge in Baltimorethat the NSA conducted global surveillance "at full throttle." But in the new appeal to allow the lawsuit to proceed, Circuit Judge Albert Diaz suggested thatDiaz, Reuters reported, stated that the NSA interception and copying of international internet communications revealedRights organizations across the US hailed the move. "This is a wonderful example of how transparency creates a more just society ," said Garland Nixon, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) board member and host of Radio Sputnik's Fault Lines.ACLU lawyer Patrick Toomey, representing the plaintiffs in the case, observed that Upstream "will finally face badly needed scrutiny. This is an important victory for the rule of law," he said in a statement cited by Reuters. "Our government shouldn't be searching the private communications of innocent people in bulk."The US Justice Department has not responded to requests for comment on the go-ahead vote. | The United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals rules that Wikimedia Foundation has the legal right to challenge the National Security Agency Upstream program of mass online surveillance. This decision reinstates the suit that had been dismissed by a Federal district judge in Baltimore, Maryland. Eight other organizations, including Amnesty International USA and the Global Fund for Women, are also plaintiffs in this case. |
On Monday night a suicide bomber attacked Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert, resulting in numerous casualties. Details are still coming in, but here is what we know so far:
• British Prime Minister Theresa May said the U.K. raised the terrorism threat level to critical—meaning another attack may be imminent. The level had stood at the second-highest level of “severe” for several years. As a result of the higher threat level, May said armed soldiers may be deployed instead of police at public events.
• Manchester police confirm that the man suspected of being the suicide bomber is 22-year-old Salman Abedi. Prime Minister May said Abedi was born and raised in Britain and may be part of a larger network.
• Manchester Police have confirmed there are 22 dead so far from the attack, with 59 injured.
• Confirmed among those deceased are an 18 year-old college student and an 8 year-old girl. The Manchester Evening News is also reporting that 28 year-old John Atkinson was also killed in the bombing.
• Earlier, police said they had been treating the bombing as an incident carried out by one person, and said they are still figuring out whether they was “part of a network.”
• Police also say they have arrested a 23 year-old man in connection with the incident.
• Earlier Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement online. However, the Associated Press reports that, according to U.S. Director of National Intelligence, Dan Coates, that country’s officials have not verified that ISIS is indeed responsible. “I might mention that ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Manchester,” Coats said during testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington. D.C. Tuesday. “Although they claim responsibility for virtually every attack. We have not verified yet the connection.”
• Police also reportedly have obtained CCTV footage of the bomber. According to the Guardian, the footage “shows the explosion was deliberate and caused by a suicide device, believed to be contained in a bag, a source said. The device is described as homemade and crude.”
• The Guardian reports that families of the injured have told news outlets that some of those caught in the blast are undergoing surgery to have metal bolts removed from their bodies. Relatives of a woman missing in the attack told South West News that victims were left with metal bolts embedded in their bodies. Paul Dryhurst’s niece Kelly Brewster, 32, is feared to have been killed when she visited the Arena with her sister Claire Booth, and Claire’s daughter Hollie, 11. All three were caught in the blast and Claire, 34 and Hollie were today being treated in hospital for horrific shrapnel wounds. Speaking from his home in Sheffield, Dryhurst Claire and Hollie were having bolts surgically removed from their bodies.
• Ariana Grande tweeted that she is “broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have any words.”
• Here is how a witness described what she saw to Sky News.
• On Monday morning Prime Minister May gave a statement outside 10 Downing Street in London, saying: “All acts of terrorism are cowardly attacks on innocent people, but this attack stands out for its appalling sickening cowardice.”
• The explosion occurred in the midst of a national election. U.K. Election campaigns were halted on Tuesday.
• Queen Elizabeth II issued a statement as well. “I know I speak for everyone in expressing my deepest sympathy to all who have been affected by this dreadful event and especially to the families and friends of those who have died or were injured,” the Queen said, via the statement.
• Prime Minister Justin Trudeau offered his condolences last night: “Canadians are shocked by the news of the horrific attack in Manchester tonight. Please keep the victims & their families in your thoughts,” he tweeted.
• U.S. President Donald Trump also issued a statement regarding the explosion. “So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives, murdered by evil losers in life. I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that’s a great name. I will call them, from now on, losers, because that’s what they are; they’re losers.”
• Of course, many of the concert attendees were young—some children. One man told Sky News that he and his wife and daughter began to leave the concert slightly early to beat traffic, and walked through the venue’s main entrance on their way out. As they left, they “heard a massive bang” behind them. In the aftermath, he said, “there were young children terrified, crying their eyes out.”
• More eyewitness accounts detail the chaos that erupted as those in the arena tried to evacuate the building.
• A homeless man who helped victims following the explosion described to ITV News what he saw.
• A vigil will be held this evening between 6pm and 7pm local time at Albert Square in Manchester. -With files from Associated Press This article has been updated as new information has arrived. ||||| G7 leaders held annual summit talks on Friday with divisions on trade and climate change, and fresh friction surrounding Donald Trump, threatening to undermine a show of unity against jihadist terrorism. “There is no doubt that this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years,” European Union president Donald Tusk predicted, setting the tone for the two-day meet in Sicily’s ancient hilltop resort of Taormina. The meeting comes days after several children were among 22 people killed in a concert bomb attack in Manchester, northwest England. British Prime Minister Theresa May was to lead a discussion on terrorism and issue a call for G7 countries to put more pressure on internet companies to ensure extremist content is quickly taken offline and notified to authorities. With the Islamic State group on the retreat in Iraq and Syria, “the fight is moving from the battlefield to the internet”, May would tell her colleagues, aides said, before flying home early to oversee the ongoing “critical” security situation in Britain. US officials acknowledged they were expecting a difficult discussion on trade after reports that Trump had described the Germans as “bad, very bad” and vowed to stop them selling millions of cars in the United States, during a meeting with senior EU officials in Brussels yesterday. Both US and EU officials confirmed the outspoken president had raised the auto trade issue but sought to play down the language used, as Trump shared friendly words with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders heading into the G7 gathering. White House economic advisor Gary Cohn said that trade would be a “big topic” overall after Trump rode to power on an “America First” platform of protectionism. “We are going to continue to fight for what we believe is right, which is free, open and fair trade, which the president has been very clear on what that means,” Cohn said. “We will have a very robust discussion on trade.” With May and Trump among four new faces in the club of the world’s major democracies, the gathering in Italy was billed as a key test of how serious the new US administration is about implementing its radical policy agenda, particularly on climate change. Senior officials are preparing to work overtime in a bid to bridge what appear to be irreconcilable differences over Trump’s declared intention of ditching the US commitment to the landmark Paris accord on curbing carbon emissions. Officials acknowledge the summit is effectively about damage limitation against a backdrop of fears among US partners that the Trump presidency could undermine the international order in place since World War II. For Trump, the talks will be the final leg of his first presidential foray overseas. The gruelling week-long trip briefly diverted attention from domestic concerns focused on alleged campaign collusion with Russia. But that issue reared up again overnight as it emerged the FBI is examining his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s contacts with the Russian ambassador in connection with the probe of alleged interference in the election campaign by Moscow. US officials had hoped the globe-trotting trip would enable Trump to position himself as a more statesmanlike figure and he enjoyed largely positive coverage on his stops in Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories, and at the Vatican. But some of that has been undone by now-viral images of the billionaire tycoon shoving his way past other leaders at a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, and by his reported comments on Germany. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now ||||| BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday that “deeply troubling” leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester suicide bombing would be investigated, after irate British police briefly stopped sharing information with U.S. agencies. U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May react during a ceremony at the new NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann Prime Minister Theresa May raised British concerns with Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels, telling him intelligence shared between their two countries had to remain secure, in a rare public show of dissatisfaction with Britain’s closest security ally. After a suspension that lasted about a day, Britain’s most senior counter terrorism officer said late on Thursday that the police had resumed sharing information with the United States after receiving “fresh assurances”. Trump had called the leaks “deeply troubling”. “I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said in a statement released after his arrival in Brussels. The row comes as British police stepped up their investigation into a suspected network behind Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born man with Libyan parents who blew himself up on Monday night at the Manchester Arena indoor venue after a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande The singer’s fans are mostly children and teenagers and the explosion killed 22 people, ranging from an eight-year-old schoolgirl to parents who had come to pick up their children. Police are holding eight people in custody in connection with the attack and bomb disposal units were used in searches as officers raided properties across the city. In the nearby town of Wigan, where a man was arrested on Wednesday, police said they had discovered potentially suspicious items, prompting them to bring in the bomb squad and evacuate properties in the area. The security alert was later lifted. Police said they were making good progress. “I want to reassure people that the arrests that we have made are significant, and initial searches of premises have revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation,” Manchester’s police chief Ian Hopkins said. With the official threat level raised to “critical”, meaning a further attack could be imminent, troops have been deployed to free up police, and armed officers patrolled trains for the first time in Britain. The state-run National Health Service said all 27 major trauma units in England had told staff to be prepared for a possible attack, ahead of the weekend and a public holiday on Monday. BOMB-MAKER? Abedi had recently returned from Libya, where his father and younger brother were arrested by a militia on Wednesday. Abedi passed through Istanbul on his way to Europe, Turkish security officials told Reuters, but said there were no records of him entering Syria during his travels as had been suggested on Wednesday by the French interior minister. [L8N1IR4RV] A source with knowledge of the investigation told Reuters Abedi might have made the bomb himself or with some assistance from an accomplice. That was a change from previous thinking that a bomb-maker might be at large. “The focus is still the search for accomplices and the network but he could have made this bomb himself,” the source said. Over the past three days, several key details of the investigation, including the name of the bomber, first came out in U.S. media, angering British police who feared such leaks risked compromising their investigation. May raised the matter with Trump as they gathered for a group photograph at the NATO summit. “She expressed the view that the intelligence sharing relationship we have with the U.S. is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure,” a British government source said. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also spoke to Britain’s interior minister Amber Rudd about the issue. The U.S. Justice Department said it had initiated steps to address the “rampant leaks”, which it said could not be tolerated. The decision to stop sharing police information with U.S. agencies was an extraordinary step for Britain, which is usually at pains to emphasize its “special relationship” with the United States. “While we do not usually comment on information sharing arrangements ... having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world,” said Mark Rowley, Britain’s lead officer for counter-terrorism policing. British authorities did not say the investigation had in fact been compromised by the leaks. The attack injured 116 people, of whom 75 were admitted to hospital and 23 remain in a very serious condition, health authorities said. Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, where some of the casualties have been treated, and was filmed chatting with a girl lying injured on a ward. She described the attack as “very wicked”. “A CITY UNITED” A minute’s silence was observed in honor of the victims at a square in central Manchester, after which crowds broke into an emotional chorus of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, an old hit song by the band Oasis who are from the city. The city’s two giant soccer clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City, laid aside their rivalry to jointly donate 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) to an emergency fund set up to support families affected by the attack. They labeled their initiative “A City United”. The bombing has caused revulsion across the world for targeting children and teenagers. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel at an event in Berlin, said the pair were “heartbroken”, while Trump told fellow NATO leaders the attack was “savage” and “barbaric”. Many European cities, including Paris, Berlin and Brussels, have suffered attacks in the past two years, underlining the importance of confidential intelligence cooperation. Britain routinely shares intelligence with the United States bilaterally, and as part of the “Five Eyes” network which also includes Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Trump was widely criticized this month after it emerged he had discussed sensitive Syria-related intelligence, originating from an ally, with Russian officials at a White House meeting. May said at the time Britain would continue to share information with Washington. Pictures published by the New York Times included remains of the bomb and of the rucksack carried by the suicide bomber, and showed blood stains amid the wreckage. “I think it’s pretty disgusting,” said Scott Lightfoot, a Manchester resident, speaking outside a train station in the city. He criticized media for publishing such material. Slideshow (8 Images) “Who’s leaking it? Where’s it coming from? This is British intelligence at the end of the day, people shouldn’t be finding out about this.” In a statement, the New York Times defended its decision to publish the images, saying they were “neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims”. “Our coverage of Monday’s horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible,” the newspaper said. ||||| The National Police Chiefs’ Council in Britain called the leaks a breach of trust, adding, “This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorized disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counterterrorism investigation.” The disclosure of potential evidence “undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families,” it added. On Thursday, Manchester’s top police official, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, joined the chorus of criticism, saying that the disclosure “has caused much distress for families that are already suffering terribly with their loss.” Earlier in the day, the BBC reported that the Manchester police would no longer share details of the investigation with American counterparts. But on Thursday evening, after Mrs. May had new assurances from Mr. Trump, the police announced that intelligence sharing had resumed — if it had ever stopped in the first place. Mark Rowley, an assistant commissioner in charge of counterterrorism at Scotland Yard and an officer on the Police Chiefs’ Council, said in a statement issued later on Thursday that “while we do not usually comment on information-sharing arrangements with international law enforcement organizations, we want to emphasize that, having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world including all those in the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence alliance.” (Along with the United States and Britain, the other countries in the alliance are New Zealand, Australia and Canada.) The Times said in a statement: The images and information presented were neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims, and consistent with the common line of reporting on weapons used in horrific crimes, as The Times and other media outlets have done following terrorist acts around the world, from Boston to Paris to Baghdad, and many places in between. Our mission is to cover news and inform our readers. We have strict guidelines on how and in what ways we cover sensitive stories. Our coverage of Monday’s horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible. We cover stories about terrorism from all angles. Not only stories about victims but also how terrorist groups work, their sources of funding, how they recruit. Acts of terrorism have tremendous impact on how we live, on how we are governed and how we interact as people, communities and nations. At times the process of reporting this coverage comes at personal risk to our reporters. We do it because it is core to our mission. Mr. Trump has viewed leaks differently at different times depending on whether they helped or hurt him. During last year’s presidential campaign, he not only capitalized on the disclosure of emails from the Democratic National Committee and from Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, he publicly called on Russian hackers to unearth and publicize even more of them. “I love WikiLeaks,” he said at one point, praising the group that made public many of the emails. But since taking office, Mr. Trump has been increasingly frustrated by information coming out of his own White House. Details of his conversation with Russian officials and of his telephone calls with the leaders of Mexico, Australia and, just this week, the Philippines have spilled into public view. Leaked information about a telephone call between Michael T. Flynn, his first national security adviser, and Russia’s ambassador forced the president to fire Mr. Flynn. Mr. Trump’s own aides also routinely leak about one another in the latest palace intrigue. In recent days, anonymously sourced articles about Mr. Trump’s private conversations with and about James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director he fired, have fueled investigations into his associates’ ties with Russia. After The Times reported that Mr. Trump had asked Mr. Comey to shut down an investigation into Mr. Flynn, the Justice Department felt compelled to appoint a special counsel to take over the Russia investigation. ||||| Manchester, England (CNN) Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi likely received some ISIS training in Syria in the months before the attack, according to information gathered in the preliminary investigation, a US official told CNN on Thursday. The US believes ISIS, through that training, set the stage for the 22-year old to carry out the deadly attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, which killed 22 people as they left a pop concert. Other members of Abedi's family are believed to have been radicalized as well, the official said. More details are emerging about the British-born killer, who spent time in Libya before the attack and transited through Istanbul and Dusseldorf airports, as police focus on tracking down his associates. Authorities have made multiple arrests including the bomber's brother, who was detained in Libya. JUST WATCHED UK angry over Manchester attack leaks Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH UK angry over Manchester attack leaks 02:38 The latest revelations come as intelligence sharing between the US and the UK resumed after a temporary halt following a series of high-profile leaks to US media of details surrounding the Manchester bombing investigation, which were blamed on US government officials. US-UK tensions Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner of Britain National Police Chiefs Council, said after receiving "fresh assurances," the UK was now "working closely" its key partners, "including all those in the ' Five Eyes' intelligence alliance." Under 'Five Eyes,' the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand share intelligence in one of the world's tightest multilateral arrangements. US sources were the first to reveal the identity of the bomber, leading to concern that police efforts to hunt down his associates could be impacted. British Prime Minister Theresa May confronted President Donald Trump about the leaks during their meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday. In a written statement, President Trump described the leaks as "deeply troubling" and ordered an investigation. He added that,"There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom." US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will press the point during his first official visit to the UK on Friday. Tillerson will meet with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson "in an expression of UK-US solidarity following the terrorist attack in Manchester earlier this week," a Foreign Office statement said. The two men will write condolence messages for the victims. JUST WATCHED Queen Elizabeth II visits attack victims Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Queen Elizabeth II visits attack victims 00:52 'Significant' arrests Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins told reporters Thursday eight men had been arrested at addresses in Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton. These arrests are "significant," he said, with searches having "revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation." On Thursday, a large cordon was set up for a time around a location in Wigan, where an arrest was made a day earlier, Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. A raid and search have been ongoing due to the discovery of "potentially suspicious items" and evacuations took place as a "matter of precaution." Investigators are tracking down associates of Abedi, a British-born national of Libyan descent who was known to intelligence services, saying it is clear they are investigating a network. A Turkish official said Abedi had transited through Istanbul's Ataturk airport "recently" and did not enter Turkey. The official, who did not want to be named due to government protocol, said he could not confirm where Abedi arrived from or was traveling to. He did say, however, that it could not have been Syria because there are no flights to or from Syria from Istanbul. The official said Turkey had not received any information from foreign intelligence services about Abedi, so he did not raise any red flags. Police in Dusseldorf confirmed that Abedi traveled through Dusseldorf Airport in Germany on his way to Manchester a few days before the attack. The suspect was in transit only in the security area. Abedi 'behaved like a child' According to a family friend who asked not to be identified, the boys' father had taken his sons to Libya in mid-April and confiscated their passports so they couldn't return to the UK where they'd been in trouble with gangs. Abedi got his passport back after telling his father he was going on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, but returned to England instead. Abedi was in Libya for three weeks and returned days before his attack, US military officials told CNN. Hashim Ramadan Abu Qassem al-Abedi, a brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was arrested in Tripoli, Libya, May 23. In Libya, Abedi's brother -- identified as 20-year-old Hashim Ramadan Abu Qassem al-Abedi -- was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of links to ISIS, according to a statement from a Tripoli militia known as the Special Deterrence Force. Abdullah Muhsin Norris, chairman of Salaam Community Masjid, a community center in Manchester, told CNN he got into an argument with Abedi in January. Apprently, Abedi wanted to stay after prayers and was wearing his shoes. "Anyway I quarrelled with him and the way he behaved he said I shouldn't shout at him I said, 'I shout at you because you behaved like a child," Norris said. Armed officers patrol trains British Transport Police announced Thursday that "specially trained firearms officers will be patrolling on board train services for the first time." It comes after Britain raised the threat level to critical -- the highest in a decade -- and deployed armed soldiers to support police. "It is important to note that we do not have any specific intelligence in relation to train services but are taking this action to ensure we can protect and reassure the public," BTP Chief Constable Paul Crowther said. Queen Elizabeth II visited the Manchester Royal Infirmary and Children's Hospital, where some of the wounded are being treated. Speaking to the father of an injured girl by her hospital bed, the Queen said the attack was "a very wicked thing." Among the 22 victims were parents, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, friends, colleagues and classmates. Some were waiting to collect their children, others were enjoying what should have been a fun night of pop music. A moment of silence was held Thursday morning as the United Kingdom continued to come to terms with its worst terror attack since the 2005 London bombings. Manchester hospitals are still treating 75 people in the aftermath of Monday's bombing attack, including 23 in critical care, according to a statement from NHS England. ||||| Here's what happened on Wednesday night in the aftermath of the horrific suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on Tuesday morning NZT. The world is on high alert after Britain raised its terror threat level to the highest setting, critical, following the attack which left at least 22 people dead and more than 59 injured. This means another attack is imminent in the UK and military personnel will be deployed in key locations to help armed police protect the public. Meanwhile Israel's defense minister says he doubts the devastating bombing in Manchester will have any impact on European counter-terrorism tactics because of the continent's "politically correct" character. Avigdor Lieberman says every bombing in Europe results in much talk, but little action. He told Israel's Army Radio tonight the problem is extremism among Muslim youths who are not integrated into society. 9.34pm: British Prime Minister Theresa May is chairing a meeting of her emergency security cabinet, known as Cobra. The Downing Street meeting is dealing with intelligence reports about the investigation into suicide bomber Salman Abedi. Police and intelligence agencies are trying to determine if he was part of a network that may be planning further attacks in the coming days. 9.11: The identity of the two Polish citizens killed in the Manchester attack has been confirmed as Angelika and Marcin Klis, the Guardian reports. Yesterday, the couple's daughter had shared an appeal to find her parents, who had not been seen since the bombing. The Guardian says the identities of nine of the 22 people killed in the attack are now known. They are: 9.00pm: Reuters reports a Manchester health official says around 20 people remain in a critical condition after the suicide bombing, with those wounded battling "highly traumatic injuries" such as damage to major organs and limbs. A total of 64 people are now being treated, he said. 8.32: France's interior minister says the suicide bomber Salman Abedi is believed to have travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with ISIS. Speaking on BFM television tonight, Gerard Collomb did not provide details and said it is unclear whether Abedi was part of a larger network of attackers. 7.38pm: British Home Secretary Amber Rudd has been asked on BBC Radio does she know another attack is imminent. Ms Rudd said if the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre says an attack may be imminent, the government will support that assessment. 6.20pm: At Yankee Stadium, God Save the Queen was played along with The Star-Spangled Banner before New York hosted the Kansas City Royals. "OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS TO THE VICTIMS IN MANCHESTER" the video board read. 6.06pm: The focus for police now is was the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, a lone wolf or part of a terror network planning other attacks? He was on a government watchlist at one point and there are unconfirmed reports that he had recently travelled to Libya and possibly Syria. 5.55pm: A homeless man who was begging in the foyer of Manchester Arena when the suicide bomber attacked has been hailed a hero for rushing to help injured children. A GoFundMe page was set up early this morning to support Chris Parker, 33. He said he also helped tend to a woman in her 60s who had serious injuries but "she passed away in my arms". 5.33pm: Officials are still hunting for accomplices of the suicide bombing suspect, 22-year-old Manchester-born Salman Abedi. British Prime Minister Theresa May said: "We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage." 5.20pm: There have been heartbreaking updates to appeals for information about those missing following the attack. Those include confirmation that 15-year-old Olivia Campbell had died, following an emotional appeal from her family. The youngest victim was Saffie Roussos, 8. ||||| TAORMINA, Italy (Reuters) - Leaders from the world's major industrialised nations began talks on Friday at a G7 summit in Sicily which is expected to expose deep divisions with U.S. President Donald Trump over trade and climate change. The two-day summit, at a cliff-top hotel overlooking the Mediterranean, began a day after Trump blasted NATO allies for spending too little on defence and described Germany's trade surplus as "very bad" in a meeting with EU officials in Brussels. After receiving warm receptions in Saudia Arabia and Israel, Trump's confrontational stance with long-standing partners in Europe cast a cloud over the meeting in Taormina, where leaders are due to discuss terrorism, Syria, North Korea and the global economy. "No doubt, this will be the most challenging G7 summit in years," Donald Tusk, a former Polish prime minister who chairs summits of European Union leaders, said before the meeting. Trump was elected in November after a campaign in which he rejected many of the tenets that the Group of Seven has stood for, including free trade, multilateralism and the liberal democratic values. European leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and new French President Emmanuel Macron, had hoped to use the summit to convince Trump to soften some of his stances. But diplomats conceded as the talks began that the United States was unlikely to budge, meaning the final communique could be watered down significantly compared to the one the G7 unveiled at its last summit in Japan. The summit kicked off with a ceremony at an ancient Greek theatre overlooking the sea, where war ships patrolled the sparkling blue waters. Nine fighter jets soared into the sky above Taormina, leaving a trail of smoke in the red-white-green colours of the Italian flag. The leaders then adjourned to the San Domenico Palace, a one-time Dominican monastery that is now a luxury 5-star hotel. During World War Two, it housed Nazi air force chiefs. Italy chose to stage the summit in Sicily to draw attention to Africa, which is 140 miles (225 km) from the island at its closest point across the Mediterranean. More than half a million migrants, most from sub-Saharan Africa, have reached Italy by boat since 2014, taking advantage of the chaos in Libya to launch their perilous crossings. But trade and climate, to be discussed on Friday afternoon, are the most contentious issues. Trump, who dismissed human-made global warming as a "hoax" during his election campaign, is threatening to pull the United States out of a 2015 climate deal clinched in Paris in 2015. Fellow G7 leaders are trying to convince him to stay in. Cohn and other administration officials have said Trump will wait until after the summit to decide. "This is the first real opportunity that the international community has to force the American administration to begin to show its hand, particularly on environment policy," said Tristen Naylor, a lecturer on development at the University of Oxford and deputy director of the G20 Research Group. On Thursday in Brussels, with NATO leaders standing alongside him, Trump accused members of the military alliance of owing "massive amounts of money" to the United States and NATO - even though allied contributions are voluntary. The remarks went down badly with European leaders, who had hoped Trump would use the opportunity to confirm his commitment to Article 5, the core NATO principle that an attack on one member is viewed as an attack on all. "When an American president cannot commit clearly to Article 5 at a time when everyone is expecting him to do this then there is the risk that Moscow interprets this as meaning it is no longer valid," said Jan Techau of the American Academy in Berlin. In a private meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Trump also denounced the German trade surplus as "very bad" and complained about the large number of German cars being sold in the United States, officials said. Juncker tried to play down the comments ahead of the summit. But they underscored ongoing policy divisions between Trump and his partners four months after he took office. Trump is attending his first major international summit but is not the only G7 newcomer. Macron, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and British Prime Minister Theresa May will also be attending the elite club for the first time. May is expected to leave a day early, following Monday's suicide bombing at a concert in northern England that killed 22 people carried out by a suspected Islamist militant of Libyan descent who grew up in Britain. G7 leaders were expected to issue a separate statement on terrorism on Friday, before issuing their formal communique on Saturday. Italian officials have suggested the final communique will be shorter than 10 pages. At the last G7 summit in Japan it totalled 32 pages. One country that will not be present is Russia. It was expelled from the group in 2014 following its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Trump called for improved ties with Moscow during his election campaign. But accusations from U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia intervened in the U.S. election to help Trump, and investigations into his campaign's contacts with Russian officials, have hung over his four-month-old presidency and prevented him from getting too close to Moscow. On Thursday, the Washington Post and NBC News reported that Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner was under scrutiny by the FBI because of his meetings with Russian officials before Trump took office. One of Kushner's attorneys said her client would cooperate with the investigation. Kushner and his wife, Trump's daughter Ivanka, have returned to Washington after accompanying the president for the first part of his first foreign tour. ||||| Video: US President, Donald Trump Shoves NATO Leader Aside, Disgraces Another The United States President, Donald J. Trump has been the focus of the media especially following his win in the November polls. Donald Trump who has been accused of leaking sensitive information to other world leaders, Russia in particular has also been accused by the United Kingdom of leaking confidential information regarding the recent terror… The post Video: US President, Donald Trump Shoves NATO Leader Aside, Disgraces Another appeared first on The Herald Nigeria. This post was syndicated from The Herald Nigeria. Click here to read the full text on the original website. Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook ||||| Manchester: British police on Tuesday identified the suicide bomber who killed 22 people, including children, in an attack on a crowded concert hall in Manchester, and said they were trying to establish whether he had acted alone or with help from others. The man suspected of carrying out Britain`s deadliest bombing in nearly 12 years was named as Salman Abedi, aged 22, but police declined to give further details about him. U.S. security sources, citing British intelligence officials, said he was born in Manchester in 1994 to parents of Libyan origin. He is believed to have travelled by train from London before the attack, they said. "Our priority, along with the police counter-terrorism network and our security partners, is to continue to establish whether he was acting alone or working as part of a wider network," Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said. The attacker set off his improvised bomb as crowds streamed out of the Manchester Arena after a pop concert by Ariana Grande, a U.S. singer especially popular with teenage girls. "All acts of terrorism are cowardly," Prime Minister Theresa May said outside her Downing Street office after a meeting with security and intelligence chiefs. "But this attack stands out for its appalling sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives." Britain has increased its security threat level to "critical" from "severe" following the attack, May said in a later televised statement, adding that members of the armed forces would boost security at key sites and military personnel might be deployed at public events such as concerts and sports events. Islamic State, now being driven from territories in Syria and Iraq by Western-backed armed forces, claimed responsibility for what it called a revenge attack against "Crusaders", but there appeared to be contradictions in its account of the operation. Witnesses related the horror of the blast, which unleashed a stampede just as the concert ended at Europe`s largest indoor arena, full to its capacity of 21,000. "We ran and people were screaming at us and pushing on the stairs to go outside and people were falling down, girls were crying, and we saw these women being treated by paramedics having open wounds on their legs ... it was just chaos," said Sebastian Diaz, 19. "It was literally just a minute after it ended, the lights came on and the bomb went off." A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, screaming and running from the venue. Dozens of parents frantically searched for their children, posting photos and pleading for information on social media. Singer Grande, 23, said on Twitter she was devastated: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don`t have words." The attack was the deadliest in the UK since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London`s transport system in 2005. But it will have reverberations far beyond British shores. Attacks in cities including Paris, Nice, Brussels, St Petersburg, Berlin and London have shocked Europeans already anxious over security challenges from mass immigration and pockets of domestic Islamist radicalism. Islamic State has repeatedly called for attacks as retaliation for Western involvement in the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. While claiming responsibility on its Telegram account, the group appeared to contradict the police description of a suicide bomber. It suggested explosive devices were placed "in the midst of the gatherings of the Crusaders". "What comes next will be more severe on the worshippers of the cross," the Telegram posting said. It did not name the bomber, as it usually does in attacks it has ordered and appeared also to contradict a posting on another Islamic State account, Amaq, which spoke of "a group of attackers". That reference, however, was later removed. May said security services were working to see if a wider group was involved in the attack, which fell less than three weeks before a national election. Campaigning was suspended as a mark of respect. May spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and several other foreign leaders on Tuesday about the attack, her spokesman said. She also visited the police headquarters and a children`s hospital in Manchester. The White House said Trump had agreed with May during their telephone conversation that the attack was "particularly wanton and depraved". Macron and senior French ministers walked to the British embassy in Paris to sign the condolence book. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it "will only strengthen our resolve to...work with our British friends against those who plan and carry out such inhumane deeds". The U.N. Security Council condemned "the barbaric and cowardly terrorist attack" and expressed solidarity with Britain in the fight against terrorism. Queen Elizabeth held a minute`s silence at a garden party at Buckingham Palace in London. Manchester remained on high alert, with additional armed police drafted in. London Mayor Sadiq Khan said more police had been ordered onto the streets of the British capital. Police raided a property in the Manchester district of Fallowfield where they carried out a controlled explosion. On Tuesday evening thousands of people attended a vigil in central Manchester in sombre but defiant mood. "There`s hard times again in these streets of our city, but we won`t take defeat and we don`t want your pity, because this is the place where we stand strong together with a smile on our face, Mancunians forever," local poet Tony Walsh said in a poem he read to the crowd that drew loud cheers and applause. British police do not routinely carry firearms, but London police said extra armed officers would be deployed at this weekend`s soccer cup final at Wembley and rugby at Twickenham. Security would be reviewed also for smaller events. In March, a British-born convert to Islam ploughed a car into pedestrians on London`s Westminster Bridge, killing four people before stabbing to death a police officer who was on the grounds of parliament. The man was shot dead at the scene. In 2015, Pakistani student Abid Naseer was convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring with al Qaeda to blow up the Arndale shopping centre in the centre of Manchester in April 2009. ||||| British Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will insist that intelligence shared with the United States must remain secure when she meets with President Donald Trump. In Brussels on Thursday for a NATO summit at which Trump will also be present, May said she would “make clear” to the U.S. president that leaking of sensitive information to the media must cease, the Press Association reported. The British government has repeatedly condemned leaks to the U.S. media of information relating to the ongoing investigation into the Manchester suspected suicide bombing on Monday that left 22 dead. Subscribe to Newsweek from $1 per week Among other information, American media were the first to report the name of the suspected bomber, Salman Abedi, and The New York Times ran a story including detailed images of forensics work at the scene of the attack. It is not known who has been leaking the information or where they work. But the steady stream of information appearing in U.S. press has persuaded Greater Manchester Police to take the extraordinary step of no longer sharing information on the investigation with the Americans, the BBC reported. Normally, Britain and America sustain a two-way flow of information on terror investigations. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd was the first government minister to condemn the leaks publicly, saying Wednesday, before The New York Times story was published, that the disclosures were “irritating” because they made it hard to keep up the “element of surprise.” Defense Secretary Michael Fallon told a London radio station the same day that the leaks were “disappointing.” A former British intelligence official told Newsweek that the Americans were “blabbermouths.” The row comes as Israel said on Thursday it had reviewed its intelligence-sharing relationship with Washington. Trump reportedly disclosed sensitive intelligence in a meeting with Russian diplomats earlier this month, which was allegedly obtained via an information-sharing deal with Israel. | British police suspend sharing intelligence with the United States in connection with Monday's Manchester bombing attack for most of the day, after U.S. officials allegedly leak "sensitive information" to The New York Times. British Prime Minister Theresa May emphasized the sensitive nature of said information when she met with U.S. President Donald Trump during their meeting at the NATO summit in Brussels. Trump calls for an investigation into the leaks. |
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The two-stage rocket did not quite make it to orbit, but the team was very happy with the test flight An American company has launched a rocket into space from New Zealand, the first from a private launch facility. Rocket Lab's 17m-long (56ft) Electron lifted off from the Mahia Peninsula, in the North Island, the firm said. The test flight was the first launch from New Zealand and is a major first step in an emerging market: launching cheap disposable rockets to carry small satellites and other payloads. The company plans to start frequent commercial launches later this year. Poor weather conditions had pushed the launch into the fourth day of a 10-day window and the Electron finally cleared its pad at 16:20 local time (04:20 GMT). Image copyright Twitter/@RocketLabUSA The launch was conducted with no media or spectators permitted, but the company released a video of the lift-off on its Twitter page. "It was a great flight," chief executive Peter Beck said in a statement after the launch, adding though that the rocket did not quite reach orbit, the path on which its future cargo would embark on its revolution of the Earth. "We'll be investigating why, however reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our programme, deliver our customers to orbit and make space open for business." The test launch, one of three planned, did not carry a payload as such, although it was packed with sensor equipment to help engineers understand how the flight performed. Eventually, Rocket Lab says it will be lofting payloads up to 150kg (331lbs) into a 500km-high orbits that go from pole to pole. Image copyright AFP Image caption There was no public or media access to Mahia Peninsula to witness the launch Analysis: Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News We're on the cusp of something quite exciting. Innovative companies are packaging really capable technologies into very small, low-cost satellites. Their data will drive myriad new services - from helping city officials keep track of urban development to giving farmers information about the performance of their crops. But if this new wave is to succeed it needs cheaper access to space. At the moment, the economics and flight schedules of these small satellites are still being defined by the availability and price of a ride on a big rocket. Rocket Lab aims to change that. And there are others, such as Richard Branson's LauncherOne project. Rocket Lab's second vehicle is already built and set to fly in the next couple of months. Keep an eye on the end of the year too because this US/NZ outfit even has a contract to send a small lander to the Moon. Why New Zealand? Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive Peter Beck is from New Zealand and the firm has a New Zealand subsidiary. The country has less air traffic, compared to say the US, so there is less need for flights to be rerouted every time a rocket is sent to space. Image copyright Digital Globe Image caption The launch site is located on North Island's Mahia peninsula New Zealand is also positioned well to get satellites into a north-to-south orbit around Earth. The trajectory takes the rocket out over open water, far from from people and property. The country hopes these favourable factors will help it become a low-cost space hub. Nice touch: The Electron has nine engines on its first stage and one engine on its second stage. They are called Rutherford engines - after the great New Zealand-born physicist Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937), who famously split the atom in 1917. Why is the launch significant? Private and commercial rocket launches are becoming more and more common - the most famous example being Elon Musk and his SpaceX Falcon rockets. But the SpaceX vehicles are huge and are aimed at following in the footsteps of Nasa missions, delivering cargo to the international space station and eventually sending people to Mars. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The rockets SpaceX sends into orbit are a different league from the Electron Rocket Lab's goal is to launch what, by comparison, is a tiny rocket for a fraction of the price, but with much more frequency. The Electron is a mere 17m long and 1.2m in diameter. Each launch only costs about $5m. Rocket Lab wants to conduct 50 or more a year. Just to put this all into perspective: SpaceX's current Falcon rocket is a towering 70m and can carry 22,800kg into low-Earth orbit for a standard price of $62m. Rocket Lab's website already allows you to book a slot for your satellite. The cheapest deal is a small cubesat on a rideshare option - prices start at $77,000 (£59,280). ||||| From household fixes to artificial organs, 3D printing is popping up everywhere. But the international startup Rocket Lab is thinking even bigger: rockets. Today, their 3D-printed rocket successfully made it to space. As Reuters reports, the rocket—called the Electron—completed a successful test launch from the remote Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. Clocking in at a wee 55 feet long, the battery-powered, low-cost rocket made it to space after multiple weather delays earlier this week. In this case, “space” doesn’t mean orbit. “We didn’t quite reach orbit and we’ll be investigating why,” said Peter Beck, the company’s founder and CEO, in a press release. Nonetheless, the carbon-composite rocket, whose engine took a full 24 hours to print, made it up past Earth’s atmosphere with a cargo of sensors. Data will now be analyzed to figure out how to improve the rocket. Its 3D-printed construction wasn’t the only new thing about the Electron. As the BBC notes, it was the first such launch from a private facility. The existence of petite, privately available spacecraft could create new opportunities to get satellites and other tech up into orbit for less money—and since New Zealand doesn’t have as much air traffic as the U.S., it could allow private industry to do so more often with less fuss. The New Zealand Herald’s Grant Bradley reports that government officials and kiwis are excited about the potential of a space industry in their country. However, not everyone is thrilled about the launch. As Reuters notes, the people of Mahia, which is largely Maori, complained about their home being turned into a launch pad, especially in light of Rocket Lab’s plans to launch regularly in the future. Someone else was doubtless watching as the rocket launched: NASA. In 2015, the agency awarded Rocket Lab a $6.9 million contract to figure out how to send tiny CubeSats—miniature satellites—to space without forcing the devices to hitch a ride on other rocket launches. Once that happens, it could make space research a lot less risky, yielding valuable new scientific information without a mammoth investment. Are 3D-printed rockets truly the wave of the future? We won’t know until they’re in regular use—but the launch shows that the possibility is closer than ever. ||||| Rocket Lab, a California-based spaceflight company with its roots in New Zealand, just launched its two-stage Electron rocket for the first time. The small launch vehicle successfully lifted off from Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula of New Zealand at 12:20 a.m. ET on Thursday May 25—4:20 p.m. New Zealand time. The successful liftoff marks the first time an orbital-class rocket has been launched from a private launch facility. "It has been an incredible day and I'm immensely proud of our talented team," said Peter Beck, CEO and founder of Rocket Lab, in a press release. "We're one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch and we did it in under four years. We've worked tirelessly to get to this point. We've developed everything in house, built the world's first private orbital launch range, and we've done it with a small team." However, the test payload itself "didn't quite reach orbit." Rocket Lab is investigating the cause, and the company's engineers in Los Angeles and Auckland will be sifting through data from the launch in the coming weeks. Rocket lab has two more test flights planned for the Electron this year. On the second launch, the company will focus on getting its payload to orbit as well as increasing the payload size. The company says it wants to launch about 50 rockets a year at full production, and it has already signed contracts with customers like NASA and Moon Express. The Electron rocket stands about 56 feet tall and puts out around 36,000 lbs. of thrust from its nine oxygen-kerosene "Rutherford" engines. That makes the rocket significantly smaller than a SpaceX Falcon 9, which stands as tall as 260 feet and can put out as much as 1,710,000 lbs. of thrust. But the market for smaller satellites that only weigh a couple hundred kilograms and cubesats the size of shoeboxes is increasing steadily. Rocket Lab hopes to get its prices as low as $5 million per launch, providing an alternative to ride-sharing for hundreds of customers who want to launch smaller payloads. The launch is a big step for Rocket Lab, which is the first company to build its own orbital-class rocket as well as its own launch facility. If the next two test launches go off without a hitch, we might see Rocket Lab fly their first Electron carrying a commercial payload before the year is out. ||||| A supplied image of the launch and maiden flight of a battery-powered, 3-D printed rocket built by Rocket Lab, a Silicon Valley-funded space launch company, at New Zealand's remote Mahia Peninsula, May 25, 2017. One of the world’s most promising new rocket companies successfully launched its first rocket to space from New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula on May 25. Though the 17-meter-tall rocket and its test payload didn’t make it to orbit, its flight to space represents an important milestone.
• “Master of None” perfectly captures the difference between how Italians and Americans date “We had a great first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition and fairing separation,” Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck said after the flight. “We didn’t quite reach orbit, and we’ll be investigating why. However, reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our program.” Rocket Lab, a company recently valued at $1 billion by private investors, has been waiting since May 22 to test its first product, a rocket called Electron designed to launch small satellites into orbit. Its outer shell is made almost entirely of carbon fiber, and it boasts an electric turbopump and a 3-D printed engine. A successful launch will provide key data to refine the rocket’s construction, and validate the hopes of both the company’s backers and a slew of other small satellite firms desperate to see their own technology put into space. A new generation of rocket companies, led by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, have made cheaper access to space a reality. In response, numerous companies have come up with new satellite business plans, creating a glut of demand for rocket launches. With SpaceX and its competitors largely focused on the lucrative business of launching large, expensive satellites, several companies are racing to bring smaller rockets, capable of being launched with little lead time, to service the lower end of the market. Rocket Lab is among the leaders in this race, a binational firm with facilities in California and its launch center in New Zealand. The Electron is expected to cost $5 million and carry 225 kilograms of cargo into orbit. For comparison, a brand new SpaceX Falcon 9 lists at $60 million per launch and can carry some 22,800 kilograms into low-earth orbit. But Rocket Labs hopes to launch as many as 50 times a year, a major increase in cadence from the pace set by launch companies today. The company’s first test rocket had been waiting patiently to fly for several days. Its obstacle was a common one in rocketry: clouds. While rockets are capable of generating enormous amounts of force to heave their cargo out of gravity’s reach, the wrong atmosphere conditions stand in their way. This is not because clouds would deflect the rocket—at maximum output, it can generate 40,000 pounds of force—but that incredible speed through the atmosphere can result in something called “triboelectrification,” when friction builds up an electrical charge on the surface of the rocket, which could zap guidance computers or other electronics. Basically, it’s like the static electricity generated when you rub your socks on a carpet and then touch a door knob, but on a grand scale. It’s a concern faced by rocketeers from Cape Canaveral in the US to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Having waited patiently for their opportunity, Rocket Lab’s engineers were able to make a successful flight. Once Electron is fully qualified to take cargo into orbit, Rocket Lab already has customers lined up in NASA, the small satellite companies Planet and Spire, and even Moon Express, which hopes to launch a moon probe and win the Google Lunar XPrize on an Electron rocket. Rocket Lab has also just sold a launch to Spaceflight Industries, a company that acts as a broker for space access. Rocket Lab is not the only small rocket company looking at this market. US-based Vector Space is also entering the test phase of its own effort to field a small satellite-hauling rocket, launching a reduced-size prototype with a full-size engine in the Mojave desert in early May. The company is planning a handful of suborbital tests this year to develop the vehicle before bringing it to full commercial use. Sign up for the Quartz Daily Brief, our free daily newsletter with the world’s most important and interesting news.
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• Coding is not “fun,” it’s technically and ethically complex ||||| Electron lifted-off at 16:20 NZST from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It was the first orbital-class rocket launched from a private launch site in the world. "It has been an incredible day and I'm immensely proud of our talented team," said Peter Beck, CEO and founder of Rocket Lab. "We're one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch and we did it in under four years. We've worked tirelessly to get to this point. We've developed everything in house, built the world's first private orbital launch range, and we've done it with a small team. "It was a great flight. We had a great first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition and fairing separation. We didn't quite reach orbit and we'll be investigating why, however reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our program, deliver our customers to orbit and make space open for business," says Beck. Over the coming weeks, Rocket Lab's engineers in Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand will work through the 25,000 data channels that were collected during the test flight. The results will inform measures taken to optimize the vehicle. "We have learnt so much through this test launch and will learn even more in the weeks to come. We're committed to making space accessible and this is a phenomenal milestone in that journey. The applications doing this will open up are endless. Known applications include improved weather reporting, Internet from space, natural disaster prediction, up-to-date maritime data as well as search and rescue services," says Beck. Today's launch was the first of three test flights scheduled for this year. Rocket Lab will target getting to orbit on the second test and look to maximize the payload the rocket can carry. Footage and imagery of the launch will be made available here: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/latest/link-to-rocket-lab-imagery-and-video/ Media Contact: Catherine Moreau Hammond | 027 538 9039 | c.moreauhammond@rocketlab.co.nz Chloe Tonkin | 020 414 30668 | chloet@porternovelli.kiwi Marcus Torrey | +1 (415) 891-4909 | marcus@methodcommunications.com Rocket Lab's mission is to remove the barriers to commercial space by providing frequent launch opportunities to low Earth orbit. Since its creation in 2006 by Peter Beck, Rocket Lab has delivered a range of complete rocket systems and technologies for fast and affordable payload deployment. In addition to New Zealand's first orbital launch site located on the MÄhia Peninsula, the company has operations in both Auckland and Los Angeles. Electron is an entirely carbon-composite vehicle designed and manufactured in New Zealand that uses Rocket Lab's 3D-printed Rutherford engines for its main propulsion system. The Electron vehicle is designed to carry payloads, such as smaller satellites, to a low orbit. Owing to the modern design and construction of the Electron - rapid and scalable manufacture with high levels of automation is possible. The Electron launch vehicle will allow constellations of small satellites to provide services like affordable internet from space and live-earth observation for activities such as environmental monitoring, natural disaster prediction, up-to-date maritime data and search and rescue services. Electron is capable of delivering payloads of up to 150 kg to a 500 km sun-synchronous orbit - the target range for this high-growth constellation-satellite market. Electron is the most affordable small satellite launch vehicle. Customers signed to fly on Electron include NASA, Planet, Spire and Moon Express. Rutherford is a state of the art oxygen and kerosene pump fed engine specifically designed from scratch in New Zealand for Electron, using an entirely new propulsion cycle. Its unique high-performance electric propellant pumps reduce mass and replace hardware with software. Rutherford is the first engine of its kind to use 3D printing for all primary components. These features are world firsts for a high performance liquid rocket engine with propellants that are fed by electric turbopumps. The production-focused design allows Electron launch vehicles to be built and satellites launched at an unprecedented frequency. Rocket Lab's Launch Complex 1 is located on the tip of the MÄhia Peninsula, between Napier and Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The complex is the first orbital launch site in New Zealand, and the first privately operated orbital launch site globally. The remote location of Launch Complex 1, particularly its low volume of air and marine traffic, is a key factor in enabling unprecedented access to space. The geographic position of the site means it is possible to access a large range of orbital azimuths - satellites launched from MÄhia can be delivered to a wide range of inclinations to provide services across many areas around the world. ||||| An American company has launched a rocket into space from New Zealand, the first from a private launch facility. Rocket Lab's 17m (56ft) Electron rocket took off from the Mahia Peninsula, in North Island, the firm said on Twitter. The test flight was the first launch ever from New Zealand and is a major first step in an emerging market; launching cheap disposable rockets to carry small satellites and other cargo. The company plans to start frequent commercial launches later this year. Poor weather conditions had pushed the launch into the fourth day of a 10-day window and the Electron finally took off at 16:20 local time (04:20 GMT). The test launch, one of three planned, did not carry any actual cargo, but Rocket Lab says eventually the Electron rocket will carry 150kg (331lbs) into orbit. Rocket Lab's founder and chief executive Peter Beck is from New Zealand. Why is the launch significant? Private and commercial rocket launches are becoming more and more common - the most famous example being Elon Musk's SpaceX. But SpaceX builds huge rockets aimed at following in the footsteps of Nasa missions, delivering cargo to the international space station and eventually sending man to Mars. Rocket Lab's Electron is entirely different. Its goal is to launch what, by comparison, is a tiny rocket for a fraction of the price. That means that launches can be more frequent and a lot cheaper. There is a growing market for small satellites and so-called cubesats - small rectangular boxes that may weigh only a few kilos which are used, for instance, to gather pictures of Earth and weather data. Currently, the only way of getting these into orbit is by hitching a ride on a big rocket as a secondary payload. What kind of a rocket is the Electron? The Electron is 17m long and 1.2m in diameter. While the maximum payload is 225kg, it is designed to carry only 150kg into low orbit - between 300km (186 miles) and 500km above earth. Just to put this into perspective: SpaceX's current Falcon rocket is a towering 70m and can carry 22,800kg into low orbit. According to Rocket Lab, each launch costs around $5m (£3.85m) and the rocket is made entirely of carbon-composite and can not be re-used. The firm has developed its own partly 3-D printed engine for the project. ||||| Small-satellite launch company Rocket Lab said its Electron rocket “made it to space” in its first test flight, as the Huntington Beach firm and other small-rocket start-ups begin to inch closer to commercial operations. In a tweet Wednesday evening soon after the launch Rocket Lab said it was “delighted." The Electron rocket, which did not have a satellite aboard during this test flight, was intended to reach an elliptical orbit, about 186 to 310 miles above Earth at an 83- degree inclination. The company’s 10-day launch window opened Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Pacific time, but the launch was delayed by three days because of weather conditions at the company’s private launch complex on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula. Rocket Lab completed construction on the launch complex in September. Company Chief Executive Peter Beck said in a statement last week that the “No. 1 priority” of this first test flight was to “gather enough data and experience to prepare for a commercial phase.” “We are all incredibly excited to get to this point,” he said. This was the first of three test launches before Rocket Lab starts launching customer payloads. The company has already secured contracts with customers such as NASA and Earth-imaging firm Planet. The growing launch manifest puts pressure on Rocket Lab to test its rockets and move on to commercial service, said Bill Ostrove, aerospace and defense analyst at Forecast International. Rocket Lab is building a business around the burgeoning small-satellite market. Thanks to technological advancements that slashed satellite development and launch costs, a number of companies, including SpaceX, OneWeb and Boeing, have proposed so-called constellations of hundreds or even thousands of small satellites that would provide low-cost broadband Internet access. To meet the expected demand for launches, companies such as Rocket Lab are tailoring their rockets to give these small satellites a dedicated ride to space. The Electron is small — about 56 feet long, with a diameter of about 4 feet — and is intended to lift small satellites or other payloads weighing up to 330 pounds to a low orbit. The rocket’s first stage is composed of nine Rutherford engines, which are powered by liquid oxygen and kerosene. The company said it used 3-D printing for all of the primary components of the Rutherford engine. Recently, there has been a flurry of activity from small-satellite launch vehicle developers. Tucson-based Vector Space Systems launched a test of its Vector-R rocket earlier this month in Mojave, Calif. Another industry player, Long Beach-based Virgin Orbit, is aiming to test LauncherOne — a satellite-launching rocket that will be dropped from beneath the wing of a Boeing 747 — for the first time by the end of the year. ||||| On Thursday, shortly after midnight on the US East Coast, a New Zealand-based rocket company launched an orbital-class rocket from a private launch site for the first time. While relatively small, Rocket Lab's Electron launch vehicle stands at the vanguard of a new class of launchers designed to place increasingly tiny satellites into space. Facing competition from the likes of Virgin Orbit and Vector Space Systems, which are late in the development stage, Rocket Lab is the first small satellite launch company to put a full-size rocket into space. “We’re one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch and we did it in under four years," said Peter Beck, chief executive and founder of Rocket Lab. "We’ve worked tirelessly to get to this point. We’ve developed everything in-house, built the world’s first private orbital launch range, and we’ve done it with a small team." Although the Electron vehicle made it into space, it "didn't quite reach orbit," according to Beck. Rocket Lab did not release precise details of the launch from Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand but said the vehicle had a "great" first-stage burn, stage separation, second-stage ignition, and fairing separation. Over the coming weeks, Beck said, the company will investigate data from the launch, understand why the vehicle failed to reach orbit, and proceed to the second of three test launches before beginning commercial operations. The Electron rocket is a relatively small vehicle, at 17 meters tall and with a diameter of 1.2 meters. Nine oxygen-kerosene "Rutherford" engines power the vehicle, each with 34,500 pounds of thrust at liftoff. (That is a little less than one-fifth the thrust of each of the nine Merlin 1-D engines that power SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket). When fully functional, the rocket will be able to send up to 150kg to a Sun-synchronous orbit 500km above the Earth. This is far less than the capacity of orbital rockets operating today, including the Falcon 9, Atlas V, Soyuz, and other commercially available rockets. But in recent years there has been an explosion in demand for the delivery of small satellites weighing anywhere from a few hundred kilograms all the way down to cubesats and a desire to not have to ride-share with larger payloads. Rocket Lab hopes to meet this demand with services costing as little as $5 million per launch. The new class of low-cost small satellite booster companies plans to launch rapidly, and often, to meet market demand. At full production, Rocket Lab says it will launch more than 50 times a year and is regulated to launch up to 120 times a year. A chief executive of a competitor, Jim Cantrell of Vector Space Systems, recently described the market for smaller launch vehicles as "shooting turkeys in a drum," saying there was incredible demand. In the race to reach the market first with a smaller orbital vehicle, then, Rocket Lab took a big step Thursday. ||||| The debut launch of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket from a privately-operated base in New Zealand made it to space Thursday, proving the performance of major parts of the booster before faltering short of the velocity it needed to enter orbit, the company said in a statement. The U.S.-New Zealand company said data from the test flight will help refine the Electron launcher for future demonstrations before it enters commercial service hauling small satellites to orbit. “It was a great flight,” said Peter Beck, Rocket Lab’s CEO. “We had a great first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition and fairing separation. We didn’t quite reach orbit,, and we’ll be investigating why, however, reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our program, deliver our customers to orbit and make space open for business.” The 55-foot-tall (17-meter) Electron rocket, made of black carbon composite materials, fired its nine first stage Rutherford engines in the final seconds of Thursday’s countdown. After a quick health check, computers commanded hold-down restraints to release the booster at 0420 GMT (12:20 a.m. EDT) from Launch Complex 1, Rocket Lab’s operations base on Mahia Peninsula on the eastern coast of New Zealand’s North Island. Liftoff occurred at 4:20 p.m. local time in New Zealand, and the Electron rocket quickly climbed into mostly cloudy skies, turning to the south over the Pacific Ocean. Thursday’s launch, christened “It’s a Test,” came after bad weather halted flight preps on three consecutive days. The nine Rutherford first stage engines, each burning a combination of kerosene and liquid oxygen, cumulatively produced around 34,500 pounds of thrust at liftoff and powered up to 41,500 pounds of thrust as the rocket soared into the stratosphere. The first stage engines were scheduled to switch off at T+plus 2 minutes, 30 seconds, followed by first stage separation around four seconds later. A single modified Rutherford engine on the Electron’s second stage was programmed to ignite for nearly five minutes to drive the launcher into an orbit between 186 miles (300 kilometers) and 310 miles (500 kilometers) above Earth. But something went awry with the rocket before passing the speed required to reach orbit. Rocket Lab released no further details on the mission, which carried instrumentation collecting 25,000 channels of telemetry for engineers to evaluate the launcher’s performance. There were no commercial satellites aboard the rocket, only an inert payload, according to a launch license issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, the regulatory authority which oversees Rocket Lab operations because the company is based in the United States. Nevertheless, Beck said in a statement the accomplishments in Thursday’s test flight will advance Rocket Lab’s mission to reduce the cost of space launches, particularly for lightweight payloads that have trouble booking rides on existing launchers. “Rocket Lab will target getting to orbit on the second test and look to maximize the payload the rocket can carry,” the company said in a press release after Thursday’s flight. “We have learned so much through this test launch and will learn even more in the weeks to come,” Beck said. “We’re committed to making space accessible and this is a phenomenal milestone in that journey. “The applications doing this will open up are endless,” Beck said. “Known applications include improved weather reporting, Internet from space, natural disaster prediction, up-to-date maritime data as well as search and rescue services.” NASA and several commercial companies have contracts for launches of CubeSats and other small spacecraft on Rocket Lab’s Electron booster, which is due to enter service following two more test flights later this year. Rocket Lab is headquartered in Huntington Beach, California, with a design and engineering office in Auckland, New Zealand. The company says it will charge $4.9 million per Electron flight, significantly less than any other launch provider flying today, and offer a dedicated ride for payloads that currently must ride piggyback with a larger payload. With money from venture capital funds in Silicon Valley and New Zealand, along with a strategic investment from Lockheed Martin, Rocket Lab completed the design and qualification of the Electron rocket with less than $100 million since the company was established in 2006, according to Beck. “We’ve done a lot in a short period of time with a little,” Beck said in a March interview with Spaceflight Now. Rocket Lab’s progress was marked with test launches of more than 80 sounding rockets since the company’s formation. The total money invested in Rocket Lab to date is $148 million, and the company was valued at more than $1 billion during a Series D financing round closed in March. “It has been an incredible day and I’m immensely proud of our talented team,” Beck said in a statement Thursday. “We’re one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch, and we did it in under four years. We’ve worked tirelessly to get to this point. We’ve developed everything in-house, built the world’s first private orbital launch range, and we’ve done it with a small team.” Rocket Lab did not provide a public live video webcast of Thursday’s launch, but a video feed of the liftoff was privately streamed to the company’s facilities elsewhere in New Zealand and the United States. Future Electron missions could loft up to 330 pounds (150 kilograms) of payload to a circular sun-synchronous polar orbit 310 miles above Earth. Each Rutherford engine on the 3.9-foot-diameter (1.2-meter-diameter) rocket generates around 4,600 pounds of thrust, using battery-powered pumps to cycle the engine’s liquid propellants, an innovation Rocket Lab describes as “entirely new” in rocket propulsion. The Electron’s engine, named for the New Zealand-born nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford, is the first of its type to be primarily 3D-printed. Each Rutherford engine, including its engine chamber, injector, pumps and main propellant valves, can be printed in 24 hours. Readying the commercial launch range in New Zealand proved to be just as much a challenge as the rocket itself, Beck said before the test flight. “We are not just commissioning the launch vehicle, but we’re commissioning an entire launch range, including all the flight termination assets and all the telemetry assets,” Beck said in a March interview with Spaceflight Now. “We’ve got downrange tracking stations that we own on remote islands in the Pacific, so it’s not just a matter of rolling the vehicle out to an established pad. “It’s the very first time that the FAA has provided a truly commercial launch license, so there’s a lot of work in that,” Beck said. Personnel from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska relocated to New Zealand to set up and test tracking and range safety systems at the Mahia Peninsula launch site. Beck said in March that the maiden launch would fly with manual and autonomous flight termination systems, and future Electron missions will likely carry just a self-destruct device, which simplifies the infrastructure required for a rocket mission. “The range is a massive undertaking,” Beck said. “You don’t realize how good you’ve got it until you go and build your own range and realize what’s involved in that. Anybody who turns up at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) has it great, that’s for sure.” A crew of around 45 engineers and managers stationed at Rocket Lab mission control in Auckland and at a range control center at Mahia were in charge of the countdown. Rocket Lab says it could theoretically launch once every 72 hours from the Mahia Peninsula base once commercial operations commence, but Beck said the company also has agreements to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Alaska. Beck said launches going into orbits over Earth’s poles could take off from Alaska, while other missions could be based from Kennedy Space Center. NASA is one of several customers who have signed up for a launch with Rocket Lab to place multiple small research satellites into orbit, committing to a nearly $7 million launch contract in October 2015. The U.S. space agency also signed launch contracts with two other company’s working on micro-launchers in the same class as the Electron: Virgin Galactic and Firefly Space Systems. The air-dropped LauncherOne rocket, now part of a Virgin division known as Virgin Orbit, could conduct its first test launch by the end of this year. Firefly ran into financial trouble last year and stopped development of its Alpha launch vehicle. Rocket Lab also has a commercial launch deal with Moon Express, one of the competitors vying for the Google Lunar X Prize, for three missions to send micro-landers to the moon, the first of which must depart by the end of 2017 to win the prize. Other Rocket Lab customers include Planet, a San Francisco company which builds and manages a fleet of CubeSats in orbit designed to take daily images of Earth’s surface. Planet’s launches to date have been on supply ships heading for the International Space Station, where the CubeSats are deployed, and as secondary payloads aboard Indian rockets. Customers with satellites released from the space station or launched on the same booster with larger spacecraft often have little say about where or when their payloads go into space, a problem companies like Rocket Lab intend to solve. Planet signed a launch agreement in 2016 with Rocket Lab for at least three dedicated Electron flights. Spire Global also agreed to send its CubeSat-type satellites to orbit on up to 12 Electron rocket launches, expanding the San Francisco-based operator’s fleet of commercial weather forecasting and maritime tracking spacecraft. Rocket Lab has also sold one Electron mission to Spaceflight, a Seattle company which aggregates small satellites from commercial, academic and government customers to share launches into orbit. Spaceflight and Rocket Lab did not announce a date for the rideshare flight in a press release last week disclosing the launch contract. Rocket Lab’s latest infusion of $75 million from venture capital funds in March will help the company “scale up” its production to be ready for the anticipated launch rate, Beck said. “The 3D-printed engine is a big part of that,” Beck said in a March interview. “Right now, with six printers, we can produce one engine every 24 hours, so if we need to produce more engines, we can just buy more printers. We put ourselves in a very scaleable situation, and now we just need to execute on that.” At full production, Rocket Lab says it expects to launch more than 50 times per year. The newest funding will also go toward outfitting a new rocket 150,000-square-foot rocket factory in Huntington Beach and upgrading Rocket Lab’s existing facilities in New Zealand. ||||| Rocket Lab, an American-New Zealand aerospace company, made history yesterday when its Electron rocket reached space at 16:23 NZST. Electron lifted-off at 16:20 NZST from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. It was the first orbital-class rocket launched from from a private launch site in the world. “It has been an incredible day and I’m immensely proud of our talented team,” said Peter Beck, CEO and founder of Rocket Lab. “We’re one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch and we did it in under four years. “It was a great flight. We had a great first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition and fairing separation. We didn’t quite reach orbit and we’ll be investigating why, however reaching space in our first test puts us in an incredibly strong position to accelerate the commercial phase of our programme, deliver our customers to orbit and make space open for business,” says Beck. Minister for Economic Development Simon Bridges has congratulated the team at Rocket Lab on the successful launch of their first test rocket on the Mahia Peninsula. “Today’s successful launch is a major milestone in the development of New Zealand’s space industry,” says Mr Bridges. “It is the first visible sign of a space industry in New Zealand and is an achievement Rocket Lab, and all New Zealanders can be proud of.” New Zealand is now one of 11 countries currently able to launch satellites into space from their own territory and the first to launch from a fully private orbital launch range. “The potential benefits for our economy are very significant. These include opportunities to grow in areas related to the space industry such as research, materials development and testing, and to attract other space related companies to set up in New Zealand, and even space tourism,” Mr Bridges says. Over the coming weeks, Rocket Lab’s engineers in Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand will work through the 25,000 data channels that were collected during. The results will inform measures taken to optimize the vehicle. “We have learnt so much through this test launch and will learn even more in the weeks to come,” says Beck, “We’re committed to making space accessible and this is a phenomenal milestone in that journey.” Today’s launch was the first of three test flights scheduled for this year. Rocket Lab will target getting to orbit on the second test and look to maximize the payload the rocket can carry. Rocket Lab’s mission is to remove the barriers to commercial space by providing frequent launch opportunities to low Earth orbit. Since its creation in 2006 by Peter Beck, Rocket Lab has delivered a range of complete rocket systems and technologies for fast and affordable payload deployment. In addition to New Zealand’s first orbital launch site located on the Māhia Peninsula, the company has operations in both Auckland and Los Angeles. Rocket Lab is a private company, with major investors including Khosla Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Data Collective, Promus Ventures, Lockheed Martin and K1W1. Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 is located on the tip of the Māhia Peninsula, between Napier and Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The complex is the first orbital launch site in New Zealand, and the first privately operated orbital launch site globally. The remote location of Launch Complex 1, particularly its low volume of air and marine traffic, is a key factor in enabling unprecedented access to space. The geographic position of the site means it is possible to access a large range of orbital azimuths – satellites launched from Māhia can be delivered to a wide range of inclinations to provide services across many areas around the world. | Rocket Lab launches its 3D-printed Electron rocket on a test flight from Māhia Peninsula in New Zealand. This is the first launch from New Zealand and the first from a private facility. Electron is 17 meters high, is intended for frequent launches of small payloads, and costs $5 million per liftoff. SpaceX's Falcon 9 stands at 70 meters, carries up to 22,800 kilograms to the ISS, and costs $62 million per launch. |
The Turkish government has issued an arrest warrant for Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter, accusing him of being a member of a "terror group," according to the pro-government Turkish newspaper The Daily Sabah. Kanter is a vocal supporter of Fethullah Gulen and the "Gulen Movement." After a military coup attempt in 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan placed blame for the attempt on Gulen and his supporters. Gulen, a Muslim spiritual leader, has spent the past 15 years in exile in Pennsylvania. Gulen has denied claims of involvement with the coup. Kanter appeared to mock the arrest warrant in his native Turkish as part of a retweet of the Daily Sabah's report. Yakalayamazsıııın!!! Hahaha 😂😂 Boşuna yorulmayın. Hepinizin o çirkin, nefret dolu suratlarınıza tükürmeye zaten kendim geleceğim. pic.twitter.com/hw0LUp4MNo — Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) May 26, 2017 The warrant "refers to Kanter's alleged use of an encrypted messaging application called Bylock, Sabah said, which Turkey claims was especially created for Gulen supporters." In Turkey, Kanter's Twitter account is blocked. In the Daily Sabah last summer, Kanter's father, Mehmet, announced the family was disowning him. Kanter said he hasn't spoken with his family in almost two years. Kanter was detained last week in Romania after the Turkish government revoked his passport. In a video about it, Kanter said Erdogan is the "Hitler of this century." Kanter returned to the United States, via London, on Monday using his green card. Kanter, who claims he routinely gets death threats, said in interviews following the incident that his manager woke him up in the middle of the night in Indonesia a few days before and was told the Indonesian "secret service and army" were looking for him because he is a "dangerous man." Kanter told reporters he plans on becoming a U.S. citizen. "Right now I am country-less," Kanter said at the National Basketball Players Association headquarters in Manhattan. "I am open to adoption definitely. I am going to try to become an American citizen." ||||| OKLAHOMA CITY – He’s a star on the basketball court who’s not afraid to speak his mind. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s Enes Kanter is in hot water with the Turkish government over his recent words and social media posts about Turkey’s leader. “He’s a bad, bad, man. He’s a dictator and he’s the Hitler of our century,” said Enes Kanter from an airport while he was detained in Romania last week. The Turkish government revoked his passport. But now, a foreign arrest warrant has been issued for Kanter for allegedly associating with terrorism. “I’m aware that the Turkish government, under President Erdogan, is unhappy with some of the political stances that Enes Kanter has taken, so that’s what’s behind that arrest warrant,” said Professor Bob Carpenter with Oklahoma Christian College. Carpenter has extensive knowledge of Turkish policy and says Kanter supports a movement that opposes Turkey’s current leader. “That’s the organization that the Turkish Government is accusing of being a terrorist organization,” said Carpenter. “It’s downright degrading,” said Floyd Blackbear. “I mean, come on. A professional basketball player? Being called a terrorist? Especially here in the state of Oklahoma.” “I think it’s very unfair,” said Janet McCauley. “ But I think it’s a very good opportunity for him to become a U.S. citizen, Okie for sure.” But how likely is it that Kanter could be arrested? Especially since an opposing coup leader from Turkey is already in the United States. “If someone who has been accused by the Turkish Government of leading a coup is still here, I’d say that Enes Kanter is on safe ground.” said Carpenter. We reached out to the Thunder but didn’t receive a comment on the issue. ||||| OKLAHOMA CITY – A foreign arrest warrant has been issued for an Oklahoma City Thunder player following an incident involving his passport. Earlier this month, Enes Kanter said he was stopped at an airport in Romania after his travel documents were canceled by the Turkish government. “They said (Turkey’s embassy) canceled my passport. They’ve been holding us here for hours,” Kanter said in a video posted to social media. Kanter, who turned 25 on Saturday, said Ankara had canceled his passport because of his political views and that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was responsible. Reporting on Kanter’s tweets, Turkish state media outlet Anadolu said Kanter is a supporter of cleric Fethullah Gulen, an Erdogan opponent who now lives in Pennsylvania. Now, it seems that his political views may have landed him in even more hot water in Turkey. According to NewsOk, Turkey has reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Kanter, accusing him of being involved with a terrorist organization. The Daily Sabah reported that the warrant was issued due to Kanter’s support of Gulen. Kanter said he hopes to become an American citizen in the future. ||||| A pro-government Turkish newspaper reports the country has issued an arrest warrant for Enes Kanter, claiming the Oklahoma City Thunder forward is a member of a terrorist group. Kanter was temporarily detained last weekend in Romania, after officials there were notified his passport has been revoked by Turkey, where he is a citizen. Kanter has been a vocal critic of Turkey’s leadership and recently compared President Erdogan to Adolf Hitler. In response to the warrant, Kanter responded on Twitter with "You cannot catch me. Hahaha. Don't waste your energy." Kanter received his green card last year, says he wants to become a United States citizen. ||||| TURKEY ISSUES ARREST WARRANT FOR BASKETBALL STAR: The Turkish government says Oklahoma City Thunder Enes Kanter is a terrorist. He belongs to the Gulen Movement. Kanter was detained last week in Romania after the Turkish government revoked his passport. In a video about it, Kanter said Erdogan is the “Hitler of this century.” Kanter returned to the United States, via London, on Monday using his green card. Kanter, who claims he routinely gets death threats, said in interviews following the incident he was woken up by his manager in the middle of the night in Indonesia a few nights before and told the Indonesian “secret service and army” were looking for him because he is a “dangerous man.” Kanter told reporters he plans on becoming a United States citizen. ||||| The Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for Enes Kanter on Friday, according to Daily Sabah, a pro-government newspaper in Turkey, via Yahoo! Sports. The Oklahoma City Thunder center has been labeled a “fugitive” and a member of a “terror group” planning to overthrow Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “A judge issued the arrest warrant after an Istanbul prosecutor opened an investigation into Kanter’s alleged “membership of an armed terrorist organisation”, Sabah daily reported. (…) The arrest warrant refers to Kanter’s alleged use of an encrypted messaging application called Bylock, Sabah said, which Turkey claims was especially created for Gulen supporters.It also referred to Kanter’s “praise for a terror organisation” in messages via his social media accounts, the daily reported.” Kanter had his passport canceled on May 20, while he was traveling through Europe with his foundation, and was detained in Romania. He made it back to the United States, via London, using his green card. During his detainment, Kanter referred to Erdogan as the “Hitler of our century” in a video that he posted. The 25-year-old center has been an outspoken critic of the Turkish president, and a vocal supporter of Fethullah Gulen and the “Gulen Movement.” Gulen, who currently lives in exile in Pennsylvania, was blamed for a 2016 military coup attempt on Erdogan, but he has denied his involvement. Kanter appeared to mock the warrant for his arrest on Twitter. Kanter has told reporters that he would like to become an American citizen. “Right now I am country-less,” Kanter said, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “I am open to adoption definitely. I am going to try to become an American citizen.” ||||| ANKARA/NEW YORK, May 26 (Reuters) - Enes Kanter, the Turkish NBA star whose home country has revoked his passport, on Friday dismissed a report that Turkey's government had issued a warrant for his arrest. "You can´t catch me. Don´t waste your breath. I will come on my own will anyway, to spit on your ugly, hateful faces," Kanter said in a Twitter post. A photo of a story by Turkish newspaper Sabah about the arrest warrant accompanied his post. Kanter's agent, the National Basketball Association player's union and representatives for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kanter's team, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kanter was named a "fugitive" by a Turkish court for his support of U.S-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999, according to the newspaper's report on Friday. A representative of the prosecutor's office in Istanbul declined to comment and Turkey's Ministry of Justice was not available to comment. The investigation of Kanter was reportedly coordinated and carried out by Istanbul prosecutors. The court's ruling had determined Kanter was allegedly a user of ByLock, a secure communication application for smartphones that was used by an organization in support of Gulen and supposedly during a failed coup against Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan last July, Sabah reported. The court also said Kanter was sharing messages praising the organization on social media and said he was called to testify multiple times but refused, making him a fugitive who should be arrested, according to the Turkish newspaper. The prosecutor's office also requested that the Justice Ministry contact officials to issue a red notice for Kanter, which would prevent him from traveling, Sabah reported. Kanter returned to the United States on Sunday after being detained in Romania on May 20 when authorities learned his passport had been revoked. He lashed out at Erdogan at a news conference in New York on Monday, calling him the "Hitler of our century." The 6-foot-11-inch center was traveling on a charity and promotional tour. He currently holds a U.S. green card allowing him to live and work in the country on a permanent basis. In an April referendum, Turks narrowly backed constitutional changes that gave new powers to Erdogan, including control over the Islamist AKP Party. It was viewed by critics as an authoritative power grab. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay; Writing and additional reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Dan Grebler) ||||| The current, authoritarian government in Turkey is not big on dissent (they have beaten protestors of the Turkish regime at a march in this country). Or human rights. So what’s real trouble for them is opposition and dissent from a famous, well-known person. Which brings us to Oklahoma City big man Enes Kanter. He is a native of Turkey, and he has been outspoken in his opposition to that country’s current president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Last week the Turkish government revoked Kanter’s passport while he was traveling the globe promoting his charity. He barely got out of Indonesia and was able to get to Romania, where he was detained for a stretch before getting to return to the United States via London. Now, the Turkish government has issued an arrest warrant for Kanter, reports the Agence France-Presse. Turkey issued an arrest warrant on Friday for Turkish NBA star Enes Kanter, accusing him of being a member of a “terror group”, a pro-government newspaper reported. A judge issued the arrest warrant after an Istanbul prosecutor opened an investigation into Kanter’s alleged “membership of an armed terrorist organisation”, Sabah daily reported. He is in no danger of being extradited by the United States because of this. If anything, it strengthens his case for U.S. citizenship based on asylum. Kanter is a supporter of the Gülen movement in that country, which is led by the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, who currently lives in Pennsylvania. That movement has opposed Erdogan (who recently won a disputed election in that country that gives him sweeping, almost dictatorial powers). Erdogan blamed Gulen for masterminding a failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, one with members of the military involved (after that attempt members of the Gulen movement have been swept up by the government all over Turkey). This has come at a cost for Kanter, who has been disavowed by his own family because of his political beliefs. Kanter is not about to back down from his position. Which means it may be a long time before he gets to visit his homeland again. ||||| The Turkish government issued an arrest warrant for Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter, accusing him of being a member of a terror group, according to The Daily Sabah, a pro-government Turkish newspaper. Kanter was detained at a Romanian airport over the weekend because his passport was canceled by Turkey. Kanter documented the experience on Twitter. Kanter has been a longtime critic of controversial Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and is a vocal supporter of Muslim spiritual leader Fethullah Gulen, a man Erdogan blamed for a coup attempt last year. After the news of the warrant broke Friday, Kanter tweeted, "Stand For What You Believe!" Gulen, a Muslim spiritual leader, has spent the last 15 years in exile in Pennsylvania. Gulen has denied claims of involvement with the coup, ESPN reported. The warrant, ESPN reported, refers to “Kanter's alleged use of an encrypted messaging application called Bylock, Sabah said, which Turkey claims was especially created for Gulen supporters." n Turkey, Kanter's Twitter account is blocked. In the Daily Sabah last summer, Kanter's father, Mehmet, announced the family was disowning him. Kanter said he hasn't spoken with his family in almost two years. Kanter was detained last week in Romania after the Turkish government revoked his passport. In a video about it, Kanter said Erdogan is the "Hitler of this century." Using his green card, Kanter returned to the United States via London on Monday. He told reporters he plans on becoming a U.S. citizen. "Right now I am country-less," Kanter said in Manhattan. "I am open to adoption definitely. I am going to try to become an American citizen." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ||||| FILE PHOTO - Turkish NBA player Enes Kanter speaks about the revocation of his Turkish passport and return to the United States at National Basketball Players Association headquarters in New York, U.S. on May 22, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson/File Photo ANKARA/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Enes Kanter, the Turkish NBA star whose home country has revoked his passport, on Friday expressed disdain on social media at reports that Turkey's government had issued a warrant for his arrest. "You can’t catch me. Don’t waste your breath. I will come on my own will anyway, to spit on your ugly, hateful faces," Kanter said in a Twitter post accompanied by a photo of a story by Turkish newspaper Sabah about the arrest warrant. Kanter's agent, the National Basketball Association player's union and representatives for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kanter's team, did not respond to requests for comment. Kanter, a vocal critic of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, was detained in Romania on May 20 when authorities learned his Turkish passport had been revoked. He returned to the United States on Sunday. On Monday in New York, Kanter lashed out at Erdogan at a news conference, calling him the "Hitler of our century." The 6-foot-11-inch center was traveling on a charity and promotional tour. He holds a U.S. green card that allows him to live and work in the country on a permanent basis. Criticism of Erdogan has intensified since an April referendum made constitutional changes that gave the Turkish leader new powers in a move some called an authoritative power grab. On May 17, a street brawl erupted in Washington, D.C., between protesters and Turkish security personnel during Erdogan's visit to the U.S. capital. Turkey blamed the violence on demonstrators, while the Washington police called it a "brutal attack" on peaceful protesters. Turkey and the United States are close allies, cooperating in the fight against the group Islamic State. The Sabah newspaper said on Friday that Kanter was named a "fugitive" by a Turkish court for his support of U.S-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999. Erdogan is seeking Gulen's extradition for his alleged role in a failed coup last July, something Gulen has denied. A representative of the prosecutor's office in Istanbul declined to comment and Turkey's Ministry of Justice was not available to comment. Officials with the Turkish embassy in Washington could not immediately be reached for comment. The investigation of Kanter was reportedly coordinated and carried out by Istanbul prosecutors. The court's ruling had determined Kanter was allegedly a user of ByLock, a secure communication application for smartphones that was used by an organization in support of Gulen and supposedly during a failed coup against Erdogan last July, Sabah reported. The court said Kanter was sharing messages praising the organization on social media and said he was called to testify multiple times but refused, making him a fugitive, according to the Turkish newspaper. The prosecutor's office requested that the Justice Ministry contact officials to issue a red notice for Kanter, which would prevent him from traveling, Sabah reported. | The Turkish government issues an arrest warrant for NBA Oklahoma City Thunder player Enes Kanter suspected of being a member of a "terror group." Kanter, a vocal supporter of Fethullah Gülen, was returning to the U.S. from a charity tour when, last Saturday, he was detained in Bucharest, Romania, because his Turkish passport had been revoked. Kanter says he plans on becoming a United States citizen. |
Image copyright IGO/Caltech/MIT/Sonoma State Image caption Artwork: Two coalescing black holes spinning in a non-aligned fashion Scientists are reporting yet another burst of gravitational waves. The signals were picked up by the Advanced LIGO facilities in the US and are determined to have come from the merger of two huge black holes some three billion light-years from Earth. It is the third time now that the labs' laser instruments have been perturbed by the warping of space-time. The detection confirms that a new era in the investigation of the cosmos is now truly under way. "The key thing to take away from this third, highly confident event is that we're really moving from novelty to new observational science - a new astronomy of gravitational waves," said David Shoemaker, spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. The latest detection, which was made at 10:11 GMT on 4 January, is described in a paper accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Five reasons why gravitational waves matter Once again, it is a merger of black holes, and once again the energy scales involved are extraordinary. The analysis suggests the two black holes that coalesced had starting masses that were just over 31 times and 19 times that of our Sun. And when they finally came together, they produced a single object of a little under 49 solar masses. It means the unison radiated a simply colossal quantity of pure energy. "These are the most powerful astronomical events witnessed by human beings," explained Michael Landry, from the LIGO lab in Hanford, Washington State. "In this case two times the mass of the Sun were converted into deformations in the shape of space. This energy is released in a very short space of time, and none of this comes out as light which is why you have to have gravitational wave detectors." Gravitational waves - Ripples in the fabric of space-time Image copyright S.Ossokine/A.Buonanno (MPI Gravitational Physics) Image caption A computer simulation of gravitational waves radiating from two merging black holes Gravitational waves are a prediction of the Theory of General Relativity It took decades to develop the technology to directly detect them They are ripples in the fabric of space-time generated by violent events Accelerating masses produce waves that propagate at the speed of light Detectable sources should include merging black holes and neutron stars LIGO fires lasers into long, L-shaped tunnels; the waves disturb the light Detecting the waves opens the cosmos to completely new investigations As with the two previous observations - in September and December 2015 - the scientists are uncertain about where on the sky the 4 January event occurred. From the three millisecond gap between the signal being picked up first at Hanford and then at the second lab in Livingston, Louisiana, researchers can only specify a large arc of possibility for the source. Conventional telescopes were alerted to go look for a coincident flash of light, but they saw nothing that could be confidently ascribed to the black hole merger. The LIGO collaboration will only solve this triangulation problem when a third station called VIRGO, in Italy's Pisa province, starts work alongside the US pair this summer. 'Every 15 minutes' The detection of gravitational waves has been described as one of the most important physics breakthroughs in recent decades. Being able to sense the distortions in space-time that occur as a result of cataclysmic events represents a transformative step in the study of the Universe, one that does not depend on sensing electromagnetic radiation in any of its forms - from radio and optical light through to X-rays and gamma rays. Now, as well as trying to "see" far-off events, scientists can also "listen" to those events as they vibrate the very fabric of the cosmos. And immediately this approach is telling researchers new things. One simple discovery is the recognition of a totally new class of black holes. Before LIGO's discoveries, orbiting pairs of these objects, some of 25 solar masses and greater, were completely unknown. "In two years, we've gone from not knowing these systems existed to being really confident there's a whole population of them out there," commented Sheila Rowan, a collaboration team member from Glasgow University, UK. "And it's all consistent with gravitational waves from one of these systems passing through us about once every 15 minutes, from somewhere in the Universe," she told BBC News. The quest for the future is to get LIGO to sensitivities where more of these events can be detected. Unbroken Einstein Also possible now are new investigations of the properties of black holes. The scientists can tell from the nature of the 4 January signal that the spins of the objects were not fully aligned when they came together. This suggests they were not created from a pair of previously orbiting stars that exploded and then collapsed into black holes. Rather, their origin was more probably as stars that led independent lives and only at some end stage fell in as a duo. "In that first case, we would expect that the spins would stay aligned," said Laura Cadonati, the collaboration's deputy spokesperson. "So, we have found a new tile to put in the puzzle of understanding formation mechanisms." In addition, gravitational wave astronomy permits new tests of Einstein's theories. Because of the greater distance to this merger (twice the distance to the 2015 events), researchers could more easily look for an effect called "dispersion". For light, this describes how electromagnetic radiation of different frequencies will travel at different speeds through a physical medium - to produce a rainbow in a glass prism, for example. Einstein's general theory of relativity forbids any dispersion from happening in gravitational waves as they move out from their source through space towards Earth. "Our measurements are really very sensitive to minute differences in the speeds of different frequencies but we did not discover any dispersion, once again failing to prove that Einstein was wrong," explained Bangalore Sathyaprakash, a LIGO team member from Penn State, US, and Cardiff University, UK. Image copyright NSF Image caption Hanford lab: Some of the big questions in science now require big machines to answer them In a poignant coincidence, 4 January was also the day that Heinz Billing, a pioneer of gravitational wave science, died aged 102. The German physicist and computer expert built one of the first laser interferometers - the instruments now used to detect gravitational waves. His early work is credited with making crucial contributions to the development of the eventual LIGO systems. "His group started in about 1975, just before we did it here in Glasgow," recalled LIGO collaborator Jim Hough. "They were following the idea that the American Rai Weiss had had of using multiple beam delay lines, and of course the German detector was absolutely superb. They did fabulous work that has continued in Germany to this day." A laser is fed into the machine and its beam is split along two paths The separate paths bounce back and forth between damped mirrors Eventually, the two beams are recombined and sent to a detector Gravitational waves passing through the lab should disturb the set-up Theory holds they should very subtly stretch and squeeze its space This ought to show itself as a change in the lengths of the light arms The photodetector captures this signal in the recombined beams Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos ||||| On Jan. 4, an exquisitely sensitive instrument on Earth detected a disturbance that rippled through space and time. Scientists traced the ripple 3 billion light-years away, back to two ancient black holes on a collision course. This marked the third time in about a year that physicists, thanks to the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, discovered gravitational waves from the violent death spirals of merging black holes. The first gravitational wave discovery was announced in February 2016 and the second a few months later. The black holes identified in January were slightly smaller than those in the first detection, but they were much farther away, according to David Shoemaker, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and spokesman for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, an international group involving more than a thousand researchers. They reported the details of the new binary black hole system that generated the wave Thursday in the journal Physical Review Letters. “Gravitational waves are distortions in the metric of space that we live in,” Michael Landry, a LIGO physicist at California Institute of Technology, said during a news conference Wednesday. He used a metaphor of a painting's canvas to describe distorted space. If you grip the top and bottom of the canvas and pull, the picture warps, expanding on one axis while contracting on the other. Two L-shaped LIGO detectors, one in Washington state and the other in Louisiana, check for these distortions. They shoot synchronized laser beams down perpendicular vacuum tubes, each 2½ miles long. As a gravitational wave passes by, one arm of the L will shrink or expand, throwing the beams out of alignment. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology spearhead the project, with support from the National Science Foundation and scientific agencies from a host of other countries. “This is exactly what we hoped for from NSF's investment in LIGO: taking us deeper into time and space in ways we couldn't do before the detection of gravitational waves,” NSF director France Córdova said in a statement. The signal in January failed to set off the usual automated alarm — the LIGO scientists had just restarted the detector, after a short winter break, and hadn't yet properly calibrated the trigger setting at the Washington site. A researcher in Germany, who happened to be poring over the LIGO data, first spotted the wave. (The wave would have been caught eventually, the LIGO team said; in a worst-case scenario there's an offline backup to review.) The scientists named it GW170104. The wave hit Washington about 3 milliseconds before Louisiana. Given the data captured, the LIGO team calculated that the chance an event like this would be a false alarm would occur once every 70,000 years. “The key thing to take away is we’re looking for novelty,” Shoemaker said during Wednesday's briefing. On these terms, the new black holes complied, at least a little bit. Both of these black holes were much more massive than our sun. One was roughly 30 times solar mass, and the other 20 times the sun's mass, putting these black holes in the intermediate range between the first detection (two larger black holes) and second (two smaller black holes). During this hole-on-hole merger, the equivalent of two solar masses were converted into gravitational waves. “These are the most powerful astronomical events witnessed by human beings,” Landry said. The new detection also offered hints about the ways black holes spin with respect to their orbits. Georgia Tech astrophysicist Laura Cadonati on Wednesday likened the spinning black holes to a pair of tornadoes that dance around each other. Black holes can spin counterclockwise and clockwise, like tornadoes, but can also tilt at angles tornadoes could never achieve. “We opened a new window into the universe,” Cadonati said. “Before our discoveries we didn't even know for sure that these black holes existed.” It is possible that one of the black holes had a misaligned spin, which is to say that it was not spinning in the same direction as its overall spiral orbit. “We have an indication that at least one of the two spins is not aligned with the orbital angular momentum,” said B.S. Sathyaprakash, a cosmologist at Pennsylvania State University, during Wednesday's conference. If the two black holes are not spinning in the same way, that hints at the way they met. Broadly speaking, there are two ways that binary black hole systems form: They began as an isolated pair of stars (think the dual Tatooine sunset in “Star Wars”) that collapsed, or the black holes collapsed independently in a dense star cluster. Cadonati said “this finding lightly favors the theory” of a cluster of stars. And once again, Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity held up. Einstein's theory indicates that gravitational waves do not disperse through a physical medium, unlike light through a prism. “Even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first two detections, we could not find any evidence that gravitational waves disperse as they travel in the fabric of space-time,” Alessandra Buonanno, a University of Maryland physics professor and LIGO collaborator, said in a statement. The LIGO team continues to increase the detectors' sensitivity. In Louisiana, workers recently entered the vacuum envelope, clad in sterile bunny suits, to patch up areas where light could scatter in the tubes, cutting down on noise at low frequencies. In Washington, the observatory beefed up its laser to reduce high-frequency noise. With every improvement in clarity, LIGO can push its reach deeper into space. The two teams will swap notes to improve their systems' range for the next run, scheduled to start in 2018. Italy's Virgo detector, too, is close to completion, which will join in LIGO's hunt for gravitational waves. It is possible, members of the LIGO team said during Wednesday's conference, that future discoveries could include merging neutron stars — collisions between the dense remnants of spent stars, the size of a city with the mass of a sun. A brief history of gravity, gravitational waves and LIGO A year later, scientists keep listening to gravitational waves, the soundtrack of the cosmos For the second time ever, scientists detected gravitational waves from colliding black holes ||||| Ripples in the fabric of spacetime emanating from two black holes crashing into each other about 3 billion light years away have been observed. The two black holes together will form a larger black hole about 50 times larger than the Sun. Gravitational waves are distortions in the fabric of spacetime created when massive objects accelerate through it. The greater the object, the more ripples it would send out through spacetime. Black holes are some of the most massive objects in the universe, and can be billions of times bigger than the Sun. When they collide, the biggest gravitational waves would be expected to be created. The discovery published in the a paper in the journal Physical Review Letters is the third time echoes of gravitational waves have been directly observed. The first observations of gravitational waves were also from colliding black holes. The third has been named GW170104, and was made on 4 January 2017. David Shoemaker of MIT, and spokesperson for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, the facility where the waves were observed, said in a statement: "We have further confirmation of the existence of stellar-mass black holes that are larger than 20 solar masses – these are objects we didn't know existed before LIGO detected them." "It is remarkable that humans can put together a story, and test it, for such strange and extreme events that took place billions of years ago and billions of light-years distant from us." The observations are already revealing clues to the nature of black holes – the latest finding suggests that the two black holes in the binary system are not aligned in the way they're spinning, which hasn't been directly observed before. "We're starting to gather real statistics on binary black hole systems," said Keita Kawabe of Caltech, an editor of the paper based at the LIGO Hanford Observatory. "That's interesting because some models of black hole binary formation are somewhat favoured over the others even now and, in the future, we can further narrow this down." Gravitational waves were one of Albert Einstein's key predictions, put forward in 1916. One aspect of his prediction was that the waves would not disperse through space. Dispersion is what happens when light passes through a prism to create a rainbow. "It looks like Einstein was right – even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first detection," said Laura Cadonati of Georgia Tech and the deputy spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. "We can see no deviation from the predictions of general relativity, and this greater distance helps us to make that statement with more confidence." The LIGO instruments are now being upgraded, and will be put back to work again in January 2018. It's hoped that with even more sensitivity, the facility could start observing gravitational waves from objects other than black holes. "We hope to see other types of astrophysical events soon, such as the violent collision of two neutron stars," concluded David Reitze of Caltech, executive director of the LIGO Laboratory. ||||| On January 4, 2017, at 11:11:58 CET, scientists observed gravitational waves--ripples in the fabric of spacetime--for the third time. The twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors--located in Livingston, Louisiana, and Hanford, Washington--detected the gravitational wave event, named GW170104. The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) and the Virgo Collaboration published a report describing the discovery and its implications on June 1, 2017 in the journal Physical Review Letters. Gravitational waves carry information about their origins and about the nature of gravity that cannot otherwise be obtained. Physicists on the LIGO and Virgo teams concluded that, as with LIGO's first two historic detections, the final moments of a black hole merger produced the gravitational waves that LIGO observed on January 4, 2017. LIGO's first detection, on September 14, 2015, resulted from a merger of two black holes about 36 and 29 times the mass of the sun. In contrast, the black holes that created the second event were relative flyweights, tipping the scales at 14 and eight times the mass of the sun. The third and most recent detection lies in the middle, resulting from a merger between two black holes, more than 31 and 19 times the mass of the sun, respectively. The merger produced a single, more massive black hole that is slightly less than 49 times the mass of the sun, and transformed the remaining mass into gravitational energy. "The observation and interpretation of yet another LIGO signal, GW170104, confirms the success of our theoretical program to model binary black holes," said Alessandra Buonanno, a UMD College Park Professor of Physics and LSC principal investigator who also has an appointment as Director at the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics in Potsdam, Germany. Buonanno has led the effort to develop highly accurate models of gravitational waves that black holes would generate in the final process of orbiting and colliding with each other. "For the third LIGO signal we could gather some evidence that at least one black hole might be rotating in a direction misaligned with the overall orbital motion--a spin configuration favored by some astrophysical formation scenarios of binary black holes" Buonanno added, noting that her team made substantial improvements to their methodology throughout 2016, in between LIGO's observing runs. The newly detected merger occurred approximately 3 billion years ago, making it more than twice as old (and more than twice as distant) as the first two events, which occurred 1.3 and 1.4 billion years ago, respectively. Based on the arrival time of the signals--the Hanford detector measured the waves 3 milliseconds before the Livingston detector--researchers can roughly determine the position of the source in the sky. The first detection of gravitational waves, announced on February 11, 2016, was a milestone in physics and astronomy. It confirmed a major prediction of Albert Einstein's 1915 general theory of relativity and marked the beginning of the new field of gravitational wave astronomy. "The latest detection adds to the diversity of black hole merger events we've been able to observe directly," said Peter Shawhan, an associate professor of physics at UMD and an LSC principal investigator who serves as Data Analysis Committee Chair for the LSC. "We're conducting a census of black holes in binary systems in our universe and we expect to discover other types of signals too. Besides just counting them, we can learn from their properties how they were born and how they evolved." The researchers also looked for an effect called dispersion, which is known to occur when light waves in a physical medium such as glass travel at different speeds depending on their wavelength. This is how a prism creates a rainbow, for example. Einstein's general theory of relativity forbids dispersion from happening in gravitational waves as they propagate from their source to Earth. LIGO did not find evidence for this effect in GW170104. "Even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first two detections, we could not find any evidence that gravitational waves disperse as they travel in the fabric of space-time," Buonanno said. "Einstein still seems to have been right about the true nature of gravity," Shawhan added. The new detection occurred during LIGO's second observing run, which began November 30, 2016, and will continue through August 2017. The LIGO-Virgo team is continuing to search the latest LIGO data for signs of space-time ripples from the far reaches of the cosmos. They are also working on substantial technical upgrades for LIGO's third run, scheduled to begin in late 2018, with help from the nearly completed Virgo detector in Italy collecting data simultaneously. The research paper, "GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2," by the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and the Virgo Collaboration, was published online June 1, 2017 in the journal Physical Review Letters. The LIGO Laboratory is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and operated by Caltech and MIT, which conceived and built the Observatory. The NSF led in financial support for the Advanced LIGO project with funding organizations in Germany (MPG), the U.K. (STFC) and Australia (ARC) making significant commitments to the project. More than 1,000 scientists from around the world participate in the effort through the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which includes the GEO Collaboration. LIGO partners with the Virgo Collaboration, which is supported by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN) and Nikhef, as well as Virgo's host institution, the European Gravitational Observatory, a consortium that includes 280 additional scientists throughout Europe. Additional partners are listed at: http://ligo. . University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences 2300 Symons Hall College Park, MD 20742 http://www. @UMDscience The College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland educates more than 7,000 future scientific leaders in its undergraduate and graduate programs each year. The college's 10 departments and more than a dozen interdisciplinary research centers foster scientific discovery with annual sponsored research funding exceeding $150 million. ||||| Gravitational waves, ripples through the fabric of space-time predicted by Albert Einstein a century ago, have been detected for a third time. Scientists first detected the shudders in space-time last year and the discovery was hailed the 'biggest scientific breakthrough of the century'. Now, for the third time, researchers have detected the warping of space-time caused by a collision of two black holes colliding three billion light-years away - providing a new window on our universe. Scientists view the the universe as being made up of a 'fabric of space-time'. This corresponds to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, published in 1916. Objects in the universe bend this fabric, and more massive objects bend it more. Gravitational waves are considered ripples in this fabric. They can be produced, for instance, when black holes orbit each other or by the merging of galaxies. Gravitational waves are also thought to have been produced during the Big Bang. If found, they would not only confirm the Big Bang theory but also offer insights into fundamental physics. For instance, they could shed light on the idea that, at one point, most or all of the forces of nature were combined into a single force. In March 2014, a team operating the Bicep2 telescope, based near the South Pole, believed they had found gravitational waves, but their results were proven to be inaccurate. The detection was made by the Ligo (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) Scientific Collaboration (LSC) on January 4, 2017. As was the case with the first two detections, the waves were generated when two black holes collided to form a larger black hole. The newfound black hole, formed by the merger, has a mass about 49 times that of our sun. This fills in a gap between the masses of the two merged black holes detected previously by Ligo, with solar masses of 62 (first detection) and 21 (second detection). 'We have further confirmation of the existence of stellar-mass black holes that are larger than 20 solar masses -these are objects we didn't know existed before Ligo detected them,' said Dr David Shoemaker, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the spokesperson for the Ligo scientific Collaboration. 'It is remarkable that humans can put together a story, and test it, for such strange and extreme events that took place billions of years ago and billions of light-years distant from us. 'The entire Ligo and Virgo scientific collaborations worked to put all these pieces together.' In all three cases, each of the twin detectors of LIGO detected gravitational waves from the tremendously energetic mergers of black hole pairs. These are collisions that produce more power than is radiated as light by all the stars and galaxies in the universe at any given time. The recent detection appears to be the farthest yet, with the black holes located about 3 billion light-years away. Scientists said gravitational waves open a 'new door' for observing the universe and gaining knowledge about enigmatic objects like black holes and neutron stars. Understanding such astronomical phenomena could be useful in helping us decipher how the universe first came to be. 'This [discovery is taking us deeper into time and space in ways we couldn’t do before the detection of gravitational waves,' said France Córdova, director of the National Science Foundation. 'In this case, we’re exploring approximately three billion light-years away. 'Ligo continues to make remarkable discoveries, transitioning from experiment to gravitational wave observatory. 'More importantly each detection has offered much more than just a sighting. 'Slowly, we are collecting data that unveil the origin and characteristics of these objects, further informing our understanding of the universe.' WHAT IS THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY? Gravitational waves were predicted under Albert Einstein's (pictured) General Theory of Relativity in 1916 In 1905, Albert Einstein determined that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and that the speed of light in a vacuum was independent of the motion of all observers - known as the theory of special relativity. This groundbreaking work introduced a new framework for all of physics, and proposed new concepts of space and time. He then spent 10 years trying to include acceleration in the theory, finally publishing his theory of general relativity in 1915. This determined that massive objects cause a distortion in space-time, which is felt as gravity. At its simplest, it can be thought of as a giant rubber sheet with a bowling ball in the centre. As the ball warps the sheet, a planet bends the fabric of space-time, creating the force that we feel as gravity. Any object that comes near to the body falls towards it because of the effect. Einstein predicted that if two massive bodies came together it would create such a huge ripple in space time that it should be detectable on Earth. It was most recently demonstrated in the hit film film Interstellar. In a segment that saw the crew visit a planet which fell within the gravitational grasp of a huge black hole, the event caused time to slow down massively. Crew members on the planet barely aged while those on the ship were decades older on their return. The theory was most recently demonstrated in the hit film film Interstellar, in a segment that saw the crew visit a planet which fell within the gravitational grasp of a huge black hole, causing time to slow down massively, so crew members on the planet barely aged while those on the ship were decades older on their return 'We know this is just the beginning. This ‘window on the universe’ will continue to expand. 'We will watch eagerly as hundreds of researchers from around the world enhance this observatory to illuminate the physics of merging black holes, neutron stars and other astronomical phenomena.' The newest observation also provides clues about the directions in which the black holes are spinning. As pairs of black holes spiral around each other, they also spin on their own axes, much like a pair of ice skaters spinning individually while also circling around each other. Sometimes black holes spin in the same overall orbital direction as the pair is moving, this is known as aligned spins, and sometimes they spin in the opposite direction of the orbital motion. And black holes can also be tilted away from the orbital plane. The new Ligo data implies that at least one of the black holes may have been non-aligned compared to the overall orbital motion. More observations with LIGO are needed to say anything definitive about the spins of binary black holes, but these early data offer clues about how these pairs may form. 'This is the first time that we have evidence that the black holes may not be aligned, giving us just a tiny hint that binary black holes may form in dense stellar clusters,' said Bangalore Sathyaprakash of Cardiff University. There are two primary theories to explain how binary pairs of black holes can be formed. The first model proposes that the black holes are born together: they form when each star in a pair of stars explodes, and then, because the original stars were spinning in alignment, the black holes likely remain aligned. In the other model, the black holes come together later in life within crowded stellar clusters. The black holes pair up after they sink to the center of a star cluster. In this scenario, the black holes can spin in any direction relative to their orbital motion. Because Ligo sees some evidence that the newly discovered black holes are non-aligned, the data favours this dense stellar cluster theory. 'We're starting to gather real statistics on binary black hole systems,' said Keita Kawabe, who is based at the Ligo Hanford Observatory. 'That's interesting because some models of black hole binary formation are somewhat favoured over the others even now and, in the future, we can further narrow this down.' The study also once again puts Albert Einstein's theories to the test. For example, the researchers looked for an effect called dispersion, which occurs when light waves in a physical medium such as glass travel at different speeds depending on their wavelength; this is how a prism creates a rainbow. Einstein's general theory of relativity forbids dispersion from happening in gravitational waves as they propagate from their source to Earth. And Ligo did not find evidence for this effect. 'It looks like Einstein was right - even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first detection,' said Laura Cadonati of Georgia Tech University. 'We can see no deviation from the predictions of general relativity, and this greater distance helps us to make that statement with more confidence.' The team is continuing to search the latest Ligo data for signs of space-time ripples from the far reaches of the cosmos. They are also working on technical upgrades for Ligo's next run, scheduled to begin in late 2018, during which the detectors' sensitivity will be improved. At a press conference, the researchers spoke of their ambition to use Ligo to detect neutron stars. Neutron stars are created when giant stars die in supernovas and their cores collapse, with the protons and electrons essentially melting into each other to form neutrons. Researchers hope that improving the sensitivity of Ligo's instruments will help them to finally pinpoint signs of a neutron star, which could come as soon as 'this run or the next'. They added a lack of understanding about how often neutron stars form could be holding them back from making a momentous discovery. 'With the third confirmed detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes, Ligo is establishing itself as a powerful observatory for revealing the dark side of the universe,' said David Reitze of Caltech, executive director of the Ligo Laboratory. 'While Ligo is uniquely suited to observing these types of events, we hope to see other types of astrophysical events soon, such as the violent collision of two neutron stars.' HOW DOES THIS HELP US UNDERSTAND THE UNIVERSE? Scientists said gravitational waves open a door for a new way to observe the universe and gain knowledge about enigmatic objects like black holes and neutron stars. By studying gravitational waves they also hope to gain insight into the nature of the very early universe, which has remained mysterious. Everything we know about the cosmos stems from electromagnetic waves such as radio waves, visible light, infrared light, X-rays and gamma rays. But because such waves encounter interference as they travel across the universe, they can tell only part of the story. Gravitational waves experience no such barriers, meaning they can offer a wealth of additional information. Black holes, for example, do not emit light, radio waves and the like, but can be studied via gravitational waves. Being able to detect gravitational waves will help astronomers probe the 'dark Universe'. This is the name given to the large part of the cosmos that is invisible to the light telescopes. They will be able to look deeper into the universe, which means we could better understand the history of the customer. As as result, researchers will be able to investigate black holes and neutron stars. The discovery will also help scientists confirm whether gravitational waves really do travel at the speed of light, as predicted. It will help scientists understand how fast the universe is expanding and what exactly makes stars explode. 'LIGO is just in the beginning with gravitational waves. Over the next decade or two we will have four gravitational windows open looking at the universe,' sad Kip Thorne, Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at Caltech.' ||||| For the third time, scientists have detected a spacetime rumble caused by a violent collision of two black holes. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) made the detection, determining that the two black holes merged to create one large black hole in a galaxy about 3 billion light-years away. "We have observed – on the 4th of January, 2017 – another massive black hole-black hole binary coalescence; the in-spiral and merging of black holes 20 and 30 times the mass of our sun," Dave Shoemaker, a senior research scientist who works at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the spokesperson for the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, told reporters during a special news briefing on Wednesday (May 31). This gargantuan black hole smashup created an even more massive spinning black hole, approximately 49 times the mass of our sun. In an instant, the equivalent mass twice that of our sun was converted directly into gravitational waves — briefly producing more energy than all the energy that is radiated as light by all the galaxies in the universe at any moment, LIGO scientists say. After many years of planning, development and construction, LIGO took its first observations in 2002. However, it wasn't until Sept. 14, 2015, that the first historic detection of gravitational waves — an event called "GW150914" — was made. That happened after LIGO underwent upgrades (known as Advanced LIGO) to boost its sensitivity. Then, a second detection ("GW151226") followed a few months later in December, confirming that the first discovery was no fluke. Now, the LIGO Scientific Collaboration — which consists of over a thousand scientists around the world — has confirmed the third gravitational wave detection ("GW170104"), meaning we're at the cusp of a completely new kind of astronomy. All the gravitational waves detected so far have been created by the collision of stellar-mass black holes of varied sizes. These are black holes that are a few to a few dozen times the mass of our sun that were likely formed by the death of very massive stars after they'd run out of fuel and exploded as supernovas billions of years ago. Advanced LIGO has reached a crossroads in our gravitational wave search, finally reaching a sensitivity that can detect when very distant black holes collide, creating faint gravitational waves that we now know fill our universe. The 2015 events were caused by mergers creating black holes 62 and 21 solar masses in galaxies 1.3 and 1.4 billion light-years away, respectively. (Note: As gravitational waves travel at the speed of light these mergers happened 1.3 and 1.4 billion years ago.) This latest detection originated from a merger creating a black hole of 49 solar masses (another "heavy" black hole like the first one), but the merger happened over twice as far away than previous events. "What this means is that we now have a second candidate in the "heavy" black hole category," says Bangalore Sathyaprakash, of Penn State and Cardiff University and a member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration. This is important as, before LIGO made its first detection (a 62 solar mass black hole) and its most recent one (a 49 solar mass black hole), there was no observational evidence that these large black holes even existed. This is an incredible early discovery. Scientists have revealed a brand-new type of large black hole in only three detections. Things are about to get even more exciting as LIGO undergoes more planned upgrades and other observatories join the hunt for gravitational waves. "We should expect to see one binary merger event per day once LIGO's designed sensitivity is reached," says Sathyaprakash. When gravitational waves are detected the conditions of the colliding black holes at the time of the merger can be studied. "In our analysis, we cannot measure the spins of the individual black holes very well, but we can tell if the black holes are generally spinning in the same direction as the orbital motion," says astrophysicist Laura Cadonati, LIGO Scientific Collaboration deputy spokesperson from Georgia Tech. But an idea of the individual black hole's spin relative to one another can be figured out by studying the "fingerprint" of the gravitational wave signal, says Cadonati. Theoretical models of merging black holes indicate that if the two black holes' spins are not aligned, the merging event will happen faster than if the spins are aligned. Also, additional wobbles in the signal are predicted as two spin-aligned black holes get close and begin to merge. Spin-aligned black holes were likely sibling stars. Both would have been born from massive stars that evolved in close proximity in ancient star factories as a binary pair, eventually dying as supernovas. But in this most recent event, the merging occurred relatively quickly and no additional oscillations were observed, meaning the two black holes were likely not spin-aligned and probably didn't form together. This gives a clue to their origin: Rather than being formed from sibling binary stars, they were strangers and evolved independently, drifting toward one another in the center of a dense stellar cluster where they eventually merged. "This has implications for astrophysics ... while we cannot say with certainty, this finding likely favors the theory that these two black holes formed separately in a dense stellar cluster, sank to the core of the cluster and then paired up, rather than being formed together from the collapse of two already paired stars," adds Cadonati. As black holes are gravitational monsters, they're governed by Einstein's general relativity, so by studying the gravitational waves they produce when they collide, scientists also can study the waves for an effect known as "dispersion." For example, when light travels through a prism, the different wavelengths will travel at different speeds through the glass. This causes dispersion in the beam of light — this is the mechanism that creates a rainbow. General relativity forbids dispersion from happening to gravitational waves, however. This latest signal traveled across a record 3 billion light-years of spacetime to reach Earth, and LIGO didn't detect any dispersion effects. "It looks like Einstein was right – even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first detection," says Cadonati in a statement. "We can see no deviation from the predictions of general relativity, and this greater distance helps us to make that statement with more confidence." A New Window to the 'Dark Universe' Einstein's famous theory of general relativity predicts the existence of gravitational waves, but it's taken humanity over a century to develop the technological know-how to build a detector sensitive enough to perceive them. When an energetic event occurs (like a black hole merger or neutron star collision), spacetime becomes violently disturbed and energy is carried away from the event in the form of gravitational waves — like ripples traveling across the water's surface after dropping a pebble in a pond. But to detect these waves, astronomers need to build an observatory that can detect incredibly minuscule wobbles in the fabric of spacetime as these waves travel through our planet. Gravitational waves are not part of the electromagnetic spectrum; they cannot be detected by ordinary telescopes that are only sensitive to light. To open the window to this "dark universe," physicists build gravitational wave detectors like LIGO that reflect incredibly precise lasers along 2.5 mile-long (4 kilometer-long) "L"-shaped tunnels. These tunnels are shielded from external vibrations caused by wind, traffic, tectonic activity and other terrestrial interference. Through a method known as laser interferometry, the distance between the reflecting mirrors inside the tunnel can be measured to a very high precision. Should a gravitational wave travel through our planet, a tiny change in distance may be recorded by the interferometer – this represents the minute squeezing and stretching of spacetime that occurs as gravitational waves propagate. It's as if physicists have created a virtual tripwire that notifies us when an invisible gravitational wave intruder rumbles local spacetime. One detector isn't enough to confirm a gravitational wave event, however. In the case of LIGO, one detector is located in Hanford, Washington, and another is located in Livingston, Louisiana — separated by 1,865 miles (3,002 kilometers). Only when the same event is detected by both locations can scientists confirm a gravitational wave signal. Two detectors can even determine a rough direction as to where the wave was traveling from, but if more detectors are added to the network, astronomers hope to eventually pinpoint, with increasing precision, where they originate. More gravitational wave observatories are planned, and the European Virgo detector, located near Pisa, Italy, is currently undergoing commissioning. Once online, Virgo will be used in conjunction with LIGO to boost observational power of gravitational waves and allow better localization of the cosmic events causing the signals. Now that the existence of gravitational waves has been confirmed, and astronomers are detecting more black hole mergers, we are entering a new era for astronomy. This is gravitational wave astronomy, where the dark universe will finally be revealed. ||||| An international team of scientists - including 21 researchers from The University of Western Australia - has detected gravitational waves for the third time in history. The first time was in September 2015, then again in December 2015. Gravitational waves are waves of energy, ripples in the fabric of space-time. The discovery of the first wave proved a prediction by Einstein 100 years ago. The newfound black hole, formed by the pair's merger, has a mass about 49 times that of our sun. This fills in a gap between the masses of the two merged black holes detected previously by LIGO, which had solar masses of 62 (first detection) and 21 (second detection). These collisions produce more power during the instant before the black holes merge, than is radiated as light by all the stars and galaxies in the universe at any given time. The recent detection is the farthest yet, with the black holes located about 3 billion light-years away. The black holes in the first and second detections are located 1.3 and 1.4 billion light-years away, respectively. The third and most recent detection, called GW170104, was made on January 4 this year. The latest finding solidifies the case for a new class of black hole pairs, or binary black holes, with masses that are larger than what had been seen before by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors. Professor David Blair, from UWA's School of Physics, said the event released more energy in its last few orbits than that of rest of the entire universe. "Yet when the ripples passed the LIGO detector they made it vibrate by just one attometer, or 0.000000000000000001 metres," Professor Blair said. Despite this tiny displacement, the scientists were able to demonstrate the black holes exhibited a property known as "spin". "This is the first time that we have evidence that the black holes may not be aligned, giving us just a tiny hint that pairs of black holes may form in dense stellar clusters," Professor Blair said. Postdoctoral Fellow Qi Chu, from UWA's School of Physics, is part of a team led by OzGrav Chief Investigator Professor Linqing Wen that is racing to create faster ways to crunch the LIGO data to minimise the time between the gravitational waves hitting earth and an alert being sent out for follow-up observations. "The LIGO detector lets us feel the gravitational wave, and we are on a mission to see the source of the event by looking through powerful telescopes," Ms Chu said. An international group of researchers, including the Australian International Gravitational Research Centre, is also investigating how to fine-tune the sensitivity of the gravitational waves detector, leading to improved detection of future gravitational waves and electromagnetic observational, and potentially more exotic sources. LIGO is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), and operated by MIT and Caltech, which conceived and built the project. Financial support for the Advanced LIGO project was led by NSF with Germany (Max Planck Society), the U.K. (Science and Technology Facilities Council) and Australia (Australian Research Council) making significant commitments and contributions to the project. More than 1,000 scientists from around the world participate in the effort through the LIGO Scientific Collaboration, which includes the GEO Collaboration. LIGO partners with the Virgo Collaboration, a consortium including 280 additional scientists throughout Europe supported by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), and Nikhef, as well as Virgo's host institution, the European Gravitational Observatory. The ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav) is funded by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence funding scheme. OzGrav is a partnership between Swinburne University (host of OzGrav headquarters), the Australian National University, Monash University, University of Adelaide, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia, along with other collaborating organisations in Australia and overseas. ||||| In yet another historic moment, an international research team, including scientists from India, has announced the third detection of gravitational waves -- ripples in the fabric of space and time which were first predicted by Albert Einstein more than a century ago. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) in the US made the detection on January 4 this year, demonstrating that a new window in astronomy has been firmly opened. Gravitational waves pass through Earth and can be "heard" by the extremely sensitive LIGO detectors. As was the case with the first two detections, the waves were generated when two black holes merged to form a larger black hole. "Our handful of detections so far is revealing an intriguing black hole population we did not know existed until now," said Northwestern University's Vicky Kalogera, a senior astrophysicist with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC). The new detection, called GW170104, occurred during the ongoing second observing run of the Advanced LIGO detectors which began on November 30 last year. The first direct observation of gravitational waves was made in September 2015 during the first observing run. A second detection was made in December 2015. The third detection is described in a new paper accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters. The publication has 40 authors from 11 Indian institutions. IIT-Madras recently joined the LSC as one of the participating institutes, under the leadership of Dr Chandra Kant Mishra. The Chennai Mathematical Institute has also been contributing to the activities under the leadership of Dr K.G. Arun. Also read: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus With 6GB RAM, 128GB Storage Launched in India The group at IIT-Madras is involved in modelling the gravitational wave sources such as the ones which have been detected by the LIGO detectors so far as well as testing the consistency of the detected gravitational wave signals with the predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity. The third and latest detection points to merging black holes that are twice as far away from Earth as the two earlier pairs -- about three billion light-years away. This time, the two black holes were unequal in size, one significantly lighter than the other. They merged into a black hole whose size is in the middle of the other two merged black hole pairs. "Now we have three pairs of black holes, each pair ending their death spiral dance over millions or billions of years in some of the most powerful explosions in the universe. In astronomy, we say with three objects of the same type you have a class. We have a population, and we can do analysis," Kalogera added. The newfound black hole, formed by the pair's merger, has a mass about 49 times that of our sun. This fills in a gap between the masses of the two merged black holes detected previously by LIGO, which had solar masses of 62 (first detection) and 21 (second detection). "We have further confirmation of the existence of black holes that are heavier than 20 solar masses, objects we didn't know existed before LIGO detected them," said David Shoemaker of MIT, the newly elected spokesperson for the LSC. India is also working towards setting up its own LIGO observatory. Also read: Sony Xperia XZ Premium Launched at Rs 59,990, To Go Against Samsung Galaxy S8, Apple iPhone 7 Plus The move received in-principle approval from the cabinet in February last year and has made rapid progress towards the plan to join these exciting scientific observations in 2024. LIGO-India will greatly enhance the scientific capabilities of the international network of observatories for astronomy, primarily by enabling precise pointing to the location of the gravitational wave events in the sky. Scientific and engineering teams at IPR Gandhinagar, IUCAA Pune and RRCAT Indore are actively engaged in the pre-construction activities of LIGO-India. ||||| The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory on Thursday said that it has detected another merger of two black holes, which created gravitational waves. Scientists detected the black hole mergers on January 4 this year and named the gravitational wave GW170104. This is the third time the existence of gravitational waves, a phenomenon predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, has been confirmed. Bangalore Sathyaprakash, a senior scientist with Ligo, told The Hindu that the detection was “the first time, a chance event; second time, a coincidence, and third, a pattern.” The event was produced by the merger of two black holes, 31 and 19 times bigger than the sun, forming a larger black hole of about 49 solar masses. The results of the observations have been published in the journal, Physical Review Letters. The publication has 40 authors from 11 Indian institutions. The new discovery is a game-changer. The waves will help scientists and astronomers examine everything from the essence of a black hole to the big bang itself. It will open up a new field called gravitational wave astronomy, which will help look into the earliest moments of the universe. The new observation also supports Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. According to this theory, gravitational waves do not disperse as they travel through space. Gravitational waves are ripples in the curvature of space-time, which is the very fabric of the universe. These waves are actual physical ripples that move away from each other and closer together, thus stretching and squeezing the space they exist in. Ligo has a system of two detectors, one in Louisiana and another in Washington, to detect miniscule vibrations passing between gravitational waves. In 1974, the indirect detection of gravitational waves won scientists the Nobel Physics Prize. Experts say the first detection of the waves will be the discovery of the century, and will likely win the same honour. ||||| Two massive black holes colliding into each other created ripples in space and time, known as gravitational waves, which have been detected at the furthest distance yet, international physicists said Thursday. The galactic mash-up which produced the gravitational waves occurred some three billion light-years away, and marks the science world's third observation of this phenomenon. The finding further bolsters Einstein's 1915 theory of general relativity, and comes two years after these enigmatic ripples were first detected, said the report in the journal Physical Review Letters. "It is remarkable that humans can put together a story, and test it, for such strange and extreme events that took place billions of years ago and billions of light-years distant from us," said David Shoemaker, spokesman for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration. The group includes more than 1,000 international scientists who perform LIGO research together with the European-based Virgo Collaboration. In all three cases, each of the twin detectors of LIGO detected gravitational waves from the tremendously energetic mergers of black hole pairs. "These are collisions that produce more power than is radiated as light by all the stars and galaxies in the universe at any given time," said a LIGO statement. The latest black hole collision, resulting in a detectable "chirp" of a gravitational wave, happened when two black holes merged, forming a new one that is about 49 times the mass of the Sun. Its size is smack in the middle of the first such black hole merger detected by LIGO, at 62 solar masses, and the second which had 21. "We have further confirmation of the existence of stellar-mass black holes that are larger than 20 solar masses -- these are objects we didn't know existed before LIGO detected them," said Shoemaker, a senior research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The first-ever direct observation of gravitational waves was made in September 2015, and detected an event some 1.3 billion light-years away. The second came shortly after, in December 2015, and was a distance of 1.4 billion light-years. The third detection, called GW170104, was made on January 4, 2017. "With the third confirmed detection of gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes, LIGO is establishing itself as a powerful observatory for revealing the dark side of the universe," says David Reitze of Caltech, executive director of the LIGO Laboratory. "While LIGO is uniquely suited to observing these types of events, we hope to see other types of astrophysical events soon, such as the violent collision of two neutron stars." LIGO's observations are carried out by twin detectors -- one in Hanford, Washington, and the other in Livingston, Louisiana. The observatories, which use laser interferometers to sense the presence of gravitational waves, are operated by Caltech and MIT with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). "It looks like Einstein was right -- even for this new event, which is about two times farther away than our first detection," said Laura Cadonati, an associate professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. "We can see no deviation from the predictions of general relativity, and this greater distance helps us to make that statement with more confidence." | Scientists announce that the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) has made a third detection of gravitational waves, named GW170104. The signal beam, detected on 4 January 2017, apparently results from a merger of two black holes of 19 and 31 solar masses. Such detections are said to be progressively moving this emerging field in astronomy "from novelty to new observational science". |
related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. PHNOM PENH: The communal election in Cambodia on Sunday (Jun 4) recorded a "highly satisfactory" voter turnout of 85.74 per cent of the total registered voters, Cambodian election watchdog COMFREL told reporters after the poll closed. COMFREL (Committee for Free and Fair Elections) said this year's voter turnout was higher than that of any elections in previous years, including the 65.1 per cent in the 2012 communal election. Advertisement Advertisement The poll started at 7am local time and closed at 3pm. No major voting irregularities have been reported so far, the watchdog told reporters at a press conference in the capital Phnom Penh. Some minor complaints included a lack of voting materials and voters being prevented from observing vote counting at certain polling booths. 3pm: Polls closed. Vote counting began. Preliminary result of Cambodian communal election by National Election Committee by 5pm local time. pic.twitter.com/69JBye3CDv — Pichayada P. (@PichayadaCNA) June 4, 2017 More than 7.8 million eligible voters registered for the Sunday election, which covers 1,646 communes nationwide. According to the National Election Committee (NEC), about 6.74 million people showed up to cast their ballots. Ballots cast by millions of Cambodians are being counted in polling stations nationwide. Election observers present to monitor vote counting pic.twitter.com/rrtzqXseSV — Pichayada P. (@PichayadaCNA) June 4, 2017 Advertisement Advertisement COMFREL deployed 14,580 observers at polling stations across Cambodia this year. The group also launched a mobile application and telephone hotline to receive complaints about voting irregularities. During the election campaign period, which lasted between May 20 and Jun 2, 97 complaints were received. About 90 of them have been resolved, according to the watchdog. Prior to the polling day, some observers in Kandal province claimed they had been intimidated by local authorities and decided to withdraw from their duty. Preliminary election results released by the NEC showed that it was a very tight race between Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP and Kem Sokha's opposition CNRP, with the opposition leading in urban areas such as Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and the ruling party claiming victory in a number of rural areas. The official result will be announced on Jun 25. ||||| The Introduction Cambodia will hold commune/sangkat council elections on June 4, when 94,595 candidates from 12 political parties will compete for the 11,572 seats in rural and urban precincts. The ruling Cambodian People's Party and its main rival, the Cambodia National Rescue Party, are running candidates for every seat in the 1,646 communes that make up the country of nearly 16 million people. The royalist FUNCINPEC party is running the third-largest slate of candidates, competing in 846 communes. Campaigning starts on May 20 and runs for 14 days. ||||| PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - Cambodia’s opposition made significant gains in local elections against the ruling party of authoritarian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday, according to the first results. President of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) Kem Sokha casts his vote during local elections in Kandal province, Cambodia June 4, 2017. REUTERS/Samrang Pring The election for more than 1,600 communes would not mean a major shift in power, but could be a springboard for next year’s general election, in which Hun Sen aims to extend more than three decades in power in the Southeast Asian country. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) won 11 out of the first 80 communes for which results were declared. In the last local election, the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won 97 percent against a divided opposition. “This is a huge success for the CNRP,” said opposition parliamentarian Yim Sovann. He told a news briefing that preliminary results from party agents showed it had won about 46 percent of the communes. A pro-government news site gave results suggesting the opposition had won around a third of the communes. Human rights groups had accused Hun Sen’s government of undermining democracy after his campaign warnings of violence if his party did not keep control and the arrest of some prominent critics and activists. But no major trouble was reported on Sunday. On his Facebook page, Hun Sen hailed the election as smooth and successful. Transparency International Cambodia, which had more than 1,000 independent observers monitoring the poll, said it “went smoothly with little to no violence or intimidation and with most polling officials following proper procedures.” During the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s some 1.8 million people died from starvation, torture, exhaustion or disease in labour camps or were bludgeoned to death during mass executions. Since former Khmer Rouge soldier Hun Sen came to power, Cambodia has emerged from decades of conflict to clock annual growth rates above 7 percent. But Hun Sen’s critics say corruption is widespread, and the opposition did unexpectedly well in a 2013 general election. Cambodia’s defence minister said during the campaign that if anyone protests against the results of the election on Sunday they will be “beaten until their teeth come out”. (Corrects ruling party name in paragraph 3 of June 4 story) ||||| Cambodia’s embattled opposition made significant gains in this weekend’s local elections, early results showed on Monday, a vote closely watched for signs of vulnerability in one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. More than seven million Cambodians voted in yesterday’s commune elections, the first time they have headed to the polls since 2013’s disputed election result. The impoverished Southeast Asian nation has been run by prime minister Hun Sen for 32 years, a charismatic and wily strongman who tolerates little dissent and is accused of cracking down on the opposition in the run up to the vote. National elections will be held in 2018 and Sunday’s vote was viewed as a warm up for those crunch polls. In recent weeks Hun Sen has delivered a series of increasingly shrill speeches warning of civil war if his reign is toppled next year. By early today both the premier’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) released preliminary figures that tallied with each other. They showed some 51 per cent of the popular votes going to Hun Sen’s CPP and 46 per cent to the opposition. Both sides portrayed the results as a victory. “This is a big success for the CNRP,” opposition party spokesman Yim Sovann told reporters. In a Facebook post, Hun Sen hailed the result as “another victory” for his party adding: “The vote in 2018 won’t be much different from the vote in this election.” But the opposition have particular reason to be optimistic. If the popular vote is confirmed they would hold some 500 of the country’s 1,646 communes, up from 40 won five years ago. The National Election Commission is expected to release preliminary results over the coming days which can then be challenged for discrepancies. Final official results will be published until June 25. Sunday’s result suggests they have managed to grow their appeal even as the government cracks down on them and their supporters. Rights groups and the opposition have accused Hun Sen of using the courts to pursue CNRP figures as well as dissidents and rights workers. A tally by Amnesty International counts some 27 political prisoners placed behind bars since 2013 with dozens of ongoing prosecutions against others. Supporters see the 64-year-old Hun Sen as a beacon of stability while detractors accuse him and a coterie of allies of huge self-enrichment, corruption and autocracy. In a possible sign of nerves Hun Sen broke with his tradition of avoiding the campaign trail to lead a major CPP rally on Friday in Phnom Penh. The opposition has proven particularly popular among young voters, who often complain about a culture of corruption that only seems to benefit a wealthy elite or those with the right connections. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| Millions of voters cast ballots in Sunday’s Commune Council elections, which serves as a litmus of party support ahead of next year’s national elections. The premier reiterated that the CPP is the majority party in the national assembly in 2018 and will continue to be the ruling party. “Some people claim that the CPP lost. The only thing they know is a tree, not the whole forest”, the premier wrote on his Facebook post on Sunday. “The CPP received 3.5 million votes out of a possible 6.7 million. This shows an increase of 300,000 votes compared to the election in 2013,” he added. According to the National Election Committee’s preliminary result, voter turnout was 85.74 percent, or 6.7 million of the 7.8 million Cambodians who had registered to vote, compared to about 65 percent in the 2012 local elections. The Cambodian People’s Party is led by Prime Minister Hun Sen. The party secured 1,163 of the 1,646 commune council head chief posts. ||||| related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 7 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday he was confident of keeping power in next year's general election after the opposition's gains in local elections fell short of their hopes. PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Monday he was confident of keeping power in next year's general election after the opposition's gains in local elections fell short of their hopes. Communal elections on Sunday were widely seen as a test of strength for opponents of Hun Sen, one of Asia's longest serving leaders, who is accused by rights groups of using threats, arrests and court cases to undermine his political rivals. The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) won about 46 percent of votes announced compared with more than 51 percent for Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) in the ballot for 1,600 communes. It was a big gain for the opposition over its showing in the last local elections, but it had hoped for 60 percent of the vote. "It is already clear that the ruling party will remain a majority party in the National Assembly and continue to lead the government ahead," Hun Sen wrote in a Facebook posting, alongside pictures of himself playing golf. Hun Sen has been prime minister for 32 years and politics in the Southeast Asian country has grown increasingly tense in the run-up to the elections. The prime minister has repeatedly warned of violence if his party does not keep power, raising deep concerns in a country where some 1.8 million people died of starvation, violence, exhaustion or disease during the rule of the communist Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Voting went smoothly on Sunday and observers recorded little malpractice or intimidation. The opposition said it was still pleased with its results. The ruling party won control of 97 percent of Cambodia's communes in the 2012 election, when opposition parties were divided. "To get 46 percent today means at least 56 percent in 2018," CNRP senior member Monovithya Kem told Reuters. The opposition did much better than expected in the last general election in 2013, leaving the ruling party with only a small majority in parliament. "The momentum has always been on the opposition side," said Ou Virak of the Future Forum think-tank. "Given that the 2018 election is the most important election, I think the opposition will be stronger and that makes the outcome of the next election pretty unpredictable." The National Election Committee has not finished announcing all preliminary results of Sunday's elections and official results will not be published until June 25. ||||| PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s embattled opposition made significant gains in this weekend’s local elections, early results showed Monday, a vote closely watched for signs of vulnerability in one of the world’s longest serving leaders. More than seven million Cambodians voted in Sunday’s commune elections, the first time they have headed to the polls since 2013’s disputed election result. The impoverished Southeast Asian nation has been run by prime minister Hun Sen for 32 years, a charismatic and wily strongman who tolerates little dissent and is accused of cracking down on the opposition in the run up to the vote. National elections will be held in 2018 and Sunday’s vote was viewed as a warm up for those crunch polls. In recent weeks Hun Sen has delivered a series of increasingly shrill speeches warning of civil war if his reign is toppled next year. By early Monday both the premier’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) released preliminary figures that tallied with each other. They showed some 51 percent of the popular votes going to Hun Sen’s CPP and 46 percent to the opposition. Both sides portrayed the results as a victory. “This is a big success for the CNRP,” opposition party spokesman Yim Sovann told reporters. In a Facebook post Hun Sen hailed the result as “another victory” for his party adding: “The vote in 2018 won’t be much different from the vote in this election.” But the opposition have particular reason to be optimistic. If the popular vote is confirmed they would hold some 500 of the country’s 1,646 communes, up from 40 won five years ago. ||||| Voters in Cambodia are casting their ballots in local polls seen as a test for long-ruling Prime Minister Hun Sen's popularity and leadership ahead of a general election next year. While there are 12 parties vying for votes in more than 1,600 communes, the main competition is between Hun Sen's Cambodia People's Party (CPP) and the largest opposition party, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), led by Kem Sokha. In the lead-up to Sunday's vote, Hun Sen, who has run Cambodia for 32 years, warned that the country will descend into "civil war" if his party loses, drawing sharp accusations that his government is undermining democracy. Supporters see 64-year-old Hun Sen as a beacon of stability, but opponents accuse him and a coterie of allies of huge self-enrichment, corruption and autocracy. In recent months, the opposition has been hammered by a crackdown, with critics jailed and Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen's main political rival, fleeing overseas to escape charges. Voters queued at polling stations in the capital, Phnom Penh, before they opened at 7am (00:00 GMT). They close at 3pm (08:00 GMT) and results are expected in the hours after that. "I voted for justice in society," said Chan Dy, 69, told the Reuters news agency. "This election will help to make work happen at the commune level. Corruption is a big problem and that's why I voted to have things work more smoothly," he said, declining to say which party he voted for. Hun Sen cast his ballot shortly after polls opened in Takhmao, a town on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, where he has a residence and a nearby bodyguard unit stationed. He declined to speak to media but appeared relaxed, smiling and waving to voters as he passed. The last time Cambodians went to the polls, in 2013's national elections, the opposition made huge gains, spurred in part by a significant appetite for change among young voters. The opposition says it only lost that vote because of widespread fraud, something the government denies. But analysts say that result was a scare for a leader unused to losing and that the recent crackdown on the opposition is an attempt to ensure no repeat. Al Jazeera's Wayne Hay, reporting from Phnom Penh, said that although these are only local elections, there is still a lot at stake. "The CNRP feels that it can build on the good results that they had on the last general election four years ago and then carry that forward into the next general election which is coming up in July next year," he said. In a possible sign of nerves Hun Sen broke with his tradition of avoiding the campaign trail to lead a massive pro-government rally for his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) on Friday in Phnom Penh. "We haven't seen Hun Sen on the campaign trail during an election in something like 20 years, so that may well tell us something about how he is feeling about the results of these communal elections," Hay said. "His rhetoric has been typically fiery, typically aggressive leading up to this vote," he added. "We heard the defence minister saying people would have their teeth smashed if they contest the results of this vote." The CNRP also held a rally on Friday but it was noticeably smaller in size. They have proven particularly popular among young voters who often complain about a culture of corruption that only seems to benefit a wealthy elite or those with the right connections. Cambodia has one of the world's youngest population, with some 70 percent of the country under 30 and their growing political clout is being heavily courted. Yet the opposition movement has been dented by Hun Sen's crackdown, with at least 27 Cambodian human rights defenders and political activists thrown behind bars since 2013, according to a recent Amnesty International report. ||||| CAMBODIA’s opposition party has won a significant portion of the vote against the authoritarian ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen, after record numbers of voters turned out for local elections on Sunday. The opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) won 46 percent of the vote to the ruling Cambodian People Party’s (CPP) 51 percent, a massive increase from the last local council commune elections when the CPP won 97 percent of the vote against a divided opposition. The country’s National Election Committee (NEC) announced more than 6.7 million Cambodians turned out to vote, exceeding voter turnout at the 2012 commune elections by over 1.7 people, reports Cambodia Daily. With 85.7 percent of registered voters casting their ballots, this reflects a record election turnout for Cambodia. SEE ALSO: Cambodian deputy PM threatens to ‘smash the teeth’ of opposition “This is a huge success for the CNRP,” said opposition parliamentarian Yim Sovann. A senior spokesman for the CNRP Monovithya Kem said the election represented “huge gains” for the party. The CNRP won decisively with 76 out of 109 communes in the province of Kampong Cham. The Phnom Penh Post said the election meant the party had turned “a solid support base” in the province into “an undeniable stronghold.” Cambodia’s government has faced criticism for cracking down on political opposition, the media and rights advocates in the lead-up to these local elections and national elections next year, as the CPP tries to cling to power. Hun Sen has been in power for three decades – making him one of the longest-serving world leaders on the planet. After Sunday’s poll, he praised the election as smooth and successful. Government rhetoric in the lead-up to the local elections had spurred fears of intimidation, electoral fraud and violence. Authorities had banned certain rallies and arbitrarily rejected certain campaign materials. An Amnesty International report released last week accused the government of manipulating the courts to silence dissent and political opposition. Hun Sen warned of civil war if the CPP didn’t win and Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh threatened to “smash the teeth” of the opposition should they protest the result. SEE ALSO: Cambodia: Asean parliamentarians call for transparent, fair and peaceful election On Sunday, Transparency International Cambodia said it “went smoothly with little to no violence or intimidation and with most polling officials following proper procedures.” The anti-corruption watchdog had more than 1,000 observers on the ground. Nevertheless, the Phnom Penh Post reports large groups of military personnel were seen voting at polling stations outside of their area of residence. This practice, permitted by the NEC, reportedly allows the “ruling party to strategically register soldiers to sway the vote in contested communes.” “Sunday’s local elections are critical for grassroots democracy and the vote is being seen by many as a kind of litmus test of the political environment ahead of national elections planned for 2018,” said the Malaysian MP Charles Santiago of Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights last week. While no violence was reported on Sunday, the opposition’s success means some are predicting greater intimidation in the lead-up to next year’s poll. Hun Sen joined a party rally of 200,000 people last Friday, ending a longstanding tradition of avoiding direct campaigning. Coupled with openly hostile rhetoric, this suggests the government is increasingly concerned about losing power. “This is the choice between peace and security for development, and chaotic destruction,” he declared. One netizen has already created a Wikipedia page for the national election, set to be held on 22 July 2018. ||||| Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made a rare appearance at his party's election campaign rally on Friday, calling on people to vote for his ruling Cambodian People's Party for bringing peace and development to the nation. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made a rare appearance at his ruling Cambodian People's Party rally ahead of a commune election on June 4. PHNOM PENH: The Hun Sen Boulevard in Phnom Penh was flooded with a sea of people on Friday as tens of thousands of Cambodians gathered from dawn to welcome a special guest. Start the conversation, or Read more at Channelnewsasia.com. | Voters cast ballots to select representatives for rural and urban Cambodian precincts from, nationwide, 94,595 candidates for 11,572 council seats. Voter turnout was 85.74 percent with few reports of irregularities. According to early results, the opposition makes significant gains against the ruling party of Prime Minister Hun Sen. |
Story highlights Company says it is "heartbroken" by the shooting Victims include widower raising two teens; terrorism was not a factor in the shooting, police say (CNN) The gunman in Monday's fatal shooting spree at an Orlando, Florida, business targeted his victims and had a "negative relationship" with at least one of them, according to law enforcement. Army veteran John Robert Neumann, Jr. killed five employees of Fiamma Inc. before killing himself, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. The company makes accessories for recreational vehicles. Neumann was fired from there in April. He walked into the business Monday morning and pointed his gun at a new, temporary employee and told her to leave, Demings said. "He was certainly singling out the individuals he shot," Demings told reporters Monday afternoon. Officers gather in an industrial district of suburban Orlando, where multiple people were killed. Read More ||||| Five people were shot and killed by a "disgruntled" former employee at a workplace near Orlando, Florida, this morning, three years after the suspect was involved in another workplace violence incident there, authorities said. The suspect shot and killed himself after shooting his former co-workers this morning at Fiamma, which is part of an Italian company that manufactures awnings and accessories for RVs, authorities said. Most victims were shot in the head and some were shot multiple times, according to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings. The active shooting was reported at about 8:03 a.m. Deputies arrived minutes later to find three men and one woman dead, Demings said. A fifth person, a man, was taken to a hospital where he died, Demings said. The suspect, identified as 45-year-old John Robert Neumann Jr., was allegedly "singling out" victims, Demings said. When Neumann encountered a young woman who was a temporary employee, he allegedly pointed the gun at her and told her to get out of the business, Demings said. It appears Neumann reloaded at least once during the shooting spree, Demings added. Eight people inside the business survived, Demings said. Demings described the suspect as a "disgruntled" former employee who was fired in April 2017. Seminole County Sheriffs Office In 2014, authorities responded to Fiamma when Neumann was involved in another workplace violence incident, in which he allegedly battered another employee, Demings said. No charges were filed at that time, Demings said. There's no indication that the suspect was a member of any terror organization, Demings said, adding that this was "likely a workplace violence incident." It appears that the person he was accused of battering in 2014 was not one of the victims today, the sheriff said. Gerardo Mora/Getty Images Shelley Adams told ABC News that her sister, a Fiamma employee, saw someone lying on the floor as she walked out of the bathroom. She was "just hysterically crying," Adams said of her sister, who called her on the phone. "She kept saying, 'My boss is dead.'" The victims were identified as Robert Snyder, 69; Brenda Montanez-Crespo, 44; Kevin Clark, 53; Jeffrey Roberts, 57; Kevin Lawson, 46. Neumann was a U.S. Army veteran who was discharged honorably in 1999, Demings said. He lived alone and has no family in the area, Demings said. Next week marks the one-year anniversary of the June 12, 2016, mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 people. Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement, "Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before." "I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence," Scott said. ||||| Five people were shot and killed by a “disgruntled” former employee at a workplace near Orlando, Florida, this morning, three years after the suspect was involved in another workplace violence incident there, according to authorities. The suspect shot and killed himself after shooting his former co-workers this morning at Fiamma, a company that manufactures awnings and accessories for RVs, authorities said. The active shooting was reported at about 8:03 a.m. and deputies arrived minutes later to find three men and one woman dead, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. A fifth person, a man, was taken to a hospital where he died, Demings said. Seven people inside the business survived and are being interviewed, Demings said. The 45-year-old suspect, who was armed with a handgun and a knife, shot and killed himself, Demings said. Demings described the suspect as a “disgruntled” former employee who was fired in April 2017. The sheriff did not name the man. In June 2014, authorities responded to Fiamma when the suspect was involved in another workplace violence incident, in which he allegedly battered another employee, Demings said. No charges were filed at that time, Demings said. There’s no indication that the suspect was a member of any terror organization, Demings said, adding that this was “likely a workplace violence incident.” Shelley Adams told ABC News that her sister told her she was inside her place of business this morning when she walked out of the bathroom and saw someone lying on the floor. Adams said her sister recounted the story on the phone and “was just hysterically crying.” Her sister was OK, Adams said but “she kept saying, ‘My boss is dead.'” The FBI is at the scene. The shooting comes one week before the one-year anniversary of the June 12, 2016, mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando that killed 49 people. Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement, “Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before.” “I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence,” Scott said. This story is developing. Please check back for more updates. ||||| Five people including the gunman were killed after a shooting broke out in the industrial area of Orlando in the United States of America on Monday. Shooter a disgruntled former employee, says police. The incident reportedly took place in the workplace in, northeast of downtown in Orlando. Initial reports from the local media suggest that the situation is under control as the cops have cordoned the area. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office in a statement confirming the shooting incident said that the area has security forces have “stabilized” the crime scene and a more accurate picture will follow after the investigation. Confirmed the multiple fatalities, Sheriff’s Office did not speak about the identity of the 5 killed including the gunman. “OCSO working shooting scene that has stabilized. Multiple fatalities. Situation contained. Sheriff will brief as soon as info is accurate,” tweeted Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Florida. Fox News reports that the CBI is on the investigation. There is no information of the identity or the motive of the shooter. The shooting incident comes on the foot note after almost a year ago, Omar Mateen, an Islamic extremist massacre 49 people in Pulse nightclub in Orlando. ||||| A "disgruntled employee" who was recently fired from a business near Orlando, Fla., shot and killed five of his former co-workers before killing himself on Monday morning, according to local law enforcement. Four of the victims died at the scene, while a fifth died at a hospital, authorities said. Seven other employees were in the Fiamma Inc. building at the time of the attack and were unharmed. Local media have reported that at least one of the survivors was in the bathroom during the shooting. The survivor reportedly called her sister and told her, "My boss is dead." The suspected shooter was fired from the company in April, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said at a news conference Monday morning. There's no indication that he had ties to "any subversive type organization" or terrorist group, Demings said, and authorities believe the shooting was "likely a workplace violence incident." The sheriff said the former employee had a minor criminal record and that police had visited Fiamma Inc. several years ago after a call that involved the shooter today. Demings added that the suspect "allegedly battered another employee" in that incident but no charges were ultimately filed. The suspect reportedly returned to his former workplace armed with a handgun and knife. He "shot five innocent people this morning and then turned the gun on himself," Demings said. Fiamma is an Italy-based manufacturer of accessories for motor vehicles. Authorities have not released the identity of the suspected shooter or the victims. Another press conference was scheduled for 2 p.m. ET. Almost a year ago, an attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando left 49 people dead, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Florida Gov. Rick Scott referenced the Pulse shooting in a statement Monday, saying, "Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before. ... I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence." Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs told reporters that "certainly the situation here appears to be very different from the situation at Pulse. ... I will just say what I said earlier, I would ask our citizens if you see something that troubles you, please go the extra mile, make the call." ||||| ORLANDO, FLA. (AP) - Five were killed after a shooting inside a business that makes awnings for recreational vehicles in an industrial park on Monday. Authorities converged on the area and announced that the situation has been contained. Orange County Sheriff's deputies were zeroing in on the Fiamma Inc. business in an industrial park in Orlando, Florida. Deputies responded to a call for an active shooter and arrived at the scene at 8:05AM. Four people were reported dead at the scene. Another victim died at the hospital. Seven people survived. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said during a briefing on Monday that about 12 people were at the company. Demings said that the gunman was a disgruntled former employee who was fired in April. Demings says the shooter, described as a 45-year-old disgruntled former worker at the awnings manufacturing plant, also shot and killed himself. The sheriff says the shooting is not believed to have any link to terrorism. The shooter, who has not yet been identified, had been involved in a previous workplace violence incident and had been accused of battering another employee inside the business. He was not charged in that case. The Orange County sheriff’s office says it hopes to identify the gunman in a workplace shooting near Orlando at its next briefing this afternoon. The briefing is planned for 2 p.m. Monday. Shelley Adams said her sister, Sheila McIntyre, called her from the company's bathroom during the shooting and was very upset. She kept repeating "My boss is dead. My boss is dead," Adams said. Authorities closed the road near the scene and have urged motorists to "use caution." A media staging area has been set up near the scene. Local news outlets reported that several Orange County Fire and Rescue vehicles were seen leaving the scene. A large police presence remains. "Over the past year the Orlando community has been challenged like never before. I have been briefed by our law enforcement officials on this tragic incident and Ann and I are praying for the families who lost loved ones today. I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence. I will remain in contact with the Orlando law enforcement community throughout the day as more information is made available." No further details were immediately available. This is a developing story that will be updated. ||||| ORLANDO – A disgruntled former employee shot and killed five people at an Orlando, Florida, business Monday morning before killing himself, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said. Three men and a woman were found dead at the scene, Demings said. Another man died at Orlando Regional Medical Center. Seven people survived inside Fiamma Inc., which makes accessories for recreational vehicles, Demings said. The gunman, 45, was fired from Fiamma in April, Demings said. He had a minor police record and no association with any subversive or terrorist group, Demings said. Police had responded to a battery complaint against the gunman at Fiamma in 2014. The victim of that incident was not among the dead Monday, Demings said. [Previous story, published at 11:04 a.m. ET] Five people, including the shooter, are dead after a shooting at an Orlando, Florida business headquarters, CNN affiliate WFTV reports. Police say there is no connection to terrorism. It appears to be a work-related incident, WFTV says. Police reported earlier they were investigating a “multiple fatality” shooting, according to Capt. Angelo Nieves with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office calls the situation “contained and stable,” WFTV says. The location is an industrial area in suburban Orlando, northeast of downtown. Police officers are gathered in a parking lot outside several warehouses. Shelley Adams told reporters she heard from her sister, who works at Fiamma and was in the restroom when she heard a noise. She came out and saw someone lying on the floor. “She said, ‘I saw too much. My boss is dead,'” Adams said. The FBI is assisting the sheriff’s office, a media relations spokesperson confirms to CNN. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs is also on the scene. Almost a year ago, Orlando was the site of the nation’s worst terror attack since 9/11. On June 12, 2016, a gunman killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub. “Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before,” Florida Gov. Rick Scott said in a statement Monday. “I will remain in contact with the Orlando law enforcement community throughout the day as more information is made available.” ||||| A gunman fatally shot five employees at an Orlando, Florida, business Monday and then killed himself, authorities said during a morning news conference. Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the shooter, identified by police as a 45-year-old former "disgruntled employee" who was terminated in April, opened fire on former co-workers at Fiamma Inc., which manufacturers accessories for recreational vehicles in an industrial area more than seven miles from downtown Orlando. The shooter, who was carrying a gun and a knife, committed suicide, Demings said. The sheriff said that there were seven survivors in the attack. "We have no indication that this subject is a participant in any type of terror organization," Demings said during the news conference. "What this is at this point is likely a workplace violence incident." Demings said sheriff's deputies received a 911 call about 8 a.m. about an active shooter situation and, when they arrived on the scene, they found four deceased victims - three men and a woman. A fifth victim was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he also died, the sheriff said. The sheriff said that the gunman had died "by his own means." Demings said that several years ago, the shooter, whose name has not been released, was accused of battering another employee at Fiamma. He has a criminal history that includes DUI and marijuana possession, the sheriff said. After the early morning shooting, Shelley Adams told reporters her sister, who works at Fiamma was in the restroom when she heard a bang. When she came out, she saw someone on the floor. Adams said her sister told her, "My boss is dead. My boss is dead." Orange County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said in an email that deputies were on the scene and that there was "no threat to the community." The FBI dispatched members of the bureau's Orlando office to the scene, where they are assisting in the investigation and working to determine the motivation, officials said. Authorities did not immediately comment on a possible motive for the shooting, which occurred just a week before the anniversary of the Pulse nightclub massacre in downtown Orlando. That mass shooting killed 49 people and injured dozens of others. The attacker at Pulse, who was killed by police after an hours-long standoff inside the club, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. "Because of the active nature of the investigation, we can't comment on any motives at this time, but if a nexus to terrorism is discovered, we'll update with that information as appropriate," the FBI said in a statement Monday. "We'll be working with Orange County to determine the reason for the shooting." Hospitals in the area did not immediately respond to requests for comment about whether they had taken in any of the victims from the shooting. After the shooting, Florida Gov. Rick Scott asked residents across the state to pray for the families affected "by this senseless act of violence." "Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before," Scott said in a statement. "I have been briefed by our law enforcement officials on this tragic incident and Ann and I are praying for the families who lost loved ones today." Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said, "Unfortunately, we've seen this scenario play itself out in our community and in other communities across the nation, and it is incumbent upon all of us not to become complacent or become callous to these horrific situations, but for each of our citizens to be vigilant . . . if they see something that seems abnormal, they need to say something." ||||| ORLANDO (KUSI) — Multiple people were killed in a shooting at an Orlando industrial park Monday. Three men and one woman were killed when a 45-year-old disgruntled former employee entered an awning manufacturing plant in Orlando Florida Monday and opened fire before turning the gun on himself, according to Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings. The shooter has not yet been identified. The former employee of Fiamma Inc. was fired in April, Demings said. He had been accused previously of battering another employee while in the premises. He was not charge. It was unclear if that incident was the cause for termination. One of the seven survivors, Yamaris Gomez, ran to the tile street across the store to call authorities. She told deputies the gunman had told her to leave. “Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before. I have been briefed by our law enforcement officials on this tragic incident and Ann and I are praying for the families who lost loved ones today. I ask all Floridians to pray for the families impacted by this senseless act of violence. I will remain in contact with the Orlando law enforcement community throughout the day as more information is made available.” The shooting is being investigated by Orange County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. A briefing is scheduled for 1 p.m. local time. This is a developing story and will be updated. ||||| Five persons, including a woman, were killed at a workplace in the USA city of Orlando when a disgruntled former employee went on a shooting spree before killing himself. The victim of that incident was not among the dead Monday, Demings said. The gunman “had a negative relationship with” at least one of the victims. Five people were shot and killed by a “disgruntled” former employee at a workplace near Orlando, Florida, this morning, three years after the suspect was involved in another workplace violence incident there, according to authorities. Officials said the situation has been contained and the scene has been “stabilized”. He had a minor police record and no association with any subversive or terrorist group, Demings said. Authorities had no reports of any specific threats the gunman made to people at the company or anyone else, Banks said. Searching for a motive, deputies cordoned off a trailer park in Maitland, where Neumann lived alone in a mobile home on a busy road next to a funeral home, a used vehicle lot and a dog-grooming business. “What this is at this point is likely a workplace violence incident”, Demings said. Deputies responded to today’s shooting at the Fiamma Inc building on Forsyth Road in Orlando around 8am. Mr Demings added: “This is a sad day once again for us in Orange County”. “Over the past year, the Orlando community has been challenged like never before”, Gov. Rick Scot said in a statement. Six people, including a gunman, were fatally shot Monday morning in an episode of workplace violence near Orlando, sources told Channel 9. Several of the victims’ families and survivors filed millions of dollars in lawsuits against the companies overseeing Alexis’ work. The sheriff said officers were dispatched within 45 seconds and arrived two minutes later. “We’ll be working with Orange County to determine the reason for the shooting”. Shelley Adams said her sister, Sheila McIntyre, of Orlando, was in the bathroom when she heard gunshots. They occurred at a business that makes awnings for recreational vehicles. Adams said. “That’s shocking”. This latest shooting comes a week before the one-year anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, which also took place in Orlando. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office tweeted that there are “multiple fatalities” in a “tragic incident”. It was the deadliest mass shooting in US history with 49 people killed by a gunman in the early morning hours of June 12. | A discharged 45-year-old former employee shoots and kills five people at a manufacturing business in Orlando, Florida, United States. The shooter took his own life afterwards. Eight others inside the workplace survived. |
HOW IT UNFOLDED WOMAN calls 000 at 4.11pm stating there’s a hostage situation and a dead man POLICE arrive at Bay St, Brighton apartment and locate body of man in foyer, appears fatally shot MAN exits serviced apartment building and opens fire at police. He is shot dead by police shortly before 6pm IS claim responsibility, as police probe whether gunman was trying to lure officers into ambush LATEST: UP to 22 prisoners and people on parole in Victoria are undergoing an Islamic anti-radicalisation program. The revelation comes as Premier Daniel Andrews faced a barrage of questions in State Parliament this afternoon over why Yacqub Khayre was on parole at the time of the Brighton terror attack. Yacqub Khayre, 29, cut off a parole ankle bracelet before he shot dead an apartment worker and took an escort hostage in Brighton last night. Bay St, which has been closed since the siege, reopened to driver’s about 3.30pm Tuesday. Edward O’Donohue, the opposition corrections spokesman, said: “Daniel Andrews doesn’t have answers on why Yacqub Khayre was on parole and he doesn’t have any answers on how many of these 22 people with potential terrorist links are walking the streets on parole.” “This Premier really has no idea of what’s going on and if he has no idea of what’s going on, he certainly can’t fix the crime problem.” In upper house question time this afternoon, Victorian Corrections Minister Gayle Tierney was asked how many prisoners in the state’s correction system had known terrorist links. “What I can advise is that in the last State Budget there was an allocation of $6.385 million over four years for anti-radicalisation programs and I can advise the House that the Islamic Council of Victoria is contracted to deliver the program and is currently working with up to 22 prisoners and people in the community each year,” Ms Tierney said in parliament. media_camera Police remove a car believed to belong to Yacqub Khayre. Picture: Alex Coppel. media_camera A second body is removed from the scene. Picture: Nicole Garmston media_camera A police cordon at the scene of a shootout. Picture: Mal Fairclough. When asked how many of these people were on parole, Ms Tierney said: “The advice that I’m provided is that there is up to 22 people in the corrections system.” Earlier Opposition Leader Matthew Guy ran through the long list of crimes Khayre had committed before being “let out on the streets”. Police have reopened Bay St after yesterday's siege @9NewsMelb pic.twitter.com/M2Sb1Oo9AK — Kieran Jones (@kieranjones_9) June 6, 2017 State Parliament erupted as MPs on both sides of the chamber hurled insults at each other. The opposition’s questions echo Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who earlier questioned why the man behind yesterday’s deadly Brighton siege was on parole. Mr Andrews defended his government’s record on tackling crime and dealing with problems with parole, and said he would “counsel those opposite” that nothing would be gained by playing politics with the issue of terror. He then accused the opposition of failing to support police, which led to howls of denial from coalition MPs. Parliamentary secretary @TimSmithMP 's media release re "stupid question" comment form Labor MP re Brighton terror #springst pic.twitter.com/0aWxdHu7Lf — Matt Johnston (@Media_Matt) June 6, 2017 This is getting willing - Guy incredibly saying the premier should "resign" #springst — Matt Johnston (@Media_Matt) June 6, 2017 Mr Guy slammed Mr Andrews over parole and for being soft on crime. Asked at a media conference earlier today if he was concerned by the fact the gunman was on parole, Mr Andrews responded: “Well, I would make the point that he had served significant jail term and become eligible for parole at a later point than he might have hoped because his sentence had been increased because of poor behaviour. “This is the advice I have, terrible behaviour in prison. “He’s been compliant, including drug tests, attending appointments and observing a curfew. “That’s the information that I have to this point.” Victoria’s Police Commissioner said investigators would probe whether the terror gunman was trying to lure police into a deadly ambush. Mr Turnbull this morning questioned why Khayre, who had a long history of violence, was on parole. “How was this man on parole?” he said. media_camera Yacqub Khayre leaves a court hearing in 2010. AAP Image/Julian Smith “He had a long record of violence. A very long record of violence. “He had been charged with a terrorist offence some years ago and had been acquitted. “He was known to have connections, at least in the past, with violent extremism.” Chinese media is reporting that the innocent man shot dead by Khayre was married just 15 days ago. The 36-year-old’s body was found in the foyer of the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Bay St by police soon after they arrived. He is an Australian national of Chinese origin. “He had done nothing wrong except work at the apartment,” police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said. The escort is a 36-year-old Ripponlea woman. Khayre was killed after he fired at police and was shot dead. Islamic State is trying to claim responsibility for the deadly hostage drama, about 11km southeast of Melbourne CBD, saying the gunman was ‘one of its soldiers’. But Mr Ashton said there was little evidence the incident was planned or co-ordinated with anyone else. Mr Ashton said the gunman — confirmed as Mr Khayre, as revealed last night by the Herald Sun — was from Roxburgh Park in Melbourne’s north and lived with his mother. media_camera Bomb squad officers on scene this morning. Picture: Alex Coppel. media_camera Police are raiding Khayre’s home in Roxburgh Park. Picture: Jake Nowakowski Police have seized computers and other devices from his house this morning. The bomb squad returned to the Brighton apartments this morning with officers suiting up and heading into the building. Police say they are just processing the crime scene and there is no bomb threat today. media_camera Australian Federal Police and Victoria Police conduct an investigation at a house in Roxburgh Park in relation to a terror related shooting in Brighton. Picture: Jake Nowakowski media_camera Police at the Roxburgh Park house. Picture: Jake Nowakowski media_camera Forensic police remove evidence this morning. Picture: AAP media_camera Forensic police hold an evidence bag outside the Buckingham Serviced Apartments. Writing on the bag says: “Hard covered book with Arabic writing (in cloth bag) on desk in living room. Picture: AAP Last night’s deadly siege concluded when Khayre came out of the apartments with a shotgun and fired at police. Two officers were injured in the hand, one in the neck. “Fortunately they are OK,” Mr Ashton said. “Two of them are currently now at hospital. “One was treated at the scene and are still going under medical treatment. “They are non-life-threatening which is what we’re grateful about.” Mr Ashton added: “Nothing thus far will suggest to us that this was planned or done in concert with others. Asked if he believed the gunman lured police to ambush and kill officers, Mr Ashton said: “It’s a possibility (but) we don’t know whether that was the case. “Certainly a booking was made to see an escort at the premises. “He’s then turned up at the premises with a firearm, that’s all been weighed into the calculations but we haven’t found anything like a note or any comment around that we’ve found so far. “It’s early days. “There’s search warrants being done. “We’ve got computers and electrical items seized to go through. “The AFP (Australian Federal Police) will assist us in that. “It’s just too early to know how random this was in terms of whether it was something that he was planning or thinking about, whether police were the target or he’s seized the opportunity he thought was presented to him last evening.” media_camera A police officer holds a gun over the front gate of the serviced apartments. Picture: AFP Photo/Mal Fairclough Asked whether there was a genuine link with IS, Mr Ashton said: “Look, we’re aware of, online, them having claimed responsibility, but then they always tend to jump up and claim responsibility every time something happens so, we note that that has happened but he’s also made statements last night around al-Qaeda.” Mr Ashton said the siege that lasted about two hours and involved heavily-armed specialist police was a “dangerous and volatile situation”. “We deal with situations on a siege basis a lot but this was a very dangerous situation and required immediate action and that’s what we saw last night.” Mr Andrews praised police this morning. “What is beyond question in this incident and at all times is the professionalism, bravery, courage and effectiveness of our specialist police forces in this state,” he said. “But be in no doubt the special operations group and others last night have put themselves in harm has way to keep the rest of us safe and that’s something that we should honour and it’s something that we should value.” media_camera A body is removed from the scene early this morning. Picture: Nicole Garmston media_camera A bomb robot goes in as police secure the scene last night. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin The gunman at the centre of the siege was known to counter-terrorism investigators. Khayre was charged and later acquitted over a terror plot to launch a suicide attack against Sydney’s Holsworthy army barracks in 2009. IS this morning blamed the attack on Australia’s membership in the US-led coalition against the militant group. “The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states,” the group’s Amaq news agency said. media_camera A bomb squad police officer at work at the apartments’ entrance. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin Mr Ashton said the female hostage was an escort who had been booked by the gunman. “Obviously (she’s) severely traumatised by what’s happened and that’s very understandable in those circumstances, as you can well imagine,” he said. “But in terms of physical injury, she wasn’t physically injured by the offender but certainly kept in the apartment against her will.” media_camera Media conference this morning with Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton, AFP Commander Brian McDonald, Premier Daniel Andrews and Police Minister Lisa Neville (right). Picture: Mark Stewart BRIGHTON ATTACK A SHOCKING CRIME: PM Prime Minister Turnbull said the incident in Brighton, coming so soon after the attack in London, had shocked all Australians. “This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime,” he said. “It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism. “What is clear here is that we face a growing threat from Islamist terrorism in Australia in our region and around the world. “We will continue to defy it and we will continue to defeat it.” Turnbull says Melbourne siege “is a terrorist attack”. Turnbull says Melbourne siege “is a terrorist attack”. Mr Turnbull said there was concern about copycats but the terror threat level had not been raised for Australia. “But all of these attacks, particularly given the way they are reported on, across the world, all run the risk of promoting other copy cat incidents,” he said. Australian Federal Police deputy commissioner Mike Phelan said there was a viable threat in Australia. “Currently (there is) in excess of 70 ongoing operations throughout the country,” he said. “In addition to that, there are, and the director general of security has put on public record, the 200 people they are looking at. “In addition to that, on an outer ring, are those who have come to attention, in each of the state jurisdictions monitored by the equivalent of their intelligence units and in the case of Victoria, that is in the hundreds. “It is where people fit on the list. “We are constantly putting people under review, depending on the intelligence that comes through, ongoing investigations, some someone comes up, a peripheral target, they get reassessed.” As the siege was taking place Khayre called the Channel Seven newsroom in Melbourne and said ‘this is for IS (Islamic State)’ and ‘this is for al-Qaeda’. Channel 7 chief of staff Nicole Bland, who took the call, told 3AW this morning that initially an extremely distressed woman was on the phone who she could not understand. Then a man took over and said “this is the Brighton hostage” before naming IS and al-Qaeda. media_camera Forensic police gathering vital evidence this morning. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin media_camera The forensic officers were concentrating on items at the entrance to the Bay St apartments. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin The call came after the weekend London outrage in which terrorists shouted “this is for Allah” as they killed seven people. RESIDENTS RUN AS TERROR COMES TO BRIGHTON Witness Lee Griffin said last night tactical police hid behind rubbish bins before firing the fatal rounds. “I heard an initial shot and then a wave of police arrived and that’s when the next shots occurred,” Mr Griffin said. “I saw police shoot the guy. It was terrifying.” media_camera Local residents were told to take shelter in this Coles as shots rang out. Picture: Tim Carrafa media_camera Police block Bay St. Picture: Tim Carrafa media_camera Officers taking shelter behind the wall of the apartments at the height of the drama. media_camera The front of the apartments in Brighton. Picture: Nicole Garmston media_camera Police outside the apartment block. Picture: AFP Photo/Mal Fairclough Moments later, officers freed the woman who had been held captive. Daniel Andrews addresses the media after Melbourne siege Daniel Andrews addresses the media after Melbourne siege A major police presence, including specialist tactical officers, remains at the scene today. Neighbours reported hearing more than 20 gunshots in the area and police ordered everyone in the area to head to Coles supermarket. media_camera Police at the scene in Brighton. Picture: Tim Carrafa Father Graeme Hisgrove said he ordered his family to drop to the floor once the final shots were fired. “After a while, without any notice there was this massive amount of gunfire,” he said. “We all jumped to the floor of the lounge room and laid flat because we didn’t know where it was coming from. “Once it was over, we could see the police get up and walk toward the apartments. I had a feeling it was over — that they’d shot him. But we were locked in all night.” His children Molly, 15, and Jack, 17, has just arrived home from school when the siege began to unfold. Mr Hisgrove said his son alerting him to a “a man with a gun” at their backdoor. “I was freaking out,” he said. The SOG officer and other police entered their property, positioning themselves along the fence line. “They told us to get inside and stay there.” Witness Ben Vieth was standing on his balcony about 150m from the scene when gunfire erupted just after 6pm last night. “Next minute we heard the machine gun go off,’’ he said. “It was absolutely terrifying. It went for probably three or four seconds — just constant fire. “The police were just screaming at people to run and take cover. “People were just ducking and running. I was just in shock — I couldn’t stand up. It was full on. “The noise was just deafening. “It wasn’t a couple of shots. “It sounded like 20 or 30 shots.” As soon as the machine gun went off four ambulances sped to the scene, he said. “They were obviously planned,’’ Mr Vieth said. “Then I just heard two police were shot.” media_camera Emergency services at the scene. Picture: Matt Talbot-Weichmann Jack Reid, 20, who lives close to the apartment complex, was standing nearby with his 18-year-old brother when the shots started. A police officer shouted at bystanders to flee to a nearby supermarket. “The policewoman was just shouting at us to get into Coles and stay there,’’ Mr Reid said. “It was pretty scary. “She was just going: ‘Everyone get into Coles now! Stay inside! Don’t come out! “We all figured it was a hostage thing. “I am a bit shaken. “The gunshots took us all by surprise. “It went for at least three seconds. It sounded like a pistol or something.” media_camera State Emergency Services outside the apartment complex. Picture: Valeriu Campan Buckingham Serviced Apartments at 408 Bay St, is next to a children’s swimming school and several doctors offices. The apartments advertised as “luxury” apartments with private balconies and “spacious and modern decor”. One bedroom apartments cost $130 per night. Firbank Grammar School and Brighton Grammar school are within walking distance of the scene and schoolchildren could be seen nearby in the aftermath of the siege. media_camera The shopping strip was blocked off in the early afternoon. Picture: Valeriu Campan media_camera More than 20 shots were fired during a hostage situation in Brighton. Picture: Matt Talbot-Weichmann Read more: Melbourne victims in Barcelona terror attack Rosebud siege: Man holed up in house for eight hours wes.hosking@news.com.au ||||| Brighton siege: Melbourne police launch terror probe, investigate if escort was used to lure officers Updated Police are investigating whether the Brighton siege gunman took an escort worker hostage in a bid to lure officers into a deadly ambush. Key points: One man was killed, a woman was taken hostage and three police were injured before the gunman was shot dead Islamic State said one of its "soldiers" was responsible, but police questioned links with the group The gunman, Yacqub Khayre, had a history of violent crime but was on parole Gunman Yacqub Khayre injured three officers during a shoot-out that ended in his death at an apartment building in Melbourne's Bayside area on Monday afternoon. The 29-year-old, who has an extensive criminal history and was released on parole in December, had made a booking with the escort worker, taken her hostage and killed a man who was working at the building. Police said it was possible Khayre, from Roxburgh Park in Melbourne's north, may have been attempting to lure police by taking the escort hostage. "We still don't know exactly whether that was the case," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said. "Certainly [there was] a booking made to see an escort at the premises. He's then turned up at the premises with a firearm, that's all being weighed into the calculations. "We haven't found anything like a note or any comment around that. "At this stage it's just too early to know how random this was in terms of whether it was something that he was planning or thinking about, whether police were the target or he's seized the opportunity he thought was presented to him." Corrections Victoria confirmed Khayre, who had a history of drug abuse, had been fitted with an electronic monitoring device as part of his parole conditions when he was released to ensure that he kept to a 10:00pm curfew. An alert that the device had been tampered with was received on Monday about 4:00pm, a Corrections spokesman said. The authorities monitoring the device contacted police and the offender's parole officer. Channel 7 reported its newsroom received a phone call shortly before the shoot-out from a man who said: "This is for IS. This is for Al Qaeda." It also reported a distressed woman could be heard on the line, before the man said, "This is the Brighton hostage". How the siege unfolded: Emergency services respond to reports of an explosion just after 4:00pm Officers discover the body of a man in the foyer of the building A woman calls triple-0 to say she is being held hostage A man calls Channel 7 and says: "This is for IS. This is for Al Qaeda." Yacqub Khayre, 29, leaves the apartment and starts firing at officers, injuring three Khayre is shot dead by officers Khayre was charged and acquitted by a jury over a plot to attack the Holsworthy Army barracks in Sydney in 2009. Three of his co-accused were found guilty of planning the terrorist attack as payback for Australia's military action in the Middle East. Earlier, the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for yesterday's siege. He also killed a man working at the apartment building, who police said was an Australian citizen born in China. Commissioner Ashton said the siege was being treated as a "terrorism incident", but warned that IS's claim was "the sort of thing they jump up and say a lot" and there was no evidence to indicate Khayre was acting on a message from overseas. "[Khayre] has a long criminal history with us, but also from what we're piecing together comments he made related to ISIS and Al Qaeda certainly for us put this in the terrorism category," he said. "We don't yet know if this was something he was really planning or whether it was just an ad hoc decision that he's made just to go off tap like this." Khayre 'known to have connections' with extremism Commissioner Ashton said Khayre was released on parole late last year after serving jail time for unrelated offences. "He has recently done some jail time, he got out late last year and has been on parole at the time of this offending last night," he said. "This person wasn't someone around which we had major concerns at this time, and we had nothing to suggest [he was planning] what he did suddenly decide to do." Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he had raised "grave questions" with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews about the state's parole laws. "[Khayre] was known to have connections, at least in the past, with violent extremism. He was a known, violent offender," Mr Turnbull said. Mr Andrews said the state had the country's toughest parole laws and there were about 800 fewer people out on parole since a recent review. Police this morning searched a Roxburgh Park home, where Khayre had been living with his mother, and seized computers and electronics. IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack was carried out by one of its "soldiers". Stand-off began with reports of explosion, man killed Khayre was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay Street in Brighton. Commissioner Ashton confirmed the call received by Channel 7 was being investigated. The siege began just after 4:00pm when emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at the apartment building. Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer. Commissioner Ashton confirmed the man worked at the apartment building, and said he was "at the wrong place, at the wrong time". Just before 6:00pm, Khayre left the building and fired at police with a shotgun, who returned fire and killed him. Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out. All sustained non-life threatening injuries. Two had hand injuries and one was injured in the neck. A woman, in her 20s, who was held hostage by Khayre was rescued. Police confirmed she was an escort worker, whom Khayre had called. Police believe gunman acted alone Commissioner Ashton said police did not have any information to suggest there was any ongoing threat to the community. "There is nothing that we've found thus far that would suggest to us that this was anything that was planned, or done in concert with others," he said. "We believe at this stage that he was acting alone and there isn't an ongoing threat in relation to any plot or anything around this individual. "He hasn't been someone who has been a major concern in relation to terrorism aspects. It's more general criminal offending he's been involved with. "So there really wasn't anything sitting there in recent times that suggested he was about to do this from an intelligence point of view." Jacinta Carroll, who heads the Counter-terrorism Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said Amaq's use of the term "soldier" when referring to the attack suggested Khayre was not directly involved with IS. "That's the language they use when they have confirmed the person appears to align with an Islamist extremist ideology, but they weren't involved in it," she said. Mr Turnbull said Australia's terror threat level remained "probable". 'We all hit the deck' Icy Agustsson, who lives two houses away from the Roxburgh Park property, said he saw the gunman speaking to his mother last week. He said he had no idea about Khayre's criminal history. "They seemed friendly," he said. "I don't talk much to them because they kept to themselves. People do keep to themselves in this area." Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the Brighton serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation. "I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said. "I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary. "We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on." Topics: crime, terrorism, police, brighton-3186, melbourne-3000, vic First posted ||||| (CNN) An armed standoff in Melbourne, Australia, which left one civilian dead and two police in hospital was a “terrorist incident,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters Tuesday. The Australian leader said the attack in the suburb of Brighton had “shocked all Australians.” “This terrorist attack by a known criminal, a man who was only recently released on parole, is a shocking, cowardly crime. It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant,” he said. One man was killed and three police officers shot after a standoff at an apartment building in Melbourne, the capital of the Australian state of Victoria. Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp told reporters a woman had been held hostage in an apartment Monday. Later, police said they were aware of a claim from ISIS that one of its “soldiers” carried out the attack. “Police are aware of the claim and it will form part of the investigation,” Victoria Police senior media officer Natalie Webster said. ISIS issued the claim through its Amaq News Agency in Arabic and English. Police were called to the scene after emergency calls reported loud bangs or explosions, Crisp said, adding no detonations had been confirmed. Once law enforcement arrived at the apartment block shortly after 4 p.m. local time, they found a man dead on the lobby floor with a gunshot wound. A second man was holding a woman against her will in one of the apartments. Police earlier said they attempted to negotiate with him but Crisp said later he was not aware of any contact with the gunman. Two hours later, the gunman unexpectedly left the apartment and began firing at police. Three male officers were shot before the assailant was gunned down. Their injuries aren’t life-threatening, police said. Brighton is a suburban area in eastern Melbourne, known for its affluent residents and close proximity to the beaches of Port Philip Bay. Roads around the area were closed throughout the standoff and will remain closed for some time, police said. ||||| Two men are dead in Melbourne, Australia after an incident in which a woman was taken hostage. Police arrived at the Bay St apartment building in Brighton at 4pm (local time) today to find the body of the man in the foyer. In a statement Victoria Police say another man has been shot dead by police in the apartment. They say the woman being held against her will was safely rescued. Three police officers sustained non-life threatening injuries during the incident. According to Seven News a man called the television network and said "This is for IS, this is for Al Qaeda". Local media reported an explosion was heard at the scene. Police say they are "investigating whether the incident is terrorism related". ||||| Melbourne police say they are treating yesterday's shooting and hostage situation as terrorism after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the siege, in which a man was killed, several police were injured and a woman was held against her will. Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said the gunman, who the ABC understand was Yacqub Khayre, was known to police and had a long criminal history. "We are treating it as a terrorism incident," Commissioner Ashton told ABC News Breakfast. He said the gunman "had been involved in a terrorism matter up in New South Wales back in 2009". IS published a statement via its Amaq propaganda arm, which said the attack in Melbourne was carried out by one of its "soldiers". "The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states," the statement said. The gunman, believed to be Yacqub Khayre, was shot dead following a stand-off with police which lasted for more than an hour at serviced apartments on Bay St in Brighton, while a woman was held hostage. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp told media on Monday night police were investigating reports of a phone call made to the Channel 7 newsroom by someone referencing Islamic State. "That's all part of the investigation at this point in time as to who made that phone call, but we will certainly be working with Channel 7 in relation to that phone call," he said. The siege began just after 4:00pm when emergency services responded to reports of an explosion at the apartment building. Police discovered the body of a man with gunshot wounds in the foyer. Just before 6:00pm, a man left the building and shot at police, who returned fire and killed him. Three male officers were shot by the man during the shoot-out. All sustained non-life threatening injuries. A woman who was held hostage by the man was rescued. 'We all hit the deck' Police have not named the gunman. Graeme Hisgrove, who lives next door to the serviced apartments, said police used his backyard during their operation. "I was out in the backyard and I heard a large bang, and when I went out on the street to see what was going on, all the police were there and told us to get back in the house," he said. "I ran back into the house and next thing the Special Operations Group turned up and went through the house and then staked out on our boundary. "We were just in the front room of the house and all the rapid fire started, so we all hit the deck on the floor and just didn't know what was going on." More to come. ||||| Islamic State is claiming responsibility for the Melbourne hostage attack that left the gunman and another man dead. 'The attack in Melbourne, Australia was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states,' the group's Amaq news agency said. IS blamed the attack on Australia's membership in the US-led coalition against the militant group. The gunman at the centre of the incident has been named in the media as Yacqub Khayre who was acquitted over the Holsworthy terror plot in 2009. On Monday afternoon, the Seven Network took a phone call in its Melbourne newsroom from a woman who said she was in a hostage situation before man came on the line saying 'This is for IS, this is for al-Qaeda'. Victoria Police are investigating the incident at Brighton on Monday evening as a potential terror incident. 'The reasons for that are that this person has a background in relation to terrorism matters, albeit some years ago,' Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton told Nine on Tuesday morning. He said there had been no information that he had been planning an attack. 'He is someone certainly known to us from his background but certainly as of yesterday there wasn't anything that we had that suggested that he was planning on embarking on this, that this was anything more than a spontaneous act.' Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and Mr Ashton will hold a press conference at 8.30am on Tuesday to address fears of a terror link. Sources told the Herald Sun he was rated as 'a low-risk person of interest' by anti-terror police. Khayre was acquitted over the terror plot to launch a suicide attack against Sydney's Holsworthy army barracks in 2009 after a trial in 2010. In 2007, he was charged with armed robbery after holding up passengers on a Melbourne train, leaving one man with knife wounds. Police were called to the Brighton serviced apartment building at 5.41pm on Monday to reports of an explosion. When they arrived, they found a man apparently shot dead in the foyer. They began efforts to negotiate with the gunman who was holding a woman hostage in one of the apartments. Deputy Commissioner Andrew Crisp said on Monday night that the man spoken to by negotiators inside the building came out about 6pm and opened fire, hitting three police. They returned fire and killed him. Two male officers were taken to hospital for treatment while another was treated at the scene. ||||| The gunman, who has been named by police as Yacqub Khayre, took a woman hostage in an apartment building in the upmarket Melbourne suburb of Brighton on Monday night. Khayre was shot dead by police when he opened fire on officers with a sawn-off shotgun, wounding three officers. The body of another man, who was an employee of the serviced apartments, was discovered when police entered the building. Police said the gunman arranged to meet the woman he held hostage at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton after booking her services through an escort agency. Victoria Police Commissioner Graham Ashton told ABC: “At the scene, when this person’s first arrived there, a man was shot, we believe, by the gunman. “He was an employee of the serviced apartments, so he appears to have been in the wrong place at, unluckily, the wrong time.” Authorities have confirmed they are treating the siege as an “act of terror”. ISIS published a statement saying the attack had been carried out by one of its twisted jihadis. The Amaq news agency reported: “The attack in Melbourne, Australia, was carried out by a soldier of the Islamic State in response to the call for targeting the subjects of the coalition states.” Meanwhile, the Seven Network reported the gunman called the organisation saying “This is for ISIS. This is for al-Qaeda.” Yet this claim appears to conflict with ISIS’s claim of direct responsibility and New York Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, a renowned terror correspondent. Mr Callimachi said the incident appeared to fit a pattern where ISIS fanatics took matters into their own hands without necessarily receiving direct instructions from the barbaric terror cell. The siege began at the Buckingham Serviced Apartments in Brighton on Tuesday evening after a female hostage, believed to be in her 20s, made an emergency call to tell officer se was being held against her will and a man had been killed. Heavily armed police rushed to the scene and after a standoff, Khayre was shot dead. Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull described the attack as “shocking and cowardly”. Speaking to reporters, he added: “It is a terrorist attack and it underlines the need for us to be constantly vigilant, never to be deterred, always defiant, in the face of Islamist terrorism.” Khayre was on parole at the time of the attack and was jailed for an armed robbery. His time in custody was extended for poor behaviour in prison. In 2009, he was acquitted of involvement in a terrorist plot targeting the Holsworthy army barracks in 2009. Mr Turnbull said there were “very grave” questions that must be answered. ||||| Australian police on Monday shot dead a man who took a woman hostage in a Melbourne apartment after the body of another man was found in the building's lobby. The woman escaped safely but three officers were injured as police stormed the building, an AFP report said. "Police have resolved a hostage situation at an apartment block in Brighton (Melbourne suburb)," Victoria state police said in a statement. "A man has been shot dead by police in the Bay Street apartment complex shortly before 6 pm. Police have safely rescued a woman who was being held against her will in the apartment block," the statement said. Police were responding to reports of an explosion at the apartment earlier in the day when they found the body of a man in the foyer. "Another man was earlier found dead with a gunshot wound in the lobby of the serviced apartment building just after 4 pm," the police said. According to reports, the emergency services, including SES crews, were called to the scene just after the explosion. Police said it appeared the man in the foyer was shot dead and specialist police attempted to negotiate with a man in one of the apartments. "Police were attempting to negotiate with a man in one of the apartments," the spokeswoman told IANS. According to India Today TV channel, 40 rounds of gunfire and a loud explosion were heard on Bay Street. "Victoria Police specialist units are currently on the scene. Roads are closed in the vicinity and we urge the community to avoid the area," the spokesperson added. A report by ABC onlinesaid police are investigating whether the incident is terrorism related. ||||| A man appears to have been shot dead and a woman has been taken hostage after an explosion in a Melbourne apartment building. Police arrived at the Bay St apartment building in Brighton at 4pm (local time) today to find the body of the man in the foyer. They were responding to reports of an explosion. "Police are attempting to negotiate with a man in one of the apartments. It's believed he has a woman inside with him who he won't allow to leave," a police spokeswoman said in a statement. "Victoria Police specialist units are currently on scene." The apartment building is near the Nepean Hwy, one of the major traffic corridors to southern Melbourne. Roads in the area have been closed during peak hour, and police are urging people to avoid the area. ||||| Australian police Tuesday said they were treating a deadly shooting and siege in Melbourne as a terrorist incident after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. A man of Somali background was killed in a gun battle with police when he opened fire after taking an escort girl hostage at an apartment block in the city on Monday evening. It is alleged Yacqub Khayre, 29, had first killed a Chinese-born Australian man in the foyer. Police said he had made statements "around Al-Qaeda" and called a local television station making similar comments, reportedly saying: "This is for IS, this is for Al-Qaeda." "We're treating this as a terrorism incident," Victoria Police chief commissioner Graham Ashton said, but added that investigations were still ongoing into whether it was planned or random. "We're not seeing anything indicating that he's got some message from overseas to do this at all but, again, early days. We've got material that's seized. We'll go through that and work it out." The Amaq news agency -- which is affiliated with the so-called Islamic State group -- carried a statement claiming responsibility. "The executor of the Melbourne attack in Australia is a soldier of the Islamic State and he carried out the attack in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition states," it said. Ashton said IS "always tend to jump up and claim responsibility every time something happens" and it was too early to determine whether they were involved. Authorities had responded to reports of an explosion at the building -- which turned out to be a gunshot -- in the affluent beach suburb of Brighton and arrived to find a dead body in the foyer. "Subsequently he (Khayre) came out of the apartment with a shotgun and commenced to fire at police at the entry-way to the apartments..." Ashton said. "He's exchanged gunfire with police and has been fatally shot by police at the scene." The escort escaped unharmed but three police were hurt in the firefight, although their injuries were not life-threatening. Australian officials have grown increasingly concerned over the threat of militant attacks. They say they have prevented 12 attacks on home soil since the threat level was raised in September 2014, with more than 60 people charged. But four have gone ahead, including the murder of a Sydney police employee in 2015 by a 15-year-old boy. | In Brighton, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, a gunman kills one man and holds one woman hostage before he is shot dead by Victoria Police. The incident is being treated as an act of terrorism. Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has claimed responsibility for the attack but Victoria Police claim that there is little evidence to suggest a connection. |
Heavily armed al-Shabab fighters have stormed a military base in Somalia's semiautonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials say. The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, about 100km west of the commercial hub of Bossaso, before the fighters overran the base and killed soldiers at close range, said Ahmed Mohamed, a senior military official. Close to 70 people were killed, though an exact death toll was not yet available, Mohamed said. Abdi Hersi Ali, Puntland's interior minister, said troops suffered casualties but he declined to give further details. Officials called it the region's deadliest attack in years, highlighting the dual challenges facing security forces from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group. "The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one," Mohamed said. The armed fighters, including suicide bombers, reportedly attacked the base from three directions, forcing soldiers to retreat. Colonel Hashi Ahmed, a senior military official, told the Associated Press news agency that reinforcement troops reached the area and drove the fighters out of the camp. He estimated that at least 100 fighters were involved in the attack. READ MORE: Farmajo calls for arms embargo end to defeat al-Shabab Al-Shabab claimed to have killed at least 61 soldiers. They also seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition and more than a dozen military vehicles in the assault. Puntland in northern Somalia also faces a growing threat from ISIL-linked fighters who have split from al-Shabab. The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al-Shabab members who were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland's capital, on April 26. Al-Shabab, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally recognised Somali government, has launched a series of deadly incursions in neighbouring Kenya, which has contributed troops to the Somalia-based African Union peacekeeping force. ||||| Al-Qaeda’s allies in Somalia, al-Shabaab, killed up to 70 soldiers and civilians during an assault on a military base in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Thursday. The Washington Post describes the attack as “rare in its brutality” for including a number of beheadings. Estimates from the Somali military range as low as 20 casualties, while al-Shabaab itself claims 61 kills through its media arm, the Shahada News Agency. The extremists also claimed they were able to loot weapons, ammunition, and military vehicles from the base. The base that came under attack was staffed by soldiers of a paramilitary group called the Puntland Dervish Force. Al-Shabaab has been increasingly active in Puntland because it desires access to the sea, Puntland is seen as vulnerable, and the Islamic State is trying to get a rival extremist group started in the area. Both al-Shabaab and the nascent Islamic State faction have called for increased violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “Thursday’s attack plays into fears that al-Shabaab will expand its militancy during the holy month of Ramadan. The attacks often prevent aid organizations from going about their work,” the Washington Post observes. “The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one,” a Somali military official told the UK Guardian. According to the Guardian’s account of the battle, al-Shabaab launched the attack with a car bomb, then overran the base with fighters pouring in from three directions, wearing uniforms very similar to those of the Puntland Dervish Force, doubtless causing much confusion. Another military officer said many of the soldiers in the base were sleeping when the attack began. “What happened today was a massacre – they killed many civilians. This afternoon I have seen dead bodies of those killed. I have seen four headless women, bodies slaughtered by al-Shabaab in one place. They killed every person they saw, even children,” testified a civilian eyewitness. The Associated Press notes that Somali-American President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has pledged to defeat al-Shabaab within two years, provided the United Nations lifts arms embargos against his country so his military forces can become better armed. ||||| Up to 70 people feared dead after Islamist militants storm Puntland army camp in one of deadliest attacks on security forces Hundreds of fighters from al-Shabaab, the Islamist militant group that controls parts of Somalia, have stormed an army base, killing up to 70 people and wounding dozens more. Residents said some civilians were beheaded during the attack on the remote Af-Urur camp, in Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern state of Puntland. The attack, one of the deadliest to target Somali security forces for several years, underlines the continuing strength of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida affiliate. ||||| BOSASO, Somalia, June 8 (Reuters) - Al Shabaab militants killed 38 people, mostly soldiers, in an attack on a military base in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said. The killings took place when the Islamists attacked and took over the town of Af Urur. "Now we confirm 38 people, mostly soldiers, died and 18 others were wounded. I believe some were captured alive and taken away," Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters. "Numerous, heavily armed al Shabaab fighters attacked us from every direction and after hours of fierce battle I was among those who ran for their lives." Bari regional Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters the Puntland military had recaptured the town. The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al Shabaab members arrested on April 26 as they drove a vehicle carrying barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland's capital. Af Urur lies about 100 km (60 miles) south of Bosaso, near the Galgala hills, an area controlled by al Shabaab. Its fighters have attacked and captured the town several times. "Al Shabaab fighters killed local residents of the town including elders, women and children. It is the norm of al Shabaab to kill civilians when they are defeated," a statement from the Puntland president's office said. "Al Shabaab will regret killing civilians. We shall eliminate the fighters who hide in Puntland areas." The al Qaeda-linked Islamist group said it had killed 61 soldiers after overrunning the military base. The numbers given by officials and al Shabaab often differ. Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for al Shabaab, said the military had not recaptured Af Urur by force. "We just left it peacefully after killing 61 soldiers and capturing 16 military cars," he said. Al Shabaab more often launches attacks on the capital Mogadishu and other regions controlled by Somalia's federal government. It aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple the Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam. Attacks are comparatively rare in Puntland, where the security forces are relatively regularly paid and receive substantial U.S. assistance. The region is also home to a splinter group of al Shabaab that has sworn allegiance to Islamic State. Security sources say a small contingent of foreigners is there as well. (Additional reporting by Feisal Omar in Mogadishu; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Roche) ||||| Heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants have stormed a military base in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Thursday. Residents said civilians, including women, were beheaded during the rampage. Officials called it the region’s deadliest attack in years, highlighting the twin challenges facing security forces from the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the militant Islamic State group. The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, roughly 100 kilometres west of the commercial hub of Bossaso.—AP ||||| Al Shabaab militants killed 20 soldiers in an attack on a military base in Af Urur, a town in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said. Puntland military retook the town, which Bari region Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters earlier on Thursday had been attacked by the al Shabaab fighters. Start the conversation, or Read more at The Star Online. ||||| The fighters “killed every person they saw, even children,” Hashi Muse, a local farmer who witnessed the attack, told The Guardian. Other witnesses reported that al-Shabaab beheaded civilians while donning uniforms that resembled those of local security forces. According to Yasin Nur Mohamed, a Somali military officer, the fighters chanted “God is great!” as they approached the military base. “They caught my fellow soldiers off-guard,” Mohamed told The Guardian. “We did not expect such a big assault on our base.” He added that many of his fellow soldiers were asleep at the time of the attack, which took place at dawn. An estimated 70 people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed Thursday after hundreds of fighters from al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group affiliated with al-Qaida, attacked a military base in Somalia. A senior military official said the incident began with an explosion, after which fighters stormed the Somali base in Puntland, a semiautonomous state in the northeast, from three different directions. In addition to numerous casualties, dozens were wounded, and around 40 injured soldiers were brought to the local hospital in Armo. On Thursday, al-Shabaab released a statement saying they had killed “about 60” soldiers, in addition to seizing weapons, ammunition, and more than a dozen Somali military vehicles. “This was a huge defeat of the western-trained soldiers in Somalia,” the group said, referring to the various U.S., UK, and Turkish forces that have trained Somali troops to fight al-Shabaab militants. In April, President Trump approved the deployment of a dozen U.S. troops to Somalia for this very purpose. American troops were previously pulled from the area in 1994 following the death of 18 soldiers in the Battle of Mogadishu (later the subject of the 2001 film Black Hawk Down). In an effort to fulfill his mission of cracking down on terrorist organizations, Trump also sanctioned additional airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab. Somalia’s new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, shares Trump’s desire to eradicate the extremist group. In April, Mohamed referred to his own nation as a war zone and gave al-Shabaab fighters 60 days to lay down their arms in exchange for education and jobs. “We shall welcome them with open arms,” Mohamed said, while commissioning an offensive that included new military, intelligence, and police chiefs. Al-Shabaab has since disregarded the new president’s message, calling him an “apostate.” The group continues to wage attacks and bombings on Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and other areas in east Africa. Thursday’s attack on the Somali base in Puntland portends to be one of the deadliest in years. ||||| Somali Town taken over by Al Shabaab Militants Al-Shabaab militants captured a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, a senior official said. While the group said it had killed at least 61 soldiers in the fighting, the military confirmed that Al-Shabaab killed 20. “It was heavy fighting. We lost 20 soldiers and 14 of our military cars were burnt. “We have … The post Somali Town taken over by Al Shabaab Militants appeared first on INFORMATION NIGERIA. This post was syndicated from INFORMATION NIGERIA. Click here to read the full text on the original website. Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook ||||| BOSASO, Somalia - Al Shabaab militants killed 20 soldiers in an attack on a military base in Af Urur, a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said. Puntland military retook the town, which Bari region Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters earlier on Thursday had been attacked by the al Shabaab fighters. “It was heavy fighting. We lost 20 soldiers and 14 of our military cars were burnt. We have now retaken the town,” Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters by phone. The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al Shabaab members who were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland’s capital, on April 26. Af Urur lies about 100 km (60 miles) south of Bosaso, near the Galgala hills, an area controlled by al Shabaab. It fighters have attacked and captured the town several times. The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said it had killed 61 soldiers after overrunning the military base. The numbers given by officials and al Shabaab often differ. “They have not retaken the town, but we just left it peacefully after killing 61 soldiers and capturing 16 military cars,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman. Al Shabaab regularly launches attacks in Somalia, but tends to focus on the capital Mogadishu and other regions controlled by the federal government. It aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia’s Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state. Attacks are comparatively rare in Puntland, where the security forces are relatively regularly paid and receive substantial US assistance. The region is also home to a splinter group of al Shabaab that has sworn allegiance to Islamic State. Security sources say a small contingent of foreigners is there as well. ||||| Al Shabaab militants captured a town in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, a senior official said, and the group said it had killed at least 61 soldiers in the fighting. "Al Shabaab attacked Af Urur town this morning. There were few soldiers there and thus al Shabaab captured the town. It is difficult to know the casualties because the telecommunications were cut off," Bari region governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters. The al Qaeda-linked group said it had also killed 61 soldiers after over-running a military base in the town. "The number could rise since the operation is still underway," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military spokesman said in a statement. Musab said their fighters had also seized weapons and vehicles from the base. Al Shabaab's insurgency aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia's Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state. | Al-Shabaab militants storm a military base in Puntland. The subsequent battle with the Somali military leaves at least 70 people dead. Somali officials called the attack the deadliest in the country in years. |
BEIRUT, June 9 (Reuters) - Syrian troops and allied militia in the southeast Syrian desert reached the Iraqi border on Friday, near the Tanf base where U.S. special forces train local rebels to fight Islamic State, a pro-government commander said. The advance follows an escalation of tensions between the United States and the Syrian government with its backers over control of the southeastern frontier with Iraq. "The first units of the army and its allies arrived to the Syrian-Iraqi border northeast of al-Tanf," said the non-Syrian commander in a military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad. The area is seen as crucial to Assad's Iranian allies and could open an overland supply route from Tehran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon - a major concern to U.S. allies in the region. A range of Iranian-backed militias from the region, including the Lebanese Hezbollah group, have supported the Syrian government in the six-year war against rebel groups. The Tanf base lies in the Syrian Badia, a vast sparsely populated desert territory that stretches to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. Damascus has declared the Badia region a military priority. Months of advances by U.S.-backed rebels against Islamic State have allowed them to secure swathes of territory in the Badia, alarming the Syrian government and its allies. The Americans had blocked them through rebel groups in the area, the commander said, so the Syrian army and allied forces opened a new route and pressed on to the border. "It's a message to everyone," he said without elaborating. The pro-Assad alliance had threatened this week to hit U.S. positions in Syria, warning that "self-restraint" over American air strikes would end if Washington crossed "red lines". The U.S. launched air strikes on Tuesday against pro-government forces that it said posed a threat to American forces and the Syrian rebel groups they support in the area, the second such strike in recent weeks. Hezbollah's al-Manar television channel said on Friday the army and its allies had "expanded their area of control" in the Badia. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said dozens of soldiers and pro-government forces had arrived at the border. They reached a point nearly 50 km north of al-Tanf, after going through the desert around the area held by U.S.-backed rebels, it said. (Reporting by Laila Bassam and Ellen Francis, editing by Ed Osmond) ||||| The United States military shot down a suspected pro-regime drone that fired on coalition forces in southern Syria on Thursday, according to the U.S.-led coalition spokesperson. Colonel Ryan Dillon said that the drone was armed and fired on coalition forces operating outside of the de-confliction zone around Al Tanf. There were no coalition casualties, Dillon said during a briefing in Baghdad. The drone was similar to a U.S. MQ-1 Predator, he said. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement later Thursday that the pro-regime drone was shot down by U.S. aircraft after it dropped one of several weapons it was carrying near a position occupied by coalition personnel who were training and advising ground forces there in the fight against ISIS. The U.S. also conducted strikes against two technical vehicles Thursday morning,which were pick-up trucks with weapons that posed a threat to the U.S. and the coalition forces at Al Tanf Garrison, Dillon said. This is the third set of strikes the U.S. has conducted in defense of U.S. and coalition forces at Al Tanf. The three were an air to ground strike on May 18, air to ground on June 6 , and one air to ground on the trucks and and one air to air on the drone on Thursday. CENTCOM said in its statement that the coalition "does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian or pro-regime forces partnered with them," but added that "the demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces near Coalition and partner forces in southern Syria, however, continue to concern us and the Coalition will take appropriate measures to protect our forces." The airstrike in May appeared to be the first publicly known direct confrontation between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. ||||| The United States on Tuesday struck pro-government forces in Syria with airstrikes for the second time in less than three weeks, declaring them a threat to anti-Islamic State coalition fighters and allied troops training at a camp in the south of the country. The strikes came after complicated and messy discussions that reflected Syria's crowded battlefield and the wide array of forces fighting for a piece of the embattled country. The day began when forces supporting Syrian President Bashar Assad were attacked by what the U.S.-led coalition believes were Syrian fighters not affiliated with the coalition. It was not immediately clear exactly who was part of the attacking force, said one U.S. official, but casualties resulted. The U.S. had been urging the pro-Assad forces to leave the area near the camp. Then, after talks with Russian officials, the U.S. agreed to allow pro-Assad forces to repel the attack and remove their wounded, said the official, who wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity. But soon afterward, more pro-Assad forces began entering the area with anti-aircraft weapons and bulldozers that the coalition said were not part of the agreement or needed to treat or remove the wounded. The coalition issued warnings through its "de-confliction" line with Russia, but the official said those were ignored. The U.S. doesn't speak directly with Assad's government, which it accuses of various atrocities over more than six years of civil war. Instead, it addresses problems with Syria indirectly, usually through Russian officials. Russia is a military ally of Assad's government. According to a coalition statement, at least 60 pro-Assad fighters were about 25 miles from the coalition training area at Tanf, which is inside a protected zone near Syria's southern border with Jordan. A number of the fighters have been in that area since a previous U.S. airstrike on pro-Assad forces on May 18. A second U.S. official said airstrikes destroyed two artillery pieces and an anti-aircraft weapon and damaged a tank. It wasn't clear how many forces were killed, said the official, who also was not authorized to discuss details of the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Officials said some pro-Assad forces likely remain in the area. It wasn't clear how many are there or whether they might be preparing to leave. U.S. officials haven't identified the forces exactly, but they have described them as being backed or directed by Iran. It's not clear whether they're Iranian soldiers, Hezbollah members, Syrian troops or part of another militia. The day's first attack came as a U.S.-backed Syrian force began an offensive to capture the northern city of Raqqa, the Islamic State's self-declared capital, after months of clearing operations. A U.S. commander said the battle will be long and difficult, but success would deliver a decisive blow to the idea of the Islamic State extremist group as a physical caliphate. By early afternoon, opposition activists said, U.S.-backed fighters were trying to break into the city from the east, triggering intense clashes. Raqqa was among the first cities captured by the Islamic State, in January 2014, and has been the home of some of the group's most prominent leaders. Talal Sillo, a spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, told reporters that operations have begun in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition. "We declare today the beginning of the great battle to liberate the city of Raqqa, the alleged capital of terrorism and terrorists," Sillo said at a news conference held in northern Syria. "Morale is high, and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete, in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition." Syrian Democratic Forces fighters began advancing toward Raqqa in November, capturing wide areas of northern Syria from the extremists. Last week, they reached the northern and eastern gates of the city after intense clashes under the cover of U.S.-led airstrikes. Raqqa is currently cut off from the east, north and west, and opposition activists have reported intense shelling and airstrikes on the city since Monday night, which killed at least 12 people. The Islamic State has been fortifying its positions in Raqqa for months, setting up barriers and hanging sheets of cloth over main streets to provide cover from warplanes. A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circles the city. Information for this article was contributed by Suzan Fraser and staff members of The Associated Press. ||||| Damascus - A military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad said on Wednesday it could hit US positions in Syria, warning that its “self-restraint” over US air strikes on government forces would end if Washington crossed “red lines”. The threat came in a statement in the name of the “commander of the operations room of the forces allied to Syria”, and was circulated by a military news unit run by the Lebanese group Hezbollah, one of Assad’s military allies. Assad’s allies also include Iran and Russia. The statement did not spell out whether Moscow was a signatory to it. “America knows well that the blood of the sons of Syria, the Syrian Arab Army, and its allies are not cheap, and the capacity to strike their positions in Syria, and their surroundings, is available when circumstances will it,” the statement said. The United States launched air strikes on Tuesday against what it said were Iranian-backed fighters who it said posed a threat to US and US-backed forces in southern Syria, the second such attack in three weeks. Tuesday’s air strike launched by the United States in Syria against Iranian-backed fighters who support the Damascus regime violates international law, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Wednesday. A Syrian military source said the strike had caused deaths and material damage and showed the coalition was “in support of terrorism”. The Syrian military command warned against the dangers of escalation, the source added. The US military had repeatedly warned massing forces to stay away from a so-called “de-escalation” zone near a garrison used by American special forces and US-backed fighters around the southern town of At Tanf. Meanwhile, the United States launched an air strike against Iranian-backed fighters who it said posed a threat to US and US-backed forces in southern Syria, in a new escalation of tensions between Washington and troops supporting Damascus. The Pentagon, which has sought to stay out of Syria’s civil war to instead focus its firepower on Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, carried out a similar strike on May 18 that was denounced by Damascus. A Syrian military source said the strike had caused deaths and material damage and showed the coalition was “in support of terrorism”. The Syrian military command warned against the dangers of escalation, the source added. In recent days, the US military has repeatedly warned massing forces to stay away from a so-called “de-confliction” zone near a garrison used by American special forces and US-backed fighters around the southern town of At Tanf. The zone was agreed with Russia, Syrian President Bashar al Assad’s ally. Assad is also backed by Iran and Shi’ite militias. “Despite previous warnings, pro-regime forces entered the agreed-upon de-confliction zone with a tank, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, armed technical vehicles and more than 60 soldiers,” the US-led coalition said in a statement. It said the United States, via a military hotline with Russia, issued several warnings before the strike, which destroyed two artillery pieces, an anti-aircraft weapon and damaged the tank. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the strike was carried out by manned, US aircraft. “The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian regime or pro-regime forces but remains ready to defend themselves if pro-regime forces refuse to vacate the de-confliction zone,” the statement said. Still, the incident showed that the area around the Tanf garrison in southern Syria was under growing pressure. Tanf is part of a region known as the Badia, which consists of vast, sparsely populated desert territory that stretches all the way to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders and was declared a military priority by Syria’s foreign minister earlier in May. US-backed rebel advances against Islamic State militants have allowed them to secure swaths of territory in the Badia, alarming the Syrian government and its allies. US-backed rebels took Tanf from Islamic State last year, and regional intelligence sources say they mean to use it as a launchpad to capture Bukamal, a town on Syria’s border with Iraq and an important militant supply route. The coalition’s presence in Tanf, on the Damascus-Baghdad highway, was also meant to stop Iran-backed groups from opening an overland route between Iraq and Syria, the sources say. In interviews with Syrian state-owned TV station al-Ikhbariya broadcast on Saturday, Syrian soldiers vowed they would reopen the Baghdad-Damascus highway. “Within a few days, you will find us at the Iraqi border, and we will achieve a great and historic victory in the history of this crisis - cleansing the entire Badia, liberating the Tanf road ... and restoring the vital artery between Iraq and Syria,” said one of the soldiers interviewed by the state TV channel in the Badia area. Western-backed rebels resumed on Tuesday a heavy barrage of rocket attacks on Iranian-backed militia outposts along the Baghdad-Damscus Baghdad highway. The United States sought to keep all sides focused on battling Islamic State, or ISIS. “The Coalition calls on all parties in southern Syria to focus their efforts on the defeat of ISIS, which is our common enemy and the greatest threat to regional and worldwide peace and security,” the statement said. ||||| The United States military shot down a suspected pro-regime drone that fired on coalition forces in southern Syria on Thursday, according to the U.S.-led coalition spokesperson. Colonel Ryan Dillon said that the drone was armed and fired on coalition forces operating outside of the de-confliction zone around Al Tanf. There were no coalition casualties, Dillon said during a briefing in Baghdad. The drone was similar to a U.S. MQ-1 Predator, he said. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement later Thursday that the pro-regime drone was shot down by U.S. aircraft after it dropped one of several weapons it was carrying near a position occupied by coalition personnel who were training and advising ground forces there in the fight against ISIS. The U.S. also conducted strikes against two technical vehicles Thursday morning,which were pick-up trucks with weapons that posed a threat to the U.S. and the coalition forces at Al Tanf Garrison, Dillon said. This is the third set of strikes the U.S. has conducted in defense of U.S. and coalition forces at Al Tanf. The three were an air to ground strike on May 18, air to ground on June 6 , and one air to ground on the trucks and and one air to air on the drone on Thursday. CENTCOM said in its statement that the coalition "does not seek to fight Syrian regime, Russian or pro-regime forces partnered with them," but added that "the demonstrated hostile intent and actions of pro-regime forces near Coalition and partner forces in southern Syria, however, continue to concern us and the Coalition will take appropriate measures to protect our forces." The airstrike in May appeared to be the first publicly known direct confrontation between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. ||||| The Pentagon has confirmed that US Air Force jets have targeted and hit a convoy of Syrian Arab Army soldiers along with their allies in southern Syria. According to the United States, the Syrian and allied forces had breached a de-escalation zone inside of which US troops and its allied jihadist forces were stationed. A statement from the US read, This incident is extremely similar to one which occurred on the 18th of May, also in southern Syria near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. “Despite previous warnings, pro-regime forces entered the agreed-upon de-confliction zone with a tank, artillery, anti-aircraft weapons, armed technical vehicles and more than 60 soldiers posing a threat to the Coalition and partner forces based at the At Tanf Garrison. The Coalition issued several warnings via the de-confliction line prior to destroying two artillery pieces, an anti-aircraft weapon, and damaging a tank”. It will be crucial to see if the Russian and Syrian version of events matches that of the US. According to initial reports, Russia attempted to get both sides to stand-down, but as it was on the 18th of May neither side listened. This is merely a sign of the fact that Russia does not seek to impose control over any troops in Syria other than its own, a long stated policy of the Russian government and Russian Defence Ministry. During the attack on the 18th of May, the United States killed a combination of Syrian Arab Army soldiers, Hezbollah Resistance fighters and Shi’a volunteers from Iraq as well as Syria. At that time, the Syrian Arab Republic stated that they consider a strike on allied forces equal to a strike on Syrian soldiers. This is of course correct thinking and it also affirms that America’s mere presence in addition to being illegal, allows for war crimes such as what happened today as well as on the 18th of May to occur. Tragic and illegal though this event is, one must be cautious before thinking that such attacks are part of a larger US scheme. The US is indeed scheme with Kurdish forces to occupy areas in the north and east of Syria, but the recent US war crimes in the south of Syria, are best understood as over-zealous local American commanders making a point that Syria still needs to perversely ‘respect’ illegal occupiers on their land. It is not a wholesome situation to put it mildly, but it should not be confused with a more premeditated or concerted effort to engage in open combat with Syrian soldiers and their allies. In this sense, the statement saying as much was a rare moment of honesty from the US. If one wants to know about what the US really is scheming at in Syria, one should pay attention to Raqqa and Kurdish regions, not the south. READ MORE: US strikes on Raqqa are related to the Qatar crisis ||||| A drone suspected of belonging to forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad's regime fired on coalition troops in southeastern Syria before they shot it down, an official said Thursday. No coalition forces were hurt in the exchanges with the drone, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told Pentagon reporters in a video-conference from Baghdad. Dillon said the troops also fired at two pro-regime vehicles that were "assessed to be a threat" near At-Tanf in Syria. The incident was the third between pro-regime forces and the coalition near At-Tanf since mid-May. ||||| ||||| WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - The United States shot down a pro-Syrian government drone that fired toward U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria on Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman said, in a major escalation of tensions between Washington and troops supporting Damascus. The armed drone "hit dirt" and there were no injuries or damage done to the coalition patrol in southern Syria. But U.S. Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told reporters the drone meant to attack them and dismissed the possibility it had fired a warning shot. Dillon said the United States had earlier carried out a strike against pick-up trucks with weapons that had moved against U.S.-backed fighters near the southern town of At Tanf. It was the third such strike in as many weeks by the Pentagon, which has sought to stay out of Syria's civil war to focus firepower instead on Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. On Tuesday, the United States launched an air strike against Iranian-backed fighters who it said posed a threat to U.S. and U.S.-backed forces in southern Syria. A military alliance fighting in support of President Bashar al-Assad threatened on Wednesday to hit U.S. positions in Syria, warning its "self-restraint" over U.S. air strikes would end if Washington crossed "red lines". In recent days, the U.S. military has repeatedly warned massing forces to stay away from a 'deconfliction zone' near a garrison used by American special forces and U.S.-backed fighters around At Tanf. The zone was agreed with Russia, Syrian President Bashar al Assad's ally. Assad is also backed by Iran and Shi'ite militias. Tanf is part of a region known as the Badia, a vast, sparsely populated desert territory that stretches to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders and was declared a military priority by Syria's foreign minister in May. (Reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by James Dalgleish) ||||| Story highlights This is the first time pro-Syrian regime forces have fired on the US-led coalition The "munition did not have an effect on coalition forces," according to a spokesman Washington (CNN) US aircraft shot down an Iranian-made drone that fired on coalition forces patrolling with partner forces in southern Syria, a coalition spokesman told reporters on Thursday. This is the first time that pro-Syrian regime forces -- which the US says includes Iranian-backed Shia militias -- have fired on the US-led coalition. A US official told CNN that a US F-15 jet shot down the Iranian-made Shahed 129 drone, which was being controlled from a location in Syria north of At Tanf. It was shot down after it dropped one of several weapons it was carrying near a position where coalition personnel are training and advising partner ground forces in the fight against ISIS. The "munition did not have an effect on coalition forces," according to spokesman Col. Ryan Dillon. Read More | Shortly after bombing Syrian government and allied troops near Al-Tanf, the United States shot down an Iranian-made Syrian government drone that was flying toward U.S.-led coalition forces in southern Syria. There are no injuries or damage. An American official says this is first time forces supporting Damascus have attacked coalition troops. |
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Yahoo's shareholders have officially approved the company's sale to Verizon for $4.48 billion. The deal is expected to close Tuesday. Once the deal closes, Yahoo and AOL will merge into a combined entity called "Oath." AOL has indicated that it is planning more than 2,000 layoffs following the deal's close. Marissa Mayer will be stepping down as the CEO of Yahoo, though she will still own about $186 million worth of stock when she leaves. Yahoo's purchase price was lowered by $350 million after the revelation that Yahoo passwords and personal information had been compromised in a massive hacking attack. Yahoo stock was up by 8.5% at the time of writing. ||||| Yahoo's shareholders have officially approved the company's sale to Verizon for $4.48 billion. The deal will close on June 13, 2017. Once the deal closes, Yahoo and AOL will be merged into a combined entity called "Oath." AOL has indicated that it's planning over 2,000 layoffs following the deal's close. Marissa Mayer will be stepping down as CEO of Yahoo, though she will still own about $186 million worth of stock when she leaves. Yahoo's purchase price was lowered by $350 million in the wake of the revelation that Yahoo passwords and personal information had been compromised in a massive hacking attack. Yahoo stock is up 8.5% at the time of writing. Get the latest Yahoo stock price here. ||||| Yahoo’s shareholders have approved the sale of Yahoo’s operating business to Verizon in a vote held today and confirmed in a press release sent out following the meeting. The company’s stockholders also voted to approve the advisory vote on the compensation payable to Yahoo’s named executive officers in connection with the completion of the transaction. The final voting results for each of the proposals will be reported on a Current Report on Form 8-K, in accordance with the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Yahoo said. It added that it anticipates the transaction will close on June 13, 2017. In February $350M was knocked off the agreed sale price, bringing it down to $4.48BN, after Yahoo disclosed two massive data breaches (affecting some 500M accounts, and 1 billion accounts, respectively). Verizon-owned AOL’s CEO, Tim Armstrong, has explained the rationale for the Yahoo acquisition being one of combined scale — aka the 1 billion users that Yahoo still reaches being put towards helping AOL reach its goal of 2 billion users, which is in turn about seeking to compete in the digital ad stakes with giants Facebook and Google. The combined AOL-Yahoo entity has already been christened Oath, at least for b2b go-to-market purposes, i.e. for Verizon to pitch its various brands to others. Earlier today we reported that AOL-Yahoo will see job cuts of around 15 per cent globally, as part of the merger — shaking out to around 2,100 job losses across the two businesses. Following closure of the sale of Yahoo’s operating business to Verizon, and as previously announced, the remainder of Yahoo will change its name to Altaba Inc, and register as an investment company — holding onto its 15 per cent stake in Alibaba and its 35.5 per cent stake in Yahoo Japan. NB: Verizon is also the parent of AOL, TechCrunch’s parent company. ||||| USA wireless company Verizon is expected to cut about 2,000 jobs from AOL and Yahoo units when it completes the $4.48bn (£3.52bn) acquisition of Yahoo’s core business next week. Yahoo stockholders today approved the terms of the acquisition of the company’s Internet business by Verizon for $4.48 billion. Verizon plans to launch a new media division called Oath that will oversee its AOL and Yahoo acquisitions. During an all-company meeting with AOL and Yahoo in May, he was asked by employees what would happen to them. The CEO has chalked out plans to increase Oath’s combined user base from 1.3 billion consumers to 2 billion and achieve sales in the range of $10 billion to $20 billion by 2020. “It seems that a lot of thought and effort has gone into this, and counterpoints have been listened and accepted”, said one source in the TechCrunch report. Together, AOL and Yahoo own a number of prominent brands, including The Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, Tumblr, Flickr and MovieFone. Under revised terms of the delayed deal, Verizon’s purchase of Yahoo assets will total $4.48 billion. Yahoo – with its popular mail and messaging service – helped popularize the idea of the internet as a means of keeping in touch with friends, family, and work colleagues. After that Verizon will perform some streamlining of the two companies combined technology, which could bring layoffs on both sides, he predicted. More than 1.5 billion user accounts were compromised in record-breaking hacks. The US$4.8bn Verizon chose to pay for Yahoo!’s web assets, after knocking the price down due to security breaches, will become another Altaba asset. This includes “aligning”, the new company’s “global organization”. ||||| Shareholders in internet group Yahoo approved the $4.48 billion (€3.99 billion) sale of the company’s main web properties to Verizon Communications, clearing the last major hurdle for a deal announced almost a year ago. The company said it expects to hand over its web assets to the telecoms giant on June 13th, according to a statement Thursday. Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer agreed to the sale last year after a four-year turnaround effort failed to stem a slide in advertising revenue. Verizon will seek to use Yahoo’s web audience to push deeper into content and expand beyond its central business of connecting people to the internet, cable channels and their smartphones. Yahoo will become part of a new Verizon unit called Oath that will include media content and digital services like email. Late last year, the deal was thrown into question after the Sunnyvale, California-based web portal revealed widespread cyberattacks during Mayer’s tenure that exposed hundreds of millions of users’ online information. In February, Yahoo and New York-based Verizon agreed to drop the purchase price by $350 million (€312 million). What remains of Yahoo after the sale, will be renamed Altaba. This includes stakes in China’s Alibaba Group Holding and Yahoo Japan that are worth more than $40 billion (€35.6 billion). ||||| It's at a sec might Yahoo!'s multi billion dollar merger with Verizon shareholders have approved a nearly five billion dollar deal. Yahoo! and AOL will form a new company under Verizon called well. Yahoo! is the second most popular email service behind Google's Gmail if you have one of these accounts it's expected the company will keep the Yahoo.com. Address. Jeff faces as Amazon has dropped its unlimited cloud storage plan now instead of paying sixty dollars a year for unlimited data users only have two option anyone already signed up for unlimited storage will keep the offer until it expires at a major surprise for fans of Taylor Swift her entire music catalog is now streaming. On all platform yeah after feuding with Spotify apple and others. Over payments to artists swift is back streaming to celebrate her album 1989. Getting ten million in sales worldwide. Does your tech bytes. ||||| Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) shareholders on Thursday approved the company's pending sale of its core internet business to Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) for $4.48 billion, according to preliminary results from a shareholder meeting.Yahoo expects that the deal will close on June 13, 2017. The company also said it extended a tender offer to buy back up to $3 billion shares to June 16 from June 13. The closing of the deal, announced in July, had been delayed as the companies assessed the fallout from two data breaches that Yahoo disclosed last year. After the Verizon deal, Yahoo will be renamed Altaba, a holding company whose primary assets will be its stake in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N) and a 35.5 percent stake in Yahoo Japan Corp (4689.T). (Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ||||| Verizon Communications will complete its $4.48 billion acquisition of Yahoo core assets next week, and is expected to cut 15% of the staff at its two units. Photo: AP Verizon Communications Inc is expected to cut about 2,000 jobs when it completes its $4.48 billion acquisition of Yahoo Inc’s core assets next week, a person briefed on the matter said. The cuts are expected to come from Verizon’s AOL and Yahoo units and represent about 15% of the staff at the two units. About 14,000 people work at AOL and Yahoo. Many of the jobs are in California and some are outside the US, according to the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is not yet public. Yahoo shareholders on Thursday approved the company’s sale, according to preliminary results from a shareholder meeting, and it is expected to be completed on Tuesday. The No.1 US wireless operator is combining Yahoo’s search, email and messenger assets as well as advertising technology tools with its AOL unit, which it bought in 2015 for $4.4 billion. Verizon expects mobile video and advertising to be new sources of revenue outside the oversaturated wireless market. Verizon shares are down 15% this year. The acquisition marks the end of the line for Yahoo as a standalone company, a storied web pioneer once valued at more than $100 billion. Verizon is rebranding AOL and Yahoo as part of a new venture called Oath, led by AOL chief executive officer Tim Armstrong. Verizon is betting it can use data from more than 200 million unique monthly visitors to Yahoo sites and combine it with data on 150 million unique monthly AOL users and its own user base of over 100 million wireless subscribers to offer more targeted services for advertisers. The Yahoo deal came after activist investors led by Starboard Value LP lost faith in Yahoo chief executive officer Marissa Mayer, who was hired in 2012, and forced the sale of the company’s core assets. Mayer is not expected to remain at Yahoo after the sale is completed. Yahoo is still one of the largest properties on the internet, with hundreds of millions of customers using its email, finance and sports offerings, and a heavily trafficked home page. In February 2016, Yahoo announced it was cutting 1,600 employees, or 15% of its staff. The deal’s closing was delayed as the companies assessed the fallout from two Yahoo data breaches. Yahoo disclosed in December that data from more than 1 billion user accounts was compromised in August 2013, making it the largest breach in history. This followed a separate disclosure that at least 500 million accounts were affected in a 2014 breach. Reuters ||||| About 2,100 people will lose their jobs at Yahoo and AOL after Verizon Communications Inc. completes its acquisition of Yahoo and combines the two onetime internet rivals, a person familiar with the matter said. The coming layoffs, which affect roughly 15% of the roughly 14,000 people in the combined workforce, will occur evenly across AOL and Yahoo to reduce duplication and streamline the organization, the person said. Employees in product and engineering roles will be the least affected, the person said. Yahoo shareholders approved the $4.5 billion transaction Thursday and it is expected to close on June 13. Chief Executive Marissa Mayer, who has led Yahoo for the past five years, is widely expected to leave the company after the deal closes but hasn't confirmed her plans. She made no remarks and took no questions during a special meeting held in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, a Yahoo spokeswoman said. Shareholders also approved compensation packages for Ms. Mayer and other executives tied to the deal. Ms. Mayer could reap more than $220 million in connection to the sale, up from the $187 million estimated in April due a rise in Yahoo's share price. Yahoo shares gained 10% to $55.71 on Thursday, following a 13% surge in shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. in which Yahoo still owns a stake. The Yahoo purchase and the pending layoffs will help bring closure to a drawn-out deal process that has damped morale at the internet pioneer, which commanded a market value of more than $125 billion at the height of the dot-com boom in early 2000. Verizon initially agreed in July 2016 to buy Yahoo's core business for $4.83 billion. Then Yahoo disclosed two large security breaches, one in 2014 that hit more than 500 million accounts and another in 2013 that affected more than one billion accounts. The security incidents forced Yahoo back to the negotiating table, and the two sides agreed to lop off $350 million from the price. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong will lead the combined company under Verizon's new businesses unit, which is overseen by Verizon's Marni Walden. The digital media operation will be known as Oath, but the Yahoo and AOL brands won't go away. "Consistent with what we have said since the deal was announced, we will be aligning our global organization to the strategy," AOL wrote in a statement. "Oath's strategy is to lead the global brand space. With access to over one billion consumers upon close, we will be positioned to drive one of the most important platforms in the consumer brand space." The transaction brings Yahoo's core internet business and millions of users from Yahoo sites like Finance, Sports and News into Verizon's expanding portfolio of online content. Verizon's current assets include Huffington Post and TechCrunch, which it acquired in its AOL deal. Late last year, New York-based AOL laid off several hundred workers to prepare for the merger. Yahoo, which is based in Sunnyvale, Calif., had 8,500 employees as of Dec. 31. Mr. Armstrong chose his leadership team several weeks ago, and that group has helped determine where the layoffs will occur, the person said. News of the layoffs was earlier reported by technology news site Recode. Write to Ryan Knutson at ryan.knutson@wsj.com and Deepa Seetharaman at Deepa.Seetharaman@wsj.com ||||| Yahoo shareholders voted Thursday to back the sale of the company's internet business to Verizon, clearing the way for the deal to close June 13. The California internet pioneer said approval came at a vote held at a special meeting of stock owners. Verizon's internet division AOL and Yahoo will be combined into a unit called Oath. Tech news website Recode reported this week that as many as 1,000 jobs could be shed as redundant positions get eliminated at combined AOL and Yahoo operations. A price cut early this year kept Verizon on track to consummate the purchase of Yahoo's internet business, and share the costs from a pair of epic hacks that threatened to derail the deal. Yahoo slashed the price of its core internet business by $350 million. Under revised terms of the delayed deal, Verizon's purchase of Yahoo assets will total $4.48 billion. Yahoo announced in September that hackers in 2014 stole personal data from more than 500 million of its user accounts. And in December it admitted to another cyber attack from 2013 affecting more than a billion users. The US Justice Department charged two Russian intelligence operatives and a pair of hackers over one of the largest cyber attacks in history, which had apparent twin goals of espionage and financial gain. The deal with Verizon will end Yahoo's run of more than 20 years as an independent company. Yahoo is selling its main operating business as a way to separate that from its more valuable stake in Chinese internet giant Alibaba, which will become a new entity, to be renamed Altaba, Inc., and will act as an investment company. | Yahoo! shareholders officially approve its $4.48 billion sale to Verizon Wireless. Yahoo! stock was up 8.5 percent shortly thereafter. |
Saudi Arabia’s national football team have been criticised for failing to observe a minute’s silence held before Thursday’s match against Australia in Adelaide. The Socceroos lined up in the centre of the pitch before the World Cup qualifier and held the brief silence as a tribute to the two Australians killed in the terrorist attack in London at the weekend. As they did so, the Saudi Arabia team continued jogging, passing the ball between each other and taking their positions on the field. Pictures from the match show a single Saudi player, Salman al-Faraj, appearing to stand facing the Australia team with his hands behind his back. Adam Peacock, a presenter with Fox Sports Australia, said on Twitter the Asian Football Confederation has approved the minute’s silence against the wishes of travelling Saudi officials. He said the Football Federation of Australia “tried to reason” with the Saudis but were unable to persuade them to participate in the tribute. Sara Zelenak, 21, from Brisbane and the South Australian Kirsty Boden, 28, were killed in Saturday night’s terrorist attack. Zelenak was working in London as a nanny and Boden was a nurse, whose family said she died running “towards danger, in an effort to help people on the bridge”. Two other Australians were stabbed in the neck in the attack, which has been claimed by the terrorist group Islamic State. The decision not to participate in the tribute was met with criticism on Twitter. Others defended the Saudi team, suggesting the minute’s silence was not a recognised way to show respect and condolences in the country’s culture or in Islam more broadly. But that appeared to clash with other instances of Gulf countries holding minute’s silences, including to mark the death of the former Saudi King Abdullah. Another image appeared to show a domestic Saudi team, al-Ahli Saudi FC, standing for a minute’s silence before a Qatar Airways Cup match against Barcelona in December 2016. Australia went on to win the match 3-2, putting the country on track to qualify for the next World Cup in Russia in 2018. ||||| Saudi Arabia’s national team has caused controversy after failing to acknowledge a minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. The incident occurred moments before kick-off in their World Cup qualifier against Australia on Thursday. Australia’s players linked arms as the crowd at the Adelaide Oval fell silent, but the majority of Saudi Arabia’s players continued to talk among themselves as they took their positions on the pitch. Reporters inside the stadium also claim that some of Saudi Arabia’s supporters did not remain silent during the tribute. Last Saturday’s terror attack at London Bridge claimed the lives of seven people, including two Australian citizens. The minute’s silence was approved by the Asian Football Confederation before the game but while Saudi Arabia’s national team agreed to the tribute the players were not obliged to pay their respects, according to officials. ||||| A moment of silence was held before Wednesday’s World Cup qualifier between Saudi Arabia and host Australia to remember the two Australian victims of last weekend’s terrorist attacks in London. The Socceroos locked arms and stood in a line. Most of the Saudis, meanwhile, appeared to go about their pregame business, leading to boos from the Adelaide Oval crowd. According to News.com in Australia, the pregame moment of silence itself was approved by both Asian Football Confederation officials and the Saudi team, but a spokesman for Football Federation Australia said the Saudis also informed game officials that they would not be taking part. “The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field,” the FFA spokesman said. However, as the Independent points out, Saudi club teams have in the past observed moments of silence on the field. Al-Ahli Saudi FC paused for one ahead of its Qatar Airways Cup friendly against Barcelona in December, an acknowledgment of the plane crash in Brazil that claimed the lives of multiple Chapecoense players. The Post has reached out to the Saudi embassy in Washington, the Saudi press office and the Saudi soccer federation for clarification on the matter, and will update this story if they respond. In 2015, Turkish soccer fans disrupted moments of silence to remember the victims of terrorist attacks in Paris and Ankara on at least two separate occasions, though it was explained that they meant no disrespect. Instead, they were said to be shouting a popular Turkish anti-terrorism chant. Still, the Turkish soccer team itself took part in the moment of silence even if its fans didn’t and the national team’s coach disagreed with the fans’ disruption, saying it damages “the image of our country.” ||||| THE Saudi Arabian Football Federation has apologised for any offence caused by their players’ actions during a tribute to the London terror victims before the Socceroos’ World Cup qualifier. Saudi Arabia’s players appeared to snub a minute’s silence dedicated to two Australians, Sara Zelenak and Kirsty Boden, who died in the recent London terror attacks. The pre-game tribute was approved by the Asian Football Confederation after Football Federation Australia’s application. Now, the Saudi Arabian Football Federation has released a statement on their team’s actions. “The Saudi Arabian Football Federation deeply regrets and unreservedly apologises for any offence caused by the failure of some members of the representative team of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to formally observe the one minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the London terrorist attack on 3 June 2017, prior to the World Cup Qualifying match against Australia in Adelaide,” the statement read on their website. “The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity. “The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the Government and people of the United Kingdom.” BLOG: Re-live all the drama of Socceroos v Saudi Arabia MATCH CENTRE: Video of every big moment, stats from Roos win After the game, Football Federation Australia also released a statement. “The FFA sought agreement from the Asian Football Confederation and the Saudi national team to hold a minute’s silence in memory of those lost in Saturday night’s terror in London and in particular the two Australian women,” the statement read. “Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held. The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field.” The Socceroos went on to win the game 3-2 and keep their hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in their own hands. ||||| Saudi Arabia's national soccer team on Thursday failed to properly line up for a moment of silence held for the victims of the terror attacks in London. Saudi Arabia was set to play Australia in a World Cup qualifier when the announcer called for a minute of silence on the pitch, reports The Telegraph . Start the conversation, or Read more at The Daily Caller. ||||| There was drama as Saudi Arabia’s football national team declined to observe minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. The shocking incident occurred ahead of the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying match between Saudi Arabia and Australia. When the stadium announcer called for a minute's silence, 11 Australian players on the field lined up at the center circle with their arms on their teammates' shoulders, but Saudi Arabian footballers ignored the tradition and took their positions on the pitch. According to officials, the minute’s silence was approved by the Asian Football Confederation before the game and while Saudi Arabia’s national team agreed to the tribute, the players refused to pay their respects. Last Saturday’s terror attack at London Bridge claimed the lives of seven people, including two Australian citizens. After the match, a spokesperson for Football Federation Australia (FFA) also confirmed that they had an agreement with the Asian Football Confederation to hold minute's silence for the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. ‘The FFA sought agreement from the Asian Football Confederation and the Saudi national team to hold a minute’s silence in memory of those lost in night’s terror bombings in London and in particular the two Australian women. ‘Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held. ‘The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field The match ended 3- 2 in favour of Australia, leaving Saudi Arabia at 16 points in their qualifying group. ||||| Saudi Arabia National Team refuse to observe minute’s silence for London terror victims during football match with Australia There was drama on Thursday as Saudi Arabia’s football national team declined to observe minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. The shocking incident occurred ahead of the FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying match between Saudi Arabia and Australia. When the stadium announcer called for a minute’s silence, 11 Australian players on the field lined up at the center circle with their arms on their teammates’ shoulders, but Saudi Arabian footballers ignored the tradition and took their positions on the pitch. According to officials, the minute’s silence was approved by the Asian Football Confederation before the game and while Saudi Arabia’s national team agreed to the tribute, the players refused to pay their respects. Last Saturday’s terror attack at London Bridge claimed the lives of seven people, including two Australian citizens. After the match, a spokesperson for Football Federation Australia (FFA) also confirmed that they had an agreement with the Asian Football Confederation to hold minute’s silence for the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. ‘The FFA sought agreement from the Asian Football Confederation and the Saudi national team to hold a minute’s silence in memory of those lost in Saturday night’s terror bombings in London and in particular the two Australian women. ‘Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held. ‘The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field The match ended 3- 2 in favour of Australia, leaving Saudi Arabia at 16 points in their qualifying group ||||| Saudi Arabia’s national team has caused controversy after failing to acknowledge a minute’s silence in honour of the victims of the London Bridge terror attack. The incident occurred moments before kick-off in their World Cup qualifier against Australia on Thursday. Australia’s players linked arms as the crowd at the Adelaide Oval fell silent, but the majority of Saudi Arabia’s players continued to talk among themselves as they took their positions on the pitch. Reporters inside the stadium also claim that some of Saudi Arabia’s supporters did not remain silent during the tribute. Last Saturday’s terror attack at London Bridge claimed the lives of seven people, including two Australian citizens. The minute’s silence was approved by the Asian Football Confederation before the game but while Saudi Arabia’s national team agreed to the tribute the players were not obliged to pay their respects, according to officials. A spokesperson for Football Federation Australia (FFA) said after the match: ‘The FFA sought agreement from the Asian Football Confederation and the Saudi national team to hold a minute’s silence in memory of those lost in Saturday night’s terror bombings in London and in particular the two Australian women. ‘Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held. ‘The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field.’ MORE: Arsenal will not sell Alexis Sanchez to Manchester City unless two conditions are met MORE: Antonio Conte to hold talks with Kylian Mbappe as Chelsea prepare bid to Monaco ||||| Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has addressed the Saudi Arabian football team's refusal to honour a minute's silence for the two Australian victims of the London terror attack, saying "everyone" should be united in condemnation of terrorism. "The whole world, the whole free world is united in condemnation of that terrorist attack and terrorism generally and in sympathy and love for the victims and their families," Mr Turnbull said, adding he has not yet watched video of the minute's silence. "The heartbreaking loss of young Australians in London, of course in Baghdad and just this week in Melbourne to these murderous terrorists. Everybody, everyone should be united in condemnation of the terrorists and love and sympathy and respect for the victims and their families," he ended. Earlier, the Socceroos addressed the incident saying they had "no control" over the Saudi Arabian football team's actions." "More importantly for us as a team we wanted to show our respects for the two that lost their lives and make sure that we did the right thing and what they did we don't really have any control over that," player Ryan McGowan said. "We just wanted to make sure that we did it and we observed it properly." The Saudi Arabian Football Federation has apologised for the behaviour of some of its players, who ignored the minute’s silence held before kickoff at the World Cup qualifier at Adelaide Oval last night. Several of the Saudi players wandered away while the Socceroos observed the silent tribute in honour of two Australians killed in Saturday’s London terror attack. Some of the Saudi team continued jogging and passing the ball between each other during the tribute. One player stood facing the Australian team. "The Saudi Arabian Football Federation deeply regrets and unreservedly apologises for any offence caused by the failure of some members of the representative team of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to formally observe the one minute's silence in memory of the victims of the London terrorist attack on 3 June 2017, prior to the World Cup Qualifying match against Australia in Adelaide," a holding statement by the federation reads. "The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity. "The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all victims and to the Government and people of the United Kingdom." A Football Federation Australia spokesperson earlier told News Corp the Saudi team notified them they would not be honouring the tribute in advance of the pre-match ritual. "Both the Australian Football Confederation and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held," it was quoted as saying. "The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field." The Saudi team's display has drawn heavy criticism. 3AW radio host Neil Mitchell told the TODAY Show the team should "apologise and get out". "If it's not in line with their culture then they should have honoured our culture and done the right thing. They've insulted Australia, they've insulted Australians, they've insulted the British victims as well. "It was disrespectful, it was insulting." TODAY co-host Sylvia Jeffreys noted "I would be required to wear a headscarf if I were to travel to Saudi Arabia and they can't stand still for one minute to observe something that has no cultural, no religious background, no meaning in a faith or religious respect, it is simply honouring people who have lost their lives." Only one Saudi player appeared to observe the minute's silence. (Image: Getty) () Labor MP Anthony Albanese told TODAY the display was disgraceful. "This isn't about culture, this is about a lack of respect," he said. Some users defended the team, saying a minute silence was not observed in Saudi culture, or Islam. However, a domestic Saudi team al-Ahli Saudi FC was photographed last year observing a minute's silence before a Qatar Airways Cup match in Doha against Barcelona. The Socceroos went on to score a 3-2 win against Saudi Arabia, earning themselves a place in the upcoming World Cup. Two Australian women were among the seven victims of the deadly weekend terror attack. Teams observe one minute of silence during the Qatar Airways Cup match between FC Barcelona and Al-Ahli Saudi FC on December 13, 2016 in Doha, Qatar. (Image: Getty) () Tributes have flowed for Brisbane 21-year-old Sara Zelenak, who had been working in London as an au pair, and South Australian nurse Kirsty Boden, 28. They have been remembered by friends and loved ones for the joy they brought to the lives of others. Two other Australians are recovering from injuries sustained in the attack. Kirsty Boden had lived in London for the past three years. () Sara Zelenak had previously evaded a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last month and was also at Westminster Bridge a day before the deadly rampage in March before being killed in the London Bridge and Borough Market attack. () ||||| Saudi Arabia's Football Federation have issued an apology after its football team failed to pay respect with a minute's silence in memory of the London terror attack victims. The statement claimed the SAFF "deeply regrets and unreservedly apologises for any offence caused." Opponents Australia lined up arm in arm before the World Cup qualifier in Adelaide after last week's attack, which led to eight victims, including two Australians. The Saudi team lined up in a random order across the pitch with the substitutes and coaching staff failing to rise off the bench. The statement read: "The Saudi Arabian Football Federation deeply regrets and unreservedly apologises for any offence caused by the failure of some members of the representative team of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to formally observe the one minute's silence in memory of the victims of the London terrorist attack on 3 June 2017, prior to the World Cup Qualifying match against Australia in Adelaide. "The players did not intend any disrespect to the memories of the victims or to cause upset to their families, friends or any individual affected by the atrocity. "The Saudi Arabian Football Federation condemns all acts of terrorism and extremism and extends its sincerest condolences to the families of all the victims and to the Government and people of the United Kingdom." Australian football chiefs have attempted to defuse the growing outrage. In a statement, the FFA explained: "The FFA sought agreement from the Asian Football Confederation and the Saudi national team to hold a minute's silence in memory of those lost in Saturday night's terror bombings in London and in particular the two Australian women," a spokesman said. "Both the AFC and the Saudi team agreed that the minute of silence could be held. "The FFA was further advised by Saudi team officials that this tradition was not in keeping with Saudi culture and they would move to their side of the field and respect our custom whilst taking their own positions on the field. "The local broadcaster, Fox Sports, was informed of this prior to the minute's silence taking place." However, that seems to go against previous instances where Saudi teams have lined up to show respects. Back in 2005, at the first match of the Silver Cup, respect in the form of a minutes silence was paid for the deceased King Abdullah. Three terrorists mowed down pedestrians in a van before emerging with knives and stabbing revellers in the London Bridge and Borough Market area. Australians Sara Zelenak, 21, and Kirsty Boden, 28, were among the victims killed in Saturday night’s terrorist attack. Sara, a nanny. was separated from friends as they ran from the scene after a van ran down pedestrians. "One in a million" nurse Kirsty was killed while "running towards danger" in a bid to help victims. Tory leader Theresa May has been criticised during the general election campaign for selling arms to Saudi Arabia. She also been criticised for "suppressing" a report into the funding of Islamist groups which is understood to name Saudi Arabia as being the main donors. Labour rival Jeremy Corbyn said that "difficult conversations" were necessary with Saudi Arabia. He said: "We do need to have some difficult conversations starting with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states that have funded and fuelled extremist ideology. "It is no good Theresa May suppressing a report into the foreign funding of extremist groups. "We have to get serious about cutting off the funding to these terror networks, including Isis, here and in the Middle East." Australia won the match 3-2, leaving them in a strong position to qualify for the finals in Russia next summer. | The Saudi Arabia national team provokes outrage for failing to observe a minutes silence at a World Cup qualifier against Australia at Adelaide Oval. The minute silence was in commemoration of the two Australian victims of the June 2017 London attack. The incident received condemnation from Australia's political leaders. |
HARRISBURG, Pa./SEATTLE (Reuters) - Protesters held rallies across the United States on Saturday to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe anti-Muslim hatred is behind the condemnation. ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security, staged rallies in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend an event that ACT billed as “March against Sharia.” On the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters. Many of the latter were dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting “No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA.” The atmosphere was tense but the protest went off with no violence and only one arrest, police said. More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns. Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture. “The Constitution is the law of the land,” he said. “We have to be careful with who we let in the country.” On its website, ACT described sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said sharia justifies the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocates female genital mutilation. But critics say the organization vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign. Anti-sharia protesters scuffle with counter demonstrators and members of the Minnesota State Patrol at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. June 10, 2017. REUTERS/Adam Bettcher Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters but not part of the larger group clad in black. “America is not in danger from sharia law,” she said. “This manifestation at the Capitol is actually a way to make our Muslim neighbors feel uncomfortable.” A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment. In Seattle, about 75 anti-sharia protesters were outnumbered by counter-protesters at a rally that was moved from Portland, Oregon. Tensions are running high in Portland after a man yelling religious and racial slurs at two teenage girls on a commuter train fatally stabbed two men who tried to stop him. Talbot Sleater, a 62-year-old construction foreman, said that the Seattle protest was the first of the kind that he had attended. A Briton who moved to the United States, he said he had decided to go after recent attacks in his home country. “People are being run over in the street with trucks and little kids are being blown up,” Sleater said, referring to recent attacks in London and Manchester. “I don’t want that to happen here.” The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in “a peaceful challenge to Saturday’s hate rallies.” It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend. Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 percent last year, including a 44 percent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May. Slideshow (13 Images) Oath Keepers said on its website that it was “answering the call to defend free speech against those who would use terrorist violence or the threat of violence to shut it down.” The Southern Poverty Law Center says Oath Keepers is “one of the largest radical antigovernment groups in the United States,” organized around a “set of baseless conspiracy theories.” Refuse Fascism, a coalition of activists advocating confrontational tactics to oppose what it calls the Trump “regime,” said it would show up at the rallies “to counter the xenophobic hatred and lies, defy intimidation and drown it out.” ||||| A small but emotional rally billed as opposing Islamic Sharia law downtown Saturday sparked a counter-protest nearly twice as large, causing a phalanx of police officers to act as a barrier between the two groups to prevent any fights. About 30 people gathered at northwest corner of Wacker Drive and Wabash Avenue, carrying signs that read “No killing Gays” and “Sharia abuses women.” The group was split into two factions. One group of protesters along Wabash Avenue hoped to bring awareness to specific Sharia practices they claimed oppressed Muslim women and children. They wanted to distance themselves from what they said was a more “radical” faction –protesters gathered near the Heald Square Monument, whose anti-Muslim rhetoric was met with anger and frustration by counter-protesters. Those who led the counter-protest, which included about 60 people, said the anti-Sharia protesters demonized Islam and created unnecessary fears about the religion. The counter-protesters gathered on the northeast side of the intersection, banging drums and crying out “Racists, racists go home!” and “When Muslims are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” When they realized the anti-Sharia protest was growing in numbers, counter-protesters crossed the intersection and moved onto their corner, so that the two groups were demonstrating face-to-face. The anti-Sharia protest was one of demonstrations planned in more than 20 cities, including New York, Boston, Dallas and Atlanta, sponsored by the conservative group Act for America, which calls itself the “NRA of national sercurity.” The marches were held because “many aspects of Sharia law run contrary to basic human rights and are completely incompatible with our laws and our democratic values,” according to a statement posted on the group’s website. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called Act for America an anti-Muslim hate group and recognized that its protests were attracting anti-government and far-right extremists. Act for America cancelled its rally in Batesville, Ark., after the law center revealed that neo-Nazi Billy Roper was the main organizer. Many of the anti-Sharia protesters in Chicago said they were not members of Act for America but supported the group’s mission for the rally. Chicago’s protests were peaceful, although at times they grew heated. A verbal dispute between protesters on opposing sides nearly turned physical when a protester lunged toward a counter-protester before being stopped by police. Verbal attacks and other confrontations caused police to form a barrier between the groups, and they eventually put metal fencing between them. Several times, downtown pedestrians who noticed the anti-Sharia signs and outfits — some wore “Make America Great Again” caps and bandanas over their noses and mouths — stopped to confront the protesters, calling them racists and bigots. “Get out of my city, man, this isn’t a place for you!” one pedestrian shouted at the protesters. “This is a place of diversity. This is the home of Harold Washington.” Counter-protesters were upset by a large green flag with four letter K’s waved by an anti-Sharia demonstrator, believing the flag was a nod to the Ku Klux Klan. The flag was the flag of Kekistan, a fictional right-wing country born from Internet gaming culture. The flag’s design mimics a German Nazi war flag, which serves to make fun of liberals and their “political correctness,” according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. While protesters claimed the flag was not a symbol of white supremacy, and was just meant to “troll people,” the law center links Kekistan with white nationalism. One protester made a point of separating herself from the faction of protesters who carried the flag. The woman, who declined to give her full name, said she wanted to speak out against practices like female genital mutilation and child marriages, but said she supports Islam as a whole. “Sharia law doesn’t belong here in America. It doesn’t align with our constitution,” said the 61-year-old from Woodstock. “You have a lot of Muslims who want to reform Islam but they’re being silenced.” Meredith Payne, a 44-year-old who lives in West Rogers Park, said she lives among a large Muslim community that’s respected and loved by others there. That compelled her to join the counter-protest and speak out against what she said was Islamophobia. She said she was pleased that more people supported the counter-protest than the protest. “It’s definitely a positive thing, and something we need to continue to do anytime we see hate anywhere,” she said. ||||| × Group protesting Sharia clashes with counter-protesters in cities across the country A right-wing group protesting Islamic law, or Sharia, clashed with counter-demonstrators at rallies in Denver, Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis and other cities on Saturday. The Southern Poverty Law Center says ACT for America is the largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in America. ACT for America organized the marches in more than two dozen cities, saying on its website that “Sharia is incompatible with Western democracy and the freedoms it affords.” In Denver, police officers in riot gear were called to a rally at the Colorado Capitol late Saturday afternoon. There were some violent confrontations between protesters and counter-protesters who support the Muslim community. Four people were arrested. Pushing back protesters on both sides, trying to create space after both sides got violent with each other. Several arrested #KDVR pic.twitter.com/I7g6qucsau In Seattle, police used pepper spray to break up fights in Occidental Park, police spokesman Mark Jamieson said. Three people were arrested. Earlier in the day, the anti-Sharia group rallied at City Hall Plaza while a much larger group gathered nearby, with the two groups separated by police, he said. The counter-protesters yelled and sounded horns to drown out the anti-Sharia group, CNN affiliate KOMO reported. “At the conclusion of the rally the large group returned to Occidental Park,” Jamieson said in a news release. “Officers continued to monitor the crowds and separate the opposing groups, but shortly after 12:30 a large fight broke out. Officers used pepper spray to break up the crowd. Officers arrested one woman and two men for obstructing.” In Chicago, the counter-protesters outnumbered the protesters about two to one, the Chicago Tribune reported. Protesters carried signs that read “No killing Gays” and “Sharia abuses women,” the paper reported. Counter-protesters banged on drums and shouted “Racists, racists go home!” Seven people were arrested at the Capitol in St. Paul, the Minnesota State Patrol tweeted from its official account. No injuries have been reported. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, two people were arrested — one for disorderly conduct and a second for striking a state police horse, said Troy Thompson of Capitol Police. No violence was reported in New York City, where about 500 people gathered in Foley Square, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said. Four people were arrested for loitering. Sharia law doesn’t exist the United States, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a political issue. When President Donald Trump campaigned last year, he said he wanted to test Muslims coming into America to make sure they don’t want Sharia law to supersede the US Constitution. More than a dozen states have passed, or are trying to pass, laws to curb the possibility of Sharia law making its way onto the books in the US. ACT for America often promotes this legislation. The anti-Sharia protest organizer in Seattle, Anthony Parish of Kent, told KOMO the group came out to show opposition to practices like the mutilation of young girls and honor killing — issues mentioned on the ACT for America webpage. He said the group was not anti-Muslim. The counter-protest group, Seattle Stands With Our Muslim Neighbors, disagreed, saying on its Facebook page that ACT for America is “a recognized Islamophobic hate group.” The word Sharia means “the path,” or “a road that leads one to water.” It refers to a set of principles that govern the moral and religious lives of Muslims. Sharia is based on Islam’s holy book, the Quran, and the life of Prophet Mohammed. The March Against Sharia gained prominence a few weeks ago after two men were fatally stabbed on a Portland commuter train, allegedly by a man shouting anti-Muslim slogans at two young women, one of whom was Muslim. Mayor Ted Wheeler asked that the previously scheduled March Against Sharia in Portland be called off to avoid the possibility of violence. Organizers canceled the event and urged supporters to attend the Seattle protest. ||||| Demonstrators gathered in at least 28 cities across the US for anti-Sharia law marches on Saturday. March Against Sharia rallies are organized by ACT for America, an organization that says it is focused on fighting terrorism and promoting national security. This year's rallies are expected to be the group's largest protest against Islam and took place in cities including Phoenix, Chicago, Austin, Atlanta, New York, Boston and Seattle. But many of the marches saw even larger counter-rallies. Hundreds of counter-protesters marched through Seattle on Saturday to confront a few dozen people claiming Shariah is incompatible with Western freedoms. Local activists set up an 'Ask an American Muslim' booth where attendees could meet and learn about their Muslim neighbors. In New York City there were more than 200 counter-protesters to the approximate 100 demonstrators for the March Against Sharia. The groups verbally clashed with police officers standing between them. In Chicago, about 30 anti-Shariah demonstrators were outnumbered by counter-protesters. The marches were held in 18 states and are 'against Sharia law and for human rights', according to the ACT for America website. But the Southern Poverty Law Center has designated ACT for America as an extremist, anti-Muslim hate group. ACT for America says it condemns bias against religious groups and is 'proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with peaceful Western Muslims as well as peaceful Muslims worldwide'. Yet many Muslims and others say the group promotes a distorted and prejudiced view of Islam. 'Many aspects of Sharia law run contrary to basic human rights and are completely incompatible with our laws and our democratic values,' the ACT for America website says. Their activists portray Shariah as largely incompatible with American democracy and often warn of a stealth effort to replace US law with Islamic law. Muslims call the claims ludicrous and say Islamic law plays a role similar to Jewish law, as a guide to religious life rooted in the Quran and scholars say there's little to no threat to US democracy from Islamic law. ||||| Rallies against sharia law held across US, critics accuse protesters of vilifying Muslims Protesters have rallied across the United States to denounce sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code they claim poses a threat to American freedoms, but critics believe anti-Muslim hatred is behind the condemnation. ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organisation, staged "March against Sharia" rallies in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. On the steps of the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters. Many of the latter were dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting: "No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA." The atmosphere was tense but the protest went off with no violence and only one arrest, police said. More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns. Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture. "The Constitution is the law of the land," Mr Achey said. "We have to be careful with who we let in the country." On its website, ACT described sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said sharia justified the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocated female genital mutilation. But critics have said the organisation vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies were part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fuelled by US President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign. Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters but not part of the larger group clad in black. "America is not in danger from sharia law," Ms Freiburg said. A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment. In Seattle, about 75 anti-sharia protesters were outnumbered by counter-protesters at a rally that was moved from Portland, Oregon. Tensions are running high in Portland after a man yelling religious and racial slurs at two teenage girls on a commuter train fatally stabbed two men who tried to stop him. Talbot Sleater, a 62-year-old construction foreman, said that the Seattle protest was the first of the kind that he had attended. A Briton who moved to the United States, Mr Sleater said he had decided to go after recent attacks in his home country. "People are being run over in the street with trucks and little kids are being blown up," he said, referring to recent attacks in London and Manchester. "I don't want that to happen here." The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organised in "a peaceful challenge to Saturday's hate rallies". It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend. Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 per cent last year, including a 44 per cent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May. ||||| Protesters campaigning against Sharia Law were met with a number of counter-demonstrations on Saturday, as anti-Sharia rallies took place in 28 cities across America. The rallies, which were organized by the national security organization ACT! for America, attracted strong support in cities such as Phoenix, Chicago, Austin, Atlanta, New York, Boston, and Seattle. Sharia Law, which has seen an upsurge in implementation across Islamic communities in recent years, is the strictest form of Islamic Law. Under Sharia Law, women must be submissive to men, sexual intercourse with pre-pubescent females and rape is sometimes permissible and the punishment for blasphemy is death. A press release from the ACT! for America website reads: This is a march against Sharia law and for human rights. Our nation is built on the freedom of religion – a pillar of our democracy – which we must always respect, protect, and honor. However many aspects of Sharia law run contrary to basic human rights and are completely incompatible with our laws and our democratic values. However, many marches were disrupted by counter-demonstrators, who accused participants of “Islamaphobia” and stoking hatred against Muslims. In Seattle, protesters could be heard singing: “No hate, no fear, Muslims are welcome here,” as footage showed the two groups involved in a physical altercation. In New York, protesters attempted to drown out the chanting of the anti-Sharia march by sounding air horns and banging pots and pans. Video footage from the event showed protesters launch urine towards Canadian conservative journalist Lauren Southern. “Out of nowhere liquid was splashed onto my face from one of the masked individuals in the crowd. It got all in my eyes and over my face and totally reeked. The first two seconds were a little horrifying because I wasn’t sure if it was an acid attack,” Southern told Breitbart News. Several people were arrested after fights broke out at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, although nobody was injured, according to local reports. According to Reuters, there was a heavy police presence at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, as barricades and police mounted on horses separated two groups of approximately 60 protesters. Counter-protesters were reportedly “dressed in black masks and hoods” and could be heard chanting, “No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA.'” On Friday, 129 national and local organizations signed a letter urging city mayors to condemn the marches, emphasizing the fact they take place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com ||||| A new group called Act for America is organizing rallies against Sharia law, and will be in Roseville on Saturday. ||||| Protesters who gathered on Saturday to denounce Islamic law were met across the country with equally sized or larger counter-protests. Organizers called the "March Against Sharia" rallies to protest what they say is the threat to U.S. society posed by the set of traditional Muslim practices, which they say includes oppression of women, honor killings, homophobic violence, female genital mutilation and other abuses. But reports and pictures show large counter-protests around the country, with activists accusing the "anti-sharia" marchers of racism and Islamophobia. Sharia "is a legal or philosophical code derived from Islamic scripture and meant to guide the behavior of observant Muslims," as NPR's Tom Gjelten noted. Religious experts say it's similar to parts of Christian and Jewish customs. The rallies were held in about two dozen cities and about 20 states. They were organized by the conservative group ACT for America, which the Southern Poverty Law Center calls the "largest grassroots anti-Muslim group in America, claiming 280,000 members and over 1,000 chapters." The organization describes itself as "the NRA of national security." "I feel like we need to make a stand now, before [sharia] makes more inroads," protester Shannon Boulogne told WABE reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi. "I've always been, you know, for women's rights." Bandlamudi reports that Boulogne was among a small group of demonstrators who gathered in Atlanta's Piedmont Park. The Los Angeles Times reports they were met by a "small gaggle of counter-protesters," who "held up placards and shouted, 'No Hate! No Fear! Muslims Are Welcome Here.' " A few miles away, other Atlantans held a counter-protest and food drive. Asma Elhuni, of the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, criticized the "anti-sharia" protesters. "If they're against sharia, are you against feeding the poor? Are you against being friendly, showing love? Because essentially that is Sharia," she told Bandlamudi. In Syracuse, N.Y., "March Against Sharia" organizer Lisa Joseph told North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann that she put the rally together because she and others are "against female genital mutilation, honor killings, throwing gays off of buildings, stoning people to death." Counter-protesters in Syracuse responded by shouting "Shame! Shame! Shame!" and described the opposing demonstration as anti-Muslim bigotry, Mann reports. On the other side of the country, several dozen "anti-sharia" protesters gathered at Seattle's City Hall, according to The Associated Press. But the AP reports that "[h]undreds of counter-protesters marched through downtown Seattle behind a large sign saying 'Seattle stands with our Muslim neighbors.' " In Chicago, "about 30 people demonstrated against Islamic law and in favor of President Trump," but twice as many counter-protesters shouted back, the wire service reports. "Each side boasted about 150-to-175 people" in a protest and counter-protest in Denver, according to The Denver Post, and law enforcement arrested four people. In Harrisburg, Penn., about 60 "anti-sharia" protesters were separated from the same number of counter-protesters. "This is a march against sharia, not Muslims," Steven R. Moore, of Washington County, Pa., told The Washington Post. "We are not affiliated with any extremist groups. ... Sharia is a barbaric system that the Islamic State is trying to impose in our country." Several counter-protesters were "anti-fascist" or "antifa" activists, who "dressed in black masks and hoods and chant[ed] 'No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA,' " Reuters reports, a slogan modified from a 1980s punk song. Similar protests and counter-protests also happened in St. Paul, Minn., where authorities arrested several people "when scuffles broke out," the AP reports, and New York City, where counter-protesters banged pots and pans in an effort to drown out "anti-sharia" demonstrators. Despite the concern, sharia has no chance of being imposed in the U.S. in the foreseeable future. "It's like the Ten Commandments for Muslims. It's nothing to be enforced upon anyone. It's a moral code that I follow for myself as an individual," Muslim youth leader Mansoor Shams explained to NPR earlier this year. No area of the U.S. has legally implemented sharia, despite false reports on social media that Dearborn, Mich., enacted it. According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. has a population that is only 0.9 percent Muslim; and Liyakat Takim, a professor of Islamic studies at McMaster University, told the AP that the vast majority of U.S. Muslims oppose implementing sharia in the U.S. Then there's the Constitution, which states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." ||||| About two dozen rallies were planned across the United States on Saturday to denounce Sharia law, the Islamic legal and moral code that organizers say poses a threat to American freedoms. But critics believe the condemnation masks anti-Muslim hatred. ACT for America, a self-described grassroots organization focusing on national security, has scheduled protests in New York, Chicago, Boston, Denver and Seattle, as well as many smaller cities. Hundreds of people pledged on social media to attend. At a rally on the steps of the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg, the atmosphere was tense. Barricades and a heavy police presence, including officers mounted on horses, separated about 60 anti-Sharia demonstrators from an equal number of counter-protesters, many dressed in black masks and hoods and chanting "No Trump, no KKK, no Fascist USA." More than a dozen men belonging to the anti-government Oath Keepers were on hand, invited by ACT to provide security. Most of them carried handguns.
• Anti-Shariah rallies in several U.S. cities this weekend worry Muslim leaders Leann Koons, 35, of Ricketts Glen, Pennsylvania, said she came to the rally "because I stand for women's and children's rights. I don't like how they treat women." Chris Achey, 47, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, said he did not hate Muslims but believes that much of Islam is incompatible with Western culture. "The constitution is the law of the land," he said. "We have to be careful with who we let in the country." The event ended without violence, and police said one counter-demonstrator was arrested. On its website, ACT described Sharia, which covers many aspects of Muslim life including religious obligations and financial dealings, as incompatible with human rights. It said Sharia justifies the oppression of women and homosexuality, and advocates female genital mutilation. But critics say the organization vilifies Muslims and has repeatedly equated Islam with extremism. In their view, the rallies are part of a wave of anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment fuelled by President Donald Trump, who called for a ban on Muslims entering the country during his election campaign. Several U.S. states have passed statutes banning Sharia law, but there are no courts in the U.S. that apply it, nor any states that are considering using it. Molly Freiburg, 33, of Philadelphia, was one of the counter-protesters, but not part of the larger group clad in black. "America is not in danger from Sharia law," she said. "This manifestation at the capitol is actually a way to make our Muslim neighbours feel uncomfortable." A representative for ACT for America could not be reached for comment. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country's largest Muslim advocacy group, urged Americans to participate in one of several local educational events being organized in "a peaceful challenge to Saturday's hate rallies." It also warned Muslims to take extra precautions against potential violence over the weekend. Anti-Muslim incidents rose 57 per cent last year, including a 44 per cent jump in anti-Islamic hate crimes, CAIR said in a report released in early May. Oath Keepers said on its website that it was "answering the call to defend free speech against those who would use terrorist violence or the threat of violence to shut it down." The Southern Poverty Law Centre says Oath Keepers is "one of the largest radical anti-government groups in the United States," organized around a "set of baseless conspiracy theories." Refuse Fascism, a coalition of activists advocating confrontational tactics to oppose what it calls the Trump "regime," said it would show up at the rallies "to counter the xenophobic hatred and lies, defy intimidation and drown it out." ||||| RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — Dozens of officers at the State Capitol Saturday morning stood between two sets protesters. One group held a March Against Sharia while the other called its rally United Against Islamophobia and Racism. ACT! for America coordinated about two dozen of the anti-Sharia marches across the country for Saturday morning, prompting counter protests from Muslims and their allies who said the Sharia title is a fear tactic used to target Islam as a whole. Richard Roberts with ACT! for America said the rally is not about Islam but about radical Islamic groups. He said most Americans have no idea what Sharia Law is. “They’re calling us anti-Muslim, Islamophobic. That’s not it. We’re just bringing attention to the cause,” Roberts said. “Knowledge is key, and that’s what we’re doing today. This is like ground zero, because people aren’t aware. The more we talk about it and hold rallies and bring attention to it,” he added. About 100 people participated in the March Against Sharia. Speakers talked about the interpretation of Islamic texts to support acts such as female genital mutilation, rape, honor killings, and forcing young girls to marry much older men. The Southern Poverty Law Center classifies several of the organizations involved in the March Against Sharia as hate groups with radical anti-government views and anti-Muslim associations. John Martinez, who identified himself as a Donald Trump supporter and not a member of any of the participating organizations, said he is not anti-Muslim but has serious concerns about Sharia Law. “Americans believe in freedom. Not some cult. It’s a cult, it’s not a religion,” John Martinez said. “I’m anti-terrorist as well. If you cannot assimilate when you move here to the Untied States, why are you here? Why are you coming over from foreign lands and forcing or trying to force your quote religious beliefs on Americans?” Martinez asked. Organizers of the counter protest say that is not an accurate understanding of Islam, Sharia, or American laws. “Legally that’s not a thing. That’s not even possibly a thing,” Fatema Ahmad said. “It’s a code word that people use to insinuate the Muslims are foreign, that we’re coming here and we’re against American values, which is crazy. There is no threat like that.” Several hundred people gathered a few blocks from the Capitol for the counter protest. Many were Muslim, but the crowd included clergy from other faiths as well as whites, blacks, Asians, and Hispanics. John Balla said he came to offer support to all people of color and anyone who faces discrimination. He wants to create a community of inclusion and support, and show that there are many people who don’t buy into hate or racism. “I would love to not have to be here on a beautiful June day. It’s 2017 and yet here I am with hundreds of other people, making a statement against hate,” Balla said. “Let that sink in for a minute — it is more than 50 years after the Civil Rights era, and we’re still battling for civil rights issues.” Kashif Omsaf works with Muslim youth on behalf of The Light House. He said it was incredible to see such diversity at what he described as an anti-Islamophobia event. Omsaf said people at the March Against Sharia don’t understand enough about Islam, and makes him think he needs to do more to share the truth about his faith. “It tells me I’m not doing a good enough job by telling people who Muslims are, how we’re just as peaceful as anyone else,” Omsaf said. “Everyone likes to pick and choose their favorite verses. Sharia is a book of jurisprudence or a compilation of jurisprudences. It tells you things like ‘you’re innocent until proven guilty,’ something that we hold very true in our Constitution,” he said. “There are so many beautiful elements to it. (People) like to pick the hateful ones to support (their) own message,” Omsaf added. The counter protest organizers said they did not expect such a large turnout in the march to the Capitol. They had discussions earlier in the week about the possibility of some in the group going to face the anti-Sharia protesters, and forming a “wall of sound” to drown out those they perceive as anti-Muslim. However, most of the rally walked several blocks to show unity. March Against Sharia supporters said they are for human rights, and some accused the counter-protesters of being pro-Sharia and wanting cruel actions to take place in the United States. Ahmad said that is far from the truth, and that the counter protest is about human rights and the entire human race. “Theirs is a march for only certain people’s rights. Theirs is not a march for everyone,” Ahmad said. “They’re not out here to protect everybody. It is a mostly white group and it’s only about protecting white people against a supposed threat from us. There’s no threat here, and we are actually fighting for our rights to live here safely and in (the) community,” Ahmad added. A large law enforcement contingent including Raleigh Police, Capitol Police, and North Carolina State Troopers kept the opposing sides apart, and removed a couple members of the counter protest while moving the larger crowd across the street. | Protesters stage rallies, organized by ACT! for America, against sharia law in major and small cities across the United States. Counter protesters also assembled at these locations. |
Jelena Ostapenko becomes the first unseeded player since 1933 to win the French Open title. (0:57) PARIS -- Right from the start of the French Open final, Jelena Ostapenko made quite clear to anyone unfamiliar with her name, or her game, what she is all about. Yes, she was just two days past her 20th birthday. Yes, she was ranked only 47th. Yes, she was trying to become the first unseeded women's champion at the tournament since -- get this -- 1933. And yes, she was trying to become the first woman in nearly four decades to make a Grand Slam title the first tour-level triumph of her career. None of that mattered to Ostapenko. She began what would become an enthralling 2-hour encounter by breaking No. 3-seeded Simona Halep at love with a series of grip-it-and-rip-it shots. So what if Ostapenko wound up dropping that set, then facing big deficits in the second and third? Ostapenko never wavered, using bold strokes and an unbending will to come back and stun Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 for an unlikely championship at Roland Garros. "Before the match, 5-10 minutes, I was a little bit nervous," said Ostapenko, the first Latvian -- woman or man -- to win a major. "But then, when I went on court, I felt quite free." Halep, a 25-year-old from Romania, was the 2014 French Open runner-up and would have moved up to No. 1 in the WTA rankings if she had won Saturday. She appeared headed for a runaway victory when up a set and 3-0 in the second, plus holding three break points for the chance to lead 4-0. Ostapenko, however, would not go quietly, winning that game and the next three en route to forcing a third set. "I felt a little bit nervous," said Ostapenko, the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the French Open after losing the final's opening set. "But then I felt: 'I have nothing to lose, so I'm just going to enjoy the match and do my best." She again summoned a veteran's resolve down 3-1 in the third set, taking the match's last five games and, fittingly, striking a pair of winners on the last two points. "Enjoy, be happy, and keep it going," Halep told Ostapenko during the trophy ceremony, "because you're like a kid." Jelena Ostapenko, at 20, became the youngest winner of the French Open since Iva Majoli in 1997. AP Photo/Christophe Ena Ostapenko was playing in only her eighth Grand Slam tournament and never had been past the third round before. Clay isn't even her preferred surface -- she likes grass better, and won the Wimbledon junior title in 2014 -- which made this two-week joyride even more unpredictable. Consider: Last year in Paris, Ostapenko lost in the first round. The year before that, she lost in the first round of qualifying. "Everybody knows she can play very good, but I think nobody expected (her) to (do) what she did," said Anabel Medina Garrigues, who began coaching Ostapenko in April. Asked why Ostapenko never won a WTA Tour event until now, Medina Garrigues began answering, then interrupted herself after 10 words and laughed. "I mean, I don't know," she said. "Actually, it's something I cannot understand. It's unbelievable." The last woman to win her first tour-level title at a major was Barbara Jordan at the 1979 Australian Open. Not coincidentally, that was also the last time at any Grand Slam tournament that none of the women's quarterfinalists had previously won a major championship. So Ostapenko stepped into the considerable opening created by the absences of Serena Williams (who is pregnant) and Maria Sharapova (denied a wild card after a drug ban). Also missing was two-time major champ Victoria Azarenka, while No. 1 Angelique Kerber lost in the first round. Ostapenko burst onto the scene with a brash brand of tennis. Things went her way to the tune of 54 winners, a remarkably high total that was 46 more than the defensive-minded Halep. She also made 54 unforced errors, to Halep's 10. Said Halep's coach, Darren Cahill, of Ostapenko at her best: "You don't touch the ball. You become a spectator." A telling statistic: Of the 33 points Halep won in the first set, only one came via a winner off her racket. Still, there were plenty of entertaining points during the back-and-forth match between the disparate styles. But the difference on this day: Halep faded at the end of the second and third sets, while Ostapenko surged, bringing her mother -- a tennis instructor who taught young Jelena how to play -- to tears in the stands. "I've been sick in the stomach with emotion," Halep said. "Maybe I was not ready to win it." Ostapenko certainly was ready, sooner than even she could imagine. ||||| Jelena Ostapenko blew away favourite Simona Halep to win her first ever pro tournament at the French Open. The world No 47, who only turned 20 on Thursday, hit 54 winners past the world No 3 in an extraordinary final. She also made 54 unforced errors. The Latvian saved points to go 0-4 down in the second set to win 4-6 6-4 6-3 in two thrilling hours – and sealed the fairytale win with another backhand winner down the line. With Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova absent, a new star has been born. Halep, who lost the 2014 final here to Sharapova, would have become world No 1 by winning her first Grand Slam title. The rollercoaster match saw 14 breaks of serve and 35 break points. The Roland Garros crowd chanted Ostapenko's name during the match – and she was given a huge ovation after the shock victory. “I still cannot believe I have won,” she said. “I watched it as a child and it was always my dream to win here. "I knew that Simona is a great player and she was playing great. I was missing but I was still trying to play aggressive. A couple of games turned it my way and I glad I could win.” Ostapenko is the youngest Roland Garros champion since 19-year-old Iva Majoli in 1997 – and the first unseeded winner winner in the Open era. The last player to win their first Tour-level title at a Grand Slam was Gustavo Kuerten here on June 8 1997 - the same day Ostapenko was born. “I knew that and I am really, really happy,” said the 20-year-old. Eurosport analyst Chris Evert said: “This is what we have needed in the sport – new, fresh faces. We don't know what is going to happen with Serena. And players now play beyond 30. "We have been starving for some young faces and now we have one. It has been a great day for everyone since Simona Halep. She has got to feel terrible.” ||||| Ostapenko first talked of winning French Open at 10, says mother PARIS (Reuters) - Few other people saw it coming but Jelena Ostapenko's mother was not surprised that her daughter burst into the limelight to claim the French Open title in spectacular fashion on Saturday. The unseeded Ostapenko, 20, downed Romanian third seed Simona Halep 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the final, hitting a staggering 54 winners and taking her tournament tally to 299. Those numbers are counter-balanced by her unforced errors -- 54 on Saturday and 271 in total -- but they were not enough to stop the energy-charged Ostapenko from bulldozing her way to the title, firing faster forehands on average than men's world number one Andy Murray. Asked when she realised her daughter had so much power, Jelena Jakovleva said: "The day she was born. "She had the same energy when she was little, it was very difficult," Jakovleva, who coaches her daughter, told a group of reporters at Roland Garros. "She danced, swam, played tennis, she played football because she had so much energy. "She's fearless, she fights for every point." Ostapenko was 10 when she first mentioned winning the French Open one day, Jakovleva said. "She was on an excursion with her father at Roland Garros and she said maybe one time I will become a champion here." Two years later, in 2009, she would win the Open 10-12 in the 12-year-old category, at the Tennis Club de Boulogne Billancourt, a stone's throw from Roland Garros, joining Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin on the list of winners. Jakovleva stayed home in Latvia during the first week of this year's French Open but even after she arrived in Paris she could not watch her daughter's matches from the stands. "I was nervous," she said. "And Jelena has more focus if I'm not there." At the Australian Open, Ostapenko lost her nerve in the third round when serving for the match at 5-2 in the decider against Karolina Pliskova, eventually losing 4-6 6-0 10-8. "At the Australian Open she played very well but lost when 5-2 up. We worked on that and changed a few things and she now is psychologically stronger," Jakovleva explained. Ostapenko, who will rise to world number 12 from 47 following Saturday's win, also worked a lot on her forehand, which was then her weakest shot. "Her forehand was so-so. So she worked hard on it." Halep realised just how hard her opponent had worked on that on Saturday. "She can take the racket out of your hands," Halep's coach Darren Cahill said. ||||| At one point Saturday, it looked as if Simona Halep was on her way to her first ever major victory. She'd won the first set of the French Open against her unseeded opponent, and despite fierce play from Jelena Ostapenko, few onlookers expected the unseeded Latvian to mount a comeback. So much for that. On the strength of an unrelentingly aggressive attack, hitting just about as many unforced errors as she did winners, Ostapenko ultimately wore down Halep, taking the second and third sets in thrilling fashion. Ostapenko, only a few days removed from her 20th birthday, upset Halep to take home her own first-ever major. "I cannot believe I am champion at 20 years old. I love you guys. It's so amazing to be here," she said after the match. She added: "I knew Simona was a great player. But I tried to play aggressive and everything turned my way. I fought for every point. I'm glad it finished my way." As The New York Times reports, Saturday's win makes Ostapenko the first unseeded woman to win the French Open since 1933. The paper notes she is also the first Latvian ever to win a singles Grand Slam. ||||| She did it! Jelena Ostapenko has claimed her first ever Grand Slam title by winning the 2017 French Open in epic style. We’ve got the details on her amazing victory over Simona Halep on June 10. It was David versus Goliath in the French Open women’s final, as 20-year-old unseeded Latvian Jelena Ostapenko took on veteran Simona Halep, 25, in an epic match. Romanian Simona knew going in that winning the tournament would make her the new number one seeded player in women’s tennis, so she came to play hard! Yet Jelena had battled past some of the best ladies in the tourney in her quest to make history as an unseeded victor. Ultimately Jelena Ostapenko came out on top and celebrated her first ever Grand Slam win and she couldn’t have been more thrilled! Jelena came out with her powerful serve right from the start, but Simona put up a fight. She came back right away after Jelena made a few errors. The ladies each won at set as they battled through the third. Jelena had some moments where she struggled, but never let it get to her. She came back to win it all with 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win! If she would have won, Simona would have been the top ranked player on the circuit with this win, knocking off Germany’s Angelique Kerber, 29, at the number one spot. She made history by becoming the first Romanian to win a Grand Slam title since Virginia Ruzici won Roland Garros back in 1978. Before the match she said, “It is nice to be in the final again. I hope I can play better and win it. I’m playing a young player — it is a big challenge.” Experience triumphed over youth with her big win. She had made it to the French Open finals once before, losing in 2014 to Maria Sharapova, 30. She almost had first Grand Slam career win! Jelena’s upset will go down as one of the greatest achievement in women’s tennis. She became only the second woman ever to win the tournament as an unseeded player. Britain’s Peggy Scriven was the first and that happened back in 1933! So the feat took 84 YEARS to happen again! What a huge win, making Jelena’s incredible victory one for the ages. Jelena already made history simply by making it into the finals. The incredible feat comes 34 years after the last time an unseeded player made it all the way to the championship round, as Mimi Jausovec lost to legendary Chris Evert in the final of the 1983 Open. Jelena had taken out 11th ranked Caroline Wozniacki, 26 in the quarterfinals and Switzerland’s Timea Bacsinszky, 28, in the semi’s, and Simona was her toughest opponent of the tournament. What an incredible match by two amazing players! HollywoodLifers, are you happy that Jelena Ostapenko won the French Open? Are you a tennis fan? ||||| The French Open is over for another year, in what has been a fabulous tournament in 2017. Rafael Nadal and Jelena Ostapenko were crowned as champions after two weeks of highly competitive and entertaining tennis to cap off a thoroughly intriguing clay-court season. But before we turn our attention to the grass-court season and the build-up to Wimbledon, now seems the perfect moment to look back at some of the biggest moments and talking points from Roland Garros. Nadal potentially winning la decima has dominated headlines throughout and it finally came to fruition on Sunday. He dropped just 35 games on his way to the title and didn’t even come close to losing a set on his way to becoming the first player in the Open Era to win 10 titles at one Grand Slam. MORE: La decima is just the start – Rafael Nadal will be world No. 1 by the end of the year While Nadal continued adding to his legacy, young Ostapenko came out of nowhere to shock the world. Ranked at 47 in the WTA leaderboard, Ostapenko stunned the world with a win over Simona Halep. She’s the first Grand Slam winner from Latvia and will now rise to No. 12 in the rankings. One year after winning the title at Roland Garros to hold all four majors at once, Djokovic’s career is all of a sudden in tatters. He’s dropped down to world No. 4 after Dominic Thiem dumped him out in Paris and he’s toyed with the idea of having a break from the game. Whether he can come back from this latest setback remains to be seen, but Djokovic’s future is a real concern right now. One player who made the headlines for all the wrong reasons was Maxime Hamou. The French ace groped journalist Maly Thomas mid-interview, refusing to let her go and kissing her on the cheek, while she clearly wanted him to stop. He was subsequently banned by event organisers. Venus Williams may have fallen in the fourth round but just by featuring at Roland Garros she made a piece of history. The American was the first female to play the event for a 20th time – two decades worth of action. One of the most emotional moments at the French Open was Steve Johnson breaking down after his second-round match win over Borna Coric. The American’s father had died in the month preceding the event and he was clearly overwhelmed. Finally, there was another very emotional moment, this time involving Juan Martin del Potro and Nicolas Almagro. The Spaniard injured his knee and was forced to retire but Del Potro – a man who has suffered from plenty of injuries himself – showed his truly caring side as he comforted his opponent on court as he sobbed. ||||| Romania's Simona Halep clenches her fist after defeating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic during their semifinal match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium, Thursday, June 8, 2017 in Paris. (AP Photo/David Vincent) PARIS (AP) -- Third-seeded Simona Halep of Romania will face unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia in the women's final at the French Open. The winner Saturday will be a first-time Grand Slam champion. If Halep wins, she also will move up to No. 1 in the rankings for the first time. She was the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2014. The 20-year-old Ostapenko had never been past the third round at a Grand Slam tournament until this one. This is only the eighth major of her career. The men's doubles final is also Saturday, with two Americans on opposite sides: Ryan Harrison of the U.S. and Michael Venus of New Zealand go up against Donald Young of the U.S. and Santiago Gonzalez of Mexico. ||||| Paris: Few other people saw it coming but Jelena Ostapenko`s mother was not surprised that her daughter burst into the limelight to claim the French Open title in spectacular fashion on Saturday. The unseeded Ostapenko, 20, downed Romanian third seed Simona Halep 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the final, hitting a staggering 54 winners and taking her tournament tally to 299. Those numbers are counter-balanced by her unforced errors -- 54 on Saturday and 271 in total -- but they were not enough to stop the energy-charged Ostapenko from bulldozing her way to the title, firing faster forehands on average than men`s world number one Andy Murray. Asked when she realised her daughter had so much power, Jelena Jakovleva said: "The day she was born. "She had the same energy when she was little, it was very difficult," Jakovleva, who coaches her daughter, told a group of reporters at Roland Garros. "She danced, swam, played tennis, she played football because she had so much energy. "She`s fearless, she fights for every point." Ostapenko was 10 when she first mentioned winning the French Open one day, Jakovleva said. "She was on an excursion with her father at Roland Garros and she said maybe one time I will become a champion here." Two years later, in 2009, she would win the Open 10-12 in the 12-year-old category, at the Tennis Club de Boulogne Billancourt, a stone`s throw from Roland Garros, joining Amelie Mauresmo and Justine Henin on the list of winners. Jakovleva stayed home in Latvia during the first week of this year`s French Open but even after she arrived in Paris she could not watch her daughter`s matches from the stands. "I was nervous," she said. "And Jelena has more focus if I`m not there." At the Australian Open, Ostapenko lost her nerve in the third round when serving for the match at 5-2 in the decider against Karolina Pliskova, eventually losing 4-6 6-0 10-8. "At the Australian Open she played very well but lost when 5-2 up. We worked on that and changed a few things and she now is psychologically stronger," Jakovleva explained. Ostapenko, who will rise to world number 12 from 47 following Saturday`s win, also worked a lot on her forehand, which was then her weakest shot. "Her forehand was so-so. So she worked hard on it." Halep realised just how hard her opponent had worked on that on Saturday. "She can take the racket out of your hands," Halep`s coach Darren Cahill said. ||||| PARIS >> Right from the start of the French Open final, Jelena Ostapenko made quite clear to anyone unfamiliar with her name, or her game, what she is all about. Yes, she was just two days past her 20th birthday. Yes, she was ranked only 47th. Yes, she was trying to become the first unseeded women’s champion at the tournament since — get this — 1933. And yes, she was trying to become the first woman in nearly four decades to make a Grand Slam title the first tour-level triumph of her career. None of that mattered to Ostapenko. She began what would become an enthralling, 2-hour encounter by breaking No. 3-seeded Simona Halep at love with a series of grip-it-and-rip-it shots , eliciting loud, appreciative gasps from spectators. So what if Ostapenko wound up dropping that set, then facing big deficits in the second and third? Ostapenko never wavered, using bold strokes and an unbending will to come back and stun Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 for an unlikely championship at Roland Garros. “Before the match, 5-10 minutes, I was a little bit nervous,” said Ostapenko, the first Latvian to win a major. “But then, when I went on court, I felt quite free.” Halep, a 25-year-old from Romania, was the 2014 French Open runner-up and would have moved up to No. 1 in the WTA rankings if she had won June 10. She appeared headed for a runaway victory when up a set and 3-0 in the second, plus holding three break points for the chance to lead 4-0. But Ostapenko would not go quietly, winning that game and the next three en route to forcing a third set. “I felt a little bit nervous,” said Ostapenko, the first woman since Jennifer Capriati in 2001 to win the French Open after losing the final’s opening set. “But then I felt: ‘I have nothing to lose, so I’m just going to enjoy the match and do my best.”’ She again summoned a veteran’s resolve down 3-1 in the third set, taking the match’s last five games and, fittingly, striking a pair of winners on the last two points. “Enjoy, be happy, and keep it going,” Halep told Ostapenko during the trophy ceremony , “because you’re like a kid.” Sure is. Quite a precocious one. Ostapenko was playing in only her eighth Grand Slam tournament and never had been past the third round before. Clay isn’t even her preferred surface — she likes grass better, and won the Wimbledon junior title in 2014 — which made this two-week joyride even more unpredictable. Consider: Last year in Paris, Ostapenko lost in the first round. The year before that, she lost in the first round of qualifying. “Everybody knows she can play very good, but I think nobody expected (her) to (do) what she did,” said Anabel Medina Garrigues, who began coaching Ostapenko in April. Asked why Ostapenko never won a WTA Tour event until now, Medina Garrigues began answering, then interrupted herself after 10 words and laughed. “I mean, I don’t know,” she said. “Actually, it’s something I cannot understand. It’s unbelievable.” The last woman to win her first tour-level title at a major was Barbara Jordan at the 1979 Australian Open. Not coincidentally, that was also the last time at any Grand Slam tournament that none of the women’s quarterfinalists had previously won a major championship. So Ostapenko stepped into the considerable opening created by the absences of Serena Williams (who is pregnant) and Sharapova (denied a wild card after a drug ban). Also missing was two-time major champ Victoria Azarenka, while No. 1 Angelique Kerber lost in the first round. Ostapenko burst onto the scene with a brash brand of tennis. Accenting shots with high-pitched exhales, she likes points quick. The impatience of youth not only showed up in Ostapenko’s play but also, occasionally, in her demeanor. When she’d miss, she would slap her thigh or crack her racket on the red clay or raise a palm as if to say, “What was up with that shot?” Things went her way to the tune of 54 winners, a remarkably high total that was 46 more than the defensive-minded Halep. Ostapenko also made 54 unforced errors, to Halep’s 10. When Ostapenko is at her best, Halep’s coach, Darren Cahill said, “You don’t touch the ball. You become a spectator.” A telling statistic: Of the 33 points Halep won in the first set, only one came via a winner off her racket. Still, there were plenty of entertaining points during the back-and-forth match between the disparate styles, played in a slight breeze with the temperature at about 80 degrees (above 25 Celsius) and with nary a cloud marking the azure sky. But the difference on this day: Halep faded at the end of the second and third sets, while Ostapenko surged, bringing her mother — a tennis instructor who taught young Jelena how to play — to tears in the stands. “I’ve been sick in the stomach with emotion,” Halep said. “Maybe I was not ready to win it.” Ostapenko certainly was ready, sooner than even she could imagine. ||||| Simona Halep set up a French Open final against Jelena Ostapenko on Thursday, taking her to within touching distance of a first Grand Slam title and the world number one spot. Romanian third seed Halep, the runner-up to Maria Sharapova in 2014, claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win over Karolina Pliskova, the second-seeded Czech. Unseeded Ostapenko downed Timea Bacsinszky 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-3 on her 20th birthday to become the first Latvian finalist at a major. The eventual champion on Saturday will be a first-time major winner while victory for Halep would crown her as the new world number one, replacing Angelique Kerber. “It’s an amazing feeling right now,” said 25-year-old Halep after her fifth win in six meetings against Pliskova, the world number three. “It was extremely tough today as Karolina is a very tough opponent. “To be in the final again is great. I hope to win this time. “But I am facing a young opponent, it will be a big challenge.” Pliskova ended the tie with 45 winners and a staggering 55 unforced errors. In contrast, Halep registered 14 in both columns. For Halep, the win came just a day after she saved a match point and came from a set and 1-5 to beat Elina Svitolina in the last eight. Pliskova, the 25-year-old Czech, would have taken the world top spot if she had made her second Slam final. In the end, she could at least reflect on progress in Paris — before this year, she had never got beyond the second round in five attempts. Ostapenko presented herself with the perfect 20th birthday gift by reaching a first French Open final after blasting past 30th seed Bacsinszky, a semi-finalist also in 2015. “I’m really happy to be in the final, especially on my birthday. I think it’s a nice gift,” said Ostapenko, whose win was greeted by the crowd singing ‘happy birthday’. The world number 47 is the first unseeded player to reach the final in Paris since Mima Jausovec in 1983. Ostapenko is also the youngest woman to advance to the final of a major since a 19-year-old Caroline Wozniacki finished runner-up at the 2009 US Open. “I was always playing aggressive and hitting the ball when I have a chance,” said Ostapenko, who smacked 50 winners to Bacsinszky’s 22.“It was a really tough match. I think it was a battle. “I think it was kind of important that I won the first set, even the second I lost, but in the third set I found my game again. “I felt a little bit tight because…I was very close to making the final and some thoughts were in my mind,” added Ostapenko, whose previous best run at a Slam was reaching the third round at the Australian Open. “But then I was just trying to be calm and just to try to play my game and just enjoy every moment.”For Bacsinszky it was a second semi-final defeat in Paris. “Of course I’m disappointed. I’m a competitor, and it really annoys me not to be in the final,” said Bacsinszky, who was beaten on her 28th birthday. “I’m not ashamed to say that she played better. She was braver. She had more courage. She was more successful.”—AFP | In tennis, Jeļena Ostapenko of Latvia defeats Simona Halep of Romania 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 in the Women's Singles of the French Open. It is Ostapenko's first WTA Tour title, making her the first woman to earn her first tour victory at a Grand Slam event since Barbara Jordan at the 1979 Australian Open. She also becomes the first Latvian of either sex to win a Grand Slam event and the first unseeded woman to win the French Open since 1933. |
BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he had been held since shortly after the 2011 revolt against his late father, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said. He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another Libyan city that he could not name for security reasons. Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader’s children, and was touted by some as a reformist successor before the uprising six years ago in which Muammar Gaddafi was toppled and killed. It is unclear what, if any, role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control. But Gaddafi loyalists outside Libya as well as some in the east of the country, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif’s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence. Saif’s lawyer Zaidi said Saif could play an important part in national reconciliation efforts because he was popular in Libya: “He will play a pivotal and detailed role in this stage.” Zaidi told Reuters in an interview in Cairo that Saif would make a statement at some point and would not be turning himself in to the International Criminal Court, which is seeking his arrest. Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have long been conflicting rumors about his status. No physical evidence of his whereabouts has been offered. Saif was last seen by an independent international observer in June 2014. FILE PHOTO: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, attends a hearing behind bars in a courtroom in Zintan May 25, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo Zintan’s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had chosen to release him following requests from the justice ministry of a government based in eastern Libya that is a rival to the U.N.-backed one in the capital, Tripoli. “We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday),” the brigade said. SENTENCED TO DEATH A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in absentia in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution. A statement posted by the attorney general’s office in Tripoli on Sunday said he was still wanted under that conviction and that an investigation had been launched into his reported release. Libya slid into turmoil after Muammar Gaddafi’s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by factions in the east. Zintan, which gained military importance through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards. It was unclear what terms Saif’s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip. Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya. Slideshow (4 Images) However, a statement from Zintan’s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the Abubaker Sadiq brigade’s decision to release Saif. It said the move had “nothing to do with legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to”. The defense and security committee of the eastern parliament criticized the move as well, showing that opinion among officials in the east is also split. ||||| Benghazi: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed by an armed group in western Libya where he was being held following the 2011 revolt against his late father, former leader Muammar Gaddafi, one of his lawyers and the brigade involved said. He was released in the town of Zintan under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya, lawyer Khaled al-Zaidi said on Sunday, adding that Saif was headed to another city which could not be named for security reasons. Saif, 44, is the most prominent of the late leader`s children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed. It is unclear what role the younger Gaddafi could play in Libya, where a complex array of armed groups and competing governments are vying for control. But some in eastern Libya, where military commander Khalifa Haftar has been building power, have been pressing for Saif`s release amid a push from former regime figures to reassert influence. Earlier reports that Saif had been freed from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status. Zintan`s Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya. "We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday)," the brigade said. A Tripoli court sentenced Saif to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution. Libya slid into turmoil after his father`s overthrow, with rival governments and armed alliances competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to impose its authority and has been rejected by powerful factions in the east. Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says his trial in Libya did not meet international standards. It was unknown what terms Saif`s captors might have set for his release, and why they would have freed a prisoner seen as a major bargaining chip. Zintan, about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Tripoli, has its own divisions, but it has been broadly aligned with the government and armed forces based in eastern Libya. A statement from Zintan`s military and municipal councils strongly condemned the decision to release Saif. It said the move had "nothing to do with the legal procedures, but is collusion and betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and the military institution that they claim to belong to". ||||| Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been released from prison, according to fighters who control the facility. A statement from the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, a militia which controls Zintan, a mountainous region southwest of the capital Tripoli, said Saif al-Islam was released late on Saturday. The most prominent of Gaddafi’s sons, Saif al-Islam, 44, was captured in Zintan in November 2011 as he was fleeing to neighbouring Niger after opposition fighters seized Tripoli. Saif al-Islam, the most prominent of Gaddafi’s eight children, was sentenced to death in July 2015 by a court in Tripoli in a mass trial of former Gaddafi government officials. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Since the Gaddafi’s four-decade rule ended in 2011, Libya has struggled to establish basic institutions and rule of law, with militias and former fighters challenging the authority of the weak central government. ||||| Late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s son, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi has been released after six years in detention by a militia group in the city of Zintan. In a statement to the media, the militia group Abu Bakr al-Siddiq on Saturday night said that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, had been released on Friday and that he immediately left Zintan where he was captured in November 2011, a month after his father was killed in the city of Sirte, reports Efe news. “We decided to release Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. He is now completely free. We confirm that he abandoned Zintan at the time of his release,” the group said. Hours later, the online daily Libyan Express said Saif, who faces an arrest order issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), was taken to the eastern city of al-Bayda, reports Efe news. “Saif is now among his uncles and relatives in al-Bayda and will soon deliver a speech to the Libyan people,” the daily said. The ICC accuses Saif of crimes against humanity, saying he ordered the killing and torture of Libyans during the 2011 rebel uprising that overthrew his father. On the basis of those accusations, a court in Tripoli in 2015 convicted Saif in absentia and sentenced him to death. The trial, however, has been criticised for alleged irregularities. His captors, however, refused to turn him over to the different authorities in the Libyan capital or to the international tribunal. Since last July, he had been under a regime of semi-liberty — under the control of the militias in Zintan but free to receive visitors. Libya remains politically divided after six years of conflicts with two competing parliaments and governments, one based in Tripoli and the other in the eastern port city of Tobruk. With mediation efforts of the international community, political rivals signed a UN-sponsored peace agreement in December 2015 which led to the establishment of the Government of National Accord (GNA) headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and based in Tripoli. However, the Tobruk-based parliament, which is recognized by the international community, has refused to endorse the government. ||||| Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's son has been released following nearly six-years of detention. The most prominent son of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been released from prison according to a statement released by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion in Libya's Zintan. The statement did not disclose his current location due to fears for his safety. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, 44, was released on Saturday after he was captured and imprisoned by fighters from Zintan while attempting to flee the country to neighbouring Niger back in 2011 when opposition fighters seized Tripoli. His release comes as part of a general pardon issued by the government in the city of Tobruk backed by renegade General Khalifa Haftar, one of two rival administrations based in Libya. The second of Muammar Gaddafi's nine children, Saif al-Islam had been seen by many before the 2011 uprising as his father's heir apparent and the second-most powerful man in Libya. Saif al-Islam remained prominent throughout the violence that gripped Libya in the wake of the Arab Spring. There were numerous allegations against him of torture and extreme violence against opponents of his father's rule. By February 2011, he was on a United Nations sanctions list and was banned from travelling. In June 2011, he announced that his father was willing to hold elections and to step down if he did not win them. However, NATO rejected the offer and the bombardment of Libya continued. By the end of June 2011, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him, but he remained at large until after the death of his father Muammar and his brother Mutassim in Sirte, on October 20, 2011. Following long negotiations with the ICC, which had been calling for his extradition, Libyan officials were granted authority to try Saif al-Islam in Libya for war crimes committed during the 2011 uprising. At the time, Saif al-Islam's defence lawyers feared that a trial in Libya would not be motivated by justice, but would be motivated by a desire for revenge. The UN had estimated that up to 15,000 people were killed in the conflict, while Libya's National Transitional Council placed the figure as high as 30,000. In 2014, Saif al-Islam appeared via video link in the Tripoli courtroom where his trial was held, as he was incarcerated in Zintan at the time. In July 2015, the Tripoli court sentenced him to death in absentia. READ MORE: Libya - The story of conflict explained A Western-educated and well-spoken man, Saif al-Islam presented a progressive face to the oppressive Libyan regime and was extremely visible and active in the drive to repair Libya's relations with the West between the year 2000 and the start of the 2011 uprising. He received a PhD from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2008. His dissertation dealt with the role of civil society in reforming global governance and was prominent in his calls for political reform. LSE was later condemned for having sought a relationship with the Libyan regime, namely for accepting Saif al-Islam as a student, who had signed an agreement for a $2.4m gift from the Gaddafi International Charity and Development Foundation on the day of his doctorate ceremony. As an internationally prominent negotiator and influencer, Saif al-Islam could claim a number of victories and prominent roles. He played a pivotal role in the nuclear negotiations with Western powers including the United States and the UK. Also in negotiating compensation for families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing, the Berlin nightclub attack, and the UTA Flight 772, which detonated over the Sahara desert. He also mediated the release of six medics - five of whom were Bulgarian - who were accused of infecting children with HIV in Libya in the late 1990s. The medics were imprisoned for eight years in 1999 and, upon their release, announced that they had been tortured while in detention. He had a number of other proposals including "Isratine", a proposal for a permanent resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through a secular one-state solution. He also hosted peace talks between the Philippines government and leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which resulted in a peace agreement that was signed in 2001. Saif al-Islam is still wanted by the ICC on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Ajmi al-Atiri, the commander of the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, was set to release a video statement explaining the details of the release. ||||| BENGHAZI, Libya, June 11 (Reuters) - Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of deposed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, has been freed by an armed group holding him in the western town of Zintan where he was taken after the 2011 revolt against his father, according to one of his lawyers and a statement from the brigade. The lawyer and the brigade said he had been released under an amnesty law passed by a parliament based in eastern Libya. The lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, said Saif al-Islam was headed to another Libyan city, but he could not say where for security reasons. Previous reports that Saif al-Islam had been released from Zintan turned out to be false and there have been conflicting reports about his status since his capture. Saif al-Islam, 44, is the most prominent of the late long-time Libyan leader's children, and was touted by some as a possible successor before the uprising six years ago in which Gaddafi was toppled and killed. Zintan's Abubaker Sadiq brigade, which was responsible for guarding Saif al-Islam, said it had decided to release him following requests from the ministry of justice of a government based in eastern Libya. "We decided to release Saif al-Islam Muammar Gaddafi, who is free, and we confirm that he left Zintan on the date of his release on the 14th of Ramadan (Friday)," the brigade said. A Tripoli court sentenced him to death in 2015 for war crimes, including killing protesters during the revolution. Libya slid into turmoil after Gaddafi's overthrow, with rival armed factions and governments competing for power. A U.N.-backed government now in Tripoli has struggled to assert its influence especially over powerful factions in the east. Zintan, which grew powerful through its role in the 2011 uprising and has been at odds with authorities in Tripoli, had refused to hand Saif al-Islam over. He is also sought by the International Criminal Court, which says the trial in Libya did not meet international standards. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli and Ahmed Elumami; Writing by Aidan Lewis; editing by David Clarke and Patrick Markey) ||||| Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, has been freed from jail under an amnesty law. His father’s preferred successor, he had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan for the past six years. The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said he had been released on Friday but he has not been seen in public. It is feared the move could fuel further instability in Libya. His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, confirmed he had been released. He declined to say which city Saif al-Islam had travelled to for security reasons. A source has told the BBC he is in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya. The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said it was acting on a request from the “interim government” based in the east of the country. However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, in the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord. Saif al-Islam is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father’s unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion against his rule. The Zintan Military Council – which had previously been involved in his detention – and Zintan’s municipal council have condemned his release by the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion. The councils said in a statement that freeing Saif al-Islam was “a form of collusion, a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs and stab in the back of the military body to which they [the brigade] claim to belong”. The 44-year-old Saif al-Islam – who was controversially granted a PhD by the London School of Economics in 2008 – was captured in November 2011 after three months on the run following the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s decades-long rule. He was previously known for playing a key role in building relations with the West after 2000, and had been considered the reformist face of his father’s regime. But after the 2011 uprising, he found himself accused of incitement to violence and murdering protesters. Four years later, he was sentenced to death by firing squad following a trial involving 30 of Gaddafi’s close associates. Reaction on social media to Saif al-Islam’s release has been mixed. One Twitter user said: “When the world is upside down, the killer becomes innocent and the victim becomes a terrorist. The blood of the martyrs disappears and Saif al-Islam becomes a free man!” By contrast, another Twitter user posted a video showing celebrations of Saif al-Islam’s release in the north-western town of Asabea, in which people appeared be carrying the green flags associated with his father’s rule. He was also described as a “lifeline to the Libyan people”.
• June 1972: Born in Tripoli, Libya, second son of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi
• June 2011: International Criminal Court issues an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam for crimes against humanity
• August 2011: Leaves the capital after Tripoli falls to anti-government forces; flees to Bani Walid
• 19 November 2011: Captured by militia as he tries to flee south to Niger. Imprisoned in Zintan
• July 2015: Sentenced to death by a Tripoli court in absentia
• June 2017: Reportedly released after being granted amnesty by one of Libya’s two competing governments BBC News ||||| The son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi has been released from prison. Saif al-Islam Gaddafi has been freed under a new amnesty law. His release was approved by one of Libya's administrations based in the eastern city of Tobruk. A court in Tripoli had sentenced him to death in 2015 for war crimes and suppression of demonstrations during the 2011 uprising. The son of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam is also wanted by the International Criminal Court. So what will this mean for Libya as it struggles with violence and competing governments? Fathi Fadhli - Professor at the University of Tripoli and Author. Ibrahim Fraihat - Conflict Resolution Professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. ||||| The military and city council of the Libyan city Zintan (180 km southeast Tripoli) on Sunday objected on the release of Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi, who has been freed by the militia detaining him in the city, a statement released by the council said. The military and city councils of Zintan strongly condemn the statement of the Information Office of Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, regarding the illegal release of the detainee Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, which claims that the release was based on the amnesty law,” the statement said. “This act is collusion and betrayal to the martyrs and a stab to the military establishment that they claim to belong to,” the statement added. A militia from Zintan called Abu-Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion, which was detaining Gaddafi, announced on Saturday they freed Gaddafi based on an amnesty law issued by the eastern-based parliament in 2015. Gaddafi was sentenced to death in absentia by the Tripoli appeal court in July 2015 for suppressing the 2011 uprising and killing of protesters. He is also wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the uprising. The international court is demanding the Libyan authorities to extradite him for trial. The national defense and security committee of the eastern-based parliament on Sunday demanded that all detainees of the former regime must not be released without a court verdict. Moreover, Tripoli Attorney General in-charge, Ibrahim Masoud Ali, on Sunday said that the release of Gaddafi was illegal, and that the “amnesty he needs to be released required a legal waiver from the families of the victims. Moreover, the suspect is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity.” Ali said that the office is investigating into those involved in the release of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.(Xinhua/NA ||||| Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, second son of the late deposed Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi, is said to have been freed under an amnesty, in a move which could fuel further instability. His father’s preferred successor, he had been held by a militia in the town of Zintan for the past six years. The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said he had been released on Friday but he has not been shown in public. A source has told the BBC he is in the Tobruk area of eastern Libya. His lawyer, Khaled al-Zaidi, also said he had been released but would not say which city Saif al-Islam had travelled to for security reasons. The Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Battalion said it was acting on a request from the “interim government”. That government – based in the east of the country – had already offered amnesty to Saif al-Islam. However, he has been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Tripoli, the west of the country, where control is in the hands of the rival, UN-backed Government of National Accord. Previous reports of Saif al-Islam Gaddafi’s release proved to be false. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during his father’s unsuccessful attempts to put down the rebellion. | Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of late Muammar Gaddafi, is released in Zintan after requests from the eastern Libya-based government. He is sought by the International Criminal Court and was condemned to the death penalty by the Tripoli-based government. His whereabouts are now unknown. |
BOX SCORE OAKLAND -- They finished it off. And they did it in style, with 19,596 souls at sold-out Oracle Arena spending the fourth quarter standing and staring and screaming. The Warriors, considered by many as a Super Team, derided by some as Super Villains, are Super Champions. With Kevin Durant scoring a team-high 39 points and Stephen Curry tossing in 34, the Warriors outlasted a resilient Cavaliers team 129-120 in Game 5 of the NBA Finals Monday night to win their second title in three years. Andre Iguodala fired in 20 points off the bench, Klay Thompson had 11 and Draymond Green added 10, along with a team-high 11 rebounds as the Warriors concluded the postseason at 16-1, the highest postseason win percentage in NBA history. The Warriors won despite giving away 25 points in turnovers, being outscored in the paint 62-52 and being outshot 53.4 percent to 51.1. Cleveland won the second-chance-points battle 20-15 and the fast-break points battle 25-18. LeBron James poured in a game-high 41 points to lead Cleveland, while Kyrie Irving tossed in 26 -- 0 in the fourth quarter. STANDOUT PERFORMER: Iguodala was tremendous off the bench. Curry did plenty of damage. Green brought fire and hard-hat production. Durant punctuated a magnificent Finals performance with his best offensive show. Durant’s line: 39 points (14-of-20 shooting from the field, including 5-of-7 beyond the arc, 6-of-6 from the line), seven rebounds and five assists. He played 40 minutes and finished plus-18. TURNING POINT: Trailing the Cavaliers 41-33 after a James dunk with 10:14 left in the second quarter, the Warriors reeled off a 21-2 run to go up 54-43 on a Curry floater with 4:40 left in the half. The Cavs trailed by 11 (71-60) at the half, by five (98-93) after three quarters. They got as close as three (98-95) early in the fourth before the Warriors pulled away down the stretch, outscoring the 31-27 in the final quarter. INJURY UPDATE: Warriors: No injuries listed. C Damian Jones and F Kevon Looney were placed on the inactive list. Cavs: No injuries listed. G Kay Felder and C Edy Tavares were placed on the inactive list. WHAT’S NEXT: The victory parade is set for Thursday in Oakland. ||||| The Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant took the title of MVP for the 2017 NBA Finals and we could not be more psyched! Even though you know he’s all around awesome after watching him crush the championship, here are some things you may not have known! Though he must have been extremely sweaty at the end of Game 5 of the NBA finals, Kevin Durant, 28, came out smelling like a rose. When the game ended with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the NBA Championship everyone was cheering, not just for the Warriors, but for Kevin specifically, who took home MVP. Here is everything you need to know about the all-star. Click here to see pics of of celebs at the NBA finals. 1. He played against the Warriors last year. Kevin was a powerhouse player for Oklahoma City Thunder from 2008-2016, during which time he played against his current team. In July of 2016 he announced he was signing with the Warriors, a move that fans and critics disapproved of and actually compared to when LeBron James left the Cavs for the Miami Heat 2. He’s an Olympic gold medalist. Kevin was a member of the men’s USA basketball team for the London 2012 Olympics. The team took home the gold and Kevin, with averages of 19.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, broke the record for most points scored in Olympic basketball. 3. He’s very close with his mother. After Kevin and the Cavs won the 2017 Championship he had this to say about sharing the moment with his mom, Wanda: “She’s seen me as a kid putting in work. She’s seen how I come home after losses and how tough I take it … it feels good to see it come full circle.” Then, when he won MVP he added, emotionally: “We did it. I told you when I was 8 years old. We did it.” 4. He is one of the highest-earning basketball players in the entire world. Kevin makes about $35 million a year and is signed to Jay-Z‘s Roc Nation group, with sponsors including Nike, Sprint, Gatorade, Panini, General Electric, and 2K Sports. 5. He’s a huge philanthropist. Kevin pledged $1 million to the American Red Cross for the victims of the 2013 Moore tornado in 2013 and was able to get the Thunder and Nike to match his donation. He is also the face of the Washington, D. C. branch of P’Tones Records, a nationwide non-profit after-school music program. HollywoodLifers, what do you think of Kevin now that you know everything about the NBA Finals’ latest MVP? Give us all your thoughts below! ||||| For the second time in three years, the Golden State Warriors are NBA champions. Courtesy of a 129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, the Warriors earned the third title in franchise history in front of the home fans at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California Monday night. On the way to his first NBA Championship, Warriors forward Kevin Durant scored 39 points on 14-of-20 shooting, including a five-of-eight showing from three-point range, to go along with seven rebounds, five assists and one steal. Additionally, the Warriors got double-digit scoring efforts from shooting guard Stephen Curry (34 points), shooting guard Klay Thompson (11), power forward Draymond Green (10) and reserve forward Andre Iguodala (20). Durant averaged 35.2 points over the five-game series against the Cavaliers. Four of Cleveland’s five starters reached in double figures, led by small forward LeBron James. James converted 19 of his 30 attempts from the field en route to a game-high 41 points. James added 13 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one blocked shot over 46 minutes of play. Point guard Kyrie Irving (26 points), shooting guard J.R. Smith (25) and center Tristan Thompson (15) also finished in double figures. 11:11 p.m.-CAVALIERS CUT WARRIORS LEAD DOWN TO FIVE AFTER THIRD Needing a run to get back into the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers outscored the Golden State Warriors by six points out of the halftime break, which cut the deficit down to five, 98-93, after the third quarter of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Point guard Kyrie Irving emerged as the Cavaliers’ offensive leader early in the third quarter, as he used his mid-range game to score a game-high 10 points in the period on four-of-six shooting mixed in with a pair of free throws. Small forward LeBron James and shooting guard J.R. Smith added six points each, while center Tristan Thompson converted two looks from the field and three of his four attempts from the free-throw line on his way to seven points. As a team, the Cavaliers knocked down 12 of their 20 looks from the field, while they limited the Warriors to nine of 19 in the third quarter. For the third straight quarter, Smith buried a three-pointer in the final 20 seconds of play, as he connected on an off-balance, contested triple from the left wing with just 18 seconds remaining in the period. The Golden State Warriors put together a monster run in the second quarter, and by virtue of a 15-point edge in scoring, took a 71-60 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers at halftime of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The Cavaliers started the second quarter with a pair of baskets from small forward LeBron James, including a dunk over the outstretched arm of Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who appeared to smack James in the face on his way toward the rim. During a timeout from Golden State, James took umbrage with an official about the lack of a call on Durant, but the complaints went for naught, and the Warriors used that break in the action to settle themselves. Down by eight points, the Warriors responded with a 30-8 scoring run over the next seven-plus minutes of play. Golden State started the run with six straight points, including an 18-foot jumper and second-chance bucket from forward David West. West missed a short jumper as it rolled off the rim, but after the Warriors hustled after the offensive rebound, West got the short-range jumper to fall. Following a steal off of Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving, reserve forward Andre Iguodala threw down an uncontested dunk and forced the Cavaliers to use a timeout with their lead down to two points, 41-39, with 7:58 to play in the first half. Out of the break in the action, Durant hit a pair of three-pointers, which put the Warriors in front, 45-43, and then, point guard Stephen Curry hit his first triple of the game at the 6:13 mark of the second quarter. Shooting guard J.R. Smith broke the Cavaliers out of their slump with a deep two-pointer from the right wing, but Warriors power forward Draymond Green answered with a three-pointer from the left corner of the floor that Durant followed with a triple of his own from the right wing. Down by as many as 16 points, the Cavaliers outscored the Warriors, 8-2, over the final minute of play thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Smith, who buried the first from the right wing, and then, with the final seconds ticking off the clock, pulled up from well beyond the arc on the left side of the floor and sunk his third triple of the half. The Cleveland Cavaliers came out like a team with its back against the wall, and their hustle on both ends of the floor, as well as unselfish passing and ability to attack the rim led to a 37-33 advantage over the Golden State Warriors after the first quarter of Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland. The Warriors started the game on a 9-4 run, including back-to-back three-pointers from power forward Draymond Green and shooting guard Klay Thompson, but the Cavaliers had an answer in the form of a 9-0 run in just 95 seconds that forced a Golden State timeout with 8:44 to play in the period. Shooting guard J.R. Smith got the run started with a driving layup on a pass from center Tristan Thompson, and then, small forward LeBron James continued the spurt with a driving layup of his own, which Smith set up with a pass in the lane. Fouled on his drive to the hoop, James made it a three-point play with a free throw, which tied the score at 9-9, but it would not remain that way for long. Point guard Kyrie Irving picked the pocket of his Warriors counterpart, Stephen Curry, and raced toward the hoop for a layup. Then, James intercepted a pass from small forward Kevin Durant and took it in for the basket. Out of the timeout, the Warriors got a layup from Durant, but the Cavaliers answered that with a layup from Thompson and a pull-up three-pointer from James from the left wing, which gave Cleveland a 20-11 advantage. Although the Warriors made it a two-point game, 22-20, with a 9-2 scoring run over the next two minutes, the Cavaliers outpaced the home team, 15-13, for the remainder of the quarter. With the Cavaliers down, 31-30, with inside a minute left, Irving sunk a pair of free throws, and then, hit an off-balance two-pointer from 21 feet away. Then, in transition after a steal from reserve guard Deron Williams, Smith caught a pass from Irving and buried a three-pointer from the left wing with 4.7 seconds left. CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers fought their way to a 137-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals Friday night, which forced the best-of-seven series back to Oracle Arena in Oakland for tonight’s Game 5 matchup. And in order for the Cavaliers to force The Finals back to Cleveland for Game 6, small forward LeBron James knows it will take a maximum effort against the best team in the league for the third straight season, who will go for the close-out win in front of its home fans. “We have to bring our best game every game against this team,” James said. “Like I said before, they create so many different problems out on the floor, so much firepower, that we always have to play great in order to win.” The last three times the Cavaliers played at Oracle Arena, including a regular-season game on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day back in January as well as Games 1 and 2 of The Finals, the Warriors dominated the pace of play and won by an average of 25.33 points. “We didn’t play well in Game 1 or Game 2,” James said. “We have watched the film, we see what we didn’t do well, and if you don’t do something well, they will make you pay for it. So we have to be 20 times better in this building, and we understand that. “If we don’t protect the three-point line and if we turn the ball over, then we don’t stand a chance. So we know what our keys to victory are that are going to give us the best possible chance to go back home with a Game 6. And if we don’t stick to that game plan, then we’ll be going back home without a game.” After the Cavaliers won the Eastern Conference Championship at TD Garden in Boston late last month, James talked about how stressful it was to think about The Finals so quickly after clinching their third straight trip to the championship round. But as the series continues, James is able to process the stress by focusing on the task at hand. “The Playoffs (are) stressful and just the preparation, things of that nature, but that’s just from how I prepare,” James said. “There’s no added stress going on playing basketball. Your coaching staff is giving you a game plan, you just try to execute it. There’s no added stress of that. “If you’re able to get a win or get two, get three, get four, you don’t win, I guess I’ve been a part of all of it. I don’t think you have more stress. You know what you need to do. If you’re prepared, then you’re prepared. There’s no reason to add more to it.” And as for which team has the most pressure on it heading into Game 5, the Cavaliers, who are one win away from elimination, or the Warriors, who could win a championship in front of the home fans, James knows what he and his teammates are focused on. “I feel like this is the game we’ve got to get, or it’s over with,” James said. “I think everybody’s feeling that way.” You can interact with us all game long using the Twitter hashtag #3Cavs ||||| OAKLAND, CA-Kevin Durant scored 39 points, Stephen Curry added 34 and the Golden State Warriors won their second NBA championship in three seasons with a 129-120 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 5 of the Finals on Monday night. Durant capped his first season with the Warriors in triumphant fashion with another big shooting night that helped Golden State avoid a repeat of last year’s Finals collapse when Cleveland rallied from 3-1 down to win the title. LeBron James scored 41 points and Kyrie Irving added 26 for the Cavs, who had won four straight potential elimination games against the Warriors before running out of gas in Game 5. ||||| Kevin Durant’s maiden voyage as a member of the Golden State Warriors ended in the way that many envisioned. In Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals, Durant was unbelievably effective, scoring 39 points, grabbing seven rebounds and knocking down five three-point attempts in a clinching performance. Moments later, he was named as the 2017 NBA Finals MVP and put on a show during the trophy presentation. Nike, who pays Kevin Durant a hefty sum of money annually, was quick to release a video celebrating the occasion but there is something to be said for the raw reaction. One of the best moments came from Durant’s interaction with his mother and, even if the majority of that took place outside of the speech, the exclamation of “we did it!” certainly was affecting. Furthermore, it wasn’t as if there was any level of mystery to the proceedings, as Durant was the unanimous choice. ||||| OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 12: (L-R) Dell and Sonya Curry, parents of Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors sit with his wife Ayesha Curry in the stands during Game 5 of the 2017 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at ORACLE Arena on June 12, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) ||||| Kevin Durant finally has the NBA championship that eluded him for nine seasons. After spurning the Thunder to join the Warriors as a free agent last offseason, Durant capped a dominant NBA Finals performance with 39 points to lead Golden State to a 129-120 victory over the Cavaliers and close out the series in five games. Durant was 14 of 20 from the floor in Monday's win and added seven rebounds and five assists and finished the series with a five-game average of 35.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists. Durant was the difference as the Warriors won their second title in three years and won the rubber match in their so-called three-match with the Cavaliers. Cavaliers forward LeBron James, playing in his seventh straight NBA Finals, scored a game-high 41 points and averaged a triple-double in the Finals. The first player Durant embraced following the victory was James, who gave a valiant effort himself and was matched up with Durant for most of the series. Durant said he was "anxious and jittery" before Monday's game, but "prevailed" as he scored more than 30 points in each of the five games. ||||| The Golden State Warriors are NBA champions, and we might be saying that for a while. They have four superstars under the age of 30, led by 2017 NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who averaged 35 points per game in Golden State’s five-game Finals win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The rest of the league has a lot of catching up to do to reach the Warriors’ level. This team has almost no weaknesses. Unless injuries ruin the party, Monday night’s celebration could last for several seasons. Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce believe’s Golden State’s reign over the basketball world is only beginning, and it’s hard to disagree. This is why the Celtics, a team with tremendous young players and a treasure chest of future draft picks, should take the long view in their plan to build a champion. Boston reached the Eastern Conference finals this season but was decisively beaten by LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games. It was a great season for the C’s, who earned valuable playoff experience for a young roster. But if they weren’t close to beating the Cavs, taking down the Warriors would be a near-impossible task. Yes, the C’s have won in Golden State in each of the last two seasons, but this year’s upset at Oracle Arena came when Kevin Durant was sidelined with an injury. The Celtics have the assets — most notably the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and a likely top-five pick via the Brooklyn Nets in the 2018 draft — to make a blockbuster trade for a superstar. But even the additions of Paul George or Jimmy Butler via trade, or Gordon Hayward as a free agent, wouldn’t elevate the Celtics to the Warriors’ level. The best path to success for the C’s is using these draft picks on players who will reach their prime when the Warriors could be broken up (or old) and James and the Cavs no longer are elite. Imagine a Celtics core of 2016 No. 3 overall pick Jaylen Brown, potential 2017 No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz and whoever next year’s Nets first-round pick turns out to be. Three talented players under 22 years old and signed to team-friendly rookie contracts. Taking this long-term approach doesn’t hinder Boston’s ability to compete in the East in the short-term, either. Adding a high-end talent like Fultz to a roster that just played in the East Finals would be a substantial upgrade, and depending on how other young Celtics players develop, they might be able to challenge the Cavs soon. It’s difficult to be patient, especially after a deep playoff run. The Celtics were just three wins away from the NBA Finals. But it’s important to be realistic about the situation. The Celtics aren’t going to beat the Warriors as currently constructed. If the Celtics stay the course and build through the draft — like many championship squads are formed — they should give themselves the best chance to win when James is in his late thirties and the Warriors’ party could be nearing its end. ||||| The Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 to win their second NBA Championship in three seasons with a 4-1 finals series victory. The Warriors, who beat Cleveland in the 2015 finals only to lose to them in 2016 after squandering a 3-1 series lead, went a record-setting 15 victories and just one loss in the playoffs. Kevin Durant led the way for the Warriors with 39 points, with Stephen Curry contributing 34. ||||| The Golden State Warriors have won their second NBA championship within 3 years after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games. See you at the parade! | In basketball, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games to win the 2017 NBA Finals. It is the second time they have won the Finals in last three years. Kevin Durant is declared NBA Finals MVP. |
BERLIN (Reuters) - A German man shot a 26-year old policewoman in the head on Tuesday using a gun he had grabbed from another officer at a Munich train station, police said, adding there was no indication of a link to terrorism. The 37-year-old man, who had been involved in a brawl at Unterfoehring station, shoved a policeman on the platform and grabbed his gun as a train was entering the station. “Then there was an exchange of fire during which a 26-year old policewoman .. suffered a potentially life-threatening injury in the head,” Munich police said in a statement. The man was also injured in the incident and then arrested. Two other people were also hurt but their lives are not in danger, said police. The area around the station was sealed off. “There are no indications of a terrorist background,” the police said, adding that an investigation was being carried out. ||||| Police guard in front of a subway station in Munich, Germany on June 13, 2017. Sven Hoppe / Dpa via AP ||||| Police block a street near a subway station in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Several people were injured, including a police officer, in a shooting early Tuesday at a Munich subway station, police said. Munich police said in a tweet that the policewoman’s injuries were serious. The suspect was also injured and is in custody. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP) Police block a street near a subway station in Munich, Germany, Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Several people were injured, including a police officer, in a shooting early Tuesday at a Munich subway station, police said. Munich police said in a tweet that the policewoman’s injuries were serious. The suspect was also injured and is in custody. (Sven Hoppe/dpa via AP) Several people were injured when an unidentified assailant fired a few shots at a commuter rail station in Munich, Germany on Tuesday. The firing took place at an S-Bahn station in Unterfoehring, a northeastern suburb of the Bavarian city, said police. One person was detained in the incident. A female police officer was badly wounded even as the police announced that there was no indication of a ‘political or religious’ motive behind the incident. The Munich Police spokesperson told AFP, “The sole male perpetrator was motivated by personal reasons.” Police also added that the attacker had tried to push at one police officer in front of an incoming train, which led to a scuffle during which he took out the female officer’s gun and fired. Police said the officer was shot in the head and was critically injured. There were two other people who were also seriously injured but they are out of danger. Munich Police tweeted saying: “The assailant was arrested. He was also injured. There are no indications of further perpetrators.” This was however not the first time such an incident has taken place. Last year in July, an 18-year-old shot dead at least nine people at a Munich shopping mall before killing himself. He had reportedly spent nearly a year planning the attack. Police said the German-Iranian teenager was heavily influenced by mass murderers such Norwegian right-wing fanatic Anders Behring Breivik. He had no links to the Islamic State group. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| Several people were injured when an unidentified assailant opened fire at a train station in Munich, Germany, as reported by AFP. A policewoman was also injured in the attack. The alleged attacker has, however, been arrested by police. Authorities reported that a handgun was fired during a police operation at an S-Bahn station in Unterfoehring, a northeastern suburb of the Bavarian city, and that the scene was now secured. The incident took place during a morning police check at the Unterfoehring subway station, according to Munich police spokesperson Michael Riehlein as quoted by AP. The spokesperson had no further details, but Munich’s Merkur newspaper has reported that witnesses said the suspect took a police officer’s pistol and shot her, and also injured others at the scene. This is a developing story, more details awaited. 1:54 pm: The sole male perpetrator was motivated by personal reasons. There is no political or religious background here”: police 1:46 pm: Munich’s Merkur newspaper has reported that witnesses said the suspect took a police officer’s pistol and shot her, and also injured others at the scene. 1:35 pm: Area around the train station is being cordoned off, say police. 1:35 pm: One person arrested so far, say Munich Police. 1:34 pm: A policewoman was injured in the incident. 1:33 pm: Situation under control, say police as per reports in Der Spiegel. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| A young police officer was “seriously injured” at a Munich subway station Tuesday morning after an individual was able to steal a police officer’s pistol and go on a shooting rampage, according to reports. A major police operation was launched at Munich Unterföhring S-Bahn station this morning after a perpetrator drew a 26-year-old police officer’s sidearm and shot her in the head. The individual is reported to have been able to shoot two others at the station before being shot himself. There have been no reported fatalities, but the injured police officer is in a “serious” condition. German police have said there is no evidence of terrorism, reports Welt, but Germany’s elite counter-terror SEK police unit was scrambled to the station as the attack took place. ||||| An ambulance stands near a subway station in Munich, Germany on Tuesday. | Photo Credit: AP Several people, including a police officer, were injured in a shooting early on Tuesday at a Munich subway station, police said. In a tweet, the police said that the policewoman's injuries were serious. The suspect was also injured and was in custody. The shooting occurred during a morning police check at the Unterfoehring subway station, Munich police spokesman Michael Riehlein said. Munich’s Merkur newspaper reported that witnesses said the suspect snatched the police officer’s pistol and shot her, besides injuring others. Mr. Riehlein said the area had been secured and that there was no danger to the wider public. ||||| Several people were injured when an unidentified assailant opened fire at a train station in Munich, Germany, as reported by AFP. A policewoman was also injured in the attack. Start the conversation, or Read more at The Indian Express. ||||| Berlin: At least one person has been injured in a shooting at a subway station in a suburb of Munich, German police said Tuesday. The shooting occurred during a morning police check at the Unterfoehring subway station, Munich police spokesman Michael Riehlein said. He said a weapon was fired during the check, but could not immediately say whether it was fired by police or by a suspect. Police later tweeted that at least one person was injured. Munich's Merkur newspaper reported that witnesses said the suspect took a police officer's pistol and then shot her, and also injured others at the scene. Riehlein said the area has been secured and that there was no danger to the wider public. ||||| Police in German city arrest suspect who took gun from officer and shot her in head in non-terrorism-related incident A police officer has been shot in the head at a Munich metro station after a man grabbed her service pistol and opened fire, also injuring two bystanders. The officer’s injuries were considered life-threatening, while those to the two bystanders shot at the Unterfoehring station were less serious, the Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins said. ||||| Police stand guard outside a subway station in Munich, Germany, on Tuesday, June 13, 2017, after several people were injured in a shooting at the station, police said. BERLIN — A 37-year-old man alleged to have shot a police officer in a Munich subway station after randomly attacking another passenger had been living with his father in Colorado and was on a European trip, German officials said Wednesday. Munich police chief Hubertus Andrae told reporters the suspect, identified only as a Bavarian-born German citizen, flew to Munich airport from Athens on Monday and spent the night in the airport. Witnesses told police as the man rode the subway toward the city Tuesday he was talking to himself in English, then suddenly began punching another, apparently randomly chosen, passenger in the face, pummeling him until he was bloody. Police were called and when the suspect got off at the suburban Unterfoehring station, two officers began questioning him. Surveillance video shows one officer holding a pad of paper and pen taking notes when the suspect suddenly shoved him with "extreme violence" toward an oncoming train, Andrae said. In the ensuing struggle the suspect grabbed the officer's pistol from its holster, and opened fire at both of the officers. He missed the officer whose weapon he took, but hit his colleague in her head as he emptied the eight-shot magazine. Two bystanders were also injured, and are believed to have been hit by shots fired by the suspect. The officer hit in the head appears to have fired at least one shot, hitting the suspect in the buttocks. Despite the wound, he was able to flee and was apprehended outside by other officers arriving on the scene. The injured officer was rushed to a nearby hospital and was still in life-threatening condition on Wednesday, Andrae said. The bystanders were also treated and are stable. Andrae said police had been in contact with the suspect's father with whom he had been living in the U.S., and said the suspect apparently had a criminal record there. He did not give further details but a police source confirmed German media reports that the suspect's name is Alexander B. and that he had been living in Colorado. Bild newspaper reported he was staying in Fort Collins, but the source could not confirm that. In addition to some 200 witnesses to interview, Andrae said police also have video surveillance footage from multiple locations to review and are still working on a complete picture of how the attack unfolded. The suspect has so far refused to talk with police. | A shooting occurs at a local train station in the Unterföhring suburb of Munich, Germany. The assailant shot a police officer in the head; she is in critical condition. Backup police engaged in a shootout where the suspect and two bystanders were injured. Police do not believe this is a terrorist attack. |
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli authorities said on Saturday they had found no evidence of Islamic State involvement in attacks by three Palestinians that killed an Israeli policewoman, despite the group’s claim of responsibility. Palestinian militant factions also denied Islamic State was involved in the attacks in Jerusalem on Friday, in which a second Israeli police officer was wounded. Islamic State’s claim of responsibility was reported by the group’s Amaq news agency on Friday. Police spokeswoman Luba Simri said the Israeli military had so far found no connection between the three assailants and any armed group. “It was a local cell. At this stage no indication has been found it was directed by terrorist organizations nor has any connection to any organization been found,” Simri said. The SITE intelligence monitoring group said it was the first time Islamic State had claimed responsibility for an attack inside Israeli-controlled territory. However, a senior official from Hamas, the Islamic group that rules the Gaza Strip, and the People’s Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the three attackers, who were all shot dead at the scene, were their own members. Israeli border policewomen perform a frisk search of Palestinian women near Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City June 17, 2017. REUTERS/Ammar Awad “The three hero martyrs who executed the Jerusalem operation have no connection to Daesh (Islamic State), they are affiliated with the PFLP and Hamas,” Hamas’ Izzat El-Reshiq wrote on Twitter. In a separate statement, the PFLP identified two of the three attackers as its members. “The media office of the PFLP armed wing mourns two of its hero comrades, two freed prisoners,” it said. Israeli police said on Friday all the assailants were from the occupied West Bank. Two of them, both from the area of Ramallah, were aged between 18 and 19 and the third was a 30-year-old from Hebron, Simri said. The assaults took place simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem’s walled old city. Two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers, police said. In the second incident, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police. A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Thirty-eight Israelis, two American tourists and a British student have been killed in stabbings, shootings and car-rammings, many of which took place in the vicinity of the Old City’s Damascus gate. At least 252 Palestinians and one Jordanian citizen have been killed since the violence began. Israel says at least 170 of those killed were carrying out attacks. Others died during clashes and protests. Slideshow (7 Images) Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of desperation over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state. U.S.-brokered peace talks between the sides broke down in 2014. Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. ||||| Hamas says ISIL claim that three of its fighters attacked Israeli police is false and an attempt to 'muddy the waters'. Palestinian groups have rejected ISIL's claim of responsibility for Friday's attacks in Jerusalem, which left one Israeli police officer killed and resulted in Israeli soldiers killing three Palestinians. It is the first attack in Israeli-occupied territory claimed by ISIL, or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group. But the statement it released on Saturday appeared to have major discrepancies with Friday's events. Three Palestinians attacked officers at the Damascus Gate in occupied East Jerusalem late on Friday and were killed by Israeli security forces. Another Palestinian man from Hebron was also injured by Israeli security forces, despite playing no role in the attacks. READ MORE: How Israel has failed Palestinian victims Hamas, the Palestinian group that administers the Gaza Strip, dismissed ISIL's claim, saying the three attackers had come from among its own ranks as well as the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Sami Abu Zuhri, Hamas spokesman, said the ISIL claim was an attempt to "muddy the waters", adding that the attack was carried out by "two Palestinians from the PFLP and a third from Hamas", AFP news agency reported. The killing was "a natural response to the crimes of the occupier", he said. Israel's Shin Bet internal security agency identified the three Palestinians as Bara Saleh, born in 1998; Adel Ankoush, born in 1999; and Asama Atta, born in 1998. All three men were from the village of Deir Abu Mashal, near the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah. The PFLP said Salah and Atta had recently been released from several months in Israeli prison. The names differ from those reported by ISIL, which said the attack was carried out by three brothers by the names of Abu al-Bara'a al-Maqdisi, Abu Hassan al-Maqdisi, and Abu Rabah al-Maqdisi, AFP reported. Since October 2015, about 250 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces, with many instances occurring within close range or during protests in occupied territory. A number of local and international human rights groups have raised concerns that Israeli security forces have employed a "shoot-to-kill" policy when confronting Palestinians. The Israeli police relaxed its open-fire regulations in December 2015, permitting officers to open fire with live ammunition on those suspected of throwing stones or firebombs as an initial option, without having to use non-lethal weapons first. About 42 Israelis have also been killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians since October 2015. Palestinians say those attacks result from anger over decades of Israeli occupation. ||||| ISIS and Hamas are both claiming responsibility for yet another attack in Israel's capital, Jerusalem. Two separate attacks were reportedly carried out simultaneously by three Palestinians armed with guns and knives. (PHOTO: REUTERS/ YASER AL-KHODOR)ISIS fighters carry their weapons as they parade along a street in an occupied territory in Syria. The attacks happened on Friday at around 7:30 p.m., with the terrorists attacking police officers and civilians. One of the officers, 23-year-old Hadas Malka, was stabbed by one of the assailants as she attempted to reach for her weapon. Her attacker was later shot dead by officers who responded to the scene. Meanwhile, the two other terrorists proceeded to rampage along Sultan Suleiman Street, near Damascus Gate in the Old City. Both were shot dead after assaulting police officers. Malka and another wounded police officer were taken to Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem for treatment. The critically injured Malka later succumb to her wounds. The ISIS later claimed responsibility for an attack, marking the first time they claimed an attack within Israel. Earlier this year, the group also said they were behind the rocket attacks that originated from the Sinai Peninsula. The group's news agency said that "soldiers of the caliphate" attacked a "gathering of Jews" and warned that the attack will not be the last. Meanwhile Hamas, who also claimed responsibility for the attack, tells a different story. According to them, the Islamic State had no part in the attacks. The group claims that Friday's attack was carried out by one of their members while the other two belonged to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The attacks come as ISIS continues to project their global presence. They also claimed the recent attacks in Manchester and London. The group has claimed responsibility for attacks carried out by their cells and affiliates on five continents. This presence has attracted extremists globally, and the organization has drawn some of its manpower through recruitment of radicalized Muslims in Western countries. ||||| JERUSALEM: Israeli security forces shot dead three Palestinians who carried out shooting and stabbing attacks in which an Israeli border policewoman was killed in Jerusalem on Friday, police said. The attacks occurred simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's walled old city. At one scene, two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers, police said. At the other, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police. A second Israeli officer was also injured in the attacks. A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of frustration over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians in peace talks that have been stalled since 2014. ||||| The Islamic State on Friday night claimed responsibility for a coordinated shooting and stabbing terror attack in Jerusalem that killed an Israeli police officer, Hadas Malka, 23, in what the jihadist group vowed would be the first of many attacks. The jihadist group in an online statement said three IS fighters had targeted “a gathering of Jews” in an operation Friday, and warned that “this attack will not be the last.” “With God’s help, we succeeded in carrying out an attack in the heart of Jerusalem,” the group said. This was the first time that the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Israel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist organizations. Such claims are often impossible to corroborate, and Islamic State has taken responsibility in the past for attacks in which it was not directly involved. Hamas dismissed the claim. Israeli officials also cast doubt on it, saying there was no indication of IS involvement, and that the attack did not appear to have been directed by any group. Islamic State affiliates have claimed rocket fire into Israel, and previous terror attacks in Israel have been Islamic State-inspired. At least two 2016 attacks were inspired by Islamic State, according to Israeli officials: a January 1, 2016, shooting in Tel Aviv that left two bar-goers and a cab driver dead, and a truck attack in Jerusalem in December 2016 in which four soldiers on a tour of cultural sites were slain. In its statement, IS said the attack was “revenge for the religion of Allah and the sanctities of the violated Muslims.” “Let the Jews watch for the demise of their state at the hands of the soldiers of the Caliphate,” the statement added. Three West Bank Palestinians, armed with an automatic weapon and knives, carried out near simultaneous attacks at two adjacent locations. Two attacked a group of police officers at Zedekiah’s Cave, and a third stabbed Malka a short distance away at Damascus Gate. The 23-year-old staff sergeant died of her wounds at Hadassah Hospital in Mount Scopus. The attackers were identified by the Shin Bet internal security agency as Bra’a Salah and Asama Atta, both born in 1998, and Adel Ankush, born the following year. All three were shot dead as they carried out their attacks at the scene by security forces. The attackers were from Deir Abu-Mashal, a village near Ramallah, and had previously been arrested for or involved in “terrorist activity,” a Shin Bet statement said. Security forces late Friday night surrounded Deir Abu-Mash’al, and were preparing to raid the assailants’ homes to question their family members regarding the attack. Early on Saturday morning, Hamas rejected IS’s claim of responsibility, saying the three belonged to Palestinian terrorist organizations. “The claim by the Islamic State group is an attempt to muddy the waters,” said Sami Abou Zouhri, spokesman for the terrorist group which runs the Gaza strip. The attack was carried out by “two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a third from Hamas,” he said. In the wake of the attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revoked the entry permits given to Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to visit their relatives in Israel. Israel had eased restrictions on the entrance of Palestinians from the West Bank for Ramadan, including permitting daily family visits during Sundays through Thursdays. Netanyahu canceled the family visits at the recommendation of Chief of Police Roni Alsheich and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, according to a police statement. Netanyahu, however, did not revoke the permission given to Palestinian men aged over 40 from the West Bank to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers, police said. Israel last month announced that it was relaxing restrictions on the movement of Palestinians to and from the West Bank and Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, including easier access to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, issuing more travel permits and allowing some to travel abroad. The measures were similar to those of previous years. ||||| Palestinian militant groups including Hamas have denied a claim by the Islamic State (IS) group that three Palestinian men who killed an Israeli policewoman in Jerusalem were members of the jihadist outfit. The IS group took responsibility for the knife and gun attack on Friday, in which the Israeli police officer was killed and another was wounded, according to the group's Amaq news agency. The SITE intelligence monitoring group said it was the first time the IS group had claimed responsibility for an attack in Israeli-controlled territory. But Israeli officials said Saturday that no connection had been found between the three attackers, all of whom were shot dead by police at the scene, and any established terror organisation. "It was a local cell. At this stage no indication has been found it was directed by terrorist organisations nor has any connection to any organisation been found," police spokeswoman Luba Simri said. Earlier a senior official from Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip, and the People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the three attackers were their own members. "The three hero martyrs who executed the Jerusalem operation have no connection to Daesh, they are affiliated with the PFLP and Hamas," Hamas' Izzat El-Reshiq wrote on Twitter, using an Arabic acronym to refer to the IS group. The PFLP published a separate statement in which it identified two of the three attackers as members. "The media office of the PFLP armed wing mourns two of its hero comrades, two freed prisoners," it said. Israeli police said on Friday all the assailants were from Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank. Two of the attackers, both from Ramallah, were between the ages of 18 and 19 and the third was a 30-year-old from Hebron, police spokeswoman Luba Simri said. The assaults took place simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's walled old city. Two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers at one scene, police said. At the other, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police. A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of desperation over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians for a state. US-brokered peace talks between the sides broke down in 2014. Palestinians want to establish an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War. ||||| The assailant wounded two ultra-Orthodox Jewish men in the street before fleeing into a nearby house where he was caught by border police officers who had given chase. He stabbed one of them before being shot, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. One of the two civilians was stabbed in the upper body and suffered injuries described as moderate. The other man and the border policeman were lightly wounded, Rosenfeld added. Palestinian web sites identified the assailant as 17-year-old Ahmed Ghazzal, from the city of Nablus in the northern part of the occupied West Bank. The incident took place close to the spot where, three days earlier, border police shot and killed a woman who tried to stab officers at Damascus Gate, a heavily guarded entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. At least 242 Palestinians have been killed in Israel and the Palestinian Territories in a period of sporadic violence that began in October 2015 but has tapered off in recent months. Israel says at least 162 were Palestinians who launched stabbing, shooting or ramming attacks using vehicles on Israelis before being killed by Israeli security forces. Others died during clashes and protests. Two American tourists and 37 Israelis have been killed in such incidents since the violence began. Israel has accused the Palestinian leadership of inciting the violence. The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the occupied West Bank, denies incitement and charges that in many cases, Israel has used excessive force in thwarting attackers armed with rudimentary weapons. ||||| Gaza City: Hamas on Saturday said the three Palestinians shot dead in Jerusalem after the fatal stabbing of an Israeli policewoman belonged to local Islamist and leftist movements, rejecting an earlier claim by the Islamic State group. "The claim by the Islamic State group is an attempt to muddy the waters," said Sami Abou Zouhri, spokesman for the Islamist movement which runs the Gaza strip. The attack was carried out by "two Palestinians from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and a third from Hamas", he said. The Islamic State, in an online statement, today said three IS fighters had targeted "a gathering of Jews" in an operation yesterday during which the three attackers were killed by Israeli police. The group warned that "this attack will not be the last." During the attack, the police officer was killed and others were wounded, according to IS. It took place as Muslims marked the end of the third Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan, during which tens of thousands of Palestinians from east Jerusalem and the West Bank attended prayers at the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest site. The policewoman was stabbed and critically injured and later died in hospital of her wounds. She was identified as Hadas Malka, 23, a staff sergeant major. Israeli police said the three Palestinian assailants were killed. According to police, two perpetrators opened fire at a group of police officers who returned fire, and a third stabbed the border policewoman a short distance away before being shot. This was the first time that the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack in Israel, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist organisations. In its statement IS said the attack was "revenge for the religion of Allah and the sanctities of the violated Muslims." "Let the Jews watch for the demise of their state at the hands of the soldiers of the Caliphate," the statement added. ||||| JERUSALEM Israeli security forces shot dead three Palestinians who carried out shooting and stabbing attacks in which an Israeli border policewoman was killed in Jerusalem on Friday, police said.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, the group's Amaq news agency said. The attacks occurred simultaneously in two areas near the Damascus gate of Jerusalem's walled old city.At one scene, two Palestinians were shot dead after opening fire at and trying to stab a group of Israeli police officers, police said. At the other, a Palestinian fatally stabbed a border policewoman before being shot dead by police. A second Israeli officer was also injured in the attacks. A wave of Palestinian street attacks began in October 2015 but has since slowed. Israel blames the violence on incitement by the Palestinian leadership.The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, denies that and says assailants have acted out of frustration over Israeli occupation of land sought by Palestinians in peace talks that have been stalled since 2014. (Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; Editing by Alison Williams and Giles Elgood) This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed. ||||| Jerusalem: Palestinian militant factions on Saturday dismissed a claim by the Islamic State group that it was behind the fatal stabbing of an Israeli policewoman in Jerusalem saying the assailants came from their ranks. The Israeli security services also raised doubts about the veracity of the IS claim -- its first for an attack in Jerusalem -- which came with the jihadists facing defeat in their Iraq and Syria bastions. Three Palestinians attacked officers just outside the walled Old City in annexed east Jerusalem late on Friday before being shot dead by security forces, Israeli police said. In an online statement, IS said jihadist fighters had targeted a "gathering of Jews", warning that "this attack will not be the last". But Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, dismissed the claim, saying the attackers had come from among its own ranks and those of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). The assault took place as tens of thousands of Palestinians held night prayers at the nearby Al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam`s third-holiest site, on the third Friday of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. According to police, two assailants opened fire on a group of officers who returned fire, and a third stabbed the border policewoman a short distance away before being shot. Policewoman Hadas Malka, a 23-year-old staff sergeant major, was taken to hospital in critical condition and later died of her wounds. Four other people were wounded in the incident, including two Palestinians from east Jerusalem and one from the West Bank city of Hebron.In its statement, IS said the attack was "revenge for the religion of Allah and the sanctities of the violated Muslims". "Let the Jews watch for the demise of their state at the hands of the soldiers of the caliphate," the statement said. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the IS claim was an attempt to "muddy the waters", adding that the attack was carried out by "two Palestinians from the PFLP and a third from Hamas". The killing was "a natural response to the crimes of the occupier," he said, echoing the language used by Hamas after other recent attacks against Israelis. A spokesman for Israel`s Shin Bet internal security agency told AFP it was "impossible to corroborate (the IS claim) at this point." The Israeli army said the assailants appeared have acted independently, like many of the attackers in a wave of unrest that has rocked Israel and the occupied territories since October 2015. Most of the attacks have been carried out by "lone wolves", some only in their teens, and Israel has dubbed the violence "popular terrorism." "A preliminary army intelligence evaluation found no evidence of them belonging to any group, rather they appear to have been a typical popular terror squad," an army spokeswoman said. Hamas and the PFLP identified the three assailants as Bara Ata, 18, Osama Ata, 19, and Adel Ankush, 18, all from the village of Deir Abu Mashal near the West Bank city of Ramallah. The Shin Bet said they had been implicated in previous "popular terror activity". The PFLP said Bara and Osama Ata had recently been released from several months in Israeli prison. The army sealed off the assailants` home village. Elsewhere in the West Bank, a Palestinian "attempted to stab an Israeli" north of Hebron early Saturday, the army said. The Israeli was lightly wounded and the assailant taken in for questioning.Israel had eased restrictions on the entry of Palestinians from the West Bank to Jerusalem for Ramadan. But after Friday`s attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to cancel permission for Palestinians from the West Bank of all ages to visit family members in Jerusalem and Israel, police said. Permits for Friday prayers for women of all ages and men aged 40 and over are to remain in place. The unrest that broke out in October 2015 has claimed the lives of 272 Palestinians, 42 Israelis, two Americans, two Jordanians, an Eritrean, a Sudanese and a Briton, according to an AFP tally. Israeli authorities say most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks. Saturday was the first time IS had claimed an attack inside Israel or annexed east Jerusalem. The jihadist group has a major presence across Israel`s southern border in Egypt`s Sinai Peninsula, from where it has claimed several rocket attacks from into Israel. | In two simultaneous attacks near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, an Israeli policewoman is fatally stabbed; the three Palestinian assailants are shot dead. ISIL claims were questioned by Israeli authorities. As well, the PFLP and Hamas claim it was their members who did it. |
KABUL, Afghanistan — Seven American soldiers were shot and wounded by an Afghan commando on Saturday, the second such insider attack in a week, according to Afghan officials. The attack took place in the Afghan National Army 209th Corps headquarters at Camp Shaheen, in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. Col. Abdul Qahar Aram, spokesman for the 209th Corps, said an Afghan soldier had opened fire, wounding foreign soldiers in the garrison area of the camp. He said reports claiming the soldiers had been killed were false. The United States military would confirm only that American soldiers were wounded in an insider attack that occurred there at about 2 p.m., and that an Afghan soldier had been killed and another wounded. The United States military also denied that any of its soldiers had been killed. Another Corps spokesman, Maj. Nasratullah Jamshidi, said the attacker, an Afghan commando, had been shot at the scene and died on his way to a hospital. ||||| MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) - At least one Afghan was killed and seven American soldiers were wounded in an “insider attack” at a base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, a U.S. military official said. A spokesman for the U.S. military command in Kabul said earlier comments by an Afghan official that Americans had been killed were incorrect. But he confirmed that seven soldiers had been evacuated after being wounded in the incident at Camp Shaheen, the headquarters of the Afghan army’s 209th Corps in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. At least one Afghan soldier was killed and another wounded, the U.S. official said. He could not immediately say if the suspected shooter was among the dead or wounded. Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the Afghan army’s 209th Corps, announced earlier that an Afghan soldier had shot and killed four U.S. soldiers inside the base. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said an Afghan commando loyal to the militant group had opened fire on foreign “invaders”, killing four and wounding four others. The German military heads the multinational advising mission based in Mazar-i-Sharif. A spokeswoman for the German forces at the joint missions command in Potsdam said: “According to what we know right now, no Germans were affected.” Three U.S. soldiers were killed and a fourth wounded on June 11 when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them at a base in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. In April, scores of Afghan soldiers were killed when militants breached security at Camp Shaheen, detonating explosives and shooting hundreds at a mosque and dining hall on the base. The attackers were disguised in Afghan army uniforms. Coalition countries, led by the United States, are considering sending thousands more troops to Afghanistan to help advise and assist Afghan forces struggling against Taliban and Islamic State militants. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday he would present options on Afghanistan to President Donald Trump “very soon”. ||||| At least five Afghan policemen were killed and 15 people injured in a suicide bomb and gun attack by Taliban insurgents on the police headquarters in an eastern city Sunday, authorities said. The assault on the headquarters in Gardez, which was still continuing, was launched at 6:00am, said the regional police commander, Asadullah Shirzad. Five civilians were among the wounded. One of the five attackers was still holding out more than five hours after the coordinated assault began, Shirzad said. “The first attacker blew up his vehicle at the entrance to the headquarters, opening the way for two others who opened fire on security forces, and another suicide bomber was shot dead,” he said. The head of the police hospital, Dr Shir Mohammad, confirmed the casualty toll. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement. Since the beginning of their spring offensive in late April, the Taliban have been mounting lethal attacks on the positions of the Afghan army and police, who have lost several dozen men in recent weeks. Foreign forces assisting the Afghans have also been targeted. Seven US soldiers were wounded Saturday in an insider attack at a military base by an Afghan soldier described as a “patriot” by the Taliban. They are battling to topple the government of President Ashraf Ghani and oust the Western forces that support him. ||||| Seven U.S. soldiers wounded in insider attack at Afghan base: official MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan (Reuters) – At least one Afghan was killed and seven American soldiers were wounded in an “insider attack” at a base in northern Afghanistan on Saturday, a U.S. military official said. ||||| Three US soldiers wounded in Afghan ‘insider attack’ At least three US troops were wounded Saturday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at them at a military base in northern Afghanistan, the defence ministry said, in an apparent insider attack. The so-called “green-on-blue” attack at Camp Shaheen close to Mazar-i-Sharif city is the latest in a string of incidents where Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on international forces training them. It comes as the United States is expected to send more troops into the lengthy conflict at a time when the Taliban are ramping up their campaign against the Western-backed government. “Initial information shows three US soldiers visiting the base were wounded,” ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told AFP, adding that the attacker had been gunned down. US-led NATO forces confirmed that American soldiers had been wounded in “an incident” at Camp Shaheen, without specifying a number. “At this time we can confirm there are no US or NATO Resolute Support fatalities,” the international coalition said in a brief statement. “US soldiers have been wounded. One Afghan soldier was killed and one was wounded in the incident.” Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO’s long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots. This post was syndicated from Nigeria News and World Healdines – The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper – National and International News. Click here to read the full text on the original website. Do you something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook ||||| (KABUL) — An Afghan soldier opened fire on American soldiers on Saturday, injuring at least seven, the U.S. military said. It was the second such insider attack by an Afghan soldier in the past week. Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, also confirmed the attack. The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven U.S. service members were wounded but said there were no U.S. fatalities. It said one Afghan soldier was killed and one wounded. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the attack in a statement sent to the media. But he did not claim Taliban responsibility. Last week three U.S. soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province. In that case Mujahid claimed that the shooter was a Taliban loyalist who infiltrated the army specifically to seek out opportunities to attack foreign soldiers. ||||| At least three US troops were wounded on Saturday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at them at a military base in northern Afghanistan, the defence ministry said, in an apparent insider attack. The so-called “green-on-blue” attack at Camp Shaheen close to Mazar-i-Sharif city is the latest in a string of incidents where Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on international forces training them. It comes as the United States is expected to send more troops into the lengthy conflict at a time when the Taliban are ramping up their campaign against the Western-backed government. “Initial information shows three US soldiers visiting the base were wounded,” ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told AFP, adding that the attacker had been gunned down. US-led NATO forces confirmed that American soldiers had been wounded in “an incident” at Camp Shaheen, without specifying a number. “At this time we can confirm there are no US or NATO Resolute Support fatalities,” the international coalition said in a brief statement. “US soldiers have been wounded. One Afghan soldier was killed and one was wounded in the incident.” Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO’s long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| Three American troops were wounded Saturday in an apparent insider attack by an Afghan soldier inside a military base, an official said, as the US appears set to boost its troop presence in the country. The so-called "green-on-blue" attack at Camp Shaheen near northern Mazar-i-Sharif city is the latest in a string of incidents where Afghan soldiers have turned their weapons on international forces training them. It comes as Washington is expected to announce an increase in US troops deployed to the country as Afghan forces struggle to rein in the Taliban who are ramping up their offensive against the Western-backed government. "Initial information shows three US soldiers visiting the base were wounded," ministry spokesman Mohammad Radmanish told AFP, adding that the attacker had been gunned down. US-led NATO forces confirmed that American soldiers had been wounded in "an incident" at Camp Shaheen, without specifying a number. "At this time we can confirm there are no US or NATO Resolute Support fatalities," the international coalition said in a brief statement. "US soldiers have been wounded. One Afghan soldier was killed and one was wounded in the incident." The Taliban in a statement did not say if they were directly behind the attack, only crediting a "patriotic Afghan soldier" for the assault. The latest attack comes a week after an Afghan commando killed three American troops and wounded another when he opened fire at them during an operation in eastern Nangarhar province, a stronghold of Islamic State militants. Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO's long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots. Similar incidents have also plagued Afghan troops, depleting morale and causing mistrust within security ranks. The latest killings come at a time of intensified violence and when the United States is considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that he will present a new US military strategy for Afghanistan, along with adjusted troop numbers, in the coming weeks to President Donald Trump. American military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of additional boots on the ground for months to boost the NATO troop presence in the country. US troops in Afghanistan number about 8,400, with another 5,000 from NATO allies, who mainly serve in a training and advisory capacity. The Afghan conflict is the longest in American history, with US-led NATO troops at war there since 2001, after the ousting of the Taliban regime. ||||| Seven American troops were wounded today in an insider attack by an Afghan soldier at a military base, as the US appears set to boost its troop presence in the country. The shootout at Camp Shaheen near northern Mazar-i-Sharif city is the second "green-on-blue" attack -- where Afghan soldiers turn their weapons on international forces assisting them -- reported this week. It comes as Washington is expected to announce an increase in the US military deployment in the country to bolster Afghan forces who are struggling to contain the Taliban's nationwide offensive. "Seven US service members wounded, evacuated for treatment," US-led NATO forces said in a brief statement on Twitter. "Insider attack Camp Shaheen, Mazar-e Sharif under investigation." The military coalition had earlier said that one Afghan soldier had been killed and another wounded in the incident. The Taliban in a statement did not say if they were directly behind the attack, only crediting a "patriotic Afghan soldier" for the assault. The latest attack comes just a week after an Afghan commando killed three American troops and wounded another in eastern Nangarhar province, in an insider attack that was claimed by the Taliban. Camp Shaheen is the headquarters of the Afghan army's 209th Corps where around 150 Afghan soldiers and policemen were killed in April when it was stormed by Taliban fighters dressed in military uniforms and armed with suicide vests. Green-on-blue attacks have been a major problem during NATO's long years fighting alongside Afghan forces. Western officials say most insider attacks stem from personal grudges and cultural misunderstandings rather than insurgent plots. Analysts say such attacks are expected to increase this year as US troops engage with the Afghan military to double the size of its special forces, considered to be effective in the fight against insurgents. The latest insider attack comes at a time of intensified violence and when the United States is actively considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week that he will present a new US military strategy for Afghanistan, along with adjusted troop numbers, in the coming weeks to President Donald Trump. American military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of additional boots on the ground to boost the NATO troop presence in the country. US troops in Afghanistan currently number about 8,400, with another 5,000 from NATO allies, who mainly serve in a training and advisory capacity. The Afghan conflict is the longest in American history, with US-led forces at war there since 2001, after the ousting of the Taliban regime. ||||| An Afghan soldier opened fire on American soldiers on Saturday, injuring at least seven, the US military said. It was the second such insider attack by an Afghan soldier in the past week. Abdul Qahar Araam, spokesman for the 209th Army corps, confirmed that an insider attack took place at a camp in Mazar-e Sharif. Mr Araam said the soldiers returned fire and killed the attacker. General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defence Ministry, also confirmed the attack. The Resolute Support mission announced on its Twitter feed that seven US service members were wounded but said there were no US fatalities. It said one Afghan soldier was killed and one wounded. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid praised the attack in a statement sent to the media but he did not claim Taliban responsibility. Last week three US soldiers were killed by an Afghan soldier in eastern Nangarhar province. In that case Mujahid claimed that the shooter was a Taliban loyalist who infiltrated the army specifically to seek out opportunities to attack foreign soldiers. It is unclear whether the Afghan soldier killed was the attacker. There is a lengthy history of "green on blue" insider attacks in Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of several Nato soldiers since the US invasion in 2001. | At least one Afghan is killed and seven American soldiers wounded in an "insider attack" at Camp Shaheen, in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. An earlier report that Americans had been killed is incorrect. The Taliban claims responsibility. |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A fire burns in the forest surrounding the resort Five people were killed when gunmen stormed a tourist resort in Mali on Sunday, officials say. The EU said a Portuguese soldier and a Malian woman who worked for the bloc's mission in Mali were among the dead. A Malian soldier and two other civilians, one Chinese and the other Gabonese, were also killed. An al-Qaeda-linked group said it carried out the attack near the capital Bamako. Mali has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for years. Islamist fighters are roaming the West African country's north and centre. "It is a jihadist attack. Malian special forces intervened and hostages have been released," Mali Security Minister Salif Traore told AFP news agency after Sunday's attack. Four assailants were killed by security forces and four others were arrested, he said. "We have recovered the bodies of two attackers who were killed," he said, adding that they were searching for the bodies of two others. One of them left behind a machine gun and bottles filled with "explosive substances", he said. The ministry said another two people had been injured. A security ministry spokesman told Reuters news agency that 32 guests had been rescued from the Le Campement Kangaba resort, east of Bamako. Malian special forces intervened, backed by UN soldiers and troops from a French counter-terrorism force. Image copyright Lecampement.com Image caption The eco-lodge complex near Bamako is a popular attraction Witness Boubacar Sangare was just outside the compound as the attack unfolded. "Westerners were fleeing the encampment while two plainclothes police exchanged fire with the assailants," he said. "There were four national police vehicles and French soldiers in armoured vehicles on the scene." He added that a helicopter was circling overhead. The European Union training mission in Mali, EUTM Mali, tweeted that it was aware of the attack and was supporting Malian security forces and assessing the situation. Earlier this month, the US embassy had warned of "possible future attacks on Western diplomatic missions, other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent". Image copyright Reuters Image caption French soldiers stand around a UN vehicle following the attack on Le Campement Kangaba resort BBC correspondent Alex Duval Smith says many expats and wealthy Malians go to Kangaba at weekends, to enjoy the pools, cocktail bar, canoeing facilities and activities for children. A spokesman for the Portuguese armed forces, Helder Antonio da Silva Perdigao, said that the location is used by soldiers in the EUTM Mali as a place to relax between operations. He added that soldiers from several countries were there at the time of the attack. The Portuguese soldier who died was part of the EUTM Mali, he said. In November 2015, at least 20 people were killed when gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. Al-Qaeda's North African arm, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said it was behind that siege. Mali has been in a state of emergency since the Radisson Blu attack. It was extended for a further six months in April. The country's security has gradually worsened since 2013, when French forces repelled allied Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters who had seized control of much of the north. French troops and a 10,000-strong force of UN peacekeepers have been battling to stabilise the former French colony. ||||| At least two people have been killed after an attack on a popular tourist resort on the outskirts of Mali’s capital, Bamako, according to officials, but dozens of guests were rescued. Gunmen stormed the luxury Le Campement Kangaba complex near Dougourakoro on Sunday, attacking a resort frequented by top officials and foreign residents, especially during the weekend. Malian troops and soldiers from France’s Bakhane counter-terrorist force headed to the scene. Local residents reported hearing shots fired while smoke billowed into the air. Mali’s Security Minister Salif Traore said late on Sunday that at least four attackers were killed by security forces. “We have recovered the bodies of two attackers who were killed,” Traore told journalists, adding that they were “searching for the bodies of two others”, without specifying if any more were on the run. “At first we thought they were armed bandits but we know how armed bandits operate, they don’t hold territory, so now we think it is a terrorist attack,” Traore had earlier told reporters outside the entrance to the resort, part of which was on fire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Officials said two people had been killed, including a French-Gabonese citizen and another whose nationality was not yet known. Two others had been wounded, one civilian and a policeman, Baba Cisse, spokesman for the security ministry, told the Reuters news agency. An attacker had also been wounded and fled, leaving a sub-machine gun and six bottles of explosives behind, he said. Malian state TV reported that 36 guests had so far been rescued. At least 14 people, both Malians and foreigners, were wounded, according to the security ministry. A witness told local television ORTM said he saw a man arrive on a motorcycle who “started shooting at the crowd” followed by “two or three people” who came in another vehicle. Witness Boubacar Sangare was just outside the compound during the attack. “Westerners were fleeing the encampment while two plainclothes police exchanged fire with the assailants,” he told Reuters. A security ministry official said government troops “have sealed off the area and are in the process of organising operations” against the attackers. Andrea de Georgio, a freelance journalist in Bamako, said the resort is located about 10km outside the capital. He told Al Jazeera that the attack seemed to be “well-organised”. “The attackers are hidden inside the camp, and the camp is very big so there are a lot of places where they can hide,” de Georgio said. Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, reporting from neighbouring Senegal, quoted sources as saying that security forces have be going door-to-door inside the resort, making sure that the fighters are apprehended or driven out. The west African country has been battling armed rebellion for several years, with fighters roaming the north and centre of Mali. The US embassy in Bamako had warned earlier this month “of a possible increased threat of attacks against Western diplomatic missions, places of worship, and other locations in Bamako where Westerners frequent”. In November 2015, gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako in a siege that left at least 20 people dead, including 14 foreigners. That attack was claimed by al-Qaeda’s North African affiliate, the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group. A state of emergency has been renewed several times since the Radisson Blu attack, most recently in April when it was extended for six months. The United Nations has a 12,000-strong force in Mali known as MINUSMA, which began operations in 2013. It has been targeted constantly by armed fighters, with dozens of peacekeepers killed, including five on Saturday. ||||| Fatalities and hostages reported after armed men raided a luxury resort outside the capital, Bamako. At least two people have been killed after gunmen stormed a popular tourist resort on the outskirts of Mali's capital, Bamako, according to officials. Malian troops and soldiers from France's Bakhane counter-terrorist force headed to the scene after the luxury Campement de Kangaba resort in Dougourakoro, which is frequented by top officials and foreigners, came under attack on Sunday. Security forces said 32 guests have been rescued so far. Local residents earlier reported hearing shots fired while smoke billowed into the air. "Unfortunately for the moment there are two dead, including a Franco-Gabonese," Security Minister Salif Traore told the AFP news agency. READ MORE: Mali's Keita vows to keep fighting 'terrorist groups' A security ministry official said government troops "have sealed off the area and are in the process of organising operations" against the attackers. Andrea de Georgio, a freelance journalist in Bamako, said the resort is located about 10km outside the capital. He told Al Jazeera that the attack seemed to be "well-organised". "The attackers are hidden inside the camp, and the camp is very big so there are a lot of places where they can hide," de Georgio said. Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque, reporting from neighbouring Senegal, quoted sources as saying that security forces have be gooing door-to-door inside the resort, making sure that the fighters are apprehended or driven out. The west African country has been battling armed rebellion for several years, with fighters roaming the north and centre of Mali. The US embassy in Bamako had warned earlier this month "of a possible increased threat of attacks against Western diplomatic missions, places of worship, and other locations in Bamako where Westerners frequent". In November 2015, gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako in a siege that left at least 20 people dead, including 14 foreigners. That attack was claimed by al-Qaeda's North African affiliate, the al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) group. A state of emergency has been renewed several times since the Radisson Blu attack, most recently in April when it was extended for six months. The United Nations has a 12,000-strong force in Mali known as MINUSMA, which began operations in 2013. It has been targeted constantly by armed fighters, with dozens of peacekeepers killed, including five on Saturday. ||||| A tourist resort popular with Westerners in the Malian capital was under attack today, according to witnesses and a journalist. Malian troops and soldiers from France's Bakhane counter-terrorist force headed to the site on the edge of Bamako, where nearby residents reported hearing shots fired while smoke billowed into the air, according to an ||||| A tourist resort near Bamako, the capital of Mali, has been attacked, according to a spokesman at the country’s security ministry and witnesses. Malian troops and soldiers from France’s Barkhane counter-terrorism force were called to Le Campement in Dougourakoro, a resort popular with westerners east of Bamako. Residents nearby reported hearing shots fired while smoke billowed into the air. There was no information immediately available on any casualties. “Security forces are in place. Campement Kangaba is blocked off and an operation is under way,” said a security ministry spokesman, Baba Cisse. “The situation is under control.” The west African country has been battling a jihadi insurgency for several years, with Islamist fighters roaming the north and centre of Mali. In November 2015, gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the luxury Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako in a siege that left at least 20 people dead, including 14 foreigners. That attack was claimed by Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). A state of emergency has been renewed several times since the Radisson Blu attack, most recently in April when it was extended for six months. In 2012 Mali’s north fell under the control of jihadi groups linked to AQIM that hijacked an ethnic Tuareg-led rebel uprising, though the Islamists were largely ousted by a French-led military operation in January 2013. But jihadis have mounted numerous attacks on civilians and the army, as well as on French and UN forces still stationed there. ||||| [Africa], June 19 (ANI): At least two people have been killed after a tourist resort near Bamako, the capital of Mali, was attacked. A spokesman for the country's security ministry said one of the dead was a French national but the nationality of the other person killed was not known, the Guardian reported. The Malian troops and soldiers from France's Barkhane counter-terrorism force were called to Le Campement in Dougourakoro, a resort popular with westerners east of Bamako. "Security forces are in place. Campement Kangaba is blocked off and an operation is under way. The situation is under control," said security ministry spokesman Baba Cisse. (ANI) ||||| The UN Mission to Mali have said that gunmen are attacking a popular tourist resort east of the Malian capital, Bamako. A spokesperson for the country's interior ministry told Reuters that a luxury spot that is known to be popular with Westerners came under attack on Sunday (18 June). Malian and French troops are now thought to be at the site of the ongoing attack. Residents nearby told the BBC that they heard shots coming from the resort, La Campement in Dougourakoro. It is not yet known who the gunmen are or the number or extent of the casualities but there are reports that hostages have been taken. AFP reported that the Malian government said that the attackers are "suspected jihadists". This is a breaking news story and will be updated regularly as new information and developments become available. IBTimes UK is a news organisation that keeps its global audience of 55 million monthly readers in the know with quality storytelling and analysis of global relevance. Like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/IBTimesUK/) and follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/IBTimesUK) where we will keep you up to date with the latest news, pictures and video as it happens. We provide comprehensive coverage of domestic and foreign news, business, sport, entertainment, science and technology, aiming to keep our intellectually curious readers interested and engaged. ||||| Bamako - A tourist camp popular with Westerners in the Malian capital was under attack on Sunday, according to witnesses and an AFP journalist. Malian troops and soldiers from France's Bakhane counter-terrorist force headed to the site on the edge of Bamako, where nearby residents reported hearing shots fired while smoke billowed into the air. There was no information immediately available on any casualties. ||||| At least two people died after gunmen attacked a popular a tourist resort in Mali, east of its Capital Bamako. Security Minister Salif Traore told AFP that the incident at luxury resort Le Campement Kangaba was a “jihadist attack” and that security forces had shot dead four assailants. The gunmen had briefly taken more than 30 hostages. “Malian special forces intervened and hostages have been released,” Traore said, adding that the bodies of two attackers had been recovered. “Unfortunately for the moment, there are two dead, including a Franco-Gabonese.” The Security Ministry said at least 14 people, both Malians and foreigners, were injured. According to Traore, they earlier believed armed bandits, who had arrived at the location on motorbikes, were behind the incident, but later concluded that it was a “terrorist attack”, Reuters reported. “We know how armed bandits operate. They don’t hold territory,” he explained. Counter operations were carried out by Malian security forces, peacekeeping mission vehicles of the United Nations and French troops. Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Bamako had warned of “possible future attacks” on places frequented by Westerners and diplomatic missions, according to the BBC. ||||| Gunmen have stormed a tourist resort in Mali popular with Westerners and two people are dead, the country’s security minister has said. “It is a jihadist attack. Malian special forces intervened and hostages have been released,” Salif Traore told AFP. “Unfortunately for the moment there are two dead, including a Franco-Gabonese.” Government troops battled the gunmen at the luxury resort Le Campement Kangaba, east of the capital Bamako. According to the security ministry, “one of the terrorists was able to escape, after being injured”. He left behind a machine gun and bottles filled with “explosive substances”. The ministry said another two people had been injured, including a civilian. A security ministry spokesman told Reuters 32 guests had been rescued from the resort. Malian special forces intervened, backed by UN soldiers and troops from a French counter-terrorism force. Witness Boubacar Sangare was just outside the compound as the attack unfolded. “Westerners were fleeing the encampment while two plainclothes police exchanged fire with the assailants,” he said. “There were four national police vehicles and French soldiers in armoured vehicles on the scene.” He added that a helicopter was circling overhead. The European Union training mission in Mali, EUTMMALI, tweeted that it was aware of the attack and was supporting Malian security forces and assessing the situation. Earlier this month, the US embassy in Bamako had warned of “possible future attacks on Western diplomatic missions, other locations in Bamako that Westerners frequent”. BBC correspondent Alex Duval Smith says many expats and wealthy Malians go to Kangaba at weekends, to enjoy the pools, cocktail bar, canoeing facilities, and other activities for children. Mali has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for several years, with Islamist fighters roaming the country’s north and centre. In November 2015, at least 20 people were killed when gunmen took guests and staff hostage at the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako. Al-Qaeda’s North African arm, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said it was behind that siege. Mali has been in a state of emergency since the Radisson Blu attack. It was extended for a further six months in April. The country’s security has gradually worsened since 2013, when French forces repelled allied Islamist and Tuareg rebel fighters from parts of the north. French troops and a 10,000-strong force of UN peacekeepers have been battling to stabilise the former French colony. BBC News | Gunmen storm a popular tourist resort near the Malian capital, Bamako. At least two people are reportedly killed. Malian troops and France's Operation Barkhane counter-terrorist force are at the site. |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The personal details and political biases of almost 200 million US citizens have been leaked online Sensitive personal details relating to almost 200 million US citizens have been accidentally exposed by a marketing firm contracted by the Republican National Committee. The 1.1 terabytes of data includes birthdates, home addresses, telephone numbers and political views of nearly 62% of the entire US population. The data was available on a publicly accessible Amazon cloud server. Anyone could access the data as long as they had a link to it. Political biases exposed The huge cache of data was discovered last week by Chris Vickery, a cyber-risk analyst with security firm UpGuard. The information seems to have been collected from a wide range of sources - from posts on controversial banned threads on the social network Reddit, to committees that raised funds for the Republican Party. The information was stored in spreadsheets uploaded to a server owned by Deep Root Analytics. It had last been updated in January when President Donald Trump was inaugurated and had been online for an unknown period of time. "We take full responsibility for this situation. Based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked," Deep Root Analytics' founder Alex Lundry told technology website Gizmodo. "Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access." Apart from personal details, the data also contained citizens' suspected religious affiliations, ethnicities and political biases, such as where they stood on controversial topics like gun control, the right to abortion and stem cell research. The file names and directories indicated that the data was meant to be used by influential Republican political organisations. The idea was to try to create a profile on as many voters as possible using all available data, so some of the fields in the spreadsheets were left left empty if an answer could not be found. "That such an enormous national database could be created and hosted online, missing even the simplest of protections against the data being publicly accessible, is troubling," Dan O'Sullivan wrote in a blog post on Upguard's website. "The ability to collect such information and store it insecurely further calls into question the responsibilities owed by private corporations and political campaigns to those citizens targeted by increasingly high-powered data analytics operations." Privacy concerns Although it is known that political parties routinely gather data on voters, this is the largest breach of electoral data in the US to date and privacy experts are concerned about the sheer scale of the data gathered. "This is deeply troubling. This is not just sensitive, it's intimate information, predictions about people's behaviour, opinions and beliefs that people have never decided to disclose to anyone," Privacy International's policy officer Frederike Kaltheuner told the BBC News website. However, the issue of data collection and using computer models to predict voter behaviour is not just limited to marketing firms - Privacy International says that the entire online advertising ecosystem operates in the same way. "It is a threat to the way democracy works. The GOP [Republican Party] relied on publicly-collected, commercially-provided information. Nobody would have realised that the data they entrusted to one organisation would end up in a database used to target them politically. "You should be in charge of what is happening to your data, who can use it and for what purposes," Ms Kaltheuner added. There are fears that leaked data can easily be used for nefarious purposes, from identity fraud to harassment of people under protection orders, or to intimidate people who hold an opposing political view. "The potential for this type of data being made available publicly and on the dark web is extremely high," Paul Fletcher, a cyber-security evangelist at security firm Alert Logic told the BBC. ||||| A Republican data firm — one of three contracted to work on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign — inadvertently exposed personal information on nearly 200 million American voters to the entire internet. For purposes of comparison, consider the fact that 128 million Americans voted in the last election. Advertisement: A California-based security researcher discovered the exposed information, which formed the backbone for Trump’s data operation. Chris Vickery, a cyberrisk analyst for UpGuard, found the database that, according to UpGuard, contained records from the presidential campaigns of 2008, 2012 and 2016. Vickery also discovered in 2015 a trove of voter data related to 191 million people that was released publicly online. Data that included home addresses, birthdates, religious backgrounds, ethnic identities, party affiliations, Reddit usage history was stored on a server belonging to Deep Root Analytics, which compiled the information with two other Republican National Committee contractors, TargetPoint Consulting and Data Trust. With data combined from the two other contractors Deep Root created a “proprietary analysis to help inform local television ad buying,” Gizmodo reported. Deep Root's predictive model used that data to pinpoint a voter's position on 46 different issues, including how likely he or she was to have supported Obama in 2012 or to agree with Trump's "America first" slogan. (Citizenship can be gleaned from public sources, but this model involves combining it with other types of information to create profiles of individual voters.) But as UpGuard discovered, the Republican-linked election database was stored on an Amazon cloud server without any password protection. Anyone who knew where to look could have accessed the data simply by navigating to the specific Amazon domain and downloading the sensitive information. On its website, Deep Root says it "prides itself on presenting large-linked data sets in a useful, easy-to-use and compelling way" and that the team is "the most experienced group of targeters in Republican politics." A data scientist for Deep Root, Alex Lundry, worked on Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. During his failed 2015 presidential bid, Bush released hundreds of thousands of voter emails, many of which contained social security numbers and home addresses. Advertisement: From 2015 t0 2016, the RNC paid Lundry’s firm $983,000. "We take full responsibility for this situation," Deep Root said in a statement on Monday. “This is valuable for people who have nefarious purposes,” the Center for Democracy and Technology’s chief technologist, Joseph Lorenzo Hall, told Gizmodo. Vickery, who first discovered the UpGuard breach and called it “largest U.S. voter data leak,” also noted thatDeep Root also houses the files of Kantar Group, a major media and market research company with offices in Beijing and Moscow. UpGuard's Dan O’Sullivan further explained on his company's website: ||||| Detailed information on nearly every U.S. voter — including in some cases their ethnicity, religion and views on political issues — was left exposed online for two weeks by a political consultancy that works for the Republican National Committee and other GOP clients. The data offered a strikingly complete picture of the voting histories and political leanings of the American electorate laid out on an easily downloadable format, said cyber-security researcher Chris Vickery. He discovered the unprotected files of 198 million voters in a routine scan of the Internet last week and alerted law enforcement officials. The precision and volume of the information, including dozens of data points on individual Republicans, Democrats and independent voters, highlights the rising sophistication of the data-mining efforts that have become central to modern political campaigns. In some cases, that included which voters are suspicious of Wall Street and pharmaceutical firms, or who reluctantly voted for Hillary Clinton or support the Affordable Care Act, Vickery said. "They're using this information to create political dossiers on individuals that are now available for anyone," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "These political data firms might as well be working for the Russians." The data found by Vickery, who studies cyber-security risk for the Silicon Valley startup UpGuard, was compiled by GOP political consultant Deep Root Analytics, based on voter lists maintained by the RNC and augmented by other sources. Deep Root did not disclose those sources but political research firms for years have been collecting information on voters from data brokers, social media postings, polling and other contacts with voters. The company also kept information on Americans' voting histories and their reported enthusiasm for Trump, Vickery said. Some of the files assigned voters a score based on their views of 46 different issues ranging from immigration to trade. Nearly 170 gigabytes of the exposed data consisted of social media posts scraped from Reddit, he added. Among the data are unique RNC identifiers for each voter, Vickery said. The files also potentially offered insight into party strategy for tracking and organizing voters. "What is alarming about this now is that I believe it's the first time RNC IDs and model data have been exposed," said Matt Oszcowski, a veteran GOP political data strategist who recently started his own political fundraising company, Campaign Inbox. "This is not just a list of people; this is unique proprietary information which gives away [Republican] strategy and informs on targeting and methodology." The files do not appear to include Social Security or credit card information, as has leaked in some major commercial data breaches. Nor is it clear if anyone other than Vickery gained unauthorized access to the files during the two weeks they were left without a password or other security before the problem was discovered on June 12. But malicious hackers routinely conduct such scans of the Internet looking for unprotected files they can exploit. And to those who may have found them, the files painted a detailed portrait of virtually all of America's roughly 200 million voters — revealing their names, addresses, birth dates and phone numbers. The information was being stored by Amazon Web Services. The voter files found by Vickery, he said, added up to "billions of data points" that, in the wrong hands, could easily be abused. "With this data you can target neighborhoods, individuals, people of all sorts of persuasions," Vickery said in an interview. "I could give you the home address of every person the RNC believes voted for Trump." In a statement, Deep Root blamed the lapse in security on a settings change, and said it had hired an outside firm to conduct an independent investigation. "We accept full responsibility, will continue with our investigation, and based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked," Deep Root said. Lundry said the data, which included proprietary information as well as publicly available voter data provided by state government officials, has been secure since new protocols were put into place on June 14. The exposure began on June 1, when Deep Roots Analytics adopted updates that accidentally stripped away the password protections on the files. "The RNC has halted any further work with the company pending the conclusion of their investigation into security procedures," the RNC said in a statement. "While Deep Root has confirmed the information accessed did not contain any proprietary RNC information, the RNC takes the security of voter information very seriously and we require vendors to do the same." Amazon Web Services declined to comment about the security problem. The RNC poured more than $20 million into data services in the 2016 cycle, according to Federal Election Commission records. Of that, $6.2 million went to Data Trust, a data management firm that has an exclusive list-sharing agreement with the national party. That allows the company to swap RNC voter data with independent big-money groups such as American Crossroads, American Action Network and the Koch political network, helping grow the party's master voter file. For its part, Deep Root Analytics worked for at least 14 GOP political committees in the 2016 cycle, FEC records show. Among its clients: House Speaker Paul Ryan's campaign committee and his allied House super PAC; the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with American Crossroads and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; and former Florida governor Jeb Bush's presidential campaign and allied super PAC. There are no reported payments from the RNC to Deep Root. However, the party spent $983,000 on "polling services/consulting" with a company called Needle Drop, which is a subsidiary of Deep Root, according to AdvertisingAge. Both parties, as well as independent political groups, have been increasing their data-collection efforts for several campaign cycles. Privacy experts have warned for years that this has happened with little oversight from federal or state officials. "Perhaps the biggest privacy problem here is the fact that the Republicans have all this information about voters in the first place," said Peter Eckersley, chief computer scientist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group. "At some point in the past, parties picked a platform and voters decided on it. But with these databases, political operations can promise very different and increasingly contradictory things to different people, and that may be turning into a serious problem for democracy." ||||| The personal details of more than 198 million United States citizens were accidentally exposed last week by a firm contracted by the Republican National Committee to gather data on voters, BBC reported on Monday. The information – home addresses, birth dates and phone numbers, as well as people’s views on subjects such as gun control, abortion and religious tolerance – was publicly accessible on an Amazon server to anyone with the link and included details. The 1.1 TB data leak exposed sensitive information of nearly 62% of the entire US population. Deep Root Analytics – the data firm hired by the Republican campaign – had confirmed the leak to Gizmodo on Friday after a cyber risk analyst at UpGuard security firm, Chris Vickery, had discovered the data stock last week. The files were available on the Amazon cloud server without any form of password protection. “We take full responsibility for this situation,” Founder of Deep Root Analytics Alex Lundry told Gizmodo. “Based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked...We have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access.” The information appears to have been collected from multiple sources, including social media threads and committees formed to raise funds for the Republican Party. The RNC had paid Deep Root $983,000 last year (around Rs 6.34 crore), according to Federal Election Commission data. ||||| Bad news if you're a participant in democracy: The personal information of potentially every single registered American voter was exposed by an extremely careless Republican data firm. The breach was discovered by an analyst working for the cyber resilience firm UpGuard, who found voters' "names, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, and voter registration details, as well as data described as 'modeled' voter ethnicities and religions" on a publicly accessible Amazon server. The server belonged to a Republican data firm called Deep Root Analytics, which contracted with the Republican National Committee to work for Donald Trump's campaign. UpGuard first stumbled across it a week ago. In the early evening of June 12th, UpGuard Cyber Risk Analyst Chris Vickery discovered an open cloud repository while searching for misconfigured data sources on behalf of the Cyber Risk Team, a research unit of UpGuard devoted to finding, securing, and raising public awareness of such exposures. The data repository, an Amazon Web Services S3 bucket, lacked any protection against access. As such, anyone with an internet connection could have accessed the Republican data operation used to power Donald Trump’s presidential victory, simply by navigating to a six-character Amazon subdomain: "dra-dw". Alex Lundry, a co-founder of Deep Root Analytics, told Gizmodo that the "data was exposed after the company updated its security settings on June 1." Vickery says the server was secured shortly after he reported the unsecured server to federal authorities on June 14, which means that the data was publicly available for a period of 14 days. Lundry told ZDNet that the firm takes "full responsibility" for the exposed data but also emphasized that a portion of the data was "publicly available." "Deep Root Analytics has become aware that a number of files within our online storage system were accessed without our knowledge," said Lundry. "The data that was accessed was, to the best of our knowledge proprietary information as well as voter data that is publicly available and readily provided by state government offices. Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access. "We accept full responsibility, will continue with our investigation, and based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked," he said. Gizmodo points out that even publicly available information can be used for nefarious purposes. Even though voter rolls are public record and are easy to access — Ohio, for instance, makes its voter rolls available to download online — their exposure can still be harmful. Voter registration records include ZIP codes, birthdates, and other personal information that have been crucial in research efforts to re-identify anonymous medical data. Latanya Sweeney, a professor of government and technology at Harvard University, famously used voter data to re-identify Massachusetts Governor William Weld from information in anonymous hospital discharge records. What's more, the "proprietary information" in the breach includes predictions about what voters believe about particular issues, and Deep Root Analytics may even have attempted to match Reddit users to their voter registration records. [T]he records include advanced sentiment analyses used by political groups to predict where individual voters fall on hot-button issues such as gun ownership, stem cell research, and the right to abortion, as well as suspected religious affiliation and ethnicity. The data was amassed from a variety of sources—from the banned subreddit r/fatpeoplehate to American Crossroads, the super PAC co-founded by former White House strategist Karl Rove. The breach isn't the first time data about American voters has been exposed, but it is the biggest known voter-related breach, affecting 61% of the entire US population. ||||| Detailed information on nearly every U.S. voter – including in some cases their ethnicity, religion and views on political issues – was left exposed online for two weeks by a political consultancy which works for the Republican National Committee and other GOP clients. The data offered a strikingly complete picture of the voting histories and political leanings of the American electorate laid out on an easily downloadable format, said cyber-security researcher Chris Vickery. He discovered the unprotected files of 198 million voters in a routine scan of the Internet last week and alerted law enforcement officials. The precision and volume of the information, including dozens of data points on individual Republicans, Democrats and independent voters, highlights the rising sophistication of the data-mining efforts that have become central to modern political campaigns. In some cases, that included which voters are suspicious of Wall Street and pharmaceutical firms, or who reluctantly voted for Hillary Clinton or supports Obamacare, Vickery said. “They’re using this information to create political dossiers on individuals that are now available for anyone,” said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “These political data firms might as well be working for the Russians.” The data found by Vickery, who studies cyber-security risk for the Silicon Valley startup UpGuard, was compiled by GOP political consultant Deep Root Analytics, based on voter lists maintained by the RNC and augmented by other sources. Deep Root did not disclose those sources but political research firms for years have been collecting information on voters from data brokers, social media postings, polling and other contacts with voters. The company also kept information on Americans’ voting histories and their reported enthusiasm for Trump, Vickery said. Some of the files assigned voters a score based on their views of 46 different issues ranging from immigration to trade. Nearly 170 gigabytes of the exposed data consisted of social media posts scraped from Reddit, he added. Among the data are unique RNC identifiers for each voter, Vickery said. The files also potentially offered insight into party strategy for tracking and organizing voters. “What is alarming about this now is that I believe it’s the first time RNC IDs and model data have been exposed,” said Matt Oszcowski, a veteran GOP political data strategist who recently started his own political fundraising company, Campaign Inbox. “This is not just a list of people; this is unique proprietary information which gives away Republican strategy and informs on targeting and methodology.” The files do not appear to include Social Security or credit card information, as has leaked in some major commercial data breaches. Nor is it clear if anyone other than Vickery gained unauthorized access to the files during the two weeks they were left without a password or other security before the problem was discovered on June 12. But malicious hackers routinely conduct such scans of the Internet looking for unprotected files they can exploit. And to those who may have found them, the files painted a detailed portrait of virtually all of America’s roughly 200 million voters – revealing their names, addresses, birth dates and phone numbers. The information was being stored by Amazon Web Services. The voter files found by Vickery, he said, added up to “billions of data points” that, in the wrong hands, could easily be abused. “With this data you can target neighborhoods, individuals, people of all sorts of persuasions,” Vickery said. ||||| A Republican National Committee database of nearly every registered American voter was left vulnerable to theft on a public server for 12 days this month, according to a cybersecurity researcher who found and downloaded the trove of data. The lapse in security was striking for putting at risk the identities, voting histories and views of voters across the political spectrum, with data drawn from a wide range of sources including social media, public government records and proprietary polling by political groups. Chris Vickery, a risk analyst at cybersecurity firm UpGuard, said he found a spreadsheet of nearly 200 million Americans on a server run by Amazon's cloud-hosting business that was left without a password or any other protection. Anyone with Internet access who found the server could also have downloaded the entire file. The server contained data from Deep Root Analytics, a contractor to the Republican National Committee, which used Amazon Web Services for server storage. Vickery said he came upon the server's address as he scanned the Internet for unsecured databases. "With this data you can target neighborhoods, individuals, people of all sorts of persuasions," Vickery said in an interview. "I could give you the home address of every person the RNC believes voted for [President Donald] Trump." It is not known whether the information has been accessed by any one but Vickery. Gizmodo was first to report details of the data vulnerability Monday. The Washington Post has not reviewed the file. The RNC did not immediately comment. In a statement, Deep Root founder Alex Lundry told Gizmodo, "We take full responsibility for this situation." He said the data included proprietary information as well as publicly available voter data provided by state government officials. "Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access," Lundry said. In all, the leaked files amount to more than 1,000 gigabytes of data -- more than four times the size of any previous breach of this type, according to Vickery. The data fields included views on specific issues including abortion, gun rights and environmental issues, he said. The detailed file does not stop at Trump supporters, but likely includes Democrats, independents and many voters in between, he said. At a time when even many Americans protect their most basic emails and photos using passwords and two-step authentication, the security missteps by Deep Root Analytics, the contractor behind the breach, represent a form of gross negligence, he added. The file has been secured now for several days, Vickery said, adding that he informed law enforcement of the vulnerability after discovering it. "What is alarming about this now is that I believe it's the first time RNC IDs and model data have been exposed," said Matt Oszcowski, a veteran GOP political data strategist. "This is not just a list of people; this is unique proprietary information which gives away [Republican] strategy and informs on targeting and methodology." Privacy experts expressed alarm over the breach, which they said shows how deeply personal data has become integrated into the modern political campaign. "They're using this information to create political dossiers on individuals that are now available for anyone," said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "These political data firms might as well be working for the Russians." Information for this article was contributed by Matea Gold of The Washington Post. ||||| A contractor for the Republican Party has accidentally exposed personal data on more than 198 million citizens The US has been hit by its largest-ever breach of voter data after a contractor for the Republican party exposed personal information on more than 198 million citizens, or about 61 percent of the country’s population. The data, in the form of about 1.1 terabytes of spreadsheets, was stored in an Amazon Web Services S3 storage repository that was accessible to anyone who knew its online address, according to security firm UpGuard. UpGuard risk analyst Chris Vickery discovered the trove on 12 June while scanning for publicly accessible data. The spreadsheets contain data compiled by Deep Root Analytics, a firm contracted by the Republican National Committee (RNC) to analyse audiences for political campaign advertisements, with the information apparently being drawn from various sources. This includes publicly accessible voter records, Republican Party canvassing activities and information scraped from social media websites including Reddit. The records list personal information such as home addresses, birthdates and phone numbers, as well as predictions around where users stand on sensitive issues and their suspected religious affiliation and ethnicity. The data was used during election campaigns, including last year’s presidential campaign, and as such covers nearly all of the US’ 200 million registered voters. It was last updated in January at the time of the presidential inauguration, according to UpGuard. Deep Root took responsibility for the exposure, saying the data was left accessible to the public due to a configuration change that occurred on 1 June and which was corrected on 14 June. “Since this event has come to our attention, we have updated the access settings and put protocols in place to prevent further access,” said Deep Root founder Alex Lundry in a statement. He said the firm didn’t believe any unauthorised parties had accessed the spreadsheets. UpGuard said the scale of the breach was disturbing. “That such an enormous national database could be created and hosted online, missing even the simplest of protections against the data being publicly accessible, is troubling,” wrote UpGuard’s Dan O’Sullivan in an advisory. “The ability to collect such information and store it insecurely further calls into question the responsibilities owed by private corporations and political campaigns to those citizens targeted by increasingly high-powered data analytics operations.” O’Sullivan said the breach may be the largest known exposure of voter information in history, roughly double the size of a breach last year that included data on 93 million Mexican voters. Large-scale data analytics has played an increasingly controversial role in recent elections, including last year’s presidential election in the US and the recent EU referendum and general elections in the UK, as well as being used more broadly to shape public opinion. In March the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it would investigate the use of analytics and personal data to sway voters ahead of last year’s EU referendum. The data-protection watchdog said it is also looking into the broader use of data analytics techniques to influence public opinion and how they capture and use citizens’ data. The use of certain types of personal data for campaign purposes, such as Facebook “likes,” is permitted in the US, but in the UK and the EU it requires explicit consent by those involved. A series of studies published on Monday by the University of Oxford found propaganda on social media was being used to manipulate public opinion around the world. Do you know all about security in 2017? Try our quiz! ||||| Personal information belonging to more than 198 million registered U.S. voters was exposed in what security researchers at UpGuard are calling the largest known data exposure of its kind. Republican data firm Deep Root Analytics, who was working on behalf of the Republican National Committee (RNC), is taking full responsibility for the disclosure, which was possible through an unsecured Amazon Web Services S3 bucket. The data was exposed after the company updated its security settings on June 1, according to Deep Root founder Alex Lundry. The misconfigured database contained 1.1 terabytes of downloadable personal information compiled by the DRA and at least two other Republican contractors, TargetPoint Consulting, Inc. and Data Trust. An additional 24 terabytes of data was stored in the warehouse, but had been configured to prevent public access. According to UpGuard, these firms were paid in excess of $5 million, and “were among the RNC-hired outfits working as the core of the Trump campaign’s 2016 general election data team, relied upon in the GOP effort to influence potential voters and accurately predict their behavior.” The data included names, dates of birth, home addresses, phone numbers, and voter registration details, but perhaps more troubling, data on their “likely political preferences using advanced algorithmic modeling across forty-eight different categories” was also among the downloadable files, UpGuard said. The data is current, too, having been last updated around January 2017, when Trump was inaugurated. UpGuard cyber risk analyst Chris Vickery discovered the data on June 12 while searching for misconfigured data sources on behalf of the research unit of UpGuard. The data was secured on June 14 after Vickery notified federal authorities. According to a blog post by UpGuard, “anyone with an internet connection could have accessed the Republican data operation used to power Donald Trump’s presidential victory, simply by navigating to a six-character Amazon subdomain: ‘dra-dw.’” “Upon inspection of the contents, ‘dra-dw’ is shown to stand for ‘Deep Root Analytics Data Warehouse.’ The concept of a ‘data warehouse’ is common in modern business— essentially, it is a massive collection of data prepared specifically for complex analysis,” UpGuard said. The absence of basic security best practices in this case is troubling, particularly with an organization that deals with this volume of data. Before contracting a third-party consultant, particularly one that is going to be handling any type of personally identifiable data, it is imperative that an organization understands what safeguards they have in place, and if necessary, what additional measures will need to be taken to ensure the data is secured. The publicly accessible files included two directories called “data_trust” and “target_point.” This is what was found in the first folder: Within “data_trust” are two massive stores of personal information collectively representing up to 198 million potential voters. Consisting primarily of two file repositories, a 256 GB folder for the 2008 presidential election and a 233 GB folder for 2012, each containing fifty-one files - one for every state, as well as the District of Columbia. Each file, formatted as a comma separated value (.csv), lists an internal, 32-character alphanumeric “RNC ID”—such as, for example, 530C2598-6EF4-4A56-9A7X-2FCA466FX2E2—used to uniquely identify every potential voter in the database. These RNC IDS uniquely link disparate data sets together, combining dozens of sensitive and personally identifying data points, making it possible to piece together a striking amount of detail on individual Americans specified by name. In the second folder, here’s what the researchers found: The contents of the “target_point” folder were even more intrusive than those of the Data Trust repository, if less obviously intimidating at first glance: fourteen files saved in the Alteryx Database format (.yxdb), a file format designed specifically for large-scale data analysis. Most of the files were last updated in mid to late-January 2017, with several labeled as “Contact File,” with different dates signifying when they were updated. Contained within these “Contact File” spreadsheets are the aforementioned 32-character alphanumeric RNC IDs for 198 million potential American voters, as well as the corresponding names and addresses of the voters. The clear linkage between every RNC ID and the name and identifying personal details of all 198 million people ensures all data using the RNC ID as an identifier can be tied back to the person’s real name. Dan O'Sullivan, an analyst with UpGuard, said, "Beyond the almost limitless criminal applications of the exposed data for purposes of identity theft, fraud, and resale on the black market, the heft of the data and analytical power of the modeling could be applied to even more ambitious efforts - corporate marketing, spam, advanced political targeting. Any of these potential misuses of private information can be prevented, provided stakeholders obey a few simple precepts in collecting and storing data." Deep Root has hired a third-party cybersecurity and forensics firm Stroz Friedberg to investigate. Deep Root does not believe the data was accessed by malicious third parties in the 13 days it was publicly accessible, but the investigation will answer that definitively. ||||| Since November, the Trump campaign’s possibly brilliant, maybe-just-lucky data strategy launched a thousand thinkpieces. Now, we’ve got a more intimate look at that data than we were ever meant to have. As discovered by Chris Vickery, a cyber risk analyst at UpGuard, and reported by Gizmodo, an analytics firm hired by the Republican National Committee left the data of 198 million U.S. voters sitting out in the open on a public server. The more than a terabyte of data, owned by Deep Root Analytics, included personal identifying information like birth dates, home addresses and phone numbers as well as demographic info like ethnicity and religion. UpGuard’s blog explains how the firm came across the unprotected data: “In the early evening of June 12th, UpGuard Cyber Risk Analyst Chris Vickery discovered an open cloud repository while searching for misconfigured data sources on behalf of the Cyber Risk Team, a research unit of UpGuard devoted to finding, securing, and raising public awareness of such exposures. The data repository, an Amazon Web Services S3 bucket, lacked any protection against access. As such, anyone with an internet connection could have accessed the Republican data operation used to power Donald Trump’s presidential victory, simply by navigating to a six-character Amazon subdomain: “dra-dw”.” In 2016, Deep Root earned more than $900,000 from the RNC for campaign year data and analysis on potential voters. The unprotected Deep Root database also contained data from other firms with RNC contracts, including Americans for Prosperity and the Data Trust, both well-funded conservative groups with massive data troves. It is not fully clear if anyone made off with the exposed data during the 12 days it sat out in the open, but Deep Root doesn’t seem to think so. In a security statement, the company admitted to its big data self-own: “Deep Root Analytics has become aware that a number of files within our online storage system were accessed without our knowledge… We are conducting an internal review and have retained cyber security firm Stroz Friedberg to conduct a thorough investigation. Through this process, which is currently underway, we have learned that access was gained through a recent change in access settings since June 1. We accept full responsibility, will continue with our investigation, and based on the information we have gathered thus far, we do not believe that our systems have been hacked.” Deep Root’s open data stash notably included raw text scraped from Reddit, including the now-banned subreddit r/fatpeoplehate, a popular forum with Trump’s r/The_Donald Reddit base, some Spanish-speaking subreddits and at least one about mountain biking. Where that data fit into the GOP’s strategy remains unclear, but it shows that social sites well beyond real identity-obsessed Facebook have evolved into rich sources for political campaigns seeking to understand and predict voter behavior. As valuable as this kind of dataset might be, Deep Root’s carelessness shows that when the race has come and gone, keeping all of that aggregate data safe must not be quite as lucrative as scooping it all up in the first place. | Personal information of about 200 million U.S. citizens has been exposed on the Internet since January when unsecured files were uploaded by Republican contractor Deep Root Analytics. The data, available via publicly accessible providers such as Amazon Web Services, included birth dates, home addresses, telephone numbers, religious affiliations, ethnicities, and political views. The problem was discovered by an UpGuard analyst. |
The stabbing of a police officer at a Michigan airport Wednesday by a Canadian citizen who yelled "Allahu Akbar" and referenced people being killed in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism, officials said. FBI Special Agent in Charge David P. Gelios said at a news conference Amor Ftouhi, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen, entered Bishop International Airport in Flint around 9:45 a.m. and went to a restroom before dropping both of his bags, coming out with a knife and yelling "Allahu Akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great," before stabbing Officer Jeff Neville in the neck. Ftouhi said something similar to "you have killed people in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and we are all going to die" as he was being arrested, according to Gelios. He also used a 12-inch knife with an 8-inch serrated blade, he added. The Canadian citizen was motivated to come to the airport and conduct this act of violence out of a "hatred of the United States," according to Gelios. He legally entered the U.S. at Lake Champlain in New York on June 16, and then made his way to Flint, according to Gelios. Police in Canada were searching a Montreal apartment late Wednesday. Montreal police spokesman Benoit Boiselle told the Associated Press officers with their department were assisting the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the search on behalf of an FBI request. A number of police stood guard outside the apartment building in the east end of Montreal located in St-Michel borough. Canadian TV footage showed police escorting at least one person from the building where Ftouhi is believed to have lived. Boiselle said three people staying at the residence had been taken in for questioning. Luciano Piazza, the building landlord, said Ftouhi was not a difficult tenant and that he is married with children. "I never had any problems with him," Piazza said. "I'm really surprised. I would see him at least once a month, when he paid his rent." Federal prosecutors have charged Ftouhi with committing violence at an airport. The entire attack took place outside of the TSA screening area at the airport. Flint Airport Director of Public Safety Christopher Miller said Neville is in "satisfactory condition," and "doing fine." Miller said Neville "fought him till the end" until the suspect was able to be handcuffed. The FBI added in the criminal complaint that Ftouhi asked an officer who subdued him why he didn't kill him. The FBI said this is believed to be an isolated incident and that there was "nothing to suggest a wider plot." A White House official confirmed to Fox News that President Trump has been briefed on the stabbing. "I want to assure all our law enforcement across the nation, any attack on someone who serves and protects our citizens will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. "I am proud of the swift response from the FBI and our federal prosecutors and their partnership with local police and the Canadian authorities. Our prayers are with the officer and his family for a full recovery." Law enforcement agencies in Canada are in touch with their U.S. counterparts and are assisting in every way possible, Canadian Embassy spokesperson Christine Constantin told Fox News. Constantin said Canada condemns this "heinous and cowardly act," and that "our thoughts and sympathies are with the officer and his loved ones." Ken Brown told The Flint Journal he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer bleeding from his neck. He says he saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground. "The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck," Brown said. "I said they need to get him a towel." Cherie Carpenter, who was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild, tells Flint TV station WJRT she saw the attacker being led away in handcuffs. She described the man in custody as appearing "blank, just totally blank." Genesee County Commissioner Mark Young, a friend of Neville, called him "an honorable man" whom he worked with at the county Sheriff's Department, according to MLive. Neville was a lieutenant with the airport's police department, said Young, who met with the victim's family and at the hospital today. "As expected, they are shook up. They are concerned," he told MLive. The FBI is the lead agency on the scene. State police troopers, along with ATF agents, are also at the airport investigating. The airport was closed for several hours as a result of the stabbing. The airport posted Wednesday on Facebook that passengers were safe and were being told to check for flight delays or cancellations. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder asked state residents to "keep the attacked officer in your thoughts and prayers" on Twitter. The stabbing is the second evacuation at Bishop International Airport this month. In the previous incident, the airport terminal was evacuated June 8 after officers noticed a suspicious bag. The bag turned out to contain nothing dangerous. Genesee County Commissioner Mark Young, a friend of Neville's who retired from the Genesee County sheriff's office in 1997, said Neville left that department two years after him. He said Neville served in various capacities with the sheriff's office including in the jail, on road patrol and as a court officer. Neville retired from that department as a lieutenant. Young said he headed to the airport when he learned about the stabbing Wednesday. He said once he got there, he "tried to assess and work with emergency management and emergency response teams from the sheriff's department, kind of trying to see what was going on." "Things were chaotic, but very well organized and under control -- how the sheriff's department was handling things and how Bishop International was handling things," he said. A few miles away, officials stationed police officers at Flint City Hall after the incident. Mayor Karen Weaver said in a release the situation was "under control" but that officials sought to take "extra precautions." Fox News' Jake Gibson, Catherine Herridge, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| A law enforcement officer at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, was stabbed in the neck by an attacker earlier this morning. The unidentified knifeman was arrested and taken into custody by Flint police officers. The Bishop International Airport officer is in critical condition. The name of the officer transported to a local Michigan hospital for emergency treatment has also not yet been released to the public. Bishop Airport was evacuated after the police officer was stabbed, Local 4 News reports. The FBI has taken the lead in the Michigan airport stabbing case. A statement from the Flint airport said passengers scheduled to fly out of the Michigan city today should contact their airline to determine if their flights have been canceled or delayed. Ken Brown, a witness to the Flint airport stabbing, told MLive that he saw the police officer bleeding from the neck and on his hands and knees on the floor. Brown went on to say he saw police officers detain a man not far from where a knife was spotted on the floor of the airport. A representative from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told CBS News the Flint airport officer was stabbed in both the neck and the back. The knife attacked reportedly occurred in the public area of the main terminal. A tweet by the Michigan State Police asks readers to keep the critically injured officer in their prayers. The state police agency also stated the airport is now closed. Flint Mayor Karen Weaver enhanced security around city hall in the wake of the Bishop International Airport stabbing. “Right now we are still awaiting more information about the situation at Bishop Airport this morning. My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to serve and protect us each and every day,” the Flint mayor added. “The situation is under control. However, at this time we are taking extra precautions just to be safe.” Another Flint airport stabbing witness, Cherrie Carpenter, said she saw the face of the armed attacker while waiting to board a flight to Texas to visit relatives. Carpenter described the look on the “husky” man’s face as “blank,” Detroit News reports. United, Delta, American Airlines, Southwest, and Allegiant airlines all operate out of the Bishop International Airport. ||||| FLINT, Mich. (CNN) — A police officer was stabbed Wednesday at a Flint, Michigan airport, and passengers were evacuated, according to authorities. The officer was stabbed in the neck at Bishop International Airport, Lt. David Kaiser, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police, told CNN. The officer is in critical condition, the Michigan State Police said on Twitter. CNN is told the suspect is in custody. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have been targeted against law enforcement. The FBI is the lead agency responding to the stabbing, according to state police. Police also posted on Twitter that the airport will remain closed until further notice. ||||| The stabbing of a police officer at a Michigan airport on Wednesday is being investigated by the FBI as a possible terror attack, officials said. Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, was evacuated after Officer Jeff Neville was stabbed in the neck. He’s currently listed as being in stable condition, according to Michigan State Police. The FBI says the suspect is in custody and is being questioned. They are working to determine a possible motive for the attack. “We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism,” the FBI said in a statement. This is believed to be an isolated incident, authorities also said. Ken Brown tells The Flint Journal he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer bleeding from his neck. He says he saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground. “The cop was on his hands and knees bleeding from his neck,” Brown said. “I said they need to get him a towel.” Cherie Carpenter, who was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild, tells Flint TV station WJRT she saw the attacker being led away in handcuffs. She described the man in custody as appearing “blank, just totally blank.” Genesee County Commissioner Mark Young, a friend of Neville, called him “an honorable man” whom he worked with at the county Sheriff’s Department, according to MLive. Neville was a lieutenant with the airport’s police department, said Young, who met with the victim’s family and at the hospital today. “As expected, they are shook up. They are concerned,” he told MLive. The FBI is the lead agency on the scene. State police troopers, along with ATF agents, are also at the airport investigating. The airport remains closed until further notice. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder asked state resident to “keep the attacked officer in your thoughts and prayers” on Twitter. Mayor Karen Weaver said in a release Wednesday “the situation is under control” but officials sought to take “extra precautions” in light of the Wednesday morning incident at Bishop International Airport. The municipal building remains open. In response to the stabbing, Flint police were stationed around the City Hall but the building remained open for business. The airport posted Wednesday on Facebook that passengers were safe and were being told to check for flight delays or cancellations. The stabbing is the second evacuation at Bishop International Airport this month. In the previous incident, the airport terminal was evacuated June 8 after officers noticed a suspicious bag. The bag turned out to contain nothing dangerous. The Associated Press and Fox News’ Jake Gibson contributed to this report. ||||| (CNN) -- A police officer was stabbed Wednesday at a Flint, Michigan airport, and the suspect is in custody, according to authorities. The officer was stabbed in the back and neck on the public side of the Bishop International Airport's main terminal, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The police officer, identified as Lt. Jeff Neville, is stable, David Kaiser, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police, told CNN. . All passengers are safe and were evacuated, the airport said on Facebook. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have targeted law enforcement. The FBI has not made any determination but is investigating whether the airport stabbing is terrorism, a law enforcement official told CNN. Police posted on Twitter that the airport will remain closed until further notice. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver responded to the stabbing with words of support for officers. "(P)lease keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers," Snyder said on Twitter. "My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day," Weaver said in a statement. The airport's Police Department has six full-time and six part-time police officers. About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop last year, according to statistics from the airport. ||||| FLINT, Mich. — A police officer was stabbed Wednesday at a Flint, Michigan airport, and the suspect is in custody, according to authorities. The officer was stabbed in the back and neck in the public side of the Bishop International Airport’s main terminal, according to the Transportation Security Administration. FOX 17 reports the officer has been identified as Jeff Neville. He is in critical condition. All passengers are safe and were evacuated, the airport said on Facebook. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have targeted law enforcement. The FBI is the lead agency responding to the stabbing, according to state police. Police also posted on Twitter that the airport will remain closed until further notice. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver responded to the stabbing with words of support for officers. “My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day,” Weaver said in a statement. The airport’s police department has six full-time and six part-time police officers. About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop last year, according to statistics from the airport. ||||| FLINT, MICH. - A law enforcement official says the FBI is looking at terrorism as a possible motive in the stabbing of an officer at the Flint, Michigan, airport. The official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the individual wasn't able to publicly discuss it says the investigation of the Wednesday morning assault at Bishop International Airport is in its early stages. A second law enforcement official also speaking on condition of anonymity says authorities were investigating witness reports the suspect made during the incident, including saying "Allahu akbar," the Arabic phrase for "God is great." Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw says one person is in custody and nobody else is believed to have been involved. Shaw identified the officer who was stabbed is Lt. Jeff Neville with the Bishop International Airport police. He says Neville's condition also has been upgraded from critical to stable condition. Authorities say a police officer injured at the airport in Flint, Michigan, was stabbed in the neck and his condition is improving. Michigan State Police Lt. Mike Shaw said the officer stabbed Wednesday morning is Lt. Jeff Neville with the Bishop International Airport police. Shaw says Neville's condition also has been upgraded from critical to stable condition. Shaw said one person is in custody and nobody else is believed to have been involved. Shaw says "everything is on the table" as far as motive is concerned but cautioned against jumping to conclusions. Witnesses have described seeing a man led away in handcuffs by police, Neville bleeding from his neck and knife on the ground. Shaw said Neville had retired from the Genesee County Sheriff's Department as a lieutenant. Flint officials say they have stationed police officers around City Hall out of caution after an officer was critically hurt at the city's airport a few miles away. Mayor Karen Weaver said in a release Wednesday "the situation is under control" but officials sought to take "extra precautions" in light of the Wednesday morning incident at Bishop International Airport. The municipal building remains open. Witnesses describe seeing a man led away in handcuffs by police and the airport officer bleeding from his neck. Authorities have said the officer is in critical condition. A witness says a man led away in handcuffs by police after an officer was critically hurt at a Flint, Michigan, airport had a husky build and a 'blank' look on his face. Cherie Carpenter of tells Flint TV station WJRT she saw the attacker's face Wednesday morning at Bishop International Airport. She was awaiting a flight to Texas to see her new grandchild. Carpenter described the man in custody as appearing "blank, just totally blank." She and another witness say they saw the airport officer bleeding from his neck. Authorities say the officer is in critical condition. Authorities say the police officer injured at a Flint, Michigan, airport is in critical condition. Michigan State Police said the officer was critically hurt Wednesday morning at Bishop International Airport. Airport officials posted on Facebook that the officer was hurt but offered no further details about the incident. A witness tells The Flint Journal he saw the officer bleeding form his neck. He also saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground. The FBI is leading the investigation. Airport and police officials didn't immediately respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. Officials say the airport in Flint, Michigan, has been evacuated after a police officer was injured. Bishop International Airport posted Wednesday on Facebook that the officer was hurt but offered no details about the incident. The post added that passengers were safe and were being told to check for flight delays or cancellations. Ken Brown tells The Flint Journal he was dropping off his daughter at the airport and saw the officer bleeding from his neck. He says he saw a man detained by police and a knife on the ground. This is a developing story, check back for updates. ||||| FLINT, MICHIGAN (CNN) – The FBI said it is investigating the stabbing of a police officer at a Flint, Michigan, airport “as act of terrorism.” A police officer was stabbed in the back and neck Wednesday at an airport in Flint, Michigan, and the suspect is in custody and being questioned, according to authorities. The police officer, identified as Lt. Jeff Neville, is in stable condition, said Lt. David Kaiser, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police. He was stabbed on the public side of Bishop International Airport’s main terminal, according to the Transportation Security Administration. All passengers are safe and were evacuated, the airport said on Facebook. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have targeted law enforcement. The FBI said it believed the attack was an “isolated incident” and is investigating whether it was an act of terrorism. “We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism,” the FBI said. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the attack, an administration official told CNN. US law enforcement officials are working with Canadian authorities to learn more about the ties the suspect has to Canada, according to a law enforcement source. A US official told CNN that, based on preliminary information, it appears the suspect has traveled between the United States and Canada multiple times. A spokesperson for the Canadian Embassy in Washington said the Canadian government and law enforcement agencies are “engaged and are cooperating fully” with their American counterparts. The airport is closed until further notice. Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver responded to the stabbing with words of support for officers. “(P)lease keep the attacked officer in your thoughts & prayers,” Snyder said on Twitter. “My thoughts and prayers are with all of our law enforcement officers who work to service and protect us each and every day,” Weaver said in a statement. The airport’s Police Department has six full-time and six part-time police officers . About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop last year, according to statistics from the airport ||||| By Shimon Prokupecz, Lauren Del Valle and Eric Levenson (CNN) -- A police officer was stabbed Wednesday at a Flint, Michigan airport, and passengers were evacuated, according to authorities. The officer was stabbed in the neck at Bishop International Airport, Lt. David Kaiser, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police, told CNN. The officer is in critical condition, the Michigan State Police said on Twitter. CNN is told the suspect is in custody. A law enforcement official said the stabbing appears to have targeted law enforcement. The FBI is the lead agency responding to the stabbing, according to state police. Police also posted on Twitter that the airport will remain closed until further notice. The airport's Police Department has six full-time and six part-time police officers. About 800,000 passengers took flights through Bishop last year, according to statistics from the airport. ||||| REUTERS: Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan, was evacuated on Wednesday after a police officer was stabbed in the neck in what a U.S. government official familiar with the situation said was being investigated as a possible act of terrorism. All passengers were safe, the airport said in a brief statement on its Facebook page. The officer who was stabbed is Lieutenant Jeff Neville of the Bishop International Airport Department of Public Safety, Michigan State Police spokeswoman Lori Dougovito said by telephone. Neville underwent surgery after the attack and is stable, Dougovito said. Asked if the stabbing was under investigation as possible terrorism, the government official, who asked not be named, said "yes." The officer was stabbed inside the airport's main terminal, Michigan State Police spokesman David Kaiser said in a telephone interview from the airport. "We are aware of reports that the attacker made statements immediately prior to or while attacking the officer, but it is too early to determine the nature of these alleged statements or whether or not this was an act of terrorism," the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit field office said in a statement. Police have taken a "person of interest" into custody, Flint Mayor Karen Weaver said in a statement. Officials increased security at Flint City Hall, including additional police officers, in "an abundance of caution," the statement said. Bishop Airport is a small regional airport with two runways that has, on average, 16 commercial flights arriving or departing each day, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. The airport warned of potential cancellations and delays after the incident. | A police officer is stabbed in the neck at Bishop International Airport in Flint, Michigan. The FBI is investigating the incident as terrorism. The suspect was arrested on scene and charged with a federal count of violence at an international airport. The victim survived. |
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has taken the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border with Syria, following wayward projectiles from fighting there that landed in its territory. The military says fire from Syria landed in open areas Saturday and no injuries or damage was caused. But with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military asked them to keep their distance from the border area. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel. It's also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. ||||| JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has taken the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border with Syria, following wayward projectiles from fighting there that landed in its territory. The military says fire from Syria landed in open areas Saturday and no injuries or damage was caused. But with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military asked them to keep their distance from the border area. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel. It’s also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. ||||| TEL AVIV (Sputnik) – Golan Heights, along with the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula were seized by Israel as a result of the Arab-Israeli Six-Day War in 1967. No information on retaliatory fire followed, regardless of the fact that Israeli forces usually respond with attacks on Syrian government forces positions. Syria has been in a grip of civil war for six years, with government forces fighting against both Syrian opposition groups who strive to overthrow President Bashar Assad, and numerous extremist and terrorist groups such as Daesh and Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (both outlawed in Russia). ||||| The Israeli military has taken the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border with Syria, following wayward projectiles from fighting there that landed in its territory. The military says fire from Syria landed in open areas Saturday and no injuries or damage was caused. But with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military asked them to keep their distance from the border area. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria’s civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel. It’s also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. ||||| JERUSALEM — Israeli aircraft struck various positions in Syria Saturday, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said. The flare-up marked a rare case of Israeli involvement in the bloody fighting next door. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel and holds the Syrian government responsible for any such incidents. It's also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. On Saturday, the Israeli military said fighting between Syrian troops and rebels had spilled over again, with projectiles landing on the Israeli side of the frontier. It said no injuries or damage was caused but with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military took the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border. Later, it announced that it had targeted the source of the fire and hit two tanks belonging to the Syrian military. Syrian state media said a number of people were killed. "We have no intention of allowing the breech of our sovereignty and harming of our security to go unpassed," said Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. "As far as we are concerned, the Assad regime is responsible for what is happening in its territory and it will continue to bear the consequences if such events repeat themselves." The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on his Arabic-language Facebook page that about 10 shells hit the Israeli-occupied area nearby, adding that Israel's air force struck Syrian army targets in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra." Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. ||||| Israeli aircraft struck various positions in Syria Saturday, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said. The flare-up marked a rare case of Israeli involvement in the bloody fighting next door. Israel has steadfastly stayed on the sidelines of Syria's civil war, now in its seventh year, refraining from taking sides or getting drawn into hostilities. It has responded in the past with limited strikes when fire has spilled into Israel and holds the Syrian government responsible for any such incidents. It's also reportedly hit advanced weapons shipments from Syria to Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. On Saturday, the Israeli military said fighting between Syrian troops and rebels had spilled over again, with projectiles landing on the Israeli side of the frontier. It said no injuries or damage was caused but with Israelis flocking to the Golan Heights in the summer for hikes and fruit picking, the military took the precautionary step of asking civilians to avoid gathering near the border. Later, it announced that it had targeted the source of the fire and hit two tanks belonging to the Syrian military. The government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Syrian troops and their allies repelled an attack by insurgents on the outskirts of the southern city of Baath on the edge of the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The SCMM accused an Israeli helicopter of assisting insurgents in their attack on military outposts. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote on his Arabic-language Facebook page that about 10 shells hit the Israeli-occupied area nearby, adding that Israel's air force struck Syrian army targets in the area. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that Israeli warplanes attacked a Syrian army position in Quneitra while Syria's state-run news agency SANA said "an army position was targeted in Quneitra." Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. ||||| BREAKING: Israel STRIKES Syria After Mortars Were Lobbed Into Golan Heights! In a swift response to at least ten missiles being launched from Syria that hit inside Israeli territory, the Israel Air Force on Saturday carried out retributive strikes targeting the positions from which the mortars were tracked to have originated. “Furthermore, the IAF targeted two tanks belonging to the Syrian regime in the Northern Syrian Golan Heights,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement explaining their response. Earlier on Saturday, the IDF informed Israeli civilians to stay clear from the border area near Quneitra, which is the small village near the Golan Height’s border close to southern Syria and falls within a zone formerly disarmed by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). The IDF believes that the mortar shells that landed in Israel were most likely rounds that were off target, launched by groups fighting each other across the border in Syria. Local Syrian media reports reported claims that two people were killed in Quneitra by the Israeli retaliatory response, although these reports have yet to be properly verified. “Due to the unacceptable breach of Israeli sovereignty, an official protest has been filed with UNDOF,” according to the IDF. It still amazes me beyond belief that so many in the world do not sympathize with the nation of Israel. They have tried giving up land and also living with those who wish nothing but extermination for Israel. How can you retain any peace when one side doesn’t even consider you human? The land they are on isn’t occupied. It is THEIR ancestral home and one they have been willing to share time and time again. But as evidence of the constant attacks, the feeling isn’t mutual. ||||| Israel said on Saturday it had targeted Syrian military installations after shells landed in the occupied Golan Heights but a Syrian military source said the Israeli strikes killed some civilians. Rebels including hardline Islamist factions fought the Syrian army on Saturday in Quneitra province, bordering the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syrian state media and a war monitor reported. Israel’s military said 10 projectiles from inside Syria had hit the Golan and it responded with air strikes on the position they were launched from and on two Syrian army tanks, one as it was preparing to fire. Aerial video footage released by the Israeli military purporting to show the strikes showed a machine gun and two tanks targeted and hit. The military described the shellfire into the Israeli-held territory as errant fire and called it an “unacceptable breach” of sovereignty. The Syrian military source said Israeli rocket fire had hit a residential building, causing a number of deaths and damage. The source did not mention Syrian fire into Israel and said the Israeli strike was in support of jihadist rebels. You may also like to watch: The war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said rebel groups in Quneitra had launched an assault and were storming army positions near Baath City. Israel has targeted Syria several times during the conflict, sometimes after projectiles have landed in the Golan Heights, but also to hit weapons supplies of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which is fighting alongside the Syrian government. Syria’s civil war, between President Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking to oust him, has lasted six years, killed hundreds of thousands and pushed millions to flee their homes. ||||| JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military on Sunday said it attacked a series of targets belonging to the Syrian military, after several projectiles from neighboring Syria landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights for a second day. The military said it targeted two Syrian artillery positions and an ammunitions truck. There were no immediate reports of casualties. But as an added precaution, the military instructed Israeli civilians from gathering in open areas in the border area. It was the second straight day that Israel responded to what it has described as errant fire from Syria. Israel has tried to stay out of the six-year civil war in Syria and refrained from taking sides, but has responded to spillover fire on numerous occasions. Israel also is believed to have carried out airstrikes on suspected weapons shipments to its archenemy Hezbollah, whose fighters are in Syria backing government forces. “Our policy is clear: We will not tolerate any spillover or trickle whatsoever — neither mortars nor rockets, from any front,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Cabinet on Sunday. “We will respond strongly to any attack on our territory or our citizens.” He also said Israel views “with utmost gravity” Iranian attempts to gain a foothold in Syria or to provide advanced weapons to Hezbollah, its Lebanese proxy. In Saturday’s fighting, Israeli aircraft struck various positions, destroying two tanks, in response to more than 10 projectiles that landed in its territory, the military said. Syrian state media said a number of people were killed and, citing the Syrian military command, said five soldiers were wounded. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war. It subsequently annexed the strategic plateau overlooking northern Israel, but that annexation is not international recognized. ||||| JERUSALEM — The Israeli army says several projectiles fired from Syria have landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights for a second consecutive day. The military says the projectiles landed in an open area and there were no injuries. It said they were the result of “errant” fire. The military did not immediately react. But on Saturday, it carried out a series of airstrikes in Syria in response to similar fire. Israel has largely stayed out of the fighting during the six-year civil war in neighbouring Syria. But it has carried out a number of strikes in response to errant fire spilling over into the Israeli side of the Golan. It also is believed to have carried out airstrikes on suspected weapons shipments to its archenemy Hezbollah, whose fighters are backing Syrian forces. | Israel and Syria exchange weapons fire in the disputed Golan Heights, with Israel destroying several targets, including two Syrian tanks. Although there were deaths on the ground in Syria, the number of casualties among Syrian forces is unknown. No Israeli troops were injured. |
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A court convicted five men of murdering Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov on Thursday, but the late politician’s allies said the investigation had been a cover-up and that the people who had ordered his killing remained at large. FILE PHOTO: Zaur Dadayev, charged with involvement in the murder of Russian opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, speaks inside a defendants' cage in Moscow, Russia March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo Nemtsov, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, was murdered in 2015 as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin after dining with his girlfriend. Aged 55, he had been working on a report examining Russia’s role in Ukraine. His killing sent a chill through opposition circles. After more than eight months of hearings, a jury trial convicted five ethnic Chechen men of his murder, including the man prosecutors said pulled the trigger, Zaur Dadayev, a former soldier in Chechnya. The court said the four others had acted as his accomplices and that the group had been promised a bounty of 15 million rubles ($253,889.59) for the high-profile assassination. Nemtsov’s supporters gave a muted welcome to the verdict, but said Dadayev and the others were only low-level operatives. The case remained unsolved, they said, because those who had ordered, financed and organized the hit had not been caught. “It’s the biggest crime of the century and yet they haven’t identified the real organizers or those who ordered it,” Vadim Prokhorov, a lawyer for the late politician’s daughter, told reporters after the verdict. “The Russian government was not prepared to look into the entourage of (Chechen leader Ramzan) Kadyrov,” he said, despite his view that one of the masterminds was a close associate of the Chechen strongman. Zhanna Nemtsova, the slain politician’s daughter, repeatedly said she wanted Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed head of Chechnya who calls himself “Putin’s footsoldier”, to be questioned about what he knew about the case. Kadyrov has praised the trigger man Dadayev as a “true patriot of Russia”. Kadyrov, who has denied allegations he was personally involved, was never summoned by the court. Nemtsova said she was disappointed but not surprised that her father’s murder case remained unsolved. “Clearly, investigators and the court did not strive to establish the truth,” Nemtsova said in a statement on social media. “It was of course not a proper investigation, but only an imitation of one.” BLAME GOES ‘STRAIGHT TO THE TOP’ The Kremlin, as it did when journalist Anna Politkovskaya was murdered in 2006, has downplayed Nemtsov’s significance, calling his killing a “provocation” designed to cause problems for the Russian authorities. Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, said after the verdict it was up to investigators to decide if further examination of the case was necessary. Before the verdict, Peskov had said it was “an extraordinarily complex case” and that it sometimes took years to identify and arrest the masterminds in such cases. Investigators have said they are still seeking a man they suspect of having helped organize the killing. Nemtsova said she saw no willingness on the authorities’ part to pursue the case. Her father, a former deputy prime minister who was once tipped to succeed Boris Yeltsin as president, a job Putin got, had authored an excoriating report on Putin’s rule. Shortly before he was killed, he had been working on a report examining the Russian military’s role in Ukraine. Kremlin critics say the trial was flawed. The authorities never made public any CCTV footage of the killing despite it taking place in sight of the Kremlin’s walls. A murder weapon was never recovered, and many witnesses were never summoned. One of the main suspects was also killed - in unclear circumstances - when authorities tried to detain him in Chechnya. Olga Mikhailova, a lawyer for Nemtsova, said during the trial that Nemtsov had been a major irritant to the authorities. “We are absolutely convinced, considering how the murder was organized and carried out, that the roots of the killing go straight to top Russian and Chechen officials,” she said. Ilya Yashin, Nemtsov’s one-time spokesman, said he and other supporters would now try to pressure the authorities into pursuing the people who were really behind the murder. Nemtsov’s memory is kept alive in central Moscow where, for more than 700 days and nights, a small group of anti-Kremlin activists has guarded a makeshift memorial to him on the bridge opposite Moscow’s Red Square where he was gunned down. The city authorities have dismantled the memorial several times, but each time activists have rebuilt it. Slideshow (4 Images) The five Chechen men will be sentenced by the court at a later date. A lawyer for at least one of them said he would appeal. Nemtsova said she would not rest until the case was solved. “We will fight on to find out the full truth using all means at our disposal,” she said. ||||| MOSCOW — A Russian jury said on Thursday that five men suspected of killing opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, were guilty. But lawyers for Nemtsov's family and government critics claim the true organizers behind his death were not found during the nine month-long trial. Nemtsov was brazenly killed in February 2015 just meters away from the vermilion walls of the Kremlin. With a mop of curly hair and an athletic build, Nemtsov served as deputy prime minister in the late 1990s to then-ailing President Boris Yeltsin. He was widely considered at the time to be the leader's successor. One of the most recognizable leaders of Russia’s marginalized and fractured Liberal Democrats, Nemtsov criticized Putin in a series of analytical reports detailing the president's alleged corruption and his coterie of former security agents and personal friends who now serve as top government officials or heads of major companies. All five defendants were ethnic Chechens with ties to Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed strongman. Nemtsov, along with human rights groups and critics, have for years accused Kadyrov of pocketing government funds, extrajudicial killings, kidnappings and torture of his opponents. The jury also found them guilty of illegal possession of firearms. A judge will deliver a verdict after deliberation. The defendants face at least eight years in jail. One more suspected accomplice was killed in Chechnya while being detained, and another suspected organizer is still at large. All the defendants pleaded not guilty and said their earlier testimony, in which they confessed to organizing or aiding in the killing of Nemtsov, was extracted under pressure. The suspected killer, a decorated officer named Zaur Dadayev who fought against Chechen separatists, was arrested days after the 2015 slaying. He told investigators in March 2015 that he had shot Nemtsov for “anti-Islamic statements.” Kadyrov called Dadayev a “true patriot of Russia” and claimed that "one has to look for the traces of the crime not in Chechnya, but in Ukraine and then further, in the USA," according to his 2015 Instagram post. He claimed that the slaying was organized by a former Chechen separatist who fought against pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine. Investigators said that another decorated Chechen officer named Ruslan Mukhudinov, along with “other unidentified persons,” allegedly hired the defendants in September 2014 and paid them “at least 15 million rubles” ($240,000). The defendants purchased two cars, burner phones and a pistol, and followed Nemtsov for about six months, tracking his whereabouts and comments in media reports and social networking pages, investigators said. Related: Boris Nemtsov’s Murder May Have Been Provocation: Russian Officials On Feb. 28, 2015, the defendants spent some 10 hours in a car parked outside Nemtsov’s apartment in central Moscow. They drove after him to a restaurant near the Kremlin, where Nemtsov and his companion, a Ukrainian model, had dinner. As the two walked to cross the Moskva river, Dadayev shot Nemtsov in the back six times, killing the 55-year-old politician on the spot, investigators said. Nemtsov family’s lawyers said that the court failed to present surveillance footage from dozens of cameras that operate around the Kremlin 24/7. The court also ignored their requests to summon Kadyrov as a witness. For years before his killing, Nemtsov was lambasted on Kremlin-controlled television networks, which called him a “Western agent” and claimed he received money from the U.S. to organize a coup against Putin. Putin has described the killing as a "provocation," and told Nemtsov's septuagenarian mother the killers would be found and punished. But Moscow authorities refused to rename the bridge where Nemtsov was killed after him and they routinely send janitors there late at night to remove flowers, candles and his portraits. ||||| A Russian jury on Thursday convicted five men — a gunman and four purported accomplices — in the 2015 murder of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Zaur Dadayev, 34, was found guilty of fatally shooting Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister, who was walking with a girlfriend on Bolshoi Moskvoretsky Bridge near the Kremlin on the evening of Feb. 27, 2015. Dadayev, a former officer in the security forces of Chechnya’s leader, and the four other defendants, all Chechens, were allegedly promised $250,000 to kill Nemtsov, who had urged in a radio interview that protesters turn out for a weekend rally targeting Russian intervention in Ukraine. Nemtsov, 56, had also warned that too much power in the hands of one man would “end in catastrophe," a not too subtle reference to Putin. The brothers Anzor Gubashev and Shagid Gubashev, along with Ramzan Bakhayev and Tamerlan Eskerkhanov, were convicted as accomplices in the killing. A sixth man, Beslan Shabanov, died at the time of his arrest, apparently with a grenade. The five all denied involvement in the killing. Dadaev purportedly confessed at one point but later retracted it, saying he had been tortured. Nemtsov’s allies and family have criticized Russia’s Investigative Committee, which investigates high-profile crimes, for stopping short of examining the possible role of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and top Chechen officers in the killing. Nemtsov’s eldest daughter, Zhanna Nemtsova, said in a Facebook post after the verdict was announced that “the case remains unsolved.” “Investigators and the court clearly did not want to uncover the truth about this crime,” Nemstova said, pointing to the fact that no high-profile Chechen officials were questioned. “There was only one task: find the triggerman and hold a trial. They did just that. But we will continue to fight for the truth by any means we have.” The heavily Muslim Chechen Republic, also known as Chechnya, is a federal subject of Russia in the North Caucasus region, has been a battleground between militants secessionists and Russian forces. Nemtsov’s family has petitioned investigators to look into Kadyrov’s possible involvement and to question Ruslan Geremeyev, commander of the police unit in which Dadayev served. The police commander was summoned to testify, but he failed to show up. Investigators told the court last year that they visited Geremeyev’s property in Chechnya but “no one opened the door.” According to the Russian media, Dadaev initially told prosecutors that he shot Nemtsov with his left hand, although the defendant — who alleged he was tortured into confessing — and his lawyer later insisted he is right-handed. Dadaev, along with his co-conspirators, monitored Nemtsov's movements on the night he was killed, prosecutors said. They said Dadaev had purchased the car seen on video cameras near the scene at the time. Authorities, however, said surveillance cameras that could have caught the actually killing were not working properly that evening. Although the motive of the killing was never spelled out, prosecutors at one point alleged that Dadaev had confessed to shooting of Nemtsov for purportedly urging the publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed from the French magazine Charlie Hebdo. One month earlier, militants had attacked the magazine's office in Paris over the cartoons, killing 12 people. Such a purported motive, however, was not part of the indictment, nor had Nemtsov in fact urged the publication of the cartoons, Russian media reported. The investigation showed the murder was ordered and masterminded by an officer of Chechnya's Sever battalion, Ruslan Mukhutdinov, who purportedly went into hiding in the United Arab Emirates, according to Novaya Gazeta. Vadim Prokhorov, the Nemtsov family's lawyer, rejected the findings of the investigation, arguing that Mukhutdinov was unable to have ordered and masterminded the killing, Moscow Times reported. The lawyer instead alleged that the crime was ordered by high-"profile people," Interfax reported. Following Thursday's verdict, Prokhorov said the brains behind the plot have not been identified. "After today’s verdict, the investigation has no other variants but to search for the crime’s masterminds and organizers," he said, according to the TASS news agency. Ilya Yashin, a close Nemtsov ally, welcomed the convictions in a Facebook post. He said that having the architect of Nemtsov’s death never identified sends a chilling message to Russian opposition figures. The Russian Investigative Committee will continue its probe into the Nemtsov killing, Interfax reported Thursday. ||||| Opposition leader's supporters welcome verdict, but say case remains unsolved because masterminds has not been caught. A Russian jury has found five men guilty of organising and carrying out the contract killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov two years ago, after a trial his allies say failed to unmask the masterminds. Nemtsov, a former deputy prime minister and fierce Kremlin critic, was gunned down in central Moscow as he walked home with his girlfriend late in the evening of February 27, 2015. The murder just steps from the Kremlin in the Russian capital was the most high-profile political killing in the capital since President Vladimir Putin rose to power some 17 years ago. The 12-person jury ruled after the third day of deliberations that defendants Zaur Dadayev, Shadid and Anzor Gubashev, Temirlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhayev - all ethnic Chechens from Russia's volatile North Caucasus - carried out the hit as part of an organised gang. Dadayev, a former officer in an interior ministry battalion in Chechnya, was found guilty of firing the four fatal shots. The Gubashev brothers, Eskerkhanov and Bakhayev were found guilty of helping to organise and carry out the killing. The jury's decision was reached by majority vote after they first failed to come to unanimous decisions on the long list of charges against the defendants at the end of ten months of hearings. Nemtsov's supporters welcomed the verdict, but said Dadayev and the others were low-level operatives. The case remained unsolved, they said, because those who had ordered, financed and organised the hit had not been caught. "It's the biggest crime of the century and yet they haven't identified the real organisers or those who ordered it," Vadim Prokhorov, a lawyer for the late politician's daughter, told reporters after the verdict. "The Russian government was not prepared to look into the entourage of [Chechen leader Ramzan] Kadyrov," he said, despite his view that one of the masterminds was a close associate of Chechnya's president. Zhanna Nemtsova, the slain politician's daughter, has repeatedly said she wanted Kremlin-backed Kadyrov, to be questioned about what he knew about the case. Kadyrov has previously praised Dadayev, the trigger man, as a "true patriot of Russia", referring to his military service. But Kadyrov, who has denied allegations he was personally involved, never appeared before the court. "The criticism that a lot of people are making, not just Nemtsov’s family, is that this crime really couldn't have been okayed and carried our without some higher-level green light, certainly in the Chechen Republic," Moscow-based journalist Fred Weir said. "So this all remains hanging, but as far as the five low-level guys, the actual small fry who carried out the crime are concerned, they have been found guilty and not one of them is able for leniency." ||||| A Russian jury convicted five men Thursday in the murder of Russian opposition leader and prominent Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, concluding a trial Nemtsov’s family has criticized as being insufficient. Nemtsov, one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, was killed while walking near the Kremlin in February 2015, just days before he was expected to help lead a major rally in Moscow opposing Russia’s war with Ukraine. The 55-year-old’s death shocked members of the country’s political opposition, which turned out in the tens of thousands to mourn his death. Zaur Dadayev, a native of Russia’s North Caucasus region and a former Chechen soldier, was found guilty of shooting Nemtsov. Four other people, also Chechens, were convicted as accomplices: Anzor Gubashev, Shadid Gubashev, Khamzat Bakhayev, and Tamerlan Eskerkhanov. During the trial, the prosecution argued the men coordinated Nemtsov’s murder in exchange for 15 million rubles ($250,000), though investigators say they still don’t know who ordered the assassination. Dadayev originally confessed to the shooting, but later recanted, claiming he was tortured into giving the confession. All of the men have since maintained their innocence. Each faces between eight years to life in prison. A sixth suspect, Beslan Shavanov, blew himself up during a standoff with authorities in Grozny, the Chechen capital. As the Moscow Times reports, prosecutors are still looking into Ruslan Mukhudinov, a Chechen officer, for allegedly ordering the assassination. He has been at large since November 2015. In response to Nemtsov’s murder, Putin vowed to make sure the perpetrators would “get the punishment they deserve,” reportedly granting the country’s intelligence agency unusually wide license to go after those responsible. But Nemtsov’s family said this promise was not met. “It’s the biggest crime of the century and yet they haven’t identified the real organizers of those who ordered it,” Vadim Prokhorov, the family’s lawyer, told reporters after the verdict, adding that the government failed to investigate Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader, who the family has long accused of being involved. Nemtsov’s daughter, Zhanna Nemtsova, also criticized the outcome in a Facebook post, adding that “the case remains unsolved.” Dmitri Peskov, Putin’s press secretary, said authorities would continue to investigate who ordered Nemtsov’s murder, noting that “sometimes such processes take years.” ||||| A Moscow jury has found five men guilty of involvement in the murder of the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Nemtsov, an outspoken critic of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, was shot late at night in 2015 as he was walking across a bridge outside the Kremlin. Russian news agencies said a jury at a Moscow court on Thursday found the suspected gunman, a former officer in the security forces of the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov guilty of murdering Nemtsov. Four other men were found guilty of involvement in the killing. The assassination sent shockwaves through the Russian opposition. Nemtsov’s allies have criticised the investigators for stopping short of studying a possible role of top Chechen officers and Kadyrov himself in the killing. More to follow soon... ||||| A court on Thursday convicted five men of murdering Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, more than two years after he was shot dead near the Kremlin. Nemtsov, one of President Vladimir Putin’s most vocal critics, was murdered in 2015 as he walked across a bridge in the heart of Moscow after dining with his girlfriend. Aged 55, he had been working on a report examining Russia’s role in Ukraine. After more than eight months of hearings, a jury trial on Thursday convicted five men of his murder, including the man prosecutors said pulled the trigger, Zaur Dadayev, a former soldier in Chechnya. It said the four others had acted as his accomplices and that the group had been promised a reward of 15 million rubles ($253,889.59) for the high-profile assassination. ||||| MOSCOW, June 29 (Reuters) - A court on Thursday convicted five men of murdering Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, more than two years after he was shot dead near the Kremlin. Nemtsov, one of President Vladimir Putin's most vocal critics, was murdered in 2015 as he walked across a bridge in the heart of Moscow after dining with his girlfriend. Aged 55, he had been working on a report examining Russia's role in Ukraine. His killing sent a chill through opposition circles. After more than eight months of hearings, a jury trial convicted five men of his murder on Thursday, including the man prosecutors said pulled the trigger, Zaur Dadayev, a former soldier in Chechnya. It said the four others had acted as his accomplices and that the group had been promised a bounty of 15 million roubles ($253,889.59) for the high-profile assassination. ($1 = 59.0808 roubles) (Reporting by Svetlana Reiter; Additional reporting by Alexander Winning; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe) ||||| Five men accused of carrying out the 2015 killing of Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, a former first deputy prime minister, have been found guilty. A jury at Moscow's military court on June 29 brought in the verdicts after two days of deliberations. The jury failed to reach a unanimous decision, but majorities voted in favor of conviction. The jurors did not recommend leniency for any of the defendants. After the jury finished reading its decision, the judge adjourned the proceedings until July 4. Defense lawyer Artyom Sarbashev told journalists after the hearing that all five defendants would appeal the convictions. Vadim Prokhorov, a lawyer representing Nemtsov's family, said his clients were in general agreement with the jury's findings but urged authorities to continue "to search for the crime's masterminds and organizers." The five defendants -- Zaur Dadayev, Anzor Gubashev, Shagit Gubashev, Khamzat Bakhayev, and Tamerlain Eskerkhanov – are all from Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya and all were charged with carrying out a murder for hire. Prosecutors said Dadayev, a former soldier in Chechnya's notorious Sever battalion, fired the fatal shots, and Anzor Gubashev drove the getaway vehicle. The other three defendants helped plan the murder and helped the others hide. Prosecutors said the men committed the crime because they were promised 15 million rubles ($254,000). Meanwhile, Russia's Investigative Committee said on June 29 that a sixth man charged in absentia in a separate criminal case with organizing the killing -- former Chechen military driver Ruslan Mukhudinov -- is being sought by police. Nemtsov's family thinks the murder was ordered by Mukhudinov's boss, Ruslan Germeyev, the deputy commander of the Sever battalion. Investigators told the court that they went to Germeyev's home in Chechnya to question him, "but no one opened the door." All five defendants pleaded not guilty, a position they reaffirmed in their closing statements on June 21. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it is up to the Investigative Committee to determine if further legal action is required in connection with the case. "This is not a matter for the Kremlin," Peskov said. Nemtsov, who was a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a critic of the Kremlin-installed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, was shot in the back on a Moscow bridge just outside the Kremlin on the night of February 28, 2105. In an interview with VOA on June 29, Nemtsov's daughter Zhanna Nemtsova said the trial failed to name the organizers of the crime or their motive. "The investigators and then the court did everything possible to prevent the establishment of a motive because it was obvious to everyone in Russia, as well as to people in Europe, the United States, and the rest of the world that this was a political murder," Nemtsova said. Nemtsova also criticized Putin for not compelling Kadyrov to testify at the trial. "I suspect that Vladimir Putin knows much more than I do about the circumstances of this murder and that he has a complete picture of it," she said. With reporting by the BBC, AP, Gazeta.ru, VOA, and DW ||||| MOSCOW: A Russian jury on Thursday found all five defendants guilty of organising and carrying out the contract killing of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, after a trial his allies say failed to unmask the masterminds. Former deputy prime minister Nemtsov, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, was gunned down just metres from the Kremlin as he walked home with his girlfriend late on the evening of February 27, 2015. The brazen murder in central Moscow was the most high-profile political killing in Russia since Putin rose to power some 17 years ago, but Nemtsov’s family insists authorities refused to probe people close to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who they suspect ordered the hit. The 12-person jury ruled on its third day of deliberations that defendants Zaur Dadayev, Shadid and Anzor Gubashev, Temirlan Eskerkhanov and Khamzat Bakhayev — all ethnic Chechens from Russia’s volatile North Caucasus — carried out the hit as a gang for some $250,000. Dadayev — a former officer in an interior ministry battalion in Chechnya — was found guilty of firing the four fatal shots. The Gubashev brothers, Eskerkhanov and Bakhayev were found guilty of being accomplices. The jury’s decision was reached by majority vote after they first failed to reach unanimous decisions on the long list of charges against the defendants at the end of ten months of hearings. The suspects have always denied they were involved in the killing and several retracted initial confessions they said were made under torture. They are now facing lengthy jail terms, with the judge set to deliver sentencing after prosecutors set out their demands next week. While the rulings provide some answers over the killing, Nemtsov’s family is adamant that those who ordered the charismatic politician’s death have not been identified. Nemtsov’s daughter Zhanna Nemtsova wrote that the case remained “unsolved” even though she agreed that all of the accused, with the exception of Bakhayev, were involved. “This was not a complete investigation but only an imitation,” she posted on Facebook. “In two years… they could not find the organiser and mastermind of the murder,” her lawyer Vadim Prokhorov said. “It’s a complete fiasco.” Nemtsov’s allies say the evidence clearly shows that those close to Kremlin-loyal Chechen strongman Kadyrov — or Kadyrov himself — were actually behind the assassination. The Chechen leader — who rules his conflict-scarred region with an iron fist — has denied all involvement and defended some of the accused. Nemtsov’s family tried and failed to get Kadyrov and some of his top lieutenants, including Dadayev’s commander Ruslan Geremeev, questioned. Investigators only named Geremeev’s driver Ruslan Mukhudinov as an organiser and said he offered the suspects 15 million rubles (about $250,000 or 220,000 euros at current rates) for the murder. Mukhudinov has since fled and investigators said after the verdict that the case against him was still ongoing. No real motive has ever been offered by authorities as to why the hit on Nemtsov was ordered. Once one of Russia’s most popular politicians, liberal reformer Nemtsov was at one stage seen as a possible successor to former president Boris Yeltsin. After initially backing Putin when he came to power, Nemtsov soon became one of his fiercest critics. But as the ex-KGB officer cracked down on dissent, Russia’s opposition — and Nemtsov along with it — became increasingly marginal figures. At the time of his death aged 55, Nemtsov was probing official Russian involvement in the bloody conflict in east Ukraine. Some supporters insist he was killed to stop his political activities. The Kremlin called his shooting a “provocation” and spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was for investigators to decide now if the case is at an end. The murder and subsequent trial have strong echoes of a string of earlier high-profile assassinations that Kremlin critics say have been left unsolved, including the 2006 shooting of anti-Putin journalist Anna Politkovskaya in her Moscow apartment building. Eventually five men — including four members of the same Chechen family — were found guilty of the murder, but over a decade later Politkovskaya’s family and former colleagues remain convinced the masterminds have not been brought to justice. | A jury trial convicts five individuals accused of working together to assassinate Boris Nemtsov. These individuals had been promised a bounty of 15 million Russian rubles. Critics say the original financiers and organizers of the crime have not been identified. |
MADISON, Maine -- Police in Maine say a gunman killed three people at several locations before being fatally shot by deputies. State police say the shootings happened Wednesday morning in the town of Madison. CBS affiliate WGME reports the shootings were reported at several locations along the same road the runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. Somerset County deputies ended the rampage by killing the gunman, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland said. Police didn't immediately release the identities of the gunman or the victims and declined to further discuss the investigation. But a selectwoman in neighboring Skowhegan, Darla Pickett, said her daughter was one of the three victims, the Morning Sentinel reported. The condition of the survivor was unknown. Deputies responding to an emergency call at 7:37 a.m. uncovered a grisly scene with three victims at different locations along a road, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said. The gunman left the scene after killing the three people but returned and shot the fourth person while deputies were in the area, and the deputies then fatally shot him, Lancaster said. The investigation was focusing on a home where a neighbor said there had been a party and fireworks the night before, on the Fourth of July. Police remained at the site on Wednesday, said neighbor Wayne Parlin, whose driveway was blocked by investigators. A briefing was expected Wednesday afternoon. The shootings happened about 4 miles from the center of town in Madison, a town of about 4,800 residents in central Maine. The attorney general's office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff's deputies. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed his girlfriend and a 3-year-old girl's parents before taking his own life in Oakland. The 3-year-old girl was the only survivor of that rampage. ||||| State police in Madison, Maine, have closed the country road Wednesday, July 5, 2017, where a series of Wednesday shootings left three victims dead and one injured. (AP) MADISON: A gunman killed three people and wounded a fourth today before being fatally shot by deputies, authorities said. It was Maine's deadliest shooting since 2015. The shootings happened at several locations along a country road that runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds, and Somerset County deputies ended the rampage by killing the gunman, said Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety. The condition of the wounded person wasn't immediately clear. Police also didn't immediately release the identities of the gunman or victims and declined to further discuss the investigation. The investigation was focusing on a home where a neighbour said there had been a party and fireworks the night before, on the Fourth of July. Police remained at the site Wednesday afternoon, said neighbor Wayne Parlin, whose driveway was blocked by investigators. The shootings happened about 4 miles from the center of town in Madison, a town of about 4,800 residents in central Maine. The attorney general's office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff's deputies. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a 3-year-old girl was the only survivor of a rampage in the town of Oakland in which a gunman killed his girlfriend and the youngster's parents before taking his own life. ||||| MADISON, Maine (AP) — Police in Maine say a gunman killed three people at several locations before being fatally shot by deputies. State police say the shootings happened Wednesday morning in the town of Madison. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says the gunman was then fatally shot by Somerset County deputies. In addition to the three dead, a fourth person was wounded. No further details were available. The attorney general’s office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff’s deputies. ||||| MADISON, Maine — The Latest on the fatal shootings of three people in Madison, Maine (all times local): Maine state police say they don’t know what drove a man to kill three people and wound another before being fatally shot in a confrontation with officers. Spokesman Steve McCausland says detectives are trying to determine what sparked the violence Wednesday morning in the town of Madison. The spokesman says 51-year-old gunman Carroll Tuttle killed his partner, 52-year-old Lori Hayden, and their son, 25-year-old Dustin Tuttle, at their home. The third victim was 57-year-old Michael Spaulding, who was killed at a nearby residence. McCausland says the gunman returned to the original location and wounded a fourth person before being shot and killed in a confrontation with deputies. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed three people before taking his own life in Oakland. A Skowhegan selectwoman says her daughter was one of the three people shot to death in Madison, Maine. Selectwoman Darla Pickett tells the Morning Sentinel that her daughter, Lori, was one of the victims. Somerset County deputies later killed the gunman. Police have not formally released names, and Pickett declined to speak to The Associated Press. Police say the shootings happened at a couple of locations along a country road that runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed three people before taking his own life in Oakland. An investigation into the fatal shootings of three people in Maine is focusing on a home where a neighbour says there had been a party and fireworks the night before. Wayne Parlin said the Fourth of July gathering had taken place at a trailer home across the street in the town of Madison. Police say a gunman killed three people and injured a fourth before being fatally shot by Somerset County deputies Wednesday morning. A 911 call was made around 7:30 a.m. Police say the shootings happened at a couple of locations along a country road that runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed three people before taking his own life in Oakland. Police in Maine say a gunman killed three people at several locations before being fatally shot by deputies. State police say the shootings happened Wednesday morning in the town of Madison. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says the gunman was then fatally shot by Somerset County deputies. In addition to the three dead, a fourth person was wounded. No further details were available. The attorney general’s office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff’s deputies. ||||| MADISON, Maine — The Latest on the shootings in Madison, Maine(all times local): An investigation into the fatal shootings of three people in Maine is focusing on a home where a neighbour says there had been a party and fireworks the night before. Wayne Parlin said the Fourth of July gathering had taken place at a trailer home across the street in the town of Madison. Police say a gunman killed three people and injured a fourth before being fatally shot by Somerset County deputies Wednesday morning. A 911 call was made around 7:30 a.m. Police say the shootings happened at a couple of locations along a country road that runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed three people before taking his own life in Oakland. Police in Maine say a gunman killed three people at several locations before being fatally shot by deputies. State police say the shootings happened Wednesday morning in the town of Madison. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says the gunman was then fatally shot by Somerset County deputies. In addition to the three dead, a fourth person was wounded. No further details were available. The attorney general’s office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff’s deputies. ||||| A gunman in Maine killed three people and wounded a fourth Wednesday morning before being fatally shot by deputies. None of the victims have been officially identified by police in the shooting spree in the small town of Madison, but a mother to one of the victims is speaking out. Skowhegan Selectwoman Darla Pickett said her daughter Lori was killed in the multiple victim shootings. 'I only know my child is gone,' Pickett, a former Morning Sentinel reporter, said in a brief phone call Wednesday afternoon. 'I'm just broken hearted right now I can't … talk. I just can't talk. I'm sorry.' The shootings happened at several locations along a country road that runs behind the Skowhegan Fairgrounds, and Somerset County deputies ended the rampage by killing the gunman, said Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety. The condition of the wounded person wasn't immediately clear. Police also didn't immediately release the identities of the gunman or victims and declined to further discuss the investigation. The investigation was focusing on a home where a neighbor said there had been a party and fireworks the night before, on the Fourth of July. Police remained at the site Wednesday afternoon, said neighbor Wayne Parlin, whose driveway was blocked by investigators. The shootings happened about 4 miles from the center of town in Madison, a town of about 4,800 residents in central Maine. The attorney general's office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff's deputies. It is the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a 3-year-old girl was the only survivor of a rampage in the town of Oakland in which a gunman killed his girlfriend and the youngster's parents before taking his own life. A fifth person was taken to a hospital, McCausland said. 'He is still alive — I don't have any update on condition,' before adding 'the gunman was shot and killed — there is no danger to the public.' No victims' names have officially been released yet by authorities, nor have they identified the alleged gunman. No police were injured, according to a news release from the state police. Maine State Police said that Somerset County Sheriff's Office deputies confronted a suspected gunman Wednesday morning near the scene of the shootings, where he was fatally shot. 'The state police, the Somerset Sheriff's Department and the Attorney General's office is investigating this multi-scene incident that we have in Madison,' McCausland told reporters in a briefing at the Skowhegan/Madison town line. 'There are a number of different scenes,' he said. 'Russell Road will be closed throughout the day as investigators start trying to find out essentially what sparked this violence. Our task now is to find out exactly what happened and why. There's a number of different scenes to content with.' McCausland said it is rare and 'very, very serious incident'. Investigations will be on scene all day and into the night.' Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster said via email that his deputies responded to the reported shooting and there 'was a police-involved shooting, with one male individual deceased.' In a statement later Wednesday morning, Lancaster said the deputies who arrived on scene 'discovered that three people had been shot to death at different locations along the Russell Road in Madison.' 'The alleged shooter returned and shot and wounded a fourth individual,' Lancaster said in the statement. 'Deputies confronted the gunman and the gunman was shot and killed.' Lancaster said authorities would not yet release the names of the deputies involved in the shooting. State police detectives are investigating the shootings with the sheriff's office. The Attorney General's Office has sent a group to investigate the scene and review the shots fired by the deputies, according to the release. The 911 call was reported as a homicide in the Somerset County dispatch logs and was reported at 7:37 a.m. Wednesday. The Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit truck left the scene at about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Kim Morse, of Embden, was stopped on Russell Road by state police as they blocked the road in both directions. Morse said Wednesday morning that she travels that way all the time. 'I know people on this road. I don't want it to be anybody I know — I don't want it to be anyone but nobody I know,' Morse said. 'It's shocking. This is a small town.' Near the Russell Road blockade, Reginal Woodman sat on the rear bumper of his Toyota pickup truck in the shade of a tree in his yard, watching all the traffic turning in his driveway. 'Ain't much I can do about it,' he said. 'Don't want any more excitement.' ||||| US gunman kills 3 in separate attacks in Maine A gunman in US state of Maine killed three people at several locations before being fatally shot by police, the deadliest shooting in the state since 2015, PressTV reported. The shootings happened on Wednesday at several places along a rural road about 4 miles (6 km) from the center of town in Madison, according to Maine State Police. Somerset County Sheriff’s Office deputies shot the gunman to end the rampage, said Steve McCausland of the Maine Department of Public Safety. In addition to the three dead, a fourth person was wounded. The condition of the wounded person wasn’t immediately clear. According to Gun Violence Archive, nearly 8,000 people have been killed and over 15,000 more injured in more than 31,000 gun-related incidents across the US this year. Numerous studies have found that gun ownership is directly associated with gun-related homicides, and homicide by gun is the most common type of homicide in the United States. Firearm assaults were 6.8 times more common in US states with the most guns versus states with the least, according to a recent study by researchers at Harvard University. About 29 percent of Americans own one or more of the estimated 300 million firearms in private hands in the United States, according to Columbia University researchers. ||||| A gunman killed three people and wounded a fourth in a series of shootings early Wednesday along a country road in Maine before he was shot dead by responding deputies, officials said. Maine State Police said the shootings took place around 7:30 a.m. on Russell Road in Madison, about 40 miles north of Augusta. Somerset County Deputies arriving at the scene confronted the gunman before he was shot and killed. No police officers were injured in the rampage, according to state police. "There are a number of different scenes," Maine Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland told reporters. Deputies responding to an emergency call uncovered a grisly scene with three victims at different locations along the road, Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster told the Associated Press. The gunman left the scene after killing the three people but returned and shot the fourth person while deputies were in the area, and the deputies then fatally shot him, Lancaster said. The investigation was focusing on a home where a neighbor said there had been a party and fireworks the night before, on the Fourth of July. Police remained at the site neighbor Wayne Parlin told the AP, whose driveway was blocked by investigators. Authorities did not immediately identify the gunman or the victims, and were expected to provide a briefing later Wednesday. A selectwoman in neighboring Skowhegan, Darla Pickett, told the Morning Sentinel newspaper her daughter, Lori Pickett, was one of the three victims. “I only know my child is gone,” Pickett told the newspaper. “I’m just broken hearted right now I can’t … talk. I just can’t talk. I’m sorry.” The shootings happened about 4 miles from the center of town in Madison, a town of about 4,800 residents in central Maine. The attorney general's office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff's deputies, FOX 23 reported. The rampage was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed his girlfriend and a 3-year-old girl's parents before taking his own life in Oakland. The 3-year-old girl was the only survivor of that rampage. Read more from The Morning Sentinel. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Three people were killed and a fourth wounded on Wednesday in a series of shootings in central Maine, according to State Police, who said that officers shot and killed the suspected gunman. The shootings occurred around 7:30 a.m. EDT in Madison, a town about 90 miles north of Portland, according to Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland. No other details were immediately available. ||||| (AP Photo/Marina Villeneuve). State police in Madison, Maine, have closed the country road Wednesday, July 5, 2017, where a series of Wednesday shootings left three victims dead and one injured. A gunman killed multiple people and wounded another Wedne... MADISON, Maine (AP) - A gunman shot and killed his partner, their adult son and a neighbor and wounded a fourth person before being fatally shot by deputies early Wednesday, leaving detectives at a loss to explain the outburst of violence, an official said. Three deputies ended the rampage by shooting 51-year-old Carroll Tuttle in a confrontation in his driveway, said Steve McCausland, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Detectives are now focused on determining what sparked "an extreme case of domestic violence," McCausland said. "Our role now is to investigate exactly what happened and what set this gunman off," he said. "We don't have that answer. We hope to get it." The shootings unfolded just hours after a neighbor said there had been a party with Fourth of July fireworks. Deputies responding to an emergency call discovered the bodies and were present when Tuttle returned with a handgun, McCausland said. Tuttle had killed his partner, 52-year-old Lori Hayden, and their son, 25-year-old Dustin Tuttle, at their home before killing a neighbor, 57-year-old Michael Spaulding, at his home a short distance away, McCausland said. The gunman returned to the original location and wounded another relative before being shot and killed by deputies. The attorney general's office sent investigators to the scene to review the use of deadly force by sheriff's deputies. But Somerset County Sheriff Dale Lancaster stood behind the actions of his law enforcement officers to end the shooting. "I have total confidence in the performance of my deputies," he said. The couple lived in a trailer, and there also was a camper where other family members were living on the property, said a neighbor, Wayne Parlin. There had been a party on the Fourth of July with fireworks on the property, he said. Lori Hayden was the daughter of Skowhegan selectwoman Darla Pickett and the sister of Skowhegan's finance and human resources director, Trisha Austin, the Morning Sentinel newspaper reported. Both declined to speak to The Associated Press. The injured man, 57-year-old Harvey Austin, was a relative of Hayden's. He was undergoing surgery at a hospital in Bangor, McCausland said. The shootings happened along a country road about 4 miles from the center of town in Madison, a town of about 4,800 residents in central Maine. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine since November 2015, when a gunman killed his girlfriend and a 3-year-old girl's parents before taking his own life in Oakland. The 3-year-old girl was the only survivor of that rampage. Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland contributed to this report. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Three people are shot and killed by a gunman in separate incidents in Madison, Maine. A fourth victim is wounded. Sheriffs deputies then shot and killed the suspect. |
Go to First Page ||||| EXPAND MARTIAL LAW? The Supreme Court says President Rodrigo Duterte has the prerogative to impose martial law nationwide. MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Supreme Court (SC), in a landmark decision on Tuesday, July 4, said the Chief Executive should be trusted to declare martial law and should have the sole discretion on its scope. "The Constitution grants him the prerogative whether to put the entire Philippines or any part thereof under martial law. There is no constitutional edict that martial law should be confined only in the particular place where the armed public uprising actually transpired," the SC said in its ruling penned by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo. Del Castillo's ponencia upheld the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte's martial law in Mindanao, with concurrences from Associate Justices Lucas Bersamin, Presbitero Velasco Jr, Jose Mendoza, Bienvenido Reyes, Diosdado Peralta, Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Noel Tijam, Samuel Martires, and Francis Jardeleza. Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio believes martial law should be limited only to Marawi City while Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa voted to limit martial law to the provinces of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu. Associate Justice Marvic Leonen was the lone dissenter in the High Court, siding with the petitioners' bid to nullify Proclamation No. 216. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Eduardo Año and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa have indicated that they would recommend to Duterte the extension of martial law in Mindanao, which is supposed to end on July 22. Presidential prerogative In the 82-page ruling released late Wednesday, July 5, the High Court said all issues of martial law and circumstances of its proclamation are upon Duterte's prerogative. The SC said the President does not need the approval of the High Court, not even Congress, to impose martial law – it's up to him to determine that there is rebellion and to impose military rule. "The Court, as Congress does, must thus accord the President the same leeway by not wading into the realm that is reserved exclusively by the Constitution to the Executive Department," the SC said. The SC also said Duterte has the power to declare martial law not only in the area where he finds rebellion to exist but also in "other areas where present hostilities are in danger of spilling over." "In fine, it is difficult, if not impossible, to fix the territorial scope of martial law in direct proportion to the range of actual rebellion and public safety simply because rebellion and public safety have no fixed physical dimensions," the SC said. "The Constitution must have considered these limitations when it granted the President wide leeway and flexibility in determining the territorial scope of martial law. Limiting the proclamation and/or suspension to the place where there is actual rebellion would not only defeat the purpose of declaring martial law, it will make the exercise thereof ineffective and useless," the SC added. The High Court cited incidents related to the Marawi clashes one way or the other which occurred outside the besieged city, such as the arrest of Maute matriarch Farhana Maute in Masiu town, and even the attack of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Cotabato City. Sereno said, however, that the SC should not have given the President carte blanche, or the exclusive discretion to determine the matter. "Validating a Mindanao-wide coverage is indeed convenient for the Court but it is not right. If, to use the words of the ponencia, the most important objective of Article VII, Section 18 is to 'curtail the extent of the power of the President,' then this Court miserably failed," Sereno said in her opinion. (READ: Sereno, Carpio opinions: Watch Duterte's martial law closely) Probable cause enough The Constitution says martial law may be declared in the event of a rebellion, but for the SC, Duterte does not need to be sure that there is actual rebellion; he only needs to have probable cause to believe so. "The President only needs to convince himself that there is probable cause or evidence showing that more likely than not a rebellion was committed or is being committed. To require him to satisfy a higher standard of proof would restrict the exercise of his emergency powers," the SC said. Carpio, although voting to restrict martial law to Marawi City, agreed that only probable cause is required of the President. "Probable cause is the same amount of proof required for the filing of a criminal information by the prosecutor and for the issuance of an arrest warrant by a judge," Carpio said in his opinion. As for the convincing factors, the SC said the President does not need to be correct but only needs to have "sufficient factual basis" for making the declaration. "The Court does not need to satisfy itself that the President's decision is correct, rather it only needs to determine whether the President's decision had sufficient factual basis," the SC said. For majority in the SC, the inaccuracies in Duterte's martial law report to Congress are "irrelevant" in view of the necessary haste in deciding on the imposition of military rule. "As the President is expected to decide quickly on whether there is a need to proclaim martial law even only on the basis of intelligence reports, it is irrelevant, for purposes of the Court's review, if subsequent events prove that the situation had not been accurately reported to him," the SC said. The SC also agreed that Duterte does not need the recommendation of anyone, not even his top security officials, for his proclamation to be valid. The petitioners had cited inaccuracies in the martial law report in seeking to nullify Proclamation No. 216, mostly based on news reports that fact-checked Duterte's report. The SC said news reports are inadmissible. The SC also said the presence of true and accurate incidents in the report would be sufficient. The ruling also said that Duterte, as Commander-in-Chief, and not the High Court, can "properly assess the ground conditions." The SC said it would be up to Duterte if he wants to disclose to the public certain information. "He cannot be forced to divulge intelligence reports and confidential information that may prejudice the operations and the safety of the military," the High Court said. Vague martial law? The Bayan group of petitioners alleged that the martial law declaration was too vague because of its inclusion of "other rebel groups." In fact, the military's operational directive for martial law in Mindanao also targets communist rebels, drug syndicates, and other peace spoilers. The petitioners' counsel, Neri Colmenares, even showed a copy of the annex that Solicitor General Jose Calida submitted to the SC listing the BIFF, a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), as among the peace spoilers in the region. For Colmenares, rebel groups outside of the Maute network are irrelevant to the case. He accused Calida of inventing facts to justify martial law. For the SC, the vagueness doctrine only applies to cases of free speech, and martial law is not such a case. The High Court also said the absence of clear operational guidelines does not make martial law vague. It said it is not the SC's job anyway to determine the legality of operations when ruling on the constitutionality of martial law. The SC said it would address questions about the legality of a martial law-related operation when raised before the High Court. "Any act committed under the said orders in violation of the Constitution and the laws, such as criminal acts or human rights violations, should be resolved in a separate proceeding." Constitutional safeguards The High Court also cited "sufficient safeguards" in the 1987 Constitution to prevent abuse of the power to declare martial law. "The Constitution has provided sufficient safeguards against possible abuses of the Commander-in-Chief's powers; further curtailment of presidential powers should not only be discouraged but also avoided," the SC said. For the SC, it is enough that the 1987 Constitution limits the basis of martial law to only rebellion, and that it imposed a 60-day expiry on the proclamation. The High Court said the public should not be scared or biased against martial law because of the country's experience of military rule under the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. (READ: Martial law, the dark chapter in Philippine history) "After all, martial law is critical and crucial to the promotion of public safety, the preservation of the nation's sovereignty and ultimately, the survival of our country," the SC said. The petitioners and opposition lawmakers have expressed fears that the SC ruling may embolden Duterte to declare martial law in the entire Philippines. They cited the "creeping authoritarianism" in the country under the year-old Duterte administration. – Rappler.com ||||| 'If the President lifts martial law one week prior to the expiration, and then suddenly there is another rebellion, are you saying he cannot declare martial law again? He can,' says Chief Presidential Counsel Salvador Panelo in response to the criticism of Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon MANILA, Philippines – The 1987 Constitution does not set a limit to the number of times President Rodrigo Duterte can declare martial law, Chief Presidential Counsel Salvador Panelo said on Thursday, July 6. Panelo made the statement after Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon called him out for saying that the Chief Executive can issue another martial law declaration if Congress rejects a request to extend martial law in Mindanao. "I don't think there is a provision in the Constitution that you can only declare martial law once. Otherwise, you will be tying the President's hands in quelling a rebellion," Panelo said in a media interview on Thursday. Panelo also clarified that he had said Duterte "theoretically" will need to make a new declaration if the 60-day period of his current declaration expires with no extension granted by Congress. His earlier text to reporters read: "If Congress does not extend on the 60th day upon initiative of the President, then there can be no extension. Another proclamation is necessary." The Constitution limits the duration of martial law to 60 days, which can be extended if Congress approves, by a joint vote, a request from the President. Drilon said Panelo's suggestion was tantamount to a "circumvention" of the Constitution which states Duterte needs Congress approval before there can be a martial law extension. Drilon, a former justice secretary, said while it would be technically a "new" proclamation," if the basis for it is the same as the proclamation which had lapsed, then "for all intents and purposes, it is nothing more but an extension of the existing proclamation." Panelo countered that the Constitution does not give a limit to the number of times the President can declare martial law within a given period. "For example, if the President lifts martial law one week prior to the expiration, and then suddenly there is another rebellion, are you saying he cannot declare martial law again? He can," he said. He reasoned that the 1987 Constitution recognizes the need to give the President enough powers to quell rebellion or invasion when it compromises public safety. The Charter also saw to it that there are safeguards to check this power. "That is his constitutional duty. Because I do not think that the framers of the Constitution intended the President to be tied to one particular declaration of martial law. There are many safeguards. The Congress is there to review," Panelo said. Duterte's martial law proclamation, and the Marawi siege that triggered it, marked their 45th day on Thursday, July 6. Proclamation 216 is set to expire by July 22, days before he delivers his second State of the Nation Address. The Supreme Court upheld Duterte's martial law proclamation, though 3 justices – Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, and Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa – said it should not cover the entire Mindanao. In their opinions, Sereno and Carpio said Duterte must be watched closely as he exercised his power to implement Proclamation 216. Associate Justice Marvic Leonen wanted to nullify the proclamation, saying the Marawi crisis is not a rebellion. – Rappler.com ||||| Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno says President Rodrigo Duterte must not be allowed to broaden the use of martial law 'to solve other social ills' MANILA, Philippines – Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said in separate opinions on petitions against martial law in Mindanao that President Rodrigo Duterte must be watched closely as he exercises his power to implement Proclamation 216. Sereno, who partially granted the petitions against Proclamation 216, said in her opinion that Duterte should not have been given the sole discretion to proclaim martial law over the entire Philippines, or in areas where he is convinced there is rebellion. Sereno criticized the majority ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) which, she said, "effectively gave Duterte carte blanche" or the exclusive right to decide over the matter. "Validating a Mindanao-wide coverage is indeed convenient for the Court but it is not right. If, to use the words of the ponencia, the most important objective of Article VII, Section 18 is to 'curtail the extent of the power of the President,' then this Court miserably failed," Sereno said in her opinion which sought to limit the scope of martial law to Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu. In his opinion, Carpio said Duterte's words should not be taken lightly, especially when the Chief Executive had said that his martial law "will not be any different from what Marcos did." Noting that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos "abolished Congress, shut down media, imprisoned leaders of political opposition, packed the SC with his law school classmates and loyalists and ruled by decree," Carpio said the Court should make sure Duterte does not repeat history. "It is apparent that President Duterte does not understand, or refuses to understand, this fundamental principle that forms part of the bedrock of our democracy under the 1987 Constitution, despite his having taking a solemn oath of office to preserve and defend the Constitution," Carpio said in his separate opinion seeking to limit martial law to Marawi City. Over 9 pages, Carpio enumerated the possible consequences of martial law which include wiretapping and government takeover of businesses, the news media, and even services such as telecommunications, power supply, and airlines. He reminded that these are all powers given to the President if national security or public safety requires it. Carpio said, however, that these powers cannot be exercised without a specific law enacted by the Congress, in a seeming nudge to the legislative department, which is dominated by Duterte allies. "A declaration of martial law or suspension of the privilege of the writ has a built-in trigger mechanism for the applicability of other constitutional provisions that may lawfully restrict the enjoyment of constitutional rights, provided there are existing laws specifically authorizing such restrictions," Carpio said. Sereno said that based on the private briefing by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces chief General Eduardo Año, some of the violence in Mindanao "may have been committed by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), or the New People's Army (NPA)." In fact, the military's operational directive for the imposition of martial law in Mindanao targets communist rebels, drug syndicates, and other peace spoilers. "Unless the President is saying that the publicly-announced peace negotiations being conducted with the MNLF, the MILF and the NPA/NDF are being completely abandoned, acts attributable to these 3 rebel groups cannot serve as the factual basis for Proclamation No. 216," Sereno said. (READ: Duterte slams communists for NPA attacks despite promises) The Chief Justice went further and said Duterte must not be allowed to broaden the use of martial law "to solve other social ills." Sereno said the Constitution does not give Duterte "and his officials...unhampered discretion to wield his powers in any way and whichever direction he desires." "These standards ensure that Marcosian martial law does not happen again and the foundations of a just and humane society envisioned by the Constitution remain intact," Sereno said. Carpio echoed Sereno's caution. "The Court cannot play with the fire of martial law which could turn into ashes the very Constitution that members of the Court are sworn to preserve and defend, a tragic event that that once befell the Court in 1972 and brought the Court to its lowest point in history," he said in his opinion. On Tuesday, July 4, the High Court voted 11-3-1 upholding the constitutionality of Duterte's Proclamation 216. Aside from Carpio and Sereno, Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa also partially granted the petitions against the presidential proclamation while Associate Justice Marvic Leonen was the lone dissenter. – Rappler.com ||||| 'Huwag naman sana nating lokohin ang taumbayan,' Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon tells Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, who said Duterte can just declare martial law again if Proclamation No. 216 is not extended MANILA, Philippines – Only Congress has the power to extend martial law. Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon slammed as unconstitutional the claim of Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo that President Rodrigo Duterte can just issue a new martial law declaration if Congress refuses to extend Proclamation No. 216. "The Constitution is clear that it is Congress that has the power to extend martial law and the President may only recommend," Drilon said in a statement on Thursday, July 6. Drilon said Panelo's advice is "an affront to the Constitution." "Such action will be a circumvention of the Constitution because for all intents and purposes, it is nothing more but an extension of the existing proclamation," Drilon said. "You cannot circumvent the Constitution. Huwag naman sana nating lokohin ang taumbayan (Let us not fool the people). Let us not try to go around with the constitutional requirements. Let us respect the process," he added. The senator said Panelo's advice "would violate the principle of checks and balances between the executive and Congress." The executive, he added, should respect the constitutional duty of Congress to review and approve or disapprove any extension of martial law. Duterte earlier declared martial law in Mindanao, after clashes between government troops and the Maute Group erupted in Marawi City on May 23. To prove his point, Drilon cited Section 18, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, which states, "[U]pon the initiative of the President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it." Drilon said the provision is meant to prevent a repeat of the abuses committed during martial law under dictator Ferdinand Marcos. "[It is meant] to provide a safeguard in the president's exercise of [his] martial law powers," the senator said. Drilon earlier slammed Panelo for claiming that Duterte can declare martial law on the basis of the worsening problem of illegal drugs in the country. (READ: Drilon hits Panelo on martial law: Review some more) Senator Francis Escudero, for his part, cautioned Panelo on his martial law remarks. "If it's for the same area and to address the same threat, it is, for all intents and purposes, an extension and not a re-declaration," Escudero said in a text message to reporters on Wednesday. "I hope the legal advisers of the President will exercise more prudence instead of advising him about 'trailblazing legal theories' that may raise more constitutional issues than settling them," added Escudero, who is also a lawyer. Earlier, Congress supported the proclamation and refused to convene to discuss Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao. The Supreme Court also upheld the constitutionality of the proclamation, prompting petitioners and critics to predict that Duterte would declare martial law nationwide. – Rappler.com ||||| Opposition lawmakers at the House of Representatives have warned against extending the 60-day declaration of martial law and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus (warrantless arrest) in Mindanao that they said rested on uncertain grounds at best. Reps. Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao and Tomas Villarin of Akbayan party-list, petitioners against President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation 216, issued a day after the Supreme Court affirmed the legality of Duterte’s martial law which was declared as a result of the Marawi City siege perpetrated by terrorist Maute group. “We opposed Duterte’s creeping authoritarian rule and the Supreme Court decision will embolden him to expand martial law,” Villarin told reporters. “Our contention is that we can effectively fight terrorists and rebels even without the extraordinary powers of martial law. The administration has to justify how one month of martial law rule in Mindanao was successful in quelling the uprising in Maute and improving the security situation in the islands,” Baguilat added. Since Duterte’s martial law declaration last May 23, the military has yet to fully retake Marawi City from the Maute group. Villarin also disclosed that he was filing a House Resolution seeking to investigate human rights abuses and excesses committed under Duterte’s martial rule. Villarin cited accounts by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in Lanao which has reported that it was “utterly shocked, to use a milder term, by sheer magnitude of wanton disregard of sanctity of domicile, the right against deprivation of property without due process of the law, the right to be sure in one’s person, house, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures and the privacy of communication and correspondence of innocent civilians committed by the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police.” “Congress cannot just gloss over this account of IBP as it hastens to do the bidding of Malacañang for a possible extension of martial law,” Villarin added. Under the Constitution, the President can only declare martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus in cases of rebellion, invasion or when public safety requires it. The Constitution mandates Congress to review the President’s martial law declaration which is only limited to 60 days. Likewise, Congress is empowered to revoke such declaration in a joint session—a revocation that cannot be set aside by the President. But in Duterte’s case, both the House and the Senate decided not to convene in a joint session and instead adopted a resolution, respectively, supporting the President’s declaration of martial law. ||||| Members of the House of Representatives welcomed the Supreme Court ruling upholding President Rodrigo Duterte’s Proclamation 216 which declared martial law in Mindanao at the onset of the Maute terror group attack last May. In a majority vote, the Supreme Court on July 4 affirmed President Duterte’s declaration of martial law. Eleven justices voted to uphold the president’s declaration over all of Mindanao, said Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te in a press briefing. Three others voted to limit the declaration to Marawi City, the conflict zone. A lone justice, meanwhile, voted to nullify the proclamation altogether. The decision validated Duterte’s declaration on May 23, when he placed the entire Mindanao under military rule following clashes between government troops and Islamic State-inspired Maute and Abu Sayyaf group terrorists in the Islamic city of Marawi. It dismissed several petitions that questioned the basis of the president’s declaration. In justifying his declaration, President Duterte had told Congress in a report that the extremists were planning to create an Islamic State province in Mindanao. Several petitioners- opposition lawmakers, leftist leaders and four women from Marawi City- had asked the high court to invalidate the martial law declaration over all of Mindanao, saying there was no basis for military rule. They asserted that the President could have addressed the crisis even without declaring martial law, saying the conflict was confined within Marawi City. During oral arguments from June 13 to 15, magistrates sought government’s clarification on the President’s reasons for placing all of Mindanao under martial rule amid clashes between state troops and terrorists in Marawi City. Solicitor General Jose Calida insisted that “all the elements of rebellion were present” when Duterte issued Proclamation No. 216. The President also suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus to allow police to make warrantless arrests of terror suspects. Rep. Robert Ace Barbers (2nd District, Surigao del Norte), chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs, lauded the SC decision and commended the 11 justices who saw the light and wisdom in President Duterte’s decision in declaring martial law in Mindanao. “Being a Mindanaoan myself, I share the President’s insight and knowledge of the culture and mentality of the people there. This is a clear vindication of President Duterte’s resolve to crush the Maute rebellion at all cost. Putting the entire Mindanao under Martial Law proved to be a wise move as it prevented possible reinforcements from reaching the rebels in Marawi. This is a victory for every peace-loving Filipino who condemned the senseless loss of lives in that rebellion,” said Barbers. Rep. Roger Mercado (Lone District, Southern Leyte), chairman of the House committee on constitutional amendments, said the Supreme Court has proven that the Filipino people should support President Duterte. “Our Muslim brothers must do their part in rebuilding Mindanao in order that the Mindanaoans can see and feel the funds and infrastructure projects of the National Government. It’s bringing the government to the people,” said Mercado. Rep. Gus Tambunting (2nd District, Parañaque), chairman of the committee on games and amusements, said the Supreme Court ruling is good for the country. “It avoids a constitutional crisis. It also recognizes that the problem in Mindanao is complex, and the solution is something that the judiciary must not impede the executive from achieving. Now more than ever, we must rally behind President Duterte and the rest of his government in their efforts to stamp out the Daesh and its attempt to bring radicalism and violence to our country,” said Tambunting. Minority Leader Danilo Suarez said that even before the congressional break, he mentioned that the incident in Marawi may be difficult to contain, with the news coming out that there were pre-positioned fighters, well-armed and well-equipped with unlimited supply of ammo. He said the events justified the President’s martial law declaration, and the SC ruling settled it. “Iyong extension (ng martial law) is a call of the House and the Senate, if the President will ask for it. I think it’s more of a military decision and the President will be guided accordingly by the decision of the military. I think the situation is still far from being normal. An extension may be in order,” Suarez said. Rep. Johnny Ty Pimentel (2nd District, Surigao del Sur), chairman of the committee on good government and public accountability, said martial law in Mindanao may be extended to solve the big problem confronting Marawi City. “Nakita naman po natin na almost 400 na ang namatay and marami na ang napinsala sa Marawi, and in fact, kapag hindi pa ito mabibigyan ng lunas baka ma-extend pa ang martial law, I will still support it,” said Pimentel. ||||| Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman says they will 'expose serious errors in the majority decision' of the Supreme Court when they file a motion for reconsideration MANILA, Philippines – Opposition lawmakers plan to file a motion for reconsideration against the Supreme Court (SC) decision upholding the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte's declaration of martial law in Mindanao. Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman said on Thursday, July 6, that they made the decision after reading in full the majority decision of the High Court, which voted 11-3-1 in favor of martial law. "After perusing the ponencia or the majority decision of the Supreme Court upholding the declaration of martial law in the whole of Mindanao, the opposition congressmen-petitioners have resolved to contest the ruling in a motion for reconsideration," said Lagman in a statement. "Serious errors in the majority decision will be exposed and expounded in the motion for reconsideration," he added. Among those expected to file the motion for reconsideration along with Lagman are his co-petitioners Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano, Ifugao Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr, Capiz 1st District Representative Emmanuel Billones, and Akbayan Representative Tom Villarin. On May 23, government troops clashed with members of the Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf Group in Marawi City. The police and military had attempted to arrest Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, the supposed "emir" in the Philippines of international terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS). The clashes prompted Duterte to declare martial law over the whole of Mindanao, a move questioned in several petitions before the SC. In his statement, Lagman outlined the "serious flaws" they found in the SC's majority decision:
• The SC found sufficient basis in Duterte's Proclamation No. 216 despite several factual errors in the President's report to Congress. The 11 SC justices had said the inaccuracies are "irrelevant" in view of the necessary haste in deciding on the imposition of military rule.
• The SC justices "failed to judiciously determine" that actual rebellion existed in Marawi City when the terrorist groups clashed with the military "because the element of culpable political purpose is palpably absent."
• News accounts of the Marawi siege "must be given credence" and removed from the hearsay rule because they contain statements of government officials whose acts are clothed with presumption of regularity; the news accounts are not contradictory to each other; and the news reports are corroborated by independent news outlets. According to Lagman, the SC gave Duterte "much leeway and flexibility" to declare martial law nationwide through its decision. (READ: SC ruling: Duterte can put 'entire PH' under martial law) "This disquisition virtually closes the door for the Supreme Court to fully review the sufficiency of the factual basis of the President's exercise of extreme emergency powers," said Lagman, also a human rights lawyer. Lagman previously said the 11 SC justices "must have been overwhelmed" by the aftermath of the Marawi City siege, forcing them to rule in favor of martial law. – Rappler.com ||||| 'That's the best part of the decision. The Court made it clear that it had the power to review the President's decision,' says a legal expert of the SC ruling on the petitions against martial law in Mindanao MANILA, Philippines – In its landmark ruling on petitions against martial law in Mindanao, the Supreme Court declared that martial law proclamations are sui generis or a case of its own kind. This means that the High Court is retaining its right over judicial review of future proclamations independent from the actions of Congress which is good news, according to lawyer and political analyst Tony La Viña. "That's the best part of the decision. The Court made it clear that it had the power to review the President's decision. There is no condition for that and it is independent of Congress," La Viña said. In the ponencia written by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, the SC ruled that "the jurisdiction of the Court is not restricted to the cases enumerated to Sections 1 and 5 of Article VIII." In the constitutional provision, the SC shall have jurisdiction over "cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and over petitions for certiorari, prohibition, mandamus, quo warranto, and habeas corpus." Interestingly during the oral arguments, it was Del Castillo who raised the possibility that the petitions seeking to nullify President Rodrigo Duterte's martial law in Mindanao may not be for SC review since it is not included in the list under Article VIII. Ruling that martial law proclamations are sui generis now means that the SC can resolve questions on martial law. "The Court cannot simply trust blindly the President when he declares martial law or suspends the privilege of the writ," Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said. The High Court voted 11-3-1 on Tuesday upholding the constitutionality of Duterte's Proclamation 216. Aside from Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Carpio, Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa also partially granted the petitions against the presidential proclamation, while Associate Justice Marvic Leonen was the lone dissenter. The SC also reverses its 2012 ruling on the petitions against then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's imposition of martial law in Maguindanao in 2009. In the 2012 ruling, the High Court said it can only come in to review a martial law proclamation "when Congress defaults in its express duty to defend the Constitution." In its 2017 ruling, the SC said, "By the above pronouncement, the Court willingly but unwittingly clipped its own power and surrendered the same to Congress as well as abdicated from its bounden duty to review." It added, "Worse, the Court considered itself just on stand-by, waiting and willing to act as a substitute in case Congress defaults." The SC said it was rectifying this mistake and declared that from now on, "the Court can simultaneously exercise its power of review with, and independently from, the power to revoke by Congress." When Solicitor General Jose Calida defended Proclamation 216 before the High Court, he told the Chief Justice that martial law is a matter of political question. Sereno dismissed Calida and said martial law could no longer be branded a matter of political question. "How are you now justifying the resurgence of the political question doctrine which to all constitutional historians and scholars, was the principal mechanism by which the Supreme Court was blamed for having unduly validated Mr Marcos' martial law?" Sereno told Calida during the oral arguments. This issue has gone back and forth at the High Court. In 1951, the SC said the martial law proclamation is only for the President to decide, but the Court overturned this in 1971 when it said martial law is "within the ambit of judicial review." In 1983, the SC under the regime of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos backtracked anew and said martial law should not be subject to judicial inquiry. In the 2017 majority ruling, the SC declared that the 1987 Constitution is loud and clear on allowing judicial review of the declaration of martial law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus. There is an order of extraordinary powers available to the President in times of need:
• Power to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus Petitioners asserted that martial law should have been the last resort, arguing before the SC that martial law does not add anything to the calling out power of the President. In its latest ruling, the SC said that while the Court has the power to review the proclamation, that power "does not extend to calibrating the President's decision pertaining to which extraordinary power to avail given a set of facts or conditions." "To do so would be tantamount to an incursion into the exclusive domain of the Executive and an infringement on the prerogative that solely, at least, initially, lies with the President," the SC said. This means that according to the SC, it cannot limit Duterte to try the two other powers first before resorting to martial law. He can use whichever power he wants as he sees fit, the SC said. This adds to the leeway given by the SC to the President insofar as declaring martial law, including giving the Chief Executive the sole discretion to determine rebellion and declare martial law in the entire Philippines, if he sees necessary. For La Viña, the discretion to choose which extraordinary power to use is something the country "can live with." "The basis for that is the thinking that it's the President who knows best how to respond to a threat. One cannot start with calling out power, for example, if we are invaded by a foreign country. I think you can go straight to martial law," La Viña said. In their separate opinions, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Carpio said that Duterte must be watched closely as he exercises his power to implement martial law. Sereno said Duterte must not be allowed to broaden the use of martial law '"o solve other social ills." – Rappler.com ||||| The Philippines’ top court has upheld President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of martial law in the southern third of the country, dismissing petitions to nullify it. Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said Tuesday that 11 of 15 justices voted to dismiss the consolidated petitions filed by opposition lawmakers, activist groups and four women from Marawi, the southern city where an attack by Daesh-aligned militants prompted Duterte to declare martial law on May 23. Te said three of the justices voted to partially grant the petitions while one voted to grant them. Details of the justices’ opinion and voting were not immediately known, with Te saying the justices’ draft opinions will be finalized and submitted Wednesday. The petitioners said there was no sufficient factual basis to justify Duterte’s declaration.—Agencies | The Supreme Court of the Philippines says President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte can declare martial law in the whole Philippines. Two days prior, the Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the constitutionality of Proclamation No. 216 which declared Martial Law and suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao, in response to the Marawi crisis. |
Militants rammed military compound with car before opening fire in village of el-Barth, security officials say This article is more than 2 years old This article is more than 2 years old Militants killed at least 23 soldiers and injured dozens more in a car explosion and gun attack on an Egyptian military checkpoint in the north-eastern Sinai peninsula, officials have said. Among those killed in the attack on Friday – the deadliest on the country’s military this year – were five officers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi, according to security officials. The assault started when an attacker rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, south-west of the border town of Rafah. This was followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants on foot, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media. How Sinai became a magnet for terror Read more As the attack unfolded, ambulances were heard rushing to the site. The officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later said more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby rest house for troops that was destroyed in the attack. The militants arrived at the checkpoint, which is in a remote desert area, in 24 SUVs, and shot at the soldiers with machine guns for nearly half an hour, the officials said. There were thought to be about 60 soldiers at the compound. After the attack, the militants looted the checkpoint, taking away weapons and ammunition before fleeing the scene. It was unclear if they also took armoured vehicles. The area surrounding the compound is considered to be an Islamic State stronghold and was the site of fierce battles in the spring between tribesmen and militants. The officials said some senior officers criticised the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover. Earlier, an Egyptian army spokesman, Tamer el-Rifai, confirmed the attack on Facebook. He said the army foiled attacks targeting a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Witnesses said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants dressed in military uniforms. 'It's a war on Christians': Egypt's beleaguered Copts in sombre mood before papal visit Read more No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Egypt has been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai in recent years, mainly by militants affiliated to Isis. Though they have not seized territory in Sinai, they have a strong presence in the western and southern area of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and inside the residential area of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish. Over the past months, Isis has focused its assaults on Egypt’s Christian minority and killed dozens in at least four attacks, prompting Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the president, to declare a state of emergency. However, the restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014 after Islamist militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. In January, eight policemen were killed in el-Arish in a car explosion. ||||| At least 26 Egyptian soldiers including a colonel were killed in a suicide bomb attack on an army checkpoint in northern Sinai, according to security sources.Another 40 fighters were killed in a subsequent gun battle with soldiers at the checkpoint, an army spokesperson said on Friday.The attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint at a military compound in the southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked fighters on foot, officials said.The dead included a high ranking special forces officer, Colonel Ahmed el-Mansi, and at least 26 soldiers were wounded in the attack.Sirens of ambulances were heard from a distance as they rushed to the site of the attack.The officials spoke to AP news agency on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorised to speak to the media.No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.Speaking to Al Jazeera from Bologna, Spain, Timothy Kaldas, a non-resident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, said there was a high likelihood that the attack would be claimed by Wilayat Sinai, a group affiliated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.The group frequently targets military and police personnel, he said, adding that Friday's attack was "unfortunately a very predictable type of attack and something we've seen regularly".Over the past months, ISIL has focused its attacks on Egypt's Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to declare a state of emergency in the country.The Sinai branch of ISIL appears to be the most resilient outside Syria and Iraq, where the so-called caliphate is witnessing its demise.The group's offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaeda rivals. ||||| EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire on Friday, killing at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years. After nightfall, the Islamic State group issued a claim of responsibility, saying in an online statement that it had carried out the attack as the Egyptian army was preparing an assault on IS positions in Sinai. The coordinated attack suggested the Sinai-based militants are among the region’s most resilient, after IS in Iraq and Syria, where the so-called caliphate is now witnessing its demise. And it underscored the struggles Egyptian forces face in trying to rein in the insurgency. Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai, where the jihadis have exploited the vast arid and underdeveloped region and its disgruntled Bedouin population as an ideal incubator for Islamic militancy even before the IS affiliate has emerged at the forefront of the insurgency. Friday’s assault began in the early morning, when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah. Dozens of masked militants then descended on the site in 24 Land Cruiser SUVs and opened fire on the soldiers with machine guns, according to security officials. The shooting lasted nearly half an hour, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because of regulations. The troops at the compound were estimated to have numbered about 60. When the attack subsided, the militants apparently looted the checkpoint, snatching weapons and ammunition before fleeing, the officials said. A number of militants were killed in the shootout, indicating the soldiers had fought back, and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene. The suicide blast at the start of the attack likely disabled the checkpoint’s military communications system, prompting one of the officers to use his own cellphone to record an audio message and send it to a colleague via WhatsApp, seeking help and asking for prayers. The message was later widely circulated on social media. “This might be the last seconds in my life,” a man’s voice calmly says in the recording. “Quickly, oh men, anyone who knows how to reach the command center, notify them to use artillery as we are still alive.” He then praises God and ends by saying “we will either avenge them or die,” referring to his fallen colleagues. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States strongly condemns the Sinai attack and continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.” The security officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later told The Associated Press that more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby building that was used as a rest house for troops. According to the IS statement, a second car bomber was used in the attack to strike an army convoy sent as a reinforcement to the embattled soldiers. The authenticity of the IS claim could not be verified but it was circulated by IS supporters online and by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites. Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn’t provide a breakdown. He said the army on Friday foiled attacks that targeted a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants, dressed in military uniforms, typically worn by IS extremists. The Defense Ministry posted a video on its official website showing aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the militants who carried out Friday’s attack. The attacked checkpoint was set up two months ago to cut a key militant supply line between the outskirts of Rafah, where the district is known to have a heavy IS presence, and central Sinai, where militants have found safe havens in the mountains, according to tribal leader Hassan Khalaf of the Swaraka, one of Sinai’s largest tribes. The security officials said some senior officers had expressed opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover for the troops. The nearest army compound was an hour’s drive away, leaving the checkpoint with only the support of local armed tribesmen from the Tarabeen, with their own small checkpoints nearby. The area was also the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants. Despite the insurgency, IS has so far not succeeded in seizing territory in Sinai but maintains a strong presence in the western and southern areas of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and even inside the residential areas of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish. Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country. The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, with the one major assault killing eight policemen in el-Arish in January. On July 1, 2015, IS carried series of attacks, killing over 50 soldiers in Sinai. IS said at the time that it attacked some 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings. However, the army denied the high death toll. The Sinai attack came as the Islamic State group is fast losing its once vast territory in Syria and Iraq. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte, while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals. Faced with the challenge in Sinai, the Egyptian government has accused several Arab and Muslim countries of financing and providing safe haven to Islamic militants — including Qatar, Turkey, and the Hamas group in neighboring Gaza Strip. Hamas, which is seeking to improve relations with Cairo, quickly condemned Friday’s attack. “We considers it a criminal, terrorist, and cowardly attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation,” Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. ||||| CAIRO (AP) — An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt claims responsibility for the Sinai attack that killed 23 soldiers. ||||| IS claims attack in Egypt’s Sinai that killed 23 soldiers ||||| EL-ARISH, Egyp – Islamic militants attacked a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula with a suicide car bomb and heavy machine gun fire on Friday, killing at least 23 soldiers in the deadliest attack in the turbulent region in two years. After nightfall, the Islamic State group issued a claim of responsibility, saying in an online statement that it had carried out the attack as the Egyptian army was preparing an assault on IS positions in Sinai. The coordinated attack suggested the Sinai-based militants are among the region’s most resilient, after IS in Iraq and Syria, where the so-called caliphate is now witnessing its demise. And it underscored the struggles Egyptian forces face in trying to rein in the insurgency. Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai, where the jihadis have exploited the vast arid and underdeveloped region and its disgruntled Bedouin population as an ideal incubator for Islamic militancy even before the IS affiliate has emerged at the forefront of the insurgency. Friday’s assault began in the early morning, when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah. Dozens of masked militants then descended on the site in 24 Land Cruiser SUVs and opened fire on the soldiers with machine guns, according to security officials. The shooting lasted nearly half an hour, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because of regulations. The troops at the compound were estimated to have numbered about 60. When the attack subsided, the militants apparently looted the checkpoint, snatching weapons and ammunition before fleeing, the officials said. A number of militants were killed in the shootout, indicating the soldiers had fought back, and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the United States strongly condemns the Sinai attack and continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.” Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn’t provide a breakdown. He said the army on Friday foiled attacks that targeted a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants, dressed in military uniforms, typically worn by IS extremists. The Defense Ministry posted a video on its official website showing aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the militants who carried out Friday’s attack. The attacked checkpoint was set up two months ago to cut a key militant supply line between the outskirts of Rafah, where the district is known to have a heavy IS presence, and central Sinai, where militants have found safe havens in the mountains, according to tribal leader Hassan Khalaf of the Swaraka, one of Sinai’s largest tribes. The security officials said some senior officers had expressed opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover for the troops. The nearest army compound was an hour’s drive away, leaving the checkpoint with only the support of local armed tribesmen from the Tarabeen, with their own small checkpoints nearby. The area was also the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants. Despite the insurgency, IS has so far not succeeded in seizing territory in Sinai but maintains a strong presence in the western and southern areas of Rafah, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and even inside the residential areas of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish. Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country. The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, with the one major assault killing eight policemen in el-Arish in January. On July 1, 2015, IS carried series of attacks, killing over 50 soldiers in Sinai. IS said at the time that it attacked some 15 army and police positions and staged three suicide bombings. However, the army denied the high death toll. The Sinai attack came as the Islamic State group is fast losing its once vast territory in Syria and Iraq. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte, while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals. Faced with the challenge in Sinai, the Egyptian government has accused several Arab and Muslim countries of financing and providing safe haven to Islamic militants – including Qatar, Turkey, and the Hamas group in neighboring Gaza Strip. Hamas, which is seeking to improve relations with Cairo, quickly condemned Friday’s attack. “We considers it a criminal, terrorist, and cowardly attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation,” Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said. ||||| EL-ARISH, Egypt — The Islamic State group has claimed an attack on a remote Egyptian army outpost in the Sinai Peninsula that killed at least 23 soldiers, the deadliest assault in the turbulent region in two years. IS said in an online statement late Friday that it carried out the attack as the army was preparing to assault militant positions in the territory bordering Gaza and Israel. The coordinated attack suggested the Sinai-based militants are among the region's most resilient, after IS in Iraq and Syria, where the so-called caliphate is rapidly losing ground. It also underscored the challenges facing Egypt's security forces as they try to contain the insurgency. Local TV channels on Saturday carried live footage of the funerals of those killed, with their coffins wrapped in Egypt's red, white and black flag. Egypt has for years battled militants in Sinai, where the jihadis have exploited the vast, arid and underdeveloped region, recruiting from its disgruntled Bedouin population. Friday's assault began in the early morning, when a suicide bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah. Dozens of masked militants then descended on the site in 24 Land Cruisers and opened fire on the soldiers with machine guns, according to security officials. The shooting lasted nearly half an hour, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity because of regulations. The troops at the compound were estimated to have numbered about 60. When the attack subsided, the militants apparently looted the checkpoint, snatching weapons and ammunition before fleeing, the officials said. A number of militants were killed in the shootout and some of their vehicles were abandoned at the scene. The suicide blast apparently disabled the checkpoint's military communications system, forcing an officer to use his own cellphone to record an audio message seeking help. The message, sent to a colleague via WhatsApp, was later circulated on social media. "This might be the last seconds in my life," a man's voice calmly says in the recording. "Quickly, oh men, anyone who knows how to reach the command center, notify them to use artillery as we are still alive." He then praises God and ends by saying "we will either avenge them or die," referring to his fallen colleagues. According to the IS statement, a second car bomber was used to strike an army convoy sent to reinforce the embattled soldiers. The IS claim was circulated by supporters online and picked up by the U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites. Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded. He didn't provide a breakdown, but added that 40 of the assailants were killed. Local Sinai residents, speaking on condition of anonymity because they fear for their safety, said they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs purporting to show slain militants. Elsewhere in Egypt on Friday, a police officer was gunned down while heading to a mosque in the outskirts of Cairo. A shadowy militant group suspected of links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood claimed responsibility. The Hasm group has attacked Egyptian security forces in the past but has no known links to the IS affiliate in Sinai. On Saturday, the Interior Ministry said security forces raided a training camp near the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, killing 14 militants. IS has not been able to seize and hold territory in Sinai, but it maintains a strong presence in northern areas of the peninsula. In recent months, it has focused its attacks on Egypt's Christian minority, killing more than a 100 in four major attacks between December and May. The attacks prompted President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, a former army chief, to declare a nationwide state of emergency. The restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October 2014, after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. There was a significant decline in attacks this year in Sinai, but one major assault killed eight policemen in el-Arish in January. On July 1, 2015, IS carried out a series of coordinated attacks, including suicide bombings, against army and police positions in Sinai, killing at least 50. However, the army said only 17 soldiers and over 100 militants were killed. ||||| The Latest on the attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula (all times local): Egyptian security officials have raised the toll from a blitz attack by Islamic militants in Sinai to 23 soldiers killed and 33 wounded, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the volatile peninsula this year. Officials say that the militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday morning. The officials initially put the death toll at 10. They later told The Associated Press that more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of a demolished building at the site. The attack took place in the village of el-Barth just south of the town of Rafah. The officials say five officers are among those killed, including a high-ranking special forces officer, Col. Ahmed el-Mansi. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. Egyptian officials say at least 10 security troops have been killed when a car bomb struck a military checkpoint followed by heavy gunfire in northeastern Sinai Peninsula. The officials say that the Friday attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint in southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy shooting by dozens of masked militants on foot. The dead included a high ranking special forces officer and at least 20 others were wounded in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Egypt has in recent years been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai, mainly by militants from an Islamic State group affiliate. ||||| CAIRO — The Latest on the situation in Egypt and the deadly militant attack in the Sinai Peninsula (all times local): An Islamic State affiliate in Egypt has claimed responsibility for the attack on a military checkpoint in the country’s Sinai Peninsula earlier in the day that killed 23 soldiers and wounded 33 others. The group said in an online statement that it used two suicide car bombers and a number of fighters who were willing to die to stage the attack on Friday morning. It said the attack came as the Egyptian army was preparing an assault against the IS group’s positions in the region. The authenticity of the statement could not be verified but it was released on twitter as similar claims have been in the past. The statement further claimed that IS lost only five of its own fighters in the assault. The United States says it’s strongly condemning the attack in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula that killed at least 23 Egyptian troops. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says that the U.S. continues “to stand with Egypt as it confronts terrorism.” Nauert says the U.S. sends its condolences to the families of the victims of Friday’s assault and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded. Egyptian officials say the assault started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah. They say that heavy gunfire then followed from dozens of masked militants on foot. Egyptian security and medical officials say two civilians were killed and four were wounded when a mortar shell hit their vehicle in the central city of el-Arish in northeastern Sinai Peninsula. The officials say the incident took place in the el-Zohor district on Friday evening. They say the wounded — all from a single family — are in critical condition. It wasn’t immediately clear who fired the mortar shell. The district of el-Zohor is home to a military camp and also has a presence of IS militants. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media. The deaths came hours after Islamic militants attacked a checkpoint south of the town of Rafah, killing 23 soldiers and wounding 33 others. No group has claimed responsibility for that attack. Egypt’s Interior Ministry says a police officer was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Cairo as he was heading to prayers at a mosque near his home. The ministry’s statement says assailants on a motorcycle drove by, opened fire and killed Capt. Ibrahim Azazi as he was leaving his house on Friday and heading to the mosque. It says security forces are searching for the assailants. The attack came just hours after heavily armed Islamic militants carried a blitz attack at a checkpoint on the southern edge of the border town of Rafah in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing 23 troops and wounding 33. No group has claimed responsibility for either of the attacks. The Egyptian military has released a video showing fighter jets targeting militants shortly after a Sinai attack that killed 23 soldiers. The Defence Ministry posted a video on its official website showing the aircraft taking off and striking vehicles and positions allegedly belonging to the Islamic militants who carried out the deadly attack earlier on Friday. The ministry says the strikes took place near the border town of Rafah and killed 40 militants and wounded dozens. The ministry’s account could not be independently confirmed as that part of the Sinai Peninsula is off limits to the media. It says the armed forces, backed by the Egyptian air force, foiled other attacks against checkpoints in the same town. It added that the armed forces are chasing militants who are hiding in mountainous areas. The Islamic militant Hamas group, which rules the Gaza Strip, has denounced the attack earlier in the day in Egypt’s Sinai as a “terrorist” assault. The condemnation came just hours after Islamic militants killed 23 Egyptian troops and wounded 33 at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Gaza on Friday. Hamas’ spokesman Fawzi Barhoum says the group considers the attack in Sinai “a criminal, a terrorist, and a coward attack that doesn’t target Egypt only, but the security and stability of the entire Arab nation.” Hamas has been trying to improve ties with neighbouring Egypt and is currently creating a buffer zone on its side of the Gaza-Egypt border to curb militant crossings. Egypt has accused Hamas of fomenting unrest in the region and aiding the insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula, especially in the aftermath of the 2013 ouster of Islamic President Mohammed Morsi, who hails from the Muslim Brotherhood organization. The Brotherhood is considered the mother group of Hamas. Egypt and Israel have imposed a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power there in 2007. Egyptian security officials have raised the toll from a blitz attack by Islamic militants in Sinai to 23 soldiers killed and 33 wounded, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the volatile peninsula this year. Officials say that the militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday morning. The officials initially put the death toll at 10. They later told The Associated Press that more bodies were retrieved from the rubble of a demolished building at the site. The attack took place in the village of el-Barth just south of the town of Rafah. The officials say five officers are among those killed, including a high-ranking special forces officer, Col. Ahmed el-Mansi. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak to the media. Egyptian officials say at least 10 security troops have been killed when a car bomb struck a military checkpoint followed by heavy gunfire in northeastern Sinai Peninsula. The officials say that the Friday attack started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the checkpoint in southern Rafah village of el-Barth, followed by heavy shooting by dozens of masked militants on foot. The dead included a high ranking special forces officer and at least 20 others were wounded in the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak to the media. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Egypt has in recent years been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai, mainly by militants from an Islamic State group affiliate. ||||| Islamic militants unleashed a suicide car bomb and heavy gunfire on an Egyptian military checkpoint in northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Friday, killing 23 troops and wounding 33, officials said. Among those killed in the attack – the deadliest on the country’s military this year – were five officers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi, according to security officials. The assault started when a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into a checkpoint at a military compound in the village of el-Barth, southwest of the border town of Rafah, followed by heavy gunfire from dozens of masked militants on foot, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. As the attack unfolded, ambulance sirens were heard from a distance rushing to the site. The officials initially put the death toll at 10 but later said that more bodies were pulled from under the rubble of a nearby building, used as a rest house for troops, that was destroyed in the attack. The militants arrived at the site of the checkpoint – located in a remote, desert area – in some 24 Land Cruiser SUVs, and opened fire on the soldiers with machine-guns for nearly half an hour, the officials said. The troop presence at the compound is estimated to have numbered about 60 soldiers. After the attack, the militants looted the checkpoint, taking away weapons and ammunition before fleeing the scene, the officials added. It was unclear if they also took armoured vehicles as well. The next army compound is located an hour’s drive away, leaving the targeted site with no support except for local, armed tribesmen from the Tarabeen, who have their own small checkpoints nearby. The wider area of the attack is considered to be an IS stronghold and was the site of fierce battles in the spring between the tribesmen and militants. The officials told The Associated Press that some senior officers have voiced opposition to the location of the checkpoint, arguing that it provided no real cover. Earlier, Egyptian army spokesman Tamer el-Rifai confirmed the attack on his official Facebook page, saying that 26 army personnel were killed or wounded in Friday’s attack. He didn’t prove a breakdown. He said the army foiled attacks targeting a number of other checkpoints in the Rafah area and that 40 militants were killed. Witnesses said that they saw Apache helicopters carrying out airstrikes across Rafah after the attack. On his page, al-Rifai posted photographs of allegedly slain militants dressed in military uniforms. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Egypt has been battling a stepped-up insurgency in northern Sinai in recent years, mainly by militants from an Islamic State affiliate. Though the IS affiliate has not managed to seize territory in Sinai it has a strong presence in the western and southern area of Rafah in the peninsula, on the outskirts of the town of Sheikh Zuweid, and inside the residential area of Sinai’s largest city, el-Arish. Over the past months, IS has focused its attacks on Egypt’s Christian minority and carried out at least four deadly attacks that killed dozens, prompting army chief-turned-President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to declare a state of emergency in the country. However, the restive northern Sinai has been under a state of emergency since October, 2014 after Islamic militants killed more than 30 soldiers in a single attack. In January, eight policemen were killed in the city of el-Arish in a car bomb explosion. The Sinai branch of the Islamic State group appears to be the most resilient outside Syria and Iraq, where the so-called caliphate is now witnessing its demise. The group’s offshoot in Libya has been uprooted in months-long battles in the central city of Sirte while its branch in Yemen has failed to seize territories or compete with its al-Qaida rivals. | Masked militants attack an Egyptian Army checkpoint in a village south of Rafah, North Sinai Governorate, killing at least 23 soldiers, including a high-ranking special forces colonel. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria later claims responsibility. The attack included VBIED and signal jamming. |
||||| MIAMI — A U.S. federal judge in Florida has denied bond for a former Panamanian president who is fighting efforts to send him back to his home country to face political espionage charges. U.S. Magistrate Edwin Torres made his ruling Friday. The order points out that Ricardo Martinelli’s significant wealth and foreign connections make him a serious flight risk. Martinelli was arrested in Miami last month on an extradition warrant from Panama. A final extradition hearing is set for July 25. The former president failed to show up at a December 2015 court hearing in Panama on charges that include illegally monitoring phone and other conversations of at least 150 people with an extensive surveillance system he created with public funds. He denies wrongdoing and is seeking asylum. ||||| PANAMA’S fugitive former president, Ricardo Martinelli, presents a flight risk and must remain in custody until the request for extradition to Panama is heard on July 25. The decision was made Friday July 7 by Judge Edwin Torres of the Court of South District of Florida. Torres assessed the risk of flight, given that Martinelli, has connections around the world, “so this Court cannot lose control over him until the process is concluded “. He also underscored the commitment made by the United States to the bilateral extradition with Panama in 1904, and other multilateral conventions of which The United States is a signatory. “We undoubtedly invoke extradition treaties for pending cases much more than other countries ask us for extradition, “the judge said Torres also reflected on the relevance of extradition agreements. He remembered that already In 1988 his colleague John Kester warned that the tools of collaboration between countries would become very important, given the increase in multinational transactions, ease and speed of air interconnections and the rise of complex economic crimes. “This forecast is certainly true, as this particular case demonstrates,” he said. The judge denied the bail request of Martinelli’s lawyers, despite the fact that he proposed to deposit 10% of a $5 million bond, backed by his w ife Marta Linares de Martinelli, plus another personal bond of $2 million, as well as deliver the custody of his private plane, wear an electronic bracelet, stay in his Miami residence and and hire the services of a 24-hour police agent (retired). Martinelli has been detained since June 12 and is required in Panama to face trial for the unauthorized interception of communications by the Security Council during his regime. If convicted he could face up to 21 years imprisonment. He is also facing numerous corruption and embezzlement charges which he and his supporters have labeled “political persecution. ||||| Panama’s recent decision to embrace a formal relationship with China will have far-ranging implications for the country’s economy, including the real estate market. Five years ago, Chinese home buyers were almost non-existent in Panama City, but that has changed. In the first half of 2017, Chinese buyers accounted for about 20 percent of Punta Pacifica Realty’s sales in Panama City, compared to 5 percent in 2015. Most of the sales were focused on high-end rental properties in towers along the waterfront in Punta Pacifica and Avenida Balboa, including the Trump Ocean Club and the modern Yoo Panama. The Panama government’s move to dump ties to Taiwan and launch formal diplomatic relations with China is a game changer. Panama was one of only a handful of countries recognizing Taiwan, and the association was always a cloud hanging over the Chino-Panama relationship. The new link to China “will be a very positive decision for our people, for our economy, for our social development,” said Pres. Juan Carlos Varela, noting the investment, trade and tourism opportunities to Panama. From China’s perspective, Panama has now turned from a diplomatic black sheep to a prime trading partner. “China has made a big bet on Latin America, where it has strategic investments, and Panama, which didn’t have diplomatic relations, was losing out on those advantages,” Wang Weihua, Beijing’s top representative in Panama recently told a reporter. “Now Panama will be able to enjoy what our country can offer it in various sectors.” China is already very active in Panama. Several Chinese companies have regional headquarters in Panama City. And China is the second-biggest user of the Panama Canal. Total trade between Panama and China was valued at $1.1 billion in 2016, according to government statistics. In recent years, China has made a big push into construction in Panama, participating in some of the country’s biggest projects. The China Landbridge Group purchased Margarita Island port in Colon last year and is building a new $700 million terminal port, and China Construction America is building the new convention center on the Amador Causeway. China companies have also been participating in the buildout of the Panama metro. We’ve seen this model before in countries around the world. China invests huge amounts of capital in projects that are often built by China-affiliated construction companies. They are long-term investors, looking to build deep roots in a business community. The new diplomatic deal will remove any roadblocks to China committing to Panama as its key partner in Central America. That will mean more investment and more jobs in Panama City. Panama tourism should also be a direct beneficiary. Direct flights from China would be a logical next step, as well as the easing of bureaucratic restrictions on travel. China is the world’s largest outbound tourism market, with more than 135 million travelers in 2016, a 6 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the World Tourism Organization. All that activity should translate to more Chinese buyers and investors in the real estate market, a phenomenon which can be tracked in markets around the world. There is already a large and growing Chinese community in Panama. And the Bank of China is already financing property deals through an office in Panama City. Now that the diplomatic relations have been formalized, it appears all factors are in place for the China Effect to hit Panama City’s real estate market. Jeff Barton is managing director of Punta Pacifica Realty, the top sales and property management company in the waterfront skyscraper community of Punta Pacifica. ||||| NEW CONSTRUCTION, additions and repairs in Panama jumped, to $967 million in the first five months of the year 24% more than in the same period in 2016 Figures compiled by the Office of the Comptroller General show that the value of new constructions, was led by the province of Panama, with $659 million, followed by David, Santiago, Chitré, Aguadulce and La Chorrera, with $125 million. ||||| The US national team's Group B opener against Panama on Saturday at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup was an affair full of MLS players, and the impact was felt on both teams. In addition to the 10 USMNT players currently on MLS rosters to feature on the day, Panama fielded four MLSers, including New York City FC midfielder Miguel Camargo. The 23-year-old, on loan for the season from Chorillo FC, scored Panama's goal to tie up the match and was named CONCACAF's Man of the Match in the 1-1 draw at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. "I was very happy [to score a goal] but the credit goes to the entire team," Camargo told reporters after the game. "Especially because we were behind. But we worked together, and we tied it up, as a team." Panama's result against the Americans keeps them in strong position, as a team projected before the tournament by most to advance to the knockout stage. And if they are to make that a reality, Camargo will likely be counted on to continue contributing to Panama's cause. "It's a very young team, but with a lot of experience," he said. "The whole country has put their trust in us and the coach, and we have to repay that on the field." Panama's next test in the Gold Cup comes on Wednesday against fellow Central American side Nicaragua (7:30 pm ET | FS1, UDN, TSN2 in Canada). ||||| PANAMA and the United States came up with a goal apiece in Nashville, Tennessee on Saturday, July 8, in the opening match of group B of the fourteenth edition of the Gold Cup. The goals were scored in the second half, at one minute 50 through striker Dominic Dwyer United States and in 60 minutes by Miguel Camargo for Panama. The two teams, are group favorites to reach the quarterfinals. ||||| Former Gamecock Brad Guzan notches 5 saves in 1-1 draw vs. Panama The United States earned a disappointing 1-1 draw in its opening match of Group B play at the 2017 Gold Cup. Bruce Arena’s squad is short on U.S. national team regulars and that reality was reflected in an experimental XI with the likes of Dom Dwyer, Dax McCarty and Kelyn Rowe all starting the match in Nashville. Rowe tested the Panama goalkeeper from distance in the fifth minute, but his well-hit shot was punched from harm’s way by Jose Calderon. Chances were hard to come by, but Panama was finding space down the right flank, twice sending in crosses that tested the U.S. defense in the opening 25 minutes. Jorge Villafana set Rowe up for another chance in the 26th minute with some nice interplay, but the New England Revolution winger’s volley was again punched away by Calderon. Panama countered straight after and Miguel Camargo’s right-footed shot, after cutting in from the left, forced Brad Guzan into a fingertip save in the U.S. goal. Kellyn Acosta found himself in a great scoring position right before half-time with the ball bouncing to him at the top of the penalty area, but his spinning first-time volley skipped to the left of Calderon’s goal. Ismael Diaz had one last chance for Panama before the break, cutting across the top of the 18-yard box and firing a low, line drive just wide of Guzan’s goal as the teams went to the dressing room tied 0-0. Dwyer got the U.S. off to the perfect start in the second half after a disjointed opening 45 for the Americans. The Sporting KC striker redirected a Rowe cross into the area with a first-time shot that snuck just inside Calderon’s far post to give the U.S. a 1-0 lead. Panama was almost level minutes later after a Gabriel Torres close-range header was saved by Guzan to the feet of Diaz, who fired over from just in front of the goal. Hernan Gomez’s team, firmly on the front foot, found an equaliser after an excellent Guzan save dropped right to Camargo, who clipped home a shot from eight yards away. Guzan finished with 5 saves with only 1 goal allowed. Jordan Morris came on late in the second half as Arena tried to spark the U.S. attack, but despite some quality moments, the Seattle Sounders striker couldn’t push his team to the win. The United States’ second match is against Martinique on July 12, with Panama facing Nicaragua on the same day. ||||| USA prepares to face off against Panama in Group B play of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup on July 8, 4:30 p.m. EST at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Panama and the USA are accompanied by Martinique and Nicaragua in Group B. The U.S. men's national team has won this tournament five times with its most recent victory coming in 2013, but this year it looks to avenge its poor 2015 showing, which culminated in a loss in penalties to Panama in the third-place match. The U.S. looks to follow up a 2-1 friendly victory over Ghana with a win against Panama, while Panama hopes to snap into gear with a victory over the U.S., coming off of three straight draws–including a 1-1 effort vs. the USA in World Cup qualifying. Live stream: Watch live with Fubo TV. Sign up now for a free seven-day trial. ||||| KARACHI: Pakistan’s pro boxer and the WBC flyweight two-time silver world champion Mohammad Waseem returned to the ring in style when he knocked out Eliecer Valdez of Panama in a tune-up fight in Panama on Thursday. It was after seven months that the 29-year-old Quetta-born boxer played a fight. He defended his world silver crown on November 27 last year when he upstaged Giemel Magramo of the Philippines in South Korea. Waseem did not face much resistance from his opponent. He defeated him comfortably in the second round. Las Vegas-based coach Jeff Mayweather coached Waseem during the fight. “I am happy that I am again in the ring,” Waseem told ‘The News’. “It’s a new beginning. I am fresh and have started a new journey towards my future goal,” the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games medallist said. “I will now begin proper training for my next target in Panama. In Panama there are good fighters and I will be able to get some good sparring partners and that will help me,” Waseem said. Waseem shot to fame in pro circle when he won the WBC world silver flyweight title in only his fourth fight when he downed Jether Oliva of the Philippines in Seoul on July 17, 2016. After defending his crown in November last year, Waseem had to wait for a long time for the federal government’s grant of Rs24 million. The delay prevented his promoter Andy Kim from arranging the next fight for him in the scheduled time of three months. Waseem is now expected to play his world title bout early next year. In September, Wales’ Andrew Selby is expected to clash with the flyweight world champion Daigo Higa of Japan. Waseem will then challenge the world title holder. Selby downed Christopher Rosales of Nicaragua in Cardiff in May in the world title eliminator to place himself in line to set world title bout with knock-out artist Higa.Waseem got No1 WBC ranking last month, a huge achievement, considering that he began his pro career only in early 2015. Kim had told ‘The News’ the other day that after some training in Panama Waseem may go to Colombia for further preparation and that he might get a few tune-up fights against some better boxers. Waseem’s next bout in Panama is on July 29. | Former president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli is denied bond by United States magistrate judge Edwin Torres. He is accused of charges that include illegally monitoring phone and other conversations of at least 150 people. Martinelli was arrested in Miami last month on an extradition warrant from Panama. |
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom, initially planned for this year, will be delayed until next year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Tuesday. British Prime Minister Theresa May had invited Trump to London when she visited the White House soon after Trump took office on Jan. 20. But the two sides were never able to find dates that worked for both governments. Trump has been to Europe twice this year, is headed to Paris this week and his other scheduled trip abroad in 2017 is to Asia. “It’s just a scheduling issue,” the official told Reuters. “Finding a date that works for everyone turned out to be difficult. We’re looking at next year.” ||||| Theresa May and Donald Trump Matt Cardy / Getty LONDON — Donald Trump's state visit to the UK has been delayed until at least 2018, a senior UK government source has confirmed. Trump was originally scheduled for a state visit to Britain last month but it was delayed until the autumn following a series of large street protests. across the UK against his presidency. Last night a senior UK government source told Business Insider that the two countries had been unable to agree a date for this year and were "now looking at dates next year" for a possible state visit. They added that it was possible that Trump could jet in for a non-state visit at some point in the interim. Any visit at short notice would make it difficult for opponents to organise large-scale protests. The potential visit gathered a wave of controversy earlier this year when the House of Commons Speaker John Bercow effectively banned the president from speaking in Parliament. Bercow said he was not willing to allow Trump to address Parliament as his predecessors had, because of Britain's opposition to "racism and sexism." "If a state visit takes place, that is way beyond and above the pay grade of the speaker," he said. "However, as far as this place [the House of Commons] is concerned, I feel very strongly that our opposition to racism and to sexism and our support for equality before the law and an independent judiciary are hugely important considerations in the House of Commons." Trump reportedly told May that he was unwilling to visit the UK while the threat of further protests remained. A Downing Street adviser told the Guardian that the President had told May that he "does not want to go ahead with a state visit to Britain until the British public supports him coming. "The US president said he did not want to come if there were large-scale protests." There was no mention of a state visit in May's Queen's Speech last month, which set out all the planned state visits for the next two years. ||||| ||||| U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom, initially planned for this year, will be delayed until next year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Tuesday. WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom, initially planned for this year, will be delayed until next year, a senior U.S. administration official said on Tuesday. British Prime Minister Theresa May had invited Trump to London when she visited the White House soon after Trump took office on Jan. 20. But the two sides were never able to find dates that worked for both governments. Trump has been to Europe twice this year, is headed to Paris this week and his other scheduled trip abroad in 2017 is to Asia. "It's just a scheduling issue," the official told Reuters. "Finding a date that works for everyone turned out to be difficult. We're looking at next year." ||||| United States President Donald Trump's state visit to the United Kingdom (UK) is likely to happen next year. According to Sky News, Downing Street and White House are looking for possible options to arrange for Trump's state visit next year. UK Prime Minister Theresa May, during her visit to the US in February, had announced Queen Elizabeth's invitation of a state visit to Trump. However, shortly after the news, many people in the UK launched a petition titled 'Prevent Donald Trump from making State Visit to the United Kingdom' to protest against Trump's immigration ban. The petition soon became popular and garnered over 1.8 million signatories, enough to be debated on in the UK Parliament. It was reported that senior UK politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, called for the visit to be cancelled. There were protests organised countrywide against his visit too. Trump, in June, had informed May that he would not travel to Britain until the protests against him come to an end in the country. The White House, however, denied that the US President had any reservations about visiting the UK, and added that they were looking forward to working out a "mutually acceptable date." There were also earlier reports that Trump may secretly drop in the UK during his Europe visit for the G20 Summit. ||||| LONDON — President Trump will delay his first state visit to the United Kingdom until 2018 because of concerns about protests reflecting his unpopularity with Britons, U.K. media reported Tuesday. The visit had been expected this year, but a date was never set. Trump accepted an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II when Prime Minister Theresa May traveled to Washington in January. Trump is disliked by many Britons, for reasons that include his travel restrictions targeting six majority-Muslim countries and his public attacks on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the Muslim to hold the office. More than 2 million people have signed a petition calling on Parliament to block the visit. Last month, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the state visit was still on following reports that Trump could scrap or postpone it due to concerns about mass protests. "We look forward to scheduling that trip," said Spicer. Thousands of protesters rallied in London in February calling on May to withdraw the invitation for a state visit. The Guardian and the BBC reported that May’s office and the White House were looking at dates in 2018. Trump could still visit Britain this year but without the pomp and ceremony of an official state visit. At the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, last week, Trump told May that he would be visiting Britain, and it was just a matter of arranging a date. "I will be going to London," he said. Trump is traveling to Paris to mark Bastille Day on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron and could later visit his ancestral home of Scotland, where he owns a golf resort ensnared in a local development dispute. "An invitation for a state visit has been extended and accepted, and the PM looks forward to welcoming President Trump to the U.K.,” May’s office said in a statement Tuesday. “We will set out a date for the visit in due course." The U.K., which is exiting the European Union following a referendum last year, and the United States enjoy a long-standing “special relationship.” "There's no country that could possibly be closer than our countries, for a long time," Trump said in Hamburg. "Prime Minister May and I have developed a very special relationship.” He said that a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement will be "done very very quickly." ||||| London, July 11: US President Donald Trump is likely to come to the United Kingdom next year, the BBC reported on Tuesday. Downing Street and the White House are believed to be looking at options for the visit, according to the report. Trump accepted the Queen's invitation for him to travel to Britain on a state visit when Prime Minister Theresa May visited Washington in January. But the prospect of a state visit caused much controversy and reportedly led Trump to change his mind. It was said he did not want to visit while there was potential for protests against him. In May, nearly two million people signed petitions saying Trump should not be invited to the UK on a state visit, the BBC reported. Senior politicians, including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, called for the visit to be cancelled. Former US President Barack Obama came to the UK after two-and-a-half years into his first term, therefore questions were raised as to why Trump was invited so soon after taking office. ||||| WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump’s trip to the United Kingdom probably isn’t happening in 2017. A senior White House official says the president will delay his first state visit to London due to a scheduling issue. The official spoke anonymously because the president’s long-term schedule is typically kept private. Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May was the first world leader to visit Trump at the White House. Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump She brought an invitation from the Queen for Trump to come to London this year on a state visit. ||||| US President Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain is being planned for next year, a senior British government source said Tuesday. Prime Minister Theresa May extended the invitation when she visited Washington just days after Trump’s inauguration in January, but a date has yet to be set. The source said both sides had been unable to arrange a date for 2017 and were now looking for dates in 2018. There has been speculation Trump was deferring the state visit, an occasion filled with pomp that involves a banquet with Queen Elizabeth II, amid concerns that it would draw protests over his presidency. Questions about the trip also arose after it got no mention in the Queen’s annual speech to parliament in June, when it is customary for the monarch to list upcoming state visits. But Trump confirmed he would be visiting Britain at the G20 in Hamburg, where he met with May, saying he “will be going to London”. Asked when, he replied: “We’ll work that out.” May has been derided for seeking to curry favour with Trump and has come under fire for inviting him for a state visit so soon into his presidency. Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the smaller Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party have all called for the state visit to be cancelled, as have some from May’s own Conservative Party. The Speaker of the House of Commons previously said he was “strongly opposed” to allowing Donald Trump to address members of parliament during the US president’s state visit later this year. More than 160 of parliament’s 650 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion opposing an address by Trump, citing the travel ban and his comments on torture and women. A speech to both Houses of Commons and Lords has been a feature of many previous state visits, including one by Barack Obama in 2011. More than 1.8 million people have also signed an online petition saying Trump should not make the state visit as it “could cause embarrassment” to the monarch. ||||| Donald Trump is expected to make a state visit to the UK in 2018. The government is believed to be working with the White House to agree on a date, BBC reported. Trump had initially planned to visit the UK in June 2017, but concerns over security and mass protests forced organisers to reschedule. A possible visit in the autumn had also been mooted at one stage. Trump had accepted an invitation from Theresa May to take part in a state visit when the prime minister visited the White House in January. However, it is thought that the controversy surrounding his visit forced Trump to reconsider. A surprise visit around the time that Trump is in France for Bastille Day celebrations (14 July) had also been considered but has now been ruled out. Mass protests at the G20 summit in Hamburg that also included specific references to Trump may have demonstrated to the US president the scale of contempt held by Europeans. State visits are usually announced in the Queen's Speech and this year's failed to mention Trump, instead confirming the state visit of the Spanish royal family which takes place this week (12 - 14 July). When a state visit eventually takes place, it would most likely involve a visit to Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and one of his Scottish golf resorts. He clashed with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan over safety in the wake of the London terror attacks which lead to the mayor to call for the state visit to be cancelled. Only two US presidents have been offered a state visit, George W Bush in 2003 and Barack Obama in 2011. | The Trump Administration announces this year's presidential state visit to the United Kingdom is delayed until at least 2018. Both the White House and 10 Downing Street state the two countries had been unable to agree on a 2017 date. This planned visit has drawn protests in the United Kingdom since February, and more than 1.8 million signatures on a petition to Parliament to cancel the meeting. |
OSLO: China bears a "heavy responsibility" for the "premature" death of 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Thursday (Jul 13). The prominent democracy advocate died aged 61 while still in custody following a battle with cancer. Officials ignored international pleas to let Liu spend his final days free and abroad. Germany and the United States had offered to take him in for treatment. "We find it deeply disturbing that Liu Xiaobo was not transferred to a facility where he could receive adequate medical treatment before he became terminally ill," Berit Reiss-Andersen, who chairs the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a statement. "The Chinese government bears a heavy responsibility for his premature death." Reiss-Andersen complained that the dissident had not been able to benefit from treatment abroad. "While the whole world watched, China chose instead to maintain the isolation of its prisoner," she added. Liu was transferred from prison to a heavily guarded hospital to be treated for late-stage liver cancer more than a month ago. He became the first Nobel Peace laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938. Liu was not able to attend the Nobel award ceremony in Oslo in 2010 as he was already serving an 11-year prison sentence for allegedly "attempting to undermine political order". The former head of the Nobel committee placed that year's peace prize on an empty chair to honour Liu. "We now have to come to terms with the fact that his chair will forever remain empty," Reiss-Andersen added. "At the same time it is our deep conviction that Liu Xiaobo will remain a powerful symbol for all who fight for freedom, democracy and a better world." Reiss-Andersen criticised the international community for meeting the announcement of Liu's serious condition "with silence and belated, hesitant reactions" although she added that France, Germany, the US and the EU "eventually" called for his unconditional release. "It is a sad and disturbing fact that the representatives of the free world, who themselves hold democracy and human rights in high regard, are less willing to stand up for those rights for the benefit of others," Reiss-Andersen said. Norway, among other nations, has been silent in recent days over Liu's condition. Even though the Norwegian Nobel Committee is independent of the government, Beijing froze diplomatic ties with Oslo as a result of Liu winning the peace prize. Beijing and Oslo relations were normalised last December. ||||| Germany said Wednesday it was ready to treat terminally ill Chinese Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, and urged Beijing to let him leave the country. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert voiced "the very greatest concern" over reports that Liu's health had further deteriorated, calling the family's situation "dramatic". The democracy advocate's hospital said Wednesday that 61-year-old Liu had suffered respiratory failure after it earlier reported he had organ failure. "Germany stands ready to host and medically treat" the Chinese activist, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for "subversion" after calling for democratic reforms, Seibert said. "The German government appeals to the Chinese leadership to prioritise the humanitarian aspects of this case and allow Mr Liu and his family to immediately leave the country." Liu was released on medical parole after being diagnosed with terminal liver cancer last month. One of his family friends told AFP that he had sent a letter from Liu's wife to the US and German governments expressing the couple's wish to leave China. The Chinese government has rebuffed international appeals to let Liu seek treatment abroad, saying he is getting the best possible care from top domestic doctors. Liu risks becoming the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938. Seibert said the latest reports on the dissident's state of health "raise the question of whether Mr Liu's cancer should have been diagnosed and treated far earlier". Liu was arrested in 2008 after co-writing Charter 08, a bold petition that called for the protection of basic human rights and reform of China's one-party Communist system. ||||| BEIJING — China’s imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo is suffering from organ failure and shock as his condition deteriorates, the hospital treating him said Wednesday. The hospital published the results of two tests that showed weak liver function even as Liu, who has terminal liver cancer, was receiving dialysis and plasma transfusions. Liu remains in “active rescue” status, the First Hospital of China Medical University said in a brief statement on its website, without providing other details. China’s most prominent political dissident was diagnosed with advanced liver cancer in May and transferred to the hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang where he is closely guarded. Liu’s ailing health became the subject of international attention as supporters and several foreign governments called for him to be freed to go abroad for treatment. On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert again urged China to parole Liu so he can receive medical care at a location of his choosing. Beijing has rebuffed such calls, saying Liu is too sick to travel and already receiving the best care possible, and that other countries should not interfere in its internal affairs. Liu was convicted in 2009 of inciting subversion for his role in the “Charter 08” movement calling for political reform. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a year later while in prison. ||||| BEIJING (AP) — China’s government is deploying its full range of information control techniques as international pressure mounts over its handling of imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wish to leave the country for treatment of late-stage liver cancer. Beijing has coordinated leaks of hospital surveillance video and imposed a near-total news blackout in Chinese-language media and on social networking sites in an attempt to limit the spread of information about Liu’s illness and push its claim that he is receiving adequate treatment. Liu was diagnosed in May and has asked to be allowed to receive treatment outside China. Western governments including the United States and the European Union have urged Beijing to let Liu leave on humanitarian grounds. Beijing appears to have rejected the calls. ||||| BEIJING — The Latest on the medical condition of China's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo (all times local): The Chinese hospital treating Liu Xiaobo says the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate has respiratory failure and his condition is now life-threatening. The First Hospital of China Medical University said Wednesday on its that Liu needs a tube to be inserted into his windpipe to give him breathing support. It said Liu's family has refused the tracheostomy. Liu and his family, who are being closely guarded in the hospital, could not immediately be reached for comment. The hospital reported that Liu, who has advanced liver cancer, is also suffering from renal failure and septic shock, and that blood clots have formed around his body. The ailing health of China's most prominent political dissident has become the subject of international attention, with supporters and several foreign governments calling for him to be released to go abroad for treatment. ||||| PARIS: US President Donald Trump and his French counterpart offered praise for Xi Jinping at a press conference Thursday (Jul 13), but avoiding comment or criticism over Chinese Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo's death. Trump described Xi, the Chinese president, as a friend and patriot, refraining from offering any remarks on the death of Liu, a prominent dissident who lost his life to cancer while in detention. Of Xi, Trump said: "He's a friend of mine. I have great respect for him. "We've gotten to know each other very well. A great leader. He's a very talented man. I think he's a very good man. He loves China. I can tell you. He loves China." That praise was echoed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who described as "extremely fruitful and positive" his first contacts with Xi. The French leader later paid tribute to Liu in a tweet, praising him as "a freedom fighter" and saying his thoughts were with his family. Earlier Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised Liu and called for his wife to be released. "Mr Liu dedicated his life to the betterment of his country and humankind, and to the pursuit of justice and liberty," Tillerson said in a statement. "I call on the Chinese government to release Liu Xia from house arrest and allow her to depart China, according to her wishes." ||||| China's Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo died on Thursday while still in custody following a battle with cancer, authorities said, after officials ignored international pleas to let him spend his final days free and abroad. The prominent democracy advocate died aged 61, more than a month after he was transferred from prison to a heavily-guarded hospital to be treated for late-stage liver cancer. The legal bureau in the northeastern city of Shenyang said on its website that Liu died three days after going into intensive care at the First Hospital of China Medical University. The writer's death silences a government critic who had been a thorn in the side of the authorities for decades and became a symbol of Beijing's growing crackdown on dissenting voices. Liu's death puts China in a dubious company as he became the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938. International human rights groups, Western governments, and local activists had urged authorities to free Liu and grant his final wish to be treated abroad. Germany had offered to treat Liu, calling for a "signal of humanity" from China. The United States also said it was willing to take him in. But officials insisted that Liu was receiving treatment from top Chinese doctors since being granted medical parole following his diagnosis in late May. In response to calls to allow Liu to leave China, the foreign ministry repeatedly said other countries should not interfere in China's internal affairs. In early July, Liu's Chinese doctors said he was not healthy enough to be sent abroad for treatment, a position that was contradicted by US and German medical experts invited by the hospital to examine Liu's condition. The physicians offered to treat the laureate at hospitals in their home Human rights groups decried the way the government treated Liu, accusing authorities of manipulating information about his health and refusing to let him leave because they were afraid he would use the freedom to denounce China's one-party Communist regime. As a gaunt Liu lay in his sickbed, a video was leaked showing the Western doctors praising their Chinese counterparts -- a scene that was denounced as "grotesque propaganda" by Human Rights Watch. The German embassy said the video seemed to show that security organs were "steering the process, not medical experts." Liu was arrested in 2008 after co-writing Charter 08, a bold petition that called for the protection of basic human rights and reform of China's political system. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion". At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair. Liu is also known for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests in Beijing. His wife, Liu Xia, was placed under house arrest in 2010, but she was allowed to see him at the hospital. Her fate will His wife, Liu Xia, was placed under house arrest in 2010, but she was allowed to see him at the hospital. Her fate will now worry human rights groups, which had urged the government to free her alongside Liu Xiaobo. ||||| Concerned that China’s cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo is not free to seek the medical treatment of his choosing, the US has urged China to grant him full parole and release his wife from house arrest. “We understand the Chinese hospital treating Nobel Peace Prize laureate and writer, Liu Xiaobo, has invited US, German medical experts to China for medical consultations. “We remain concerned that both Mr Liu and his family are unable to communicate with the outside world and that he is not free to seek the medical treatment of his choosing,” the White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters during an off camera news briefing. “We continue to call on the Chinese authorities to grant him full parole and to release his wife from house arrest and provide them the protections and freedoms, such as freedom of movement and access to appropriate medical care consistent with Chinese constitution, legal system, and international commitments,” Sanders said. The State Department said it was involved in helping to get a US doctor from MD Anderson Cancer Center to China to be able to take a look at him. “We would like for Mr Liu to be able to make his own health choices about where he would like to go,” the State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert said. “I understand that his wife, who had been under house arrest, was able to be with him at the hospital. We’re happy about that, however, we continue to call on China to release him so that he can receive medical treatment wherever he desires. If it’s in the United States, I think we would certainly welcome that,” she said. In an editorial, The Wall Street Journal said the government that imprisoned Liu for his beliefs and failed to ensure his health can’t ask the world to trust that it will give him the best care. “Mr Liu’s request for treatment in Germany offers him the chance to spend more time with his wife Liu Xia, who has been held under house arrest for seven years. China’s greatest democracy advocate deserves to spend his last days in freedom so the world can hear the final testimony to his struggle,” The Wall Street Journal said. Early this month, several top American lawakers moved a Congressional resolution urging the US President Donald Trump to help humanitarian transfer of Xiaobo. Introduced by Senators Marco Rubio, Jeff Merkley, and Ted Cruz, the concurrent resolution urged the government of China to unconditionally release Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia and allow them to reunite with their family and friends and seek proper medical treatment. The resolution also urges the Trump Administration to seek Dr Liu’s immediate humanitarian transfer. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| WASHINGTON (AFP, NYTIMES) - Washington on Tuesday (July 11) invited cancer-stricken Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo to come to the United States for medical treatment, renewing its call for Beijing to free him. The next day, China's state-backed Global Times newspaper slammed the calls by Western forces, branding them "a political charade". "Western forces are not persuasive in reasoning. What they care about is not Liu's treatment, but transferring him abroad. This is a political charade," it said. The op-edalso reiterated that the calls for Mr Liu to be allowed to go abroad were an interference of China's domestic affairs. US State Department spokesman Heather Nauert said on Tuesday that the US continues to call on the Chinese authorities to grant Mr Liu full parole and also for the release of his wife, Madam Liu Xia. "We continue to call on China to release him so that he can receive medical treatment wherever he desires. If it's in the United States, I think we would certainly welcome that," she said. Ms Nauert said Washington was pleased that US and German medical experts have been able to visit the terminally-ill cancer patient. "The State Department was involved in helping to get a US doctor... to China to be able to take a look at him," she said. "There was also a German doctor that was in attendance, too." Ms Nauert added that Washington is worried not only about the welfare of Mr Liu, 61, but of other dissidents held by China. "The State Department remains deeply concerned about the continued detention of at least seven defence lawyers and rights defenders, and reports of their alleged torture and denial of access to independent legal counsel," she said. "We urge the Chinese authorities to immediately release those still in detention and drop the charges." Mr Liu's heath has deteriorated since authorities revealed last month (June) that he had been transferred from prison to a hospital due to late-stage liver cancer. But Chinese officials have ignored calls by international human rights groups, Western governments and local activists to grant the prominent democracy advocate's wish to be treated abroad. Mr Liu has an abdominal infection, organ dysfunction and he went into septic shock, the hospital said in a statement on its website. He is undergoing kidney dialysis, and is getting anti-infection and organ function support therapy. On Wednesday, an op-ed in Global Times said the core of the issue is that Mr Liu is a cancer patient and a convicted criminal under China's law. "Chinese prison authorities are obliged to provide Liu with the best treatment they can, while retaining the responsibility to supervise Liu in accordance with the law," it said. "Foreign governments and institutes can give medical advice, but they must respect the final decision by China's prison authorities and medics." On Monday (July 10), a spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geng Shuang, denounced calls for Mr Liu to be freed to go abroad as "meddling" by foreigners, even though the two foreign doctors, who were invited by the government to examine Mr Liu said that he could travel and that their hospitals would treat him. Mr Liu was arrested in 2008 after co-writing Charter 08, a bold petition that called for the protection of basic human rights and reform of China's one-party Communist system. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion". At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair. ||||| BEIJING (AP) - China's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Liu Xiaobo, is in life-threatening condition with multiple organ failure and his family has opted against inserting a breathing tube needed to keep him alive, the hospital treating him said Wednesday. Liu, who has advanced liver cancer, is suffering from respiratory and renal failure as well as septic shock, the First Hospital of China Medical University said on its website. It said doctors informed Liu's family of the need for a tracheostomy to keep him alive, but they declined. Liu and his family, who are being closely guarded in the hospital, could not immediately be reached for comment. China's most prominent political prisoner was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in May and was transferred to the hospital in the northeastern city of Shenyang. Liu's declining health has become the subject of international attention, with supporters and several foreign governments calling for him to be freed to go abroad for treatment. On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert again urged China to parole Liu so he can receive medical care at a location of his choosing. Two foreign doctors, one German and one American, reported Sunday after visiting Liu that he wanted to leave for the West and it would be possible to evacuate him safely — but it needed to happen soon. Beijing has rebuffed the calls, saying Liu is too sick to travel and is already receiving the best care possible. China has accused other countries of politicizing the writer's case and interfering in China's internal affairs. Liu was convicted in 2009 of inciting subversion for his role in the "Charter 08" movement calling for political reform. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a year later while in prison. Earlier on Wednesday, the hospital released the results of two tests that showed weak liver function. Liu is receiving dialysis and plasma transfusions. | Nobel Peace Laureate Liu Xiaobo, who has been incarcerated in China for organizing the pro-democracy manifesto "Charter 08," is suffering from late-stage liver cancer which is worsening. The Chinese hospital treating him and foreign doctors, who examined Liu the weekend, disagree on future treatment. Germany, the United States, UK, and other countries have appealed that Liu be allowed to go to the hospital of his choice. |
Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office said. The tumor, known as glioblastoma, was found while the 80-year-old Arizona Republican was having an operation to remove a blood clot from his eye. Glioblastoma is a highly malignant and fast-growing type of tumor, according to the American Brain Tumor Association. President Donald Trump said McCain "has always been a fighter" as other lawmakers expressed their support. A parole board in Nevada will announce Thursday whether O.J. Simpson will soon be able to walk out of prison a free man. The 70-year-old former football star is approaching the nine-year minimum mark of his 33-year prison sentence over an armed robbery. Here's what to know about his parole hearing , as he could be released. The world is becoming full of plastic waste More than 26 million pounds of plastic waste will clutter the world by 2050, according to projections from new research published in the journal Science Advances . "At the current rate, we are really heading toward a plastic planet," said the study’s lead author, Roland Geyer. GOP senators are making a last-ditch effort to rescue their health care bill . A Florida school district is eliminating homework in favor of reading. Pizza Hut is hiring 14,000 new drivers and developing a new delivery algorithm . The Morning Brief is published Mondays through Fridays. Email Morning Brief writer Melissa Chan at melissa.chan@time.com . ||||| Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., arrives on Capitol Hill on July 11, 2017 in Washington. McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumor after a blood clot was removed. File Jacquelyn Martin / AP file ||||| Late Wednesday evening it was announced Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer after he underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot last week. ||||| Longtime Republican Sen. John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office confirmed Wednesday. The Arizona senator and former Republican presidential nominee is currently recovering from a July 14 operation to remove a blood clot from above his left eye, which his doctors confirmed had been caused by a “primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma,” his office said in a statement. McCain, who is being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, is reviewing further treatment options including chemotherapy and radiation. “The Senator’s doctors say he is recovering from his surgery ‘amazingly well’ and his underlying health is excellent,” the statement said. McCain has repeatedly been treated for skin cancer, having had four melanomas removed: one on his shoulder in 1993; one on his left arm and one on his left temple in 2000; and one on his nose in 2002. The surgeries became a point of contention for detractors questioning his fitness as a candidate in the 2008 presidential election, though several prominent physicians pointed out at the time that the greatest risk of melanoma recurrence is in the “first few years after detection.” Doctors surveyed by the New York Times this week said his history of melanoma could have prompted the brain scan that led to his most recent diagnosis. McCain’s daughter, the former political commentator Meghan McCain, also issued a statement saying she and her family are living “with the anxiety about what comes next.” ||||| Yesterday news broke that Senator John McCain has brain cancer. Reports have said the tumor was surgically removed successfully. Many celebrities and figures have reacted on social media. We are wishing the best to the Senator and all his loved ones. ||||| WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSPA) – Members of CNN have reported that Senator John McCain of Arizona has been diagnosed with brain cancer as of Wednesday. Sen. McCain recently had surgery to address a tumor in his brain, according to the CNN report. The Mayo Clinic reported to news outlets that Sen. McCain’s cancer has been specifically diagnosed as glioblastoma. We will update when more information becomes available. ||||| Former US presidential candidate Senator John McCain has been diagnosed with a brain tumour after having a blood clot removed. Doctors said the Arizona senator has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer. The 80-year-old senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The senator has been recovering at his Arizona home after doctors at the Mayo Clinic removed a blood clot above his left eye. The doctors said Mr McCain is recovering from his surgery amazingly well and his underlying health is excellent. Mr McCain was the Republican Party’s presidential nominee in 2008. READ MORE: Barack Obama in Edinburgh to attend charity dinner He was a navy pilot, and was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner for more than five years. His office said: “On Friday, July 14, Sen. John McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix. “Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumour known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot.” Mr McCain’s absence from Washington had forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to delay action on health care legislation. READ MORE: First new Royal Navy frigate to be called HMS Glasgow Mr McConnell said: “John McCain is a hero to our conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterised his life. The entire Senate family’s prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well.” Mr McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin lost to Barack Obama in 2008. Mr Obama tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John.” ||||| Arizona Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee with a well-known maverick streak that often vexes his GOP colleagues, has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, his office said in a statement Wednesday. The 80-year-old lawmaker has glioblastoma, an aggressive cancer, according to doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, where McCain had a blood clot removed from above his left eye last Friday. The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment, including a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. "Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot," his office said in a statement. About 20,000 people in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive type of brain tumor. The American Cancer Society puts the five-year survival rate for patients over 55 at about 4 percent. The tumor digs tentacle-like roots into normal brain tissue. Patients fare best when surgeons can cut out all the visible tumor, which happened with McCain's tumor, according to his office. That isn't a cure; cancerous cells that aren't visible still tend to lurk, the reason McCain's doctors are considering further treatment, including chemotherapy and radiation. It's the same type of tumor that struck McCain's close Democratic colleague in legislative battles, the late Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. The senator and chairman of the Armed Services Committee had been recovering at his Arizona home. His absence had forced Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to delay action on health care legislation. McCain had been slated to oversee debate of the sweeping defense policy bill in the coming weeks. As word spread of his diagnosis, President Donald Trump, former rival Barack Obama and McCain's Senate colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, offered their prayers and support. "Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon," Trump said. Obama, who dashed McCain's dreams of the presidency, said in a tweet: "John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John." A Navy pilot, McCain was shot down over Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for 5½ years. McConnell called McCain a "hero to our conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life." Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said McCain "is a fighter, and I am hopeful he will once again beat the odds." Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey described McCain as "undoubtedly the toughest man in the United States Senate." Politics aside, McCain and Bill Clinton developed a strong friendship, and the former president said: "As he's shown his entire life, don't bet against John McCain. Best wishes to him for a swift recovery." McCain's office disclosed the removal of the blood clot late Saturday and said the senator was awaiting pathology reports. In the past, McCain had been treated for melanoma, but a primary tumor is unrelated. Doctors said McCain is recovering from his surgery amazingly well and his underlying health is excellent. In a statement on Twitter, his daughter, Meghan McCain, spoke of the shock of the news and the anxiety over what happens next. "My love for my father is boundless and like any daughter I cannot and do not wish to be in a world without him. I have faith that those days remain far away," she said. With his irascible grin and fighter-pilot moxie, McCain was elected to the Senate from Arizona six times, but twice thwarted in seeking the presidency. An upstart presidential bid in 2000 didn't last long. Eight years later, he fought back from the brink of defeat to win the GOP nomination, only to be overpowered by Obama. McCain chose a little-known Alaska governor as his running mate in that race, and helped turn Sarah Palin into a national political figure. After losing to Obama in an electoral landslide, McCain returned to the Senate, determined not to be defined by a failed presidential campaign. And when Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015, McCain embraced his new job as chairman of the powerful Armed Services Committee, eager to play a big role "in defeating the forces of radical Islam that want to destroy America." Throughout his long tenure in Congress, McCain has played his role with trademark verve, at one hearing dismissing a protester by calling out, "Get out of here, you low-life scum." He tangled with McConnell over campaign finance, joined forces with Democrats on immigration and most recently had a very public spat with Sen. Rand Paul. McCain said the Kentucky Republican was working for Russian President Vladimir Putin after he blocked a vote on allowing Montenegro into NATO. Paul said McCain had gotten "unhinged." In 2016, McCain stuck by Trump at times seemingly through gritted teeth — until the release a month before the election of a lewd audio in which Trump said he could kiss and grab women. Declaring that the breaking point, McCain withdrew his support and said he would write in "some good conservative Republican who's qualified to be president." He had largely held his tongue earlier in the campaign when Trump questioned his status as a war hero by saying: "He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured." ___ AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard and writer Nancy Benac contributed to this report. ||||| John McCain, the Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate, has been diagnosed with brain cancer. A brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was removed from McCain along with a blood clot in a surgery at the Mayo Clinic on Friday, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. McCain's office had only previously announced that the blood clot had been removed from above the 80-year-old's left eye. The Mayo Clinic said in a statement released by McCain's office: “The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The senator's doctors say he is recovering from his surgery 'amazingly well' and his underlying health is excellent.” The surgery had forced McCain to stay in Arizona this week and miss votes in the Senate. It had led to a delay in the vote on the Senate Republican bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was originally scheduled for Monday. Since the delay was announced, a sufficient number of Republican senators came forward to express their opposition to the bill and forced the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, to shelve it and instead try to push a vote on a clean repeal of the ACA. In a statement, the Arizona senator's spokesperson said that “in the aftermath of his diagnosis, further consultations with [the] Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate”. An extended absence would likely make it even more difficult for Republicans to repeal or replace the ACA, popularly known as Obamacare. Senate Republicans have a narrow 52-48 majority and, with the tie-breaking vote of Mike Pence, can only afford to lose two votes if McCain is present. His absence means that two Republican “no” votes would now sink any legislation if all 48 Democrats are unified in opposition. McCain, who was re-elected to his sixth term in the Senate in 2016, was the Republican party's presidential nominee in 2008 and finished second to George W Bush in the 2000 GOP presidential primary. Prior to his career in politics, McCain served as an aviator in the US navy, and was held as prisoner of war for five and a half years during the Vietnam war. While being held captive by the north Vietnamese, McCain was repeatedly subjected to torture. He retired as a captain after earning a number of decorations including the Silver Star, the Bronze Star and the Distinguished Flying Cross. The Arizona senator's illness sparked an outpouring of support from both sides of the aisle. In a statement, Donald Trump said: “Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family. Get well soon.” Trump, who famously set off a political firestorm in 2015 by saying McCain was “not a war hero”, said earlier in the week of the Arizona senator: “We hope John McCain gets better very soon because we miss him. He's a crusty voice in Washington. Plus we need his vote. And he'll be back.” Barack Obama, against whom McCain ran in the 2008 presidential election, tweeted: “John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Cancer doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.” Barack Obama (@BarackObama) John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I’ve ever known. Cancer doesn’t know what it’s up against. Give it hell, John. July 20, 2017 A number of McCain's colleagues in the Senate also expressed their well wishes. In a statement, Mitch McConnell said: “John McCain is a hero to our Conference and a hero to our country. He has never shied from a fight and I know that he will face this challenge with the same extraordinary courage that has characterized his life. The entire Senate family's prayers are with John, Cindy and his family, his staff, and the people of Arizona he represents so well. We all look forward to seeing this American hero again soon.” Outside a meeting of Senate Republicans to discuss healthcare reform on Wednesday night, senator John Hoeven of North Dakota said they had learned of the diagnosis during the meeting. “It was very emotional – almost kind of stunned disbelief,” Hoeven told reporters. Senator James Lankford, of Oklahoma, then led them in prayer. Hoeven said the senators had received a message from McCain via South Carolina senator Lindsay Graham, a close friend. The senator told them he was eager to “get back and get to work”, Hoeven added. Graham was visibly emotional as he recalled his conversation with McCain when he learned of the diagnosis. “He says, 'I've been through worse',” Graham told reporters. Five minutes into the call, however, McCain wanted to talk the legislative priories, Graham said. “God knows how this ends,” he said. “But I do know this: This disease has never had a more worthy opponent.” In a statement, McCain's daughter Meghan said: “He is a warrior at dusk, one of the greatest Americans of our age, and the worthy heir to his father's and grandfather's name. But to me, he is something more. He is my strength, my example, my refuge, my confidante, my teacher, my rock, my hero – my Dad.” ||||| Republican Senator John McCain, who is the chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee, has been diagnosed with brain cancer, Mayo Clinic hospital has said. The tumour was diagnosed after McCain, who was the Republican presidential candidate in 2008 elections, underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from his left eye. According to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix, McCain underwent a procedure to remove a blood clot from above his left eye at the hospital on July 14. Subsequent tissue pathology revealed that a primary brain tumour known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot, the hospital said in a statement yesterday. Scanning done since the procedure (a minimally invasive craniotomy with an eyebrow incision) shows that the tissue of concern was completely resected by imaging criteria, it said. "The Senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options with his Mayo Clinic care team. Treatment options may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The Senator's doctors say he is recovering from his surgery 'amazingly well' and his underlying health is excellent.", the hospital said in a statement. In a statement issued by his office, McCain appreciated the outpouring of support he has received over the last few days. "He is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona. He is grateful to the doctors and staff at Mayo Clinic for their outstanding care, and is confident that any future treatment will be effective. Further consultations with Senator McCain's Mayo Clinic care team will indicate when he will return to the United States Senate," the office said. McCain, who was re-elected to his sixth term in the Senate in 2016, served as an aviator in the US navy before entering politics. He was held as prisoner of war for five and a half years during the Vietnam war | U.S. Senator John McCain is diagnosed with a malignant brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme. This is his second battle with cancer, after having been successfully treated for malignant melanoma. |
Image copyright AFP/EPA Image caption Ms Martínez says she was born in 1956 as a result of an affair between Dalí and her mother Forensic experts in Spain have exhumed the body of the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí to extract DNA to settle a paternity case. Samples were taken from the artist's teeth, bones and nails in a four-hour operation, officials said. The exhumation followed a court order on behalf of a woman who says her mother had an affair with the painter. If she is proved right, she could assume part of the Dalí's estate, currently owned by the Spanish state. It may take weeks before the results of the tests are known. The surrealist painter, who died in 1989 at the age of 85, was buried in a crypt in a museum dedicated to his life and work in Figueres, in north-eastern Spain. A crowd gathered outside the museum to watch as police escorted the experts into the building on Thursday evening. The exhumation went ahead despite the objections of the local authorities and the foundation carrying Dalí's name, both of which claimed that not enough notice had been given ahead of the exhumation. Image copyright Reuters Image caption A crowd gathered in front of Dalí's museum María Pilar Abel Martínez, a tarot card reader who was born in 1956, says her mother had an affair with Dalí during the year before her birth. Her mother, Antonia, had worked for a family that spent time in Cadaqués, near the painter's home. Last month a Madrid judge ordered the exhumation to settle the claim. It is contested by the Dalí foundation, which manages the estate of the artist, who was not believed to have had any children. Her action is against the Spanish state, to which Dalí left his estate. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Will Gompertz explained how Dali's body would be removed Ms Martínez says her mother and paternal grandmother both told her at an early age that Dalí was her real father. But the claim has surprised many, including Ian Gibson, an Irish-born biographer of Dalí, who said that the notion of the artist having an affair that produced a child was "absolutely impossible". "Dalí always boasted: 'I'm impotent, you've got to be impotent to be a great painter'," the biographer said. Salvador Dalí: Life of a surrealist Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dalí's wife, Gala, died in 1982 - after which he is said to have lost much of his zest for life Born on 11 May 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain Produced more than 1,500 paintings throughout his career Married Elena Ivanovna Diakonova - or Gala - in 1934; they had no children The couple had an open marriage and regularly held orgies at their house - though Dalí is said to have watched rather than participated Died on 23 January 1989 in Figueres Photo gallery of Dalí's work ||||| Forensic experts in Spain have exhumed the body of surrealist painter Salvador Dalí to extract DNA to settle a paternity case. Samples were taken from the artist's teeth, bones and nails in a four-hour operation. The exhumation from a crypt in a museum in the city of Figueres followed a court order on behalf of a woman who says her mother had an affair with the painter. ||||| Forensic experts in Spain have exhumed the body of the surrealist painter Salvador Dalí to extract DNA to settle a paternity case. Samples were taken from the artist's teeth, bones and nails in a four-hour operation, officials said. The exhumation followed a court order on behalf of a woman who says her mother had an affair with the painter. If she is proved right, she could assume part of the Dalí's estate, currently owned by the Spanish state. It may take weeks before the results of the tests are known. The surrealist painter, who died in 1989 at the age of 85, was buried in a crypt in a museum dedicated to his life and work in Figueres, in north-eastern Spain. A crowd gathered outside the museum to watch as police escorted the experts into the building on Thursday evening. The exhumation went ahead despite the objections of the local authorities and the foundation carrying Dalí's name, both of which claimed that not enough notice had been given ahead of the exhumation. María Pilar Abel Martínez, a tarot card reader who was born in 1956, says her mother had an affair with Dalí during the year before her birth. Her mother, Antonia, had worked for a family that spent time in Cadaqués, near the painter's home. Last month a Madrid judge ordered the exhumation to settle the claim. It is contested by the Dalí foundation, which manages the estate of the artist, who was not believed to have had any children. Her action is against the Spanish state, to which Dalí left his estate.
• How the world went crazy for Surrealism Ms Martínez says her mother and paternal grandmother both told her at an early age that Dalí was her real father. But the claim has surprised many, including Ian Gibson, an Irish-born biographer of Dalí, who said that the notion of the artist having an affair that produced a child was "absolutely impossible". "Dalí always boasted: 'I'm impotent, you've got to be impotent to be a great painter'," the biographer said.
• Born on 11 May 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
• Produced more than 1,500 paintings throughout his career
• Married Elena Ivanovna Diakonova - or Gala - in 1934; they had no children
• The couple had an open marriage and regularly held orgies at their house - though Dalí is said to have watched rather than participated ||||| So surreal. Salvador Dalí’s body was exhumed in Spain on Thursday, July 20, and forensics experts discovered that his signature mustache was still completely intact. Lluís Peñuelas, the secretary general of the public foundation that oversees Dalí’s estate, announced Thursday that his famous facial hair was well-preserved. “The mustache kept its classic 10-past-10 position,” he said, according to The New York Times. “Finding this out was a very emotional moment.” Dalí, who died in 1989 at age 84, was buried in the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain. Forensics experts collected DNA samples from the surrealist painter's remains for a paternity case. According to The New York Times, some of his hair and nails and two long bones were removed. The exhumation was performed following claims from 61-year-old Pilar Abel that she is the legendary painter's daughter. If the late maestro is in fact her father, she could claim one fourth of the estate worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The paternity test results are expected in the next few weeks. Abel, a tarot card reader, claims that her mother had an affair with the artist in Figueres. Dalí and his Russian wife, Gala, had no children, although Gala had a daughter from a previous marriage to French poet Paul Éluard. According to The New York Times, the foundation said in a statement on Friday that is considers the process “entirely inappropriate” because “there is no evidence that claimant Pilar Abel Martinez’s claim has any legal basis.” If the paternity test is not a match, the Salvador Dalí Foundation will go after Abel for the costs of the exhumation. Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox! For the latest celebrity entertainment, news and lifestyle videos, subscribe to Us Weekly's YouTube Page! ||||| The body of the artist Salvador Dalí is due to be exhumed late on Thursday in order to settle a paternity suit brought by a woman who claims to be his daughter. The surrealist painter, who died in 1989 at the age of 85, was buried in a crypt in a museum dedicated to his life and work in Figueres, in north-eastern Spain. Samples will be taken from his remains to see if they match the DNA of the claimant. The process is going ahead despite the objections of the local authorities and the foundation carrying Dalí's name, both of which claimed that not enough notice had been given ahead of the exhumation. It will require the removal of a 1.5-tonne slab covering his tomb in order to reach his body. María Pilar Abel Martínez, a tarot card reader who was born in 1956, says her mother had an affair with Dalí during the year before her birth. Her mother, Antonia, had worked for a family that spent time in Cadaqués, near the painter's home. Last month a Madrid judge ordered the exhumation to settle the claim. It is contested by the Dalí foundation, which manages the estate of the artist, who was not believed to have had any children.
• How the world went crazy for Surrealism Ms Martínez says her mother and paternal grandmother both told her at an early age that Dalí was her real father. She told El Mundo newspaper that her grandmother said to her: "I love you a lot but I know that you're not the daughter of my son. What's more, I know who your father is - he is Salvador Dalí." One day, Ms Martínez says, she asked her mother: "Am I really Salvador Dali's daughter? Because look at how ugly he was." She says her mother replied: "Yes, but he had his charms. And yes, he is your father." Ms Martínez's action is against the Spanish state, to which Dalí left his estate. If she is confirmed to be his daughter, she could assume his surname and be entitled to part of that estate. But the story of the supposed affair has surprised many - not so much because Dalí was married in 1955, but because of his complex sexual tastes. And for some, this is why the thought of Dalí making a woman pregnant seems unlikely. Ian Gibson, an Irish-born biographer of Dalí, says the idea of the Catalan artist ever having had an orthodox physical relationship with a woman is "absolutely impossible", despite five decades of marriage to Elena Ivanova Diakonova, his Russian wife more commonly known as Gala. "Dalí always boasted: 'I'm impotent, you've got to be impotent to be a great painter'," the biographer said.
• Born on 11 May 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia, Spain
• Produced more than 1,500 paintings throughout his career
• Married Elena Ivanovna Diakonova - or Gala - in 1934; they had no children
• The couple had an open marriage and regularly held orgies at their house - though Dalí is said to have watched rather than participated His close friendship with the gay poet Federico García Lorca has fuelled speculation that Dalí was homosexual, although Ian Gibson believes they never consummated their relationship. Carlos Lozano, who was for a time part of the painter's inner circle, told the biographer that "Dalí was totally unable to have any sexual relations with anybody, not even, probably, with Gala... He hated being touched and when he touched you it was like being clawed by an eagle." Dalí's sexual eccentricities appeared to feed into his work and in 1956, the year of Ms Martínez's birth, he wrote in his diary: "I feel in a state of permanent intellectual erection." Paintings such as The Great Masturbator (1929), in which a woman's face emerges out of the side of a giant human profile, beneath which a large winged insect is resting, and nuzzles against a man's bulging groin, contributed to his reputation for bizarre erotic tastes. Lluís Llongueras, an artist and writer who knew Dalí from the early 1960s until his death, traces much of his friend's attitude to sex back to his childhood. He says that when Dalí was a teenager his father traumatised him by constantly showing him pictures of penises mutilated by syphilis. However, Llongueras says Dalí's preference for watching others engaging in physical contact rather than doing so himself made perfect sense for someone with his gifts. "He was an artist and so he was a great voyeur - all of us artists have to be voyeurs, otherwise how could we work with the human body?" he said. But Dalí's interests went beyond eroticism and the human form, straying into memory, religion and even the world of science. His 1963 painting Galacidalacidesoxiribunucleicacid is a tribute to Francis Crick and James D. Watson, the scientists who identified the structure of DNA. "I think that Dalí would greatly enjoy being exhumed, it's a totally surrealist event," said Gibson. "He'd be thrilled, I'm quite sure, by the whole business." ||||| In Madrid, a court has ordered that the remains of surrealist artist Salvador Dali be exhumed. Wochit-All ||||| We recently heard that the remains of Salvador Dalí were to be exhumed, as a woman who believes she is the prolific artist’s daughter sought a paternity test. Well, it’s happened. His body was taken from the place of burial, the Dalí Museum Theatre in Figueres, Spain, and samples of hair, nail, teeth and bones were taken to extract DNA. While we wait for the paternity test results, the forensics team also found Dalí’s iconic mustache, totally intact. Lluís Peñuelas, secretary-general of the Dalí Foundation, told the Spanish publication El Pais: “The mustache preserved its classic 10-past-10-position. Checking it was very exciting moment.” You can just imagine that clock-face-like, waxy facial hair still going strong three decades later. Narcís Bardalet, who embalmed the artist in 1989 and was also present at the exhumation and tests, described it as “a miracle”, according to the New York Times. “Salvador Dalí is forever.” Awnings and tents were set up inside the museum’s glass-roofed atrium to prevent the use of drones used to capture any photographs or footage, according to Hyperallergic. It was last month that a judge ordered the procedure, despite pleas from the painter’s estate foundation and the mayor of Figueres. Now the exhumation and tests have been completed, news as to whether Pilar Abel, a 61-year-old tarot reader, is actually Dalí’s daughter will come back in a few weeks. The pair were meant to have had their affair in 1955 in Port Lligat, the small fishing village where Dalí and his wife Gala, built a house. As various tales have gone round over the years, it’s known that Dalí and Gala, his business manager and model muse, had an unconventional relationship. As NPR details, he only visited Gala in their castle home with written permission. Gala was encouraged to keep lovers, while Dalí claimed to be both impotent and a virgin, while still surrounding himself with younger, beautiful muses. He often claimed he wanted nothing from women but their beauty, preferring to be a voyeur. Their relationship produced no children, and thus no heir to his huge estate. Spanish law would give Abel, if proven to be his child, a quarter of the estate. Abel first brought her claims to light in 2007, and the court case began in 2015. She filed in place of her mother who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Abel has asserted that she wants recognition as the painter’s daughter, “after that, whatever corresponds to me.” Though the Gala-Salvador Dalí foundation complied with the exhumation a statement detailed that they “consider the exhumation performed on Salvador Dalí’s remains entirely inappropriate.” “There is no evidence that claimant Pilar Abel Martínez’s claim has any legal basis, as the only grounds provided constitute a notarial statement from a woman who claims to be a friend of the mother, stating that the latter told her that her daughter’s father was Salvador Dalí.” While this case continues, resuming in September, there’s still very much an appetite for the surrealist artist’s work. The Royal Academy London will host the first-ever exclusive dialogue between Dalí and Marcel Duchamp: the exhibition will include 80 paintings, sculptures, Readymades, photographs, drawings, films and archival items, and will use the pair’s unlikely friendship as a point to explore aesthetics, philosophical and personal connections. ||||| In a case as eccentric as the man at the heart of it, the remains of the famed surrealist Spanish artist Salvador Dalí were exhumed on Thursday night following a paternity claim by a tarot card reader. Dalí, who died in 1989 at the age of 84, is buried under the crystal dome of the Dalí Theatre Museum in Figueres in the north of Spain, around 90 miles outside of Barcelona. His tomb lies where the theater's stage used stand. Experts successfully removed biological samples from the surrealist artist's body, a court spokeswoman told The Associated Press. “We oppose this decision,” said Imma Parada, spokeswoman for the Dalí Museums and Foundation. “We appealed but haven’t received an answer yet. In parallel, we presented an alternative schedule because the decision said that the exhumation had to take place today in the morning. We suggested it take place during closing time and this was accepted.” The woman who says Dalí was her father, Maria Pilar Abel, was born in 1956, and claims her mother had an affair with the painter in the 1950s while she was working for his family. She has been fighting to have Dalí recognized as her father since 2007, according to Spain El Pais newspaper. “I know about this because my grandmother told me,” she said in late June after the court decided in her favor. “The only thing that can dictate if I am the daughter of Salvador Dalí is DNA.” The court ruled that the DNA tests were necessary to make a genetic comparison with Dalí due to a lack of other biological or personal remains. Dalí has no other children and bequeathed his estate to Spain after his death. The foundation didn't know how long it would take to know the results of the DNA test, but said that it would be in time for the next trial in the paternity case scheduled for September. Dalí, whose appearance was marked by a long waxy mustache, is perhaps best-known for his 1931 painting. "The Persistence of Memory," featuring melting clocks. He is also known for his films, performance art, sculpture and writing. ||||| And the artist’s biographer Ian Gibson said: “I think that Dali would greatly enjoy being exhumed, it's a totally surrealist event. "He'd be thrilled, I'm quite sure, by the whole business." Dali’s remains will be accessed and samples of DNA taken as part of a legal action brought by a woman who claims to be his daughter – 61-year-old tarot card reader María Pilar Abel Martínez. The surrealist painter died in 1989 at the age of 85 and the process is going ahead despite the objections of the local authorities and the Dali foundation. Ms Martínez claims her mother Antonia, who lived near the painter's home in Cadaqués, had an affair with Dali during the year before her birth. Last month a Madrid judge ordered the exhumation to settle the claim and today a 1.5-tonne slab covering Dali’s tomb will be raised in order to reach his body. The Dali foundation, which manages the estate of the artist, is contesting the claim and is adamant Dali had no children. Ms Martínez told Spanish newspaper El Mundo her mother and grandmother both told her Dali was her real father and added that her grandmother said: "I love you a lot but I know that you're not the daughter of my son. What's more, I know who your father is - he is Salvador Dalí." She added that she eventually asked her mum "am I really Salvador Dali's daughter? Because look at how ugly he was." Her mother allegedly replied: "Yes, but he had his charms. And yes, he is your father." Dali left his estate to the Spanish state. If Ms Martínez is confirmed to be his daughter, she could assume his surname and be entitled to part of that estate. The exact value of the estate is unknown but Dali acquired a reputation among the Surrealist group for his desire to accrue wealth. And his works are now valued in the tens of millions of dollars. In 2011 a 1929 Portrait de Paul Eluard changed hands at Sotheby’s for $22.4m and a year later Dali’s Printemps Necrophilique was sold at thesame auction house for $16.3m. ||||| Figueres (Spain): Forensic experts in Spain have removed hair, nails and two long bones from Salvador Dali’s embalmed remains to find genetic samples for a paternity test—a move that opens the possibility for a woman who says she is the surrealist artist’s daughter to claim part of the Dali estate. Officials said Friday that the artist’s mummified remains were so well conserved that even his famous moustache had survived the passing of time and remained in “its classic shape of ten past ten,” referring to the positions of the hands on a clock. Dali was buried in the Dali Museum Theatre in the northeastern Spanish town of Figueres, his birthplace, when he died at 84 years old in 1989. The exhumation followed longstanding claims by Pilar Abel, a 61-year-old tarot card reader, who says her mother had an affair with Dali in the town. In June, a Madrid judge finally ruled that a DNA test should be performed to find out whether her allegations were true. Forensic experts opened the artist’s coffin on Thursday night in a sensitive operation that involved using pulleys to lift a 1.5-tonne stone slab. Lluis Penuelas Reixach, the secretary general of the Gala Dali Foundation, said Dali’s remains—including his moustache—are well conserved, mummified after the embalming process applied 27 years ago. He was speaking to reporters on Friday during a press conference in Figueres. According to judicial authorities, only five people—a judge, three coroners and an assistant—were allowed to oversee the removal of the samples out of respect for the remains and in order to avoid any contamination. Representatives of the foundation managing Dali’s estate said on Friday the evidence backing Abel’s claims weren’t enough to justify the intrusive exhumation, and that it will continue a legal battle to nullify the paternity test. Dali and his Russian wife Gala—whose birth name was Elena Ivanovna Diakonova—had no children of their own, although Gala had a daughter from an earlier marriage to French poet Paul Eluard. Abel, who for a while made her living by reading tarot cards on local television, was born in Girona, a city close to Figueres. She has fought for the exhumation because she wants legal proof that the artist was her biological father after an alleged affair between her mother and Dali. If proved right, she could claim one fourth of the painter’s estate which is now in the hands of a public foundation, according to her lawyer Enrique Blanquez. There are no current estimates of the value of that fortune. If she is proved wrong, the Dali foundation will seek financial compensation for the costs of the exhumation. Either way, minimizing the disruption to the museum’s operations and to the rest of Dali’s remains is the priority for the foundation managing Dali’s estate, according to its secretary. “It’s important for Salvador Dali to be returned to rest in the interior of his museum’s dome,” Penuelas said. During a press conference this week, Abel explained how her mother and grandmother told the family secret when Abel was still young. Years later, she said she asked her mother again, who confirmed to her the story was true. The foundation and the museum in Figueres took steps to make sure no images of the exhumation may emerge in public. Before work in the crypt began on Thursday, mobile phones were put in a deposit and a marquee was installed under the museum’s glass dome to prevent any photography or video from drones. The biological samples will travel to a forensic laboratory in Madrid for analysis, a process that could take weeks. | The remains of surrealist painter Salvador Dalí are exhumed following a Madrid court order on settling the paternity claim of a woman who is allegedly the painter's natural daughter. Various experts contest the claim, noting Dalí's sexual eccentrism (including a public boast about his "impotency") and that the action being against the state (Dalí bequeathed his estate to Spain). If proven, this woman could assume part of Dalí's estate. |
related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest. WARSAW: Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest. Senators of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party passed a bill that would remove all Supreme Court judges except those hand-picked by the justice minister. Critics say the laws will undermine judicial independence. Now President Andrzej Duda is to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it - as the opposition and protesters demand - or send it to the Constitutional Tribunal, which PiS overhauled last year, drawing domestic opposition and criticism from the European Union. "I see no threat to the division of powers in Poland," Przylebska, who was appointed by Duda last year, told state TV last night, according to state news agency PAP. Przylebska said three bills overhauling the judiciary system recently approved by parliament will improve Polish courts. Duda is to deliver a statement at 0800 GMT. Then he will meet the president of the top court, as well the head of the National Council of the Judiciary. The overhaul of the judiciary, coupled with a drive by PiS to expand its powers in other areas, has provoked a crisis in relations with the European Union and sparked one of the biggest street protests since Poland overthrew communism in 1989. ||||| Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary. Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power. People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control. People chanted slogans, including "Constitution!" and "Freedom, Equality, Democracy!" Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe. The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect. One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court's judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general. The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country. But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations. Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland." "Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said. He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU." However, it's not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary's illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU's "inquisition." ||||| Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary. Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country’s democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power. People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party’s control. People chanted slogans, including “Constitution!” and “Freedom, Equality, Democracy!” Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe. The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda’s signature to take effect. One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court’s judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general. The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 per cent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country. But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU’s executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations. Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that “the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland.” “Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically,” Maas said. He added that “the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU.” However, it’s not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU’s “inquisition.” ||||| Early this morning, Poland's Senate passed legislation that if signed into law would force all of that country's Supreme Court judges to step down except for those kept on by Poland's president. Critics fear the move would undermine the independence of the judiciary by giving control to the country's ruling party, known as the Law and Justice Party. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has been in Warsaw this week. She's back in Berlin now. Soraya, thanks so much for speaking with us. MARTIN: So you were in Warsaw earlier this week. What did you see when you were there, and how are people reacting to this legislation? NELSON: Well, there were definitely some of the largest protests against this government since it took office a couple of years ago. People were in front of the Parliament. They were in front of the president's office and calling for free courts. Today, actually, Lech Walesa, who has been sick recently with some heart issues, was out with protesters urging them to defend Polish democracy. MARTIN: And remind people of who Lech Walesa is. I mean, he has tremendous moral authority, not just in Poland but around the world because... NELSON: Lech Walesa is a Nobel laureate who was former president of Poland and also the co-founder of the Solidarity movement, the labor movement which helped bring down Communism across Eastern Europe. MARTIN: So why would the Parliament move to pass a bill that has caused such an outpouring of protest? NELSON: Well, Law and Justice, which is a pretty far-right populist party, they dominate the Parliament and the government. And they say that they're fulfilling campaign promises and also addressing concerns about a judiciary that many people feel is inefficient or doesn't represent the general Polish public. That is their take on it. They're completely not accepting of what the opposition in Parliament or what people on the streets are saying. They say these are the elites, and they represent average Polish people. It's also something - it's very interesting to note that the party leader for this group, for the Law and Justice Party, claims the purge is needed to get rid of the vestiges of Communism as well. He's been the only one who has brought that up, you know, for the judiciary, but it is something that this government has been pursuing in other departments and other parts of the government in Poland. MARTIN: I mean, what about international reaction to all of this. Has there been any? NELSON: It's been interesting because the U.S. actually has come out - the State Department issued a statement warning Warsaw not to violate the Polish Constitution or threaten judicial independence. And the EU has been particularly upset. I mean, Poland is a member of this 28-member bloc. And they're threatening to sanction Poland under what's known as Article 7, would be the first time they'd actually impose this if they did. And it would strip Poland or could strip Poland of its right to vote. But it's important to note Brussels has been threatening to do this sort of sanctioning against Poland for the past year because Poland has been taking other steps to try and solidify their power. At least, that's what critics are saying. They think that having, for example, the judges appointed by the populous party or its proponents is going to result in election - future elections being problematic, where you're going to end up with the party being able to control who actually wins. MARTIN: So now the bill goes to the Polish president's desk for a signature. Is he likely to sign it? NELSON: Well, let me just say President Andrzej Duda's nickname is Pen because he is somebody who's pretty much rubber-stamped everything that has come his way from the populist-dominated Parliament. He's a former member of the Law and Justice Party himself, although as president, he has to be independent. He did resign from the party. But it's interesting to note that his spokesman this morning said there were a couple of issues that the president has with this new bill that's coming to his desk, but he didn't elaborate on what or what he was going to do about it. MARTIN: That's NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson. We reached her in Berlin, but she's been spending the week in Warsaw, Poland. Soraya, thank you so much for speaking with us. ||||| Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary. Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power. People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control. People chanted slogans, including "Constitution!" and "Freedom, Equality, Democracy!" Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe. The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect. One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court's judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general. The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country. But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations. Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland." "Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said. He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU." However, it's not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary's illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU's "inquisition." ||||| WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland's upper house of parliament on Saturday approved a Supreme Court overhaul, defying the European Union and critics at home who say the legislation would undermine democratic checks and balances. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Warsaw and cities across Poland for candle-lit vigils to protest against the draft bill, as the Senate debated it late into the night. To become law, the proposal still has to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. The eurosceptic PiS argues new rules are needed to make the judiciary accountable and efficient. But the opposition and judges groups in Poland as well as critics in Brussels say the legislation is a new step by the Polish government towards authoritarianism. The United States, Poland's most important ally in NATO, issued a statement urging Poland to ensure any changes respect the constitution. "We urge all sides to ensure that any judicial reform does not violate Poland's constitution or international legal obligations and respects the principles of judicial independence and separation of powers," it said in a statement. An opinion poll for private television TVN showed on Friday that 55 percent of respondents said Duda should veto the overhaul of the judiciary, while 29 percent wanted him to sign it. Since coming into power in 2015, the PiS has sought to tighten government influence over courts, and brought prosecutors and state media under direct government control. It has also introduced restrictions on public gatherings and made it harder for some non-governmental organisations to function. "We believe that Poland is slowly but systematically turning into a penal institution," opposition senator Jan Rulewski, a veteran activist of the anti-communism movement, said during the debate, dressed in a prison uniform. The PiS remains broadly popular among its electorate, despite an upswelling of protest in recent days as it rushed the judiciary overhaul through parliament. With the economy growing robustly and unemployment at record lows, the party's nationalist rhetoric infused with Catholic piety resonates strongly among Poland's conservative voters. The government of the EU's biggest eastern member state has so far dismissed criticism, saying the changes would ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the "elites". On Wednesday, the EU gave Poland a week to shelve the judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control. If the PiS government does not back down, Poland could face fines and even a suspension of its voting rights, although other eurosceptic EU governments, notably Hungary, are likely to veto strict punishments. Senior Czech judges denounced the judicial overhaul in Poland as an attack on the rule of law on Friday. The PiS has offered some concessions on demand from the president, but has presented criticism from abroad as unacceptable meddling in the domestic affairs of the country, which overthrew communism in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004. "We will not give into pressure. We will not be intimidated by Polish and foreign defenders of the interests of the elite," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in an address on state television. While Polish assets have been largely unfazed by the political turmoil earlier this week, the zloty fell over 1 percent against the euro on Friday, underperforming all of the region's other currencies. ||||| related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest. WARSAW: Poland's Constitutional Tribunal President Julia Przylebska said that she sees no threat to the division of powers in an overhaul of the judicial system that has brought tens of thousands of people into the streets in protest. Senators of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party passed a bill that would remove all Supreme Court judges except those hand-picked by the justice minister. Critics say the laws will undermine judicial independence. Now President Andrzej Duda is to decide whether to sign the bill, veto it - as the opposition and protesters demand - or send it to the Constitutional Tribunal, which PiS overhauled last year, drawing domestic opposition and criticism from the European Union. "I see no threat to the division of powers in Poland," Przylebska, who was appointed by Duda last year, told state TV last night, according to state news agency PAP. Przylebska said three bills overhauling the judiciary system recently approved by parliament will improve Polish courts. Duda is to deliver a statement at 0800 GMT. Then he will meet the president of the top court, as well the head of the National Council of the Judiciary. The overhaul of the judiciary, coupled with a drive by PiS to expand its powers in other areas, has provoked a crisis in relations with the European Union and sparked one of the biggest street protests since Poland overthrew communism in 1989. ||||| By Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press WARSAW, Poland ’ Poles protested in cities and towns across Poland for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary. Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country’s democratic system of checks and balances, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power. People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace and the Supreme Court in Warsaw. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto three contentious bills that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party’s control. People chanted slogans, including “Constitution!” and “Freedom, Equality, Democracy!” Protests also took place in Krakow, Wroclaw and other Polish cities, with smaller protests in Paris, Brussels, London and elsewhere in Europe. The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda’s signature to take effect. One element of the law on the Supreme Court would call for the immediate dismissal of all the Supreme Court’s judges, with their replacements to be chosen by the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general. The ruling party says its moves are meant to reform corrupt courts never properly purged of former communists after communism fell in 1989. The party, which won elections in 2015 with about 38 percent of the vote and has maintained that level of support in polls, says it has a mandate to clean up the country. But the moves to take control of the courts have alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU’s executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to taking steps to strip Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations. Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed possible EU sanctions, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that “the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland.” “Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically,” Maas said. He added that “the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU.” However, it’s not clear if sanctions could pass because Hungary’s illiberal Prime Minister Viktor Orban has pledged to defend Poland against the EU’s “inquisition.” ||||| * U.S. urges Poland to ensure constitution not violated * Polish premier says will not give into pressure (Releads with Senate voting) WARSAW, July 22 (Reuters) - Poland's upper house of parliament on Saturday approved a Supreme Court overhaul, defying the European Union and critics at home who say the legislation would undermine democratic checks and balances. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in Warsaw and cities across Poland for candle-lit vigils to protest against the draft bill, as the Senate debated it late into the night. To become law, the proposal still has to be signed by President Andrzej Duda, an ally of the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party. The eurosceptic PiS argues new rules are needed to make the judiciary accountable and efficient. But the opposition and judges groups in Poland as well as critics in Brussels say the legislation is a new step by the Polish government towards authoritarianism. The United States, Poland's most important ally in NATO, issued a statement urging Poland to ensure any changes respect the constitution. "We urge all sides to ensure that any judicial reform does not violate Poland's constitution or international legal obligations and respects the principles of judicial independence and separation of powers," it said in a statement. An opinion poll for private television TVN showed on Friday that 55 percent of respondents said Duda should veto the overhaul of the judiciary, while 29 percent wanted him to sign it. Since coming into power in 2015, the PiS has sought to tighten government influence over courts, and brought prosecutors and state media under direct government control. It has also introduced restrictions on public gatherings and made it harder for some non-governmental organisations to function. "We believe that Poland is slowly but systematically turning into a penal institution," opposition senator Jan Rulewski, a veteran activist of the anti-communism movement, said during the debate, dressed in a prison uniform. The PiS remains broadly popular among its electorate, despite an upswelling of protest in recent days as it rushed the judiciary overhaul through parliament. With the economy growing robustly and unemployment at record lows, the party's nationalist rhetoric infused with Catholic piety resonates strongly among Poland's conservative voters. The government of the EU's biggest eastern member state has so far dismissed criticism, saying the changes would ensure state institutions serve all Poles, not just the "elites". On Wednesday, the EU gave Poland a week to shelve the judicial reforms that Brussels says would put courts under direct government control. If the PiS government does not back down, Poland could face fines and even a suspension of its voting rights, although other eurosceptic EU governments, notably Hungary, are likely to veto strict punishments. Senior Czech judges denounced the judicial overhaul in Poland as an attack on the rule of law on Friday. The PiS has offered some concessions on demand from the president, but has presented criticism from abroad as unacceptable meddling in the domestic affairs of the country, which overthrew communism in 1989 and joined the EU in 2004. "We will not give into pressure. We will not be intimidated by Polish and foreign defenders of the interests of the elite," Prime Minister Beata Szydlo said in an address on state television. While Polish assets have been largely unfazed by the political turmoil earlier this week, the zloty fell over 1 percent against the euro on Friday, underperforming all of the region's other currencies. (Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko, Pawel Sobczak, Pawel Florkiewicz and Lidia Kelly; Writing by Justyna Pawlak; Editing by Catherine Evans, Toni Reinhold and Diane Craft) ||||| Thousands of Poles protested for the eighth day Sunday over new rules passed by the ruling party that would drastically limit the independence of the judiciary. Protesters see moves by the populist governing Law and Justice party as an assault on the country's democratic foundations, accusing party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski of behaving in an authoritarian way to cement his power. People waved flags of the European Union and Poland as they gathered in the evening in front of the presidential palace in the capital. They called on President Andrzej Duda to veto contentious legislation that would put the Supreme Court and other areas of the judiciary under the party's control. Polish media reported that other protests were taking place in other cities across Poland and Europe. The legislation quickly passed both houses of parliament in recent days and now awaits Duda's signature to take effect. The moves to take control of the courts have also alarmed the European Union, with Frans Timmermans, the vice-president of the EU's executive, warning last week that Brussels is very close to stripping Poland of its voting rights in the bloc over rule of law violations. Germany's Justice Minister Heiko Maas on Sunday welcomed the possible EU sanctions against Poland, telling the weekly German paper Bild am Sonntag that "the independence of the judiciary is in danger in Poland." "Somebody who gives so little respect to the rule of law has to accept that he isolates himself politically," Maas said. He added that "the EU cannot stand and watch inactively. Rule of law and democracy are the bedrock of the EU." | Poles march against a bill that critics say might decrease judicial independence in Poland. Hungary has supported the bill while the European Union has opposed it. The protesters hope that the President Andrzej Duda would intervene against the proposed law. |
UNITED NATIONS, July 23 (APP): The United Nations Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the recent escalation of violence at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, according to diplomats. Sweden, Egypt and France requested the meeting to “urgently discuss how calls for de-escalation in Jerusalem can be supported,” Sweden’s Deputy U.N. ambassador, Carl Skau, posted on Twitter. The request comes at the same time as news that a Palestinian man wounded in clashes with Israeli forces in the West Bank on Saturday has died of his injuries, the Palestinian health ministry said. It said 17-year-old Oday Nawajaa had been hit by live fire and critically wounded at Al-Azariya north of Jerusalem. The recent incidents occurred after at least four Palestinian people lost their lives during clashes in the occupied Palestinian lands on Friday. Tensions began to soar after the Israeli authorities imposed restrictive measures on the entry of worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem. The new restrictive measures include installation of metal detectors at entry points to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel until it removed the metal detectors. The Israeli government has tried to change the demographic makeup of Jerusalem over the past decades by constructing settlements, destroying historical sites and expelling the local Palestinian population. Palestinians say the Israeli measures are aimed at paving the way for the Judaization of the city. The al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a flashpoint Islamic site, which is also holy to Jews. The mosque is Islam’s third holiest site after Mkkah and Medina in Saudi Arabia. ||||| Jerusalem: Israel's security cabinet has reached no decision about the new security measures at a Jerusalem holy site that have set off a wave of violence. The top decision-making forum met overnight and into early Monday to discuss the latest developments, including an incident in which a security guard at the country's embassy in Jordan opened fire, killing two Jordanians, after being attacked. The incident is threatening to complicate the crisis over the holy site, which is administered by Muslim authorities under the auspices of Jordan. Israel set up the new measures after Arab gunmen opened fire from the shrine, killing two Israeli policemen. It says they are meant to prevent more attacks. Palestinians allege they are an Israeli attempt to control the site and have launched mass protests. ||||| Israeli and Palestinian leaders must find a solution to the building tensions over a holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, the United Nations envoy to the region said Monday. And Nickolay Mladenov gave the two sides an informal deadline. "It is extremely important that a solution to the current crisis be found by Friday this week," Mladenov said at a news conference convened after he briefed the U.N. Security Council on the situation. "I think the danger on the ground will escalate if we go through another cycle of Friday prayer without a resolution." That closed-door briefing had been requested by Egypt, Sweden and France, which are growing concerned with the mounting animosity centered on a compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as Temple Mount. Israeli authorities installed metal detectors last week at the entrances to the site, where just days earlier several Israeli Arabs opened fire, killing two Israeli police officers. The security measures have incensed many Muslim worshippers, who now have to pass through the metal detectors in order to pray there. Palestinians see it as a bid to wrest control of the holy site from Jordan, the Muslim authority that administers it. And deep unrest, even violence, has followed. Three Palestinians were killed in clashes between protesters and Israeli officers Friday, and hours later, Israeli officials say a Palestinian attacker stabbed three Israelis to death in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The vast bulk of Muslim worshippers have protested the move nonviolently — boycotting the site by refusing to enter through the metal detectors and instead pray beside them — but NPR's Daniel Estrin reports that anger continues to seethe on both sides. Daniel told All Things Considered that at protests Friday, he hear Palestinians chanting, "With spirit and blood, we will redeem the Al-Aqsa Mosque" — which has its compound on the disputed site. And at a funeral Sunday for the Israeli stabbing victims, Daniel recalled the eulogy of a family member: "It's time to end the Arab's hope for a country of their own in the land of Israel," the family member said, crying out, "God of vengeance appear!" And the dispute has spilled beyond the borders of Jerusalem, drawing a condemnation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and prompting a conversation between the Jordanian and Israeli leaders. The Associated Press reports that Jordan's King Abdullah II spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to "remove the causes" of the tension. "Nobody should be mistaken that these events are localized events," Mladenov said Monday. "In fact, they may be taking place over a couple of hundred square meters but they affect millions — if not billions — of people around the world. They have the potential to have catastrophic costs well beyond the walls of the Old City, well beyond Israel and Palestine, well beyond the Middle East itself." ||||| Israeli and Palestinian leaders must find a solution to the building tensions over a holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, the United Nations envoy to the region said Monday. And Nickolay Mladenov gave the two sides an informal deadline. "It is extremely important that a solution to the current crisis be found by Friday this week," Mladenov said at a news conference convened after he briefed the U.N. Security Council on the situation. "I think the danger on the ground will escalate if we go through another cycle of Friday prayer without a resolution." That closed-door briefing had been requested by Egypt, Sweden and France, which are growing concerned with the mounting animosity centered on a compound known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, and to Jews as Temple Mount. Israeli authorities installed metal detectors last week at the entrances to the site, where just days earlier several Israeli Arabs opened fire, killing two Israeli police officers. The security measures have incensed many Muslim worshippers, who now have to pass through the metal detectors in order to pray there. Palestinians see it as a bid to wrest control of the holy site from Jordan, the Muslim authority that administers it. And deep unrest, even violence, has followed. Three Palestinians were killed in clashes between protesters and Israeli officers Friday, and hours later, Israeli officials say a Palestinian attacker stabbed three Israelis to death in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. The vast bulk of Muslim worshippers have protested the move nonviolently — boycotting the site by refusing to enter through the metal detectors and instead pray beside them — but NPR's Daniel Estrin reports that anger continues to seethe on both sides. Daniel told All Things Considered that at protests Friday, he hear Palestinians chanting, "With spirit and blood, we will redeem the Al-Aqsa Mosque" — which has its compound on the disputed site. And at a funeral Sunday for the Israeli stabbing victims, Daniel recalled the eulogy of a family member: "It's time to end the Arab's hope for a country of their own in the land of Israel," the family member said, crying out, "God of vengeance appear!" And the dispute has spilled beyond the borders of Jerusalem, drawing a condemnation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and prompting a conversation between the Jordanian and Israeli leaders. The Associated Press reports that Jordan's King Abdullah II spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to "remove the causes" of the tension. "Nobody should be mistaken that these events are localized events," Mladenov said Monday. "In fact, they may be taking place over a couple of hundred square meters but they affect millions — if not billions — of people around the world. They have the potential to have catastrophic costs well beyond the walls of the Old City, well beyond Israel and Palestine, well beyond the Middle East itself." ||||| Officials say a second Jordanian man has died from wounds suffered in a July 23 shooting incident at the Israeli Embassy in Jordan's capital, Amman. Jordan's Public Security Directorate on July 24 did not say what set off the shooting, which injured two others, including an Israeli citizen. The Hala Akhbar news site, which is linked to Jordan's military, and other security sources said the Israeli man was in "unstable condition" in the hospital and that the two Jordanian men died from gunshot wounds. A police report said two Jordanian employees of a furniture company had entered the embassy prior to the shooting. Tensions have mounted recently between Israel and Jordan, who signed a peace treaty in 1994. The incident at the embassy follows a protest by thousands of Jordanians in Amman on July 22 over Israeli security measures at a holy site in Jerusalem that is revered by both Jews and Muslims. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the Jerursalem site. The Israeli Foreign Ministry did not comment on the embassy shooting. Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP ||||| AMMAN (Reuters) - One Jordanian was killed and two people were wounded, including an Israeli, in a shooting incident on Sunday in a building within the Israeli embassy complex in Jordan's capital Amman, a police statement said. It said two Jordanian men working for a furniture firm had entered the embassy before the shooting. The dead Jordanian was killed by a gunshot, while the two wounded people were taken to hospital, the statement said. ||||| AMMAN, Jordan — Three people, including an Israeli man, were wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building in the heavily fortified Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital, the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said. Before the shooting, Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work, the statement said. One of the Jordanians was critically wounded and later died at a hospital, according to Hala Akhbar, a news site linked to the Jordanian military. The site said the Israeli man was in “unstable” condition. A Jordanian security official confirmed that a Jordanian had been killed and an Israeli wounded. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident with the media. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment. The incident comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Muslim world over metal detectors Israel installed at a Jerusalem shrine revered by Muslims and Jews. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians staged an anti-Israeli protest in Amman. ||||| Two Jordanians were killed and an Israeli was wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building at the Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital, the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said. Israeli media reported Monday that an Israeli security guard opened fire after a Jordanian worker attacked him with a screwdriver. The worker and the Jordanian owner of the building were wounded and later died, the reports said. Jordan’s security agency confirmed that Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work. The statement said the building was in the Israeli embassy compound, but the Israeli media reports indicated that the building was not part of the compound. The Jordanian security agency did not say what triggered the shooting. Three people were initially wounded, the security agency said. Two Jordanians later died, according to the agency and the news site Hala Akhbar, which is linked to the Jordanian military. One of the Jordanians killed was a physician at the scene, the security agency said. The Israeli was in “unstable” condition, the news site said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment. The incident comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Muslim world over metal detectors Israel installed at a Jerusalem shrine revered by Muslims and Jews. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians staged an anti-Israeli protest in Amman. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel will not remove metal detectors whose installation outside a major Jerusalem mosque has triggered the bloodiest confrontations with the Palestinians in years, but could eventually reduce their use, Israeli officials said on Sunday. With Israeli generals warning the violence may spiral, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering alternatives to the walk-through gates placed at entrances to al Aqsa mosque compound after two policemen were shot dead there on July 14. But the rightist Netanyahu government is wary of being seen to capitulate to Palestinian pressure at the site, which Jews revere as the vestige of their two ancient temples and which was among East Jerusalem areas Israel captured in a 1967 war and annexed as its capital in a move not recognized internationally. "They (metal detectors) will remain. The murderers will never tell us how to search the murderers," Tzachi Hanegbi, Israeli minister for regional development and a senior member of the ruling Likud party, told Israel's Army Radio. "If they (Palestinians) do not want to enter the mosque, then let them not enter the mosque." Incensed at what they perceive as a violation of delicate decades-old access arrangements at Islam's third-holiest site, many Palestinians have refused to go through the metal detectors, holding street prayers and often violent protests. Israeli security forces shot three demonstrators dead on Friday, Palestinian medics said. Police said they were investigating the charge. A fourth Jerusalem-area Palestinian was killed on Saturday when an explosive device he was building went off prematurely, the Israeli military said. Palestinian medics said he died of shrapnel wounds to the chest and abdomen. In a sign unrest was spreading, a Palestinian stabbed three Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank on Friday after vowing on Facebook to take up his knife and heed "al Aqsa's call". On Sunday, a rocket was launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip but hit an open area, causing no damage, Israel's military said. The incidents "attest to the combustability of the current period," military chief Lieutenant-General Gadi Eizenkot said in a speech to new recruits. Gilad Erdan, Israel's public security minister, also warned of potential "large-scale volatility". Interviewed on Army Radio, Erdan said Israel may do away with metal-detector checks for all Muslims entering the al Aqsa compounds under alternative arrangements under review. These could include reinforcing Israeli police at the entrances and introducing CCTV cameras with facial-recognition technologies. "There are, after all, many worshippers whom the police knows, regulars, and very elderly people and so on, and it recommended that we avoid putting all of these through metal detectors," Erdan told Army Radio, suggesting that only potential trouble-makers would be subjected to extra screening. Any such substitute arrangement was not ready, he added. The Muslim authorities that oversee al Aqsa said they would continue to oppose any new Israeli-imposed measures, however. "We stress our absolute rejection of the electronic gates, and of all measures by the Occupation (Israel) that would change the historical and religious status in Jerusalem and its sacred sites, foremost the blessed Aqsa mosque," the Palestinian grand mufti, the acting Palestinian chief justice and the Jordanian-sponsored Waqf religious trust said in a joint statement. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday ordered the suspension of all official contact with Israel. He gave no details. With Palestinian statehood talks long stalled, contacts have long been limited mainly to West Bank security cooperation. Jordan and Turkey, among Israel's few Muslim interlocutors, have pressed for the metal detectors to be removed. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a session on the crisis for Monday. "We are managing this with level-headedly, determinedly and responsibly," Netanyahu said in televised remarks before his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, adding that security measures would be decided in accordance with the situation on the ground. Netanyahu's decision-making security cabinet was due to convene at 7.30 p.m. (1630GMT). ||||| AMMAN, Jordan — Two Jordanians were killed and an Israeli was wounded by gunfire Sunday in a residential building at the Israeli embassy compound in Jordan’s capital, the kingdom’s Public Security Directorate said. Israeli media reported Monday that an Israeli security guard opened fire after a Jordanian worker attacked him with a screwdriver. The worker and the Jordanian owner of the building were wounded and later died, the reports said. Jordan’s security agency confirmed that Jordanians had entered the apartment building for carpentry work. The statement said the building was in the Israeli embassy compound, but the Israeli media reports indicated that the building was not part of the compound. The Jordanian security agency did not say what triggered the shooting. Three people were initially wounded, the security agency said. Two Jordanians later died, according to the agency and the news site Hala Akhbar, which is linked to the Jordanian military. One of the Jordanians killed was a physician at the scene, the security agency said. The Israeli was in “unstable” condition, the news site said. The Israeli Foreign Ministry had no comment. The incident comes at a time of mounting tensions between Israel and the Muslim world over metal detectors Israel installed at a Jerusalem shrine revered by Muslims and Jews. Jordan is the Muslim custodian of the site. On Friday, thousands of Jordanians staged an anti-Israeli protest in Amman. | A shooting at the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan, leaves one person, a Jordanian, dead, and an Israeli and a Jordanian wounded. There is speculation the attack may be linked to recent events at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque. Another Jordanian man was killed inadvertently. |
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Rajoy has tried to distance himself from the accusations swirling around his party Mariano Rajoy has become the first sitting Spanish prime minister to testify in court as he denied any knowledge of an alleged illegal financing scheme within his Popular Party (PP). Mr Rajoy said his role at the party was political and strategic, not financial. The prosecution claims that during the pre-2008 property boom, companies gave former PP lawmakers and civil servants kickbacks in return for contracts. Mr Rajoy is not accused of wrongdoing. His request to testify at the trial in the Madrid suburb of San Fernando by video link was denied. But he was seated on the same platform as the judges, not in the traditional witness stand. Thirty-seven people, including three former PP treasurers, are on trial in the case that centres around the alleged ringleader, businessman Francisco Correa. Correa is already serving a 13-year sentence for influence peddling and bribery, and could face up to 125 years. The so-called Gürtel case has electrified Spain for years, after being exposed by Ana Garrido, a civil servant in a Madrid suburb. Mr Rajoy became leader of the PP in 2004 and held senior positions before then. But on Wednesday he testily insisted he had no friendly relations with Correa and "never dealt with party financial matters". Nonetheless, Socialist leader Pedro Sánchez called for him to resign to retain his "dignity", reported Efe news agency. Mr Sánchez has described Mr Rajoy as the "primary political leader" at a time of a "generalised climate of corruption". Mr Rajoy is not personally accused of wrongdoing but his appearance in court remains a major embarrassment for a prime minister who has continually sought to distance himself from the accusations swirling around his party, correspondents say. Outside the court, some 30 protesters blew whistles and held placards demanding "Justice" and "Make the PP illegal", reported AFP news agency. ||||| Spanish PM Rajoy heads to court as witness in corruption trial Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy holds a book written by Venezuelan jailed politician, Leopoldo Lopez as he attends a meeting with his relatives at the Moncloa palace in Madrid on March 1, 2016. — Reuters picMADRID, July 26 — Mariano Rajoy will today become Spain’s first sitting prime minister to be called to court as he appears as a witness in a long-running graft trial that has rocked his conservative party and hurt him at the ballot box. Rajoy returned to power for a second term last October with a severely diminished mandate, after a series of corruption scandals tainted several members of his People’s Party (PP) and turned off voters. The prime minister’s court appearance turns the spotlight back on one of the most prominent cases at a delicate time for Rajoy, who no longer enjoys a majority in parliament and has to scrape together votes to get laws through. He had sought to testify by videoconference, arguing that the journey to the court of San Fernando de Henares on the outskirts of Madrid would be a waste of taxpayer money. But the request was denied by Spain’s High Court. The trial follows a long graft investigation into several city councils which are alleged to have received illegal financing from a network of companies. Known in Spanish as the “Gurtel” case, after the nickname of supposed mastermind and businessman Francisco Correa, the probe ended up reaching several former high-ranking PP members and drew attention to an alleged party slush fund. Former PP party treasurer, Luis Barcenas, is among those on trial on charges of organised crime, falsifying accounts, influence-peddling and tax crimes. Rajoy is expected to be grilled about the alleged slush fund and his knowledge of party business in the early 2000s, when he held several senior positions in the PP. He has previously denied receiving any illegal funds. The prime minister has sought to distance himself over the years from this probe and other corruption scandals, but his turn as a witness is likely to be seized upon by opposition parties who have repeatedly called for him to step down. That is unlikely to have any immediate consequences — left-wing parties including the Socialists and Podemos (“We Can”) have failed in their bids to oust Rajoy before, as they lack the clout in parliament and are divided on many fronts. But it could still be damaging for the prime minister and his party. “Corruption issues will continue to put a ceiling on the PP’s electoral aspirations,” Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence said in a note. “While Rajoy should be benefiting from (Spain’s) strong economic rebound, the ruling party has been losing support in the polls recently.” — Reuters ||||| Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy denied any knowledge of an illegal financing scheme within his conservative Popular Party as he testified as a witness at a major graft trial Wednesday. Rajoy gave his testimony in sometimes bad-tempered exchanges as dozens of protesters outside the court blew whistles and held banners reading "Make the PP illegal". This was the first time a serving prime minister in Spain has testified in a criminal case. The trial centres on a vast kickback scheme that allegedly saw companies shower former PP lawmakers and civil servants with bribes in exchange for contracts and helped fund the party. Rajoy is not accused of anything himself but was asked to testify because as the party's chief since 2004 -- and a high-ranking member before that -- he would have knowledge of how the PP operated. "I never dealt with party economic affairs," Rajoy told the court during the proceedings broadcast live on Spanish television. There was a "clear separation" between political and economic party matters within the PP and that his responsibilities were always "of the political sort", he added. Rajoy, 62, arrived by car at the National Court compound in San Hernando de Henares on the outskirts of Madrid. Although he had asked to testify by video-conference, saying he was too busy to appear in person, Spain's High Court had ordered him to attend. Rajoy did not sit in the traditional witness stand in front of the judges, but instead answered questions -- sometimes testily -- from the elevated platform where the three magistrates sat. Two former premiers -- Felipe Gonzalez, an ex-Socialist leader, and Adolfo Suarez, prime minister during Spain's transition to democracy -- appeared in court in separate trials but they are no longer in office. Altogether, 37 defendants are on trial in the case including two former party treasurers and businessman Francisco Correa, the alleged head of the network. Companies would allegedly give him a commission of two to three percent on the value of public contracts. Correa said in court that he would then give politicians involved in awarding contracts some of the money. His main accomplice was allegedly Luis Barcenas, a former PP manager and treasurer who was once close to Rajoy. Barcenas is accused of setting up a slush fund to top up the salaries of PP leaders. He has said he made payments to top party members, including Rajoy. But during his testimony on Wednesday, Rajoy reiterated that he had never met Correa and he dismissed the allegations of secret payments to PP officials as "absolutely false". Asked in court whether he knew if there was an illegal financing scheme within the party or cash donations from anonymous donors, Rajoy said: "Never." The court appearance was a major embarrassment for Rajoy, who has sought to distance himself from a series of corruption scandals that have hounded the party and contributed to the PP losing its absolute majority in the 2015 election. Analysts said corruption scandals are preventing the PP from reaping the benefits of the strengthening Spanish economy. "Corruption issues will continue to put a ceiling on the PP's electoral aspirations," Antonio Barroso, deputy director of research at Teneo Intelligence, said in a note. "While Rajoy should be benefiting from the strong economic rebound, the ruling party has been losing support in the polls recently." Opposition parties seized on the court appearance to renew their calls for Rajoy to resign. The leader of the main opposition Socialists, Pedro Sanchez, accused Rajoy of "hiding in a fog of ignorance". "For dignity, not yours but of democracy, I demand on the part of the Socialists that you resign," he added. After his court appearance, Rajoy visited the PP's headquarters in central Madrid where he was greeted with applause. "I replied with what I knew, I am glad to have cooperated with the court," he said. ||||| Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy testified in court on Wednesday as a witness in a graft trial and said he had no knowledge of the alleged illegal financing scheme that helped fund his Popular Party. ||||| SAN FERNANDO DE HENARES, Spain (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday denied any knowledge of an illegal financing scheme within his conservative People's Party (PP) and said he not taken any illicit payments, as he testified in court in a long-running corruption case. Rajoy is the first sitting premier in Spain to be called to court as a witness. The trial centers on graft allegations involving businesses and small city councils, but it has tainted the PP and led to allegations of a slush fund within the party. Asked in court whether he knew whether there was an illegal financing scheme for election campaigns within the party and cash donations from anonymous donors, a combative Rajoy said: "Never." "I never heard anything because, as I have stated, I was never in charge of financial matters within the party," Rajoy said. ||||| related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 5 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday denied any knowledge of an illegal financing scheme within his conservative People's Party (PP) and said he not taken any illicit payments, as he testified in court in a long-running corruption case. SAN FERNANDO DE HENARES, Spain: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday denied any knowledge of an illegal financing scheme within his conservative People's Party (PP) and said he not taken any illicit payments, as he testified in court in a long-running corruption case. Rajoy is the first sitting premier in Spain to be called to court as a witness. The trial centres on graft allegations involving businesses and small city councils, but it has tainted the PP and led to allegations of a slush fund within the party. Asked in court whether he knew whether there was an illegal financing scheme for election campaigns within the party and cash donations from anonymous donors, a combative Rajoy said: "Never." "I never heard anything because, as I have stated, I was never in charge of financial matters within the party," Rajoy said. ||||| Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has told the country's National Court he did not know anything about the ruling Popular Party's accounting practices when a corrupt scheme allegedly helped fund it. Wednesday's highly-anticipated hearing was the first time that a prime minister has appeared in court while holding office since Spain transitioned to democracy four decades ago. Mr Rajoy himself is not accused of wrongdoing, but the court called him to provide evidence as the party's vice secretary general until 2003, and its secretary general until 2004, when the illegal funding scheme was allegedly still operating. "I never took care of the economic issues in the party. I was devoted to political activity," Mr Rajoy told the three magistrates during the proceeding. Businesspeople, elected officials and other Popular Party members, including two former treasurers, are among the 37 accused of bribery, money laundering and tax evasion in the "Gurtel case", named after the German translation for belt. The Spanish word for belt is also the last name of Francisco Correa, a businessman arrested in 2009 who is the key defendant in the case, considered one of the largest corruption scandals in the country's modern history. Correa faces a 125-year prison sentence if found guilty of controlling the network of aides and companies that arranged free events for the party in exchange for public contracts. Mr Rajoy arrived in a convoy at the tightly secured National Court compound in San Fernando de Henares on the outskirts of Madrid. Close by but out of Mr Rajoy's sight, around 100 protesters held banners accusing the conservative party of covering up corruption. Some signs read "Mafia out, democracy in". In an apparent attempt to underscore that he is a witness and not a defendant, Mr Rajoy gave evidence seated at a table on the stage at the same level as the three magistrates - not standing in front of them as is customary. Mr Rajoy repeated what he had said earlier: that he never met Correa and he was the one, as party president in 2004, who ordered a halt to contracting with Correa's companies upon learning that they were misusing the conservative party's name. The trial is part of a wider probe into illegal party funding reflected in hidden accounting kept by Luis Barcenas, the party treasurer for almost three decades. In the most damaging allegations to date, Barcenas has said there was always a scheme of illegal contributions to the Popular Party and that top officials were aware. The party and Mr Rajoy have denied his claims. Mr Rajoy called allegations that high-ranking party officials received illegal bonuses "absolutely false". He explained that some received additional payments from the Popular Party to their salaries as legislators - money he said was taxed. He said those payments were halted as soon as any of the politicians took a position in the government. As prime minister, Mr Rajoy has made economic growth and job creation his chief goals since the party returned to power in 2011. In June, he won a no-confidence debate called against him by Podemos, a left-wing opposition party, because of the myriad of corruption scandals involving the Popular Party. ||||| Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, became the first serving Spanish premier to testify in a criminal case on Wednesday when he emphatically denied any knowledge of an illegal funding racket within the ruling People’s party. Rajoy, the PP’s vice secretary general between 1990 and 2003, had been called to give evidence in the Gürtel case, in which 37 business and political figures were accused of involvement in a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme. The prime minister is not accused of any wrongdoing, but the case has become emblematic of the many corruption scandals that have engulfed the PP over recent years. Rajoy, who appeared as a witness in the long-running trial, insisted that his duties during the period in question were exclusively political and not financial. He said he had not been aware of the illegal financing scheme or cash donations from anonymous backers. “I never heard anything because, as I have said, I was never in charge of financial matters within the party,” he told the court. Rajoy said there had been a clear division between his role in planning local, national and European election campaigns, and the activities of the PP’s financial officers. Among the accused is the former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas, once a close ally of Rajoy, who has claimed that high-level party officials knew about the illegal contributions. In often fractious exchanges with lawyers, Rajoy said suggestions that a slush fund was used to pay illegal bonuses to senior PP officials were “absolutely false”. He explained that “quite a lot” of the party’s MPs had had their salaries topped up by the PP – and had declared the sums to the tax authorities – but said such payments ceased when they took up a government post. Rajoy was also asked about the supportive text messages he sent Bárcenas after his ally found himself in legal trouble. They famously told him to “be strong” and suggested the party was “doing what we can”. Invited to explain what he had meant, Rajoy replied: “I’m in the habit of replying to messages and he had my number. I could have used that phrase or any other one; it doesn’t mean anything.” He went on: “‘We’re doing what we can’ means precisely that we’re doing what we can; it means we didn’t do anything that might have prejudiced any trial.” Rajoy’s arrival at the court in San Fernando de Henares was met with a battery of journalists and dozens of protesters bearing signs reading: “Justice! Justice!” and “Mafia Out! Democracy in!” The case is known as Gürtel after the codename that detectives gave their anti-corruption inquiry, which centred on Francisco Correa, a businessman with close ties to the PP who is accused of paying bribes to party officials between 1999 and 2006 in return for contracts to carry out public contracts. Gürtel is the German translation of correa (belt). Rajoy told the court he had severed the party’s relationship with Correa’s businesses in 2004 after learning that the businessman had been misusing the party’s name. He added: “The truth is I didn’t know [Correa]. But I’m absolutely sure that I saw him at a public event once. I had absolutely no dealings with him.” Correa – who enjoyed being called Don Vito in reference to the Marlon Brando character in The Godfather – is accused of misusing public funds and setting up offshore accounts to keep millions of euros at a safe remove. The scandal which has enveloped the PP since 2009 led to the resignation three years ago of the health minister, Ana Mato. Her ex-husband, Jesús Sepúlveda, is on trial for embezzlement, fraud and peddling influence while mayor of Pozuelo de Alarcón, west of Madrid. The family is alleged to have accepted holidays, presents including Louis Vuitton products, a Jaguar and even children’s birthday parties at which clowns performed from Correa’s companies. The leader of Spain’s opposition parties were quick to attack Rajoy’s performance in the witness box. Pedro Sanchez, head of the Spanish socialist party, said it was a “black day for our democracy. For the first time, a prime minister has had to sit down and testify about corruption in his party.” Two of Rajoy’s predecessors – Adolfo Suárez and Felipe González – were involved in separate trials but only after serving as prime minister. Pablo Iglesias, leader of the anti-austerity Podemos party, criticised Rajoy for the “insolent” tone of some of his replies, tweeting: “Spain doesn’t deserve this disgrace. We need to get them out of government.” ||||| Mariano Rajoy has become the first sitting Spanish prime minister to testify in court as he denied any knowledge of an alleged illegal financing scheme within his Popular Party (PP). Mr Rajoy said his role at the party was political and strategic, not financial. The prosecution claims that during the pre-2008 property boom, companies gave former PP lawmakers and civil servants kickbacks in return for contracts. Mr Rajoy is not accused of wrongdoing. His request to testify at the trial in the Madrid suburb of San Fernando by video link was denied. Thirty-seven people, including three former PP treasurers, are on trial in the case that centres around the alleged ringleader, businessman Francisco Correa. Correa is already serving a 13-year sentence for influence peddling and bribery, and could face up to 125 years. The so-called Gürtel case has electrified Spain for years, after being exposed by Ana Garrido, a civil servant in a Madrid suburb.
• Ana Garrido: Whistle-blower who took on Spain's ruling elite Mr Rajoy became leader of the PP in 2004 and held senior positions before then. But on Wednesday he testily insisted he had no friendly relations with Correa and "never dealt with party financial matters". Mr Rajoy is not personally accused of wrongdoing but his appearance in court remains a major embarrassment for a prime minister who has continually sought to distance himself from the accusations swirling around his party, correspondents say. Outside the court, some 30 protesters blew whistles and held placards demanding "Justice" and "Make the PP illegal", reported AFP news agency. ||||| Although he tried very hard to get out of it and although is he is not accused of any wrongdoing, Mariano Rajoy has testified in court this morning (Wednesday) making him the very first Spanish Prime Minister ever to do so. His appearance is in relation to “The Gurtel Case”, Spain’s biggest ever corruption scandal, a trial that involves 37 defendants, including 3 former PP Treasurers, and over 300 witnesses, and one which involves the relationship between business and politics during Spain’s construction boom, which ended when the property bubble finally exploded in 2008. Rajoy has been summoned because the affair centres round a former businessman, Francisco Correa, who liked to be called Don Vito, after a character in The Godfather, and who is considered to be the mastermind behind the bribes-for-contracts network, a large corruption scheme that has been affecting the PP since 2009. Mariano Rajoy became leader of the Partido Popular in 2004 prior to which he held many senior positions in the party. During his appearance in court he insisted he had no friendly relations with Correa and “never dealt with party financial matters”. The prosecution claims that during the pre-2008 property boom, companies gave former PP lawmakers and civil servants kickbacks in return for contracts. Earlier in the year, Correa and two top aides were found guilty in connection with a section of the Gürtel case known as Fitur that involved embezzlement, influence peddling, bribery of public officials and conspiracy in the Valencia region. They were sentenced to prison terms of 13 years each. Meanwhile, outside the court, over 30 protesters blew whistles and held placards demanding “Justice” and “Make the PP illegal”. | Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, testify in Audiencia Nacional as a witness in the framework of the investigation into the Gürtel corruption scandal, of the illegal financing of his party. He is the first PM in Spain in service to attend a trial. Although he benefited from this corruption scheme, he denied any knowledge. This situation prompted a no-confidence motion against Rajoy's government, which was debated on 13 June and defeated as expected on 14 June (BBC) |
Image copyright AFP/Getty Images A 50-year-old German man has been killed and six people injured in a knife attack in a Hamburg supermarket. Police said the suspect was 26 years old and born in the United Arab Emirates. They said he acted alone and he was overpowered by passersby. Mayor Olaf Scholz said the attack was motivated by "hate" but did not say it was a terror attack. There are unconfirmed reports that the man shouted "Allahu akhbar", Arabic for "God is great" while attacking people. Police said they were still seeking to confirm his current nationality. Mr Sholz said he was a failed asylum seeker. The man attacked customers in the supermarket at random, ran outside and was chased by customers and by people outside the shop. They brought him to the ground before he was detained by plain-clothes police officers. Mobile phone footage on German media that is purportedly of the attack's aftermath shows several people chasing a man and throwing chairs at him. A 50-year-old woman and four men aged between 19 and 64 were stabbed, while a 35-year-old man was injured while helping overcome the suspect. The attack happened in the Barmbek region in the north of the city in a branch of Edeka, Germany's largest supermarket chain. Police say the man's weapon may have looked like a machete but they are, for now, assuming it was a kitchen knife. One eyewitness made a gesture about 50cm (20 in) long when asked on German TV how big the knife was. Asked whether this was a terror attack, a police official told the BBC: "We are at an early stage of the investigation... At the moment we can't rule anything out. We are investigating all avenues." Speculation in German media said the attack may have been part of a robbery attempt but police said that that motive could not be confirmed. One eyewitness, who ran from the scene into a nearby shop as the situation unfolded, told German broadcaster NTV that it seemed "hectic and confused, not like a properly planned attack". ||||| One person was killed and several injured in a knife attack in a supermarket in the northern German city of Hamburg on Friday, the city's police said. The man ran into a supermarket in the Barmbek neighbourhood and attacked customers with a knife at around 3pm local time (2pm). "He struck out at customers without warning. There are one dead and several injured," Heike Uhde, a police spokeswoman said. ||||| One person has been killed and several injured in a knife attack in a Hamburg supermarket, German police say. Hamburg police said on Twitter that one suspect had been arrested but that it was too soon to pinpoint a motive. Bild newspaper published a photo of a man purported to be the attacker covered in blood. The newspaper said the attacker began wildly striking at shoppers before being stopped by police. He was acting alone, police confirmed. The attack happened in the Barmbek region in the north of the city. Witnesses said the attack happened at a branch of Edeka, Germany's largest supermarket chain. Speculation in German media said the attack may have been part of a robbery attempt but police said that that motive could not be confirmed. ||||| One person was killed and several injured on Friday when a man wielding a large knife stormed a supermarket in the German city of Hamburg, allegedly trying to rob the supermarket, according to initial police reports. Witnesses reported that the attacker shouted “Allahu Akbar” — ‘Allah is great’ in Arabic — during the wild attack. The immediate vicinity of the store in the neighborhood of Barmbek district, have been cordoned off and closed to traffic on a large radio, police sources said on Twitter. According to the first information, the attacker indiscriminately slashed at those inside the supermarket, injuring several people and stabbing one person, who died at the scene, police said. Update: The attacker was named as Ahmed al H., a 26-year-old Arab-born refugee who had been monitored by the police for his radical Islamist ideology and was awaiting deportation. ||||| One person was killed and several others injured when a unidentified assailant attacked people with a knife in a Hamburg supermarket, BBC quoted German police as saying. On their Twitter account, Hamburg police said one suspect had been arrested but they steered clear of attaching any motive to the attack. 9:02 pm: Speculation is rife in the German media saying the knife attack could likely have been part of a robbery attempt. 8:45 pm: The police has warned people to stay away from the area. The attack took place at a branch of Edeka, one of Germany’s largest supermarket chain. 8:40 pm: The attack took place in the Barmbek region situated in the northern part of the city, police said. 8:30 pm: German newspaper Bild said the attacker began striking shoppers before being apprehended by police. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| A man shouting "Allahu Akbar" stabbed to death one person and wounded six others in a supermarket in the German city of Hamburg on Friday. The attacker, who was born in the United Arab Emirates, was overpowered by passers-by and arrested. Olaf Scholz, the mayor of Hamburg, said the attack had been motivated by "hate" and added that the suspected attacker was a failed asylum seeker whose deportation had been blocked because he lacked identity papers. "I am outraged by the vicious attack that killed at least one Hamburger today," he said. "It makes me especially angry that the perpetrator appears to be a person who claimed protection in Germany and then turned his hate against us." Citing security sources, Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel reported that the 26-year-old perpetrator was known to police as an Islamist. News agency DPA reported that security authorities were investigating evidence the man had Salafist ties. The attacker stabbed to death a 50-year-old man believed to be a German citizen Police said that he "struck out wildly" at others, wounding five more in the supermarket - a 50-year-old woman and four men aged 19, 56, 57 and 64. Another 35-year-old man was hurt while overpowering the attacker in the street alongside other passers-by shortly after the killing. All of the wounded were being treated or operated on in hospital, some of them for serious injuries, police said. A police murder unit and a specialist politically-motivated crime squad are investigating the attack and were able to secure the suspected murder weapon. German daily Bild published a picture of the attacker in the back of a police car with a white, blood-soaked bag over his head, and reported that he cried "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) during the attack. "Suddenly I saw a man smeared with blood running along the other side of the road with a knife," an eyewitness identified as Ralf W. told Bild. "He shouted out 'Allahu Akbar' as he was running." A female witness standing in line at the supermarket till also told NTV rolling news channel that "as he was running out... he held up his arms and shouted 'Allahu Akbar'." "I thought I was in a horror movie, I thought he would kill me," an unnamed woman who had been in the supermarket told rolling news channel NTV. She said she feared she would die, as she was "queueing for the till and couldn't get away". The suspect fled the supermarket after the attack. But "people were running after him with improvised weapons, chairs and sticks... they ran after him into a side street," Ralf W. told Bild. "People chased after the killer with chairs, they were throwing them at him," bakery worker Shaylin Roettmer told DPA. The witnesses slightly injured the attacker while they were overpowering him, before handing him over to police. Police cars outside the supermarket in Hamburg Police blocked off the lively and diverse high street dotted with cafes and shops in the northeast of the port city, Germany's second largest and host of the G20 summit of world leaders in early July. Anti-terror officers armed with automatic weapons patrolled the scene and onlookers gathered behind strips of red-and-white police tape. While the attacker's motives remain unknown, Germany has been on high alert about the threat of a jihadist attack, especially since last December's truck rampage through a Berlin Christmas market that killed 12 people. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the carnage in which a Tunisian rejected asylum seeker and ex-convict, Anis Amri, 24, ploughed the stolen truck through a crowd. ||||| A man armed with a knife has fatally stabbed one person at a supermarket in the German city of Hamburg and wounded four others as he fled. The man was arrested after the incident in the Barmbek district of the northern port city. One person died at the scene after the assailant entered the supermarket, police said. As he fled, he injured another four people. He was overwhelmed by passers-by and slightly injured in the process, police said. Officers were then able to arrest the man. Police spokesman Timo Zill said authorities are investigating all possibilities in relation to the attack, which was carried out with a kitchen knife, according to the dpa news agency. Police do not yet have any information on the assailant’s motive, but there was no indication there was more than one attacker involved. Barmbek is in north-eastern Hamburg, situated away from the city centre. ||||| Police arrested a blood-soaked man after at least one person was killed and severla injured at a supermarket in Hamburg, Germany Friday afternoon. The attack took place at a supermarket in the Barmbek neighbourhood of Hamburg at around 3 pm local time according to police. The man involved, who has yet to be identified to the press, ran into the supermarket and began attacking customers with a “long kitchen knife” leading to the death of at least one victim. One alleged witness to the attack claimed that the man stabbed the customers and yelled “Allahu Akbar!” immediately after the attack. Police captured the suspected killer shortly after the attack as he attempted to flee and has been arrested. Germany’s Spiegel reports after the attack the man fled in the direction of the Barmbek metro station but was chased by witnesses, allowing police to make their arrest. The news magazine also reports the motive for the killer is not clear, but counter-terror police have not yet been involved with the investigation. Photographs acquired by Germany tabloid Bild showed the suspect, drenched in blood and wearing a so-called ‘spit mask’ being driven away by officers in a marked squad car. ||||| BERLIN (AP) – German police say one person died after a man with a knife attacked several people at a supermarket in Hamburg. Police in the northern port city said the attacker was arrested. They said on Twitter that the motive for the incident Friday in Hamburg’s Barmbek district wasn’t immediately clear. ||||| A knife-wielding man reportedly screamed "Allahu Akbar" during a wild attack inside a Hamburg supermarket that killed at least one person and left four others bloodied and wounded on Friday. German police arrested the suspected attacker in the Barmbek district after witnesses followed the man and alerted authorities. The suspect was overwhelmed by passers-by and slightly injured in the process, police said. The assailant entered the supermarket and stabbed one person, who died at the scene, before fleeing the scene. While on the run, the suspect stabbed and injured four other people. Officials wrote on Twitter that "the motive and the number of injured persons" were not yet known, but did confirm that "one person died." It was not immediately known if the assault had any connection to terror. ISIS has been urging its followers to use knives or vehicles in order to facilitate more attacks and Germany has been the site of past Islamist incidents. But both German newspaper BILD and a witness to the assault said the man yelled "Allahu Akbar" during the bloody spree. The phrase, Arabic for "God is great," is frequently shouted by Islamic extremists before an attack. Police initially said they were looking for a second person in connection with the attack, however, later they said the man in custody was the lone suspect. The supermarket was blocked off by police as they investigated the incident. This is a Fox News breaking story. Please check back for updates. The Associated Press contributed to this report. | One person is killed and four others are injured in a knife attack in an Edeka supermarket in Barmbek in the German city of Hamburg. Mayor Olaf Scholz said the attack was motivated by "hate". The attacker is reported to have shouted "Allahu Akbar" before attacking. |
BARCELONA, Spain — Some 50 people needed medical treatment after a Spanish commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona early Friday, Catalan government officials said. Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured. "When the train arrived at Francia station it applied the brakes but at the same time it made a noisy crash," said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train. "The passengers were thrown to the floor," he said. "Even though the train did brake it wasn't until the crash when it reached a full stop." Damage was done to the train's nose and between the train's first and second car. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver's cabin to try to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains. The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. (0515 GMT). The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders, south of Barcelona. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured. Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed. "We were able to attend to the injured very quickly," he said. ||||| CLOSE A video grab made from footage by Angel Rodao, via Instagram account @mayde_luna, shows flames and smoke at Tomorrowland music festival in Santa Coloma de Gramenet near Barcelona. Organizers blamed the fire Saturday night on a technical malfunction. (Photo: Angel Rodao via Instagram, AFP/Getty Images) BARCELONA — A huge fire at a music festival in Spain forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 concertgoers and incinerated the event's stage in Barcelona, the regional government said Sunday. The fire Saturday night consumed the large outdoor stage at Tomorrowland EDM festival held at Parc de Can Zam. Twelve firefighting units needed around an hour to extinguish the flames just before midnight. Firefighters said they were investigating the cause. Tomorrowland published a statement on Facebook saying the "stage caught fire due to a technical malfunction." Barcelona firefighters said there were no serious injuries during the evacuation but the event's private security treated 20 people for minor injuries or anxiety. Video images show the fire starting at the top of a tall temporary structure erected on the stage where a large screen showed a performer singing. The towering flames quickly spread until they engulfed the entire stage. In a statement, regional authorities said the fire "completely destroyed the stage" and that its charred remains "run the risk of collapsing." The festival in Barcelona was one of several offshoots of a main Tomorrowland festival in Belgium. Organizers said the Barcelona event was canceled following the fire. Read or Share this story: https://usat.ly/2wbLidX ||||| BARCELONA, Spain — Some 50 people needed medical treatment after a Spanish commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona early Friday, Catalan government officials said. Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured. "When the train arrived at Francia station it applied the brakes but at the same time it made a noisy crash," said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train. "The passengers were thrown to the floor," he said. "Even though the train did brake it wasn't until the crash when it reached a full stop." Damage was done to the train's nose and between the train's first and second car. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver's cabin to try to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains. The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. (0515 GMT). The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders, south of Barcelona. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured. Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed. "We were able to attend to the injured very quickly," he said. ||||| Smoke rises from the stage at the Tomorrowland Unite Spain festival. SOCIAL MEDIA / Reuters ||||| BARCELONA, Spain — Some 50 people needed medical treatment after a Spanish commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona early Friday, Catalan government officials said. Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured. "When the train arrived at Francia station it applied the brakes but at the same time it made a noisy crash," said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train. "The passengers were thrown to the floor," he said. "Even though the train did brake it wasn't until the crash when it reached a full stop." Damage was done to the train's nose and between the train's first and second car. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver's cabin to try to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains. The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. (0515 GMT). The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders, south of Barcelona. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured. Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed. "We were able to attend to the injured very quickly," he said. ||||| BARCELONA, Spain — Some 50 people needed medical treatment after a Spanish commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona early Friday, Catalan government officials said. Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured. "When the train arrived at Francia station it applied the brakes but at the same time it made a noisy crash," said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train. "The passengers were thrown to the floor," he said. "Even though the train did brake it wasn't until the crash when it reached a full stop." Damage was done to the train's nose and between the train's first and second car. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver's cabin to try to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains. The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. (0515 GMT). The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders, south of Barcelona. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured. Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed. "We were able to attend to the injured very quickly," he said. ||||| BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Some 50 people needed medical treatment after a Spanish commuter train crashed into the buffers in a station in northeastern Barcelona early Friday, Catalan government officials said. Regional health chief Antoni Comi said 54 people in all received medical treatment, with 51 taken to city hospitals. He said just one person was seriously injured. “When the train arrived at Francia station it applied the brakes but at the same time it made a noisy crash,” said Said Saharaui, a passenger on the train. “The passengers were thrown to the floor,” he said. “Even though the train did brake it wasn’t until the crash when it reached a full stop.” Damage was done to the train’s nose and between the train’s first and second car. Public Works Minister Inigo de la Serna, who visited the scene of the accident, said the train had passed its most recent inspection on July 18. He said officials are investigating data and equipment from the driver’s cabin to try to ascertain the cause of the accident. He said the 31-year-old driver has eight years of service on commuter trains. The accident happened at 7.15 a.m. (0515 GMT). The train had started at the coastal town of Sant Vicenc de Calders, south of Barcelona. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, emergency services gave several different figures for the number of passengers injured. Comi said some 18 emergency service units were deployed. “We were able to attend to the injured very quickly,” he said. Barcelona’s Clinic Hospital said the seriously injured passenger was a man and that his life was not in danger. The accident came as RENFE rail workers staged a one-day strike. The affected train was running as part of minimum services ordered by the Public Works ministry. Friday saw many people beginning their summer holidays, with Barcelona and surrounding towns popular destinations. Francia is Barcelona’s second main train station after Sants, which handles the bullet train and most intercity services. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| BARCELONA, Spain — A spectacular fire at a music festival in Spain forced the evacuation of more than 20,000 concertgoers in Barcelona, the regional government said. Images showed towering flames consuming a large outdoor stage on Saturday night at the Tomorrowland electronic music festival held at Barcelona's Parc de Can Zam. Barcelona firefighters said there were no serious injuries during the concert evacuation, but the event's private security treated 20 people for minor injuries or anxiety. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire. The Tomorrowland website published a statement saying the “stage caught fire due to a technical malfunction.” Organizers said the event was canceled after the fire. The festival in Barcelona was one of several offshoot events of a main Tomorrowland”festival in Belgium. ||||| About 20,000 people had to be evacuated amid a massive fire at a music festival in Spain. Images from the scene show towering flames consuming a large outdoor stage at the Tomorrowland electronic music festival at Barcelona's Parc de Can Zam on Saturday night. Firefighters said there were no serious injuries during the concert evacuation but the event's private security treated 20 people for minor injuries or anxiety. The cause of the blaze is being investigated, but the Tomorrowland website published a statement saying the "stage caught fire due to a technical malfunction". The festival in Barcelona was one of several offshoot events of a main Tomorrowland festival in Belgium. Organisers say the Barcelona event has been cancelled following the fire. ||||| A spectacular fire at a music festival in Spain has forced the evacuation of over 20,000 concertgoers in Barcelona, the regional government says. Images show towering flames consuming a large outdoor stage Saturday night at the "Tomorrowland" electronic music festival held at Barcelona's Parc de Can Zam. Barcelona firefighters say there were no serious injuries during the concert evacuation. The event's private security told authorities they treated 20 people for minor injuries or anxiety during the evacuation. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire. The "Tomorrowland" website published a statement saying the "stage caught fire due to a technical malfunction." The festival in Barcelona was one of several offshoot events of a main "Tomorrowland" festival in Belgium. Organizers say the Barcelona event has been canceled following the fire. This version corrects the fire to Saturday night. | A fire forces the evacuation of more than 22,000 concertgoers at the Tomorrowland music festival at the Parc de Can Zam in Barcelona, Spain. There were no serious injuries. This is the first time the festival has been held in Spain; Belgium had been the home since 2005. |
ELDORET, Kenya (Reuters) - A man armed with a machete attacked the country home of Kenya’s deputy president and injured a guard before holing himself up in an outbuilding, police said on Saturday, 10 days before presidential and legislative elections. FILE PHOTO - A view shows the home of Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto in Sugoi village near Eldoret, Kenya, in this photo taken August 4, 2010. Picture taken August 4, 2010. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya Deputy President William Ruto was out with his family at the time of the attack in the western town of Eldoret. Ruto is the running mate of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second and final term in office in the Aug. 8 elections. “In circumstances that are yet unclear, he hit an officer on duty ... with a machete and managed to enter a farm complex,” Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said in a statement, adding that officers were still trying to arrest the assailant. “Other officers were quickly mobilised, and the intruder was forced to hide at a building that is still under construction next to the gate,” Boinnet said. Local television stations had reported earlier that gunmen were behind the attack on Ruto’s home, with NTV News and KTN News reporting that gunshots were heard at the scene. “The injured officer is undergoing treatment and is in a stable condition,” Boinnet said, adding that Ruto’s house was secure. Typically the deputy president’s residence is guarded by an elite paramilitary police unit. Related Coverage Kenyan police says man with machete attacked deputy president's home Kenya will hold legislative and regional county representative elections at the same time as the presidential vote. Ruto and Kenyatta spent Saturday campaigning in the counties of Kitale, Kericho and Narok, the president’s office said in a statement. Neither commented on the incident. Officials from Ruto’s office were not available for immediate comment. ||||| ||||| A man with a machete has entered Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto's home after wounding a guard, police say. Security forces surrounded the farm complex in Sugoi village, outside the western city of Eldoret. Police said the wounded guard was in a stable condition. ||||| related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. 2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery. A man armed with a machete attacked the country home of Kenya's deputy president and injured a guard before holing himself up in an outbuilding, police said on Saturday, 10 days before presidential and legislative elections. ELDORET, Kenya: A man armed with a machete attacked the country home of Kenya's deputy president and injured a guard before holing himself up in an outbuilding, police said on Saturday, 10 days before presidential and legislative elections. Deputy President William Ruto was out with his family at the time of the attack in the western town of Eldoret. Ruto is the running mate of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seeking a second and final term in office in the Aug. 8 elections. "In circumstances that are yet unclear, he hit an officer on duty ... with a machete and managed to enter a farm complex," Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said in a statement, adding that officers were still trying to arrest the assailant. "Other officers were quickly mobilised, and the intruder was forced to hide at a building that is still under construction next to the gate," Boinnet said. Local television stations had reported earlier that gunmen were behind the attack on Ruto's home, with NTV News and KTN News reporting that gunshots were heard at the scene. "The injured officer is undergoing treatment and is in a stable condition," Boinnet said, adding that Ruto's house was secure. Typically the deputy president's residence is guarded by an elite paramilitary police unit. Kenya will hold legislative and regional county representative elections at the same time as the presidential vote. Ruto and Kenyatta spent Saturday campaigning in the counties of Kitale, Kericho and Narok, the president's office said in a statement. Neither commented on the incident. Officials from Ruto's office were not available for immediate comment. ||||| NAIROBI (Reuters) - A man armed with machete was behind an attack on the home of Kenya's deputy president in the western town of Eldoret in which a guard was injured, police said on Saturday. "In circumstances that are yet unclear, he hit an officer on duty ... with a machete and managed to enter a farm complex," Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet said in a statement. Local television stations reported earlier that gunmen were behind the attack on the home of William Ruto. "Other officers were quickly mobilized and the intruder was forced to hide at a building that is still under construction next to the gate," Boinnet said. "The injured officer is undergoing treatment and is in a stable condition. Specialist officers have been deployed to deal with the intruder." ||||| NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A lone man armed with a machete attacked and wounded a guard at the home of Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto then entered the compound, Kenya’s police chief said Saturday. Specialist forces were deployed to find the intruder, who hid in an unfinished building, police chief Joseph Boinnet said in a statement. It was not clear what happened to the man. Calls to Boinnet’s spokesman went unanswered. According to Capital FM Radio, unknown gunmen struck the home around noon Saturday, moments after Ruto left to campaign with the president for re-election in the Aug. 8 vote. The residence was near Eldoret, a town 194 miles (312 kilometers) northwest of Nairobi. Analysts have been worried about violence around the election and the Islamist extremist group Al-Shabab recently threatened to disrupt the vote. Al-Shabab has carried out more than 100 attacks in Kenya since 2011 in retribution for the country sending troops in to Somalia, where the extremists are based. ||||| Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto (centre) and his wife Rachael (right) are escorted as they walk to their home in Sugoi village near Eldoret, Kenya in this photo taken August 4, 2010. — Reuters picNAIROBI, July 30 — At least one assailant stormed into the home of Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto yesterday and injured a policeman, less than two weeks before the country votes in high-stakes polls, the police and security sources said. Ruto was not present during the attack, the details of which remain unclear. Police say it was carried out by one man armed with a machete, but several security sources told AFP the assault was staged by multiple people using guns. "There are armed people who staged the attack and have shot the GSU officer and stolen his gun," one security official said, referring to the elite police General Security Unit deployed to guard Ruto's house. A second source, a senior police officer, said security forces are trying to establish if there are still attackers in the deputy president's "expansive" home near the town of Eldoret, some 312 kilometres northwest of the capital Nairobi. "More security personnel have been deployed and a security operation is ongoing," the officer said, and witnesses reported hearing several gunshots from the compound shortly after reinforcements arrived. Their accounts differed from a statement issued by Kenya's police hours after the assault, which said someone carrying a machete attacked a police officer guarding the entrance to the residence and then fled into the compound. "Other officers were quickly mobilised and the intruder was forced to hide at a building that is still under construction next to the gate," Kenya's police chief Joseph Boinnet said in a statement. The attack occurred despite the round-the-clock presence of guards from the GSU's top-notch reconnaissance unit. A spokesman for Ruto declined to comment but the security official said the deputy president had left the house shortly before the attack to attend rallies alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta, his running mate who faces a tight re-election contest on August 8 against longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga. Ruto's home sits in Kenya's western Rift Valley area, the flashpoint for an outbreak of election violence after the disputed 2007 polls that killed 1,100 people and tarnished Kenya's image as a regional beacon of safety and stability. According to opinion polls, this year's election will be close and tensions have been rising. Odinga has repeatedly claimed the government is scheming to steal the election, while Kenyatta has accused Odinga of trying to delay the polls. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said it had received reports of threats and voter intimidation in Naivasha, a flashpoint town in 2007 and one of the potential hotspots in this year's election. In the Rift Valley, hate speech flyers have been circulating and some local residents have already left their homes. Gideon Moi, son of former president Daniel arap Moi and an influential senator from the Rift Valley, released a statement calling yesterday's assault "shocking and worrying." "Kenyans at this moment want to peacefully participate democratically in electing their leaders and no criminal element or group should be allowed to jeopardise peace at this critical time," Moi said. The 2007 bloodshed haunted both Ruto and Kenyatta long after it ended, when the International Criminal Court put both on trial for orchestrating the violence. Those charges were later dropped, with ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda blaming a relentless campaign of victim intimidation for making a trial impossible. — AFP ||||| Mr Ruto's home in Sugoi village near the city of Eldoret Kenyan police say they have shot dead an attacker who forced his way into the rural home of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto, ending a siege that lasted several hours. Mr Ruto and his family were not at the compound near the western city of Eldoret at the time. The man had entered the residence after injuring a police guard with a machete and stealing his gun, police said. The incident comes days before Kenya holds presidential elections. Police chief Joseph Boinnet told local media the situation was now “under control”. “There is no threat now because he was the only one.” There were no further details about the attack. Earlier reports suggested a number of gunmen had entered Mr Ruto’s home, but police later clarified there was only one attacker. There have been conflicting reports about how many guns the attacker used. Mr Boinnet told Capital FM News that only one firearm, belonging to the security guard, had been recovered from the gunman. However, Rift Valley Regional Co-ordinator Wanyama Musiambo told reporters the attacker had used a number of guns after breaking into a police armoury in the compound. “From the exchange of fire we thought it was more than one attacker, because he used different firearms,” he said in quotes carried by Reuters news agency. “After the operation we discovered that it was one gunman, but because he was inside there, he could change positions and firearms because he had access to the guns. And the guns he was using were ours,” he added. The deputy president had left the home hours before the attack, heading to a campaign rally in the town of Kitale with President Uhuru Kenyatta. Mr Kenyatta is seeking re-election on 8 August. Legislative and regional elections will also be held on the same day. While Kenya’s 2013 elections passed relatively peacefully, there was serious post-election violence following the 2007 polls, which left more than 1,000 people dead and 600,000 displaced from their homes. However, experts say they do not expect to see the same level of conflict in the coming elections. ||||| Nairobi - Unknown gunmen attacked the home of Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto on Saturday seriously injuring a policeman, less than two weeks before the country votes in high-stakes polls, two security sources told AFP. Ruto was not home during the attack. An officer from the elite police General Service Unit (GSU) seriously injured, a security official who was not authorised to speak to the press said. “There are armed people who staged the attack and have shot the GSU officer and stolen his gun,” the official said. Security forces are trying to establish if there are still attackers in the deputy president’s “expansive” home near the town of Eldoret, some 312 kilometres (194 miles) northwest of the capital Nairobi, a senior police officer said. “More security personnel have been deployed and a security operation is ongoing,” the officer said. The attack occurred despite the round-the-clock presence of guards from the GSU’s top-notch reconnaissance unit. A spokesman for Ruto declined to comment but the security official said the deputy president had left the house shortly before the attack to attend a rally alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta, his running mate who faces a tight re-election contest on August 8 against longtime opposition leader Raila Odinga. Ruto’s home sits in Kenya’s western Rift Valley area, the flashpoint for an outbreak of election violence after the disputed 2007 polls that killed 1,100 people and tarnished Kenya’s image as a regional beacon of safety and stability. According to opinion polls, this year’s election will be close and tensions have been rising. Odinga has repeatedly claimed the government is scheming to steal the election, while Kenyatta has accused Odinga of trying to delay the polls. Earlier this month, Human Rights Watch said it had received reports of threats and voter intimidation in Naivasha, a flashpoint town in 2007 and one of the potential hotspots in this year’s election. In the Rift Valley, hate speech flyers have been circulating and some local residents have already left their homes. The 2007 bloodshed haunted both Ruto and Kenyatta long after it ended, when the International Criminal Court put both on trial for orchestrating the violence. Those charges were later dropped, with ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda blaming a relentless campaign of victim intimidation for making a trial impossible. ||||| A gunman and a police officer were killed in an attack on Deputy President William Ruto’s residence in the western Kenyan town of Eldoret, a senior administrator said on Sunday. According to the police, the gunman was armed with a machete when the incident occurred. “From the exchange of fire we thought it was more than one attacker, because he used different firearms, but after we subdued him, we found only one man dead, plus our officer who he had killed,” Wanyama Musiambo, Rift Valley Regional Coordinator, told reporters at the scene on Sunday according to Reuters. The attack started a few minutes after Deputy President Ruto and his family left home for a political rally and joined President Uhuru Kenyatta in the neighbouring town. Ruto and Kenyatta spent Saturday campaigning in the counties of Kitale, Kericho and Narok, the president’s office said in a statement. Neither of them commented on the incident. The incident comes days before Kenya sees its presidential, legislative and regional elections. While President Kenyatta is seeking a second term, Ruto is his running mate. Kenya’s elections in 2013 were rather peaceful when compared to the preceding 2007 vote. More than 1,000 people were killed and 60,000 were displaced because of the election violence in 2007. However, similar incidents of violence are not expected this year when elections are held on August 8. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App | A man wielding a machete attacks the home of Kenya's Deputy President William Ruto, injuring one guard, 10 days before national elections. Ruto and his family were not home at the time. The assailant fled to a farm complex, reportedly hiding in an unfinished building. There are other media reports that gunmen also struck the home. |
Wayne Drehs explains why Los Angeles is on the verge of hosting the 2028 Olympics instead of 2024. (2:07) The Los Angeles 2024 Olympic Bid Committee formally announced on Monday the city has reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2028 Summer Games. The decision means Paris will host the 2024 Olympics and marks the return of the Summer Games to the United States for the first time since 1996 in Atlanta. Los Angeles (1932, 1984, 2028) and Paris (1900, 1924, 2024) will join London as the only cities to host three Olympic Games. Both Games will be officially awarded at the 130th IOC session in Lima, Peru, on Sept. 13. The Los Angeles bid committee announced the agreement in a statement Monday, outlining the basic terms that were reached with the International Olympic Committee as part of the deal. As part of the Host City Contract, the IOC is set to contribute at least $1.8 billion to help carry Los Angeles through the longer planning period. According to the statement, that amount could exceed $2 billion if future budgets factor in potential changes in sponsorship agreements and new marketing deals. The L.A. bid committee also thanked the Trump Administration, the White House Office of American Innovation and the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives for their support of the bid: "The USOC and Los Angeles bid team greatly appreciate their strong commitment to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States," the statement said. "This is an historic day for Los Angeles, for the United States and for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements around the world," Garcetti said in the statement. "This agreement with the IOC will allow us to seed a legacy of hope and opportunity that will lift up every community in Los Angeles -- not in 11 years' time, but starting now and continuing in the years leading up to the Games. LA 2028 will kick-start our drive to make LA the healthiest city in America, by making youth sports more affordable and accessible than ever before." Speaking with reporters at a soccer stadium in Carson, just outside LA, Garcetti said the 2028 proposal was the better of the two, promising to bring hundreds of millions of dollars in additional benefits. The deal "was too good to pass up,'' the mayor said. The final hurdle will be approval from the Los Angeles City Council and United States Olympic Committee board of directors; City council spokeswoman Caolinn Mejza said the pact is expected to be reviewed by the council later this week. The path to an unprecedented double award was paved last month in Switzerland, where the IOC membership unanimously approved the executive board's recommendation to give the 2024 and 2028 Games to the two candidate cities remaining, Paris and Los Angeles. After that vote, Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo joined hands on the stage in celebration. For the past three weeks, leaders from both bids and the IOC have negotiated the terms of a dual-bid allocation. Paris leaders have long said they could host in 2024 because the land where they plan to build the Olympic Village would be available for those Games only. Los Angeles officials publicly stated a preference for 2024 but expressed a willingness to host in 2028 if the IOC made the risk that comes with waiting four more years worthwhile. "I don't want the Olympics at any price," Garcetti told ESPN in June. "I won't accept these Games if they put the city in debt or at risk. I won't do it if there's not a genuine human legacy and instead it's just a vanity party for 2 1/2 weeks." Though the details of the agreement have not been made public, Garcetti hinted earlier this week that negotiations were heading in the right direction. "They are making it financially -- and we are negotiating this -- so attractive we would be stupid not to take 2028," he told Buzzfeed. Los Angeles has reached an agreement that would allow the city to host the 2028 Summer Olympics. An announcement on the compromise is expected Monday. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images In September 2015, Garcetti stood at Santa Monica Beach and officially announced that Los Angeles had replaced Boston as the U.S. candidate city for 2024. At the time, the grassroots #NoBostonOlympics campaign raised questions about the taxpayer cost of hosting the Games; public approval plummeted, torpedoing Boston's bid. The USOC quickly turned to Los Angeles, where an independent poll found that 88 percent of residents were in favor of hosting the Games. Los Angeles was a late addition to a field that included not only Paris but also Budapest, Hungary; Hamburg, Germany; and Rome. One by one, over the course of the next two years, Budapest, Hamburg and Rome all bagged their bids under mounting public pressure. It was another PR disaster for the IOC, which has found fewer and fewer cities willing to host the Olympics. Two years ago, six European cities backed out of their bids for the 2022 Winter Games, leaving Almaty, Kazakhstan, and Beijing as the final candidates. Beijing eventually won. So when the IOC Evaluation Commission reported that Paris and Los Angeles offered two of the strongest, most fiscally responsible bids the IOC has seen, IOC president Thomas Bach floated the idea of a dual-bid allocation. After the executive board approved the recommendation in June, Bach said more than likely the stronger bid would host second. Los Angeles' privately funded $5.3 billion budget includes no new permanent venues. It instead benefits from an infrastructure boom in Southern California, including the $2.8 billion future home of the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Chargers and the new LAFC soccer stadium. USC has pre-existing plans for a $270 million renovation of the historic Memorial Coliseum, and UCLA's dorms will house the athletes' village. Games rights-holder NBC Universal has pledged to construct the media compound on its lot, with future plans to convert it into a movie studio. The Los Angeles City Council has pledged to contribute $250 million to cost overruns. The state of California has agreed to the same, but only if LA 2024's private insurance is unable to cover the additional costs. Garcetti said he doesn't anticipate needing any public funds. The 1984 Los Angeles Games are the only Olympics in modern history to run at a profit. "The cost to taxpayers to put this plan together is nothing," Garcetti said. "There's risk. Eyes wide open, it could be something. But I'm close to 100 percent confident." Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson called the agreement a "win-win-win scenario.'' The opportunity to host the Games "is a golden occasion further strengthening Los Angeles -- not just through bricks and mortar, but through new opportunities for our communities to watch, play and benefit from sport,'' Wesson said. In a statement Monday, President Trump said he's confident the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles will exemplify the Olympic ideal and the American spirit. He says America shines brightly during the Games and "LA 2028 will be no exception.'' The decision to wait four more years likely brings with it additional risk. That's four more years where the economy can change or something like an earthquake or major terrorist attack could drastically alter the sports landscape. And although public opinion in Los Angeles currently supports hosting the Games, that's four more years for Olympic opponents to galvanize dissent. Through his negotiations, Garcetti was hopeful the IOC would help continue the tradition of the LA84 Foundation and make youth sport free for all children in the city. "That to me is something that I think they need to be able to help us design," he said. "That is a good message for the Olympics. That is a good message for our Games. And it's a great thing for the health of our city and our world. "I'm as anxious as anyone to have the party as soon as possible. But what's really important is the life of your city, the opportunity for your residents. If I can do something for my city, I have to look at, What's the better deal?" The answer, it appears, is 2028. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Los Angeles has decided its Olympic aspirations can wait four years, which means Paris is poised to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. The two cities had both been awarded hosting rights by the International Olympic Committee and have been negotiating for the past three weeks on which city would go first and which would wait until 2028. The Los Angeles Times reported Monday that a deal between the three parties has been struck with Los Angeles agreeing to stage the 2028 Summer Games. While Los Angeles was expected to push for youth sports funding and other possible financial considerations, terms of the deal were not immediately known. The Times reported an official announcement from the IOC could come later Monday. The deal would still need to be ratified by the IOC at its Sept. 13 meeting in Lima, Peru. A spokesman for the LA 2024 committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The committee has scheduled a news conference for 8 p.m. ET. The 2024 bidding process had been among the most calamitous with several cities pulling out of the race early, including Rome, Budapest, Boston and Hamburg, Germany. Eventually, only Los Angeles and Paris were left standing, and on July 11 the IOC voted unanimously to move forward with a dual award for the 2024 and ’28 Summer Games, ensuring that both cities would have hosting honours. Even before negotiations began, it was widely presumed in Olympic circles that Los Angeles would end up with the 2028 Games. The Paris committee had remained steadfast in its desire to host in ’24, while Los Angeles officials repeatedly highlighted their flexibility. “Our objective is to best serve the IOC’s needs, not only ours,” Casey Wasserman, chair of the LA 2024 committee, said earlier this month. “That’s why we’ve never given an ultimatum about 2024.” The agreement means that both Paris and Los Angeles are poised to host an Olympics for a third time. Los Angeles previously staged the Games in 1932 and ’84; while Paris hosted in 1900 and ’24. While Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Winter Games, no American city has hosted a Summer Olympics since Atlanta in 1996. ||||| "La La Land" will have to wait just a little longer to bring home the gold. Los Angeles will be the host of the 2028 Summer Olympics instead of the 2024 games, officials confirmed on Monday. "Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the first time in 44 years is a golden opportunity for LA," Los Angeles City Council President Herb Wesson said in a statement on Monday. After reaching a deal with the International Olympic Committee, the Olympics will return to the City of Angeles in 2028, the third time since it first hosted in 1932. "In 1932 and 1984, the Olympic Games helped to transform our city for the better — not just through bricks and mortar, but through new opportunities for our communities to watch, play and benefit from sport," Wesson said. "Over the next 11 years and beyond, we want to bring those benefits to young people across this city on an unprecedented scale." IOC President Thomas Bach called Los Angeles an "excellent" candidate for the 2028 games in a statement posted to the committee's webstie. "The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee. and we are pleased to release the Host City contract 2028 in a transparent and timely manner," Bach said. He added that the decision to make Los Angeles the games' 2028 host would be ratified during a meeting in September in Peru. The agreement, which has been in the works for several months, means Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics, following Tokyo in 2020. Typically the IOC doesn’t confirm two cities as hosts at once, but decided make the move rather than rule out a strong contender. The decision had not been expected until September. California and the city of Los Angeles have agreed to provide financial backing in case of cost overruns, although the city’s bid will not rely on public financing. It is predicted the games will make the city money, which can be put toward youth sports — as was done during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. The IOC convened on July 11 and 12 and agreed that Paris and Los Angeles would be the host cities for the two future games, but didn’t announce who would hold which year’s event. Following the vote, Paris was seen as the frontrunner for 2024. The two cities and the IOC struck a three-way deal to ensure the dates of the games would be locked in. If the deal fell through, it was possible that the 2028 games would be up for grabs again. Related: Olympic Leaders Signal They Will Name Hosts for 2024 and 2028 Games But following the announcement that the two cities would host the events, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo seemed eager to make the agreement work, ensuring that both cities would host the games regardless of the order. "Both of us will find it more and more difficult to convince cities — whether it's Paris, Los Angeles or other American cities — to really go into this process if one of us gets turned down," Garcetti told the Associated Press earlier this month. Garcetti hinted that L.A. was not likely going to host the 2024 games, saying last week that the 2024 bid "is not probably most likely to happen." Boston, Budapest and several other cities pulled themselves out of consideration for the 2024 games after facing opposition over the high costs. Los Angeles used this depict itself as the sensible choice because it would need to build no major new venues and would be able to show the world the Games could be staged efficiently and economically. However, the city seemed more willing to wait until 2028 than Paris. The French capital was seen as the sentimental choice, with the event falling 100 years after it last hosted the Olympics. The decision avoids inflicting a third recent defeat on Paris — which lost with bids for the 1992, 2008 and 2012 Olympics — and the United States. New York and Chicago both lost heavily for 2012 and 2016, respectively. Those losses deepened a rift between the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Swiss-based IOC that LA 2024 and a new team of American officials have worked hard to heal. The 2028 Olympics will be the first American-hosted games since 1996 in Atlanta. NBC Universal is the U.S. broadcaster for the Olympics through 2032. ||||| Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as part of a deal in which Paris will hold the 2024 Games, according to sources familiar with negotiations between the city and the International Olympic Committee. The agreement between Los Angeles and the IOC comes less than a month after the IOC voted unanimously to award two Games in one year for the first time since 1921. The agreement will be formally announced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, city council president Herb Wesson, Los Angeles 2024 and U.S. Olympic Committee officials Monday, July 31 at 5 p.m. at StubHub Center.
• L.A., USOC officials tell IOC they’re ready to provide ‘transformative’ Games in 2024 The deal will be approved by the IOC membership on Sept. 13 in Lima, Peru. The IOC’s unanimous vote in Lausanne on July 11 that guaranteed Los Angeles and Paris the opportunity to host a third Olympic Games was characterized by IOC president Thomas Bach and Garcetti as a “golden opportunity” for both cities and an Olympic movement whose future has been jeopardized by a series of corruption, financial and doping scandals that have scared off potential bid cities, younger viewers and sponsors. The 2028 Games will follow the same general plans as Los Angeles 2024 officials pitched for the 2024 Games. Those plans were described in an IOC bid evaluation report released earlier this month as “forward-looking, innovative, vibrant, and cool.” Los Angeles’ bid to host a third Olympic Games comes revolves four Olympic sports parks — downtown, Long Beach, South Bay, the Valley — and stresses a city re-energized and more diverse since hosting the record-setting 1984 Games as well as both the city’s lengthy Olympic history and its 21st Century vision for the Olympic movement. The 2028 Games will benefit from $88 billion in previously approved infrastructure projects, the $14 billion renovation of Los Angeles International Airport and $120 billion in transit funding approved by Los Angeles County voters last year. The IOC report repeatedly touches on the region’s wealth of existing Olympic-caliber venues and the city’s unique place at the intersection of the entertainment and technology industries. “When discussing the main differentiators of both candidatures, the two words the Evaluation Commission often attributed to LA2024 were ‘dynamic’ and ‘futuristic,’” the report said. “Los Angeles is prepared to put its storytelling skills, creative energy and cutting-edge technologies to good use in delivering what it proposes will be a transformative Olympic Games that will thrill and inspire the world, just as some Hollywood masterpieces have done over the generations.” Ninety-seven percent of Los Angeles’ proposed venues already exist or would be temporary. The commission wrote that “with so many world-class sports facilities at its disposal, the Los Angeles venue inventory exceeds Games’ needs.” The opening ceremonies will begin at the Coliseum, from where the Olympic flame will be carried through the city’s streets to the $2.6 billion stadium being built in Inglewood for the balance of the ceremonies. The track and field competition will be held at the Coliseum, with swimming taking place nearby on the USC campus. The Olympic Village will be at existing dorms and facilities at UCLA, providing athletes world-class training facilities just steps from their front doors. The LA 2024 budget lists $33.6 million in Olympic Village related costs. Gymnastics will take place at the Forum in Inglewood, with volleyball held at Honda Center in Anaheimn. “The proposed Olympic Village would be outstanding in all aspects and very low risk from an operational standpoint,” the evaluation commission report said. LA 2024’s plans for the 2024 Games projected a balanced $5.3 billion budget. That number is likely to increase for the 2028 Games, as are payments from the IOC. The IOC will contribute to the 2024 host city nearly $1.5 billion — $855 million from television revenue, another $453.5 million from its TOP Sponsors program and corporate partners such as Coca-Cola and Visa, according to bid documents. The IOC evaluation commission report projected Los Angeles receiving $1.12 billion from the IOC and its top-level sponsors, according to an IOC evaluation commission report. “One issue to consider, if the IOC provides financial inducements of some sort for 2028, is whether those inducements will make it less likely that the 2028 Games experience financial shortfalls,” said Jason Sisney, the state’s chief deputy legislative analyst. “Whether Los Angeles hosts the 2024 or 2028 Games, there will be many twists and turns in executing the plan over the next seven or 11 years. Sticking to LA 2024’s bold, low-risk plan is likely to require strict discipline by bid organizers and the city, working cooperatively with the IOC and sports federations. “With the state government as a possible financial partner for 2028, we at the LAO (Legislative Analyst’s Office) will be interested in whether any deal with the IOC increases the Games’ financial cushion. While the LA 2024 plan is refreshingly low-risk, we would be most pleased if the initial 2028 plan carries even less risk. The reason: 2028 is a considerably more distant option – with all the unknowns that come with that – and managing risk should continue to be a priority for both the city and the state.” LA 2024 is expected to reach a Memorandum of Understanding with the city that will be similar to the MOU approved by the city council in January. That agreement gave the council a role in the planning of the 2024 Olympic Games and the city protection against an unexpected financial deficit had Los Angeles been awarded those Games. The agreement required LA 2024 to establish an allocated contingency fund of at least $250 million. The fund would have been utilized only with the city’s written consent. The fund would have been created out of the $487.6 million LA 2024 plans to set aside for contingencies. More to come on this story … ||||| Los Angeles is on its way to being an Olympic city again, this time in 2028. A tentative deal announced Monday gives LA the Summer Games after Paris emerged as the last city standing in the contest for the 2024 Games. Here's how things progressed to this point: WHY 2028 AND NOT 2024? Only a few months ago, Los Angeles leaders winced at the prospect of hosting the 2028 Games. The city "is only bidding for 2024," LA Olympic Committee leader Casey Wasserman said in May. But that stance softened after International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach pushed the idea of making revisions to bidding to avoid "too many losers," in other words, dividing the spoils for 2024 and 2028. LA embraced the second-place prize, 2028, after it became clear Paris was in line for 2024. FILE - This July 11, 2017 file photo shows banners of Los Angeles 2024 candidacy, Paris 2024 candidacy and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Extraordinary Session, at the SwissTech Convention Centre, in Lausanne, Switzerland. It was announced Monday, July 31, that Los Angeles has reached an agreement with international Olympic leaders that will open the way for the city to host the 2028 Summer Games, while ceding the 2024 Games to rival Paris. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP,File) L.A.'s bid committee has projected it will cost about $5 billion to stage the Games. While recent Games have seen runaway costs, LA officials predict the plan will stay in the black, covering all expenditures through ticket sales, sponsorships and other revenue. Major savings will come from using existing venues, like the Coliseum and Pauley Pavilion, rather than buildings new ones. LA's agreement comes with a plump reward for the long wait: Under the 2028 contract, the IOC will advance funds to the LA committee to account for the longer planning period and to increase youth sports programs leading up to the Games. The IOC contribution would be $1.8 billion, with the potential to exceed $2 billion when taking into account the estimated value of renewed sponsor agreements and potential new marketing deals, according to the LA bid committee. There are other benefits: The LA committee would get $180 million from the IOC over the first five years of the deal to cover expenses and support youth sports, a shift since the IOC typically holds back most of its spending until the Games get closer. And the IOC would surrender its right to a 20 percent cut of any surplus after the Games end, which could give LA $100 million or more if the books stay balanced, according to the LA committee. Next month, the proposed deal will be considered by the Los Angeles City Council and the U.S. Olympic Committee board. If approved, the International Olympic Committee, LA and Paris could enter a three-way agreement, clearing the way for IOC to award the 2024 Games to Paris, with 2028 going to Los Angeles. A final IOC vote is expected in Lima, Peru in September. ||||| LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles reached an agreement Monday with international Olympic leaders that will open the way for the city to host the 2028 Summer Games, while ceding the 2024 Games to rival Paris, officials announced Monday. The deal would make LA a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and 1984 Games. With the agreement, the city is taking “a major step toward bringing the Games back to our city for the first time in a generation,” Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a statement. He called it a “historic day for Los Angeles, for the United States” and the Olympic movement. The agreement follows a vote earlier this month by the International Olympic Committee to seek an unusual deal to award the 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously. Paris is the only city left to host the 2024 Games. The Los Angeles City Council and U.S. Olympic Committee board of directors will consider the agreement for approval in August. If approved, the IOC, LA and Paris may enter a three-part agreement, clearing the way for the IOC to simultaneously award the 2024 Games to Paris, and the 2028 Games to LA. The IOC vote is scheduled for September, in Lima, Peru. In a statement, the Paris bid committee welcomed the announcement in Los Angeles but stopped short of confirming the obvious, that Paris is in line for the 2024 Games. “Paris 2024 is proud to be working together with the IOC and our friends in Los Angeles to reach a positive solution for both cities, the Games and the whole Olympic Movement for 2024 and 2028,” committee co-chair Tony Estanguet said. In embracing what amounted to the second-place prize and an 11-year wait, LA will receive a financial sweetener. Under the terms of the deal, the IOC will advance funds to the Los Angeles organizing committee to recognize the extended planning period and to increase youth sports programs leading up to the Games. The IOC contribution could exceed $2 billion, according to LA officials. That figure takes into account the estimated value of existing sponsor agreements that would be renewed, as well as potential new marketing deals. The delay to 2028 opens a host of questions for Los Angeles, which is looking at the prospect of retooling its multibillion-dollar plans for more than a decade into the future. It would face challenges from maintaining public interest to recasting deals for stadiums, arenas and housing that have been in the works for months and even years. LA and Paris were the last two bids remaining after a tumultuous process that exposed the unwillingness of cities to bear the financial burden of hosting an event that has become synonymous with cost overruns. LA was not even the first American entrant in the contest. Boston withdrew two years ago as public support for its bid collapsed over concerns about use of taxpayer cash. The U.S. bid switched from the east to the West Coast as LA entered the race. But the same apprehensions that spooked politicians and the local population in Boston soon became evident in Europe where three cities pulled out. Uncomfortably for IOC President Thomas Bach, whose much-vaunted Agenda 2020 reforms were designed to make hosting more streamlined and less costly after the lavish 2014 Sochi Games, the first withdrawal came from his homeland of Germany. The lack of political unity for a bid in Hamburg was mirrored in Rome and Budapest as support for bids waned among local authorities and the population. It was clear they did not want to be saddled with skyrocketing bills for hosting the Olympics without reaping many of the economic benefits anticipated. Just like in the depleted field for the 2022 Winter Games which saw Beijing defeat Almaty, the IOC was left with only two candidates again. With two powerful cities left vying for 2024, Bach realized France or the U.S. could be deterred from going through another contest for 2028 if they lost. Bach floated the idea in December of making revisions to the bidding process to prevent it producing “too many losers,” building support that led to LA and Paris being able to figure out themselves how to share the 2024 and 2028 Games. The dual award of the games relieves the IOC of having to test the global interest in hosting the Summer Olympics for several years until the 2032 Games are up for grabs. The opportunity to host the Games “is a golden occasion further strengthening Los Angeles — not just through bricks and mortar, but through new opportunities for our communities to watch, play and benefit from sport,” Wesson said. ||||| Paris will host the 2024 Summer Olympics Games after Los Angeles agreed to formally announce its bid for the 2028 Games. The Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic bid committee in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced it on Monday. The LA bid committee said in a statement that Los Angeles will host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2028. “The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee. And we are pleased to release the host city contract 2028 in a transparent and timely manner,” said IOC president Thomas Bach. “We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners. This agreement will be put forward to the IOC Session in Lima in September for ratification.” Los Angeles had been in a race with Paris to host the 2024 Games, with the winner to be named by the IOC on September 13 in Lima. ||||| Los Angeles has reached a deal to stage the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The LA Bid Committee and the International Olympic Committee announced on Monday night they had come to an agreement over the Host City Contract for 2028. The deal now needs to be ratified by the Los Angeles City Council on Friday and, once that has happened, the announcement of Paris as the 2024 hosts and LA as the 2028 ones can be rubber-stamped. Both LA and Paris had been bidding for the 2024 Games and the IOC told the two to work out a plan or face going to a vote. That vote - which would have been held at the 131st IOC session in Lima in Peru - will now not take place. That session will instead see the final ratification of the two venues. A statement from the LA Bid Committee said: 'Since his election, President Trump has been personally involved in helping to make LA's bid a truly American bid and the White House Office of American Innovation and the US Senate and House of Representatives have been true partners throughout. 'The USOC and Los Angeles bid team greatly appreciate their strong commitment to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States.' LA mayor Eric Garcetti added: 'This is an historic day for Los Angeles, for the United States and for the Olympic and Paralympic Movements around the world. Today, we take a major step toward bringing the Games back to our city for the first time in a generation and begin a new chapter in Los Angeles' timeless Olympic story. 'This agreement with the IOC will allow us to seed a legacy of hope and opportunity that will lift up every community in Los Angeles - not in 11 years' time, but starting now and continuing in the years leading up to the Games. LA 2028 will kick-start our drive to make LA the healthiest city in America, by making youth sports more affordable and accessible than ever before.' The announcement means the usual seven-year gap between the award and staging of a games will be waived for 2024. With LA stepping aside and letting Paris take on 2024, it is to be given £1.8billion by the IOC, giving assistance for the additional four years of host-city related costs. It will also give the Californian city more time to complete its already-scheduled transport infrastructure improvements, although its venues are all ready for use now. The two cities were the only ones left in the race for 2024 after Budapest, Hamburg and Rome withdrew. LA hosted the games in 1932 and 1984, with Paris doing so in 1900 and 1924, meaning 2024 will be a 100th centenary celebration. 'The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic bid committee,' chairman Thomas Bach said. 'They presented a strong and enthusiastic candidature that embraces the Olympic Agenda 2020 sustainability priorities by incorporating existing facilities and encouraging the engagement of more youth in the Olympic Movement. 'Therefore, we are very happy that as part of this Host City Contract, we are able to expand the impact of city youth sports programming and encourage the healthy lifestyle of Angelenos for the next 11 years. 'We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners. This agreement will be put forward to the IOC Session in Lima in September for ratification.' ||||| Los Angeles, United States, Jul 31 – Los Angeles formally announced its intent to host the 2028 Summer Olympics on Monday after agreeing a deal with Games officials that paves the way for Paris to host in 2024. “The Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic bid committee in cooperation with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), today announced its intention for Los Angeles to host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games 2028 and its agreement with the Host City Contract 2028,” the LA bid committee said in a statement, confirming earlier comments from city officials. The deal, trumpeted as a “win-win-win” for Los Angeles, Paris and the IOC, will bring the Summer Olympics to Los Angeles for a third time, after the city staged the Games in 1984 and 1932. Los Angeles had been in a race with Paris for 2024, with the winner to be named by the IOC on September 13 in Lima. But the possibility that Los Angeles would abandon a 2024 bid and instead accept the 2028 Games has been growing since the IOC decided in July that in an unprecedented move it would attempt to award both Games at its Lima meeting. Paris had remained insistent on hosting in 2024, on the 100th anniversary of the city’s 1924 Olympics. LA bid officials, who had put forward a $5.3 billion bid for 2024, said Monday that an agreement had been reached with the IOC on financial considerations that would make waiting an extra four years feasible. “Under the terms of the Host City Contract 2028, the IOC will advance funds to a Los Angeles Organizing Committee in view of the longer planning period and to increase participation and access to youth sports programs in the City of Los Angeles in the years leading up to the Games,” their statement said. “The IOC contribution as stipulated by the HCC is $1.8 billion and has the potential to exceed $2 billion according to the evaluation of the LA bid committee when taking into account the estimated value of existing sponsor agreements to be renewed and potential new marketing deals.” The agreement must still be approved by the Los Angeles City Council and the United States Olympic Committee — both of which backed the 2024 bid. “The Los Angeles City Council and United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors will consider the agreement for approval in August,” the bid committee said. “If approved, the IOC, LA and Paris may enter a tripartite agreement, clearing the way for IOC Membership to simultaneously confirm the Olympic Games 2024 to Paris and the Olympic Games 2028 to Los Angeles at the next IOC session in Lima, Peru on September 13, 2017.” IOC president Thomas Bach said he was confident any remaining hurdles could be cleared. “We are very confident that we can reach a tripartite agreement under the leadership of the IOC with LA and Paris in August, creating a win-win-win situation for all three partners,” he said. “This agreement will be put forward to the IOC Session in Lima in September for ratification.” Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on Twitter: “Happy that my friend @MayorofLA has made an important new step on an agreement that will have three winners: Paris, Los Angeles and the IOC #Paris2024” LA bid officials had scheduled a press conference for 5pm (0000 GMT) with Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti and bid chief Casey Wasserman about the bid. LA city council member Gil Cedillo had already tweeted “hashtag goes from #LA2024 to #LA2028”, and City Council president Herb Wesson was enthusiastic. “The City of Los Angeles is a proud and enthusiastic partner in this ‘win-win-win’ scenario,” he said. While local backing is seen as crucial to the success of any Games, the bid committee also singled out the support of US President Donald Trump as they try to bring the Games back to the United States. The USA last hosted the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 while the Winter Games were held in Salt Lake City in 2002. “Since his election, President Trump has been personally involved in helping to make LA’s bid a truly American bid and the White House Office of American Innovation and the US Senate and House of Representatives have been true partners throughout,” they said. “The USOC and Los Angeles bid team greatly appreciate their strong commitment to bringing the Olympic and Paralympic Games back to the United States.” ||||| Paris set to host 2024 Olympics, Los Angeles to be awarded 2028 Games by IOC Paris is virtually assured of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics after its only rival Los Angeles announced it would instead opt for the 2028 Games. Both cities were competing for the 2024 Games after several other candidates withdrew from contention, and the stage was set for Paris to win its bid when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that Los Angeles had agreed to the later date of 2028. "The IOC welcomes this decision of the Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Candidature Committee, and we are pleased to release the Host City contract 2028 in a transparent and timely manner," IOC president Thomas Bach in a statement. The agreement follows a vote by the IOC in July to seek an unusual deal to award the 2024 and 2028 Games simultaneously. The IOC, who will hold its official vote next month in Lima, Peru, said it would make contributions to the Los Angeles organising committee worth about $2.2 billion. Paris and Los Angeles were the last two bids remaining after a tumultuous process that exposed the unwillingness of cities to bear the financial burden of hosting an event that has become synonymous with cost overruns. Paris was seen as the frontrunner for the 2024 Games because it was passed over in a series of earlier Olympic bids and because the French capital will have marked 100 years since the last time it hosted the Games. An official designation of Paris for the 2024 Games has yet to be announced, but the city's bid committee welcomed the announcement in Los Angeles. "Paris 2024 is proud to be working together with the IOC and our friends in Los Angeles to reach a positive solution for both cities, the Games and the whole Olympic Movement for 2024 and 2028," committee co-chair Tony Estanguet said in a statement. The deal would make Los Angeles a three-time Olympic city, after hosting the 1932 and 1984 Games. Los Angeles was not even the first American entrant in the contest. Boston withdrew two years ago as public support for its bid collapsed over concerns about use of taxpayer cash. The US bid switched from the east to the West Coast, as Los Angeles entered the race. But the same apprehensions that spooked politicians and the local population in Boston soon became evident in Europe where three cities pulled out. The dual award of the Games relieves the IOC of having to test the global interest in hosting the Summer Olympics for several years until the 2032 Games are up for grabs. | Los Angeles has reportedly reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee to host the 2028 Games. This means that Paris will most likely host the 2024 Games. Both Games will be formally awarded at the 131st IOC Session in Lima, Peru, in September. |
The husband of Denmark's Queen Margrethe is causing a stir in one of the world's oldest monarchies. Prince Henrik has announced he won't be buried next to Margrethe in the Roskilde cathedral, where Danish royals have been buried since 1559. She has had a specially designed sarcophagus made for the couple there. "Traditions are important to all monarchies so this is felt pretty violently," said Lars Hovbakke Soerensen, an expert in Danish history. Lene Balleby, the spokeswoman for Denmark's royal house, told Danish tabloid newspaper BT that the France-born Henrik has "for years been dissatisfied with his role and the title." Margrethe acceded to the throne in 1972 and became Denmark's first female monarch in centuries. The 83-year-old prince has long complained that he didn't become king instead. "The decision not to be buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally in relation to his spouse," Balleby was quoted as saying. "Any man who is not equal to his spouse is not worthy to be buried in the same grave," Henrik said Friday, according to the Ekstra Bladet tabloid. A change to the Danish Constitution in 1953 allowed female succession, paving the way for Margrethe to become the monarch. Even before that, Henrik wouldn't have become king. "This is the culmination of his grumbling in the past...a way to say to Danes and Denmark, 'Thanks, but no thanks,'" Hovbakke Soerensen said. The palace said Thursday that Margrethe, 77, has accepted Henrik's decision, adding it didn't change her burial plans. Henrik, who retired from public life last year, said through the royal household that he wanted to be buried in Denmark, but didn't say where. Born Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat, he met Margrethe in London when he was a diplomat with the French Embassy. He changed his name to Henrik, converted to Denmark's state Lutheran Church and became prince consort. The couple has two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim. ||||| Prince Henrik of Denmark looks set to launch an eternal protest after announcing he does not wish to be buried next to his wife, Queen Margrethe, over the refusal to name him king. The 83-year-old prince has been unhappy with his title since being named prince consort -- rather than king consort -- upon the couple's marriage in 1967. "It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years," the palace's communications chief, Lene Balleby, told Danish tabloid BT. "For the prince, the decision not to buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse -- by not having the title and role he has desired." Ballenby added that the decision had been accepted by the queen. said that "the Queen has for some time been familiar with the decision of His Royal Highness and acknowledges the decision." statement published by the Royal House, said that "the Queen has for some time been familiar with the decision of His Royal Highness and acknowledges the decision." The statement also rejected claims that Prince Henrik would be buried in his native France and said he would be laid to rest in Denmark at the appropriate time, although not in Roskilde Cathedral as had been planned. The prince, who retired from public life last year, was born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat in France in 1934. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark waves to well wishers outside the All Saints' church in Wittenberg, eastern Germany, on October 2, 2016. The queen, 77, is still expected to be buried at the Roskilde Cathedral in a sarcophagus created by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard. The royal couple have two sons. ||||| Prince Henrik, the French-born husband of Queen Margrethe II, does not want to be buried with his wife when the time comes, breaking with tradition, the royal palace said Thursday. Long vocal about his frustration over being relegated to a supporting role, the 83-year-old prince said he was not on equal footing with his wife in life and therefore did not want to be so in death. That decision has been accepted by the queen, the palace's communications chief Lene Balleby told Danish daily BT. A second palace spokesman confirmed the accuracy of the newspaper report to AFP but provided no other details. Disappointed that his royal title of prince consort was never changed to king when his wife became queen in 1972, Henrik has often spoken out about his discontent, which did little to endear him to his subjects. The couple will break with royal tradition by not being buried together in the Roskilde Cathedral. The prince consort nonetheless intends to be buried in Denmark. He "loves Denmark and worked for Denmark for more than 50 years. The prince therefore wants to be buried in Denmark, but the details have not been settled yet," Balleby said. Born Henri Marie Jean Andre Count de Laborde de Monpezat on June 11, 1934 in Talence, near Bordeaux, he met Margrethe, then the crown princess, while he was stationed in London as a diplomat. Upon marrying her, he changed his name to Henrik, converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and renounced his French citizenship to become a Dane. By the time Margrethe acceded to the throne, the couple had two young children: Prince Frederik, born in 1968, and Joakim, born in 1969. READ ALSO: Denmark's queen: Living here doesn't make you Danish ||||| FILE - Danish Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik arriving to Aarhus Harbour aboard the Royal Yacht Dannebrog in this file photo dated June 23, 2017. Prince Henrik announced Thursday Aug. 3, 2017, he won't be buried next to Margrethe in the specially designed sarcophagus made for them in Roskilde cathedral, where Danish royals have been buried since 1559, without giving any reason for his decision. (Mikkel Berg Pedersen/Ritzau FILE via AP) FILE - In this file photo dated June 7, 2017, Denmark's Prince Henrik poses for a photo in Copenhagen. Prince Henrik announced Thursday Aug. 3, 2017, he won't be buried next to Margrethe in the specially designed sarcophagus made for them in Roskilde cathedral where Danish royals have been buried since 1559, without giving any reason for his decision. The husband of Denmark's Queen Margrethe is causing a stir in one of the world's oldest monarchies. Prince Henrik has announced he won't be buried next to Margrethe in the Roskilde cathedral, where Danish royals have been buried since 1559. She has had a specially designed sarcophagus made for the couple there. "Traditions are important to all monarchies so this is felt pretty violently," said Lars Hovbakke Soerensen, an expert in Danish history. Lene Balleby, the spokeswoman for Denmark's royal house, told Danish tabloid newspaper BT that the France-born Henrik has "for years been dissatisfied with his role and the title." Margrethe acceded to the throne in 1972 and became Denmark's first female monarch in centuries. The 83-year-old prince has long complained that he didn't become king instead. "The decision not to be buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally in relation to his spouse," Balleby was quoted as saying. "Any man who is not equal to his spouse is not worthy to be buried in the same grave," Henrik said Friday, according to the Ekstra Bladet tabloid. A change to the Danish Constitution in 1953 allowed female succession, paving the way for Margrethe to become the monarch. Even before that, Henrik wouldn't have become king. "This is the culmination of his grumbling in the past...a way to say to Danes and Denmark, 'Thanks, but no thanks,'" Hovbakke Soerensen said. The palace said Thursday that Margrethe, 77, has accepted Henrik's decision, adding it didn't change her burial plans. Henrik, who retired from public life last year, said through the royal household that he wanted to be buried in Denmark, but didn't say where. Born Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat, he met Margrethe in London when he was a diplomat with the French Embassy. He changed his name to Henrik, converted to Denmark's state Lutheran Church and became prince consort. The couple has two sons, Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Joachim. ||||| Prince Henrik of Denmark has refused to be buried next to his wife, Queen Margrethe II, because he is still seething at being called a prince rather than a king. The 83-year-old prince consort said his decision was the result of gender discrimination he has been subjected to since marrying the 77-year-old monarch in 1967. The royal couple were expected to be laid to rest in the custom-made sarcophagus at the Roskilde Cathedral when their time comes. However, Prince Henrik has said he would not use the space reserved for him because he felt that he was not treated equally. His wife is said to have accepted his decision. “It makes me angry that I am subjected to discrimination,” he told the French paper Le Figaro (via People). “Denmark, which is otherwise known as an avid defender of gender equality, is apparently willing to consider husbands as worth less than their wives.” The Royal Danish House’s director of communications also confirmed to tabloid BT (via BBC) that the prince has been unhappy with his role and title. “For the prince, the decision not to be buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse – by not having the title and role he has desired.” Prince Henrik got the title prince consort instead, which is the traditional title for the husband of a reigning queen. He renounced the title in April 2016 and has since been called His Royal Highness Prince Henrik of Denmark. Born Henri Marie Jean Andre de Laborde de Monpezat, he married the then Princess Margrethe, the heir presumptive to the throne, in 1967. His name was Danicised to Henrik. Although he would not want to be buried next to his wife, he would still want to be buried in Denmark, not his native France. This is not the first time Henrik has lamented his position in the royal household. In 2002, he fled to France for three weeks after he claimed that his royal status had been downgraded in favour of his firstborn son, Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark. “For many years I have been Denmark’s number two,” he said at that time. “I’ve been satisfied with that role, but I don’t want to be relegated to number three after so many years.” Henrik is not the only man who isn’t the king to their queen wife. The UK’s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, has been occupying the role of consort to Queen Elizabeth II since they married in 1947. ||||| Denmark's Prince Henrik has announced that he will not be buried next to wife Queen Margrethe after he dies. The decision is part of a long-running feud between the pair over his title, Danish media reported. Henrik was upset not to be named king consort after she ascended to the throne in 1972. He was named prince consort instead. The pair married in 1967. A statement from the royal house said: 'The Queen has for some time been familiar with the decision of His Royal Highness and acknowledges the decision. 'The Prince's decision does not change The Queen's funeral plans.' It was expected that the pair would be buried side by side in Roskilde Cathedral under a sarcophagus lid prepared specially by sculptor Bjørn Nørgaard. There were reports that French-born Henrik made the request because he wanted to be buried in his home country, but the royal household said this was not true. 'The Prince’s wish to be buried in Denmark remains, but the circumstances are not yet in place,' a spokesman said. Palace communications chief, Lene Balleby, told Danish tabloid BT: 'It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. 'This discontent has grown more and more in recent years 'For the prince, the decision not to buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse -- by not having the title and role he has desired.' ||||| Prince Henrik of Denmark has announced that after his death, he will not be buried next to his wife Queen Margrethe II. The decision is a result of a long-running dispute between the pair over his 83-year-old prince’s title, as reported by the Danish media. Henrik was upset not to be named king consort after the queen ascended to the throne in 1972. He was named prince consort instead. And it was decades of frustration over what he sees as discrimination. Lene Balleby, the Royal Danish House’s director of communications, was quoted by the Danish tabloid newspaper BT as saying, “It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy.” He added, “This discontent has grown more and more in recent years.” The pair married in 1967. And the royal couple were expected to be laid to rest in the custom-made sarcophagus at the Roskilde Cathedral when their time comes. However, Prince Henrik has said he would not use the space reserved for him because he felt that he was not treated equally. While according to the statement from the royal house said that the Queen and has for some time been familiar with the decision of His Royal Highness and that she has accepted the decision. As per the report by Daily Mail, Prince made the request because he wanted to be buried in his home country, but the royal household said this was not true. A spokesman was quoted as saying that the Prince’s wish to be buried in Denmark remains, but the circumstances are not yet in place. ||||| Prince Henrik of Denmark has announced that he does not wish to be buried next to his wife, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, saying he is unhappy he was never acknowledged as her equal. Henrik, 83, married Queen Margrethe in 1967 and was later named prince consort. But he has repeatedly said he would have liked to be named king consort. “It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years,” the palace’s communications chief, Lene Balleby, told the tabloid BT. “For the prince, the decision not to buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse – by not having the title and role he has desired.” That decision has been accepted by the queen, Balleby said. Prince Henrik retired last year and renounced his title of prince consort. Since then he has participated in very few official duties and instead spent much of his time at his private vineyard in France, although he is still married to the queen and they officially live together. In Denmark, a princess traditionally becomes queen when her husband takes the throne. It had been expected that the prince would be buried next to the queen, 77, who is to be interred in Roskilde Cathedral in a sarcophagus made by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard. Born Henri Marie Jean André de Laborde de Monpezat on 11 June 1934 in Talence, near Bordeaux, he met Margrethe, then the crown-princess, while he was stationed in London as a diplomat. On marrying her, he changed his name to Henrik, converted from Catholicism to Protestantism and renounced his French citizenship to become a Dane. By the time Margrethe acceded to the throne, the couple had two young children: Prince Frederik, born in 1968, and Joakim, born in 1969. ||||| Not since Hamlet questioned whether it was nobler to be or not be has the death, and afterlife, of a Danish prince captured so much attention. For, in a stunt as dramatically morbid as anything Shakespeare might have dreamed up, the 83-year-old Prince Henrik of Denmark has declared that he does not wish to be buried alongside his spouse, 77-year old Queen Margrethe II, the constitutional head of state. Prince Henrik’s decision to pass on the opportunity to lie for eternity alongside his bride in a glass sarcophagus borne by silver elephants and crafted by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard at Roskilde Cathedral, about 35 kilometers outside of Copenhagen, is not being made on grounds of humility. In fact, rather the opposite: the Prince’s decision is in fact an eternal protest at never having been made king, despite being married to the queen. Henrik, 83, is French by birth. He was born Count Henri de Laborde de Monpezat, married Queen Margrethe in 1967 and was given the title prince consort. But he has repeatedly said he would have liked to be named king consort, or, you know, ‘King’ for short. Henrik has long argued that he is the victim of gender discrimination, as a woman who married a king would indeed become Queen of Denmark. “It is no secret that the prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years,” the palace’s communications chief, Lene Balleby, told the Danish tabloid newspaper BT. “For the prince, the decision not to buried beside the queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse – by not having the title and role he has desired.” The Prince’s decision has been accepted by the queen, Balleby said. The Queen and Henrik have two children but are not believed to be particularly close; he spends much of his time at his vineyard in France, although he is still married to the queen and they officially live together. “The first hint came around his 50th birthday when he said on TV he found it difficult to ask his wife for pocket money for cigarettes,” Stephanie Surrugue, who wrote a biography of the prince, who is widely reputed to be Europe’s grumpiest royal, told the New York Times. “He should try to be a Dane before he tries to be king," Sasha Filskov, a 43-year-old Danish-born interior designer now living in London, said. "A Danish prince would not be worrying about equality in that way. Danes strive for equality in a proper, meaningful way. He doesn’t represent Danish values, he is just representing outdated French values. “Margrethe is the coolest royal in the world. She cycles everywhere, even though she is in her 70s, and wears jeans. It’s just sad that Henrik has lived in Denmark all his life but completely and missed the point of what being Danish means. She’ll be better off without him.” ||||| Denmark's Prince Henrik has announced that he does not plan to be buried with his wife, Queen Margrethe II, because he is upset about the fact that he was never made King Consort. The pair have been married since 1967. And over the years, Henrik has repeatedly expressed his feeling that he has been slighted. "It is no secret that the Prince for many years has been unhappy with his role and the title he has been awarded in the Danish monarchy. This discontent has grown more and more in recent years," the Royal Danish House's director of communications told tabloid BT, in a quote verified and translated by Reuters. "For the Prince, the decision not to buried beside the Queen is the natural consequence of not having been treated equally to his spouse - by not having the title and role he has desired," the spokesperson told the wire service. The BBC reports that the 77-year-old queen is "said to have accepted her husband's decision." Henrik, 83, is originally from France, and is reported to be spending most of his time at a vineyard there since he officially retired last year. In a 2015 interview with Le Figaro, he said he is angry and feels discriminated against. "Why be only a prince and merely a Highness but not Majesty, without any status?" the Prince said. "Denmark, which is known as a fervent defender of gender equality, would be inclined to consider husbands as worth less than their wives? How can we explain to younger generations the usefulness of the monarchical system?" According to the Danish edition of The Local, he expressed frustration about being passed over to host a 2002 event his wife's absence: "In 2002, when Margrethe was too ill to greet guests at a New Year's event, the Royal House opted to have Crown Prince Frederik act as host. Henrik, upset about being upstaged by his own son, vocally complained that he wasn't allowed to receive guests in 'his own home'. "In a follow-up interview with BT, he said he felt humiliated to be relegated to third-place status behind his wife and son." Queen Margrethe is expected to be buried "in the Roskilde Cathedral in a sarcophagus made by Danish artist Bjorn Norgaard," according to the BBC. | Denmark's Prince Henrik announces he won't be buried next to Queen Margrethe II in the Roskilde Cathedral where Danish royals have been buried since 1559. The 83-year-old, French-born Henrik has been dissatisfied with his non-equal role as Prince consort. The 77-year old Margrethe, who had a specially designed sarcophagus made for the couple, accepts Henrik's decision, according to a royal house spokeswoman. |
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rwanda elections 2017: A one-horse race? President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office with a landslide, the country's electoral commission has announced. A final tally of votes gave him 98.63% of the votes, it said. Mr Kagame's supporters, who say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, began celebrating before the announcement. Critics - most of whom are outside the country - say he rules through fear. After his victory, Mr Kagame vowed to keep up the country's economic growth. "This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing," Mr Kagame said in a speech broadcast on live television. Mr Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent. Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission. Paul Kagame - visionary or tyrant? Rwanda: 100 days of slaughter The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed President Kagame. The president previously called the election "just a formality". Image copyright AFP Image caption Mr Kagame voted in the capital Kigali Mr Kagame, 59, came to power in 1994, when his Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital, Kigali, ending the genocide in which some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered. Rwanda's constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling Mr Kagame to run for a third term. Beyond this, he could run again, potentially staying in power until 2034. His two challengers have complained that their supporters have been intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their rallies. The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaigns. The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing. Paul Kagame at a glance: Image copyright AFP Image caption Paul Kagame won the 2010 election with 93% of the vote Seen as military genius His rebel forces helped end 1994 genocide - he has been in power ever since Twice invaded much larger neighbour, DR Congo Accused of suppressing the opposition and ordering assassination of critics Sees Singapore and South Korea as models - economy growing at 7% a year Champions women's rights; most MPs are women Mysterious death of an exile Rwanda country profile ||||| Warning - there was an unexpected script error. Application may not work as expected. ||||| President Paul Kagame has won Rwanda’s election by a landslide, granting him a third term in office and extending his 17-year rule over the central African nation. The national electoral commission said Kagame had won over 98% of the vote. Frank Habineza of the opposition Democratic Green Party won 0.45% of the votes, while independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana secured 0.72%. The 59-year-old Kagame has ruled over Rwanda in various capacities since 1994 when his rebel group ended the genocide that killed 800,000 people, many of them from the Tutsi minority group. Kagame first served as defense minister, then as vice president, befored ascending to the top post in 2000 when his predecessor resigned. In 2003, he was officially elected to office under the auspices of a new constitution and was re-elected in 2010 for a seven-year term. Kagame was not supposed to run this time, but following an August 2015 consultation with “millions of Rwandans”, only ten people were found who opposed a constitutional amendment which took place later that year. The amendment lifted term limits, which could see him rule until 2034. The outcome of the current election was almost certain: the president himself has said that the poll was a mere formality. Observers say Kagame’s presidency is buttressed by intimidation, with opposition to his government often muted. Critics of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front have also been known to disappear or wind up dead in the past. Last month, Human Rights Watch said that Rwandan officials, with the assistance of civilian authorities, were apprehending and “executing” suspected petty offenders as part of a government strategy to spread fear. On the flip side, Kagame is credited with transforming Rwanda, achieving impressive development gains since 1994. The president has also overseen an agenda that aims to transform the country from a low-income, agriculture-based economy into a service oriented one. Its growing economy employs new technology such as drones, and there are plans to change its capital city of rolling hills and low-rise buildings into a so-called smart city. At 61%, the country is also home to the highest proportion of women in parliament in the world. On election day, Kagame said that he would work to sustain economic grow th in the country. “This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing,” he said. Sign up for the Quartz Africa Weekly Brief — the most important and interesting news from across the continent, in your inbox. ||||| Rwandans are going to the polls in presidential elections, with incumbent Paul Kagame widely expected to win his third term in office. The 59-year-old is being challenged by Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana. Mr Kagame is credited with the country’s rapid economic development since taking office in 2000. But critics accuse him of suppressing dissent and political freedoms. Polls across the country open at 07:00 (05:00 GMT) and will close at 16:00. Mr Kagame, who represents the ruling RPF party, has widespread vocal support, the BBC’s Tomi Oladipo says. The president has even referred to the vote as a mere formality, our correspondent adds. Rwanda’s constitution was amended in 2015, giving Mr Kagame a chance to stay in power until 2034. The two challengers have complained that their supporter are being intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their pre-election rallies. The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaign. The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing. ||||| Rwanda’s longtime President Paul Kagame has won a third term in office in what he had called “a formality.” Electoral authorities overnight said Kagame has won more than 98 percent of the vote with 80 percent of the votes counted so far, with no major change expected when final results are announced today. He had faced two challengers. Kagame has already addressed jubilant supporters at party headquarters and urged Rwandans, including those who hadn’t supported him, to work together. Kagame has led the East African nation of 12 million people since the end of its genocide in 1994 in which more than 800,000 people died. The 59-year-old president has been praised for the country’s economic growth, but human rights groups accuse his government of using state powers to silence opponents. Rwandan authorities deny it. A constitutional amendment in 2015 allows Kagame to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it. Kagame was running against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda the only permitted opposition party and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana. Three potential candidates were disqualified for allegedly failing to fulfil requirements including collecting enough signatures. With 80 per cent of the votes counted, Mpayimana had received just 0.72 per cent and conceded defeat and congratulated Kagame. Habineza received 0.45 per cent. Candidates had been barred from putting campaign posters in most public places, including schools and hospitals. The electoral commission vetted candidates’ campaign messages, warning that their social media accounts could be blocked otherwise. More than 80 per cent of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Charles Munyaneza, executive secretary of the Rwanda Electoral Commission. ||||| Rwanda’s long-time President Paul Kagame has easily won a third term in office in a vote he had called “a formality”. The result gives him another seven years leading the small east African nation praised for its economic performance but criticised for its silencing of opponents. Electoral authorities overnight said Mr Kagame had won more than 98% of the vote with 80% of ballots counted, with no major change expected when final results are announced later on Saturday. He addressed jubilant supporters at party headquarters and urged Rwandans, including those who did not support him, to work together. “This election was criticised so much due to me continuing to be your leader, especially people from outside the country because they oppose the will of Rwandans,” he told supporters. “But Rwandans have shown that it was not manipulated by anyone but their own will.” Mr Kagame has led the country of 12 million people since his rebels helped to end its genocide in 1994 during which more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by Hutu extremists. The 59-year-old has been praised for the country’s economic growth, but human rights groups accuse his government of using state powers to silence opposition. Rwandan authorities, including the president, deny it. A constitutional amendment in 2015 allows him to stay in power until 2034 if he pursues it. Mr Kagame was running against Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda - the only permitted opposition party - and independent candidate and former journalist Philippe Mpayimana. Three potential candidates were disqualified for allegedly failing to fulfil requirements including collecting enough signatures. With 80% of votes counted, Mr Mpayimana had just 0.72% and conceded defeat and congratulated Mr Kagame. Mr Habineza had 0.45%. More than 80% of Rwanda’s 6.9 million registered voters cast their ballots, according to Charles Munyaneza, executive secretary of the Rwanda Electoral Commission. In Rwanda’s capital Kigali, there had been little hint of the coming vote. Candidates had been barred from putting campaign posters in most public places, including schools and hospitals. The electoral commission vetted candidates’ campaign messages, warning that their social media accounts could be blocked otherwise. Two decades of often deadly attacks on political opponents, journalists and rights activists created a “climate of fear” ahead of Rwanda’s election, Amnesty International said in a report last month. In 2010, Mr Kagame won with 93% of the vote. In July, he told a campaign rally that “the day of the presidential elections will just be a formality”. ||||| President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office with a landslide, the country’s electoral commission has announced. Partial results of Friday’s election gave him 98% of the votes, it said. Mr Kagame’s supporters, who say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, began celebrating before the announcement. Critics – most of whom are outside the country – say he rules through fear. After his victory, Mr Kagame vowed to keep up the country’s economic growth. “This is another seven years to take care of issues that affect Rwandans and ensure that we become real Rwandans who are [economically] developing,” Mr Kagame said in a speech broadcast on live television. Mr Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent. Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission. The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed President Kagame. Mr Kagame, 59, came to power in 1994, when his Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital, Kigali, ending the genocide in which some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered. Rwanda’s constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling Mr Kagame to run for a third term. Beyond this, he could run again, potentially staying in power until 2034. His two challengers have complained that their supporters have been intimidated, which they say explains the low turnout at their rallies. The candidates have also accused some local authorities of undermining their campaigns. The ruling party denies any accusations of wrongdoing. ||||| Rwandans vote in a presidential election today widely expected to return strongman Paul Kagame to office for a third seven-year term at the helm of the small east African nation. Kagame, 59, is facing two little-known candidates who have made little impact in only three weeks of campaigning against the incumbent and his all-powerful Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Tens of thousands of cheering supporters, waving little red, white and blue flags, feted Kagame at his final rally Wednesday, praising the man who halted the 1994 genocide and has been de-facto leader of Rwanda ever since. “I support President Kagame because he stopped the genocide and because he brought development to Rwanda,” said supporter Ngendahimana Narcisse. Another backer, Mukashimyirimiza Zainabu, said Kagame had “built schools, he’s provided healthcare, roads, electricity so we’re really behind him.” In contrast, only a few hundred people have attended the rallies of Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party — the only permitted critical opposition party — and independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana. The opponents have complained about the limited time given to fundraise and campaign, which critics see as further evidence of Kagame’s clampdown on the opposition. “It is short, we would have liked at least two months. Towards the end of the campaign the number of people at our rallies increased a lot,” said Jean-Claude Ntezimana, the executive secretary of the Green Party. Habineza told AFP at a recent rally that putting up banners and posters had also been a challenge. “They told us we cannot put our banners or flags where the RPF’s things are, but unfortunately the RPF put theirs almost everywhere,” he said. Kagame’s election is seen as assured after 98 percent of Rwandans approved a constitutional amendment in a 2015 referendum that granted him the right to run for a third term in office. Observers condemned the reform, which could potentially see Kagame seek re-election twice more and remain in office until 2034. Kagame, a lanky former guerrilla fighter, was just 36 when his rebel army routed extremist Hutu forces who slaughtered an estimated 800,000 people — mainly minority Tutsis — and seized Kigali. He served first as vice-president and defence minister, although he was widely considered the de facto leader of the country and was appointed as president by lawmakers in 2000. He was first elected to the post in 2003 and again in 2010 with more than 90 per cent of votes. He is credited with a remarkable turnaround in the shattered nation, bringing stability and annual economic growth of about seven percent. However, rights groups accuse him of ruling through fear, relying on a systematic repression of the opposition, free speech and the media. Critics have been assassinated, jailed or forced into exile, and some observers believe the only reason Habineza and Mpayimana have been allowed to run is that they pose no threat. “There is no election in Rwanda, there is a coronation declaring Kagame the king,” outspoken local journalist Robert Mugabe told AFP. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| President Donald Trump has shown a fondness for strong, decisive leaders during his first half-year in office. Among others, Trump has praised Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his fight against Islamist militants; held a “very friendly” phone call with Philippines’ leader Rodrigo Duterte; and, of course, shown a keen interest in building a strong relationship with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Rwanda’s Paul Kagame seems to fit this mold well. The 59-year-old has rebuilt Rwanda from one of the worst genocides in history to a thriving economy and the easiest place to do business in mainland Africa. Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) ousted the Hutu extremists perpetrating the genocide in 1994 and has since protected the country from raging instability in neighboring countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi. Daily Emails and Alerts - Get the best of Newsweek delivered to your inbox “Kagame is the kind of leader that Trump likes,” says Phil Clark, a Rwanda expert and reader in international politics at SOAS University of London. “Trump likes to deal with leaders he considers decisive and forthright and willing to use force when necessary.” According to Kagame’s critics, Rwanda’s progress has come at a cost. Rights groups say that Kagame has created a one-party state, crushing political opposition and imposing severe restrictions on freedom of speech. Kagame is a “postcolonial dictator,” according to author Anjan Sundaram, who has mythologized his role in ending Rwanda’s genocide to the point that he is applauded by those within and outside his country. Read more: Is Rwandan President Paul Kagame a savior or a dictator? Rwanda is voting in a presidential election on Friday. The president himself has described the vote as a “formality.” Only two opposition candidates—one an independent, the other a leader of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, which only came into being in 2009—are running against Kagame. At the last election in 2010, Kagame got 93 percent of the vote. Should Kagame extend his 17-year-term in office by another seven years, it would ostensibly pose a conundrum for the United States. According to previous U.S. statements on the matter, Kagame technically shouldn’t even be running in the election. Rwanda held a constitutional referendum in December 2015, in which 98 percent of voters backed the removal of term limits that would have barred Kagame from running in the 2017 elections. In response, the Obama administration State Department said it was “deeply disappointed” by Kagame’s decision to bid for re-election. (Kagame was dismissive of the U.S. reaction, tweeting that Africa’s problems “will not be easily solved by what is behind this ‘deep disappointment’ attitude.” But since then, Washington and other Western nations appear to be resigned to Kagame staying in power. While there have been few clues to Africa policy since President Trump came to office—bar possible cuts in peacekeeping missions and foreign aid—it appears that the relationship between Washington and Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, will be dominated by pragmatism. A U.S. official who asked to be quoted anonymously tells Newsweek : “Our hope [for the election is] that the Rwandan people have the opportunity to express their will.” If Trump’s boast that he likes war heroes “who weren’t captured,” proves true, Kagame certainly fits the bill. The Rwandan genocide broke out following the assassination of former President Juvenal Habyarimana, whose plane was shot down in April 1994; the event sparked a mass campaign of violence by extremists from the Hutu ethnic majority, who slaughtered more than 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi minority, in 100 days. The RPF, commanded by Kagame (who has been accused of shooting down Habyarimana’s plane and sparking the genocide, which he denies), captured Kigali in July 1994, forcing many of the Hutus extremists into neighboring Congo, then Zaire. Kagame served as minister of defense and vice-president from 1994 to 2000 before assuming the presidency in 2000. In almost two decades in power, Rwanda has garnered a reputation under Kagame as clean and efficient. The country remains dependent on foreign aid for 30-40 percent of its budget, but is known as an prudent spender of its aid. The United States has given almost $1.5 billion in aid to Rwanda between 2007-2016; the country usually receives slightly more than the regional average. Under Trump, foreign aid looks less likely to be tied to goals such as promoting democracy and human rights, and more like an efficient economic exchange. That’s good news for Rwanda, says Clark. “Ultimately, this is a relationship that is about the spending of donor aid,” he says. “So Rwanda has absolutely nothing to fear from this turn under the Trump administration towards favoring the economic dimension of aid over the human rights and political dimension.” While Kagame seems to be the kind of president Trump could get along with, it’s not clear if the same is true in reverse. Clark says that Kagame has an austere and quiet leadership style, as opposed to Trump’s outspoken, grandiose pronouncements. (Kagame is also active on Twitter, albeit not as vociferously as Trump. “He could possibly be a bit suspicious of someone like Trump, who is volatile and flamboyant,” says Clark. But points of similarity are clear, even among the supporters of both leaders. David Simon, senior lecturer in political science at Yale University who has studied the Rwandan genocide, points out that Kagame’s supporters have described one of his rallies as “perhaps the biggest political gathering in Africa’s history.” The comment is reminiscent of Trump’s ex-press secretary Sean Spicer characterizing the size of the crowd at his January swearing-in as “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe.” “So perhaps there could be some grounds for affinity!” says Simon. ||||| Rwandans on Saturday celebrated the third term victory of President Paul Kagame who pledged to continue transforming the nation after winning re-election with a record 98 percent of the vote. There had been little doubt that the 59-year-old would return to the helm of the east African nation which he has ruled with an iron fist since the end of the 1994 genocide. "I am very pleased. I had hoped for this victory," said Yvette Uwineza, a 36-year-old computer scientist. "The continuity is reassuring," she said, crediting Kagame with developing the country and creating "a better life for Rwandans." Interim results published by the electoral commission on Saturday gave Kagame an unprecedented victory, outstripping the 95 percent he took in 2003 and 93 percent in 2010. Saturday's tally matched the proportion of people who supported a constitutional amendment two years ago permitting Kagame to run for a third, fourth and fifth term potentially seeing him rule until 2034. "I honored your request, and this (election) confirms that Rwandans made a choice based on the future they want," Kagame told thousands of supporters at his ruling party's headquarters in Kigali in the early hours of the morning. "We are going to continue with the work we started by advocating for a better Rwanda." Final results are due later Saturday and the commission estimates 97 percent of 6.9 million voters turned out to cast their ballots. Of the results so far announced, Kagame had 98.66 percent while his two little-known rivals barely made a dent. Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party -- the only permitted critical opposition party -- won just 0.45 percent of votes, beaten into third place by the little-known independent candidate Philippe Mpayimana with 0.72. "I accept the result and congratulate the RPF and Paul Kagame," Mpayimana told AFP. "I am not going to stop here. I urge all citizens to join be so we can become stronger for the next election." Rwandans celebrated Kagame's win in muted fashion, with no spontaneous large gatherings in the disciplined nation. Inside a gymnasium in the capital music and dancers entertained hundreds of party loyalists who celebrated into the morning. "We are celebrating the presidential election," said one young man as he danced. "We are celebrating Paul Kagame!" another yelled out next to him. Kagame has been the de facto leader of Rwanda since, as a 36-year-old, his rebel army routed extremist Hutu forces who slaughtered an estimated 800,000 people -- mainly minority Tutsis -- and seized Kigali in 1994. He was first appointed president by lawmakers in 2000. The lanky former guerilla fighter is one of Africa's most divisive leaders, with some hailing him as a visionary while critics see a despot aiming to become one of the continent's presidents-for-life. Kagame is credited with a remarkable turnaround in the shattered nation, which boasts annual economic growth of about seven percent, is safe, clean and does not tolerate corruption. Rwanda also has the highest number of female lawmakers in the world. However rights groups accuse Kagame of ruling through fear, relying on systematic repression of the opposition, free speech and the media. Kagame's critics have ended up jailed, forced into exile or assassinated. Few Rwandans would dare to openly speak against him. | Voters in Rwanda go to the polls to elect their president. Paul Kagame, incumbent since 2000, referred to the election as a formality, despite challenges from the Democratic Greens' Frank Habineza and independent Philippe Mpayimana. Kagame is re-elected with 98.66 of the vote. |
Across the U.S. today, various publications are relaying to their readers some pressing news: they’ve been sold. Morris Publishing Group, a part of Morris Communications Co., has been purchased by New York-based New Media Investment Group. This means that the Savannah Morning News, the Topeka Capitol-Journal and others will soon be added to subsidiary GateHouse Media’s already extensive portfolio of daily newspapers. Three of the dailies in the Morris deal are located in Georgia, while another pair publish out of Alaska. The latter group is comprised of the Juneau Empire and the Peninsula Clarion. The transaction is set to be finalized by Oct. 2. All told, when weeklies like Alaska’s Horner News and other properties are added, New Media Investment Group is acquiring 79 different outlets and assets from Morris. The newspapers fall in line with a most interesting corporate strategy. From the New Media Investment Group website: Eight-five percent of our daily newspapers have been published for more than 100 years and 100% have been published for more than 50 years. Our strategy is to acquire and operate traditional local media businesses and transform them from print-centric operations to dynamic multi-media operations, through our existing online advertising and digital marketing businesses. Also part of the deal, a newspaper founded in 1879 with one of the greatest names of all: the Log Cabin Democrat, located in Conway, Ark. And for those who, like us, pay attention to such matters, plenty more hyphens on the daily side to go along with the Topeka newspaper: the Florida Times-Union, the Athens Banner-Herald, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and the Amarillo Globe-News. Image via: newseum.org ||||| Morris Communications will sell its 11 daily newspapers and other publications in those markets to New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media Inc., the companies announced Wednesday. New Media said in a news release it will pay $120 million to purchase Morris Publishing Group, the newspaper division of Georgia-based Morris Communications. The sale includes The Augusta Chronicle, The Savannah Morning News and The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia; The Florida Times-Union of Jacksonville and The St. Augustine Record in Florida; the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal and Amarillo Globe News in Texas; the Topeka Capital-Journal in Kansas; the Log Cabin Democrat of Conway, Arkansas; and the Juneau Empire and Peninsula Clarion of Kenai in Alaska. Family-owned Morris Communications has operated newspapers for more than 70 years. William S. Morris Jr., hired as a bookkeeper at The Augusta Chronicle in 1929, bought a controlling interest in the newspaper with his wife and a friend in 1945. The couple's son, William S. Morris III, joined the company in 1956 and remains chairman of Morris Communications. "Since 1929, the Morris family has had a great love and passion for journalism and the local communities that they serve," Morris said in a statement. "However, every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete." The deal allows Morris to remain as publisher of The Augusta Chronicle. He will also oversee editorial-page policies at the three Georgia newspapers. Morris Communications will still publish magazines, sell broadband services and operate other business ventures. The company said the sale, which includes its commercial printing operation in Lubbock, Texas, should be finalized in October. GateHouse Media owns more than 130 daily newspapers and other publications in 36 U.S. states. "For over 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets," Michael E. Reed, New Media's president and CEO, said in a statement. "We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio." ||||| Staff at the Juneau Empire and two other Alaska newspapers learned Wednesday morning they are among 11 media properties sold to GateHouse Media for $120 million. Morris Communications of Augusta, Georgia, has owned the Empire since 1969. GateHouse Media is a division of New Media Investment Group, a publicly traded company, and owns more than 130 mostly small and mid-sized newspapers. Media analyst Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute says New Media also backed is by a private equity group that’s driven a strategy of aggressive expansion that’s buoyed its stock price. “It’s fair to say that they run very tight in an expense way but a lot of the savings come from not necessarily clearing out the newsroom, although there always can be some losses in the reporting ranks, but from doing things in a centralized way,” Edmonds said Wednesday. “For instance, they have a very large copy editing, production and layout center in Austin, Texas, that does all their papers.” Also included in the deal are the Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and the weekly Homer News. “Right now, we’re on deadline and trying to get the paper out so that’s the immediate concern,” Homer News editor Michael Armstrong said Wednesday morning. “I think we’re just waiting to see what happens. I’m reassured that (Publisher) Deedie (McKenzie) will remain my boss and she’s been real supportive of what we’re doing.” McKenzie, based in Kenai, will remain publisher of the Juneau Empire and Peninsula Clarion. The Morris family hasn’t sold all of its assets in Alaska. It’s keeping the Juneau Empire building off Egan Drive as well as its magazine division, which includes the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Alaska Equipment Trader and the Chugiak-Eagle River Star. ||||| The Juneau Empire, Peninsula Clarion in Kenai and weekly Homer News are among 11 papers being sold by Morris Communications to GateHouse Media for a reported $120 million. Newsrooms learned about the sale of their papers to GateHouse Media early Wednesday morning. The upstate New York-based chain is one of the fastest growing media companies in the country. “I got an email from corporate, from Morris announcing it. And they referred us, they referred me to a press release on the Morris website,” Homer News editor Michael Armstrong said. Armstrong has been with the newspaper since 1999. “The GateHouse people are visiting the Morris properties today and tomorrow and they’ll come down to Kenai and Homer and we’ll find out more from them.” The Juneau Empire has been owned by the Georgia-based Morris family since 1969. They also bought the Peninsula Clarion in 1990. “The sale will actually be final Oct. 2 and after that we’ll know a lot more, so for now it’s really business as usual,” publisher Deedie McKenzie said. The Kenai-based executive said she’s been told she’ll be kept on by the new company and that the Morris family had been looking at selling the newspapers for about a year. “GateHouse was a really good fit and it’s a great opportunity for these newspapers to also become part of a larger newspaper company,” McKenzie said. “They’re in 36 states, so it’s a great opportunity for us.” The off-loading of 11 newspapers by the family-owned Morris chain is part of an industry-wide trend. “I think we’re in a period of quite a lot of consolidation,” media analyst Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute said. “Even the language of the press release sort of follows the story line that’s been developing, which is that it’s harder and harder for either individual papers or smaller chains to stay competitive.” GateHouse now owns more than 130 newspapers in mostly small- and mid-sized markets, more than any other chain and finds ways to consolidate its holdings for efficiency. “They have a very large copy editing and layout center in Austin, Texas, that does all of their papers,” Edmonds said. The company emerged from a $1.2 billion bankruptcy in 2013 and has since been recapitalized by a private equity firm. Since then, it’s expanded rapidly into the nation’s second-largest newspaper chain, after Gannett. Its parent company is a publicly traded company called New Media Investment, which is backed by a private equity fund. The arrangement is unorthodox: Fortress Investment Group controls less than 1 percent of company stock but wields an enormous amount of control. “The bigger the company gets, the more money the external manager Fortress collects,” Jeff Gordon said. Gordon is a sports columnist with the Post-Dispatch in St. Louis. He’s also president of the United Media Guild, which represents unionized workers at 18 GateHouse papers. He’s critical of how a financial entity is rearranging small media companies. “Basically, Fortress Investment Group operates as the external manager so it gets millions of dollars in revenue from quote-unquote managing this company and basically arranging for financing and backing purchases,” Gordon said. The Morris family will retain some holdings in Alaska. It’s not selling the Juneau Empire’s building or the Alaska Journal of Commerce, Alaska Equipment Trader and the weekly Chugiak-Eagle River Star. KBBI’s Aaron Bolton in Homer contributed to this report. ||||| Morris, based in Augusta, Georgia, said the sale is a “strategic restructuring” to focus its business on lifestyle publications. Morris Communications Co. announced today that Amarillo’s only print newspaper has been sold to GateHouse Media. The sale is expected to be finalized on October 2. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Newspapers in the sale include The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville), The St. Augustine (Florida) Record, The Savannah (Georgia) Morning News, The Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle, The Athens (Georgia) Banner-Herald, the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Journal, the Amarillo (Texas) Globe-News, the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, the Log Cabin Democrat (Conway, Arkansas), the Juneau (Alaska) Empire, the Peninsula Clarion (Kenai, Alaska), and the Homer (Alaska) News. Bernados, an 18-year veteran of the media industry, spent the last ten years with Morris Communications in key advertising and revenue roles. However, GateHouse is a dynamic company that understands community journalism and helping businesses prosper and grow through innovative solutions. According to the Globe-News website, Les Simpson will remain as publisher of the Globe-News. The Morris family purchased the Amarillo Daily News and Amarillo Globe-Times from the Whittenburg family in 1972. The Morris family will retain ownership of the Amarillo Globe-News building and property in downtown Amarillo, and the family is now exploring redevelopment options for their facilities. The two newspapers merged in April 2001 to form the Amarillo Globe-News. Tony Bernados, president and publisher of the Record said, “We will continue to develop products and services that enrich the community we have served for almost 125-years backed by the power and technology of Gatehouse Media, a large national media company”. GateHouse Media, the soon to be new owners of these 11 newspapers, owns over one hundred other daily papers. ||||| AUGUSTA, Ga. — Morris Communications is selling its 11 daily newspapers and other publications in those markets to New Media Investment Group, the parent company of GateHouse Media Inc. New Media said Wednesday it purchased Morris Publishing Group, the newspaper division of Georgia-based Morris Communications, for $120 million. The sale includes The Augusta Chronicle, The Savannah Morning News and The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia and daily newspapers in Florida, Texas, Kansas and Alaska. A news release said it should be finalized in October. GateHouse Media owns more than 130 daily newspapers and other publications in 36 U.S. states. William S. Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications, will remain publisher of The Augusta Chronicle. Morris Communications, a family-owned media company, will still publish magazines, sell broadband services and operate other business ventures. ||||| AUGUSTA, Ga – As part of a strategic restructuring to focus its business on lifestyle publications, property development and new business, Morris Communications Co. announced today that it has signed an agreement to sell the assets of Morris Publishing Group, including The Florida Times-Union, to GateHouse Media. The sale includes 10 other daily newspapers, numerous non-daily publications and associated websites and digital assets. The transaction is expected to close on October 2, 2017. Terms were not disclosed. “We all will miss the Morris family and its steady oversight of our business for more than three decades, and its commitment to quality journalism,” said Mark Nusbaum, president of The Times-Union. “At the same time, we look forward to working with our new ownership at GateHouse, and assure our readers we will continue to provide thorough and comprehensive coverage of our community going forward.” “Since my father took a job as bookkeeper at The Chronicle in 1929, our family has been dedicated to journalism, and to the readers and advertisers in the communities we serve,” said William S. “Billy” Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications. “Although this has been a difficult decision for me, we have found a wonderful buyer for the newspapers in GateHouse, as they are strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers.” Under terms of the sale, Nusbaum will continue in his role as publisher of The Times-Union. Billy Morris will continue as publisher of The Augusta Chronicle and will oversee editorial-page policy for the three Morris newspapers in Georgia. The Morris family will retain ownership of The Florida Times-Union building and property consisting of 18 acres of waterfront property in downtown Jacksonville along the St. Johns River. The family is currently exploring options for development of the site for mixed use, including offices, a hotel or multifamily housing. GateHouse Media is a division of New Media Investment Group, a publicly traded company (NEWM) on the New York Stock Exchange. It is one of the largest newspaper companies in the country, owning more than 130 daily newspapers and more than 500 non-daily publications across the United States. “GateHouse is very excited to welcome the Morris publications and their employees into our company,” said Michael E. Reed, New Media president and CEO. “For more than 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets. We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio. We see strong synergies between our two companies and look forward to the value creation opportunity that will exist as we combine the portfolios.” “Every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete,” said Morris. “We are deeply grateful for the many friendships and business relationships we have enjoyed for these many years and look forward to the impact the next generation will make.” William S. (Will) Morris IV, president and CEO of Morris Communications, said, “Although the decision to leave the newspaper business was a tough one for our family, we are enthusiastic about our plans to diversify our business holdings with print and digital communications and real estate development. We have a solid team in place to take the business in a prosperous new direction.” Daily papers included in the sale, in addition to The Florida Times-Union, are The Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, The Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News, the Athens Banner-Herald, The St. Augustine Record, the Amarillo Globe-News and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas, the Conway (Ark.) Log Cabin Democrat, and the Juneau Empire and Kenai Peninsula Clarion in Alaska. Derek May, currently president of Morris Publishing Group, will take a new leadership role as chief operating officer of Morris Communications. “I’ve considered it a blessing to be around such talented individuals who work for our company,” said May. “These are great people, passionate about what they do, and committed to their communities.” “We are enthusiastic about our current and future business ventures,” Will Morris said. “With this sale, we will pursue a range of new possibilities. We intend to keep making a difference in the world, as we have for more than 80 years.” Read the story on the Florida Times-Union. ||||| TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – As part of a strategic restructuring to focus its business on lifestyle publications, property development and new business, Morris Communications Co. announced Wednesday that it has signed an agreement to sell the properties of Morris Publishing Group, including The Topeka Capital-Journal. According to The Topeka Capital-Journal, the sale includes 10 other daily newspapers, numerous non-daily publications and associated websites and digital assets. The transaction is expected to close on October 2, 2017. Terms were not disclosed. President and Publisher of The Topeka Capital-Journal Zach Ahrens said he appreciates GateHouse Media’s innovative digital marketing solutions and client-centric focus. Ahrens will continue as publisher of the Capital-Journal. “Although this has been a difficult decision for me, we have found a wonderful buyer for the newspapers in GateHouse,” said Chairman of Morris Communications William S. Morris III. “As they are strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers.” Daily papers included in the sale, in addition to The Topeka Capital-Journal, are The Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News, the Athens Banner-Herald, The Florida Times-Union and The St. Augustine Record in Florida, the Amarillo Globe-News and Lubbock Avalanche-Journal in Texas, Conway (Ark.) Log Cabin Democrat, and the Juneau Empire and Kenai Peninsula Clarion in Alaska. Derek May, currently president of Morris Publishing Group, will take a new leadership role as chief operating officer of Morris Communications. ||||| The Log Cabin Democrat in Conway has been sold to GateHouse Media as part of a deal that includes several other newspapers around the country, its current owner Morris Communications announced Wednesday. Terms of the deal, which also include the sale of the The Florida Times-Union, a commercial printing operation in Texas and other publications, were not released. It's expected to be finalized in October. “Since 1929, the Morris family has had a great love and passion for journalism and the local communities that they serve," William S. “Billy” Morris III, chairman of Morris Communications, said in a statement. "However, every newspaper company in America is battling trends and redirected advertising dollars, so it is necessary for newspapers to be part of a large newspaper group to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete." GateHouse, which already owns five daily and more than a dozen weekly newspapers in Arkansas, last month closed its Little Rock bureau and laid off the only reporter who staffed it. In May, the company consolidated seven weekly newspapers in central Arkansas into two weekly newspapers serving Pulaski and Lonoke counties. In a story posted on the Log Cabin's website, Cynthia Crabb, group controller for the Conway newspaper, said it would "retain its mission to be Faulkner County’s news, advertising and information source since 1879." “We are excited about the new available resources and opportunities with GateHouse Media and anticipate a new synergy to emerge with the existing GateHouse properties across the state," she said. William S. Morris IV, president and CEO of Morris Communications, called GateHouse a "wonderful buyer" and said the company is "strongly committed to providing good community coverage for readers and effective solutions for advertisers." ||||| Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window) New Media Investment Group has acquired Morris Publishing Group, whose portfolio includes the Augusta Chronicle, the Savannah Morning News and the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. The price was $120 million for 11 daily newspapers, 30 weeklies and various online assets, which will join New Media's GateHouse chain. The transaction, announced this morning, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. The deal represents further consolidation of the struggling industry. GateHouse, with more than 120 dailies, offers scale with a centralized editing and production center in Austin and a group of system-wide advertising and marketing products. Morris is family-owned and based in Augusta. William S. "Billy" Morris will remain publisher of the Chronicle and will oversee editorial policy for the three Morris papers in Georgia. Want more on the transformation of local news? Join the conversation in our weekly newsletter, Local Edition. News Media Investment is publicly traded but also has the backing of the huge Fortress Investment Group fund. It has been on a run of acquisitions over the last several years, buying the Columbus Dispatch, and Fayetteville Observer among other properties. It has promised to spend $1 billion on acquisitions and with the latest deal is almost there -- at roughly $900 million. An early acquisition was Halifax Media which included what once were the New York Times Regional Group papers. "For over 80 years, the Morris family has built and operated an incredible collection of local media assets. We are honored that the family has chosen us to uphold the rich tradition of journalism and innovation they have established. This transaction will expand our footprint into new states and add some very attractive markets to our local media portfolio. We see strong synergies between our two companies and look forward to the value creation opportunity that will exist as we combine the portfolios.” Morris said that he sold after reluctantly concluding that the group was too small "to build and maintain the necessary resources to compete." Other Morris papers sold were the Athens Banner Herald, the Amarillo Globe-News, the Juneau Empire and The Peninsula Clarion in Alaska, the Log Cabin Democrat in Conway, Arkansas, the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, The St. Augustine Record and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Wall Street reacted favorably to the transaction. New Media shares were up more than 4 percent in late morning trading. | New York State-based GateHouse Media announces an agreement to buy 11 U.S. newspapers from Georgia-based Morris Communications. Included in the deal is the Log Cabin Democrat, founded in 1879, and three Alaskan newspapers: the Juneau Empire, the Peninsula Clarion and Homer News. The deal is expected to close on October 2. |
Incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta reacts after he was announced winner of the presidential election at the IEBC National Tallying centre at the Bomas of Kenya, in Nairobi, Kenya August 11, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya’s main domestic poll monitoring organization, ELOG, said on Saturday it had found no evidence to suggest this week’s election was manipulated or inaccurate, as the opposition have attested. ELOG’s parallel vote tally projected a victory for President Uhuru Kenyatta with 54 percent of ballots cast, compared to an official count of 54.3 percent. This was well within ELOG’s 1.9 percent margin of error, the group said. Related Coverage Kenyan girl shot dead by police in Nairobi slum: witness ||||| It's Official: Kenyan President Wins Re-Election. But Will Opposition Concede? Enlarge this image toggle caption Ben Curtis/AP Ben Curtis/AP Updated 5:50 p.m. ET Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has won a second five-year term, the country's electoral commission announced Friday. The official results show Kenyatta achieving re-election comfortably, with a lead of more than 1.4 million votes over his principal challenger, Raila Odinga. "We are all citizens of one republic," Kenyatta said on national television after what was a bruising and bitter campaign. "As with any competition," he continued, "there shall always be winners and there shall be losers. But we all belong to one great nation called Kenya." Yet it's not clear that Odinga will readily accept the outcome, which he has vehemently protested since preliminary results for Tuesday's election began portending a Kenyatta victory. As recently as Thursday, Odinga's campaign manager, Musalia Mudavadi, declared victory for his candidate, saying that "a serious attempt to try to either doctor or alter the final results" had fraudulently swung the balance of the election. At a news conference Thursday, Odinga's camp presented alternative figures showing him leading by several hundred thousand votes — but, as NPR's Eyder Peralta notes, it did not clarify where these figures were obtained. After the mysterious murder and torture of a high-ranking elections official late last month, Odinga claimed that — in Eyder's words — "a hacker used that man's credentials to go into the electoral reporting system and changed the result." Electoral commission Chairman Wafula Chebukati has rejected the opposition's argument, however, saying the evidence they provided is "obviously and plainly falsified and contains elementary errors." Enlarge this image toggle caption Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images Marco Longari/AFP/Getty Images And while Chebukati acknowledges that there was an an attempt to hack the country's voting system, he maintained that the attempt failed. International observers, for their part, have lent their blessing to the electoral process in Kenya, saying that despite "minor variances" the election was conducted freely and fairly. And they cautioned that complaints with the process should be taken up through legal means, without recourse to the kind of violence that racked the country after its 2007 elections. "It is important for all of the candidates to allow the process to be transparently put to the test," former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is observing the election on behalf of the Carter Center, told CNN. "And then if they have a concern, go through the rule of law, go to the court process and let the evidence be there for everybody to see." Already, though, tensions have boiled over into violence in some of the slums of Nairobi. At least two people have been killed in protests led by opposition demonstrators. Enlarge this image toggle caption Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images The country has mobilized some 180,000 security officers to grapple with the potential for further unrest, according to the BBC. The specter of the violence a decade ago still looms large in the memories of voters, officials and independent observers. More than 1,000 people were killed in a brutal bout of bloodshed that broke down largely along tribal lines. And it's not the only role the past has played in the turmoil of recent weeks. As Eyder noted, this election marks something of a culmination for Kenyatta and Odinga, whose rivalry dates back to the 1960s, when their fathers — who once served as president and vice president themselves — had a bitter falling out. Odinga has said this campaign, his fourth bid for president, will be his last. "We do not want to see any violence in Kenya. We know the consequences of what happened in 2008 and we don't want to see a repeat of that anymore," he told CNN on Thursday. But Odinga added: "I don't control anybody. What is happening is that people just want to see justice." ||||| Kenya's opposition coalition has said yesterday's general election was “fraudulent” because hackers acting on behalf of the governing party compromised the electoral body’s database, as they urged their supporters to remain calm. Presidential candidate Raila Odinga, who is running on the National Super Alliance (NASA) ticket, said his team uncovered evidence of hacking into the electoral commission's database. Odinga did not answer questions about the source of evidence that he says supports the claims. Odinga is running against incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Jubilee Party in what he has said will be his last race. It is his fourth attempt at the presidency. Provisional results released by the country’s electoral body show Kenyatta leading Odinga by about 9.5% of the vote with 7.8m votes. Speaking at a press conference in Nairobi, Odinga said "some persons gained entry" to the electoral body's database and added votes for the ruling Jubilee Party. "The 2017 general election was a fraud," Odinga said. "We are telling people not to accept these results; we are asking them to stay calm." Odinga later tweeted that NASA's tallying of yesterday's election indicated that he received 8.1m votes, beating Kenyatta’s 7.2m votes. But Kenya's electoral body and experts said the claims were premature because no official results had been released. The country's electoral body, the International Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC), has released provisional results from electronic voting transmission systems across the country. "The results that are displayed on the screen are not the official results," said Wafula Chebukati, the IEBC's chairman. “For now, I cannot say whether the system was hacked,” he added. Charles Hornsby, a historian specialising on Kenya, said: "It makes no difference what the IEBC's screens in the Bomas tallying centre say because the election results are only issued by the constituency." The country's court of appeals ruled on 23 June that presidential election results will be declared at the constituency level. The IEBC had fought the ruling, asking for results to only be declared at the national tallying centre. Odinga said the hacking was linked to the murder of Chris Msando, the IEBC's systems development manager, who was tortured before being strangled to death on the evening of 28 July. Odinga said Msando's “logins were used to gain access into the IEBC Core Server and freely alter election data”. "This takes Mr. Kenyatta and [Deputy President] William Ruto’s fraud on our morality to another level," Odinga said. "But you can only cheat a people for so long." Kenya's government has denied any involvement in Msando's murder. Speaking before Odinga’s hacking claims, the Jubilee Party’s secretary-general Raphael Tuju said his party was satisfied with provisional results. ||||| Nairobi, Kenya (CNN) President Uhuru Kenyatta has won re-election in Kenya, defeating veteran opposition leader and longtime rival Raila Odinga in a tense contest. Kenya's election commission declared Friday that the 55-year-old businessman and son of the country's founding President had received enough votes to secure a second five-year term. Provisional and unverified reporting following Tuesday's vote had given Kenyatta a wide margin of 54% to 45% with 98% of polling stations reporting. He garnered 54.27% of the final vote; Odinga received 44.74%. The nation's top elections official, Wafula Chebukati, said the vote was carried out in a "free, fair and credible manner." Odinga, running as the opposition's National Super Alliance candidate, told CNN Thursday that he doesn't "trust" the paper forms from polling stations around the country that officials used to authenticate votes. Odinga said the forms could have been "manipulated" before being returned to the capital. At a news conference Thursday, members of Odinga's party gave no evidence to support any claims of election tampering, citing only unnamed sources at the election commission. In a letter released Friday morning, Wafula Chebukati, chairman of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), rejected the opposition coalition's evidence of election fraud, calling it "obviously and plainly falsified." On Thursday, Chebukati said tampering with the election system "was attempted but did not succeed," without elaborating further. "It is a sign of leadership and public service to be able to congratulate your opponent with grace as a normal and important part of democracy," Marietje Schaake, head of the European Union's mission, said in a statement. "And should there be a need to challenge any of the proceedings or outcomes, petitions through the courts are the avenue to take." Over 400 international election monitors -- including officials from the United States and the EU -- were deployed across the country to monitor voting, the tallying process and part of the post-election period. Former US secretary of State John Kerry, who served as an election observer for the Carter Center, said Thursday that while there were "little aberrations here and there," the election was not rigged. "If anything was electronically fiddled with, there is a way to go back and absolutely ascertain what happened in the polling station," he said. "So by paper ballots, there is a protection of each and every Kenyan's vote." Peaceful elections in East Africa's largest economy would help provide stability to the region but allegations of vote rigging have sparked concern with some Kenyans fearing ethnic clashes similar to those triggered a decade ago. More than 1,000 died in months of violence and bloodshed after Odinga -- who had been defeated by the then-President Mwai Kibaki -- claimed the 2007 election had been rigged. Odinga and his party repeatedly called for calm this week as the final results were compiled. Nairobi remained quieter than usual after the national holiday on Tuesday. Some businesses were open in the city center but mostly people were remaining indoors; other residents who went to their home villages to vote might also have stayed away. In Kisumu, a local journalist described the city center as "a ghost town." At least two people died in election-related violence after brief protests broke out in several Odinga strongholds -- in Nairobi and Kisumu -- on Wednesday. The day before, a polling agent from Odinga's party was killed in a machete attack in Tana River county. "We do not want to see any violence in Kenya. We know the consequences of what happened in 2008 and we don't want to see a repeat of that anymore," Odinga told CNN on Thursday. "I don't control anybody. What is happening is that people just want to see justice. We also hope that the security forces are not going to use excessive force." ||||| Uhuru Kenyatta won a second term as president of Kenya in this week’s election, the electoral commission said on Friday amid opposition claims of fraud. With 54.27 per cent of the vote, Kenyatta prevailed over perennial opposition standard-bearer Raila Odinga, who garnered 44.74 of the ballots cast on Tuesday, Efe reported. The announcement of the final tally was delayed by seven hours and took place without the presence of representatives of the National Super Alliance (NASA) opposition coalition, who boycotted the presentation after signaling that it would not accept the results. Turnout was 78.91 per cent, down from nearly 85 per cent in 2013, electoral commission chief Wafula Chebukati said, describing the process as “credible, fair and peaceful.” NASA, however, says that data provided by an anonymous source inside the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) shows Odinga won with 50.13 of the vote. The anonymous source told NASA that the electronic voting system had been tampered with to ensure victory for Kenyatta, an accusation denied by IEBC. All of the international election observer missions who monitored the balloting agreed that the process was transparent. Talking to reporters ahead of the proclamation of Kenyatta as president-elect, NASA spokesman James Orengo said that the opposition would not pursue legal remedies. “Court is not an alternative. We have been there before,” he said. Kenya’s Supreme Court rejected the challenge Odinga brought after he lost the 2013 election to Kenyatta. Police were deployed Friday to opposition strongholds across Kenya in anticipation of protests following the proclamation of Kenyatta’s victory and trouble broke out within minutes of the IEBC announcement. “People are demonstrating in the street. Some places are burning, there are many shots,” a woman identifying herself only as Gladys said. In Mathare, another capital district where Odinga has many supporters, police used tear gas and fired shots into the air to break up protests, area resident Don told EFE. “There is looting, this is war,” Don said from Mathare, where police fatally shot two opposition protesters on Wednesday. Violent clashes between police and demonstrators were also reported in the western city of Kisumu. Odinga cried foul in 2007 following his defeat to then-incumbent Mwai Kibaki. Violent opposition protests and reprisals by security forces sparked ethnic violence that led to roughly 1,200 deaths. Kenyatta sounded a conciliatory note in his acceptance speech following the announcement of the results. “As I said to my worthy opponents, especially my brother, the Right Honorable Raila Odinga, I reach out to you; I reach out to all your supporters,” Kenyatta said. “We shall work together, we shall partner together, we shall grow together, we shall develop this nation together. We are there, ready to dialogue, to discourse and engage so that we can build this nation together,” the president-elect said. Kenyatta also made an appeal for calm. “I take this opportunity once again to call upon all Kenyans to exercise the same peace and tranquility we have seen before and during these elections. Your neighbor will always be your neighbor and we cannot fight over an election,” he said. ||||| (CNN) President Uhuru Kenyatta has won re-election in Kenya, defeating veteran opposition leader and longtime rival Raila Odinga in a tense contest. Kenya's election commission declared Friday that the 55-year-old businessman and son of the country's founding President had received enough votes to secure a second five-year term. Kenyatta garnered 54.27% of the final vote, similar to what he had in a preliminary count. Odinga received 44.74%. The President, in a nationally broadcast speech, said he and his opponent were not enemies. "We are all citizens of one republic," he said. "As with any competition, there shall always be winners and there shall be losers. But we all belong to one great nation called Kenya." Kenyatta said he wanted to work with the opposition National Super Alliance (NASA). "I extend a hand of partnership knowing fully well that this country needs all of us pulling together in order for us to succeed," he said. Congratulations came from Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who applauded Kenyatta on Twitter "for a successful election and the trust Kenyans have placed in you!" The President told his countrymen there was no need for violence. The nation's top elections official, Wafula Chebukati, said the vote was carried out in a "free, fair and credible manner." Speaking before the declaration, Musalia Mudavadi, co-principal of NASA, said the organization would not be party to the announcement of Kenyatta as President, citing unresolved concerns about the veracity of the electoral process. "The issues we raised have not been adequately addressed," he said. "One can conclude that they (Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) were not keen on taking our concerns seriously." James Orengo, NASA party chief agent, described the process as a "disaster." "This has been an entire charade. The judgment is now out there in the court of public opinion." Odinga, running as the NASA candidate, told CNN Thursday that he doesn't "trust" the paper forms from polling stations around the country that officials used to authenticate votes. Odinga said the forms could have been "manipulated" before being returned to the capital. At a news conference Thursday, members of Odinga's party gave no evidence to support any claims of election tampering, citing only unnamed sources at the election commission. In a letter released Friday morning, Chebukati, the chairman of the election commission, rejected the opposition coalition's evidence of election fraud, calling it "obviously and plainly falsified." On Thursday, Chebukati said tampering with the election system "was attempted but did not succeed," without elaborating further. More than 400 international election monitors -- including officials from the United States and the EU -- were deployed across the country to monitor voting, the tallying process and part of the post-election period. Former US secretary of State John Kerry, who served as an election observer for the Carter Center, said Thursday that while there were "little aberrations here and there," the election was not rigged. "If anything was electronically fiddled with, there is a way to go back and absolutely ascertain what happened in the polling station," he said. "So by paper ballots, there is a protection of each and every Kenyan's vote." Peaceful elections in East Africa's largest economy would help provide stability to the region but allegations of vote rigging have sparked concern with some Kenyans fearing ethnic clashes similar to those triggered a decade ago. More than 1,000 died in months of violence and bloodshed after Odinga -- who had been defeated by the then-President Mwai Kibaki -- claimed the 2007 election had been rigged. Odinga and his party repeatedly called for calm this week as the final results were compiled. Nairobi remained quieter than usual after the national holiday on Tuesday. Some businesses were open in the city center but mostly people were remaining indoors; other residents who went to their home villages to vote might also have stayed away. In Kisumu, a local journalist described the city center as "a ghost town." At least two people died in election-related violence after brief protests broke out in several Odinga strongholds -- in Nairobi and Kisumu -- on Wednesday. The day before, a polling agent from Odinga's party was killed in a machete attack in Tana River county. "We do not want to see any violence in Kenya. We know the consequences of what happened in 2008 and we don't want to see a repeat of that anymore," Odinga told CNN on Thursday. "I don't control anybody. What is happening is that people just want to see justice. We also hope that the security forces are not going to use excessive force." ||||| Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga said he refuses to accept the results of the presidential election, even though the results haven’t been announced yet. With more than 98% of the polling stations reporting, Odinga trailed incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta in a 54%-45% split Thursday. Odinga claims the election was rigged in favor of Kenyatta, with the server hacked as results were transmitted. At a press conference Thursday, members of Odinga’s party gave no evidence to back up his claim, citing only unnamed sources at Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, known as the IEBC. Odinga told CNN he wants an “independent audit of the transaction log to the server.” While the challenger said the election was a fraud, former US Secretary of State John Kerry tried to reassure Kenyans the election wasn’t rigged. On Thursday, Kerry said he was confident in the integrity of the Kenyan elections and praised the country’s election commission for its transparency and diligence. The 73-year-old Kerry is co-leading the Carter Center’s mission of election observers, who released their preliminary observations a day after Odinga claimed early electronic election results had been compromised by hackers. “The process is still underway. But we believe that the election’s commission in Kenya has put together a process that will allow each and every vote’s integrity to be proven,” Kerry said, noting that there were “little aberrations here and there.” He reiterated that the IEBC is still working to verify the electronic online reporting with the physical ballot forms from polling stations, as required by law. “If anything was electronically fiddled with, there is a way to go back and absolutely ascertain what happened in the polling station,” he said. “So by paper ballots, there is a protection of each and every Kenyan’s vote.” Odinga’s complaints of election irregularities have stoked fears of aggrieved supporters taking to the streets in a scenario reminiscent of violence that erupted in the aftermath of the December 2007 election. More than 1,000 people were killed in a campaign of ethnic violence in the months after Odinga, defeated by then-President Mwai Kibaki, claimed the vote was rigged. Odinga’s opposition party, the National Super Alliance, has repeatedly called for calm as the final results are compiled. “We do not want to see any violence in Kenya. We know the consequences of what happened in 2008 and we don’t want to see a repeat of that anymore,” Odinga told CNN on Thursday. “I don’t control anybody. What is happening is that people just want to see justice. We also hope that the security forces are not going to use excessive force.” The election in Kenya, the biggest economy in East Africa and a regional hub, was peaceful and enthusiastic on Tuesday. But confrontations emerged a day later between police and protesters in opposition strongholds in the capital and the western city of Kisumu, leaving at least two people dead. On Thursday, Nairobi appeared to be somewhat quieter than usual, possibly due to school holidays and some concern from residents about potential violence. But people were returning to their daily routines after the national holiday on Tuesday, and some businesses were open. Over 400 international election observers — including officials from the United States and the European Union — were deployed across the country to monitor voting, the tallying process and part of the post-election period. Marietje Schaake, the head of the EU’s mission, said Thursday that the group had seen “no signs of centralized or localized manipulation” after assessing voting procedures. Wafula Chebukati, chairman of the voting authority, acknowledged Thursday that there had been an unsuccessful attempt to tamper with its election system. “The commission has responded to the claims by (the National Super Alliance). Preliminary reports show hacking was attempted but did not succeed,” Chebukati said, without elaborating further on the failed hack. Odinga, a 72-year-old former political prisoner who was running for president for a fourth time, had flatly rejected the preliminary results as “fake” the day before. He said hackers had infiltrated the election authority’s systems using the identity of Chris Msando, an election official who was tortured and murdered a week before the vote. “What the IEBC has posted as results of the Presidential Elections is a complete fraud based on a multiplier that fraudulently gave Uhuru Kenyatta votes that were not cast,” he said in a series of tweets. “We have uncovered the fraud. Uhuru must go home,” he added. “The IEBC must be fully accountable.” ||||| Kenya’s incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta was officially declared the winner Friday of a heated election that his rival claims to have won, setting off violent protests in some opposition strongholds. Reports of rioting in several slum districts of the capital, Nairobi, and in parts of western Kenya stoked fears of a reprise of deadly ethnic fighting that followed another disputed election a decade ago. In a nationally televised address, Kenyatta, 55, reached out to his opponents and appealed for calm, saying, "We are not enemies. We are all citizens of one republic. "Let us always remember that we are brothers and sisters,” he said. “Let us be peaceful. There is no need for violence. Your neighbor is your neighbor, regardless of their ethnicity." Kenyatta won just over 54% of the vote Tuesday, compared with 45% for his rival, Raila Odinga, according to results released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. But leaders of the opposition National Super Alliance rejected the results before they were even announced, saying they had obtained figures from the commission’s computer servers showing that Odinga won just over 50% of the vote. “If they can open those servers, we are willing to accept the result based on what is in those servers,” a senior opposition figure, James Orengo, told reporters. “There should be no rush to judgment ... The matter may not be closed as soon as some people think.” Wafula Chebukati, the electoral commission’s chairman, declined to give opposition officials access to the computer system, saying he would deal with their concerns after the final results were declared. Shortly before the official announcement, opposition leaders addressed reporters again and said they wanted no part in the results. A senior opposition figure, Musalia Mudavadi, said the coalition had raised “very serious concerns” with the commission that had “not been adequately addressed.” Orengo called the result “a charade” and accused the electoral commission of violating Kenya’s constitution. He said going to court was “not an option” and “Kenyans always rise up.” The result, which had been expected by midafternoon, came after darkness fell. Soon afterward, there were reports of violent exchanges between opposition supporters and police, who responded with tear gas, and in some cases, live bullets, according to witnesses. “Everybody is outside and protesting,” said Petronella Achieng, a resident of Nairobi’s Kibera slum who was reached by phone. “Police are chasing people out of the road, but people are also throwing stones back.” In Mathare, another volatile slum district, youths poured into the streets as soon as the result was announced and started attacking other people’s homes, according to a local peace activist, Jakiwa Inda. “People are demonstrating, and there’s a lot of tear gas,” he said. There were also reports of clashes in Kisumu, an opposition stronghold in western Kenya. It was not immediately possible to confirm whether there were any casualties; at least three people were killed in clashes earlier in the week. It is the third successive election that Odinga, 72, has lost and disputed. In a nation where ethnicity plays a large role in voter loyalties, and political power is often used to hand out jobs and patronage to ethnic allies, Odinga’s Luo supporters feel marginalized and excluded. Violence broke out across Kenya after a disputed election in 2007. Then-President Mwai Kibaki, a Kikuyu, had himself sworn into office in the dead of night, sparking ethnic killing that claimed some 1,500 lives. The electoral commission’s electronic vote tabulation system was intended to help restore confidence in the election process. But accusations by the opposition in recent days that the commission’s computers had been hacked undermined the already fragile public trust in the system. As the results were being counted this week, opposition officials repeatedly asserted that the figures displayed by the electoral commission differed from those on its server — a claim rejected by electoral officials. The opposition also alleged that the commission had not received about 11,000 of the official tally forms compiled at more than 40,800 polling stations. The opposition has the option to challenge the result in court, although Odinga did so unsuccessfully in 2013. While campaigning this year, Odinga insisted that if he lost again, it meant that the election must be rigged, and he hinted that he might call for protests. International observers have said that the vote appeared credible and have urged the opposition to pursue their allegations through legal channels. Kenyatta, the son of Kenya’s first president after independence from Britain, appeared jubilant Friday, waving from the roof of his limousine as he sped from his home to his party headquarters before the result was announced. Wild celebrations broke out among Kenyatta’s supporters as expectations about the result rose and continued into the night. 3:40 p.m.: This article was updated with reaction to the results and reports of violence breaking out. This article was originally published at 12:30 p.m. ||||| Kenya’s main opposition coalition claimed victory Thursday in a contentious presidential election and demanded that its candidate, Raila Odinga, be declared the winner. Odinga was trailing by more than 1.4 million votes, according to provisional results released by the country’s election commission with 97% of polling stations reporting. But the opposition professed to have obtained internal commission figures showing that its candidate had defeated the incumbent president, Uhuru Kenyatta. There were reports of celebrations in some opposition strongholds. But if Kenyatta is declared the winner, it risks igniting tense protests among Odinga’s supporters in Nairobi’s volatile slum districts and in western parts of the country. As Kenya faces the prospect of another disputed election, there were fears of a reprise of the ethnic violence that killed an estimated 1,500 people following a similar dispute in 2007. In Kenya, memories of election horrors set an ominous tone for Tuesday's vote » Sporadic clashes have erupted between police and opposition supporters since Odinga told his followers Wednesday that hackers had manipulated data in the election commission’s computer system. After years of ethnic tension and public mistrust in Kenya’s elections, an electronic system used to tally the paper votes has become the main bone of contention. At a news conference Thursday, a senior figure in the opposition National Super Alliance, Musalia Mudavadi, accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission of posting results on its website that were at odds with the results contained on its server. Mudavadi claimed Odinga had won just over 8 million votes, compared with 7.1 million for Kenyatta. “The accurate and lawful results in the presidential election is the transmission received from the polling stations and contained in the IEBC servers,” he said. Mudavadi urged opposition supporters to remain calm, saying the alliance would present evidence of its allegations in court. Odinga, who on Wednesday had said that the opposition might call on its supporters to stage protests, was present at Thursday’s news conference but did not speak to reporters. Opposition leaders met with the election commission chairman, Wafula Chebukati, on Thursday to demand that it stop posting “unverified results.” Chebukati, who has promised to investigate any allegations of fraud, admitted there had been a hacking attack, but said it had failed. After a hard-fought campaign, international observers praised the commission’s handling of the election and urged Kenyans to give members time to complete their work, which will include checking the electronic results against paper records. Former U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, an observer for the Carter Center, said Kenyans could rely on the vote tally forms, which were signed by party agents at the nation’s more than 40,800 polling stations and posted online by the commission, to ensure that the final result was fair. “It is the paper ballots and the accounting process established by the IEBC that tell the story of this elections, not the electronic transmission of those numbers,” he said. Although Kerry said the allegations of hacking “deserve to be taken seriously,” he urged Kenyans to resolve their differences in court and not in the streets. “Any candidate’s legitimate evidence of something that happened needs to be judged, but it needs to be judged through the appropriate process,” Kerry said. The European Union’s observer team said it had seen no evidence of any attempts to manipulate the results, but added that it was not in a position to investigate claims of hacking or electronic manipulation. Both Kerry and the head of the EU team, Marietje Schaake, a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, recalled the pain of their own election defeats and urged losing candidates to concede defeat graciously. Kenya faces entrenched corruption, and its presidential elections tend to be winner-takes-all affairs, producing victors who dole out jobs and favoritism to ethnic allies. With Kenyatta appearing certain of retaining power, the mistrust of opposition supporters in the system was evident on the commission’s Facebook page. “Never again will I wake up and go to vote for a predetermined results [sic],” wrote one angry voter. “I will never ever ever ever ever associate with an electoral body in Kenya. Neither will I advise my children to vote.” Others, apparently supporters of Kenyatta, urged the commission to announce the result immediately, so they could start celebrating. One worried commentator said Kenyans shouldn’t allow politicians to divide them. “As a developing nation, we have come a long way. Instead of bashing IEBC, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt and encourage them,” the Facebook user wrote. “They’re all we have. This is our country. We have no other motherland.” 12:20 p.m.: This article was updated with the opposition’s claim of victory and additional staff reporting This article was originally published at 9 a.m. ||||| Kenya’s opposition said on Friday it would “not be a party” to the election commission’s imminent announcement of the result of the presidential vote because its concerns had not been addressed. Provisional results from polling stations show President Uhuru Kenyatta with a lead of 1.4 million votes as he vies for a second and final five-year term. Opposition candidate, Raila Odinga’s camp has disputed the count and said it would accept the election result only if allowed to see raw data on the commission’s computer servers. Mr. Odinga has lost the last two elections, claiming fraud in both cases. Many Kenyans fear a repeat of the violence that followed the 2007 contested election, when about 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced as political protests led to ethnic killings. “We raised some very serious concerns, they have not responded to them. As NASA (opposition coalition) we shall not be party to the process they are about to make,” senior opposition official, Musalia Mudavadi, said. James Orengo, Chief Election Agent, the opposition coalition, said: “This has been an entire charade. “The Kenyan people have never disappointed … every time an election has been stolen, the Kenyan people have stood up to make sure changes are made to make Kenya a better place,’’ Mr. Orengo said. “Going to court, for us, is not an alternative. We have been there before.” Earlier, Mr. Orengo had called for the candidates and observers to be given access to the election commission’s servers so there could be a transparent audit of data from 41,000 polling stations across the country. Yakub Guliye, Election Commissioner in charge of Information Technology, said the opposition had not made a formal request and it would not act on a verbal request. Normal procedure calls for the commission to release final results after cross checking its electronic tally with paper forms. Mr. Odinga’s camp has said figures released by the commission since on Tuesday’s vote were “fictitious” and that “confidential sources” within the commission had provided figures showing Mr. Odinga had a large lead in the race. The election commission rejected the claims, pointing out they contained basic mathematical errors. Police had beefed up security across much of Kenya – particularly in opposition strongholds in the west and parts of Nairobi – in anticipation of the announcing of the election result on Friday. At an international conference centre, ruling party supporters sang “Today is our day, God is good” as the president arrived to address them. Kenya is the leading economy in East Africa and any instability would be likely to ripple through the region. Mr. Odinga is a member of the Luo, an ethnic group from the west of the country that has long said it is excluded from power. Mr. Kenyatta is from the Kikuyu group, which has supplied three of four presidents since Kenya gained independence from Britain in 1963. International observers have given the thumbs-up to the vote and U.S. Ambassador Robert Godec issued a statement on behalf of the diplomatic community calling for any complaints to be channeled through the courts, not street protests. “If there are disputes or disagreements, the Kenyan constitution is very clear on how they are to be addressed. Violence must never be an option,” he said on Friday. “The observers largely served the interests of the government,” Mr. Orengo said. As well as a new president, Kenyans also elected new lawmakers and local representatives. Some of those races have also been disputed, leading to violence in Garissa and Tana River counties. (Reuters/NAN) | The Kenyan electoral commission announces that President Uhuru Kenyatta has won re-election. Kenyatta leads ODM candidate Raila Odinga by more than 1.4 million votes. The opposition National Super Alliance rejects this finding as fraudulent. |
SEPT-SORTS, France -- An 8-year-old girl was killed and at least 13 people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris, authorities said Monday. The driver was immediately arrested in what was the latest of several attacks in France and elsewhere using a vehicle as a weapon. The local prosecutor said the man's actions in the dinnertime attack in the town of Sept-Sorts were clearly deliberate, but not terrorism-related. The girl and her brother were among restaurant patrons eating on the outdoor terrace of Pizzeria Cesena when a man in a BMW accelerated toward them, an official with the national gendarme service told The Associated Press. Some officials said the girl was 13, while the prosecutor said she was 12. The girl died immediately, and her brother's injuries were considered life-threatening, according to a gendarme official, who was not authorized to be quoted by name. Deputy regional prosecutor Eric de Valroger said a 3-year-old boy was flown by helicopter to France's premier children's hospital in Paris and 12 other people were also hospitalized, four in serious condition. Tactics against vehicle terror attacks Speaking to reporters near the attack site, de Valroger said he had opened a homicide investigation. At this stage, he said, "I rule out a terrorist motive." He called it "highly probable" that the driver was under the influence of drugs and that he left the road and deliberately aimed his car at restaurant-goers. De Valroger identified the attacker as a 31-year-old from the nearby town of La Ferte-sous-Jouarre. The suspect is believed to have tried to kill himself last week, French Interior Ministry Pierre-Henry Brandet said on BFM television. Brandet said the man was not known to intelligence or police. Explosives experts combed the area and found no weapon other than the car itself, according to the prosecutor. Witnesses to the incident were being given emergency counseling. A police official said authorities were not searching for accomplices, and a security official said there was no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive. The targeted pizzeria is in a shopping zone in the small town of Sept-Sorts, about 65 kilometers, nearly 40 miles, east of Paris near Champagne country. Police cordoned off a large area, and BFM reported that a nearby Chinese restaurant was requisitioned to take in victims and survivors. The incident on a quiet August night on the eve of a national holiday reignited fears after multiple attacks in which a vehicle was the weapon of choice. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, leaving six wounded. A truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. French President Emmanuel Macron and his government expressed condolences and support for the victims and survivors of Monday's attack, according to an Interior Ministry statement. ||||| A young girl has been killed and at least 12 people injured after a car deliberately drove into a pizzeria in a small village to the east of Paris. The car ploughed into the busy terrace of the restaurant in Sept-Sorts, a village of about 450 inhabitants in Seine et Marne. A spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior said the young girl killed was 13-years-old. He added four people were in a critical condition and eight suffered from less serious injuries. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras. According to local media, the driver has been arrested. He reportedly attempted to commit suicide last week. French police authorities have confirmed on Twitter that an operation is ongoing in Sept-Sorts and urged people to stay away from the area. The public prosecutor's office in Meaux said this was "a deliberate act" which seems "to have nothing to do with a terror attack", Le Parisien reports. One witness told BFMTV: "I had just paid and was about to leave the restaurant when a car drove straight into the terrace, it hit the bar and became wedged inside the restaurant. "The driver wanted to reverse but some people who were nearby prevented him from doing by standing behind the car. The police was quick to arrive and they arrested him there and then. "For me this was deliberate and it was a terror attack. There were about 20 people on the terrace of the restaurant and they were all mowed down by the car." France has been rocked by a recent series of terror attacks, and anti-terrorist officers were quickly at the scene of the crash. ||||| PARIS (AP) — French police say an 8-year-old girl was killed and at least five people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris. An official with the national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident Monday night in the town of Sept-Sorts. The official said it is unclear whether the act was deliberate. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, and a truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. Several other countries have seen cars used as weapons in recent years. ||||| French police say an 13-year-old girl has been killed and at least five people injured after a car ploughed into the outdoor terrace of a pizza restaurant in a town east of Paris. Police said the BMW was “deliberately” used to attack the restaurant in a shopping centre at Sept-Sorts, in the Seine-et-Marne region east of Paris on Monday. An official with the national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident in the town of Sept-Sorts. A witness told BFMTV: “A car drove into the terrace and crashed into the bar. The driver tried to reverse but someone stopped them. The gendarmes arrived quickly. There were around 20 people in the restaurant.” A judicial official said the Paris prosecutor’s office, which oversees French terrorism investigations, was not involved in the case because there was no proof of terrorism at this stage. A security official said there is no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive. But both officials say authorities view the driver’s actions as a deliberate act. ||||| Have your say An eight year old girl has been killed and at least five people injured after a driver slammed his car into a cafe/pizza restaurant in a town near Paris. A man has been arrested after the incident, but it is not yet clear if the act was deliberate. The incident happened in a small town near Paris called Sept-Sorts. French police said that the man is not yet able to be named. Last week, an Algerian man drove a car into a group of French soldiers. Just over a year ago, a truck attack in Nice left 86 people dead. ||||| A man who may have been trying to kill himself has rammed his car into a pizzeria east of Paris, killing a 13-year-old girl and injuring her younger brother and at least 11 others, authorities said. The driver was immediately arrested. Police said the man's actions in the town of Sept-Sorts were deliberate, but not thought to be terrorism-related. The 13-year-old girl and her brother were among the restaurant customers eating on the outdoor terrace of Pizzeria Cesena when a man in a BMW accelerated toward them, an official with the national gendarme service said. The girl died immediately, while the boy's injuries are considered life-threatening, the official said. At least three others were taken to hospital in a serious condition, and eight more sustained light injuries, said the official. The incident reignited fears in France after a string of attacks in which a vehicle was used as a weapon. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, and an Islamic extremist truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. The man arrested in Monday's attack is thought to have tried to kill himself last week, French Interior Ministry Pierre-Henry Brandet said on BFM television. Mr Brandet said the man, born in 1985, was not known to intelligence or police. He did not identify him. Two police officials said the incident is considered over and authorities are not searching for accomplices, but to find out what motivated the driver. A judicial official said on Monday night that the Paris prosecutor's office, which oversees French terrorism investigations, was not involved in the case because there was no proof of terrorism at this stage. A security official echoed that there was no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive. The targeted pizzeria is in a shopping area in the town of Sept-Sorts about 40 miles east of Paris near Champagne country. Police cordoned off a large perimeter of the area. ||||| PARIS — French officials say a young girl was killed and at least five people were seriously injured when a driver plowed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town about an hour from Paris. The national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident Monday night in the town of Sept-Sorts after the suspect slammed his car into the pizzeria, killing one child and injuring several others. Investigators were on the scene and officials said it was unclear what motivated the incident. A police official in the region Seine-et-Marne told NBC News the girl who was killed was 12-years-old and that a 4-year-old child was also seriously injured and flown by helicopter to a hospital in Paris. Four others were seriously injured and eight were slightly injured, the official said. France's Interior Ministry told the AP that the man who drove his car into the pizzeria was apparently suicidal and the incident is not believed linked to terrorism. Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said on BFM television that the man was born in 1985 and was believed to have tried to commit suicide last week. ||||| A man who may have been trying to kill himself has rammed his car into a pizzeria east of Paris, killing a 13-year-old girl and injuring her younger brother and at least 11 others, authorities said. The driver was immediately arrested. Police said the man's actions in the town of Sept-Sorts were deliberate, but not thought to be terrorism-related. The 13-year-old girl and her brother were among the restaurant customers eating on the outdoor terrace of Pizzeria Cesena when a man in a BMW accelerated toward them, an official with the national gendarme service said. Police officers block a road approaching the town of Sept-Sorts, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Paris, France after an incident when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant. Picture: AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu The girl died immediately, while the boy's injuries are considered life-threatening, the official said. At least three others were taken to hospital in a serious condition, and eight more sustained light injuries, said the official. The incident reignited fears in France after a string of attacks in which a vehicle was used as a weapon. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, and an Islamic extremist truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. The man arrested in Monday's attack is thought to have tried to kill himself last week, French Interior Ministry Pierre-Henry Brandet said on BFM television. Mr Brandet said the man, born in 1985, was not known to intelligence or police. He did not identify him. Two police officials said the incident is considered over and authorities are not searching for accomplices, but to find out what motivated the driver. Police officers block a road approaching the town of Sept-Sorts, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) east of Paris, France after an incident when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant. Picture: AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu A judicial official said on Monday night that the Paris prosecutor's office, which oversees French terrorism investigations, was not involved in the case because there was no proof of terrorism at this stage. A security official echoed that there was no evidence of a political or Islamic extremist motive. The targeted pizzeria is in a shopping area in the town of Sept-Sorts about 40 miles east of Paris near Champagne country. Police cordoned off a large perimeter of the area. ||||| A car has 'deliberately' ploughed into a pizza restaurant near Paris killing one young girl and injuring 13 others - five seriously. The driver is reported to have 'rammed' people eating outside the Pizzeria Cesena - said to be popular with families on a hot summer's evening - in La Fierté sous-Jouarre, killing a 13-year-old girl. One of the seriously injured is reported to a three-year-old boy who is critical. The 32-year-old man is reported to have also had weapons in his car when he 'drove up to the restaurant, waited outside and then driven at the restaurant at speed', according to witnesses who said there were about 20 people inside at the time. Pictures from the pizzeria show chaotic scenes, with the grey BMW buried inside the front of the restaurant - and chairs and tables upturned and metal supports bent out of shape. Anti-terror offices have swarmed the scene following the crash - but early indications are that while the driver intended to commit suicide, it was NOT a terror attack, according to local police. A witness told BFMTV: “A car drove into the terrace and crashed into the bar. The driver tried to reverse but someone stopped them. The gendarmes arrived quickly. There were around 20 people in the restaurant.” Enquiries at the scene suggested that that the motorist ‘had made no effort whatsoever to brake,’ said the source. The horrific incident took place in the district of Sept-Sorts, which is around 40 miles east of the French capital and not far from Disneyland Paris. Earlier reports claimed the girl who died was eight years old, but Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet has since confirmed she was aged 13. The 32-year-old male driver of the BMW has been arrested, the BBC reports. Local media had said the the driver who had no previous criminal record, had told police officers he had wanted to kill himself and had weapons in the car. Mr Brandet said the incident happened just after 8pm ‘and seemed to be a deliberate attack’ by a 32-year-old man ‘who was not known to the security or justice services.’ According to an initial investigation, what the man said during the incident "make it possible to discard (it was a) terrorist attack". He had already tried to "end his days without success" on Sunday and "he would have decided to do it again," a judicial source told French publication LCI.fr. The Frenchman also admitted to police that he was a manic depressive Early questioning and the checking of documents established that ‘the individual was psychologically unstable’ and had ‘tried to commit suicide last week’. The incident was not being treated as a terror attack, local media said. The incident follows similar terrorist attacks by jihadi killers pledging allegiance to Islamic State. Early reports from the scene tonight suggested that the male driver "pulled up close to the restaurant" in a BMW car, and then "deliberately targeted it". "There were quite a lot of people on the terrace,’ said a source close to the case. "An eight year old girl was hit straight on, and died at the scene. "At least five people are very seriously injured. The man was arrested and is now with the police. There is a gendarmerie very close by. "Anti-terrorist officers arrived on the scene very quickly, but we don’t yet know what this is about.’ Roads into the village of Sept-Sorts, which has a population of just 400, were tonight being blocked off, with residents being told to stay indoors. "There is a full-scale alert," said one. Specialist police units from Paris were scrambled to the scene in the Seine-et-Marne department. There was no initial sign of anybody else being involved in the crash, and the man remained in custody. Pictures posted on Twitter showed the badly damaged BMW on the restaurant terrace. The pizzeria is in an industrial zone, surrounded by other restaurants. It is particularly popular with young families on warm summer evenings like tonight. Last week an illegal immigrant to France was shot by police five times after running down six soldiers with a hired BMW in a Paris suburb. The terrorist suspect, identified as Hamou Bachir, a 36-year-old Algerian, was caught after initially escaping the scene of the crime at Levallois-Perret. Bachir - who also uses the name Benlatreche – ploughed into a uniformed and heavily armed unit of the 35 Infantry Regiment as they took part in Operation Sentinel. The security initiative was set up in 2015 following a series of atrocities in Paris carried out by Islamic State and Al-Qaeda operatives. Bachir was lurking as two three-man patrols swapped shifts, and then he approached them slowly ‘before speeding up,’ said local mayor Patrick Balkany. There are 10,000 soldiers patrolling France as part of Operation Sentinel, and 4,700 police and gendarmes. France remains under a State of Emergency following a long string of attacks, including an attempt to kill a soldier at the Eiffel Tower earlier this month. The 19-year-old psychiatric patient is in custody after he brandished a knife and pledged allegiance to Isis. In April, 39-year-old police officers Xavier Jugele was shot dead while on duty on the Champs Elysee just days before the French presidential election. Isis claimed the killing by Karim Cheurfi, also 39, who was shot dead by police in a gun battle. Two other officers were injured in the attack. In June an Algerian student shouted ‘This is for Syria’ as he tried to attack a policeman with a hammer outside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He was shot and ended up in custody in hospital. And in March a convicted criminal with links to radical Islam shouted 'I am here to die for Allah, there will be deaths' seconds before he was shot dead during an attack at Paris Orly airport. Ziyed Ben Belgacem, a 39-year-old career criminal, was killed after wrestling a soldier's gun from her and fleeing into a McDonald's restaurant. It followed the shooting in February of a man outside the Louvre museum in the heart of Paris after he attempted to storm the historic art gallery. Anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an enquiry into today’s attack. The assailant will be questioned at length ‘when his condition allows’, said an Interior Ministry spokesman. ||||| PARIS (AP) -- French police said an 8-year-old girl was killed and at least five people were injured when a driver slammed his car into the sidewalk cafe of a pizza restaurant in a small town east of Paris. An official with the national gendarme service said the driver was arrested soon after the incident Monday night in the town of Sept-Sorts. The official said it is unclear whether the act was deliberate. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to police policy. An Algerian man drove his car into a group of French soldiers last week, and a truck attack in the French city of Nice left 86 people dead a little more than a year ago. Several other countries have seen cars used as weapons in recent years. France (AP) - JUST IN: One girl is dead and at least five people are injured after a driver rammed into patrons at a pizza restaurant, located east of Paris. This is a developing story. Stay with News 18 on-air and online for the latest updates. | A 13-year-old girl is killed when a car is deliberately driven into a pizza restaurant's sidewalk cafe in Sept-Sorts, France. At least 12 other people are injured, four critically. The driver is arrested. Police do not believe the incident was terrorism-related. |
Somali and U.S. military officials are investigating the results of an operation conducted in southern Somalia early Friday, amid confusion about whether the attack killed civilians or al-Shabab militants. The U.S. Africa Command said in a statement it was "aware of the civilian casualty allegations near Bariire, Somalia. We take any allegations of civilian casualties seriously, and per standard, we are conducting an assessment into the situation to determine the facts on the ground." The Somali government initially said that eight al-Shabab fighters had been killed at a farm in a joint operation by the Somali National Army and "international partners." The statement said, "Al-Shabab started shooting at SNA forces after our soldiers entered the farm. The individuals shooting at the SNA soldiers were al-Shabab fighters; they were not farmers." Read the statement The government later said, "It appears that there were different security operations that took place in the area." "We also understand that there are civilian casualties in which the federal government is investigating to find out the truth about this," said the government. Local denials Local officials and relatives denied the victims were al-Shabab members. Officials in the Lower Shabelle region said 10 civilians, including children, had been killed in the operation. Binti Abdullahi Diriye said her brother was among those killed. "My brother was a poor man who was a farmer; he leaves behind nine children and a pregnant wife," Diriye told VOA's Somali service. "My brother was killed unjustly. I want revenge for my brother and compensation for the orphans." Mukhtar Moallim Abdi, who said his son had been killed in the operation, also told VOA that the victims were civilians. He denied there was any confrontation in the area at the time of the alleged killings. "Bariire was attacked by the Americans. We are not al-Shabab members; we are farmers and there was no confrontation," he said. The deputy governor of Lower Shabelle, Ali Nur Mohamed, supported the account given by the relatives. He said the victims were farm owners, workers and their children. He said one of the those killed was an 8-year-old boy. "White forces together with a few Somalis have attacked the farm; they killed nine, including small children and adults," he said, adding the 10th person died on the way to the hospital. The bodies of those killed were displayed at a Mogadishu hospital. U.S. role The U.S. Africa Command confirmed in an email message to VOA Somali that American forces had played a "supporting role" during the operation at the farm near Bariire. A small number of U.S. military personnel are in Somalia to help combat al-Shabab and protect the government. Bariire, 55 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, was captured by Somali government and AMISOM forces last Saturday from al-Shabab. Witnesses told VOA Somali that on the day of the attack, they saw about a dozen white military personnel supporting Somali and African Union forces as the personnel moved into the city. VOA ||||| MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali forces supported by U.S. troops shot dead 10 Somalis, including three children, in a village near the capital Mogadishu on Friday, a witness and local officials told Reuters. Relatives mourn the killing of their kin in an attack by Somali forces and supported by U.S. troops, at the Madina hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia, August 25, 2017. REUTERS/Feisal Omar The involvement of U.S. troops was confirmed by U.S. Africa Command, which said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties. The Somali army initially said no civilians were killed and all the dead were members of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militia, which is fighting to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government and impose strict Islamic law. It later issued a second statement saying some civilian casualties had been reported. “We also understand that there are civilian casualties in which the Federal Government is investigating to find out the truth about this. We urge Somali people to cooperate fully with the Government on this matter,” the Somali army said. The incident is likely to provoke questions in Washington about the growing U.S. footprint in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been torn apart by civil war since 1991. A U.S. Navy Seal was killed in Somalia in May, the first U.S. combat death there since 1993. The White House has granted the U.S. military broader authority to carry out strikes in Somalia against al Shabaab, in the latest sign President Donald Trump is increasing U.S. military engagement in the region. But local elders said the keenness to engage left the U.S. open to being unwittingly drawn into clan feuds, stoking tensions between Somalis and the United States. The village attacked, Bariire in Lower Shabelle, about 50 km (30 miles) from the capital, is at the center of a feud between two powerful and well-armed clans, lawmaker Dahir Amin Jesow said. He said those killed were farmers who had armed themselves to defend themselves against the rival group. FALSE TIP-OFF? “The two clans who fought misinformed the U.S. forces,” he said, adding that one group may have tipped off security forces that the other side were insurgents. Witness Warsame Wador told Reuters the dead were farmers who had been asleep when the raid began just before sunrise. “It was this morning when white and Somali forces entered the farm. All the 10 people were asleep and I ran for my life,” he said. “As I ran away I could see four armored vehicles parked outside.” Reuters viewed nine bodies at Madina hospital. An injured man later died, medical staff said. The dead children were eight, nine and 10 years old, said clan elder Abukar Osman Sheikh. “They were sleeping in their farm when U.S. and Somali forces came into their farm and opened fire. Last year, the U.S. killed my people in Galkayo in a deliberate strike. We shall not bury them. We shall no longer tolerate it,” he said. A September 2016 air strike in Galkayo killed at least 10 pro-government fighters, the U.S. has acknowledged. Madina hospital was packed with people who said they were relatives of the dead. Insurgents do not typically accompany their dead to hospitals in the capital, which is controlled by the government. “These dead bodies were innocent farmers,” Ali Nur, deputy governor of lower Shabelle region, told Reuters. But the Somali National Army (SNA) issued a statement saying that eight insurgents had been killed in an operation carried out with “international partners”. “The SNA carried out an operation this morning against a farm in Bariire with known al-Shabaab presence,” the statement quoted General Sheegow, commander of the 20th Brigade, as saying. “Al Shabaab started shooting at SNA forces after our soldiers entered the farm. The individuals shooting at the SNA were al Shabaab fighters, they were not farmers.” ||||| MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Somalia official says a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm has killed 10 civilians, including a child. Ali Nur Mohamed, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told reporters in the Somali capital that the farmers were killed “one by one” after soldiers stormed the farm in Barire village on Friday. He says a child and a woman are among the dead. He calls the attack a “real genocide.” It is not clear which foreign forces are blamed for the attack. The U.S. military has stepped up efforts this year against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, often in support of Somali forces. The U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to questions. Somali officials have displayed the victims’ bloodied bodies in the capital, Mogadishu. ||||| MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The Latest on a deadly military raid in Somalia (all times local): Somalia’s information ministry is now noting “civilian casualties” in a security operation after at first denying allegations that 10 people, including children, were killed. A new and corrected statement says “it appears that there were different security operations” in the area. The original statement said eight al-Shabab extremists were killed in the operation early Friday in southern Somalia. The U.S. military confirms it supported a Somali army operation and says it will look into the allegations of civilian deaths. The U.S. military says it will look into claims that several civilians, including children, were killed in a U.S.-backed operation by Somalia’s army. A statement by the U.S. Africa Command says it is aware of the “civilian casualty allegations” and is conducting an assessment into the situation. The deputy governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region says the raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm killed 10 civilians, including three children. The bodies have been displayed in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia’s information ministry says eight al-Shabab extremists were killed in the operation and no civilians were harmed. The U.S. military confirms it was supporting Somali forces in an operation in an area where a local official says 10 civilians, including three children, were killed. The U.S. Africa Command gives no further details on Friday’s operation. The U.S. this year has stepped up military efforts against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab. The deputy governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region says the joint raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm killed the civilians. The bodies were displayed in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia’s information ministry says eight al-Shabab fighters were killed in the operation and that no civilians were harmed. A Somalia official says a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm has killed 10 civilians, including a child. Ali Nur Mohamed, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told reporters in the Somali capital that the farmers were killed “one by one” after soldiers stormed the farm in Barire village on Friday. He says a child and a woman are among the dead. He calls the attack a “real genocide.” It is not clear which foreign forces are blamed for the attack. The U.S. military has stepped up efforts this year against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, often in support of Somali forces. The U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to questions. Somali officials have displayed the victims’ bloodied bodies in the capital, Mogadishu. ||||| Somali forces supported by U.S. troops shot dead 10 Somalis, including three children, in a village near the capital Mogadishu on Friday, a witness and local officials told Reuters. The involvement of U.S. troops was confirmed by U.S. Africa Command, which said it was investigating reports of civilian casualties. The Somali army initially said no civilians were killed and all the dead were members of the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militia, which is fighting to overthrow the weak U.N.-backed government and impose strict Islamic law. It later issued a second statement saying some civilian casualties had been reported. “We also understand that there are civilian casualties in which the Federal Government is investigating to find out the truth about this. We urge Somali people to cooperate fully with the Government on this matter,” the Somali army said. The incident is likely to provoke questions in Washington about the growing U.S. footprint in the Horn of Africa nation, which has been torn apart by civil war since 1991. A U.S. Navy Seal was killed in Somalia in May, the first U.S. combat death there since 1993. The White House has granted the U.S. military broader authority to carry out strikes in Somalia against al Shabaab, in the latest sign President Donald Trump is increasing U.S. military engagement in the region. ||||| MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The Latest on a deadly military raid in Somalia (all times local): The U.S. military says it will look into claims that several civilians, including children, were killed in a U.S.-backed operation by Somalia’s army. A statement by the U.S. Africa Command says it is aware of the “civilian casualty allegations” and is conducting an assessment into the situation. The deputy governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region says the raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm killed 10 civilians, including three children. The bodies have been displayed in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia’s information ministry says eight al-Shabab extremists were killed in the operation and no civilians were harmed. The U.S. military confirms it was supporting Somali forces in an operation in an area where a local official says 10 civilians, including three children, were killed. The U.S. Africa Command gives no further details on Friday’s operation. The U.S. this year has stepped up military efforts against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab. The deputy governor of Somalia’s Lower Shabelle region says the joint raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm killed the civilians. The bodies were displayed in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia’s information ministry says eight al-Shabab fighters were killed in the operation and that no civilians were harmed. A Somalia official says a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm has killed 10 civilians, including a child. Ali Nur Mohamed, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told reporters in the Somali capital that the farmers were killed “one by one” after soldiers stormed the farm in Barire village on Friday. He says a child and a woman are among the dead. He calls the attack a “real genocide.” It is not clear which foreign forces are blamed for the attack. The U.S. military has stepped up efforts this year against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, often in support of Somali forces. The U.S. Africa Command did not immediately respond to questions. Somali officials have displayed the victims’ bloodied bodies in the capital, Mogadishu. ||||| MOGADISHU, Somalia — Ten civilians, including three children, were killed in a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm in southern Somalia, a deputy governor said Friday. The United States military confirmed that it had supported a counterterrorism operation in the area, and said it would look into the allegations. The deaths raise questions about growing American military involvement in Somalia after President Trump approved expanded operations, often in support of Somali forces, against the Shabab, an extremist group linked to Al Qaeda. The farmers were killed “one by one” after soldiers stormed into the village, Barire, early Friday, the deputy governor of the Lower Shabelle region, Ali Nur Mohamed, told reporters in the capital, Mogadishu. Somalia’s Information Ministry at first said that the raid had killed eight Shabab fighters and that the extremists had begun shooting at Somali forces, adding that “no civilians were harmed or killed.” A corrected statement said that “it appears that there were different security operations” in the area. Three children ages 8 to 10 and a woman were among the dead, the deputy governor said. Their bodies were laid out in a grassy courtyard, wrapped in blankets. Bodies of civilians, especially those killed in misdirected attacks, are often taken from remote areas to Mogadishu to draw media attention. ||||| MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somalia's army chief says civilians, not extremists, were killed in a military operation Friday that both the United States and Somalia say they will investigate. Ahmed Jimale Gedi told reporters on Saturday that the deaths in Barire village in Lower Shabelle region were the result of suspicion between the two sides. He says he is shocked by the civilian deaths. The deputy governor of Lower Shabelle has said 10 civilians were killed, including three children. Somalis observe bodies which were brought to and displayed in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. A number of civilians are dead after a raid by foreign and Somali forces on a farm in Barire village in southern Somalia, according to the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh) Somalia's government at first said al-Shabab extremists were killed but later noted civilian casualties. The U.S. Africa Command has confirmed it supported an operation by the Somali army in the area. President Donald Trump earlier this year approved expanded operations against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab group in Somalia, often in support of Somali forces. ||||| Ten civilians including three children have been killed in a raid by US-backed Somali forces on a farm in southern Somalia, a deputy governor said, as officials displayed victims' bloodied bodies in the capital. The raid came as the US military steps up efforts against the Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab. Somalia's information ministry said eight al-Shabab fighters were killed in the operation and that no civilians were harmed. But Ali Nur Mohamed, deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region, told reporters in Mogadishu the farmers were killed "one by one" after soldiers stormed the farm in Barire village. Three children aged eight to 10 and a woman were among the dead, he said, calling the attack a "real genocide". Their blanket-wrapped bodies were laid out in a grassy courtyard for display. "These local farmers were attacked by foreign troops while looking after their crops," the deputy governor told reporters. "The troops could have arrested them because they were unarmed but instead shot them one by one mercilessly." Al-Shabab, which has become the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, holds vast areas of rural Somalia after being chased out of major cities in recent years by a multinational African Union force and Somali troops. The group continues to threaten the fragile central government and carry out deadly attacks in neighbouring countries, notably Kenya. Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against al-Shabab, including more aggressive air strikes and considering parts of southern Somalia areas of active hostilities. The US and Somalia in recent weeks said strikes have killed al-Shabab leaders responsible for planning and executing deadly attacks in Mogadishu, where high-profile areas such as hotels and military checkpoints are often targeted with deadly bombings. ||||| MOGADISHU: Somali forces supported by U.S. troops shot dead 10 Somalis, including three children, in a village near the capital Mogadishu on Friday, a witness and local officials told Reuters. "The Somalia National Army was conducting an operation in the area with U.S. forces in a supporting role," said a spokeswoman for U.S. Africa Command, without giving further details. | United States-supported Somali forces shoot and kill 10 Somalis, including three children, in Lower Shebelle's Bariire village near Mogadishu. While the Somalia government reports the other dead were members of the al Shabaab militia, Lower Shabelle deputy governor Ali Nur Mohamed says the victims were all civilians, farm owners, workers and their children. The U.S. Africa Command says they are investigating these civilian casualties reports. |
A man broke into a Corpus Christi, Texas, home just as Category 4 Hurricane Harvey barreled into the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday evening, causing the homeowner to shoot him. It happened about 11 p.m. CST, an hour after the storm made landfall with 130-mph winds, in a residential part of the Gulf Coast city. Corpus Christi police say the man had broken into the house and was shot by the homeowner. Officers found a man at the scene who had been shot in the head. The devastating storm left more than 100,000 area residents without power. It's unknown whether the homeowner had power at the time of the break-in. The man was taken to a local hospital. His age and condition were not immediately available. Although police said he was coherent when he went to the hospital. ||||| A look at Hurricane Carla and some of the most damaging hurricanes to hit the United States since 2000: (Figures have not been adjusted for inflation) CARLA Starting as a tropical depression in the Caribbean Sea on Sept. 3, 1961, Carla steadily gained momentum until it was labeled a major hurricane four days later. After a few days, it became a Category 5, only to be downgraded to a Category 4 by Sept. 11, when it made landfall on Matagorda Island, a 38-mile (61-kilometer) barrier island on the Texas Gulf coast, according to the National Weather Service. It weakened to a tropical storm after its eye hit Port O'Connor and Port Lavaca in Texas. The hurricane also impacted parts of Louisiana, Oklahoma and Illinois. In Texas, the highest winds were about 115 mph but sustained winds in some parts hit 170 mph. The hurricane spawned 18 tornadoes, including 10 in Louisiana and eight in Texas. Between Carla and the subsequent tornadoes, the NWS said 46 people were killed and more than 450 were injured. Total damage was estimated at $2.36 billion with Texas suffering more than $400 million in damage. In Texas, 1,915 homes were destroyed. ___ KATRINA Katrina crossed the tip of Florida and then swept into the Gulf of Mexico and over Louisiana and Mississippi, causing more than 1,800 deaths and an estimated $108 billion in damage and becoming the costliest hurricane in U.S. history, according to the National Hurricane Center. Most of the fatalities occurred in Louisiana, where thousands of homes and businesses in New Orleans were destroyed by strong winds and flooding. Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Alabama also reported deaths in the 2005 hurricane, which left about 3 million people without power, some for weeks at a time. ___ SANDY The pounding winds and storm surges of Sandy, dubbed a 'superstorm' since it was extratropical by the time it made landfall, devastated the coastlines of New York and New Jersey in late October 2012, damaging at least 650,000 homes and causing about 8.5 million power outages, according to the Hurricane Center. U.S. officials preliminarily tallied at least $50 billion in damage, though some sources cite around $75 billion. There were at least 147 deaths directly tied to storm conditions, as well as a number of indirect fatalities linked to hypothermia, carbon monoxide poisoning and falling trees during the cleanup effort, the center said. Repairs to homes and infrastructure continue today. ___ IKE Ike's storm surges raised water levels across nearly the entire U.S. Gulf Coast when it hit in 2008, causing almost $30 billion in damage, mostly in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. At least 20 people were killed, according to the Hurricane Center. Waves battered the coasts of Texas and Louisiana, and almost 3 million people in those state lost power. Winds uprooted trees, and a number of homes were damaged. ___ WILMA Coming near the end of 2005's extraordinary hurricane season, Wilma caused 98 percent of South Florida to lose electricity, with experts at the Hurricane Center attributing widespread damage in the state to its large core. Trees were downed, windows shattered, roofs torn up and crops lost. All told, the U.S. reported more than $21 billion in damage, as well as five deaths. ___ IVAN Ivan's 10- to 15-foot storm surge in 2004 caused as much as a quarter-mile of an interstate bridge to collapse in Florida, which along with Alabama was among the hardest-hit states, according to the Hurricane Center. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed. Debris piled up after the storm stretched for more than three-quarters of a mile and were as tall as seven stories. Almost 2 million people experienced power outages. Ivan killed 25 people and caused more than $18 billion in damage, according to the center. ___ RITA Rita, one of the strongest hurricanes of the record-breaking 2005 season, prompted one of the largest-scale evacuations in U.S. history, with more than 2 million people estimated to have fled the Texas coast, according to the Hurricane Center. Coming just weeks after Katrina, Rita's wind and rain caused $12 billion in damage and killed 62 people, including many nursing home residents whose bus caught fire as they fled the storm, the center said. Nearly every structure in some coastal areas of southwestern Louisiana was destroyed, some entirely swept away. ||||| CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas: Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast on Friday as a Category 4 storm, bringing life-threatening winds and the likelihood of catastrophic flooding as the most powerful storm in over a decade hit the mainland United States. The hurricane made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi around 10 p.m. CDT (0400 BST) with maximum winds of 130 miles per hour (209 km per hour). The storm is expected to move slowly over the Texas and Louisiana coasts for days, with forecasts for storm surges of up to 13 feet (4 meters) and over 3 feet (90 cm) of rain. As many as 6 million people were believed to be in Harvey's path, as is the heart of America's oil refining operations. The storm's impact on refineries has already pushed up gasoline prices while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lifted some rules on gasoline to reduce shortages. Fuelled by the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, Harvey became the first Category 4 hurricane to wallop the United States since Charley in 2004 and the first to hit Texas since Carla in 1961. About 30 miles (45 km) from Corpus Christi and moving northwest, Harvey caused scattered power outages both on the coast near Galveston and 100 miles (160 km) inland. Donald Trump, facing the first large-scale natural disaster of his presidency, said on Twitter he signed a disaster proclamation which "unleashes the full force of government help" shortly before Harvey made landfall. While thousands fled the expected devastating flooding and destruction, many residents defied mandatory evacuation orders and stocked up on food, fuel and sandbags, drawing the ire of local authorities. "We’re suggesting if people are going to stay here, mark their arm with a Sharpie pen with their name and Social Security number," Rockport Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Rios told reporters Friday, according to media reports. "We hate to talk about things like that. It's not something we like to do but it’s the reality. People don’t listen." There were initial reports of extensive damage in Rockport, near the eye of the hurricane, including structural damage to a high school, hotel and other buildings being used as shelters, according to local media. As a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, Harvey could uproot trees, destroy homes and disrupt utilities for days. It is the first major hurricane, of Category 3 or more, to hit the mainland United States since Hurricane Wilma struck Florida in 2005. In Corpus Christi, a city of 320,000 under voluntary evacuation, strengthening winds buffeted the few trucks and cars that continued to circulate on the streets. The storm toppled wooden roadwork signs and littered the streets with pieces of palm trees as white caps rocked sailboats in their docks. About 85 miles (137 km) north in Victoria, Mayor Paul Polasek told CNN he estimated that 60 percent to 65 percent of the town’s 65,000 residents defied the mandatory evacuation order. Jose Rengel, a 47-year-old who works in construction, said he was one of the few people in Jamaica Beach in Galveston that did not heed a voluntary evacuation order. “All the shops are empty,” he said as the sky turned black and rain fell. “It’s like a tornado went in and swept everything up.” With the hurricane lashing the Texas coast, at least three cruise ships operated by Carnival Corp with thousands of passengers aboard were forced to change their plans to sail for the Port of Galveston. Two of them headed New Orleans to pick up fresh supplies, while the third delayed its departure from Cozumel, Mexico. Louisiana and Texas declared states of disaster, authorizing the use of state resources to prepare. The NHC's latest tracking model shows the storm sitting southwest of Houston for more than a day, giving the nation's fourth most populous city a double dose of rain and wind. The city warned residents of flooding from close to 20 inches (60 cm) of rain over several days. But Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner advised residents not to leave en masse, saying "no evacuation orders have been issued for the city." Chaotic traffic from a rushed evacuation in 2005 with Hurricane Rita proved tragic. "Calm and care!" he said in a tweet. Gasoline stations on the south Texas coast were running out of fuel as thousands of residents fled the region. U.S. gasoline prices spiked as the storm shut down 22 percent of Gulf of Mexico oil production, according to the U.S. government. At a Willis, Texas, station, about 50 miles (77 km) north of Houston, Corey Martinez, 40, was heading to Dallas from his Corpus Christi home. "It has been pretty stressful. We're just trying to get ahead of the storm," he said. "We've never been through a hurricane before." More than 45 percent of the country's refining capacity is along the U.S. Gulf Coast, and nearly a fifth of the nation's crude oil is produced offshore. Ports from Corpus Christi to Texas City, Texas, were closed to incoming vessels and Royal Dutch Shell Plc , Anadarko Petroleum Corp , Exxon Mobil Corp and others have evacuated staff from offshore oil and gas platforms. Concern that Harvey could cause shortages in fuel supply drove benchmark gasoline prices to their highest in four months, before profit taking pulled back prices. Meanwhile, U.S. gasoline margins hit their strongest levels in five years for this time of year. The U.S. government said it would make emergency stockpiles of crude available if needed to plug disruptions. It has regularly used them to dampen the impact of previous storms on energy supplies. ||||| A tropical depression that formed in the Gulf of Mexico has now attained the status of a hurricane. According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Harvey has reached wind speeds of more than 80 mph as of Thursday afternoon. The Center has also forecast that Hurricane Harvey will hit the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 3 hurricane as it intensifies further. If the forecast does turn out to be true, it will make Harvey the strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. The last major storm in the region was Hurricane Wilma that hit the U.S. back in October 2005, the Washington Post reports. With the threat of Hurricane Harvey looming large, the National Hurricane Center also issued a hurricane warning for a 280-mile long stretch of the Texas coast. The center has also warned about the possibility of some areas getting as much as 25 inches of rain over the course of the next week. As of now, Hurricane Harvey is part of a slow moving storm system which has lead to heightened concerns of heavy rainfall and subsequent waterlogging and flooding. Some areas in Texas could also see dangerous flash floods. A statement issued by hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski of Accuweather read; Another Accuweather weather expert Marshall Moss has predicted that the impact caused by Hurricane Harvey would be of “tremendous” nature and that it will cause severe damage to life and property across the region. People and businesses living in the path of the hurricane have started preparing for the worse. Petroleum companies ExxonMobil, Shell and Anadarko Petroleum have started evacuating their workers from the region. People living on South Padre Island have started filling sandbags to protect their homes and businesses. A hurricane watch is in effect for most of coastal Texas — from Port Mansfield to Luis Pass. There are also concerns about storm surges that could range from 5 to 7 feet in height. Owing to these concerns, residents living along the upper Texas coastline have been asked to move inland. People living in low-lying areas have also been directed to seek higher ground. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott has directed the State Operations Center to raise its readiness level and has already declared a state of emergency. While it is not possible to correctly predict the behavior of hurricanes once they hit land, current computer models reveal that Hurricane Harvey will make landfall on Friday night — somewhere between Port Mansfield and San Luis Pass. In case you happen to live in the path of the hurricane, now is the time you started preparing to keep yourselves and your family safe. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Harvey is following the perfect recipe to be a monster storm, meteorologists say. University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said Harvey combines the worst attributes of nasty recent Texas storms: The devastating storm surge of Hurricane Ike in 2008; the winds of Category 4 Hurricane Brett in 1999 and days upon days of heavy rain of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. Rainfall is forecast to be as high as 35 inches through next Wednesday in some areas. Deadly storm surge — the push inwards of abnormally high ocean water above regular tides — could reach 12 feet, the National Hurricane Center warned, calling Harvey life-threatening. Harvey’s forecast path is the type that keeps it stronger longer with devastating rain and storm-force wind lasting for several days, not hours. “It’s a very dangerous storm,” National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini told The Associated Press. “It does have all the ingredients it needs to intensify. And we’re seeing that intensification occur quite rapidly.” Warm water is the fuel for hurricanes. It’s where storms get their energy. Water needs to be about 79 degrees (26 Celsius) or higher to sustain a hurricane, McNoldy said. Harvey is over part of the Gulf of Mexico where the water is about 87 degrees or 2 degrees above normal for this time of year, said Jeff Masters, a former hurricane hunter meteorologist and meteorology director of Weather Underground. A crucial factor is something called ocean heat content. It’s not just how warm the surface water is but how deep it goes. And Harvey is over an area where warm enough water goes about 330 feet (100 meters) deep, which is a very large amount of heat content, McNoldy said. “It can sit there and spin and have plenty of warm water to work with,” McNoldy said. If winds at 40,000 feet high are strong in the wrong direction it can decapitate a hurricane. Strong winds high up remove the heat and moisture that hurricanes need near their center and also distort the shape. But the wind up there is weak so Harvey “is free to go nuts basically,” McNoldy said. Before it hits the Texas coast, Harvey is projected to go over an even deeper and warmer eddy to supercharge it a bit more, just like what happened to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but not quite as bad, Masters said. If that’s not bad enough, there’s a good chance that after Harvey hits it will follow a track so close to the coast and not so much inland that it will essentially keep a toe in the water. The storm could be big enough that not all of it is over land. Because of that, the National Hurricane Center forecasts that it will remain at least tropical storm strength — and 40 mph winds — through Tuesday, maybe into Wednesday. Because it looks like Harvey will be meandering at around 10 mph and then will likely stall out over the coast or just a bit inland, that means it will stay over one place and keep raining, Masters said. Day in, day out until the middle of next week. “We’re talking feet of rain, not inches,” Masters said. And the storm’s heavy rains can last not just a few hours but “over a two-, three-, four-day period” from Texas to Louisiana, Uccellini said. Copyright © 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. ||||| The powerful eye wall of Harvey reached land by 11 p.m. ET between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas, with winds of 130 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It is the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Charley in 2004. Millions of residents along the south Texas coast saw hurricane-force winds that knocked down trees, power poles and signs. First responders are yet to assess the impact that the extremely powerful hurricane has caused over Texas in the first hours since landfall but forecasters have said it will be devastating and leave areas "uninhabitable for weeks or months." #Harvey made landfall at 10 PM CDT as a category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas, with max winds of 130 mph and min pressure of 938 mb. pic.twitter.com/98y5wpKmBw — NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 26, 2017 Harvey has the "highest potential to kill the most amount of people and cause the most amount of damage," said Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As Harvey deluges Texas, coastal cities could see 13 feet of storm surge and as much as 40 inches of rain by Wednesday. Rain is blown past palm trees as Hurricane Harvey makes landfall Friday in Corpus Christi, Texas. -- There have been reports of structural and building problems in Rockport, Aransas Pass, and Port Aransas, Texas, said Tom Beal, a meteorologist with National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi. He anticipated that the hurricane would clear that area sometime about 4 a.m. ET Saturday. -- The hurricane center said a tide gauge in Port Lavaca, Texas reported storm surge of 5.6 feet. -- At least 104,000 customers of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electric system lost power just at Harvey made landfall Friday, the corporation said on Twitter. -- Rockport, Texas, officials are advising residents who refuse to evacuate to write their names and Social Security number on their forearm, Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Rios told CNN. Rios said it will "help out first responders should they find a body." -- President Donald Trump, who will visit the area next week, has signed a disaster declaration for the state. A tree blocks a street as Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Corpus Christi, Texas on Friday. In Rockport, firefighters were "hunkered down" in the fire station as the eye of the storm was over them. Roy Laird, assistant chief with the Rockport Volunteer Fire Department, told CNN they were anxious to get out and check the city for damage but it could be hours before they will be able to safely leave the station. "We had probably 140 mph winds earlier. It was howling," Laird added. Joey Walker, 25, works with the Galveston Island Beach Patrol and is riding out the storm from a house on Galveston Island. He posted video of near-white out conditions overlooking Stewart Beach. Hurricane Harvey isn't playing around, can't even see the beach! 🌀👀 #storm #hurricane #wind #rain #powerful #hurricaneharvey #windy Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said anyone not leaving should plan to stay off the roads once the storm starts. "People need to know, this is not a one-, two-day event and done," Turner said. The storm will stall and dump rain on South Texas and parts of Louisiana into the middle of next week, forecasters predicted. ||||| As heavy rain and gusty winds move in over Texas, coastal residents were deciding Friday morning whether to flee or to stay put and brace for a potentially life-threatening storm. Hurricane Harvey was “dangerously approaching the Texas Coast” and expected to bring as much as 35 inches of rain and storm-surge flooding that could reach a depth of 6 to 12 feet along the coast, the National Hurricane Center said. Conditions are “expected to deteriorate through the day,” the center said. “Preparations along the middle Texas coast should be rushed to completion this morning.” Forecasters say Harvey is on track to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph by the time it makes landfall around Corpus Christi late Friday or early Saturday. It’s then expected to stall over the state, broadening the flood threat, forecasters said. “All indications from the hurricane center are that this is going to be the first major hurricane the nation has dealt with since 2005,” FEMA Director Brock Long said. — Harvey strengthened early Friday, becoming a Category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 mph, according to the National Weather Service. — Isolated tornadoes are possible Friday across portions of the middle and upper Texas coast, the service said. — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has requested the activation of 700 National Guard members. — The Ports of Corpus Christi and Galveston are closed. — Three Galveston-based cruise ships in the Gulf of Mexico diverted to safer water. “Texas is about to have a very significant disaster,” Long, the FEMA chief, said, stressing that people need to heed evacuation warnings. Those who stay should “elevate and get into a structure that can withstand potentially Category 3 winds from a hurricane,” he said. “The bottom line message is, right now, if people have not heeded the warning, again, their window to do so is closing,” Long said. “If they refuse to heed the warning, that’s on them.” Long said he is “very worried” about storm surge, or “wind-driven water,” slamming coastal areas, saying it has the “highest potential to kill the most amount of people and cause the most amount of damage.” A “significant inland flood event over many counties” is expected, he warned. “Over the next five days, we’re going to see copious amounts of rainfall, up to 25 inches, possibly, in some areas, with isolated higher amounts,” he said. “This is going to be a slow-developing major disaster event for the state of Texas.” FEMA has pre-positioned incident management teams, as well as life-saving and life-sustaining commodities, and search-and-rescue teams in Texas, Long said. Long said FEMA is “fully engaged” with the White House, as Harvey is poised to deliver a critical test of President Donald Trump’s abilities as commander-in-chief. “I think we’ll be looking at the potential request for presidential disaster declarations coming up from Gov. Abbott,” Long said. “The President has the ability, has the authority to sign off on those to mobilize our support to the state governments.” Harvey is also causing concern in New Orleans, where heavy rain could usher in as much as 20 inches of rain through early next week and overwhelm the city’s already-compromised drainage system. ‘I’m trying to be strong’ The threat of Harvey became evident Thursday when several counties on the Texas coast issued evacuation orders — and an exodus of residents began. Drivers sat bumper-to-bumper, with highways backed up for miles. Rose Yepez told CNN it took her twice as long as usual to drive 140 miles from Corpus Christi to San Antonio, en route to Texas Hill Country. Private vehicles — along with city buses packed with adults and children carrying backpacks — jammed roads for hours. “I’m shaking inside, but for them, I’m trying to be strong,” a Corpus Christi woman who was waiting with her two daughters to board a bus out of town told CNN affiliate KRIS. Ambulances stayed busy overnight, and 10 critically ill babies were evacuated to North Texas on medical flights from a Corpus Christi hospital, the Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth said in a statement. Workers at 39 offshore petroleum production platforms and an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico also evacuated Thursday, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said. Meantime, first responders, like Brittany Fowler, stayed behind and waited for the storm. “Hopefully it doesn’t do any damage, but if it does, we’ve prepared,” Fowler, a firefighter in Corpus Christi, wrote on Instagram. Fowler’s family helped by boarding up windows and doors at her home, and she bought plenty of water, food and a small power generator. Corey Davis, by contrast, was free to go — but opted to stay put, even as Harvey’s winds started blowing Thursday night. Instead of packing, she and her relatives took turns climbing a tall ladder to secure plywood over windows at their Port O’Connor home. “I’m scared, so I’m doing everything that I can to protect (this) little place down here,” Davis told CNN affiliate KTRK, “and hope and pray for the best.” ||||| As Hurricane Harvey gains strength, residents along the Texas coast aren’t taking any chances; they’re filling sandbags, stocking up on water and boarding up windows. In Corpus Christi, where Harvey could make landfall and Mayor Joe McComb has issued a voluntary evacuation order, Walmart shelves were clearing quickly, as the city canceled Friday’s dockets in city court and provided self-serve sandbags to residents. Port Aransas on Mustang Island and nearby Portland issued mandatory evacuation orders. Houston, meanwhile, has canceled the first day of school on Monday. Harvey is rapidly strengthening and is forecast to become a Category 3 hurricane with winds of at least 111 mph by the time it hits the middle Texas coast late Friday or early Saturday, the hurricane center said Thursday. After hitting Corpus Christi, the storm is expected to stall over the state, forecasters say. Hurricane-force winds are a concern as the storm builds strength in the Gulf of Mexico, and a potential deluge and subsequent flooding may be a big danger as well, according to meteorologists. “Harvey is likely to bring multiple hazards, including heavy rainfall, storm surge and possible hurricane conditions to portions of the Texas coast beginning Friday,” the National Weather Service said. “Those conditions can happen far away from the landfall,” hurricane specialist John Cangialosi said Thursday afternoon. People shouldn’t focus on where the eye will come ashore but should listen to local authorities and be prepared for rain through the weekend and possibly into next week, he added. At 5 p.m. ET, Harvey was a Category 1 hurricane with 85 mph winds. It was about 305 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, and was moving north-northwest at 10 mph. It’s expected to bring 15 to 25 inches of rain to the Texas coast, with isolated instances where rainfall totals could reach 35 inches, the hurricane center said, bumping up the predicted totals by 5 inches since a previous advisory. Rainfall amounts increase exponentially when a storm moves at a slower speed, as Harvey has been doing. The National Hurricane Center has warned Harvey will slow down when it reaches the coast and there will be days of heavy rain and flooding across portions of Texas. Louisiana and Mexico will also be affected by the storm. Compounding potential problems is the tidal cycle. If peak storm surge arrives during high tide, parts of the coast could see 2 to 8 feet of flooding, with the potential of 6 to 12 feet between Padre Island National Seashore and Sargent, Texas. “Historically, water from tropical cyclones is more deadly” than from damage done by the powerful winds of the storm, Cangialosi said. While it has been nine years since Texas last saw a hurricane, the state is no stranger to devastating flooding from tropical systems. In 2001, Tropical Storm Allison was a multibillion-dollar disaster for the state, specifically Houston. Allison became nearly stationary for days, dropping more than 30 inches of rain across portions of the city. A hurricane warning is in effect from Port Mansfield near Mexico to Sargent, with a storm surge warning stretching from Port Mansfield to High Island in Galveston County. Harvey could be the first hurricane to hit Texas since 2008 when Hurricane Ike smashed the coast near Galveston. The storm killed 21 people in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, and caused widespread destruction. ‘It scares the hell out of people’ As Harvey churned toward Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster Wednesday in 30 counties along the Gulf of Mexico. The governor’s action allows agencies to “quickly deploy resources for the emergency response.” “Texans believe in taking action and always being prepared in the event of an emergency,” Abbott said. “That is why I am taking every precaution prior to … Harvey making landfall.” Energy companies are evacuating personnel from off-shore production platforms, the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement announced. In San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued a local disaster declaration warned residents about going out in the rain. Students and staff at the Texas A&M campus at Corpus Christi are under a mandatory evacuation order. The campus will be closed starting Thursday, according to the university’s website. People around Corpus Christi started stocking up Wednesday on food, bottled water and other essentials. “We know that if anything as far as flooding happens, that’s the one thing everyone runs to, we have to have water,” Mariah Barter told CNN affiliate KZTV. “It’s a big deal. It scares the hell out of people. It’s better to be prepared.” Others in South Texas readied sandbags, fueled up power generators and bought plywood to board up their windows, CNN affiliate KRIS reported. At a Thursday afternoon White House briefing, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump has been briefed on Harvey. She downplayed concerns about preparedness, given that there is no permanent Homeland Security secretary, and said the White House is in “great shape,” given that chief of staff John Kelly was previously in charge of the office. ||||| With flood warnings expected brought on by Hurricane Harvey, Stephen F. Austin State University students were allowed to move into dorms a couple of days earlier than scheduled. With flood warnings expected brought on by Hurricane Harvey, Stephen F. Austin State University students were allowed to move into dorms a couple of days earlier than scheduled. Thursday night the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury declared a state of emergency in anticipation of heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey. Dick Gremillion, director of Calcasieu's Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, gave an update to jurors on the hurricane's status and the impacts it will have on our area. Thursday night the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury declared a state of emergency in anticipation of heavy rains from Hurricane Harvey. Dick Gremillion, director of Calcasieu's Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, gave an update to jurors on the hurricane's status and the impacts it will have on our area. After losing thousands of books in Hurricanes Rita and Ike, the Cameron Parish Library is not backing down from Harvey. "Cajuns are some tough people," said Dede Sanders, interim director of Cameron Parish Libraries. "It takes a lot to knock us down." For the first time in years, the library is picking up all books from the ground and elevating them in case of flooding. "If we get anything above two feet, we're going to get wet," Sanders said. A... After losing thousands of books in Hurricanes Rita and Ike, the Cameron Parish Library is not backing down from Harvey. "Cajuns are some tough people," said Dede Sanders, interim director of Cameron Parish Libraries. "It takes a lot to knock us down." For the first time in years, the library is picking up all books from the ground and elevating them in case of flooding. "If we get anything above two feet, we're going to get wet," Sanders said. A... The eye of Hurricane Harvey was located about 180 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas and about 185 miles south-southeast of Port O’Connor, Texas. The eye of Hurricane Harvey was located about 180 miles southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas and about 185 miles south-southeast of Port O’Connor, Texas. More than 900 members of the Texas Army and Air National Guards and Texas State Guard with the Texas Military Department have been activated and are stationed around the state in preparetion of Hurricane Harvey. More than 900 members of the Texas Army and Air National Guards and Texas State Guard with the Texas Military Department have been activated and are stationed around the state in preparetion of Hurricane Harvey. If you have family or friends in South Texas, now is the time to evacuate. If you have family or friends in South Texas, now is the time to evacuate. A tugboat crew from Cape Girardeau, Missouri is in the path of Hurricane Harvey outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. A tugboat crew from Cape Girardeau, Missouri is in the path of Hurricane Harvey outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. Harvey continues churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it heads for landfall in Texas tonight. Harvey continues churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it heads for landfall in Texas tonight. Many New Orleanians aren't taking any chances when it comes to Hurricane Harvey Five fire stations in the city started sandbagging operations at 6 p.m. Friday. Many New Orleanians aren't taking any chances when it comes to Hurricane Harvey Five fire stations in the city started sandbagging operations at 6 p.m. Friday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip). Aaron Berg fills up a gas can and his portable generator Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Houston as Hurricane Harvey intensifies in the Gulf of Mexico. Harvey is forecast to be a major hurricane when it makes landfall. (Courtney Sacco/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP). Palmer Simpson loads suitcases into his truck as he prepares to evacuate his home in Port Aransas, Texas, ahead of Hurricane Harvey on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Eric Gay). Residents fill sand bags as they prepare for Hurricane Harvey, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Two counties have ordered mandatory evacuations as Hurricane Harvey gathers strength as it drifts toward Texas. (Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP). Mauro Eligio boards up his home on the Southside of Corpus Christi, Texas, on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in preparation of Hurricane Harvey. (Jason Hoekema/The Brownsville Herald via AP). A lone car crosses the Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway in the distance as rain from Hurricane Harvey falls on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, in Port Isabel, Texas. CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) - Hurricane Harvey neared landfall in Texas Friday night, promising to be the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade with 130 mph winds and torrential rain whose forecast earlier sent tens of thousands of residents fleeing the state's Gulf Coast in hopes of escaping its wrath. The National Hurricane Center said the eye of the dangerous Category 4 storm was "almost onshore" as of 9 p.m. With time running out, residents earlier fled from the path of the increasingly menacing-looking hurricane as it took aim at an area of Texas that includes oil refineries, chemical plants and dangerously flood-prone Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned that the monster system would be "a very major disaster," and the predictions drew fearful comparisons to Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest ever to strike the U.S. "We know that we've got millions of people who are going to feel the impact of this storm," said Dennis Feltgen, a spokesman and meteorologist for the National Hurricane Center. "We really pray that people are listening to their emergency managers and get out of harm's way." As night fell, punishing winds already had begun to cause damage in downtown Corpus Christi, the city closest to the center of the storm. A trash can lid skipped across a parking lot behind hotels on the seawall. In the city of 325,000 residents, a traffic light post was toppled but still lit, its wires unearthed. Fueled by warm Gulf of Mexico waters, Harvey grew rapidly, accelerating from a Category 1 early Friday morning to a Category 4 by evening. Its transformation from an unnamed storm to a life-threatening behemoth took only 56 hours, an incredibly fast intensification. Without losing significant strength, the system will come ashore as the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record. Aside from the winds of 130 mph (201 kph) and storm surges up to 12 feet (4 meters), Harvey was expected to drop prodigious amounts of rain - up to 3 feet. The resulting flooding, one expert said, could be "the depths of which we've never seen." At least one researcher predicted heavy damage that would linger for months or longer. "In terms of economic impact, Harvey will probably be on par with Hurricane Katrina," said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. "The Houston area and Corpus Christi are going to be a mess for a long time." Before the storm arrived, home and business owners raced to nail plywood over windows and fill sandbags. Steady traffic filled the highways leaving Corpus Christi, but there were no apparent jams. In Houston, where mass evacuations can include changing major highways to a one-way vehicle flow, authorities left traffic patterns unchanged. Federal health officials called in more than 400 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals from around the nation and planned to move two 250-bed medical units to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Other federal medical units are available in Dallas. Just hours before the projected landfall, the governor and Houston leaders issued conflicting statements on evacuation. After Abbott urged more people to flee, Houston authorities told people to remain in their homes and recommended no widespread evacuations. In a Friday press conference that addressed Houston officials' decision to not have a voluntary or mandatory evacuation, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said there might be a "greater danger" in having people who don't need to be evacuated on roads that could flood. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said that because the hurricane was not taking direct aim at Houston, the city's primary concern was heavy flooding. "We are not having a hurricane," said Emmett, the top elected official for the county, which encompasses Houston. "We are having a rain event." At a convenience store in Houston's Meyerland neighborhood, at least 12 cars lined up for fuel. Brent Borgstedte said this was the fourth gas station he had visited to try to fill up his son's car. The 55-year-old insurance agent shrugged off Harvey's risks. "I don't think anybody is really that worried about it. I've lived here my whole life," he said. "I've been through several hurricanes." Scientists warned that Harvey could swamp counties more than 100 miles (161 kilometers) inland and stir up dangerous surf as far away as Alabama and the Florida Panhandle, 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) from the projected landfall. It may also spawn tornadoes. Even after weakening, the system might spin out into the Gulf and regain strength before hitting Houston a second time Wednesday as a tropical storm, forecasters said. By late afternoon, the storm was centered about 60 miles (96 kilometers) southeast of Corpus Christi, moving 10 mph (17 kph) to the northwest. All seven Texas counties on the coast from Corpus Christi to the western end of Galveston Island ordered mandatory evacuations from low-lying areas. Four counties ordered full evacuations and warned there was no guarantee of rescue for people staying behind. In the coastal town of Rockport, mayor pro tem Patrick Rios offered ominous advice, telling KIII-TV those who chose to stay put "should make some type of preparation to mark their arm with a Sharpie pen," implying doing so would make it easier for rescuers to identify them. Voluntary evacuations were urged for Corpus Christi and for the Bolivar Peninsula, a sand spit near Galveston where many homes were washed away by the storm surge of Hurricane Ike in 2008. People in the town of Port Lavaca, population 12,200, appeared to heed the danger. The community northeast of Corpus Christi was a ghost town Friday, with every business boarded up. But at a bayside RV park that looked vulnerable, John Bellah drove up in his pickup to have a look at an RV he had been told was for sale. He and his wife planned to ride out Harvey. "This is just going to blow through," said Bellah, 72, who said he had been through Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Carla in 1961. He described those storms as "much worse." State officials said they had no count on how many people actually left their homes. The storm posed the first major emergency management test of President Donald Trump's administration. The White House said Trump was closely monitoring the hurricane and planned to travel to Texas early next week to view recovery efforts. The president was expected to receive briefings during the weekend at Camp David, and signed a federal disaster declaration for six coastal counties Friday night. Trump's homeland security and counterterrorism adviser, Tom Bossert, said the administration was "bringing together the firepower of the federal government to assist the state and local governments, but the state and local governments are in the lead here." The last Category 4 storm to hit the U.S. was Hurricane Charley in August 2004 in Florida. Superstorm Sandy, which pummeled New York and New Jersey in 2012, never had the high winds and had lost tropical status by the time it struck. But it was devastating without formally being called a major hurricane. The heavy rain from Harvey threatened to turn many communities into "essentially islands" and leave them isolated for days, said Melissa Munguia, deputy emergency management coordinator for Nueces County. The rain and the storm surge could collide like a car and a train, particularly in the Galveston and Houston areas, said , who works for private firm Marine Weather and Climate. "There's absolutely nowhere for the water to go," he said. Galveston Bay, where normal rain runs off to, will already be elevated. Rain was expected to extend into Louisiana, driven by counter-clockwise winds that could carry water from the Gulf of Mexico far inland. Forecasts called for as much as 15 inches in southwest Louisiana over the next week, and up to 6 inches in the New Orleans area. Harvey would be the first significant hurricane to hit Texas since Ike in September 2008 brought winds of 110 mph (177 kph) to the Galveston and Houston areas, inflicting $22 billion in damage. It's taking aim at the same vicinity as Carla, which had wind gusts estimated at 175 mph and inflicted more than $300 million in damage. The storm killed 34 people and forced about 250,000 people to evacuate. Graczyk reported from Houston. Associated Press writers Juan Lozano and Nomaan Merchant in Houston; Frank Bajak in Corpus Christi; Seth Borenstein and Catherine Lucey in Washington; and Diana Heidgerd, Jamie Stengle and David Warren in Dallas contributed to this report. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| 000 WTNT44 KNHC 240234 TCDAT4 Post-Tropical Cyclone Chantal Discussion Number 13 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL042019 1100 PM AST Fri Aug 23 2019 Chantal has not produced organized deep convection since early this morning and is now a remnant low. Recent ASCAT data indicate that the maximum winds associated with the cyclone remain near 25 kt. The remnant low is forecast to gradually spin down during the next couple of days while it slowly makes a small clockwise loop over the central North Atlantic. By Monday, the low will likely become poorly defined and dissipate. This is the last NHC advisory on Chantal. FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS INIT 24/0300Z 35.6N 40.9W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW 12H 24/1200Z 35.1N 41.7W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW 24H 25/0000Z 34.9N 43.0W 25 KT 30 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW 36H 25/1200Z 35.4N 43.8W 20 KT 25 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW 48H 26/0000Z 35.9N 44.1W 20 KT 25 MPH...POST-TROP/REMNT LOW 72H 27/0000Z...DISSIPATED $$ Forecaster Zelinsky | In anticipation of Hurricane Harvey, residents from Corpus Christi to Galveston, Texas, and workers from Gulf of Mexico oil platforms are evacuating the region. The storm makes landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor as a Category 4 hurricane around 11 p.m. EDT (0300 UTC, August 26) as the strongest storm to hit the United States mainland since 2004. The National Hurricane Center predicts Harvey will linger over Texas for days, dumping 15–25 inches (38–64 cm), and as much as 35 inches (89 cm) of rain on some parts of the state. |
Thailand's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the court said in a statement on Friday. BANGKOK: Thailand's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the court said in a statement on Friday. The country's deputy prime minister said earlier that it was possible Yingluck, who was ousted by a military coup in 2014, has fled the country. Thailand's immigration police chief said he had no information to suggest she has left Thailand through the country's border checkpoints. Yingluck faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty in a negligence case brought by the ruling junta that centers on her role in a rice subsidy scheme for farmers that resulted in multi-billion dollar losses. ||||| BANGKOK (AFP) - Thailand's junta chief on Friday (Aug 25) ordered border checkpoints to be beefed up after ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra failed to turn up at a court date that could have seen her jailed, sparking rumours that she has fled the country. "I just learnt that she did not show up (at court)," Prayut Chan-o-Cha told reporters. "I have ordered border checkpoints to be stepped up," he said, including local and major routes out of the country. ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ms Yingluck is the sister of former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who fled Thailand in 2008 Former Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra has fled abroad, sources say, ahead of a verdict in her trial over a rice subsidy scheme. Sources in her party say she made the decision to leave unexpectedly, shortly before she was due to appear at the Supreme Court on negligence charges. Her lawyers told the court she had been unable to attend because she was ill. But when she failed to appear, the court issued an arrest warrant for her and confiscated her bail. Judges also postponed the verdict until 27 September. Ms Yingluck has denied any wrongdoing in the scheme which cost Thailand billions of dollars. If found guilty at the end of her two-year trial, she could be jailed for up to 10 years and permanently banned from politics. Sources within Ms Yingluck's Puea Thai Party told Reuters that she had "definitely left Thailand" but did not give details of her whereabouts. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who heads Thailand's military government, said all routes out of the country were being closely monitored. "I just learned that she did not show up [at court]," he told reporters. "I have ordered border checkpoints to be stepped up." Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan initially said he had no information on Ms Yingluck's whereabouts but as he left a meeting in Bangkok he said: "It is possible that she has fled already." How could Yingluck Shinawatra have left? Analysis by Jonathan Head, BBC News, Bangkok Yingluck Shinawatra was the most high-profile criminal defendant in Thailand and was constantly monitored by the military authorities. So how was she able to leave the country just hours before the verdict was due to be read out? Immigration authorities say they have no record of her leaving the country. However, it is a poorly-concealed secret that some in the military government would have been happy to see her leave the country before the verdict. Had she been convicted and jailed, she could have been seen as a victim by her supporters. The government was nervous about their reaction. Acquitting her, though, would have been equally unacceptable to her hard-line opponents, many of them very influential. That would also have undermined the justification for the military coup which overthrew her government. So it is unlikely anyone tried to stop her leaving, or that they will try to get her back. She could have gone to the VIP area of one of Bangkok's airports and taken a private jet out of the country or she might have driven across the border into Cambodia or Laos. However she is most likely to have joined her brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who has been living mainly in Dubai since he went into exile, fleeing a Supreme Court verdict, in 2008. What happened in court? Ms Yingluck's lawyer had requested a delay in the ruling, telling the Supreme Court that she had vertigo and a severe headache and was unable to attend. But the court said in a statement it did not believe she was sick as there was no medical certificate and that the claimed sickness was not severe enough to prevent her travelling to court. "Such behaviour convincingly shows that she is a flight risk. As a result, the court has issued an arrest warrant and confiscated the posted bail money," the statement said. Ms Yingluck posted $900,000 (£703,000) bail at the beginning of her trial. Image caption Journalists waited outside Ms Yingluck's home in Bangkok, expecting her to attend the court Friday's turn of events took many by surprise, including the hundreds of people who turned up outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok to support Ms Yingluck. BBC Thai reporter Nanchanok Wongsamuth said the announcement prompted shocked reactions in the courtroom, and then a flurry of activity as journalists ran out to report the news. What is the trial about? Ms Yingluck, who became Thailand's first female prime minister in 2011, was impeached in 2015 over the rice scheme by a military-backed legislature, which then brought the legal case. The scheme, part of Ms Yingluck's election campaign platform, launched shortly after she took office. It was aimed at boosting farmers' incomes and alleviating rural poverty, and saw the government paying farmers nearly twice the market rate for their crop. But it hit Thailand's rice exports hard, leading to a loss of at least $8bn and huge stockpiles of rice which the government could not sell. Though it was popular with her rural voter base, opponents said the scheme was too expensive and open to corruption. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hundreds of Ms Yingluck's supporters had gathered outside the court During her trial, Ms Yingluck had argued she was not responsible for the day-to-day running of the scheme. She has insisted she is a victim of political persecution. In another development on Friday, former Thai minister Boonsong Teriyapirom was jailed for 42 years in connection with the rice subsidy scheme. The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says the exceptionally heavy sentence for Mr Boonsong suggests the court would not have been lenient with Ms Yingluck and it is possible she was warned about this before making her decision to flee. How popular is Yingluck Shinawatra? Ms Yingluck's time in office was overshadowed by controversy as well as strong political opposition. The youngest sister of Mr Thaksin, she was seen by her opponents as a proxy for her brother, who was controversially ousted by the military in 2006. Both siblings remain popular among the rural poor, but are hated by an urban and middle-class elite. Their Puea Thai party has - under various different names - won every election in Thailand since 2001. Some of Ms Yingluck's supporters outside the court on Friday expressed understanding at her failure to show. "The Thai prime minister has done her best, she has sacrificed a lot," said Seksan Chalitaporn, 64. "Now the people have to fight for themselves." Telecommunications billionaire Mr Thaksin, who once owned Manchester City FC, has lived in self-imposed exile since leaving Thailand. It is believed he travels between homes in London, Dubai, Hong Kong and Singapore. Timeline of Yingluck's rice scheme controversy May 2011- Yingluck Shinawatra is elected PM, and shortly afterwards begins rolling out her rice subsidy scheme. January 2014 - Thailand's anti-corruption authorities investigate Ms Yingluck in connection to the scheme. May 2014 - She is forced to step down from her post after Thailand's constitutional court finds her guilty of abuse of power in another case. Weeks later the military ousts what remains of her government. January 2015 - An army-backed legislature impeaches Ms Yingluck for corruption over her role in the rice scheme, which effectively bans her from politics for five years. It also launches legal proceedings against her. August 2017 - Ms Yingluck fails to appear at court for the verdict, claiming ill health. ||||| The Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions today issued warrant for the arrest of ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to appear in the court to hear her judgement on the rice pledging scheme. She failed to arrive to hear the verdict which the court scheduled to announce at 9.00 am. But until 10.00am she still didn’t arrive, prompting the court to schedule September 27 as the day to announce the verdict. At the same time the court also issued warrant to arrest her. ||||| Supporters of Yingluck Shinawatra mock army officers travelling in a truck past the Supreme Court after the former PM failed to show up to hear a verdict in Bangkok. Credit:AP The ruling date has been rescheduled to September 27. Thai media reported the court has seized the equivalent of $1.1 million that Ms Yingluck had posted as bail. "It is possible that she has fled already," Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters as he left a meeting in Bangkok. He had earlier said only that he had no confirmation of her whereabouts. The arrest of Ms Yingluck, 50, would stoke anger among her Red Shirt supporters who see the charges against her as a witch-hunt. Police officers deploy outside the Thai Supreme Court ahead of ascheduled verdict on charges accusing former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra of negligence in implementing a rice subsidy. Credit:AP Thousands of supporters defied a government ban on gatherings of more than five people and threats of legal action to converge on the court. Many were from her rural heartland in the country's north and north-eastern provinces. "Yingluck, fight, fight fight," many shouted. Thai police ride past supporters of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra sleeping outside the Supreme Court ahead of Friday's scheduled verdict. Credit:AP Ms Yingluck had told her supporters on the eve of the hearing to stay home, fearing people with "ill-intentions" might and try and cause trouble for her movement. "I want all of you to give me support by staying at home and monitoring the news to avoid any risk of unexpected incident by people with ill-intention against the country and us," she wrote on Facebook. A supporter of of Yingluck Shinawatra waves outside the court on Friday morning. Credit:AP The military government put its credibility on the line by pursuing the first charges against a former prime minister over a flawed government policy. The generals who toppled Ms Yingluck's democratically-elected government in 2014 knew they risked her becoming a heroine in the eyes of millions of Thais if she was found guilty and jailed. Yingluck Shinawatra thanks supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court for her final statements on August 1. She didn't attend the hearing on Friday. Credit:AP No corruption allegations were made against her in the case. Prosecutors alleged Ms Yingluck's government ignored numerous written warnings from the Auditor-General and the country's anti-corruption commission about the program's risks and irregularities. A police officer frisks a supporter of of Yingluck Shinawatra outside court on Friday morning. Credit:AP Ms Yingluck told the court she did not terminate the program because it was never intended to generate revenue but to raise the incomes of farmers, and she forwarded the warnings to the relevant government agencies. A subsequent investigation found no irregularities, she said. Even before Friday's scheduled verdict authorities had hit Ms Yungluck with a $US1 billion ($1.2 billion) fine over the program and seized her 16 bank accounts, which prompted a public outcry. Other former governments have implemented similar subsidy schemes but the one Ms Yingluck promised during an election campaign in 2011 spectacularly collapsed with losses to the state of up to $17 billion. The plan was to buy up local rice harvests for as much as 50 per cent above market rates to drive up global prices. But the market saw it as a clumsy attempt at price manipulation. Thailand amassed huge rotting stockpiles of rice rather than sell at a loss overseas. The case is the latest in a decade-long offensive against a largely rural-based mass movement supporting a political machine founded and directed by Ms Yingluck's elder brother, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a 2006 military coup. Mr Thaksin, a telecommunications tycoon, fled into exile in 2008 to escape a prison sentence on a conflict of interest charge he claims was politically motivated. Critics had predicted that Ms Yingluck too would flee overseas before Friday but she appeared calm in the days leading to the verdict, making merit at Buddhist temples. Reporters camped outside her residence in Bangkok said she had not been seen since Wednesday. The online news site Khaosod English quoted a source close to Ms Yingluck saying she had left the country for Singapore on Thursday. It said she travelled overland to Cambodia with her 15-year-old son and then few to Dubai, the base of her elder exiled brother Thaksin Shinawatra. The claims could not be verified. Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said it was clear enough that politics was involved in the trial. "I mean, this is a government that was elected in 2011 by a simple majority and it had a policy platform led by the rice pledging scheme," he said. "The scheme led to losses probably, but on the other hand, if we use this benchmark for other governments, then we could have a lot of government leaders in jail." Professor Thitinan said the only way for Thailand to break a vicious cycle of coups, changing constitutions and elections is for retooled charter rules and laws to be determined by electors. "Otherwise the recent past of protests, confrontation and turmoil will return to haunt and keep Thailand stuck," he said. The Bangkok Post said in an editorial the case reveals how Thailand's justice system is prone to be dragged into political turmoil. "The case against Ms Yingluck, prosecuted under the ruling regime which ousted her, is highly political," the newspaper said. Since the 2014 coup, Thailand has become one of south-east Asia's most repressive countries with political gatherings banned, strict censorship of the media and hundreds of activists, journalists, academics and former politicians detained or charged. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led the coup, urged Thais to accept the court's ruling. "Please keep this like any other. Generally those who are guilty must be tried in courts," he told reporters. Mr Prayuth has promised to allow a return to democracy but has repeatedly delayed setting a date. Loading "In the next period, democratic mechanisms must take over. I confirm no attempts will be made to stay in power," he said. "If I want to enter politics, I must turn into a politician." ||||| BANGKOK (Reuters) - Ousted Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has fled the country ahead of a verdict against her in a negligence trial brought by the junta that overthrew her, sources close to the Shinawatra family said on Friday. Yingluck, 50, whose family has dominated Thai politics for more than 15 years, failed to show up at court for judgment in a case centered on the multi-billion dollar losses incurred by a rice subsidy scheme for farmers. Overthrown in 2014, Yingluck had faced up to 10 years in prison if found guilty. Her former commerce minister was jailed in a related case for 42 years on Friday. “She has definitely left Thailand,” said one source, who is also a member of her Puea Thai Party. The sources did not say where she had gone. Yingluck’s brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, who heads the political clan, was overthrown in a 2006 coup and fled into exile to escape a corruption conviction that he said was aimed at demolishing the populist movement he founded. The struggle between that movement and a Bangkok-centered royalist and pro-military elite has been at the heart of years of turmoil in Thailand. The verdict against Yingluck could have reignited tension, though the army has largely snuffed out open opposition. ARREST WARRANT After Yingluck failed to show up, the Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant against her and rescheduled the verdict to Sept. 27. It said it did not believe her excuse that she could not attend the court hearing because of an ear problem. “It is possible that she has fled already,” Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters. He later said police were investigating reports that she had left via Koh Chang, an island close to the Cambodian border. Cambodian immigration police said she had not entered their country. Yingluck last commented on social media on Thursday, saying on her Facebook page that she would not be able to meet supporters at court because of tight security. She had been banned from traveling abroad at the beginning of the trial in 2015 and has attended previous hearings. The court confiscated the 30 million baht ($900,000) that Yingluck had posted as bail. Supporters of ousted former Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra wait for her at the Supreme Court in Bangkok, Thailand, August 25, 2017. REUTERS/Jorge Silva Hundreds of her supporters had gathered outside the court on Friday where about 4,000 police had been deployed. Some held roses while others wore white gloves with the word “love” on them. Although Yingluck had already been banned from politics by the junta in 2015, she could have been a party figurehead for elections that junta leader Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has promised for next year. If Yingluck has fled it would disappoint her supporters and make her opponents feel vindicated, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University. “It does not help with Thailand’s division and polarization,” he said. Under the rice subsidy program, Yingluck’s administration paid rice farmers up to 50 percent more than market prices. It left Thailand with huge rice stockpiles and caused $8 billion in losses. Yingluck has said she was only in charge of coming up with the policy but not the day-to-day management of it. “If she has fled people would not trust her, but the masses would still support her because they benefited from her policies,” 38-year-old delivery man Sakunchai Muenlamai. Slideshow (5 Images) The Supreme Court sentenced Yingluck’s former commerce minister, Boonsong Teriyapirom, to 42 years in jail after finding him guilty of falsifying government-to-government rice deals between Thailand and China in 2013. He said he would appeal, but was told it was too late in the day to apply for bail so will spend the weekend behind bars. ||||| The Supreme Court of Thailand on Friday issued an arrest warrant against former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra after she failed to appear in court for the verdict in a negligence case, reported Reuters. The judge said he suspected that Shinawatra, who was ousted by a military coup in 2014, had either fled the country or gone into hiding. Although her lawyers said she could not attend the hearing because she was ill, the bench said it did not believe her excuse. “We don’t think that the defendant is ill,” the court said. “We think the defendant is hiding or has fled.” The top court will pronounce the verdict on September 27. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan also said it was possible Shinawatra had already fled the country, reported BBC. However, her lawyer Norwait Lalaeng claimed he was unaware whether the former prime minister was still in Thailand. Shinawatra faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty in a rice subsidy scheme case. If convicted, she will have 30 days to appeal against the verdict. The subsidy scheme, which was a flagship policy of Shinawatra’s administration, was a hit among farmers, but it had incurred losses worth $8 billion (around Rs 51,040 crore). The former prime minister had argued that she was only in charge of coming up with the policy and not its day-to-day management. ||||| More than a thousand of Ms. Yingluck’s supporters gathered in the capital hours before Friday’s hearing, but the police blocked roadways and set up barricades to prevent the crowd from getting close to the courthouse. The supporters showed up even though she had advised them not to do so. Ms. Yingluck’s lawyer told the court that she had Meniere’s disease, which causes fluid buildup in the eardrums, and was suffering dizziness and severe headaches, but the court did not accept that as an excuse because Ms. Yingluck had not sent a doctor’s certificate. It rescheduled the verdict for Sept. 27. The court also ordered her to forfeit her bail of 30 million baht, about $900,000. Unlike her brother, who fled the country and was convicted in absentia on corruption charges, Ms. Yingluck remained in Thailand and fought the charges against her. Nathathorn Prousoontorn, a police lieutenant general who heads the Immigration Bureau, said that there was no record of her leaving the country since 2014. In May 2015, the court ordered her not to leave Thailand without permission. There was widespread speculation in the Thai news media and on social media that Ms. Yingluck had gone to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, possibly by way of Cambodia and Singapore, or to Hong Kong. Her brother has been reported to be living in Dubai. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan told reporters that they had no idea where she was. “She might be really sick. We don’t know,” Mr. Prawit said. “Maybe she is in some hospital. She is a former prime minister and some officials might have helped her if she is running away. I don’t know if she has left the country or not.” ||||| BANGKOK, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Thailand's Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, the court said in a statement on Friday. The country's deputy prime minister said earlier that it was possible Yingluck, who was ousted by a military coup in 2014, has fled the country. Thailand's immigration police chief said he had no information to suggest she has left Thailand through the country's border checkpoints. Yingluck faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty in a negligience case brought by the ruling junta that centers on her role in a rice subsidy scheme for farmers that resulted in multi-billion dollar losses. (Reporting by Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Pracha Hariraksapitak and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore) ||||| Thai policemen walk in formation outside the Supreme Court in Bangkok on August 25, 2017. — AFP pic BANGKOK, Aug 25 — Thailand’s junta chief this morning ordered border checkpoints to be beefed-up after ex-prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra failed to turn up at a court date that could have seen her jailed, sparking rumours she has fled the country. “I just learned that she did not show up (at court),” Prayut Chan-ocha told reporters. “I have ordered border checkpoints to be stepped up,” he said, including local and major routes out of the country. — AFP | Thailand's Supreme Court issues an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who didn't appear in court for the verdict in her negligence trial regarding a rice subsidy program for farmers. The court also issued a statement questioning her attorney's report that she is unwell and a potential flight risk, citing the lack of a physician's certificate. The reading of the verdict has been rescheduled to September 27. Sources within Shinawatra's party Pheu Thai Party have said that she has allegedly fled the country, though not saying where to, in response current prime minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered the border checkpoints to be closely monitored to prevent Shinawatra leaving the country if she has not already. |
Dozens hold "Resist" signs near a Times Square military recruitment center to show their anger at Trump's decision to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the military on July 26, 2017, in New York. Spencer Platt / Getty Images file ||||| President Donald Trump is expected to announce Thursday his formal bar on the military recruitment of people who wish to live as members of the opposite sex. The written directive implements his tweeted July decision against hiring sex-switching recruits and reinforces his earlier legal rejection of the revolutionary transgender ideology. That ideology claims that each person’s legal sex is determined by their so-called voluntary “gender identity,” not by their actual biology. Trump’s formal rejection of former President Barack Obama’s pro-transgender policy will help Americans preserve the nation’s myriad laws and civic practices already built around the existence of the two equal, different and complementary sexes. Those laws and practices are under assault as progressive activists and well-funded lawyers try to persuade legislators and judges to impose the transgender ideology on states, cities, schools, and on every American adult and child. According to the Wall Street Journal: The White House memo … directs the Pentagon to deny admittance to transgender individuals and to stop spending on medical treatment regimens for those currently serving, according to U.S. officials familiar with the document … [Defense Secretary James] Mattis under the new policy is expected to consider “deployability”—the ability to serve in a war zone, participate in exercises or live for months on a ship—as the primary legal means to decide whether to separate service members from the military, the officials said… The Pentagon’s military service chiefs hold a range of views on social issues, including on open service by gays and women in combat. But there was no push from senior leaders to re-establish the ban on transgender service members, officials have said. The Wall Street Journal report did not say if the Pentagon would fully reverse Obama’s policy of allowing people to switch their claimed sex in military personnel records. That policy marked his official acceptance of the transgender ideology’s demand that government must force Americans to accept every person’s opposite-sex “gender identity,” even without discrete medical treatment, opposite-sex clothing, or cosmetic genital surgery. Transgender activists are protesting Trump’s two-sexes policy by arguing that individuals who try to live as members of the other sex can also be effective soldiers. For example, a statement from the director of the pro-transgender Palm Center, Aaron Helkin focused on the individual rights of people who want to live as members of the opposite sex; Helkin also argued that progressives agree the progressive plan would not hurt military readiness: Former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen and General Martin Dempsey issued statements in support of our nation’s transgender troops, and fifty-six retired Generals and Admirals concluded that banning transgender troops would ’cause significant disruptions’ and would ‘degrade readiness even more than the failed ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.’ These distinguished military leaders are correct. Transgender troops have been serving openly in the U.S. military for more than a year, and have been widely praised by Commanders. Eighteen foreign militaries allow transgender personnel to serve, and none have reported any compromise to readiness. All available research, including scholarly publications by the RAND Corporation as well as retired General and Flag Officers, has reached the same conclusion: inclusive policy for LGBT personnel promotes readiness. In contrast, supporters of the normal two-sexes policies say transgenderism would disrupt morale and readiness by forcing biologically-intact men and women to share bathrooms, showers and living facilities. For example, military training slides now say that male and female soldiers must provide “dignity and respect” to opposite-sex “transgender” soldiers who enter their bathrooms and showers. However, “Transgender Soldiers are not required or expected to modify or adjust their behavior based on the fact that they do not ‘match’ other Soldiers,” according to the slides, which were first leaked by TheFederalist.com. Also, people who wish to live as members of the opposite sex adopt often-disabling and expensive medical procedures. For example, men who wish to live as women usually take a diet of medications to reduce their natural testosterone levels, which are vital in building and repairing muscles. A person’s decision to try to switch sexes is also considered a mental condition, labeled euphemistically as “gender dysphoria.” The high cost of extra medical treatment for sex-switching soldiers has been touted as a reason to oppose Obama’s policy. Supporters of the two-sex policy also point out that many civic institutions are being damaged by progressives legislatures and judiciaries which require Americans to accept other persons’ claims to have switched sex, even when the claimants have not undergone any cosmetic surgery. Progressives also argue that people have an intangible male or female “gender” which is not linked to their male or female biology — despite overwhelming evidence that each person’s character is shaped by their male or female body, not by a so-far undetected “gender.” These “gender identity” claims have a growing impact on the operation of different-sex bathrooms, shelters for battered women, sports leagues for girls, hiking groups for boys, K-12 curricula, university speech codes, religious freedoms, free speech, the social status of women, parents’ rights in childrearing, practices to help teenagers, women’s expectations of beauty, culture and civic society, scientific research, prison safety, civic ceremonies, school rules, men’s sense of masculinity, law enforcement, and children’s sexual privacy. The gender vs. two-sexes issue is being weighed by state and federal courts, and the Supreme Court is being pressured by progressives to impose their one-size-fits-all transgender ideology on the nation. Trump’s opposition to Obama’s approval for the ideology creates a major obstacle for that strategy, especially because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has also shifted Justice Department policies. Sessions has directed agency lawyers to discard Obama-era claims that the transgender ideology is supported by recent reevaluations of long-standing laws. Polls show that roughly one-quarter of Americans support the progressive claim that biological sex is less important that chosen “gender identity,” despite intense media pressure in favor of the pro-transgender, anti-sexes campaign. There are very few “transgender” people. For example, advocates say from 1,320 t0 11,000 people in the military are trying fully or partly to live like members of the other sex, within the military population of 1.3 million full-time soldiers, sailors, marines and air force personnel. Fewer than o.3 percent of Americans wish to live as members of the opposite sex. Trump’s formal opposition to the transgender ideology is pushing Democrats to make their unpopular transgender ideology an issue in the 2018 elections. However, Obama has said twice that his 2016 support for the ideology helped contribute to Hillary Clinton’s defeat in the presidential election. Trump’s support for the two sexes has been applauded by conservatives. In July, Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, applauded Trump’s policy, saying: “I do think it helps the average American to stand up and say what is obvious [and] that is refreshing … the overwhelming majority of Americans in most surveys I’ve seen do not think the federal government should be blurring the lines between the two biological sexes.” ||||| On Friday, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum telling military officials to abandon any plan to allow transgender people to enlist, CNN reported. “In my judgement, the previous administration failed to identify a significant basis to conclude that terminating the department’s long standing policy and practice would not hinder military effectiveness and lethality, disrupt unit cohesion, or tax military resources, and there remain meaningful concerns that further study is needed to ensure that continued implementation of last year’s policy change would not have those negative effects,” Trump wrote in the memorandum. Ned Price, former senior director at the National Security Council said via email that he takes specific issue with Trump’s assertion that “more study” is needed to determine whether all Americans should be able to put their lives on the line in defense of their country. “Those who have studied and understand this issue far better than our current commander-in-chief ever will concluded that allowing transgendered Americans to serve in our Armed Forces is consistent with military readiness and with our American values,” he said. “President Trump’s politically driven order undermines these very conclusions, which military leadership, medical personnel, U.S. service members, and an independent research institution arrived at after years of research.” He added that any further study, “if it is truly unvarnished,” will reach the same conclusion. However, it will only do so after our military will have “turned away brave and capable Americans based on a crude political calculation.” In the memorandum, Trump also barred the Department of Defense from providing resources for medical treatment for any transgender individuals currently serving in the military by March 23, except to protect the health of someone who has already begun the process. The cost of care related to gender reassignment, Bloomberg reported, represents about 0.1% of the military’s entire health care bill. As PRI reported, a Pentagon-commissioned study estimated the number of transgender troops to be somewhere in the ballpark of 1,320 to 6,600 people. Another UCLA study estimated that number to be much higher, putting the transgender active military population between 15,000 to 15,500. What remains unclear under the new memorandum is if transgender troops already enlisted will be allowed to remain in the military. “As part of the implementation plan, the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall determine how to address transgender individuals currently serving in the United States military,” Trump wrote in the memorandum. “Until the Secretary has made that determination, no action may be taken against such individuals under the policy set forth in section 1(b) of this memorandum.” These new guidelines come just weeks after Trump surprised both the American public and his own military officials when he tweeted, “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” Trump added, “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.” In a statement provided to Mic via email, Jennifer Levi, GLAD Transgender Rights Project director, said, “This policy is a shameful slap in the face to people who put their lives on the line everyday to defend our country.” Levi added that this “unprecedented policy amounts to a purge of qualified, contributing troops, and will serve only to undermine unit cohesion and weaken military readiness.” In the statement, GLAD also noted it filed the federal lawsuit Doe v. Trump on Aug. 9, on behalf of 5 transgender service members with nearly 60 years of combined military service. ||||| Rights activists decry Trump's reversal of Obama-era decision to allow trans people to openly serve in the US military. President Donald Trump has signed a memorandum that directs the US military to not accept transgender individuals as recruits and halts the use of government funds for sex-reassignment surgeries for active personnel unless the process is already underway. The memo, released by the White House on Friday, laid out in more detail a ban on transgender individuals serving in the US armed forces that Trump announced via Twitter last month. The announcement reversed a policy shift started under his predecessor, President Barack Obama. In the memorandum, Trump directed the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security to stop using government funds for sex-reassignment procedures unless it is necessary "to protect the health of an individual who has already begun a course of treatment to reassign his or her sex". The order requires Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis to determine in the coming months how to handle transgender individuals currently serving in the military using criteria including "military effectiveness and lethality," budget constraints and law. READ MORE: Race in the US - America's most persecuted? A White House official who briefed reporters about the memo declined to specify whether transgender individuals who are currently active in the military could continue to serve based on such criteria. The official said Trump decided the Obama administration had not identified a sufficient basis for changing what was then long-standing policy on transgender troops. The memo called on Mattis to submit his plan on how to implement the changes by February 21 of next year. 'Nothing less than a purge' Trump's decision appealed to some in his conservative political base while creating uncertainty for thousands of transgender service members, many of whom came out after the Pentagon said in 2016 it would allow transgender people to serve openly. According to the National Centre for Transgender Equality, there are about 15,000 transgender people currently serving in the US military. The change drew swift criticism from advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. "The President's order to remove transgender service members from the United States armed forces and deny them healthcare is nothing less than a purge," Matt Thorn, executive director of OutServe-SLDN, a group dedicated to LGBT equality in the military, said in a statement. Jennifer Levi, an official at the gay rights group GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders, said that the US military "is strongest when all people who are fit to serve have the opportunity to do so". "This unprecedented policy amounts to a purge of qualified, contributing troops, and will serve only to undermine unit cohesion and weaken military readiness." Others online, including Chelsea Manning, a transgender army private who was jailed for one of the largest leaks of classified documents in US history, also criticised Trump's move, calling it a "shameful" and "hateful". ||||| Transgender members of the U.S. military would be subject to removal at Defense Secretary James Mattis' discretion — and the service would bar transgender people from enlisting, under new White House guidelines for the Pentagon. President Trump announced the ban via a tweet last month. Rough details of the guidelines were confirmed by NPR's Tom Bowman after the White House plan for the Pentagon was reported by The Wall Street Journal. Gay and lesbian troops have been able to serve openly in the U.S. military since 2011; transgender service members were allowed to do the same in 2016, through an order from Defense Secretary Ash Carter. That order deferred setting policy on new enlistments. The Obama administration had set a deadline of July 1, 2017, for the U.S. military to decide how to handle transgender recruits. But as NPR's Phil Ewing has reported, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis put off that deadline in June. Mattis hasn't spoken much about the plan, and it's not known how rigorously he would enforce a policy on transgender troops. Tom reports, "The big issue for Mattis is service. If you're in the military, people who know him say, he'll give a lot of leeway for keeping transgender people in — unless there's some huge medical issue that prevents deployability." On July 26, Trump stated in a series of tweets that the U.S. would not allow transgender people "to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military." The president added, "Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail." As for the scope of the issue, Tom says that the question of transgender service members hasn't been a hot topic in America's military. It doesn't approach the scale, for instance, of the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy that once governed how lesbians and gays should be treated in the service, Tom reported on Morning Edition on Thursday. "One officer I spoke with yesterday estimated 1,000 transgender folks in the military, of more than 2 million," Tom said. "Advocates say the number could be up to 15,000." An estimate by the Rand Corp. suggested there could be as many as 6,300 transgender troops on active duty. When President Trump spoke about the issue two weeks ago during a briefing at his golf club in New Jersey, here's what he said: "Look, I have great respect for the community. I think I have great support — or I've had great support from that community. I got a lot of votes. But the transgender — the military is working on it now. They're doing the work. It's been a very difficult situation. And I think I'm doing a lot of people a favor by coming out and just saying it. As you know, it's been a very complicated issue for the military. It's been a very confusing issue for the military. And I think I'm doing the military a great favor." ||||| Trump Signs Memo Implementing Ban On Transgender People Enlisting In The Military President Trump has signed a memo implementing his new policy on transgender people serving in the armed forces. A senior White House official told reporters that no transgender individuals will be allowed to join the armed services unless and until the secretary of defense and secretary of homeland security recommend otherwise. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are part of the Department of Defense. The Coast Guard, also covered by the new policy, is part of the Department of Homeland Security. The memo halts use of all Defense and Homeland Security resources for sex change surgery for those now serving. The only exception is for transgender service members already in treatment. This will become effective March 23, 2018, to give time for officials to develop an implementation policy. The change in policy that would have allowed transgender people to join the military had been announced by former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter but never implemented, unlike the policy change that allowed current transgender military personnel to serve openly. The policy prohibiting transgender individuals serving in the military is restored by the memo. For transgender service members already serving, the memo directs the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to determine what to do with them based on how their continued service affects military effectiveness, lethality, resources and unit cohesion. The memo calls for an implementation plan to be submitted to the president by March 23, 2018. ||||| Active-duty transgender troops say a policy change that puts them at risk of being removed and indefinitely bars transgender people from enlisting in the military is a step backward for civil rights that will promote inequality in the armed forces. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend a ban on transgender individuals joining the military but gave the Pentagon the authority to decide the future of openly transgender people already serving. Trump appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some transgender people who already are in uniform. The guidance from the White House contradicts Trump's words, Army Capt. Jennifer Sims said, pointing out that he just praised the military for its tolerance when he told veterans in Nevada on Wednesday that those in uniform come from all walks of life and are united by shared values and a shared sense of duty. Days earlier, Trump, speaking to thousands of soldiers at the Army's Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, in Arlington, Virginia, denounced prejudice, bigotry and hate in the wake of violence that erupted at a rally organized by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia. "It's going to create this situation where there is a complete inequality in how transgender troops are treated," said Sims, 28, who is based in Germany and is taking pills to prepare for her transition surgery. That is not the military's problem, said Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, which has opposed allowing transgender people to serve. "The armed forces are not just another equal opportunity employer," Donnelly said in a statement. The military's limited funds, she added, should not be used "to indulge transgender demands." Transgender people have been allowed to serve openly in the military since June 2016. Trump, in a series of tweets on July 26, announced that he planned to end that policy. The government "will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. military," he tweeted, contending that their service entailed "tremendous medical costs and disruption." A 2016 study by the RAND Corp. estimated it would cost the military $2.4 million to $8.4 million a year to provide gender transition-related coverage, an increase of 0.04 percent to 0.13 percent in health care spending for active-duty members. Researchers estimated 29 to 129 active-duty service members annually would seek such treatment. Meanwhile, it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to discharge thousands of transgender personnel, according to a study released this month by the Palm Center, an independent research institute. The new guidance, as described by an official familiar with its contents but not authorized by the White House to discuss it publicly, appears to be less rigid than the complete ban that Trump tweeted about. The official said the guidance puts a stop to recruitment of transgender individuals and prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for sexual reassignment surgery, except in cases where it's deemed necessary to protect the health of an individual who has already begun the transition. But it would give Defense Secretary Jim Mattis six months to determine circumstances in which those currently in uniform who are openly transgender might be permitted to continue serving. Jennifer Levi, an attorney with the LGBT-rights group GLAD, said that current policy "requires equal treatment of transgender service members, including that they are subject to the same standards of deployment as other soldiers." GLAD and another LGBT-rights organization this month sued in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of five transgender service members with nearly 60 years of combined military service. They had hoped to get a swift court decision on Trump's tweet that could prevent a ban from taking effect. "Any special or different rule for transgender soldiers is discrimination, plain and simple," she said. "It also harms the military and, ultimately, the safety of our nation." Trump has argued that the military should not pay for medical care for transgender service members to transition to another gender, and that the process means they cannot be deployed, harming the readiness of the armed forces. Service members say that is not true. According to the policy adopted under the Obama administration, commanders have the discretion to decide when to allow transgender troops to start their treatment to transition to a different gender to ensure that it does not disrupt operations. Commanders can also decide whether a person undergoing treatment is still fit to be deployed. Army Capt. Jennifer Peace, a transgender woman based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state, said that she deployed to Afghanistan in 2012 while transitioning, and that there are other transgender troops serving there now. "Being transgender had had absolutely no impact on my fitness for duty," Peace said, adding that "there should be no transgender standard — there should be an Army standard. If I can make the Army standard, I should be able to serve." Many health reasons can delay deployment, including pregnancy, knee or gall bladder operations, and laser eye surgery. Soldiers may also reschedule their treatments if they see it could have a negative effect on their unit. If the military won't pay for their medical care, many transgender troops say, they will find a way to cover the costs. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Blake Dremann, who is president of SPARTA, a trans advocacy group, said he is telling concerned service members to wait for any legal challenges to play out and "continue to succeed, show them we're not an issue." "Which we haven't been, so I don't understand," said Dremann, 36. Air Force Staff Sgt. Ashlee Bruce, 26, who works at Buckley Air Force base in Aurora, Colorado, and plans to start medical treatment next month to transition, plans to speak out but won't go to court after taking an oath to respect the commander in chief's orders. "I want to stay in the military as long as they will have me," Bruce said. "I love what I do. I think we make a positive impact day in and day out protecting our country and defending our way of life." ||||| WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday stopped funding for sex-reassignment treatment for transgender people currently in the military and barred the Pentagon from accepting any more transgender people into the services. The president signed a memo giving new guidance to his previously-tweeted ban on transgender individuals serving in the U.S. military, according to a senior White House official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity. Trump signed the memo, the details of which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, on Friday and directed the departments of Defense and Homeland Security to stop funding of sex-reassignment procedures and deny entry of transgender individuals into the military. Openly transgender individuals will be barred until the Secretary of Defense "provides a recommendation to the contrary that I find convincing," Trump's memo reads. The Trump administration official was unable to answer questions about whether the estimated thousands of transgender service members currently serving would be allowed to remain in the military. The administration's guidance gives Defense Secretary James Mattis some leeway when considering whether individual transgender service members would be allowed to continue to serve. The defense secretary would be able to consider military effectiveness, unit cohesion, budget restraints and other factors, the administration official said. The Pentagon and Department of Defense have six months to develop an implementation plan. Asked if at the end of the six-month period it would be possible that transgender people already serving will continue, the official said the administration didn't have "anything to say beyond the policy enunciated in the memo." Trump first articulated his unexpected and abrupt policy change about transgender service members in a series of tweets last month, saying: "After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow...Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming...victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you." Trump campaigned as a friend to the LGBTQ community, even praising the audience at the Republican National Convention last summer when they cheered his mention of the group. But even after the president's decision to bar transgender people from the military — a policy blasted by LGBTQ groups — the White House is still defending Trump's credentials as a friend to the community. "The president is a president for all Americans," the senior administration official said Friday. The basis for the Friday directive, the official added, is "national security concerns." ||||| The White House will soon issue guidance to the Pentagon on how it should proceed with implementing President Donald Trump's ban on transgender Americans serving in the military, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. According to the news outlet, the White House is expected to send the guidance in the coming days, which would mark the first official instruction from the White House on how the United States military is supposed to act on Trump's announcement on Twitter last month that openly serving transgender troops would no longer be allowed to serve in the armed forces. Trump's tweet signaled a reversal from an Obama-era policy enacted last year that lifted the ban on openly serving transgender troops and would have made the U.S. government responsible for covering gender reassignment treatment and procedures deemed medically necessary for transgender service members. Sources familiar with the two-and-a-half-page guidance told WSJ that the docuement "directs the Pentagon to deny admittance to transgender individuals" and "stop spending on medical treatment regimens for those currently serving." Additionally, the sources explained that the memo informs Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis that the ban is to be fully implemented in six months. Trump announced the plan to ban transgender military service members as social conservative advocacy groups called for an end to the Obama-era transgender troop policy, suggesting that the policy weakens military readiness and creates privacy issues. But after Trump tweeted his vow to ban transgender individuals from the military, LGBT activists and supporters were quick to voice their criticism of the transgender ban. "Transgender people are just as deployable as other service members," Sue Fulton, an LGBT activist and former president of the LGBT military organization Sparta, told the outlet. "Other service members may undergo procedures when they are at home base, just as other service members schedule shoulder surgery or gall bladder surgery." A Change.org petition calling on Trump to allow transgender individuals to serve in the military has amassed more than 225,000 supporters. "This is extremely disgraceful and an insult to all those who have already given their lives for this country. This is not equality, and this is not 'supporting the LGBT community,' as he said he does. This is utterly transphobic," the petition reads. "Many people who served are going to be left jobless, and many others will no longer be able to fulfill their dreams. This is not okay, and this should not be legal. Trans people are still people." Earlier this month, Trump defended his vow to ban transgender individuals from military service, saying during a news conference at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., that he was doing a "great favor" for the military. "And I think I'm doing a lot of people a favor by just coming out and saying it. As you know, it has been a very complicated issue for the military," the president said. "It's been a very confusing issue for the military and I think I am doing the military a great favor." Following Trump's tweet, a group of retired flag-rank military officers that included Family Research Council Executive Vice President Jerry Boykin sent Trump a letter, expressing their gratitude and argued that the Obama-era policy would have been costly. "Even if it can be scientifically demonstrated that gender reassignment procedures medically benefit some individuals, there will still be concerns about the deployability of these individuals," the letter reads. "DoD guidelines require that those serving in the military be 'medically adaptable to the military environment without the necessity of geographic area limitations.' However, both hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery result in the need for specialized medical care which will not be available in all geographic locations." "Aside from the time lost due to the non-deployability of the person transitioning, one must also consider the time taken away from commanding officers for transgender case management. The detailed assessment and management of these complex cases by commanders would have been substantial," the letter continues. "Needless to say, that is time not being spent training or thinking about how to engage and defeat our enemies in combat. The shifting of CO time would have been a real detriment to military effectiveness." ||||| Active-duty transgender troops say a policy change that puts them at risk of being removed and indefinitely bars transgender people from enlisting in the military is a step backward for civil rights that will promote inequality in the armed forces. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to extend a ban on transgender individuals joining the military but gave Defense Secretary Jim Mattis authority to decide the future of openly transgender people already serving. This comes only days after Trump praised the military for its tolerance. Trump says the military shouldn't pay for medical care for transgender troops. He says the process means they cannot be deployed, harming military readiness. Transgender troops say many health reasons, including pregnancy and knee surgery, can also delay deployments. | President Donald Trump issues a presidential memorandum that stops funding of sex reassignment procedures for military personnel, and that denies entry of transgender individuals into the military. President Trump announced this policy change via Twitter in late July. Two LGBT rights organizations filed a federal lawsuit two weeks ago arguing this policy change is unconstitutional because it denies transgender service members equal protection and due process. |
HOUSTON (CBSNews) — Aircrews with the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 17 residents in distress Saturday (Aug. 26), as Harvey caused widespread destruction in southern parts of the state. Two helicopters aircrews were dispatched to help ships near Port Aransas, Texas, earlier Saturday after receiving distress calls. They rescued seven people from a tugboat near Aransas Pass, four people from the vessel Signet Enterprise and four others aboard the vessel Sandy Point. “This was a great effort between our Coast Guard aircrews and Signet Constellation’s crew in very dangerous conditions,” Capt. Tony Hahn, commander of Sector Corpus Christi, said in a statement. Video shot by the Coast Guard showed rescuers pulling people in life jackets from the water near the Signet Enterprise as it took on water and appeared to be sinking. Harvey was the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. in over a decade, and the most powerful storm to hit Texas since 1961. The storm made landfall late Friday (Aug. 25) night as a Category 4 storm, with sustained winds of 130 mph that whipped coastal communities overnight. Winds slowed throughout Saturday as Harvey was downgraded to a Category 1 storm and then to a tropical storm. Two others were rescued in Houston after a Coast Guard crew spotted and hoisted a man, woman and their dog to safety around 12:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The residents were sent to a hospital in Corpus Christi where they were reportedly in good condition. ||||| 000 WTNT34 KNHC 240234 TCPAT4 BULLETIN Post-Tropical Cyclone Chantal Advisory Number 13 NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL042019 1100 PM AST Fri Aug 23 2019 ...CHANTAL BECOMES A REMNANT LOW... ...THIS IS THE LAST ADVISORY... SUMMARY OF 1100 PM AST...0300 UTC...INFORMATION ----------------------------------------------- LOCATION...35.6N 40.9W ABOUT 785 MI...1265 KM W OF THE AZORES MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...30 MPH...45 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...S OR 185 DEGREES AT 6 MPH...9 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1014 MB...29.95 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS -------------------- There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect. DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK ---------------------- At 1100 PM AST (0300 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Chantal was located near latitude 35.6 North, longitude 40.9 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the south near 6 mph (9 km/h). A turn toward the southwest and west is expected over the weekend, followed by a slow motion toward the northwest Sunday night and Monday. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. Gradual weakening is anticipated and Chantal is forecast to dissipate on Monday. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1014 mb (29.95 inches). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- None. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- This is the last public advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center on Chantal. Additional information on this system can be found in High Seas Forecasts issued by the National Weather Service, under AWIPS header NFDHSFAT1, WMO header FZNT01 KWBC, and online at ocean.weather.gov/shtml/NFDHSFAT1.php $$ Forecaster Zelinsky ||||| The fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade came ashore late Friday about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi as a mammoth Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds. Harvey weakened to a tropical storm by midday Saturday and by 4 a.m. Sunday the National Hurricane Center said Harvey continued to cause “catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas.” Tracking Harvey is not easy. There is no exact consensus for what it will do long term, and the most likely scenario is the storm meanders around the region for a couple of days. More: Why Hurricane Harvey's future is so uncertain, hard to predict The National Weather Service is cautioning that the continued threat of Harvey, which is now pummeling Houston with heavy rainfall, is flash flooding. Here's more of what we know about Harvey at the moment: Where is the storm now? The hurricane center says in its 4 a.m. Sunday update that Harvey remains stationary about 45 miles northwest of Victoria, Texas. Are there any deaths? At least two people have died from the storm. Aransas County Sheriff Bill Mills said Saturday that a man was discovered dead in his home, which was destroyed by a fire. Mills also said 30 to 40 people remained unaccounted for as of Saturday evening. Late Saturday, a Houston official confirmed a death there due to flooding, when a woman apparently tried to exit her car on a flooded road. How strong is the storm? Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm Saturday afternoon, with sustained winds weakening from 60 mph down to 45 mph, the National Weather Service said. What is the damage? Authorities don't know the full scope of damage because weather conditions are preventing emergency crews from getting into the hardest-hit places. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said about 300,000 customers were without power statewide and it would probably be several days before electricity is restored. Some of the worst damage appeared to be in Rockport, a coastal city of about 10,000 that was directly in the storm’s path. The mayor said his community took a blow “right on the nose” that left “widespread devastation,” including homes, businesses and schools that were heavily damaged. Some structures were destroyed. The Corpus Christi port was closed with extensive damage. Because the city is the third-largest petrochemical port in the nation, the agency will be on the lookout for spills, Hahn said. “It was like being in another world,” said David Cameron, assistant chief of the volunteer fire department in Fulton, a seaside community just north of Rockport. “And there’s still a lot to do.” More: Hurricane Harvey: Beautiful but terrifying images of a monster storm Related: Why Hurricane Harvey's future is so uncertain, hard to predict Update on shooting @ 7100 Ficus Ct. homeowner shot intruder. Victim @ Hosp. with gunshot wound was coherent when medics took him. PIO Pace The hurricane also left some 20,000 passengers stranded on four cruise ships that found conditions too dangerous to return to Galveston, KTRK-TV reported. The Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom, which planned to return to Galveston on Friday, will instead head for New Orleans, according to the Houston Chronicle. Is the storm still a threat? The National Weather Service warned Saturday morning that water, not wind, is the biggest threat to life, adding, "Danger from #Harvey still very real." EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HAS REQUESTED: IF HIGHEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME BECOMES DANGEROUS...GET ON THE ROOF. #houwx #glswx #txwx #Harvey Rainfall totals varied across the region, with Corpus Christi and Galveston receiving around 3 inches (8 centimeters), Houston 7 (18 centimeters) and Aransas 10 (25 centimeters). Tiny Austwell got 15 inches (38 centimeters). Harvey "may be nothing short of a flooding disaster," for Texas, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Sosnowski, who said some communities could be underwater for days. Forecasters were already measuring 28-foot-high waves near the eye of the storm. How has the federal government responded? The hurricane posed the first major emergency management test of President Trump’s administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted Abbott's request for a Presidential Disaster Declaration in response to the hurricane. Ahead of the storm, Abbott declared a state of disaster for 30 counties. President Trump said on Twitter Saturday that his office would "remain fully engaged w/ open lines of communication." Trump also tweeted that he was in contact with the governors of Texas and Louisiana. "I have spoken w/ @GovAbbot of Texas and @LouisianaGov Edwards. Closely monitoring #HurricaneHarvey developments & here to assist as needed," Trump's tweet read. At the request of the Governor of Texas, I have signed the Disaster Proclamation, which unleashes the full force of government help! How does it compare to past hurricanes in the U.S.? Harvey was the first major hurricane — classified as Category 3 or above — to hit the U.S. in over a decade when it made landfall as a Category 4 storm. It was the strongest to strike Texas since 1961’s Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record. #Harvey made landfall at 10 PM CDT as a category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas, with max winds of 130 mph and min pressure of 938 mb. RELATED | From Dennis to Matthew: All the hurricanes that hit the U.S. since 2005 ||||| Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coastline late Friday night as a Category 4 storm, bringing with it damaging winds and torrential downpours. Hundreds of miles of the state's coastline braced for what forecasters predicted would be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surges. The storm was downgraded to a tropical storm Friday afternoon. CBS News science contributor Michio Kaku joined "CBS This Morning: Saturday" to discuss the science behind what causes storms like Harvey to form, what damage is still to come as the storm slowly moves across Texas and how dangerous storm surges happen. "If it lingers over the land it could cause massive flooding. Then, watch out, if it goes back into the Gulf it could get re-energized and create a second, even a third landfall. So the agony has just begun with this hurricane of the decade," Kaku said. Hurricanes, fueled by warm waters, tend to gain a lot of strength over places like the Gulf of Mexico. "A hurricane is sort of like a bowling ball. They form off the coast of Africa as a small breeze and then they gather energy as they go toward warm water across the Atlantic," Kaku said. "This hurricane went right into the Gulf." The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast predicted there would be 11 to 17 named storms and two to four "major" hurricanes this year -- an above normal season for the Atlantic. "The Gulf of Mexico is two degrees warmer than normal and that has set off alarm bells in Washington. Just last month, the government issued a warning stating that because of the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico this hurricane season -- which goes on until the end of November -- could be one of the worst in memory. So, watch out, there could be more monster hurricanes to come," he said. Storm surges caused by Harvey were of particular concern for forecasters who said they pose a grave risk for those in the storm's path. "Storm surges could be 12, 13 feet tall and as the waves that are whipped around at 130 mph, sometimes they get bunched up as they go toward land and that's when you get these huge monster waves hitting the coast," Kaku said. While Kaku doesn't believe the damage done by Harvey will be as costly as Hurricanes Katrina or Sandy, he does believe it could be "among the top 10." "It's stationary right now, it could cause a tremendous amount of flooding, blackouts, evacuations and it could get re-energized again so we're just seeing beginning of the agony," he warned. ||||| At least one death was reported Saturday as Texans who rode out the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in a decade ventured out to find “widespread devastation,” with a downgraded Hurricane Harvey lumbering north in what was “now turning into a deadly inland event.” The first fatality was reported in the hard-hit coastal city of Rockport, where the person died in a house fire during the storm, Aransas County Judge Burt Mills said Saturday afternoon. “We didn’t know about it until today,” he said. At least a dozen people were injured, Mills said. With dire warnings of tornadoes, torrential downpours and days of flooding to come, broad swaths of southeast Texas were littered with uprooted trees, toppled signs, flagpoles that snapped like toothpicks and clusters of bricks peeled like scabs from walls and rooftops. Additional fatalities were feared in coastal Rockport, where an estimated 5,000 residents had stayed put for the storm that blasted ashore as a Category 4 around 11 p.m. ET Friday between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, Aransas County Sheriff Bill Mills said. Callers to the local emergency dispatch line told of walls and roofs collapsing on people across the city, where an official had warned those who opted to stick out the storm to write their Social Security numbers on their arms for body identification. Shortly after Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm, with sustained winds of 70 mph, Saturday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters that the state had more than 1,000 workers involved in search and rescue operations. “There’s been widespread devastation,” Rockport Mayor Charles Wax told CNN late Saturday morning. He said emergency workers were going house to house to check on residents and assess damage. “We’ve already taken a severe blow from the storm, but we’re anticipating another one when the flooding comes,” he said. The storm was a Category 1 by late Saturday morning, packing winds of 75 mph as it slowed its trek northward to just 2 mph. Some places even far inland were predicted to get as much as 40 inches of rain through Wednesday. While the worst of the storm surge had ended by midday Saturday, the coastal flooding threat was due to increase as already-swollen rivers and bayous get pounded with heavy rain, CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said. Sea water pushed onto the shore also won’t recede quickly, he said, meaning “this is going to be a long, ongoing flood event.” Abbott said the 210-mile-long corridor between Corpus Christi and Houston was expected to receive as much as 30 more inches of rain on top of the double-digit rainfall figures that had already fallen. Harvey wielded the “highest potential to kill the most amount of people and cause the most amount of damage,” Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, had warned. He echoed forecasters who predicted Harvey would be leave areas “uninhabitable for weeks or months,” echoing language last seen ahead of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. — Even after weakening upon landfall, Harvey was still a dangerous storm and “turning into a deadly inland event,” the FEMA chief tweeted. — Due to stall over Texas, Harvey could maintain tropical storm strength through early Monday, then weaken into a tropical depression, the National Weather Service predicted. — Parts of southeastern Texas remained under a flash flood watch through Tuesday evening, the National Weather Service office in Houston said. — More than 300,000 customers on the Texas Gulf Coast had no power around 9:30 a.m. ET Saturday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said, amid reports of downed power lines and trees. — Heavy rain from Harvey’s bands also had reached flood-prone Houston, about 150 miles from the point of landfall. — A tide gauge in Port Lavaca, Texas, reported a storm surge of 6.4 feet, the National Hurricane Center said early Saturday. — Structural and building problems were reported in Rockport, Aransas Pass, and Port Aransas, Texas, said Tom Beal, a meteorologist with National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi. — Corpus Christi officials tweeted Saturday afternoon that evacuees could return “but be advised we are under a water boil advisory & limited wastewater usage due to outages at treatment plants.” — President Donald Trump tweeted early Saturday that he’s “closely monitoring” Harvey from Camp David, Maryland. Trump, who plans to visit the storm zone next week, has signed a disaster declaration for Texas. Firefighters who hunkered down in their station in Rockport as Harvey passed over the city of about 10,000 residents recounted a harrowing night. The wind was “howling,” said Roy Laird, assistant chief of the city’s volunteer fire department. “We had probably 140-mph winds earlier.” For hours, Karl Hattman and his family listened to “what sounded like a freight train” roar outside their Rockport home. When the fury calmed, they headed out into the darkness to find many trees down, debris blocking their driveway and Hattman’s vehicle damaged by flying roof tiles. Robert Jackson also likened the force of the storm in Rockport to a passing freight train — one with “square wheels.” He didn’t sleep all night. “It was about the most stressful thing I’ve ever been through,” he said, adding, “It’s my last one to ride out, I’ll tell you that.” Joey Walker, 25, rode out the storm at a house on Galveston Island. The Galveston Island Beach Patrol employee posted video of near-white out conditions overlooking Stewart Beach. As rain bands reached Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner urged drivers to stay off the roads. “This is going to be a major rainmaker,” he told CNN Saturday. “We anticipate four to five days of this.” “This thing is turning into quite the marathon,” Nick Gignac, of Corpus Christi, told CNN around 2 a.m. ET. “You expect these things to be a quicker flash-and-bang than they are. To be honest, the intensity still hasn’t let up as the storm came in. Things were a little lighter than they are right now, and you expect it to get intense and let up. And things have not let up at all.” In San Antonio, about 950 people took refuge in shelters, Woody Woodward, a spokesman for the city fire department, told CNN, adding that there was still plenty of space for more people. Ten critically ill babies in Corpus Christi were taken to a hospital in North Texas ahead of the storm, the Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth said in a statement. “All our babies made it here safely,” Dawn Lindley, a registered nurse with Children’s Health Transport Team, told CNN. “The majority … were premature and had ongoing issues. They were easily accommodated to the hospitals here to make sure they had continued care and the storm wasn’t going to be a factor in how they recovered from their illnesses.” ||||| CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) – The Latest on Hurricane Harvey (all times local): President Donald Trump has commended the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for his handling of the hurricane now hitting the Texas Gulf Coast. In a tweet Saturday morning addressed to FEMA head Brock Long, Trump said: “You are doing a great job – the world is watching! Be safe.” Hurricane Harvey, the fiercest to hit the U.S. in more than a decade, is posing the first major emergency management test of Trump’s administration. In a separate tweet, Trump said he is monitoring the hurricane closely from Camp David and “We are leaving nothing to chance. City, State and Federal Govs. working great together!” He also tweeted that “We have fantastic people on the ground, got there long before #Harvey. So far, so good!” Harvey has been further downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane as it churns slowly inland from the Texas Gulf Coast, already depositing more than 9 inches of rain in South Texas. Harvey made landfall about 10 p.m. Friday east-northeast of Corpus Christi as a Category 4, with winds in excess of 130 mph (210 kph). But wind speeds quickly weakened and by early Saturday Harvey was downgraded. It continues to produce gusts of up to 120 mph (193 kph) and sustained winds of 90 mph (144 kph). The National Hurricane Center warns of “catastrophic flooding” over the next few days. Emergency personnel in coastal communities like Rockport, just northeast of Corpus Christi, say there’s broad damage to buildings. But Rockport Volunteer Fire Department Chief Steve Sims said early Saturday that firefighters were hunkered down at the city’s fire station waiting for conditions to improve to assess the damage. Hurricane Harvey has settled over southeast Texas, dumping rain and lashing the state’s Gulf Coast with damaging winds. The storm made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 with 130 mph (209 kph) winds. It gradually weakened over the next several hours and by early Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said it back to a Category 2 – still sustaining winds of 110 mph (185 kph) as of 3 a.m. Early damage reports from Gulf Coast cities included collapsed roofs and walls. One community transported multiple people from a senior living home to the county jail for treatment after a roof caved in. But officials remained largely unable to assess the damage before daylight. The storm is expected to slow further and flood the area with rain through the middle of next week. The center warned that Harvey could produce life-threatening storm surges along a coastal area of more than 400 miles (643 kilometers). ||||| Officers have reported the shooting took place at 11pm local time (5am BST) as the most powerful parts of the storm near the city. Hurricane Harvey slammed into the Texas coast on Friday as a Category 4 storm – bringing life-threatening winds and the likelihood of catastrophic flooding as the most powerful storm in over a decade hit the US mainland. The hurricane arrived on the coast northeast of Corpus Christi around 10pm CDT (4am BST) with maximum winds of 130mph. ||||| Hurricane Harvey reserved its full ferocity for small towns along the Texas coast north of Corpus Christi, including Rockport, Texas, where storm chasers captured the scene. Josh Morgerman, who chases tropical cyclones like Harvey around the world, described the storm as "One of the worst hurricanes I've ever been in." The hotel he was staying in for shelter was nearly blown apart by the storm's 130-mile-per-hour sustained winds, along with higher gusts. On Saturday morning, Morgerman posted that Rockport has been "smashed, stripped, and scrubbed" by the winds and storm surge from Harvey. Hurricane Harvey was the most intense storm to strike the U.S. since 2005 — before Twitter existed. During the storm, chaser Jeff Piotrowski livestreamed the strongest part of the storm as the eyewall came ashore in Rockport. The video was viewed 1.2 million times as of Saturday morning, and caused many people to fear for his life as the building he was taking shelter under gave way to the wind Friday night. According to reports on Twitter early Saturday, he and his chase partners survived the ordeal. Reed Timmer, a storm chaser for AccuWeather, recorded this video of the eye wall — which contains the storm's strongest winds — moving onshore in Rockport. On Friday night, the big story was Hurricane Harvey's Category 4 intensity winds and storm surge flood. But as of Saturday morning, forecasters have shifted their attention to tracking the storm's potentially epic deluge. Up to 40 inches of rain could fall on Southeast Texas by the time the storm winds down next week, which would cause a flood disaster of historic proportions. Perhaps these storm chasers are going to be sticking around to film the rains and slower-moving floods, which are likely to be more destructive and life-threatening than what they experienced on Friday night into early Saturday morning. ||||| UPDATE: Harvey weakens into Tropical Storm with sustained winds of 70 mph ROCKPORT, Texas - Harvey rolled onto shore overnight as a powerful Category 4 storm. It has now been downgraded to a Tropical Storm. > WATCH: New video; overnight video shows first images of damage from Harvey; watch HERE As of Saturday morning, as many as ten people had been injured and taken to a makeshift hospital at an area jail. Damaged was reported to numerous buildings. Roofs collapsed at a local nursing home and high school. Rockport is just up the shoreline from Corpus Christi, Texas. The storm packed 130 mph winds as it blasted the region. As the sun rose Saturday, crews were just able to safely survey the damage. Damage reports will likely be coming in all day. The storm was downgraded by Saturday morning to a Category 1 but still posed a significant threat to the Texas coast because of large amounts of rainfall expected. People as far north as Houston could feel the impacts of significant rain and possible flooding later Saturday. Some areas could receive more than 35 inches of rain. The storm quickly grew Thursday from a tropical depression into a Category 1 hurricane, and then developed into a Category 2 storm early Friday. By Friday afternoon, it had become a Category 3 storm and strengthened again around 6 o'clock Friday to become a Category 4. While Texas will most likely bear the brunt of the approaching Hurricane Harvey, bands of rain from the storm have been sweeping over parts of Louisiana. Flood warnings have been issued along some southwest Louisiana rivers with forecasters saying some low-lying roads and recreational areas are threatened. And officials worry that rain could last for several days, raising worries of more serious flooding. The slow-moving storm's unpredictable long-term path had the attention of both state and local officials. Official calls for evacuations were issued Friday in parts of Cameron and Vermilion parishes where forecasters say rainfall totals could approach 15 to 20 inches over the next seven days. Rainfall projections for New Orleans are lower. But officials urged vigilance there, noting that a change in the storm's track could increase flood dangers. This Weekend: The weather should be fairly typical of August with scattered showers and thunderstorms. Due to the tropical air mass in place, any thunderstorms will be efficient at producing rain and downpours could leave behind a quick inch or two in isolated locations. Keep in mind though, nothing widespread is expected and some areas will actually stay dry. There certainly does not appear to be any need to cancel plans through Sunday. High temperatures will be just a few degrees shy of normal--in the upper 80s--due to increased cloud cover and pockets of rain. Nighttime lows will be in the mid 70s as usual. Next Week: While the evolution of the storm system remains uncertain, it is becoming a bit more clear than last week. By Monday, whatever remains of Harvey is expected to stay over southeastern Texas. However, at the same time, two upper level ridges east and west of the area, are expected to weaken and "unclog" the stalled pattern. As a result, there will be increased development of showers and thunderstorms across southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi. Meanwhile, moisture content in the atmosphere will remain very high and some pockets of heavy rain could become established--especially Monday and Tuesday. It is worth pointing out that areas on the eastern side of an inland tropical system often see isolated tornadoes as well. Be on alert for any warnings issued. The remnants of Harvey could continue to bring unsettled weather to the western and central Gulf Coast straight through the week. With regard to the rainfall forecast, persistence remains the name of the game. The WBRZ Weather Team still expects the Baton Rouge area to receive 4-7 inches of rain through Friday. Certainly, there could be isolated amounts twice as high bringing the potential for flash flooding and river flooding. The National Weather Service is planning to issue a Flash Flood Watch for the area later this weekend to highlight that possibility. The highest rainfall totals will likely occur closer to the stalled front which is expected to remain along the Louisiana coast. Areas from Morgan City to Houma to Grand Isle could see nearly 10 inches of rain. It is still just a little early to tell how local rivers could be affected. Only the next 48 hours of forecast rainfall is factored into predicted river levels. Since the heaviest rain is expected next week, it may not be until Sunday that we know what kind of rises may occur. The National Weather Service has issued a special hydrologic outlook to highlight the potential for rises on area rivers. As usual, the Amite, Comite, Tickfaw and Tangipahoa will be most vulnerable some residents nearby should take the necessary precautions, just in case river flooding occurs. Keep in mind, flooding is not imminent, simply a possibility which is why the WBRZ Weather Team encourages the Baton Rouge area, counties in Southwest Mississippi and especially parishes along the southeast Louisiana coast to monitor the forecast as it evolves. Plan to get frequent forecast updates from the WBRZ Weather Team on News 2, wbrz.com, Facebook, Twitter and the WBRZ WX App. on Apple and Android devices. As always during hurricane season, stay prepared and review plans. ||||| Tropical Storm Harvey battered southeastern Texas this weekend, forcing key oil and gas facilities on the U.S. Gulf Coast to shutter. About a quarter of the oil produced in the Gulf of Mexico was shut down as of Saturday, according to the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. That amounts to nearly 430,000 barrels of oil per day. The bureau also estimated that about 26% of natural gas production in the Gulf has been shut in. Federal officials are expected to have an update around 2 p.m. ET Sunday. Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane late Friday, but was downgraded to a tropical storm by mid-Saturday. But it continued to dump huge amounts of rain on Houston and cause dangerous flooding that could get worse. The area is home to nearly one-third of the nation's capacity to turn oil into gas, diesel and other products. Federal officials said Saturday that workers from 112 oil and gas production platforms had been evacuated. All told, 737 platforms in the Gulf are staffed with workers. Harvey is the first major storm to seriously threaten the Gulf Coast energy sector in awhile. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008, as well as Hurricane Isaac in 2012, all knocked more than 1 million barrels of Gulf oil production offline, according to the EIA. Those hurricanes also temporarily disrupted refining capacity. Hurricanes that land in Texas tend to have little impact on oil production, but more significant consequences for refining, according to Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. Earlier forecasts showed Harvey staying clear of refineries in the Houston area, but the storm still threatened plants in the Corpus Christi region. Harvey forced about 900,000 barrels per day of the state's refining capacity to shut down, mostly around Corpus Christi, according to S&P Global Platts. That included a Valero Energy (VLO) plant that produced 293,000 barrels per day, as well as a Citgo refinery that produced 157,500 barrels. Related: Impact Your World - How you can help Harvey's victims Houston also marks the beginning of the Colonial Pipeline, which transports more than 100 million gallons of gasoline, heating oil and aviation fuel each day to as far as the New York harbor. Power outages during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 forced the shutdown of parts of the Colonial Pipeline for several days. Kloza said that normally refining is knocked offline for just a brief time, making the impact on prices fleeting. But that depends on the severity of the storm. "Katrina was the exception," Kloza said, referring to the 2005 storm that badly damaged Gulf Coast operations. He predicted on Thursday that Harvey is likely to cause only a short-term jump in gas prices of 5 to 10 cents per gallon, though he said a 25-cent spike in a worst-case scenario was also possible. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline nationwide has ticked up a few cents in recent days, according to AAA. "You're talking about a situation where a month from now gas prices will probably be lower. But a week from now they'll be higher," said Kloza. | Harvey is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kmh). It made landfall on Texas's eastern coast, the eye striking the town of Rockport, as a Category 4 hurricane. It's the strongest storm to hit the state since 1961. Harvey is expected to maintain tropical storm strength, with heavy rains and flooding, for at least four days. |
Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| HOUSTON (Reuters) - Houston could receive as much as two to three inches (five to seven and a half centimeters) of rain per hour in the upcoming hours due to Tropical Storm Harvey, Mayor Sylvester Turner said on Saturday. "We got a break for several hours during the day (but) several rainbands will be coming through tonight. Please be alert," Turner said on his Tweeter account. ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| Houston usually gets about 50 inches of rain a year. It might get that — or more — this week. ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather ||||| With the threat of extreme flooding comes the possibility of bizarre objects floating down the street, as Hurricane Harvey is expected to dump 40 inches of rain on some parts of Texas. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office has already warned that alligators will seek higher ground during flood events, tweeting photos of gators sheltering on a porch and under a car. If forecasts hold and Harvey meanders slowly by the coast dumping rain for days, parts of Texas could see record-shattering floods. With the high waters could come other creepy visitors in addition to alligators. Last year, flooding in Fort Bend County, on the outskirts of Houston, drove spiders and water moccasins into people's homes. 'Please be aware that flooding is driving wildlife out of their habitat' the Fort Bend County Sheriff's office posted on Facebook after heavy flooding hit the area in June of 2016. 'We are advising folks not to stop and take photos or engage the animals.' Floodwaters have in the past also created the gruesome specter of unearthed coffins, though none have been reported yet in Texas. Last year, flooding in Louisiana sent coffins floating down the streets. In shocking photos showing the devastation, caskets that had washed up from a graveyard floated down the street in Denham Springs, Louisiana. As the waters rise in Texas, residents will be keeping a keen eye out for what the floods might bring. ||||| Fifty inches of rain would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record, the National Weather Service announced Sunday. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," NWS Weather Prediction Center posted on Twitter. "Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days." As of 2 p.m. Sunday, the August rainfall total for Houston was 25.5 inches of rain, making this August the wettest month on record, surpassing June 2001, according to the NWS Houston. The NWS determined the average rainfall in Harris County Emergency Management Network has exceeded that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The rainfall from TS Allison took 5 days, and this rainfall has exceeded this amount in half the time. Hourly totals for rain are expected to be about 3 inches, with some areas getting up to 6 inches per hour. The NWS forecast predicts showers and thunderstorms "likely" in the Houston area through Wednesday night. There is a 50 percent chance of storms and thunderstorms Thursday and Friday, and it drops to a 40 percent chance for Friday night and Saturday. Get the latest 7-day forecast here: http://www.khou.com/weather | Downtown Houston has collected about 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) of rain with 7 inches (18 cm) recorded in some areas. Nearly 9 inches (23 cm) was tallied in First Colony early this morning. The National Hurricane Center predicts up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain and isolated totals as high as 40 inches (100 cm) by the time the storm leaves. |
Anytime Warren Buffett speaks, it's worth listening. That's especially true for people interested in bank stocks, given that his company, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B), has accumulated an enormous portfolio of ownership stakes in some of the nation's leading banks. Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC) is one of those banks. Berkshire Hathaway owns 10% of it, making Buffett's company the bank's biggest shareholder. Over the past year, Buffett has voiced displeasure with a scandal that came to light last September at Wells Fargo, saying the bank made a "terrible mistake." The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau revealed at the time that thousands of Wells Fargo employees had opened up to 2 million unauthorized accounts for customers, oftentimes without the customer's approval or knowledge. But Buffett has also made it clear that Berkshire Hathaway wouldn't abandon the bank. In a CNN interview last year, Buffett said that Wells Fargo's now-former CEO John Stumpf is a "very decent man" who "made a hell of a mistake" in not dealing with the scandal more aggressively. Buffett went on to say that Wells Fargo is an "incredible institution" and that he wasn't planning on selling a single share of it. Fast forward to today, and Buffett has doubled down on his commitment to the nation's third biggest bank by assets. Here's an exchange from an interview of Buffett this week by CNBC's Becky Quick: Quick: [Wells Fargo CEO] Tim Sloan just came out recently and said that because of a third-party review there will be more negative headlines. Buffett: What you find is that there's never just one cockroach in the kitchen. That's what used to terrify me about Salomon Brothers is what they'd find after the first one. Anytime you put the focus on an organization that has hundreds of thousands of people working for it, you may very well find that it wasn't just the one that misbehaved that you found out about. And of course it was more than just one in Wells Fargo's case. Quick: Are you comparing Wells Fargo to Salomon? Buffett: I'm comparing the shock of a huge financial institution that all of the sudden people view in a different light. And once you put a spotlight and start looking at everything, you're likely to find something additional. Quick: Is that enough to concern you about your ownership of its shares? Buffett: Not in terms of the long-term investment, no. It's a terrific bank, as is Bank of America. There were some things that were very wrong done there but they are being corrected. This is a vote of confidence that Wells Fargo needs right now, as the company continues to repair its image in the wake of its sales scandal. To Quick's point, moreover, things could very well get worse at Wells Fargo before they get better. The bank announced last week that it would soon release the results of a third-party review of its retail practices, which could cause more negative headlines. But Buffett is taking the long view. He sees these issues as temporary troubles, after which Wells Fargo will be able to get back to doing what it has done for 165 years: focusing on the nuts and bolts of banking. 10 stocks we like better than Wells Fargo When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Wells Fargo wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! John Maxfield owns shares of Bank of America and Wells Fargo. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Berkshire Hathaway (B shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. ||||| (Reuters) - Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N) has become Bank of America Corp’s (BAC.N) largest shareholder by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. FILE PHOTO - Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett visits the BNSF booth before the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. on May 6, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking/File Photo Berkshire is now the largest shareholder in the second- and third-largest U.S. banks, with stakes of roughly 6.6 percent in Bank of America and 10 percent in Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N), according to Reuters data. It also has an interest in JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N), the largest U.S. bank, where Todd Combs, one of Buffett’s deputy portfolio managers, is a director. Bank of America on Tuesday said Berkshire exercised warrants to acquire its shares for roughly $7.14 each, well below their closing price of $23.58, down 14 cents from Monday. The announcement was made after U.S. markets closed. To pay for the shares, Berkshire swapped $5 billion of Bank of America preferred stock it had bought in August 2011. Its new common shares are worth roughly $16.5 billion, giving Berkshire a roughly $11.5 billion paper profit. Berkshire owns more than 90 businesses such as the Geico car insurer, Dairy Queen ice cream and the BNSF railroad. Buffett has run the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate since 1965. The billionaire turns 87 on Wednesday. The swap was made possible by Bank of America’s decision in June to boost its dividend 60 percent, after the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender passed a Federal Reserve “stress test” of its ability to navigate tough markets. It also vindicates Buffett’s confidence in Bank of America Chief Executive Brian Moynihan, who accepted his money when the bank was only midway through cleaning up balance sheet and litigation issues tied to the U.S. housing and financial crises. “In 2011, we welcomed Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder, and we appreciate their continued support now as our largest common shareholder,” Moynihan said in a statement on Tuesday. Berkshire will collect $336 million of annual dividends from Bank of America, more than the $300 million generated by the preferred stock. It also receives close to $800 million of annual dividends from Wells Fargo. Some of Berkshire’s other large equity investments are American Express Co (AXP.N), Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) and Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O). ||||| Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has become the largest shareholder of Bank of America Corp by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. REUTERS: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has become the largest shareholder of Bank of America Corp by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. Bank of America on Tuesday announced the exercise of the warrants, which gave Berkshire the right to buy the bank's shares for about US$7.14 each. Bank of America shares closed down 14 cents at US$23.58 on Tuesday. The announcement was made after U.S. markets closed. The exercise gives Berkshire a roughly 6.6 percent stake in the second-largest U.S. bank, based on an increase in the number of Bank of America shares outstanding, Reuters data show. ||||| Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc <BRKa.N> has become the largest shareholder of Bank of America Corp <BAC.N> by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. Bank of America on Tuesday announced the exercise of the warrants, which gave Berkshire the right to buy the bank's shares for about $7.14 each. Bank of America shares closed down 14 cents at $23.58 on Tuesday. The announcement was made after U.S. markets closed. The exercise gives Berkshire a roughly 6.6 percent stake in the second-largest U.S. bank, based on an increase in the number of Bank of America shares outstanding, Reuters data show. ||||| Warren Buffett became Bank of America’s largest shareholder on Tuesday in a deal that made him billions. A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. investment that began in 2011 translated into 700 million shares Bank of America Corp. stock by the end of the day. Berkshire Hathaway is now the biggest shareholder in both the second- and third-largest U.S. banks, with 10 percent stakes of Wells Fargo & Co and 6.6 percent of Bank of America. “In 2011, we welcomed Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder, and we appreciate their continued support now as our largest common shareholder,” Bank of America Chief Executive Brian Moynihan said in statement, Reuters reported. The iconic CEO’s move involved the exchange of $5 billion in preferred stock for common shares. The Wall Street Journal estimated the deal as netting $13 billion in profits. “The swap was made possible by Bank of America’s decision in June to boost its dividend 60 percent, after the Charlotte, North Carolina-based lender passed a Federal Reserve ‘stress test’ of its ability to navigate tough markets,” Reuters reported. ||||| Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. officially became the biggest shareholder of Bank of America Corp. on Tuesday, notching billions in gains on the bank’s recovery from the financial crisis. Bank of America BAC, -0.59% said Berkshire BRK.A, +0.02% BRK.B, -0.04% exercised warrants to buy 700 million of its shares at below-market prices, a deal that ties back to a crisis-era investment. The move makes the famous stock picker’s firm the largest shareholder of the second and third largest U.S. banks — the third being Wells Fargo & Co. WFC, -0.41% — while also providing a vote of confidence for Bank of America stock. “Berkshire is going to keep every share for a very long time,” Buffett said in an email to the Journal Tuesday. Berkshire’s exercise of the warrants, along with dividends the company has received on Bank of America preferred stock, brings its paper gain on its investment in the bank to around $13 billion. An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com. ||||| Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who came to the aid of a struggling Bank of America back in 2011 with a $5 billion investment, has turned that into a paper profit of more than $11 billion after exercising his right to buy 700 million shares of the bank's common stock at a bargain-basement price. After Tuesday's market close, Bank of America confirmed in a press release that Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway had exercised its warrants to buy 700 million of the bank's common stock at $7.14 per share, a steep discount to the bank's Tuesday's closing price of $23.58. The purchase was made with preferred shares Berkshire acquired through its investment in the bank in August 2011. The deal makes Buffett's Berkshire the largest shareholder of Bank of America. More: Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway builds stake in Synchrony Financial, trims GE position "In 2011, we welcomed Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder, and we appreciate their continued support now as our largest shareholder," Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said in a statement. Buffett's 700 million shares cost him $5 billion to acquire, based on the deal terms set six years ago. The value of those shares at Tuesday's close were roughly $16.5 billion, which translates into a tidy paper gain, or profit, of $11.5 billion. More: 5 Warren Buffett quotes can make you a better investor Back in June, Bank of America passed two rounds of so-called bank "stress tests" held by the Federal Reserve, which cleared the way for the bank to boost its annual dividend by 60% to 48 cents per share. That dividend boost prompted Berkshire to exercise its share warrants before they expired in 2021. Buffett, in his annual letter to shareholders this spring, said publicly that if Bank of America hiked its annual dividend above 44 cents a share before 2021 that Berkshire would exercise its option to buy the 700 million shares of BofA stock. Berkshire's $5 billion investment back in 2011 in the bank's preferred shares paid an annual dividend of 6%. It also gave Buffett the right to buy $5 billion in Bank of America common stock at $7.14 by 2021. More: Warren Buffett says Berkshire could get $9 billion tax break from Trump At the time of the deal announced in 2011, when the bank was dealing with legal issues following the mortgage crisis, Buffett had said in a statement: "I am impressed with the profit-generating abilities of the franchise and that they are acting aggressively to put their challenges behind them." Bank of America's stock has risen 209% since Buffett's $5 billion investment made on Aug. 25, 2011. Buffett's stake in Bank of America is now roughly 6.5%. ||||| Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. officially became the biggest shareholder of Bank of America Corp. on Tuesday, notching billions in gains on the bank's recovery from the financial crisis. Bank of America said Berkshire exercised warrants to buy 700 million of its shares at below-market prices, a deal that ties back to a crisis-era investment. The move makes the famous stock picker's firm the largest shareholder of the second and third largest U.S. banks -- the third being Wells Fargo & Co. -- while also providing a vote of confidence for Bank of America stock. "Berkshire is going to keep every share for a very long time," Mr. Buffett said in an email to the Journal Tuesday. Berkshire's exercise of the warrants, along with dividends the company has received on Bank of America preferred stock, brings its paper gain on its investment in the bank to around $13 billion. Berkshire bought preferred shares in the bank in 2011 when the lender sorely needed to shore up investor sentiment. Bank of America's share price was slumping as investors grew worried about potentially billions of dollars in legal claims and fines related to the crisis. Mr. Buffett helped change the market's perception with the investment and by calling the bank "well led." The $5 billion deal also included warrants for Berkshire to buy 700 million shares of Bank of America common stock for $7.14 apiece. At the time, the strike price was slightly above where Bank of America's shares were trading. Now, it is now far below the current price of $23.58 a share. "In 2011, we welcomed Berkshire Hathaway as a shareholder, and we appreciate their continued support now as our largest common shareholder, " Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan said in a statement. The terms of the initial investment were expensive for Bank of America. The preferred stock paid a chunky 6% annual dividend, or $300 million a year. Mr. Buffett said earlier this year that Berkshire planned to make the switch in its Bank of America stake if the bank could increase its annual dividend to 44 cents a share from 30 cents a share. That is because a common-stock dividend of 44 cents would pay Berkshire more than the $300 million that the preferred stake provides annually. In June, the Charlotte, N.C., bank received permission from the Federal Reserve as a part of the annual "stress test" process to boost its per-share dividend to 48 cents a year. ||||| Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc has become Bank of America Corp's largest shareholder by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. Berkshire is now the largest shareholder in the second- and third-largest U.S. banks, with stakes of roughly 6.6 percent in Bank of America and 10 percent in Wells Fargo & Co, according to Reuters data. It also has an interest in JPMorgan Chase & Co, the largest U.S. bank, where Todd Combs, one of Buffett's deputy portfolio managers, is a director. ||||| Warren Buffett's company is now Bank of America's largest shareholder. Bank of America said Tuesday that Berkshire Hathaway had exercised its warrants to buy 700 million shares of the bank. Berkshire received the warrants in 2011 when Buffett invested $5 billion in the bank. The shares, which are worth roughly $16.5 billion today, give Berkshire control of about 6.5 percent of the bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Berkshire had been receiving $300 million a year in interest on its preferred shares. Buffett decided to trade that for common shares because Bank of America is now paying a dividend of 48 cents per share annually. Buffett's Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate is also a major shareholder in Wells Fargo, American Express and Goldman Sachs. | Berkshire Hathaway Inc has become the largest shareholder of Bank of America by exercising its right to acquire 700 million shares at a steep discount, more than tripling an investment it made six years ago. Bank of America on Tuesday announced the exercise of the warrants, which gave Berkshire, controlled by Warren Buffett, the right to buy the bank’s shares for about $7.14 each. Bank of America shares closed down 14 cents at $23.58 on the same day. |
Harvey made landfall for the third time Wednesday morning, drenching the Texas and Louisiana region with rain that could lead to “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.” The tropical storm made landfall around 5 a.m. just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The rainfall that caused a deluge in Texas has ended for the most part in Houston and is moving east, threatening to dump an additional 3-6 inches from southwestern Louisiana into western Kentucky, the National Hurricane Center said. Before Harvey made landfall around 5 a.m. ET, two people were killed when a tree fell onto a truck in Jackson County, Texas, an area that was “particularly hard hit” by the storm, officials said. Louisiana has beefed up its emergency resources, doubling up on high water vehicles, boats and helicopters on duty. Harvey is expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and a 2-4 foot storm surge along the Louisiana-Texas border. “We are dealing with a state that has already had a lot of rain this summer, so we are very aware and conscious of the potential for flooding,” said Col. Ed Bush, a public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard. Southeastern Texas, including the saturated Houston area, is dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic storm that has already claimed 11 victims. Houston Police sergeant on his way to work and a Beaumont mother who was swept by water were confirmed dead on Tuesday. First responders are loading boat after boat with evacuees, looking for an undetermined number of people who are missing, including six family members whose vehicle was swept away in the floods, and getting ready to face what is hidden under water. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew until further notice. He tweeted the move is meant to prevent property crimes at evacuated homes. Five days have passed since Harvey made landfall in Texas and an uncounted number of people are still trapped waiting for aid. From her home in a northeast Houston suburb, Anike Allen has seen many of her neighbors being airlifted as she slowly runs out of food. While her home is not completely flooded, she’s not sure if there’s a way out of her neighborhood. “The water is receding here, but we are not sure if it’s going to come back,” Allen said. For the first time since Harvey rammed Houston over the weekend, authorities say the floodwaters that turned the city into rivers, are slowly receding in some areas. “We are starting to see a glimmer of hope in what has happened,” Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist Jeff Linder said in a news conference Tuesday evening. “Things are going to get better.” There’s hope, Linder said, but it will be days, even weeks before the massive volume of water — which is the most rain ever recorded in the contiguous United States from a tropical storm that made landfall — is completely gone. ‘We help each other out’ Volunteers have come the Houston region to lend a hand and their boats. Tom Dickers is just one of many people who came hauling their boats from Dallas and San Antonio to evacuate people ever since Harvey began pounding the city with rain. “This is what Texans would do. We help each other out,” Dickers said. At least 9,000 to 10,000 people have been rescued in the Houston region by first responders. Volunteers said they have helped as many as 400 in one day. Some would just “come crying, just wanting help,” said volunteer Bobba Bedri. “I just felt like I had to get more people out, keep going and keep going.” ||||| HOUSTON (AP) -- The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local): 4 a.m. The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north. The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph). Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, "it's the end of the beginning." Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding. Feltgen said there's still a lot of residents in multiple states "who are going to feel the impacts of the storm." Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. ------ 2 a.m. The National Weather Service has issued flash flood emergencies for parts of Southeast Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur. KFDM-TV reports the situation in Port Arthur is dire as homes were expected to fill with rising floodwaters and residents unsure of how to evacuate the city. Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens tells the station that county resources cannot get to Port Arthur because of the flooding and some residents have gone into survival mode. Mayor Derrick Freeman said on his Facebook page that the "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground, but avoid becoming trapped in attics. Deputy Marcus McLellan says city's 911 system has been inundated with calls, which are bouncing to other law enforcement agencies. McLellan says the sheriff's office is working to relay those calls to the proper authorities in Port Arthur. ------ 1:15 a.m. After five days of torrential rain, the latest weather forecast predicts less than an inch of rain and perhaps even sunshine for the Houston area. However, the dangers remain far from over. Authorities and family members have reported at least 18 deaths from Harvey, while law enforcement agencies say more than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and surrounding parts of Southeast Texas. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also implemented a curfew of midnight to 5 a.m. in an apparent response to scattered reports of looting. Police Chief Art Acevedo said violators would be searched and arrested. Two additional shelters -- the Toyota Center and NRG Park -- opened to house displaced residents. Louisiana's governor also offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, and televangelist Joel Osteen opened his Houston megachurch, a 16,000-seat former arena, after critics blasted him on social media for not acting to help families displaced by the storm. Harvey is expected to come inland Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border. AP-WF-08-30-17 0904GMT ||||| HOUSTON (AP) - The Latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local): The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The tropical storm is expected to weaken and continue to the north. The storm returned to land about 5 miles (8 kilometers) west of Cameron with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph). Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said Tuesday that when Harvey came back to shore, "it's the end of the beginning." Harvey is forecast to drop substantial amounts of rain on Louisiana before moving on to Arkansas, Tennessee and parts of Missouri, which could also see flooding. Feltgen said there's still a lot of residents in multiple states "who are going to feel the impacts of the storm." Harvey first made landfall Friday in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane. The National Weather Service has issued flash flood emergencies for parts of Southeast Texas, including Beaumont and Port Arthur. KFDM-TV reports the situation in Port Arthur is dire as homes were expected to fill with rising floodwaters and residents unsure of how to evacuate the city. Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens tells the station that county resources cannot get to Port Arthur because of the flooding and some residents have gone into survival mode. Mayor Derrick Freeman said on his Facebook page that the "city is underwater right now but we are coming!" He also urged residents to get to higher ground, but avoid becoming trapped in attics. Deputy Marcus McLellan says city's 911 system has been inundated with calls, which are bouncing to other law enforcement agencies. McLellan says the sheriff's office is working to relay those calls to the proper authorities in Port Arthur. After five days of torrential rain, the latest weather forecast predicts less than an inch of rain and perhaps even sunshine for the Houston area. However, the dangers remain far from over. Authorities and family members have reported at least 18 deaths from Harvey, while law enforcement agencies say more than 13,000 people have been rescued in the Houston area and surrounding parts of Southeast Texas. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also implemented a curfew of midnight to 5 a.m. in an apparent response to scattered reports of looting. Police Chief Art Acevedo said violators would be searched and arrested. Two additional shelters - the Toyota Center and NRG Park - opened to house displaced residents. Louisiana's governor also offered to take in Harvey victims from Texas, and televangelist Joel Osteen opened his Houston megachurch, a 16,000-seat former arena, after critics blasted him on social media for not acting to help families displaced by the storm. Harvey is expected to come inland Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| The storm — first spotted Aug. 17 as a "potential tropical cyclone" swirling in the Atlantic — exploded into a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall in Texas, gaining the title the "worst disaster Texas has ever seen," Long said. Harvey is the first major hurricane to inundate Texas since 2005, bringing historic flooding. Rivers are rising, forcing people to seek refuge in attics and rooftops while they wait for rescue boats in the flooded roadways. Houston officials Monday morning released more water from reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey in an attempt to protect the city from the devastating floods. The impacts of Harvey are still unfolding, and the death toll rising, as the torrential rains continue, totaling 15 to 25 inches through Friday, with up to 50 inches possible in some areas. So, what lead to all this destruction? Let's follow Harvey from the beginning. The National Hurricane Center first kept its eye on the storm as it traversed the Atlantic Ocean, tracking toward the Caribbean Sea. First, tropical storm warnings were issued for Martinique, Barbados, St. Vincent, the Grenadines and St. Lucia. The storm center pushed west, with maximum gusts reaching 46 mph, as the Hurricane Center expected the low-pressure area to strengthen to a tropical cyclone later in the evening. The NHC forecasted rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches across portions of the Windward Islands from Martinique southward to Grenada, causing life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft reports indicated "slow strengthening" possible during the next 2 days. Harvey continued to track west across the Caribbean Sea, threatening adjacent land areas of eastern Central America and northern South America. Later that evening, Harvey weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds reaching 35 mph, and was expected to turn west-northwestward over the next few hours. At this point, Harvey was predicted to slowly strengthen, but it was believed it would only reach, and maintain, its tropical storm status. Later that evening, Harvey degenerated further into remnants. Public advisories on the remnants of Harvey by the NHC ended as Harvey dissipated. But by Wednesday morning, the storm re-strengthened into a tropical depression, with hurricane and storm surge watches issued for portions of the Texas coast as Harvey neared. At this point, the Hurricane Center believed Harvey was heading for the coast by Friday, simultaneously as it grew into a hurricane. Forecasted rainfall was believed to reach 10 to 15 inches with isolated maximums of 20 inches over the middle and upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through Tuesday, with the heavy rainfall expected to begin Friday morning. The National Hurricane Center noted "rainfall from Harvey could cause life-threatening flooding." The storm surge, the deadliest effect of hurricanes, was forecasted to reach 4 to 6 feet across Port Mansfield to High Island "if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide." The NHC predicted the deepest water along the immediate coast and to the northeast of the landfall location, where the surge would be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Later that day, Harvey became nearly stationary for hours, dumping more rain than expected. Harvey took a northwestward turn as it strengthened slightly due to the warm Gulf waters, acting as fuel. The first hurricane warning for the United States was issued for Port Mansfield to Matagorda along the Texas coast, with a tropical storm warning for north of Matagorda to High Island. Rainfall forecasts continued to ramp up, with the NHC predicting amounts over 25 inches in isolated areas on the Texas coast through Wednesday. Later that day, the headlines started predicting disaster, as Harvey strengthened quickly and was now projected to make landfall as a major hurricane, inducing life-threatening storm surge and freshwater flooding. It didn't take long for rainfall predictions to rise again, jumping to over 30 inches forecasted for isolated regions in the middle and upper Texas coast through Wednesday. Storm surge estimates continued to rise as well, with up to 10 feet of surge expected in some areas. By the afternoon, Harvey reached hurricane status, as the NHC warned "preparations along the middle Texas coast should be rushed to completion." Life-threatening and devastating flooding was soon to come with Harvey's rainfall and storm surge. Overnight Thursday into Friday, Harvey strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane with winds topping 105 mph. At this point, the NHC was predicting Harvey to make landfall on the middle Texas coast that evening or early Saturday as a major hurricane, when the storm would likely meander near the middle Texas coast through the weekend. Rainfall estimates continued to grow as predictions more clearly showed Harvey's slow movement. Harvey's outer rain band was just beginning to swipe the lower and middle Texas coasts that morning. By the 3 p.m. hurricane update, Harvey reached Category 3 status with winds over 120 mph, and rainfall estimates escalated to 40 inches in isolated areas across the middle and upper Texas coast. Later that evening, Harvey intensified to a Category 4 hurricane and the eye approached the Texas coast between Port Arkansas and Port O'Connor. Harvey continued northwest, with an expected decrease in forward speed, conducive to further flooding. Winds now reached up to 130 mph, and storm surge estimates jumped to 9 to 13 feet from Port Arkansas and Port O'Connor, with lesser impacts in surrounding areas. By that evening, the Category 4 hurricane made landfall. As the rain continues another day, further impacts from Harvey begin to unfold. Over 20 inches is expected, with some localized amounts up to 50 inches possible. Long is asking citizens to volunteer with FEMA to help recover from Harvey. The flooding has been so historic, some are comparing the devastation to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Harvey and Katrina share incredibly close dates, which comes to no surprise as we're in the midst of the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1, peaks in September, ending Nov. 30. The devastating impacts of both storms go hand-in-hand. The National Hurricane Center says structural damage to sturdy buildings is possible from Harvey, some with "complete roof and wall failures." Mobile homes will be destroyed, with damage greatly accentuated by large, airborne projectiles. Some locations may be "uninhabitable for weeks or months." Numerous trees will be snapped and uprooted, along with fences and highway signs blown over. Roads will become impassable, along with bridges and highways. While the impacts are similar, landfall strengths were noticeably different. Harvey hit the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane, while Katrina first made landfall in Florida as a Category 1, traveled over the state and re-strengthened once over warmer waters into a Category 2 with a second landfall in Louisiana. While Harvey's winds were stronger at landfall than Katrina's, it's the slow speed that's unprecedented. "(This) is something I haven't seen in a long, long time," said Bill Read, former director of the National Hurricane Center, to CNN. "(Harvey may) stall and almost completely stop moving just after coming inland, and the incredible amount of rain we should get out of that is going to lead to record flooding." ||||| In Beaumont, emergency workers rescued a young girl who was floating in the floodwaters, suffering from hypothermia and clinging to her mother’s body. The mother died, but the girl was in stable condition, the police said. The mother, identified by the police as Colette Sulcer, 41, had been driving down a service road when she pulled into a parking lot and got stuck. Ms. Sulcer and her daughter left the car, but were swept away, floating about half a mile, the police said. A group of emergency officials found the pair just before they were swept under a trestle. Had they floated under it, the workers would not have been able to save the child, the police said. Local news reports from Port Arthur showed that shelters and homes were flooded, and residents and reporters said that there were not enough people answering emergency calls. Rain fell with astonishing intensity in the county, which is home to about 254,000 people. Between 2 p.m. Tuesday and 1 a.m. Wednesday local time, almost 19 inches of rain hit Jack Brooks Regional Airport, between Beaumont and Port Arthur. “Water’s still rising in most locations,” said Jonathan Brazzell, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service. “I don’t know what else to say, it’s just bad. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The rainfall total since the storm began reached more than 47 inches on Wednesday, and will climb. Rain was forecast to continue steadily through Wednesday and Thursday, before easing off on Friday. Austin and Dallas prepare to absorb thousands of schoolchildren. The cities of Austin and Dallas were expecting to absorb thousands of schoolchildren displaced by the storm, said Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, a coalition of 68 large urban school districts. In both cities, school officials were waiving certain paperwork requirements, including immunization records and birth certificates, in order to quickly enroll displaced children, he said. Robyn L. Harris, a spokeswoman for the Dallas Independent School District, said that the students would be classified as homeless and that the district was ready to provide psychological counseling and health services. The Houston Independent School District remained closed, but announced that when school resumes, all students would receive three meals a day, regardless of a family’s income, for the school year. Mr. Casserly has been working with urban districts in Texas over the last week and also assisted school officials after past disasters, including Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York. He said he expected Congress to pass special disaster relief legislation, but that after previous catastrophes, the federal funding provided for schools did not come close to covering the costs associated with getting classes back up and running. Houston’s mayor pushes for a return to normalcy. Mr. Turner, the Houston mayor, said Wednesday evening that a citywide curfew would take effect again from midnight until 5 a.m. He said heavy debris pick up began Wednesday and regular trash collection would resume on Thursday. “We’re going to do our very best to push the pace,” he said. Mr. Turner said he wanted the Astros baseball team to play a scheduled home game on Friday. But thousands of people remained in shelters, still seeking information about their families and friends, and about the state of their homes and their city. Officials also said that about 75,000 CenterPoint Energy customers remained without power as of late Wednesday — down from about 100,000. Though the inundation from days of record rainfall has begun to recede, swollen rivers still have not crested in some places. Art Acevedo, the police chief, said that 20 people who had been reported missing since the start of the storm remained unaccounted for. ||||| Harvey made a second landfall near the Louisiana–Texas border on Wednesday, drenching the region with rain that could lead to “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding.” The rainfall that caused a deluge in Texas has ended for the most part in Houston and is moving east, threatening to dump an additional 3-6 inches from southwestern Louisiana into western Kentucky, the National Hurricane Center said. Before Harvey made landfall around 5 a.m., two people were killed when a tree fell onto a truck in Jackson County, Texas, an area that was “particularly hard hit” by the storm, officials said. Louisiana has beefed up its emergency resources, doubling up on high water vehicles, boats and helicopters on duty. Harvey is expected to bring winds of 30-40 mph and a 2-4 foot storm surge along the Louisiana-Texas border. “We are dealing with a state that has already had a lot of rain this summer, so we are very aware and conscious of the potential for flooding,” said Col. Ed Bush, a public affairs officer for the Louisiana National Guard. Southeastern Texas, including the saturated Houston area, is dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic storm that has already claimed 11 victims. Houston Police sergeant on his way to work and a Beaumont mother who was swept by water were confirmed dead on Tuesday. First responders are loading boat after boat with evacuees, looking for an undetermined number of people who are missing, including six family members whose vehicle was swept away in the floods, and getting ready to face what is hidden under water. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued a midnight to 5 a.m. curfew until further notice. He tweeted the move is meant to prevent property crimes at evacuated homes. A glimmer of hope Five days have passed since Harvey made landfall in Texas and an uncounted number of people are still trapped waiting for aid. From her home in a northeast Houston suburb, Anike Allen has seen many of her neighbors being airlifted as she slowly runs out of food. While her home is not completely flooded, she’s not sure if there’s a way out of her neighborhood. “The water is receding here, but we are not sure if it’s going to come back,” Allen said. For the first time since Harvey rammed Houston over the weekend, authorities say the floodwaters that turned the city into rivers, are slowly receding in some areas. “We are starting to see a glimmer of hope in what has happened,” Harris County Flood Control Meteorologist Jeff Linder said in a news conference Tuesday evening. “Things are going to get better.” There’s hope, Linder said, but it will be days, even weeks before the massive volume of water — which is the most rain ever recorded in the contiguous United States from a tropical storm that made landfall — is completely gone. Stuck in the flood? Here’s what to do ‘We help each other out’ Volunteers have come the Houston region to lend a hand and their boats. Tom Dickers is just one of many people who came hauling their boats from Dallas and San Antonio to evacuate people ever since Harvey began pounding the city with rain. “This is what Texans would do. We help each other out,” Dickers said. At least 9,000 to 10,000 people have been rescued in the Houston region by first responders. Volunteers said they have helped as many as 400 in one day. Some would just “come crying, just wanting help,” said volunteer Bobba Bedri. “I just felt like I had to get more people out, keep going and keep going.” ||||| People walk down a flooded street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Joe Raedle/Getty As its murky waters continue to flood homes and overwhelm barriers, Tropical Storm Harvey has already set a major record: the most rainfall ever from a single storm in the continental United States. In less than a week, Harvey's rainfall total reached 49.32 inches in Friendsworth, Texas, southeast of Houston. That's about as much rain as the metropolitan region normally sees in a year. As of Tuesday evening, Cedar Bayou, Texas (east of Houston) recorded 51.88 inches, the Associated Press reported. The record rainfall has caused the Houston metro area's 2017 total to soar — likely above 80 inches, and climbing. Here's how that compares to past years: How the rains got so bad In the 56 hours before Harvey made landfall, it transitioned from a tropical depression to a major hurricane. Its move across a pocket of warm water in the Gulf launched it into a Category 4 storm. People are rescued from a flooded neighborhood after it was inundated with rain water, remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on August 28, 2017 in Houston, Texas. Scott Olson/Getty Images Between Saturday evening and Sunday morning, a string of storms east of the center of the hurricane remained over Houston, bringing repeated bursts of rain — up to six inches in some areas. Those storms continued to pour down precipitation through Tuesday evening. The city of Beaumont, for example, received just over an inch of rain in just 26 minutes early Tuesday morning, The Weather Channel reported. Unlike earlier tropical storms, which have generally dissipated or moved, Harvey has been wedged in place by two high-pressure areas which essentially act as buffers. "Even compared to other tropical cyclones, the rain from Harvey has been very hard, and gone for a very long time," Russ Schumacher, an associate professor of atmospheric science at Colorado State University, wrote in a post for The Conversation. Experts think the storm should head northeast later in the week, however, as one of those high pressure systems finally gives way. Still, it's not over yet. Meteorologists expect to see several more days of heavy rain, mostly in regions that are already inundated. ||||| Harvey Isn’t Done Yet: Your Texas Roundup Plus: Flooding in Port Arthur and Beaumont, Harvey makes a second landfall, and animal rescues. QUOTE OF THE DAY “Probably there has never been anything so expensive in our country’s history, we’ve never done anything so historic in terms of damage and in terms of ferocity as what we’ve witnessed with Harvey. It sounds like such an innocent name, Ben, right, but it’s not innocent.” —President Trump, remarking about the severity of Hurricane Harvey (and the name “Harvey”) to Ben Carson, secretary of housing and urban development. Trump came to Texas on Tuesday, meeting with state and federal officials in Corpus Christi and in Austin. During a news conference on Monday, the president pledged quick action and a multi-million dollar aid package to the victims of the hurricane. He plans to return to Texas this weekend. Harvey Rages On Since Friday night, Hurricane Harvey has unleashed flooding, 132-mph winds, and storm surges across Southeast Texas. But the storm isn’t done yet. Harvey made its second landfall early Wednesday morning in Cameron, Louisiana, near the Texas border. And in Texas, the storm itself was just the beginning: Flash floods have now delivered 30 inches of rainfall to Beaumont and Port Arthur, leaving residents trapped in their homes and evacuees once again scrambling to find safety from the rising waters. Texans Step Up In the wake of ongoing tragedy, the people of Texas continue to show bravery, care, and selflessness towards strangers in need. In Harris County, 30 percent of which is underwater—an area roughly the size of Austin—thousands of trapped residents have been rescued and transported to shelter: 3,500 people saved by the Houston Police Department, 2,200 by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and many more by citizens. After 911 lines were flooded with calls, hundreds of residents, trapped by rising flood levels across the region, have posted on social media for rescue. And their fellow Texans have shown up with boats and supplies and full hearts, providing shelters in local businesses, forming human chains to help those in need reach safety, and opening their homes to families displaced by the storm. Rising Death Toll As Houston and Southeast Texas continue to reach record levels of rainfall—in five days, 51.88 inches have fallen over Cedar Bayou, more than many U.S. cities receive in a year—the death toll continues to climb, as residents drown in flooded houses and cars. So far, there have been 31 confirmed and suspected deaths from flooding across Texas, including a Houston police officer who drowned on his way to work, and a family of six whose van was swept into Greens Bayou on Sunday. The Dogs and Cats of Texas For many evacuees awaiting rescue, their most prized possession is a Texan canine or feline. But some have no choice but to leave their beloved pets behind and hope for their survival. Rescuers have saved hundreds of animals so far, including Betty Walter, a Houstonian who rescued 21 dogs from her neighborhood, spending 14 hours with them in her attic before two men with a boat brought her and the dogs to safety. As flooding continues, more displaced animals are anticipated: shelters, like the Animal Care Services Department in San Antonio, are flying animals to New Jersey and Washington to make room for more canine and feline evacuees. Some links are paywalled or subscription-only. In response to Harvey, Houston ISD to provide 3 free meals per day for all students this school year Houston Chronicle How to Spot a Hurricane Harvey Hoax on Social Media New York Magazine’s Select All ‘He could hear the kids screaming’: Six family members swept away trying to flee Harvey The Washington Post Houston May Get 50 Inches of Rain. How Long Does It Take Your City to Get That Much? The New York Times Why Those Floating Fire Ant Colonies in Texas Are Such Bad News Wired ||||| Tropical Storm Harvey bore down on Louisiana on Wednesday, pouring down more water after setting rainfall records in Texas that caused catastrophic flooding and paralyzed the U.S. energy hub of Houston. The storm that first came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years has killed at least 17 people and forced tens of thousands to leave their deluged homes. Damage has been estimated at tens of billions of dollars, making it one of the costliest U.S. natural disasters. For subscribers: Why Harvey could spell the end of U.S.'s flood insurance program Opinion: Why the U.S. wasn't prepared for Hurricane Harvey There is some relief in sight for Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, with forecasters saying five days of torrential rain may come to an end as the storm picks up speed and leaves the Gulf of Mexico region later in the day. Harvey made landfall early Wednesday and was about 32 miles (52 km) south of Lake Charles, Louisiana. It was expected to bring an additional 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15.24 cms) of rain to an area about 80 miles east of Houston as well as southwestern Louisiana, where some areas have already seen more than 18 inches of rain. Several hundred people had already been rescued from their homes in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where floodwaters were knee-deep in places, Mayor Nic Hunter told CNN. "We are a very resilient people down here. We will survive. We will take care of each other down here in Texas and Louisiana," Hunter said. "But we do need some help from the federal government, these homeowners and these people who have been displaced. That's going to be our biggest need." Harvey is projected to weaken as it moves inland to the northeast, the National Hurricane Center said. "We aren't going to be dealing with it for too much longer. It's going to pick up the pace and get out of here," said Donald Jones, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lake Charles. But nearly a third of Harris County, home to Houston, was under water, an area 15 times the size of Manhattan, according to the Houston Chronicle newspaper. It may take days for all flood waters, which have spilled over dams and pushed levees to their limits, to recede, local officials said. City officials were preparing to temporarily house some 19,000 people, with thousands more expected to flee. As of Wednesday morning, state officials said close to 49,000 homes had suffered flood damage, with more than 1,000 destroyed. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner imposed a curfew from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating police officers. U.S. President Donald Trump visited Texas on Tuesday to survey damage from the first major natural disaster to test his crisis leadership. The president said he was pleased with the response, but too soon for a victory lap. "We won't say congratulations," he said. "We don't want to do that ... We'll congratulate each other when it's all finished." Moody's Analytics is estimating the economic cost from Harvey for southeast Texas at $51 billion to $75 billion. The storm has affected nearly one-fifth of U.S. refining capacity, sparking concerns about gasoline supply. The national average gasoline price rose to $2.404 a gallon, up six cents from a week ago, with higher spikes in Texas. The unprecedented flooding has left scores of neighborhoods in chest-deep water and badly strained the dams and drainage systems that protect the low-lying Houston metropolitan area whose economy is about as large as Argentina's. The National Weather Service has issued flood watches and warnings that stretch from the Houston area into Tennessee. Harvey has drawn comparisons with Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans 12 years ago, killing more than 1,800 people and causing an estimated $108 billion in damage. Among the confirmed fatalities was Houston Police Sergeant Steve Perez, a 34-year veteran of the force who drowned while attempting to drive to work on Sunday. In Beaumont, northeast of Houston, a woman clutching her baby daughter was swept away in raging flooding. The baby was saved but the mother died, Beaumont police said. Ruben Jordan, a retired high school football coach died when he was helping rescue people trapped in high water, the Clear Creek Independent School District said. In all, 17 people have perished, according to government officials and the Houston Chronicle. Four volunteer rescuers also went missing after their boat was swept in a fast-moving current, local media reported. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters and boats have rescued more than 4,000 people. Thousands of others have been taken to safety by police, rescue workers and citizen volunteers who brought their boats to help, local officials said. The National Hurricane Center on Tuesday afternoon said a record 51.88 inches (131.78 cm) of rain had fallen in Texas due to Harvey, a record for any storm in the continental United States. This breaks the previous record of 48 inches set during tropical storm Amelia in 1978 in Medina, Texas, the NHC said. Medina is west of San Antonio. The island of Kauai was hit with 52 inches of rain from tropical cyclone Hiki in 1950, before Hawaii became a U.S. state. ||||| AT&T said the company will not be charging data overages for certain counties affected by the hurricane. AT&T said the company will not be charging data overages for certain counties affected by the hurricane. A Houston police officer drowned in flood waters over the weekend, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle. A Houston police officer drowned in flood waters over the weekend, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle. Televangelist Joel Osteen says his Houston megachurch has "never" closed its doors to people seeking shelter as Harvey swamps the city. Televangelist Joel Osteen says his Houston megachurch has "never" closed its doors to people seeking shelter as Harvey swamps the city. A shelter in Port Arthur, Texas housing Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees was flooded early Wednesday morning. A video shared on Facebook shows the flooded shelter with evacuees still inside. Nateisha Johnson Copyright 2017 KPLC. All rights reserved. A shelter in Port Arthur, Texas housing Tropical Storm Harvey evacuees was flooded early Wednesday morning. A video shared on Facebook shows the flooded shelter with evacuees still inside. Nateisha Johnson Copyright 2017 KPLC. All rights reserved. A Pentagon official says the military's contribution to Harvey rescue and recovery efforts could soon increase by tenfold or more. A Pentagon official says the military's contribution to Harvey rescue and recovery efforts could soon increase by tenfold or more. Charities are stepping up their donation requests in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Charities are stepping up their donation requests in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Want to help? Here's how to give in Harvey's wake Want to help? Here's how to give in Harvey's wake Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, early Wednesday morning and is now moving over southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center reported. Tropical Storm Harvey made landfall just west of Cameron, Louisiana, early Wednesday morning and is now moving over southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center reported. Harvey has already dumped 15 trillion gallons of water on Texas and we may have to get used to such extreme downpours. Harvey has already dumped 15 trillion gallons of water on Texas and we may have to get used to such extreme downpours. The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. The National Hurricane Center says Harvey is back on land after coming ashore early Wednesday just west of Cameron, Louisiana. (AP Photo/Eric Gay). Shane Johnson removes items from a family home destroyed in the wake of Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero). Volunteers Brenda Tcoc, right, and Hugo Wilson help sort bags of donated clothes for victims of the flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey after a shelter opened at the Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero). ADDS NAME OF BOY - Malachia Medrano, 2, sleeps at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero). People rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (AP Photo/LM Otero). People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center that has been set up as a shelter for evacuees escaping the floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, Texas, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. HOUSTON (AP) - Harvey's floodwaters started dropping across much of the Houston area and the storm weakened slightly Wednesday but major dangers remained for the U.S. Gulf Coast area, including the threat of an explosion at a stricken Texas chemical plant and major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line. The scope of the devastation caused by the hurricane came into sharper focus, meanwhile, and the murky green floodwaters from the record-breaking, 4-foot deluge of rain began yielding up more bodies as predicted. The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 25, including six family members - four of them children - whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou. "Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized," Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water. As the water receded, Houston's fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure "no people were left behind." While conditions in the nation's fourth-largest city appeared to improve, another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. "The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature," said Janet Hill, spokeswoman for the French company. The last of the plant's employees evacuated on Tuesday and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to leave, Hill said. Another threat was east of Houston where conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line as Harvey again reached land. Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising floodwaters and worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph. Forecasters downgraded Harvey to a tropical depression late Wednesday from a tropical storm but it still has lots of rain and potential damage to spread, with 4 to 8 inches forecast from the Louisiana-Texas line into Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Some spots may get as much as a foot, raising the risk of more flooding. For much of the Houston area, forecasters said the rain is pretty much over. "We have good news," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. "The water levels are going down." Houston's two major airports were up and running again Wednesday. Officials said they were resuming limited bus and light rail service as well as trash pickup. At Hermann Park, south of downtown, children glided by in strollers and wagons, joggers took in midday runs and couples walked beside cascading fountains and beneath a sparkling sun. People pulled into drive-thru restaurants and emerged from a store with groceries. At the same time, many thousands of Houston-area homes are under water and could stay that way for days or weeks. And Lindner cautioned that homes near at least one swollen bayou could still get flooded. Officials said 911 centers in the Houston area are getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help. In Houston's flooded Meyerland neighborhood, hundreds of families emptied their homes of sodden possessions under a baking sun as the temperature climbed into the 90s. They piled up couches, soggy drywall and carpets ripped out of foul-smelling homes where the floodwaters had lingered for more than 24 hours. The curbs were lined with the pickup trucks of cleanup contractors and friends. For Harry Duffey, a 48-year-old computer security specialist, this was flood No. 3 in as many years. Just before the flood, he got a notice that his flood insurance premium had nearly doubled to $5,300 a year. "Everywhere we look this water has cost me money after money after money. It just does not end," he said. But he said he has no intention of moving: "This is in my blood. This is where I'm from." Altogether, more than 1,000 homes in Texas were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged, and over 32,000 people were in shelters across the state, emergency officials reported. About 10,000 more National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas, bringing the total to 24,000, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Confirmed deaths from the storm include a married couple who drowned after their pickup truck was swept away while they were on the phone with a 911 dispatcher asking for help, officials said. Others among the dead include a woman whose body was discovered floating in Beaumont, a man who tried to swim across a flooded road, and a woman who died after she and her young daughter were swept into a drainage canal in Beaumont. The child was rescued clinging to her dead mother, authorities said. When Harvey paid its return visit to land overnight, it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city. More than 500 people - along with dozens of dogs, cats, a lizard and a monkey - took shelter at the Max Bowl bowling alley in Port Arthur after firefighters popped the lock in the middle of the night, said the establishment's general manager, Jeff Tolliver. "The monkey was a little surprising, but we're trying to help," he said. In Orange, Texas, about 30 miles east of Beaumont, residents of a retirement home surrounded by thigh-deep water were rescued by National Guardsmen and wildlife officers, who carried them from the second floor and put them aboard an airboat. Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston. Harvey's five straight days of rain totaled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S. Associated Press writers Frank Bajak, Matt Sedensky and Michael Graczyk in Houston; Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas; and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to show that the six people in the submerged vehicle were already counted among the storm dead and the spelling of Abbott. Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb . Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | Tropical storm Harvey (hurricane earlier this month) makes its second landfall, this time in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The New York Times reports local officials say the death toll since last Friday is now 38. Moving northeast, Harvey is expected to gradually weaken to a tropical depression by tonight. |
HOUSTON — A series of explosions at a flood-damaged chemical plant outside Houston on Thursday drew sharp focus on hazards to public health and safety from the city’s vast petrochemical complex as the region begins a painstaking recovery from Hurricane Harvey. The blasts at the plant, owned by the French chemical company Arkema, came after its main electrical system and backups failed, cutting off refrigeration systems that kept volatile chemicals stable. While nearby residents had been evacuated, 15 public safety officers were treated at a hospital after inhaling smoke from chemical fires that followed the explosions. The Arkema plant has been identified as one of the most hazardous in the state. Its failure followed releases of contaminants from several other area petrochemical plants and systemic breakdowns of water and sewer systems in Houston and elsewhere in the storm-struck region. The explosions — more are expected, the company said — will bring fresh scrutiny on whether these plants are adequately regulated and monitored by state and federal safety officials. The chemical plant accident came as devastation from Harvey, now a tropical depression moving into the Mississippi Valley, continued to spread across the region. The known death toll from the storm and flooding remained at 39, the authorities said. Record-breaking floods swept through Beaumont, Tex., 100 miles east of Houston, damaging the water system and leaving the city’s 120,000 residents without clean water. Faced with that prospect, one hospital, Baptist Beaumont, began to transport most of its 193 patients to other hospitals outside the city. “We’re doing this before we’re in crisis mode,” a spokeswoman said. Beaumont city officials said they would not be able to assess the damage to the water system until floodwaters began to recede, and that efforts were being made to distribute bottled water. But Harvey dropped nearly four feet of rain in the area, and most roads into the city remained impassable. ||||| With drinking water cut off, its river still rising, and most routes in and out of the city flooded, Beaumont suffered the worst of Texas’ hardships on Thursday, and they showed no sign of abating. Flooding shut down the pumping plants that supply water to Beaumont in the morning, prompting a hospital to transport its patients out of the city, and trucks carrying bottled water struggled to reach the largely isolated city. The Neches River surged far beyond its banks, into streets, houses and businesses in the city of almost 120,000 people 70 miles east-northeast of Houston, reaching six feet above the previous record by afternoon, the National Weather Service reported. It was projected to rise another foot by Friday afternoon. The loss of water was just one of a host of new dangers emerging in the aftermath of Harvey, a storm system that pounded southeast Texas with record rainfall for several days before blowing across Louisiana and into Mississippi. Once a Category 4 hurricane, Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical depression. A series of small explosions shook a chemical plant about 25 miles northeast of downtown Houston on Thursday and more blasts were expected, after floodwaters shut down the cooling systems that kept the chemicals stable. Twenty-one emergency workers were treated for exposure to the resulting fumes and smoke, which were described as a lung and eye irritant. It appeared that the health and safety risk from the plant was limited. But in a region dotted with chemical factories, oil refineries and natural gas plants, the explosions at the Arkema plant near Crosby, Tex., underscore the worries that many people have about the lingering dangers that damage from the storm poses to the region’s infrastructure, economy and health. Houston officials ordered mandatory evacuation of areas around the Barker Reservoir, as flooding from that basin, and the nearby Addicks Reservoir, continued to pour into neighborhoods on the city’s western edge. In other parts of the city, floodwaters receded, exposing countless losses and new hazards, like ruined and abandoned vehicles blocking roads, damaged electrical systems, and mold. As residents of the region tried to assess the damage and some returned to their homes, weather forecasters had some bad news: More rain is expected early next week. ||||| Houston, August 31 – Two explosions have been reported at a Houston-area chemical plant that lost power amid flooding from Harvey. The Houston Chronicle says a statement from the company says the Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema Inc. plant early Thursday. In a tweet, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said a deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine other deputies drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution, the paper reported. A spokeswoman for the plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators amid Harvey flooding, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Watch: Aerials show the chemical plant fire A senior executive of the company which owns a flood-damaged chemical plant near the storm-hit US city of Houston says more fires and possibly explosions are expected at the site. Arkema's Richard Rennard said people should stay away from the area as more chemicals could degrade and combust. But he said no chemicals were released. The US environment agency said there was "no sign of dangerous toxicity". Smoke was seen coming from the plant after a fire in a chemical container. Earlier on Thursday Brock Long, head of the US emergency agency Fema, had described the smoke as "incredibly dangerous". But the Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement: "EPA has emergency response personnel on the scene and the agency is currently reviewing data received from an aircraft that surveyed the scene early this morning. "This information indicates that there are no concentrations of concern for toxic materials reported at this time." Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A team of volunteer rescuers set out to reach a man spotted clinging to a tree in Hardin County However, 15 police officers at the site who were exposed to fumes were admitted to hospital for checks. Residents living within a 1.5-mile (2.4km) radius of the plant were evacuated after the company warned there was a risk of explosions and fire. During heavy rainfall from Hurricane Harvey, the complex lost the ability to refrigerate chemical compounds that need to be kept cool. At least 33 people have been killed in eastern Texas in the aftermath of the storm, which the US National Weather Service has now downgraded to a tropical depression. Heavy rainfall is expected from Louisiana to Kentucky over the next three days, and flood warnings remain in effect for south-east Texas and parts of south-west Louisiana. US energy supplies have been hit, as oil companies shut down refineries and part of a major pipeline in the Houston area. Meanwhile US Vice-President Mike Pence and other cabinet members have arrived in Texas to meet residents affected by the floods. Mr Pence said President Donald Trump would make a second visit to the area on Saturday. What happened at the chemical plant? The Arkema chemical plant, 21 miles from Houston, shut down production on Friday before the storm made landfall. But 40in (102cm) of rainfall in the area flooded the site and cut off its power, the company said. Back-up generators were also flooded. Image copyright Google The facility manufactures organic peroxides, compounds used in everything from making pharmaceuticals to construction materials, which can become dangerous at higher temperatures. Harris County and company officials said there had been no massive explosions at the site, as originally reported, but a fire in part of a container. Pressure valves in the container had been released causing a popping sound, they said. The last remaining workers at the site were evacuated on Tuesday. The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a temporary ban on flights near the plant. What is expected to happen? Mr Rennard said substances in another eight containers were expected to decompose in the same way as the first. He did not rule out explosions during the decomposition. He would not say whether the smoke produced in the chemical reaction was toxic but said that it was "noxious" and anyone who inhaled it should seek medical advice. "It's not a chemical release that's happening. I want to be clear about that. What we have is a fire." Mr Rennard added that he did not know how long the product would take to degrade. "We don't want people returning back to homes thinking it's over," he said. "It's not over." How are flood rescue efforts progressing? Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What are the long-term health risks for Storm Harvey victims? Parts of Texas have been hit by more than 50in of rainfall since Hurricane Harvey landed on 25 August, setting new records before it was downgraded to a tropical storm and, late on Wednesday, to a tropical depression. Firefighters have begun a door-to-door search of badly flooded areas of Houston on Thursday, to rescue survivors who are still stranded and recover the bodies of those who have died. Interactive See how flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey have covered low-lying areas After Before The process is expected to take one to two weeks. Thousands of people have been rescued so far, and more than 32,000 people are being housed in emergency shelters. Large parts of Houston, the fourth most populous city in the US, remain under water. The city is also a key energy hub. The storm and subsequent flooding have knocked out about a quarter of the country's refining capacity, sending petrol prices to a two-year high. What happens next? An additional 10,000 members of the National Guard are on their way to Texas to join the rescue efforts, adding to the 14,000 already deployed. Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years when it first made landfall at Corpus Christi, 220 miles south-west of Houston. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The numbers behind Storm Harvey At a news conference on Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the state could need more than $125bn (£97bn) from the federal government to help it recover. Mr Abbott has accepted an offer of aid from the Mexican government, which has suggested it is willing to despatch troops with food, water and medicine - as it did in 2005 when New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Are you affected by Tropical Storm Harvey? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| DALLAS — A Houston-area chemical plant that lost power after Harvey engulfed the area in extensive floods was rocked by two explosions early Thursday, the plant’s operator said. Arkema Inc. said in a statement on its website that the Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported two explosions and black smoke coming from the plant at about 2 a.m. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet that a deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine other deputies drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution. The Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office said there had been “a series of chemical reactions” at the plant and advised people to stay away from the area. A spokeswoman for the plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators due to the flooding, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. The plant is about 25 miles (40 kilometres) northeast of Houston. “The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature,” spokeswoman Janet Smith told The Associated Press late Wednesday. There was “no way to prevent” the explosion, chief executive Rich Rowe said earlier Wednesday. Arkema manufactures organic peroxides, a family of compounds used for making a variety of products including pharmaceuticals and construction materials. “As the temperature rises, the natural state of these materials will decompose. A white smoke will result, and that will catch fire,” Smith said. “So the fire is imminent. The question is when.” Harvey struck Southeast Texas last week, slamming into the coast as a Category 4 hurricane, then weakening to a tropical storm that dumped record amounts of rain on the state, in particular the Houston area. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression late Wednesday. The company shut down the Crosby site before Harvey made landfall last week, but a crew of 11 had stayed behind. That group was removed and residents living within a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) radius were told to evacuate Tuesday after the plant lost power. The plant falls along a stretch near Houston that features one of the largest concentrations of refineries, pipelines and chemical plants in the country. ||||| HOUSTON (AP) — Major dangers for the U.S. Gulf Coast area loomed Wednesday with the threat of major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line and an explosion at a Texas chemical plant as Harvey’s floodwaters began receding in the Houston area after five days of torrential rain. Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising water as the area was pounded with what remained of the weakening storm, while Houston’s fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search Thursday of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure “no people were left behind.” The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31, including six family members – four of them children – whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou. “Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water. Another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. “The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature,” said Janet Smith, spokeswoman for the French company that owns the plant. The last of the plant’s employees evacuated on Tuesday and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to leave. Arkema submitted a plan to the federal government in 2014 outlining a worst-case scenario that said potentially 1.1 million residents could be affected by such an event over a distance of 23 miles, according to information compiled by a nonprofit group. But the company said Wednesday that a worst-case scenario was “very unlikely.” Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line. Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph. When Harvey paid its return visit to land, it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city. More than 500 people – along with dozens of dogs, cats, a lizard and a monkey – took shelter at the Max Bowl bowling alley in the city, said the establishment’s general manager, Jeff Tolliver. “The monkey was a little surprising, but we’re trying to help,” he said. Floodwaters also toppled two oil storage tanks in South Texas, spilling almost 30,000 gallons of crude. It was not immediately clear if any of the spilled oil was recovered. More damage to the oil industry infrastructure is expected to emerge as floodwaters recede. Forecasters downgraded Harvey to a tropical depression late Wednesday from a tropical storm but it still has lots of rain and potential damage to spread, with 4 to 8 inches forecast from the Louisiana-Texas line into Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Some spots may get as much as a foot, raising the risk of more flooding. For much of the Houston area, forecasters said the rain is pretty much over. “We have good news,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. “The water levels are going down.” Houston’s two major airports were up and running again Wednesday. Officials said they were resuming limited bus and light rail service as well as trash pickup. At Hermann Park, south of downtown, children glided by in strollers and wagons, joggers took in midday runs and couples walked beside cascading fountains and beneath a sparkling sun. People pulled into drive-thru restaurants and emerged from a store with groceries. At the same time, many thousands of Houston-area homes are under water and could stay that way for days or weeks. And Lindner cautioned that homes near at least one swollen bayou could still get flooded. Officials said 911 centers in the Houston area are getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help. In Houston’s flooded Meyerland neighborhood, hundreds of families emptied their homes of sodden possessions under a baking sun as the temperature climbed into the 90s. They piled up couches, soggy drywall and carpets ripped out of foul-smelling homes where the floodwaters had lingered for more than 24 hours. The curbs were lined with the pickup trucks of cleanup contractors and friends. Altogether, more than 1,000 homes in Texas were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged, and over 32,000 people were in shelters across the state, emergency officials reported. About 10,000 more National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas, bringing the total to 24,000, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Confirmed deaths from the storm include a married couple who drowned after their pickup truck was swept away while they were on the phone with a 911 dispatcher asking for help, officials said. In Orange, Texas, about 30 miles east of Beaumont, residents of a retirement home surrounded by thigh-deep water were rescued by National Guardsmen and wildlife officers, who carried them from the second floor and put them aboard an airboat. Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston. Harvey’s five straight days of rain totaled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S. Read more stories about Harvey here You can donate to the Red Cross by going to its website, calling 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or texting 90999 to donate $10. The money goes toward recovery efforts.
• Text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 now.
• Donate to the Red Cross online here ||||| Emergency vehicles wait at a roadblock after a chemical plant operated by the Arkema Group had an explosion during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 31, 2017 in Crosby, Texas. Brendan Smialowski / AFP - Getty Images ||||| HOUSTON (AP) — Major dangers for the U.S. Gulf Coast area loomed Wednesday with the threat of major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line and an explosion at a Texas chemical plant as Harvey’s floodwaters began receding in the Houston area after five days of torrential rain. Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising water as the area was pounded with what remained of the weakening storm, while Houston’s fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search Thursday of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure “no people were left behind.” The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31, including six family members — four of them children — whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou. “Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water. Another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. “The fire will happen. It will resemble a gasoline fire. It will be explosive and intense in nature,” said Janet Smith, spokeswoman for the French company that owns the plant. The last of the plant’s employees evacuated on Tuesday and residents within 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) were told to leave. Arkema submitted a plan to the federal government in 2014 outlining a worst-case scenario that said potentially 1.1 million residents could be affected by such an event over a distance of 23 miles, according to information compiled by a nonprofit group. But the company said Wednesday that a worst-case scenario was “very unlikely.” Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line. Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph. When Harvey paid its return visit to land, it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, about 45 miles from Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city. More than 500 people — along with dozens of dogs, cats, a lizard and a monkey — took shelter at the Max Bowl bowling alley in the city, said the establishment’s general manager, Jeff Tolliver. “The monkey was a little surprising, but we’re trying to help,” he said. Floodwaters also toppled two oil storage tanks in South Texas, spilling almost 30,000 gallons of crude. It was not immediately clear if any of the spilled oil was recovered. More damage to the oil industry infrastructure is expected to emerge as floodwaters recede. Forecasters downgraded Harvey to a tropical depression late Wednesday from a tropical storm but it still has lots of rain and potential damage to spread, with 4 to 8 inches forecast from the Louisiana-Texas line into Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Some spots may get as much as a foot, raising the risk of more flooding. For much of the Houston area, forecasters said the rain is pretty much over. “We have good news,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. “The water levels are going down.” Houston’s two major airports were up and running again Wednesday. Officials said they were resuming limited bus and light rail service as well as trash pickup. At Hermann Park, south of downtown, children glided by in strollers and wagons, joggers took in midday runs and couples walked beside cascading fountains and beneath a sparkling sun. People pulled into drive-thru restaurants and emerged from a store with groceries. At the same time, many thousands of Houston-area homes are under water and could stay that way for days or weeks. And Lindner cautioned that homes near at least one swollen bayou could still get flooded. Officials said 911 centers in the Houston area are getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help. In Houston’s flooded Meyerland neighborhood, hundreds of families emptied their homes of sodden possessions under a baking sun as the temperature climbed into the 90s. They piled up couches, soggy drywall and carpets ripped out of foul-smelling homes where the floodwaters had lingered for more than 24 hours. The curbs were lined with the pickup trucks of cleanup contractors and friends. Altogether, more than 1,000 homes in Texas were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged, and over 32,000 people were in shelters across the state, emergency officials reported. About 10,000 more National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas, bringing the total to 24,000, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Confirmed deaths from the storm include a married couple who drowned after their pickup truck was swept away while they were on the phone with a 911 dispatcher asking for help, officials said. In Orange, Texas, about 30 miles east of Beaumont, residents of a retirement home surrounded by thigh-deep water were rescued by National Guardsmen and wildlife officers, who carried them from the second floor and put them aboard an airboat. Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston. Harvey’s five straight days of rain totaled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S. Associated Press writers Frank Bajak, Matt Sedensky and Michael Graczyk in Houston; Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas; and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report. ||||| HOUSTON — Major dangers loomed over the U.S. Gulf Coast area Thursday with the continued threat of serious flooding near the Texas-Louisiana line and after a series of explosions at a flooded chemical plant, even as Harvey’s floodwaters receded in the Houston area after days of torrential rain. Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, struggled with rising water after being pounded with what remained of the weakening storm, while Houston’s fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search Thursday of thousands of flooded homes. Assistant Fire Chief Richard Mann said the searches were to ensure “no people were left behind.” The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31, including six family members — four of them children — whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou. “Unfortunately, it seems that our worst thoughts are being realized,” Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said after the van that disappeared over the weekend was found in 10 feet of muddy water. The Houston-area chemical plant that lost power after Harvey engulfed the area in extensive floods was rocked by two explosions early Thursday, the plant’s operator said. The Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby had been left without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said in a tweet that a deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine other deputies drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution. Authorities have not released information on how dangerous the explosions were or whether they sparked a fire at the Arkema plant in Crosby, Texas. An AP photographer at a roadblock about 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the scene could see no sign of a blaze in the direction of the chemical plant, as the sun rose Thursday morning. The company shut down the plant before Harvey made landfall last week, but a crew of 11 had stayed behind. That group was removed and residents living within a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) radius were told to evacuate Tuesday after the plant lost power. Another threat was emerging east of Houston where weather conditions deteriorated close to the Louisiana line. Beaumont and Port Arthur worked to evacuate residents after Harvey completed a U-turn in the Gulf of Mexico and rolled ashore early Wednesday for the second time in six days. It hit southwestern Louisiana as a tropical storm with heavy rain and winds of 45 mph (72kph). When Harvey paid its return visit to land, it hit near Cameron, Louisiana, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) from Port Arthur. Port Arthur found itself increasingly isolated as floodwaters swamped most major roads out of the city. More than 500 people — along with dozens of dogs, cats, a lizard and a monkey — took shelter at the Max Bowl bowling alley in the city, said the establishment’s general manager, Jeff Tolliver. “The monkey was a little surprising, but we’re trying to help,” he said. Floodwaters also toppled two oil storage tanks in South Texas, spilling almost 30,000 gallons (114,000 liters) of crude. It was not immediately clear if any of the spilled oil was recovered. More damage to the oil industry infrastructure is expected to emerge as floodwaters recede. Forecasters downgraded Harvey to a tropical depression late Wednesday from a tropical storm but it still has lots of rain and potential damage to spread, with 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20 centimeters) forecast from the Louisiana-Texas line into Tennessee and Kentucky through Friday. Some spots may get as much as a foot, raising the risk of more flooding. For much of the Houston area, forecasters said the rain is pretty much over. “We have good news,” said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District. “The water levels are going down.” Houston’s two major airports were up and running again Wednesday. Officials said they were resuming limited bus and light rail service as well as trash pickup. At Hermann Park, south of downtown, children glided by in strollers and wagons, joggers took in midday runs and couples walked beside cascading fountains and beneath a sparkling sun. People pulled into drive-thru restaurants and emerged from a store with groceries. At the same time, many thousands of Houston-area homes are under water and could stay that way for days or weeks. And Lindner cautioned that homes near at least one swollen bayou could still get flooded. Officials said 911 centers in the Houston area are getting more than 1,000 calls an hour from people seeking help. Altogether, more than 1,000 homes in Texas were destroyed and close to 50,000 damaged, and over 32,000 people were in shelters across the state, emergency officials reported. About 10,000 more National Guard troops are being deployed to Texas, bringing the total to 24,000, Gov. Greg Abbott said. In Orange, Texas, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) east of Beaumont, residents of a retirement home surrounded by thigh-deep water were rescued by National Guardsmen and wildlife officers, who carried them from the second floor and put them aboard an airboat. Harvey initially came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane in Texas on Friday, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days, inundating flood-prone Houston. Harvey’s five straight days of rain totaled close to 52 inches, the heaviest tropical downpour ever recorded in the continental U.S. Associated Press writers Frank Bajak, Matt Sedensky and Michael Graczyk in Houston; Diana Heidgerd and David Warren in Dallas; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas; and Tammy Webber in Chicago contributed to this report. ||||| (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP). Chris Gutierrez, second from right, helps his grandmother, Edelmira Gutierrez, down the stairs of their flooded house and into a waiting fire department truck in the Concord Bridge neighborhood as Addicks Rese... (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle via AP). People wade through chest deep water down Pine Cliff Drive as Addicks Reservoir nears capacity due to near constant rain from Tropical Storm Harvey, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017 in Houston. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP). Volunteer Elizabeth Hill, 8, plays with evacuee Skyler Smith, 7, at a shelter at St. Thomas Presbyterian Church in west Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to affect the area Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. (Godofredo A. Vasquez/Houston Chronicle via AP). The Arkema Inc. chemical plant is flooded from Tropical Storm Harvey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Crosby, Texas. The plant, about 25 miles (40.23 kilometers) northeast of Houston, lost power and its bac... (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle via AP). CORRECTS CREDIT - Danny Hannon carries his dry boots in his backpack as he goes to check his home in the aftermath of Harvey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017 in Houston. Harvey's floodwaters started dropping across ... HOUSTON (AP) - The Latest on Tropical Depression Harvey (all times local): A Houston mother is warning people in the area to stay out of Harvey's floodwaters after her son was electrocuted while wading through the water to check on his sister's home. Jodell Pasek says her 25-year-old son Andrew was unaware that a landscape light had electrified the water when he stepped into it Tuesday afternoon. She said he fell and grabbed a lamppost and told a friend who was with him to stay away because he was dying. She says she's speaking out despite her grief to ensure her son didn't lose his life in vain. Pasek lost her older son in a car accident in 1993. She tells KPRC-TV that she's pulling her strength from that experience. Two explosions have been reported at a Houston-area chemical plant that lost power amid flooding from Harvey. The Houston Chronicle says a statement from the company says the Harris County Emergency Operations Center reported two explosions and black smoke coming from the Arkema Inc. plant early Thursday. In a tweet, the Harris County Sheriff's Office said a deputy was taken to the hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine other deputies drove themselves to the hospital as a precaution, the paper reported. A spokeswoman for the plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators amid Harvey flooding, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. Beaumont, Texas, has lost its water supply because of Harvey. Officials there say the city has lost service from its main pump station due to rising waters of the Neches River caused by Harvey. The pump station is along the river and draws water from it as a main source for the city's water system. The officials added in their statement early Thursday that the city has also lost its secondary water source at the Loeb wells in Hardin County. They say there's no water supply for Beaumont's water system at this time. They say they must wait until the water levels from Harvey recede before determining the extent of damage. Major dangers for the U.S. Gulf Coast area loomed Wednesday with the threat of major flooding further east near the Texas-Louisiana line and an explosion at a Texas chemical plant as Harvey's floodwaters began receding in the Houston area after five days of torrential rain. As the water receded, Houston's fire department said it would begin a block-by-block search Thursday of thousands of flooded homes. The confirmed death toll climbed to at least 31 on Wednesday, including six family members - four of them children - whose bodies were pulled Wednesday from a van that had been swept off a Houston bridge into a bayou. Another crisis related to Harvey emerged at a chemical plant about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Houston. A spokeswoman for the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby, Texas, said late Wednesday that the flooded facility had lost power and backup generators, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises. Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | A series of small explosions occur at the Arkema chemical plant in Crosby, Texas, and according to the company more are expected, after floodwaters shut down the cooling systems that kept the chemicals stable. Houston Methodist San Jacinto Hospital in Baytown, Texas treated 21 first responders for chemical exposure. Residents living within a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) radius of the plant are evacuated. |
Former military dictator has property confiscated as anti-terror court jails two police officials in relation to 2007 assassination One of the most controversial trials in Pakistani history has ended with the former military dictator Pervez Musharraf declared a fugitive and his property ordered confiscated after he failed to show in court over the assassination 10 years ago of Benazir Bhutto. Two high-ranking police officials were sentenced on Thursday to 17 years in prison but the verdict, while bringing some closure to a process many had thought would never conclude, stops short of sentencing anyone for the murder. The police officials were found guilty only of negligence and mistreatment of evidence, and five accused militants were acquitted. By failing to bring its most prominent suspect, ex-president Musharraf, to justice, the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi set “a dangerous precedent,” said Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer and researcher with Human Rights Watch in Pakistan. “This is a farce. Musharraf is in plain sight. And he regularly appears on television.” Musharraf, who is accused of conspiring to murder the former prime minister, has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai since 2016, when he left the country after a period in house arrest, after the ministry of interior lifted his travel ban. “10 years later and we still await justice. Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mothers murder roam free,” one of Bhutto’s daughters, Aseefa, said on Twitter. The death of Benazir Bhutto Read more Bhutto’s son, Bilawal, called the result “disappointing and unacceptable”. In a move that surprised some observers, the court also acquitted five suspects linked to the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), who had been accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto. “The acquittal of al-Qaida/Taliban terrorists against whom evidence has been provided is most surprising and raises several questions. On its face it seems a triumph of al-Qaida militants,” Bhutto’s party, the PPP, said in a written statement. The PPP claims that Musharraf himself was behind Bhutto’s murder. He has denied the allegations. During her career, Bhutto, a two-term prime minister, was celebrated in the west as a beacon of democracy, and much feted for her glamorous reputation. People Magazine named her one of the world’s 50 most beautiful people. In the region, she was equally idolised by supporters as a champion for women’s rights, and attacked by opponents for corruption, incompetence and nepotism. Born into an aristocratic Karachi family, Bhutto studied at Cambridge, Harvard and Oxford. She took over the reigns of the Pakistan People’s party (PPP) in 1987, years after its founder, her father, was executed by the military dictator, Zia ul-Haq. In 1988, she became the first woman democratically elected to lead a Muslim-majority nation. After her last term, besieged by corruption allegations, she fled the country, only to return eight years later to public celebrations. It was during one of her public rallies, leading up to the 2008 elections, that Bhutto was first attacked by terrorists who had planted two bombs in the crowd. Bhutto survived that attack, which killed 149 people, but in another rally two months later, on 27 December in Rawalpindi, her car came under fire, before a suicide bomber detonated nearby. Bhutto died in her car under circumstances that were later disputed. An initial investigation claimed she died from fracturing her skull on the sunroof latch in the blast. However, her party denied those claims, insisting that she died from gunshot wounds. Prior to her death, Bhutto said a sinister cabal of intelligence officers and presidential aides were plotting to kill her, and that Musharraf should be blamed if anything were to happen to her. PPP has always maintained that line. The police officers are the only two people to have been convicted over Bhutto’s murder. Saud Aziz, then police chief of Rawalpindi, was found guilty of security negligence, and for damaging evidence by having the attack site hosed down soon after the attack. Khurram Shehzad, a former police superintendent, was also sentenced for mishandling the crime scene. By failing to take adequate security measures, Aziz abetted the crime, public prosecutor Azhar Chaudhry told the Guardian. Chaudhry also said there was “more than sufficient evidence” against two of the accused TTP-suspects – Rafaqat Hussain and Husnain Gul – and that he would appeal their acquittal. The decade-long legal process, spanning more than 300 hearings from 121 witnesses, was marred by irregularities and delay. In 2013, the chief prosecutor investigating Musharraf in the Bhutto murder case was shot dead in his car in Islamabad. Seven TTP militants who were under accusation in the case were killed in military operations since 2007, including its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a drone attack in 2009. Many thought his death was the end of the process. “That was in my view the Pakistani state washing its hands of this case,” said Ijaz. By blaming security forces for Bhutto’s murder, Thursday’s verdict gives some credence to Bhutto’s supporters, though to many of them, justice cannot be served until Musharraf is brought home to stand trial. “Two police officers have been convicted and sentenced. But the question as to who had ordered them to wash out the place of occurrence and destroy crucial evidence has not been addressed,” said the PPP. “The conviction of the police officers will remain weak unless those giving orders to them were also tried and convicted.” ||||| Pakistan’s former dictator Pervez Musharraf was Thursday declared a fugitive by an anti-terrorism court which ordered seizure of his property and sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail in the Benazir Bhutto murder case, nearly 10 years after her assassination. Bhutto, the Pakistan Peoples Party chief and a two-time prime minister, was killed along with more than 20 people in a gun and bomb attack in Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh during an election campaign rally on December 27, 2007. She was 54. The case was registered soon after her assassination and the trial went through many ups and down until it concluded yesterday in Rawalpindi. Judge Asghar Khan announced the verdict, declaring Musharraf a proclaimed offender and ordered seizure of his property. Musharraf, has been living in Dubai since last year when he was allowed to leave Pakistan on pretext of medical treatment. The judge sentenced former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town SP Khurram Shahzad — suspects out on bail — to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each. Both police officers – who were present in the court, have been arrested from Adiala Jail. Five Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspects have been acquitted over lack of evidence. The suspects – Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid – were arrested soon after the crime and have been in jail. They had denied the charges. All accused were present at the time of announcement of trial except Musharraf. The trial of five suspects started in January 2008, while Musharraf, Aziz and Shahezad were implicated in 2009 after fresh probe by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). “10 years later and we still await justice. Abettors punished but those truly guilty of my mothers murder roam free,” Bhutto’s daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari tweeted soon after the verdict was announced. “There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes,” she tweeted. Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sheila Raza also expressed dissatisfaction over the verdict. “We had reservations over the probe and the FIR lodged by the government,” she said. Eight different judges heard the case during this period who were changed due to different reasons. Initially TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud was blamed for murder and Musharraf government issued a taped conversation of Mehsud with a certain operator in which he was congratulating the operator for the murder. But FIA Chief Prosecutor Mohammad Azhar Chaudhry in his concluding arguments disowned the evidence of audio record and transcript of telephonic conversation. He termed it a cooked up story by Musharraf to mislead the investigators and to save himself. ||||| RAWALPINDI
• A Pakistan anti-terrorism court has declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, ordering his property confiscated, a court official said yesterday. Musharraf was charged with Ms Bhutto's 2007 assassination in 2013, but has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later. The official said he had "absconded". The court also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taleban militants involved in the conspiracy to murder Ms Bhutto, the Muslim world's first female prime minister, the official said. But it found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the official said, adding that they had each been sentenced to 17 years in prison and fined 500,000 rupees (S$6,600). The verdicts are the first to be issued in the case, and come nearly 10 years after Ms Bhutto was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack during an election rally in Rawalpindi. Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. In 2010, a UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Ms Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented. ||||| A special anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday declared former President Pervez Musharraf an absconder in the assassination case of ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, The Express Tribune reported. Five others were acquitted in the case, while two senior police officials were sentenced to 17 years in prison. The court also ordered a seizure of Musharraf’s property. On Wednesday, the Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court had reserved its verdict on the 10-year-old murder case. Judge Muhammad Asghar Ali Khan had said he needed time to examine and compile the evidence, the Dawn reported. Musharraf, who was declared “most wanted” in the case, could not be present during the hearing on Wednesday as police suspected that extremist group Al Qaeda planned on targeting him, Federal Investigation Agency prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar had said. Bhutto, Pakistan’s 11th Prime Minister was assassinated during an election campaign event on December 27, 2007 in Rawalpindi. Former military ruler Musharraf was the president at the time. ||||| The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi also ordered attachment of properties of Mr Musharraf, who was declared a proclaimed offender in August 2011. Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Thursday declared former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in the 2007 Benazir Bhutto murder case and sentenced two police officers to 17 years in prison. The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi also ordered attachment of properties of Mr Musharraf, who was declared a proclaimed offender in August 2011. The court had indicted Mr Musharraf in the case in February 2011. The court on Thursday sentenced former Rawalpindi city police officer Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town superintendent of police Khurram Shahzad to 17 years in prison, and imposed a fine of 5 lakh Pakistani rupees each. Bhutto, a two-time PM, was killed in a gun-and-bomb attack after a rally outside Rawalpindi’s Liaquat Bagh on December 27, 2007 while Mr Musharraf was the President. ||||| In its verdict on the Benazir Bhutto assassination case, Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court on Thursday sentenced two senior police officers to 17 years in jail and declared former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf an absconder, reported by Pakistani media. The court also ordered the seizure of Musharraf’s property. Five other were acquitted in the case. Former two-time prime minister of Pakistan, Bhutto, 54, was killed in a gun and bombing attack in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007 when she came out of a park after addressing an election rally. Judge Asghar Khan announced the verdict in court, where former Rawalpindi CPO Saud Aziz and former Rawal Town SPKhurram Shahzad — suspects out on bail — were also present. Aziz and Shahzad were sentenced to 17 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of Rs 5 lakh each. The case was registered soon after the assassination and the trial went through many ups and down until concluded on Wednesday in Rawalpindi. The anti-terrorism court gave its judgment on five militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terror group and two senior police officers. The five suspects Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul, Sher Zaman, Aitzaz Shah and Abdul Rashid were arrested soon after the assassination and have been in jail. Then Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz and SSP Kurrum Shehzad are also among the accused. Both were arrested initially but released on bail in 2011. For all the latest Pakistan News, download Indian Express App ||||| A Pakistani court Thursday branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, but acquitted five men accused of being involved in the 2007 assassination. The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil. Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation. He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution. But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later. The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi ruled he had "absconded", a court official told reporters outside, saying it had also ordered the confiscation of his property. "There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!" Bhutto's daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted moments after the statement. The court also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taliban militants involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto on December 27, 2007. They were set to walk free nearly 10 years after they were first arrested, though a defence lawyer said it was not yet clear when they would be released. However the judges found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the court official said. The police officers -- Saud Aziz, who was chief of Rawalpindi police at the time, and senior officer Khurram Shahzad -- are now the only two people to have been convicted over Bhutto's assassination. Shahzad was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing -- an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice". Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead. They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, with the sentences to run concurrently, and fined 500,000 rupees ($4,700), according to a court order. Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented. The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories. Rashid A. Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was". The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her". "Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved". Musharraf is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and Pakistani courts have ordered his property confiscated on previous occasions. He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of a Baloch militant leader, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Bhutto's killing. ||||| A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Thursday declared ex-military leader Pervez Musharraf an "absconder" in the murder case of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and acquitted five people of the killing. As an absconder, Musharraf legally must be arrested and brought to trial if he returns to Pakistan after being allowed to leave the country in 2016. The court also ordered Musharraf's property in Pakistan seized. Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide and gun attack in Rawalpindi in 2007, weeks after she returned from exile to campaign in elections to bring back civilian rule. Five accused members of the Pakistani Taliban were found not guilty for lack of evidence by the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad,. Musharraf was charged in 2013 of being culpable in Bhutto's murder. He seized power in a 1999 coup but stepped down nine years later after allowing new elections. He is now in self-imposed exile, having been allowed to leave the country in March 2016 for health reasons while awaiting trial on that and other charges. The court also found two police officials guilty in the case, one of mishandling security at the Bhutto rally and the other of mishandling the crime scene. Each was jailed for 17 years. ||||| The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago. RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: A Pakistani court on Thursday (Aug 31) branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial, but acquitted five men accused of involvement in the 2007 assassination. The verdicts are the first to be issued since Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack nearly a decade ago, sparking street violence and plunging Pakistan into months of political turmoil. The judge also found two police officers guilty of "mishandling the crime scene", the court official said, making them the only people to have been convicted over the assassination. Former president and military ruler Musharraf is alleged to have been part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He has denied the allegation. He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution. But he has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later. The anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi ruled he had "absconded", a court official told reporters outside, saying it had also ordered the confiscation of his property. The judge also acquitted five men who had been accused of being Taliban militants involved in the conspiracy to kill Bhutto on Dec 27, 2007. They were set to walk free nearly 10 years after they were first arrested, though a defence lawyer said it was not yet clear when they would be released. "My clients were held for nine years and eight months for nothing," Malik Jawad Khalid, the lawyer for three of the men - Rafaqat Hussain, Husnain Gul and Sher Zaman - told AFP. "This time in their lives cannot be brought back, but we thank Allah that they have been declared innocent." If the acquittals are challenged, he vowed, "my clients will again prove themselves innocent in the higher courts". Bhutto's son Bilawal, who now heads her Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), tweeted that the decision was "disappointing & unacceptable", and the release of "terrorists" was "not only unjust but dangerous". He vowed the party would explore legal options. "There will be no justice till Pervez Musharraf answers for his crimes!" Bhutto's daughter Aseefa Zardari tweeted moments after the court's announcement. Senior police officer Khurram Shahzad was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing - an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice". Then-Rawalpindi police chief Saud Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead. They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, with the sentences to run concurrently, and fined 500,000 rupees (US$4,700), according to a court order. Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009. In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented. The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories. Rashid A. Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was". The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari told AFP, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her". "Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved". Musharraf is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and Pakistani courts have ordered his property confiscated on previous occasions. He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of a Baloch militant leader, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Bhutto's killing. ||||| RAWALPINDI - An anti-terrorism court Thursday branded former military ruler Pervez Musharraf a fugitive in ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto's murder trial and sentenced two police officers to 17 years imprisonment each for ‘mishandling the crime scene’. In the decade old high-profile case, the prosecution failed to establish the identity of the real killers, and the court acquitted five men accused of involvement in the assassination for lack of substantial evidence and faulty investigation. The decision announced by Rawalpindi ATC special judge Muhammad Asghar Khan at the heavily guarded Adiyala Jail brought disappointment to the family of the late Pakistan Peoples Party leader. Federal Investigation Agency has however vowed to challenge the acquittal of Aitzaz Shah, Muhammad Rafqat, Husnain Gull, Sher Zaman and Abdul Rahid Turabi – who all had alleged links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The verdict is the first to be issued since Benazir Bhutto, the first female prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed in a gun and suicide bomb attack on December 27, 2007, sparking street violence and plunging the country into months of political turmoil. Apart from Musharraf, five other men — Baitullah Mehsud, Ahmad Gul, Iqramullah, Abdullah, and Faizullah — have been declared absconders. But the judgement failed to identify the real killers of Benazir. Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on TTP chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was later killed in a US drone attack in 2009. US lobbyist and author Mark Seigal’s statement also became part of the case. Seigal in his statement had said that Benazir sent him an email sharing that Musharraf wanted to kill her and if something happened to her he should be held responsible. In 2010, the UN report accused Musharraf's government of failing to give Bhutto adequate protection and said her death could have been prevented. But the former president and military ruler had denied the allegation of being part of a broad conspiracy to have his political rival killed before elections. He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder, and facilitation for murder in 2013, in an unprecedented move against an ex-army chief, challenging beliefs the military is immune from prosecution. The court ruled on Thursday that Musharraf, who has been in self-imposed exile in Dubai ever since a travel ban was lifted three years later, had "absconded" and ordered the confiscation of his moveable and immovable property. The former strongman is facing a string of cases connected to his 1999-2008 rule, and country’s courts have ordered confiscation of his property on previous occasions too. He was acquitted last year in the 2006 killing of Baloch leader Akbar Bhugti, but four cases remain against him: one accusing him of treason for imposing emergency rule, one alleging the unlawful dismissal of judges, one over a deadly raid on the Red Mosque in Islamabad in 2007, and Benazir Bhutto's killing. Former Rawal Division SP Khurram Shahzad Haider (currently posted as SSP Special Branch of Rawalpindi) was accused of hosing down the crime scene less than two hours after the killing – an act the United Nations described in a report as "fundamentally inconsistent with Pakistani police practice". Then-Rawalpindi police chief (CCPO) Syed Saud Aziz was accused of both giving Shahzad permission to hose down the scene, and of refusing multiple times to allow an autopsy of Bhutto's body to go ahead. They were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on one count and seven on another, and fined 500,000 rupees. Since both the jail terms are to run concurrently, the two officers will actually serve around 10 years in prison. Saud and Khurram were awarded 10 years imprisonment each under Section 119 of Pakistan Penal Court (Public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his/her duty to prevent/negligence during duty). Both the police officers were sentenced 7 years jail under Section 201 of PPC (Causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender/washing down crime scene) along with fine of Rs 0.5 million each. In case of non-payment of fine, they will serve an extra 6 month term in jail. Both the police officers were arrested from courtroom soon after the announcement of the verdict. The court ruled that the prosecution remained totally unable to establish the case against the accused. It also observed that there were glaring contradictions in the documentary evidence as well as in the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses. The court also ruled that police and other agencies have conducted faulty investigation in the case. Earlier, when the judge left ATC No 1 for Adiala Jail amid tight security, some four to five junior lawyers belonging to the PPP were seen standing outside the ATC. No prominent leader or lawyer of the party was present either outside the ATC or at Adiala Jail. Political commentators declared the verdict of high profile BB murder case as unexpected and unbelievable. The unanswered questions surrounding the case prompted a swirl of conspiracy theories. Rashid A Rizvi, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, alluded to them Thursday when he noted that the acquittals were "as much a conspiracy as her murder was". The judgement, political analyst Hasan Askari said, was unlikely to offer any clarity as it "has failed to answer the question of who actually murdered her". "Were they Taliban or Musharraf," he said, adding the prosecution "could not provide any evidence ... So the mystery remains unsolved". However, the defence lawyers termed the verdict of ATC as historic and based on merit. "My clients were held for nine years and eight months for nothing," Malik Jawad Khalid, said the lawyer for three of the men – Rafaqat, Husnain and Sher. "This time in their lives cannot be brought back, but we thank Allah that they have been declared innocent." He however said it was not yet clear when they would be released. If the acquittals are challenged, he vowed, "my clients will again prove themselves innocent in the higher courts". “This decision has proved that the judiciary of Pakistan is free and fair,” he commented. Naseer Tanoli advocate, counsel for Aitzaz Shah, said the prosecution failed in producing substantial evidence against his client or others. “The ATC judge did a bravo by lying down such a decision,” he said. FIA Special Public Prosecutor Chaudhry Imtiaz, while talking to the media outside ATC, hailed the decision of convicting the two police officers. But he said he would consult the acquittal of the five accused with FIA high ups and file a petition with Lahore High Court against their release. | Two police officials found guilty of negligence and mistreatment of evidence are sentenced to 17 years in prison. Five accused TTP militants are acquitted. The main suspect, former president Pervez Musharraf, who now resides in Dubai, is declared a fugitive for having failed to show up in court and has his property confiscated. |
||||| CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner, whose acerbic wit and legal opinions made him a legend in legal circles, has announced his retirement. Posner is stepping down after more than three decades on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. The 78-year-old Posner, who was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, will leave the bench Saturday. Posner said in a statement Friday that he has written more than 3,300 opinions during his career and is “proud to have promoted a pragmatic approach to judging.” Posner has been an outspoken critic of the current state of the U.S. Supreme Court, calling it “highly politicized.” Posner is also on the faculty of University of Chicago Law School. He said he looks forward to continuing to teach and publish. ||||| CHICAGO (AP) - U.S. Appeals Court Judge Richard Posner, whose acerbic wit and legal opinions made him a legend in legal circles, announced Friday that he is retiring. Posner, 78, is stepping down after more than three decades on the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Posner was appointed to the court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, and will leave the bench Saturday. He said in a statement that he has written more than 3,300 opinions during his career and is "proud to have promoted a pragmatic approach to judging." He added that "judicial opinions should be easy to understand and that judges should focus on the right and wrong in every case." Born in New York, Posner earned a bachelor's degree in English from Yale University in 1959. He graduated from Harvard Law School in 1962. Posner clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan Jr. and was an assistant to U.S. Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall before Marshall became a Supreme Court justice. Posner has been an outspoken critic of the current state of the nation's high court, calling it "highly politicized." "I think it's reached a real nadir," Posner said in a talk at a Chicago book store last year. "Probably only a couple of the justices, (Stephen) Breyer and (Ruth Bader) Ginsburg, are qualified. They're OK, they're not great." He was equally free with his opinions issued from the bench. In one, annoyed with a lawyer who'd ducked one of his questions, Posner included a picture of a man with his head buried in the ground. Seventh Circuit Chief Judge Diane Wood said in a statement Friday that Posner is one of the world's leading public intellectuals. "His opinions have had an impact around the world," Wood said. "He has produced an unparalleled body of scholarship - books, articles and public commentary - covering virtually every legal topic that can be imagined." Posner is also on the faculty of the University of Chicago Law School. He said he looks forward to continuing to teach and publish. ||||| One of the nation's most influential judges and legal writers, Richard Posner, is retiring as of Saturday from the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago. Posner has written more than 3,300 opinions in nearly 36 years on the bench, along with scores of books. He is known for a sharp wit, clear writing and opinions that could be equally biting and humorous, with occasional references to his cats. Posner said in a statement he is "proud to have promoted a pragmatic approach to judging... and to apply my view that judicial opinions should be easy to understand and that judges should focus on the right and wrong in every case." The 7th Circuit's Chief Judge, Dianne Wood, calls Posner "one of the most distinguished people to ever sit on the federal bench," adding "His opinions have had an impact around the world." Posner was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and was known as a conservative, although in recent years he became less so. He told NPR's Nina Totenberg, "I've become less conservative since the Republican Party started becoming goofy." Posner is an outspoken critic of the U.S. Supreme Court and some of it's justices, once saying in an interview, "It's not a real court, it's a political court." The 78-year old says in his statement that he plans to continuing teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, as he has since 1969, and writing "with a particular focus on social justice reform." ||||| Judge Posner Stepping Down After 36 Years At 7th Circ. Law360, New York (September 1, 2017, 5:02 PM EDT) -- U.S. Circuit Judge Richard A. Posner, one of the most prolific and influential legal thinkers of the past half-century, is retiring from the Seventh Circuit over the weekend, the court announced Friday. Judge Richard Posner, who has served on the bench for more than three decades, will retire from the Seventh Circuit on Saturday. Posner, 78, has served on the bench for three and a half decades, and said in a press release issued by Seventh Circuit that he will step down officially on Saturday. He... To view the full article, register now. ||||| Richard Posner, a judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals based in Chicago, who was a prolific writer of court opinions and books, is set to retire, according to a published report. Posner, 78, told the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin in a statement that he would retire on Saturday: “I look forward to continuing to teach and publish, with a particular focus on social justice reform.” Posner is a legal giant, who had a huge impact on the American judicial system, and recently wrote in an article that there should be mandatory retirement for federal judges, at “probably 80.” More details to come. ||||| Program note: For more on the Ronald Reagan presidency and how it changed the game for the leaders who followed, watch For more on the Ronald Reagan presidency and how it changed the game for the leaders who followed, watch CNN Films' "The Reagan Show" on Monday, September 4, at 8 p.m. ET. This story was first published in 2016. If you've ever wondered why there are so many landmarks named after Ronald Reagan, look no further than a bearded, bespectacled man from Washington known for hating tax increases and taking an annual pilgrimage to Burning Man. Less than a decade after his presidency ended, Reagan aides made a concerted effort to convince local governments and private associations to name places after their boss across the nation. Led by lobbyist and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, the Reagan Legacy Project was founded in the 1997 with the goal of naming something substantial after the nation's fortieth president in every state and, eventually, make the Gipper's mark in each of the nation's 3,144 counties. "The big goal is to generate 100,000 conversations where parents talk to their kids, neighbors talk to each other as they fly into Reagan airport, and the kid says, "Who is Reagan?" Norquist, who has become famous in recent years for the anti-tax hike pledge he encourages Republicans to sign, told CNN in an interview. "You do need to remind people. Americans, understandably, spend very little time looking backwards." Norquist's first major coup was to convince Congress to change the name of Washington's National Airport to "Reagan National Airport," a victory that riled Democrats. Since then, he has worked to convince state legislatures to recognize Reagan's February birthday, and he encourages them to name parks, post offices, roads and other places after his old boss. From something as small as a terrace at the Los Angeles Country Club, to a New Hampshire mountain, nothing is too small or large for Norquist to make a push. Why stop there? Would Reagan's face fit on Mt. Rushmore? Norquist said he's already looked into it. "I'm told that it would," Norquist said. "My preference is to replace Teddy Roosevelt because he was a statist and a progressive Republican as opposed to a Reagan Republican. Does he deserve the kind of status that a Jefferson and a Washington have? The answer is yes, he does." ||||| Countdown to the Illinois Bicentennial Video #94: Something to Learn About Illinois History – Chicago – by Vibyana Sacluti ||||| Portraying the man who was the most powerful union buster in the world as a friend of the working class is dangerous and a likely indicator of Trump's future policies. This post originally appeared at In These Times. On Thursday, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced that former President Ronald Reagan will be entering the Labor Department’s Hall of Honor, joining the ranks of luminaries ranging from Mother Jones to Eugene Debs. In his announcement, Acosta cited Reagan’s tenure as the president of the Screen Actors Guild, along with a series of personal anecdotes, to explain that the Gipper was a friend of the working class. However, one does not have to be a history scholar to understand that Reagan was in fact an enemy of organized labor throughout his presidency. During the course of his presidency, Ronald Reagan became the most powerful union buster in the world. He stacked the National Labor Relations Board with officials who vehemently opposed unions, causing long-term damage to collective bargaining and workers’ rights in the United States. To start, we can look to his firing of over 11,000 air traffic controllers in 1981. “More than any other labor dispute of the past three decades, Reagan’s confrontation with the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization, or PATCO, undermined the bargaining power of American workers and their labor unions,” Joseph A. McCartin, a professor of history at Georgetown University, wrote for The New York Times in 2011. Reagan was enraged after thousands of air traffic controllers walked off the job — the result of the Federal Aviation Administration refusing to meet the bargaining demands of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization. The union wanted a wage increase for controllers and a slightly shorter workweek. Reagan responded by firing the controllers when they refused to return to work. Richard Wolff, a professor of economics emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, claims that unions never really recovered from the blow Reagan delivered in 1981. “The labor movement until that time had come to believe that it was strong enough that, even if it had a rough battle, it could work a compromise and salvage certain basic safeties, such as not replacing people during the strike,” Wolff tells In These Times. “All of these conventions and assumptions were smashed.” That was just the beginning. During the course of his presidency, Ronald Reagan became the most powerful union buster in the world. He stacked the National Labor Relations Board with officials who vehemently opposed unions, causing long-term damage to collective bargaining and workers’ rights in the United States. After the air traffic controller debacle, corporations became emboldened and targeted unions with a new zeal, illegally firing workers for organizing with the knowledge that they could largely evade punishment under Reagan’s labor board. Since the middle of the 1970s, union membership has dropped from 26.7 percent of the workforce to just 13.1 percent, and Reagan played a significant role in that decline. Reagan’s attacks on unions, along with his pro-corporate economic policies, also had a major impact on the income of working-class Americans. Wages for the bottom 70 percent of American wage earners have been stagnant since around the time Reagan took office, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Among other factors, this lack of growth can be attributed to the steady reduction in union membership, as well as anti-worker trade policies implemented under Reagan and successive administrations. Reagan’s economic agenda was focused on pursuing policies that increased the wealth of the rich, including reducing the top income tax rate from 70 percent to 28 percent, while increasing the tax burden on the working and middle classes. “By weakening the labor movement, Reagan certainly contributed to its inability to do better than keep stagnant wages,” Wolff says. “Whereas before Reagan, real wages had risen steadily across a 30-year period.” To portray Ronald Reagan as a friend of the working class is not only fallacious — it is dangerous. If the Trump administration does indeed see the Reagan years as a model for its own policies, as seems to be the case, it’s likely that income inequality will continue to rise while US workers continue to struggle for a decent standard of living and dignity on the job. ||||| The mounting intensity of Donald Trump’s war on the press confounds news veterans like me who remember Trump’s history as a media whore. During my 20 years as editor-in-chief of Variety, I knew Trump as an avid self-publicist who frantically sought loftier standing on Hollywood’s power pyramid. But here’s the rub: My perspective on Trump is shaped by my earlier relationship with another icon who also yearned to leverage showbiz fame into political power. Assigned to cover Ronald Reagan’s first gubernatorial campaign for The New York Times, I had an inside seat to observe how a vastly different style of showbiz-politician dealt with the media. On one level the similarities are striking: Both were once Democrats whose ideologies remained ambiguous. Both were drawn to “branding” rather than to conventional business – Trump with clubs and hotels, Reagan as the symbol of General Electric. Both were committed to media manipulation: Trump let Marla Maples know when he was divorcing her by leaking it to the New York Post. Reagan let reporters know loud and clear that his soon-to-be ex-wife, Jane Wyman, was dumping him mainly because he was a liberal and she was staunchly on the right (Reagan formally shed his liberal leanings in 1962). But here’s where the similarities end: While Trump instinctively responds to attack with narcissistic rage, Reagan normally took refuge in his “good guy” persona. Thus, in his latest tirades, Trump seems to be encouraging his “base” to inflict physical harm on reporters, if given the opening. But the Reagan I covered liked schmoozing with the press and, in his early political days, was not above admitting to total confusion on certain issues. As president of the Screen Actors Guild, he was puzzled and appalled by the ubiquity of the blacklist. He knew he had to recite his obligatory “I-hate-all-Communists” lines for the public record and even gave up some names of supposed Communist sympathizers to a Congressional committee, but complained to me, “Do these politicians really expect me to create a little FBI to tell them who’s a Commie and who isn’t?” I do not intend here to paint over Reagan’s frailties. He once observed, “Politics is like show business in that you need a helluva opening and you can never get away with coasting.” I understood Reagan took a liking to me because I was with the Times and he wanted good press. He had also learned I had voted for Barry Goldwater, as had he, and hence had passed the “trustworthy test” (like Trump, Reagan believed all reporters had to be liberals to get a job). But when I wrote some snarky pieces about his strategic dependence on Stuart Spencer, his political gun for hire, he reacted with a good-natured wince. Spencer formulated his key positions because he understood the political rules and Reagan early on sensed he was tactically clueless. It was Spencer who told him he had to say things like “let’s send the welfare bums back to work,” and Reagan complied. In discussing his shifting ideology, Reagan liked to say, “I didn’t leave the Democratic party, it left me.” In reality, as Reagan’s acting career faded and General Electric put him under contract as its spokesman, Reagan realized that GE’s conservative lexicon could be his meal ticket. The man who had once supported liberal candidates and fought anti-Communist zealots like Richard Nixon was suddenly America’s champion of the free market economy. Reagan’s record as governor was a mixed bag. He violated right-wing dicta by raising taxes and signing a lenient abortion bill. But he panicked when agitators took over Berkeley, calling out the National Guard and creating a firestorm of controversy. Reagan was never a great actor, but he projected his smiling “good guy” image with superb consistency. Even when he made the most egregious mistakes, we all had a tendency to forgive him and to assume his good intentions. That’s not the case with Trump. During his fifth season of The Apprentice, Trump acknowledged: “Nobody takes things more personally than me. When somebody says something personal about me I hate them for the rest of my life.” Under no conditions would Reagan have engaged in the sort of cultural warfare that has consumed Trump America. If he were around today, Reagan would feel that Trump is practicing bad politics. Even worse, it is lousy showbiz. | United States federal judge Richard Posner has announced his retirement after three decades of service on the bench of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Justice Posner has written more than 3,300 opinions from the bench. |
While Texas is still reeling from the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, yet another storm is threatening the southern coast. While Hurricane Irma has yet to make landfall, Puerto Rico is bracing for impact. As of Monday evening, the storm elevated to a Category 3 headed through the Caribbean, with the governors of Puerto Rico and Florida declaring a state of emergency. According to Puerto Rican governor Richard Rosello, “we have established protocols for the safety of all.” He also explained that 4 to 8 inches of rain was expected, with wind speeds up to 60 mph. It’s currently sustaining winds of 120 mph. At this point, it is still unknown if Florida and the Carolinas will be hit by the storm, but the National Hurricane Center is urging people to be cautious: “everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place, as we are now near the peak of the season.” If the storm does make landfall in the US, it will hit later in the week. According to meteorologists, Irma is a prime example of a “Cape Verde hurricane,” which means that it formed in the eastern Atlantic near the Cape Verde island before moving its way towards land. Some of the strongest hurricanes in recent history were Cape Verde storms, including Hurricane Hugo, Hurricane Floyd, and Hurricane Ivan. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Workers in the northeast Caribbean cleared drains and pruned trees as authorities urged islanders to prepare for Hurricane Irma, a Category 3 storm that grew stronger Monday and was forecast to begin buffeting the region the following day. Emergency officials warned that Irma could dump up to 10 inches (25 centimetres) of rain, unleash landslides and dangerous flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet (7 metres) as the storm draws closer. A hurricane warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and St. Barts. “We’re looking at Irma as a very significant event,” Ronald Jackson, executive director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, said by phone. “I can’t recall a tropical cone developing that rapidly into a major hurricane prior to arriving in the central Caribbean.” Irma is expected to strengthen in the next couple of days, and its centre is forecast to move near or over the northern Leeward Islands on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A hurricane watch was in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, the British and U.S. Virgin islands and Guadeloupe. A tropical storm watch was issued for Dominica. U.S. residents were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it turns northward toward Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas. “This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of Harvey,” Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather, said in a statement. In the Caribbean, Antigua and Anguilla shuttered schools on Monday, and government office closures were expected to follow. On the tiny island of Barbuda, hotel manager Andrea Christian closed down the Palm Tree Guest House as Irma approached. She said she was not afraid even though it would be her first time facing a storm of that magnitude. “We can’t do anything about it,” Christian said by phone, adding that she had stocked up on food and water. “We just have to wait it out.” The U.S. hurricane centre said Irma had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 kph) Monday afternoon. The storm was centred about 530 miles (850 kilometres) east of the Leeward Islands and was moving west-southwest at 14 mph (22 kph). Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expect to receive 4 inches to 8 inches (10-20 centimetres) of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph. “It’s no secret that the infrastructure of the Puerto Rico Power Authority is deteriorated,” Rossello said. He activated the National Guard, cancelled classes for Tuesday and declared a half-day of work. Meteorologist Roberto Garcia warned that Puerto Rico could experience hurricane-like conditions in the next 48 hours. “Any deviation, which is still possible, could bring even more severe conditions to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Garcia said. The U.S. Virgin Islands said schools would reopen on Friday instead of Tuesday. In the Dominican Republic, Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo said workers there were also clearing away roadworks and cleaning out sewer drains and that President Danilo Medina would meet with emergency agencies. Associated Press writer Ezequiel Abiu Lopez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, contributed to this report. ||||| ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Still days away from a possible U.S. impact, dangerous Hurricane Irma bears continuous watching as it churns toward the Caribbean islands. The National Hurricane Center's special 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, advisory pegs Irma as an extremely dangerous 175-mph storm -- a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It is moving west at 14 mph and was located 270 miles east of Antigua. Hurricane warnings are in effect for many of the islands, including Antigua, Barbuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. A hurricane watch is posted for Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic. Visit the National Hurricane Center's website for the latest. Irma and its westward movement means the storm always is getting closer to the U.S. but the question is: where will it end up? The official track -- sometimes called the "cone of uncertainty" -- includes southern Florida from Key West to Miami and Port Charlotte. This is where the "uncertainty" comes in: it is next to impossible to say where Irma or any storm for that matter ends up in excess of four or five days or more. The "cone" at day five showing Irma's track has the storm anywhere south of Cuba to the Bahamas or entering the Gulf of Mexico. There is good confidence the storm will be a major, Category 3 or greater, storm as it makes its approach. There is less certainty about where it'll go later this week. Given this, there is time to prepare -- and that time is now. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now. Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed. ||||| Dangerous and life-threatening conditions are expected across the northern Caribbean this week as Major Hurricane Irma barrels through. “Irma is expected to bring deteriorating and perhaps devastating conditions across the Leeward Islands Tuesday and Tuesday night into Wednesday,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said. Irma, currently a Category 3 hurricane, will pass near or over the Leeward Islands Tuesday night into Wednesday, and may undergo further intensification. “The hurricane remains in a very favorable environment for further intensification, including low vertical wind shear, deep moist unstable air and warm water,” Dan Kottlowski said. The current track of Irma will put Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, in the brunt of the storm's rain and wind during this time. Impacts could also be felt across the far northern Windward Islands as well. Irma poses an imminent danger to these areas. Preparations for the storm should be rushed to completion in these areas. Widespread power outages and damage to trees and structures are likely where the eye of the storm passes directly over or makes its closest approach. Rough surf will spread outward from the storm, leading to dangerous swimming and boating conditions along the east-facing beaches of the Lesser Antilles. Small craft should head to port and remain there until Irma has passed. “We are expecting very rough and dangerous surf along with damaging tropical-storm-force and hurricane-force winds over the northern Leeward Islands, and tropical-storm-force winds over the southern Leewards to perhaps the northern Windward Islands, mostly in gusts,” Kottlowski said. Irma will track near Puerto Rico Wednesday and Wednesday night, delivering flooding rain and damaging winds along with the threat for mudslides. Rainfall will be heavy enough to trigger flash flooding, mudslides and road washouts. Amounts of 4 to 8 inches of rain can be expected on the islands. “Farther to the west, residents and interests on Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas and eastern Cuba should closely monitor the progression of Major Hurricane Irma,” Kottlowski said. A track near or over these locations is becoming increasingly likely towards the end of the week, which would bring life-threatening conditions to residents and any vacationers. However, fluctuations in Irma’s strength and track are expected over the next couple of days, so the exact track the hurricane will take is still unknown. Regardless, residents are urged to prepare now and have a plan in place. Uncertainty greatly increases heading into the weekend and next week as Irma tracks closer to the United States coastline. Given the uncertainty that remains, all interests along the Gulf and East coasts should closely monitor the forecast path of Irma this week and review emergency and evacuation procedures in case they need to be implemented. Behind Irma, a disorganized area of showers and thunderstorms located hundreds of miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands will need to be monitored for potential development. This system will move into a favorable environment for organizing and gaining strength as it moves to the west-northwest toward the Lesser Antilles during the latter part of this week. The next storm in the Atlantic Basin would acquire the name Jose. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Irma strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm Tuesday as it roared toward the northeast Caribbean on a path that could take it to the United States. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma had sustained winds of 175mph (280 kph) and was centered about 270 miles (440 kilometers) east of Antigua. It was moving west at 14 mph (22 kph). The center said there was a growing possibility that the storm’s effects could be felt in Florida later this week and over the weekend, though it was still too early to be sure of its future track: “Everyone in hurricane-prone areas should ensure that they have their hurricane plan in place.” Irma’s center was expected to move near or over the northern Leeward Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the hurricane center said. The eye was then expected to pass about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Puerto Rico late Wednesday. Authorities warned that the storm could dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, cause landslides and flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet (7 meters). Government officials began evacuations and urged people to finalize all preparations as shelves emptied out across islands including Puerto Rico. “The decisions that we make in the next couple of hours can make the difference between life and death,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. “This is an extremely dangerous storm.” Residents on the U.S. East Coast were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it should turn northward toward Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas. “This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of (Hurricane) Harvey,” Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather, said in a statement. In the Caribbean, hurricane warnings were issued for 12 island groups, including the British Virgin Islands, where the governor urged people to evacuate the tiny island of Anegada if they could ahead of the storm. Vivian Wheatley, proprietor of the Anegada Reef Hotel, planned to stay behind. She said she would stay in one of the hotel rooms and take advantage of the generator since there were no guests. “We know it’s a very powerful (storm), and we know it’s going to be very close,” she said. “Let’s hope for the best.” People in the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico braced for blackouts after the director of the island’s power company predicted that storm damage could leave some areas without electricity for four to six months. But “some areas will have power (back) in less than a week,” Ricardo Ramos told radio station Notiuno 630 AM. The utility’s infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession, and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year. Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands expected 4 inches to 8 inches (10-20 centimeters) of rain and winds of 40-50 mph with gusts of up to 60 mph. “This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane,” U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned. “It’s not time to get on a surfboard.” A hurricane warning was posted for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and St. Barts, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin islands. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Guadeloupe and Dominica. Meanwhile in Florida, residents took advantage of the Labor Day holiday to empty many store shelves of drinking water and other supplies in advance of the storm. Also Monday, Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for the state’s 67 counties to give local governments “ample time, resources and flexibility” to prepare. ||||| Hurricane Irma is holding at its current strength as it continues its west-southwestward movement toward the Leeward Islands. At 2 p.m., maximum sustained winds were still at 120 mph, up from 115 mph at 5 a.m., according to the National Hurricane Center. The eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 16.7 North, longitude 53.8 West, about 530 miles east of the Leeward Islands. Irma is moving toward the west-southwest near 14 mph. A turn toward the west is expected later Monday, followed by a west-northwestward turn late Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of Irma will move near or over portions of the northern Leeward Islands Tuesday night and early Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center will release the next forecast track update at 5 p.m. Live 5 Meteorologist Joey Sovine said Monday morning forecast models over the past 24 hours had shifted the storm's path to the south, bringing it closer to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, where it is expected to be at Category 4 strength, and Cuba, where it would likely weaken back to a Category 3. "Remember, these forecast models change. It's a very fluid situation," he said. READ: How to build your hurricane disaster kit Steering currents could still push the storm to the north early next week, he said. If that happens, the Lowcountry could still feel impacts even if the storm passes between Cuba and the southern tip of Florida and makes its way into the Gulf of Mexico. "Right now is not the time to worry, but it's a time to make sure you have your hurricane plan and supplies in place," Sovine said. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for: A Hurricane Watch is in effect for: A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for: A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm- force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours. Computer models continue to vary on the storm's path because it is still far out into the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring a tropical wave behind Irma that is several hundred miles southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands. Meteorologists say it continues to produce disorganized showers and thunderstorms, but environmental conditions are expected to be conducive for gradual development. They expect it will become a tropical depression later this week while the system moves west-northwestward at 10 to 15 mph over the tropical Atlantic Ocean. The chances of tropical formation over the next 48 hours has increased to 40 percent from 30 percent in the most recent update. Click here to download the free Live 5 News and First Alert Weather apps to stay updated on tropical development. ||||| ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Still days away from a possible U.S. impact, dangerous Hurricane Irma bears continuous watching as it churns toward the Caribbean islands. The National Hurricane Center's special 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, advisory pegs Irma as an extremely dangerous 175-mph storm -- a Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It is moving west at 14 mph and was located 270 miles east of Antigua. Hurricane warnings are in effect for many of the islands, including Antigua, Barbuda, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. A hurricane watch is posted for Guadeloupe and the Dominican Republic. Visit the National Hurricane Center's website for the latest. Irma and its westward movement means the storm always is getting closer to the U.S. but the question is: where will it end up? The official track -- sometimes called the "cone of uncertainty" -- includes southern Florida from Key West to Miami and Port Charlotte. This is where the "uncertainty" comes in: it is next to impossible to say where Irma or any storm for that matter ends up in excess of four or five days or more. The "cone" at day five showing Irma's track has the storm anywhere south of Cuba to the Bahamas or entering the Gulf of Mexico. There is good confidence the storm will be a major, Category 3 or greater, storm as it makes its approach. There is less certainty about where it'll go later this week. Given this, there is time to prepare -- and that time is now. ►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10 News app now. Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed. ||||| Puerto Rico Prepares For Category 4 Hurricane Irma Updated at 11:20 p.m. ET Enlarge this image toggle caption National Hurricane Center National Hurricane Center The governors of Florida and Puerto Rico have declared pre-emptive states of emergency ahead of Hurricane Irma, a powerful Category 4 storm churning through the Caribbean on a westward track. The U.S. Virgin Islands also declared a state of emergency. Forecasters say the dangerous storm also looks increasingly likely to hit the U.S. East Coast, either in South Florida or the Carolinas. "We have established protocols for the safety of all," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said, urging islanders to take precautions. Rossello said 4 to 8 inches of rain were expected, with wind gusts up to 60 mph. A few hours later, Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in all 67 counties in the state. Scott, in a statement, said the hurricane is a "life-threatening storm and Florida must be prepared." Enlarge this image toggle caption National Hurricane Center National Hurricane Center "Today, given these forecasts and the intensity of this storm, I have declared a state of emergency for every county in Florida to make certain that state, federal and local governments are able to work together and make sure resources are dispersed to local communities as we get prepared for this storm," Scott said. Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami's Rosenthiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, writes in a blog post that the latest tracks for Irma are "bad news for a lot of places from the Leeward islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas, and then the U.S." Although it's still too early to say whether Irma would make landfall on the mainland U.S., McNoldy cites long-range forecasts showing possible landfalls on the border between the Carolinas, or alternately near Miami. The National Hurricane Center in Miami has issued a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and a hurricane warning for the Leeward Islands north of Guadeloupe, including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin/St. Maarten, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Barthelemy. A watch was also in effect for Guadeloupe as well as Vieques and Culebra. The current forecast track has the storm passing closest to St. Martin and Anguilla, where it is expected to hit with 100 mph winds and heavy rain on Tuesday before moving westward toward Puerto Rico on Wednesday. The Associated Press writes that: "Antigua's prime minister, Gaston Browne, urged people to take preventative measures in case the storm should keep on its current arc, saying that should include cleaning drains and removing objects that could be sent flying by high winds. Workers began pruning trees and shrubs to reduce chances for branches to tear down power and phone lines. "The passage of a hurricane is not a matter to be taken lightly, but we must not panic," Browne said in a statement. In the Dominican Republic, Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo was quoted by the AP as saying workers were clearing away road works and blocked sewer drains in preparation for the storm. Earlier, some models had the storm re-curving away from the U.S. coast, but McNoldy writes: "At this point, Florida is definitely at risk from at least a close encounter if not a direct landfall from a major hurricane. The southeast U.S. coast is also still at an elevated risk of significant impacts." ||||| Hurricane Irma's intensity continues to fluctuate and is back to Category 3 strength. Interests in the Leeward Islands should monitor the progress of Irma, according to the National Hurricane Center. At 11 a.m. Hurricane Irma is moving toward the west-southwest near 14 mph and this course at a slightly slower forward speed is expected through tonight, the National Hurricane Center reports. A turn toward the west is forecast on Monday. More: Irma strengthens into Category 2 hurricane in the Atlantic More: Tropical Storm Irma forms in the Atlantic More: Get the latest update at naplesnews.com/hurricane Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, the National Hurricane Center reports. Hurricane-force winds will extend outward up to 25 miles from the center and tropical storm-force winds will extend outward up to 80 miles. There are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Irma has strengthened into a Category 4 storm as it approaches the northeast Caribbean. The storm’s center is 490 miles east of the Leeward Islands late Monday afternoon. It has maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour and is moving west at 13 mph. Emergency officials are warning that Irma could dump up to 10 inches of rain, unleash landslides and dangerous flash floods and generate waves of up to 23 feet as the storm draws closer. A hurricane warning has been issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Martin, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten and St. Barts. A hurricane watch is in effect for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, the British and U.S. Virgin islands and Guadeloupe. U.S. residents were urged to monitor the storm’s progress in case it turns northward toward Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas. “This hurricane has the potential to be a major event for the East Coast. It also has the potential to significantly strain FEMA and other governmental resources occurring so quickly on the heels of Harvey,” Evan Myers, chief operating officer of AccuWeather, said in a statement. In the Caribbean, Antigua and Anguilla shuttered schools on Monday, and government office closures were expected to follow. On the tiny island of Barbuda, hotel manager Andrea Christian closed down the Palm Tree Guest House as Irma approached. She said she was not afraid even though it would be her first time facing a storm of that magnitude. “We can’t do anything about it,” Christian said by phone, adding that she had stocked up on food and water. “We just have to wait it out.” “It’s no secret that the infrastructure of the Puerto Rico Power Authority is deteriorated,” Rossello said. He activated the National Guard, canceled classes for Tuesday and declared a half-day of work. Meteorologist Roberto Garcia warned that Puerto Rico could experience hurricane-like conditions in the next 48 hours. “Any deviation, which is still possible, could bring even more severe conditions to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,” Garcia said. The U.S. Virgin Islands said schools would reopen on Friday instead of Tuesday. In the Dominican Republic, Public Works Minister Gonzalo Castillo said workers there were also clearing away roadworks and cleaning out sewer drains and that President Danilo Medina would meet with emergency agencies. | Hurricane Irma is now a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 km/h). Hurricane warnings are issued for the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean, which are expected to be affected Tuesday. Rainfalls of up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) are possible. Irma is forecast to strengthen over the next 48 hours. The governors of Puerto Rico and Florida issue states of emergency. |
ABC News(MIAMI) — Hurricane Irma is currently “pummeling” Turks and Caicos with 175 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest advisory. The record Category 5 storm, which skirted north of the Dominican Republic early Thursday as the powerful Category 5 storm, has set its sights on south Florida after leaving a trail of death and destruction in the Caribbean. At least 13 people have been killed. Irma, dubbed the most powerful Atlantic storm in a decade, had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph on Thursday afternoon as it moved further away from the northern coast of Puerto Rico and over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The wind speeds had dropped slightly from the day before, by about 10 mph. “Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful Category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days,” the National Hurricane Center said in its advisory. As of 8 p.m. ET, Irma was about 55 miles west-southwest of Grand Turk Island, the capital of Turks and Caicos, moving at 16 mph as it raced toward the tiny tropical archipelago southeast of the Bahamas, where the storm is expected to hit Thursday night. Much of Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas could get 8 to 12 inches of rain, with up to 20 inches in isolated spots through Saturday. A storm surge could bring water levels up to 20 feet above ground in Turks and Caicos. A storm surge could also reach 5 feet on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic where Irma swept by on its way to Turks and Caicos. Millions of children in Haiti and the Dominican Republic are at risk, according to Save the Children organization. “Deadly storms have a bias against children. Storms often leave a lasting impact on young minds. Relief efforts should prioritize children – their needs, their emotional well-being,” Unni Krishnan, director of Save the Children’s emergency health unit, said in a statement Thursday. The National Hurricane Center projects Irma will be near the central Bahamas by Friday and then make landfall in south Florida, near Miami, on Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing high winds, abundant rainfall and potentially dangerous storm surge. The latest track has the storm shifted slightly to the west, which puts the worse side of the storm over the east coast of Florida in the Atlantic Ocean. Florida Gov. Rick Scott, who declared a statewide emergency earlier this week, has warned that the “massive storm” could be more treacherous than Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Sunshine State 25 years ago. “I want everybody to understand the importance of this. This is bigger than Andrew,” Scott said Wednesday in an interview from Tallahassee with ABC News’ “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts. “This could be worse.” At a press conference Thursday, Scott said Irma could bring “life threatening” damage to Florida and he urged residents on the state’s east and west coast to be prepared to evacuate and to heed warnings from local officials, saying a storm surge could bring water levels up to 10 feet above ground. “This could impact any part of our state,” Scott told reporters. “We’ll be doing evacuations, but everybody’s got to listen.” Scott said he expects additional evacuation orders will be given once the storm gets closer. Mandatory evacuations have already been ordered for parts of several Florida counties, including Brevard County, Broward County, Indian River County, Lee County, Martin County, Monroe County, Miami-Dade County, Palm Beach County, St. John’s County. Most of the mandatory evacuation zones were issued for barrier islands, coastal areas and for those living in mobile homes. As of Thursday afternoon, about 650,000 people had been asked to evacuate Miami-Dade County alone, the southeastern-most county on the U.S. mainland with more than 2.7 million residents. An estimated 1.2 Floridians statewide have been asked to evacuate. Meanwhile, Palm Beach Mayor Gail Coniglio on Thursday declared a state of emergency for the town and ordered a mandatory evacuation for the entire island, where President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort is located. ABC News estimates a total of around 1 million Floridians have been asked to evacuate. Voluntary evacuations have also been issued for certain regions. Hurricane and storm surge watches were in effect for portions of south Florida and the Florida Keys on Thursday afternoon, according to the National Hurricane Center. Irma leaves 13 dead in the Caribbean The islands of St. Martin and Barbuda were especially hard hit in the storm on Wednesday, and officials there are continuing to assess the damage. Irma delivered massive destruction to St. Martin, and at least eight people were killed and 21 more injured on the small island, according to French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb. Although the airport was not destroyed, it is also not functional and support will have to be delivered via helicopter, Collomb said. He noted that 100,000 military emergency rations will be sent to the population. One person — a toddler — was killed in Barbuda. The toddler drowned as the child’s mother tried to move to safer ground on Wednesday, according to Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Barbuda suffered near-total destruction, with 90 percent of its structures destroyed, according to the prime minister, who described Irma like a “bomb” that shot “missiles” of debris across the island. “When you have an unprecedented storm like this that comes with such significant wind force, this is like having a bomb literally thrown on a city,” Browne told ABC News in a telephone interview Thursday. “It is really the sheer magnitude of the winds that destroyed these properties.” Barbuda recorded the strongest winds of any island in the path of Irma, with 155 mph gusts measured Wednesday morning. The prime minister on Thursday called for voluntary evacuations of Barbuda’s 2,000 inhabitants to Antigua, which fared better than its sister island during Irma, as a second hurricane, Jose, is strengthening and appears to be taking aim at the Caribbean. One person also died in Anguilla where Irma caused “moderate to severe damage” to “critical infrastructure,” including the hospital, airport, fire station, police station, government buildings, public utilities and roads, according to the Department of Disaster Management in the British territory. The U.S. Virgin Islands experienced a peak wind gust of 131 mph on Buck Island north of St. Croix on Wednesday. Although Puerto Rico largely avoided the worst of Irma, with the highest wind gust on the Caribbean island measured at 70 mph, at least three people died there as a result of the storm’s impact, according to the governor’s office. A 79-old woman died at the hospital after she fell while being transported to a shelter, another woman died of electrocution and a man died in the hospital after getting in a car accident while driving in poor weather conditions. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said at a press conference Thursday morning that 6,200 people had hunkered down at shelters while Irma dropped 2 to 8 inches of rain across the island and up to 12 inches of rain in some isolated spots. One million customers were without power and 17 percent of the U.S. territory doesn’t have access to safe water. Officials began assessing the extent of the damage Thursday, Rossello said. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday launched crews to conduct search and rescue flights in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist anyone potentially in distress after Irma, while also conducting overflight and surface port assessments. “Our first priority is ensuring safety of lives and helping anyone in distress. Following that, reopening the ports is a top priority, but we have to make sure we also do it safely,” Capt. Eric King, commander of Sector San Juan and the incident commander, said in a statement. “Opening the port prematurely could create a situation for a greater risk or incident, which could ultimately result in an even longer port closure. We must ensure the port is clear of any obstructions and any significant damage to the port infrastructure from the storm that would prevent the flow of commercial commerce. ||||| Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean with record force early Wednesday, its 185-mph winds shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path toward Puerto Rico, Cuba and Hispaniola and a possible direct hit on densely populated South Florida. The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever recorded passed almost directly over the island of Barbuda, causing widespread flooding and downing trees. France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity. The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighbouring islands said the fire station in Saint Barthelemy was flooded by more than 3 feet (1 metre) of water and no rescue vehicles could move. The government headquarters on Saint Martin was partially destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties but the minister for French overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said "We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn't want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites ... We're preparing for the worst." Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the twin-island nation appears to have weathered its brush with Hurricane Irma with no deaths, though he noted that the government had only done a preliminary assessment of Barbuda. There were widespread reports of property damage but he says the public and government had prepared well for the storm. "We in Antigua have weathered the most powerful hurricane ever to storm its way through the Caribbean," the prime minister said. "And we have done so with stunning results." Hurricane Irma had maximum winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) as of 11 a.m. Wednesday and was producing dangerous storm surge and heavy rain. The centre of the storm was about 65 miles (110 kilometres) east-southeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and about 140 miles (225 kilometres) east of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was heading west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph). As the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 2 a.m., phone lines went down under heavy rain and howling winds that sent debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters. The storm ripped the roof off the island's police station, forcing officers to seek refuge in the fire station and at the community centre that served as an official shelter. The Category 5 storm also knocked out communication between islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma's winds would fluctuate but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 strength for the next day or two. The most dangerous winds, usually nearest to the eye, were forecast to pass near the northern Virgin Islands and near or just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday. President Donald Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate six southern islands. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal. The 79 degree (26 Celsius) water that hurricanes need went about 250 feet (80 metres) deep, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground. Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which usually have warmer waters. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds. The northern Leeward Islands were expected to see normal tide levels rise by as much as 11 feet (3.3 metres), while the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas could see surge of 20 feet (6 metres) and higher waves later in the week, forecasters said. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating six islands in the south because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the "potentially catastrophic" wind, flooding and storm surge. People there would be flown to Nassau in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country's history. "The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life or serious physical harm," Minnis said. The U.S. National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida. "The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we've ever seen," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "A lot of infrastructure won't be able to withstand this kind of force." The eye of the storm was expected to rip westward on a path taking it a little north of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches (25 centimetres) of rain, with as much as 20 inches (50 centimetres) in the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The storm seemed almost certain to hit the United States by early next week. "You'd be hard pressed to find any model that doesn't have some impact on Florida." said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. In Florida, people stocked up on drinking water and other supplies. Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 100 members of the Florida National Guard to be deployed across the state, and 7,000 National Guard members were to report for duty Friday when the storm could be approaching the area. On Monday, Scott declared a state of emergency in all of Florida's 67 counties. Officials in the Florida Keys geared up to get tourists and residents out of Irma's path, and the mayor of Miami-Dade County said people should be prepared to evacuate Miami Beach and most coastal areas. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the voluntary evacuations could begin as soon as Wednesday evening. He activated the emergency operation centre and urged residents to have three days' worth of food and water. The Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles (85 kilometres) from Irma's centre and tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles (280 kilometres). Also Wednesday morning, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's coast. Tropical Storm Katia had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane centre said Katia was expected to stay offshore through Friday morning. And another tropical storm farther east in the Atlantic was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night. Tropical Storm Jose's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 60 mph (95 kph). The storm was centred about 1,255 miles (2,020 kilometres) east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west near 13 mph (20 kph). Associated Press writers contributing to this report included Danica Coto in Puerto Rico; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Michael Weissenstein in Havana, Cuba; Ben Fox in Miami contributed to this report ||||| The most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history made its first landfall in the islands of the northeast Caribbean early Wednesday, churning along a path pointing to Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba before possibly heading for Florida over the weekend. The eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 1:47 a.m., the National Weather Service said. Residents said over local radio that phone lines went down. Heavy rain and howling winds raked the neighboring island of Antigua, sending debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters. Officials warned people to seek protection from Irma's "onslaught" in a statement that closed with: "May God protect us all." In Barbuda, the storm ripped off the roof of the island's police station forcing officers to seek refuge in the nearby fire station and at the community center that served as an official shelter. The Category 5 storm also knocked out communication between islands. Midcie Francis of the National Office of Disaster Services confirmed there was damage to several homes, but said it was too early to do tally or assess the extent of the damage. Foreign Affairs Minister Charles Fernandez, who has temporary oversight for Disaster Management told The Associated Press via text that the northern end of island was hit hard by the storm. He did not elaborate on the extent of damage. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Its forecast early Wednesday was for the winds to fluctuate slightly but for the storm to remain at Category 4 or 5 strength for the next day or two. The most dangerous winds, usually nearest to the eye, were forecast to pass near the northern Virgin Islands and near or just north of Puerto Rico through the day Wednesday. "I hear it's a Cat 5 now and I'm terrified," Antigua resident Carol Joseph said Tuesday as she finished her last trip to the supermarket before seeking shelter. "I had to come back for more batteries because I don't know how long the current will be off." On the 108-square-mile island, people who live in low-lying areas were staying with friends and relatives on higher ground or sleeping in churches, schools and community facilities built to withstand hurricanes. None of the shelters have yet been tested by Category 5 winds, however. Many homes in Antigua and Barbuda are not built on concrete foundations or have poorly constructed wooden roofs that are susceptible to wind damage. Other islands in the path of the storm included the Virgin Islands and Anguilla, a small, low-lying territory of about 15,000 people. President Donald Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate six southern islands. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma is moving over water that is 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal. The 79 degree (26 Celsius) water that hurricanes need goes about 250 feet deep (80 meters), said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground. Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which are usually home to warmer waters that fuel cyclones. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005's Wilma, 1988's Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds. The northern Leeward Islands were expected to see waves as high as 11 feet, while the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas could see towering 20-foot waves later in the week, forecasters said. "This is not an opportunity to go outside and try to have fun with a hurricane," U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp warned. "It's not time to get on a surfboard." Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating the six islands in the south because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the "potentially catastrophic" wind, flooding and storm surge. People there would be flown to Nassau starting Wednesday in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country's history. "The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life or serious physical harm," Minnis said. The National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma's magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida. "The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we've ever seen," Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "A lot of infrastructure won't be able to withstand this kind of force." The director of the island's power company has warned that storm damage could leave some areas without electricity for about a week and other, unspecified areas for four to six months. The utility's infrastructure has deteriorated greatly during a decade-long recession, and Puerto Ricans experienced an island-wide outage last year. The eye of the storm was expected to roar westward on a path taking it north of more heavily populated Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba, but it could still cause life-threating storm surges, rains and mudslides. The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches of rain, with as much as 20 inches in the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The storm seemed almost certain to hit the United States by early next week. "You'd be hard pressed to find any model that doesn't have some impact on Florida." said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. In Florida, people stocked up on drinking water and other supplies. Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 100 members of the Florida National Guard to be deployed across the state, and 7,000 National Guard members were to report for duty Friday when the storm could be approaching the area. On Monday, Scott declared a state of emergency in all of Florida's 67 counties. Officials in the Florida Keys geared up to get tourists and residents out of Irma's path, and the mayor of Miami-Dade county said people should be prepared to evacuate Miami Beach and most of the county's coastal areas. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the voluntary evacuations could begin as soon as Wednesday evening. He activated the emergency operation center and urged residents to have three days' worth of food and water. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles (85 kilometers) from Irma's center and tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles (280 kilometers). Also Wednesday morning, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's coast. Tropical Storm Katia had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane center said Katia was expected to stay offshore through Friday morning. Meanwhile, a third tropical storm farther east in the Atlantic was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night. Tropical Storm Jose's maximum sustained winds had increased to near 60 mph (95 kph). The storm was centered about 1,255 miles (2,020 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west near 13 mph (20 kph). ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Hurricane Irma blacked out much of Puerto Rico as the dangerous Category 5 storm raked the U.S. territory with heavy wind and rain while staying just out to sea, and it headed early Thursday toward the Dominican Republic and Haiti. To the east, authorities struggled to get aid to small Caribbean islands devastated by the storm's record 185 mph winds earlier Wednesday, while people in Florida rushed to get ready for a possible direct hit on the Miami area. Communications were difficult with areas hit by Irma, and information on damage trickled out. Nearly every building on Barbuda was damaged when the hurricane's core crossed almost directly over the island early Wednesday and about 60 percent of its roughly 1,400 residents were left homeless, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne told The Associated Press. "It is just really a horrendous situation," Browne said after returning to Antigua from a plane trip to the neighboring island. He said roads and telecommunications systems were wrecked and recovery would take months, if not years. A 2-year-old child was killed as a family tried to escape a damaged home during the storm, Browne told the AP. On St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Laura Strickling spent 12 hours hunkered down with her husband and 1-year-old daughter in a boarded-up basement apartment with no power as the storm raged outside. They emerged to find the lush island in tatters. Many of their neighbors' homes were damaged and once-dense vegetation was largely gone. "There are no leaves. It is crazy. One of the things we loved about St. Thomas is that it was so green. And it's gone," Strickling said. "It will take years for this community to get back on its feet." Significant damage was also reported on St. Martin, an island split between French and Dutch control. Photos and video circulating on social media showed major damage to the airport in Philipsburg and the coastal village of Marigot heavily flooded. France sent emergency food and water there and to the French island of St. Bart's, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out electricity. Dutch marines who flew to St. Martin and two other Dutch island reported extensive damage but no deaths or injuries. By early Thursday, the center of the storm was about 140 miles northwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and moving west-northwest near 16 mph. More than half the island of Puerto Rico was without power, leaving 900,000 in the dark and nearly 50,000 without water, the U.S. territory's emergency management agency said in the midst of the storm. Fourteen hospitals were using generators after losing power, and trees and light poles were strewn across roads. Puerto Rico's public power company warned before the storm hit that some areas could be left without power from four to six months because its staff has been reduced and its infrastructure weakened by the island's decade-long economic slump. State maintenance worker Juan Tosado said he was without power for three months after Hurricane Hugo in 1989. "I expect the same from this storm. It's going to be bad," he said. President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to remove debris and give other services that will largely be paid for by the U.S. government. Pauline Jackson, a 59-year-old registered nurse from Florida visiting Puerto Rico, said she had tried to leave before the storm but all flights were sold out. She has a reservation to fly out Friday and is worried about her home in Tampa. "When you're from Florida, you understand a Category 5 hurricane," she said. The U.S. National Hurricane Center predicted Irma would remain at Category 4 or 5 for the next day or two as passes just to the north of the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Thursday, nears the Turks & Caicos and parts of the Bahamas by Thursday night and skirts Cuba on Friday night into Saturday. It will then likely head north toward Florida. The storm is expected to hit Florida sometime Sunday, and Gov. Rick Scott said he planned to activate 7,000 National Guard soldiers by Friday. He warned that Irma is "bigger, faster and stronger" than Hurricane Andrew, which wiped out entire neighborhoods in south Florida 25 years ago. Experts worried that Irma could rake the entire Florida east coast from Miami to Jacksonville and then head into Savannah, Georgia, and the Carolinas, striking highly populated and developed areas. "This could easily be the most costly storm in U.S. history, which is saying a lot considering what just happened two weeks ago," said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. ||||| A British territory has been "pummelled" overnight by Hurricane Irma as winds of up to 175mph left death and destruction in the Atlantic. The Turks and Caicos Islands government declared a national shutdown as the category five storm continued to tear across the Caribbean, with life-threatening wind, rain and a storm surge expected into tomorrow. Irma, which continues to be a "potentially catastrophic" hurricane, has killed at least 14 people according to reports, with islands across the region told to prepare for storm surges. The hurricane's ruinous touch, which has already reduced the island of Barbuda to wreckage, will also be felt in nearby Haiti as the storm sweeps north west. Meanwhile, the British Virgin Islands said they were confident of being able to rebuild after houses were reduced to foundations following the "devastating" storm. Images posted on social media showed entire structures razed to the ground, with debris scattered across the streets. Sharon Flax-Brutus, director of tourism for the group of more than 60 islands, said: "The destruction caused by Hurricane Irma in the British Virgin Islands has been devastating. "The destination has lost entire structures and many homes are without roofs, or have been diminished to merely foundations." She added communication between the islands has been difficult as mobile phone towers had come down - meaning it was tricky to gauge the full extent of the damage. Irma was first classified as a tropical storm on August 30 and rapidly intensified over the following days, becoming a category four hurricane on September 4. Then, winds reached a peak of 130mph, but soon became the strongest for more than a decade when sustained winds peaked at 185mph. Saint Martin, which has already been victim to Irma, is now facing a new threat in the form of Jose, while the British territories of Anguilla and Montserrat are on alert for a tropical storm. Thousands of British tourists believed to be holidaying in the Caribbean have been warned to follow evacuation orders while some have been advised to stay in their hotel rooms. States of emergency have been declared in Puerto Rico, Cuba and Florida, where the storm is due to make landfall this weekend. In Fort Lauderdale, 40-year-old Erik Petersen described the atmosphere as "pretty tense" - adding there was much more worry than last year, when the Sunshine State braced for Hurricane Matthew. The dual American-British citizen told the Press Association: "People aren't just talking about this as a hurricane, they're taking about it as the hurricane. "I've had a few people ask if I'm considering going somewhere else in Florida, but this thing's the size of Texas. Roads are clogged, hotels are full, gas is running low. "I'd rather face this thing in a house in Fort Lauderdale than in a car in a traffic jam somewhere outside Orlando." Mr Petersen, who lived in the UK for 11 years and most recently called Nottingham his home city, is riding out the storm with his 36-year-old wife Jo and their six-year-old daughter Anya. He said he was expecting lots of damage and said power could be out for weeks. "With no electricity or air conditioning, you get used to stinking. Some people have generators. Unfortunately, we don't," he said. "Luckily we do have a gas oven, so we can cook without electricity. "Anya largely sees this as a big camp-out or adventure, which I suppose is good. "Jo hasn't been through a hurricane before, but she's been through hurricane prep, so she's in full-on Spirit of Dunkirk/Getting Stuff Done mode. "My parents have lived here for many years and seen a lot of stuff. They're not panicking, but they're taking this all very seriously." In response to the unfolding crisis, Theresa May announced that £32 million had been released to assist the relief effort. Speaking after a meeting of the Government's emergency Cobra committee on Thursday afternoon, the Prime Minister said: "We must not forget that there is a further storm on the way. "But that won't stop us from providing the assistance that is needed, and doing everything we can to help." The British military has dispatched a task group of experts into the affected areas of the Atlantic to provide support and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) Mounts Bay vessel is transporting supplies. Addressing concerns about the speed of Britain's response, Mrs May said both humanitarian workers and RFA Mounts Bay had been "prepositioned". Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon added the military vessel is "already at work" clearing roads and helping to restore power. ||||| MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A very powerful Hurricane Irma continues to move to the west-northwest off the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. At 5 a.m., the center of the Category 5 hurricane was about 95 miles north of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Irma was moving at 17 mph with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 50 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles. On the forecast track, the center should pass north of the coast of Hispaniola later today, be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by this evening, and then be near the Central Bahamas by Friday. It could possibly make landfall in South Florida on Sunday. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days. A Hurricane Warning is in effect for… * Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the northern border with Haiti * Haiti from the northern border with the Dominican Republic to Le Mole St. Nicholas * Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands * Central Bahamas * Northwestern Bahamas A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Cuba from Matanzas province eastward to Guantanamo province A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… * Dominican Republic from south of Cabo Engano westward to the southern border with Haiti * Haiti from south of Le Mole St. Nicholas to Port-Au-Prince * Cuba provinces of Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas The combination of a life-threatening storm surge and large breaking waves will raise water levels above normal tides by the following amounts within the hurricane warning area near and to the north of the center of Irma. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Turks and Caicos Islands…15 to 20 ft Southeastern and central Bahamas…15 to 20 ft Northern coast of the Dominican Republic…3 to 5 ft Northern coast of Haiti and the Gulf of Gonave…1 to 3 ft Northern coast of Cuba in the warning area…5 to 10 ft The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. Hurricane conditions are expected to begin within the hurricane warning area in the Dominican Republic and Haiti today, with tropical storm conditions beginning in the next few hours. Hurricane conditions are expected to begin in the warning area in the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands later today with tropical storm conditions expected within the next several hours. These conditions will spread into the Central Bahamas by Thursday night or early Friday. Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area in Cuba by Friday. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin within the warning area in Cuba Thursday night. Huricane conditions are expected in the northwestern Bahamas Friday night and Saturday. Irma is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through Saturday: Northeast Puerto Rico and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands…An additional 2 to 4 inches. Southeast Bahamas, Central Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos…8 to 12 inches, isolated 20 inches. Northern Dominican Republic and northern Haiti…4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches. Eastern and Central Cuba…4 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches. Southern Haiti…1 to 4 inches. In all areas this rainfall may cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides. Swells generated by Irma are affecting the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the southeastern Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the northern coast of the Dominican Republic, and they should start affecting portions of the southeast coast of the United States later today and tonight. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
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• Click here to download the CBS4 2017 Hurricane Guide (English) ||||| HAVANA (Reuters) - Hurricane Irma menaced Cuba and the Bahamas on Friday as it drove toward Florida after lashing the Caribbean with devastatingly high winds, killing 19 people and leaving catastrophic destruction in its wake. As Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, bore down on Florida, Governor Rick Scott issued a stark warning to residents to get out if they were in evacuation zones. “We are running out of time. If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to go now. This is a catastrophic storm like our state has never seen,” Scott told reporters, adding the storm’s effects would be felt from coast to coast. Irma was about 270 miles east of Caibarien on Cuba’s central-north coast, and 405 miles southeast of Miami, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in an advisory at 11 a.m EDT on Friday. Hurricane conditions were spreading westward over parts of Cuba and the central Bahamas. Irma pummeled the Turks and Caicos Islands after saturating the northern edges of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The “extremely dangerous” storm was downgraded from a Category 5, the top of the scale of hurricane intensity, to a Category 4 early Friday but it was still carrying winds as strong as 150 miles per hour, the NHC said. Irma was forecast to bring dangerous storm surges of up to 20 feet to the southeastern and central Bahamas, and up to 10 feet on parts of Cuba’s northern coast. The storm was predicted to slam southern Florida on Sunday. Cuba, where the Communist government has traditionally made rigorous preparations when the island is threatened by storms, was at a near standstill as Irma began to drive up the northern coast from east to west offshore. Schools and most businesses were closed, hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated, and train, bus and domestic air services around the island were canceled. Airports were closing to international flights as conditions warranted. Irma was forecast to move closer to land as it approached the center of Cuba later in the day and on Saturday, when it could seriously damage resorts on vulnerable keys. Tourists, and even the dolphins that entertain them, were evacuated. The storm was then predicted to veer north, sparing western Cuba and Havana. In the Cuban fishing town of Caibarien, residents secured their roofs and moved belongings from low-lying coastal areas to houses higher up inland as the skies clouded over. Most said they were worried but well prepared. Esteban Reyes, 65, was pushing his bicycle taxi laden with a mattress, iron and DVD player. “We are used to storms but I’m still a bit scared. But the government has taught us to be prepared and help one another,” he said. In several TV interviews early Friday, Florida’s governor pleaded with residents to leave areas designated for evacuation, although he acknowledged frustration with buying gas and handling bumper-to-bumper traffic on the roads. “We’re doing everything we can to get the fuel out,” to gas stations, including police escorts, Scott told ABC. Nearly one-third of all gas stations in Florida’s metropolitan areas were out of gasoline, according to Gasbuddy.com, a retail fuel price tracking service. “Don’t be complacent. We’re not sure exactly where this is going to go,” he told CBS, adding that he expected to see 5-10 feet of storm surge. Downtown Miami, under an evacuation order, appeared to have emptied out on Friday morning, with little traffic on the streets and public parking lots empty. In Palm Beach, the waterfront Mar-a-Lago estate owned by President Donald Trump was ordered evacuated, media reported. Trump also owns property on the French side of St. Martin, a French-Dutch island devastated by the storm. A mandatory evacuation on Georgia’s Atlantic coast was due to begin on Saturday, Governor Nathan Deal said. The storm was expected to “devastate” part of the United States and officials were preparing a massive response, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said. The storm comes two weeks after Hurricane Harvey struck Texas, claiming around 60 lives and causing property damage estimated at as much as $180 billion in Texas and Louisiana. U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday as investors assessed the financial impact of Harvey and tracked Irma. The three major Wall Street indexes were on track to end the week lower, with many economists forecasting that third-quarter gross domestic product will take a hit due to the hurricanes. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) said the state was far more prepared now than when it was hit by devastating Hurricane Andrew in 1992. He also noted that local, state and federal authorities appeared more coordinated after learning the lessons of 2005’s Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. “I think Florida is prepared, but when you get 155 plus mile per hour winds nobody is going to be prepared for that kind of destruction,” Nelson told MSNBC. As it roared in from the east, Irma ravaged a series of small islands in the northeast Caribbean, including Barbuda, the French-Dutch island of St. Martin and the British and U.S. Virgin Islands, flattening homes and hospitals and ripping down trees. A Reuters witness described the roof and walls of a solidly built house shaking hard as the storm rocked the island of Providenciales. Even as they came to grips with the massive destruction, residents of the islands hit hardest by Irma faced the threat of another major storm: Hurricane Jose. Expected to reach the northeastern Caribbean on Saturday, Jose is an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm, with winds of up to 150 mph, the NHC said on Friday. The death toll from Irma has risen as emergency services got access to remote areas. French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said on Friday that nine people were killed, at least seven were missing, and 112 others were injured after the hurricane crashed into St. Barthelemy and St. Martin. France said it was deploying hundreds more police and other emergency personnel to the islands as it ramped up its response to the devastation in its overseas territories. Four people died in the U.S. Virgin islands, a government spokesman said, and a major hospital was badly damaged by the wind. A U.S. amphibious assault ship arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday and sent helicopters for medical evacuations from the destroyed hospital. The eastern Caribbean island of Barbuda was reduced to “rubble,” and one person died, Prime Minister Gaston Browne said. In the British overseas territory of Anguilla, another person was killed and the hospital and airport were damaged, emergency service officials said. Three people were killed in Puerto Rico and around two-thirds of the population had lost electricity, Governor Ricardo Rossello said after Irma grazed the U.S. territory’s northern coast. A surfer was also reported killed in Barbados. The storm passed just to the north of the island of Hispaniola, shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, damaging roofs and causing flooding and power outages as it approached the impoverished Haitian side. A man was reported missing after trying to cross a river in Haiti’s Central Plateau region. ||||| - Irma is a beast. After raking the Northern Leeward Islands it slams the British and U.S. Virgin Islands Wednesday afternoon. According to the NHC an unofficial gust of 111 mph was reported on Culebra. The massive category 5 hurricane passes near Puerto Rico early Wednesday evening. The core of hurricane force winds will just skirt the northern part of the island. As of 5 p.m., it maintained Category 5 strength with 185 mph winds as it moves west-northwest at 15 mph. What’s incredible is Irma maintains 185 mph winds for 24 hours+. With the exception of Haiyan in the western Pacific, it is the only Atlantic and Pacific tropical cyclone to stay this strong for this long (according to Eric Blake of NOAA and Dr. Klotzback of Colorado State University). Wave heights build to 30-40 feet just north of the Virgin Islands Wednesday evening. Storm surge batters the eastern Caribbean with a peak surge of 7-11 feet over the Virgin Islands. Impressive waves plow through the Turks and Caicos and the Southeast Bahamas by Friday. A destructive surge of 15-20 feet is possible. The only thing to really weaken Irma or disrupt it some would be interaction with Hispaniola or Cuba. Even then, the storm would likely still be a dangerous high-end major hurricane before possible catastrophic impacts in south and east Florida Sunday and Monday. While the center line from the NHC a little further east at 5 p.m., the track error 4 and 5 days out remains the same. 4 and 5 day error is 175 miles to 225 miles respectively. Beyond Florida, it is increasingly likely that coastal Georgia and South Carolina will see impacts too. Impacts are pending on when Irma makes the turn north. At this point, it will be on late Saturday. A slower turn north would mean more impacts a bit further west across the Sunshine State. The models gained some consistency Wednesday afternoon. The cluster of models near southeast and east Florida tracks the storm northward towards southeast Georgia and South Carolina Monday afternoon. Both the GFS and especially the Euro bring the core of major hurricane force winds near or just over southeast Florida Sunday. A wobble west or east, would make all the difference in widespread destruction or tropical storm winds. Keep in mind as large is Irma is, the structure may not be as symmetrical this weekend. As of 5 PM hurricane force winds extend out 50 miles from the center. The strongest winds are in the surrounding eye wall. Tropical storm force winds extend out up to 185 miles from the center. Ridiculous wave heights in the Caribbean move on to Florida by late this weekend. The worst surge, is highly dependent on the track. Here is an early wave height estimate in southeast Florida by Sunday afternoon from Wave Watch III model. Those shades of pink are 25-40 foot waves. Please heed any evacuations and warnings. Stay informed as we gain more model confidence in the days ahead. Also of note, both Jose in the east central Atlantic and Katia in the southern Gulf become a hurricane at 5 PM. Jose could clip the Leeward Islands, but should generally stay over the open Atlantic over the next 5-6 days+. Katia will run into mountainous east Mexico this weekend. It will stay well south of Texas. ||||| ST. JOHN’S, Antigua — Hurricane Irma roared into the Caribbean with record force early Wednesday, its 185-mph winds shaking homes and flooding buildings on a chain of small islands along a path toward Puerto Rico, Cuba and Hispaniola and a possible direct hit on densely populated South Florida. The strongest Atlantic Ocean hurricane ever recorded passed almost directly over the island of Barbuda, causing widespread flooding and downing trees. France sent emergency food and water rations to the French islands of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy, where Irma ripped off roofs and knocked out all electricity. The regional authority for Guadeloupe and neighboring islands said the fire station in Saint Barthelemy was flooded by more than 3 feet (1 meter) of water and no rescue vehicles could move. The government headquarters on Saint Martin was partially destroyed. There were no immediate reports of casualties but the minister for French overseas territories, Annick Girardin, said “We have a lot to fear for a certain number of our compatriots who unfortunately didn’t want to listen to the protection measures and go to more secure sites … We’re preparing for the worst.” Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said the twin-island nation appears to have weathered its brush with Hurricane Irma with no deaths, though he noted that the government had only done a preliminary assessment of Barbuda. There were widespread reports of property damage but he says the public and government had prepared well for the storm. “We in Antigua have weathered the most powerful hurricane ever to storm its way through the Caribbean,” the prime minister said. “And we have done so with stunning results.” Hurricane Irma had maximum winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) as of 11 a.m. Wednesday and was producing dangerous storm surge and heavy rain. The center of the storm was about 65 miles (110 kilometers) east-southeast of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and about 140 miles (225 kilometers) east of San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was heading west-northwest at 16 mph (26 kph). As the eye of Hurricane Irma passed over Barbuda around 2 a.m., phone lines went down under heavy rain and howling winds that sent debris flying as people huddled in their homes or government shelters. The storm ripped the roof off the island’s police station, forcing officers to seek refuge in the fire station and at the community center that served as an official shelter. The Category 5 storm also knocked out communication between islands. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Irma’s winds would fluctuate but the storm would likely remain at Category 4 or 5 strength for the next day or two. The most dangerous winds, usually nearest to the eye, were forecast to pass near the northern Virgin Islands and near or just north of Puerto Rico on Wednesday. President Donald Trump declared emergencies in Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and authorities in the Bahamas said they would evacuate six southern islands. Warm water is fuel for hurricanes and Irma was moving over water that was 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) warmer than normal. The 79 degree (26 Celsius) water that hurricanes need went about 250 feet (80 meters) deep, said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private forecasting service Weather Underground. Four other storms have had winds as strong in the overall Atlantic region, but they were in the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico, which usually have warmer waters. Hurricane Allen hit 190 mph in 1980, while 2005’s Wilma, 1988’s Gilbert and a 1935 great Florida Keys storm all had 185 mph winds. The northern Leeward Islands were expected to see normal tide levels rise by as much as 11 feet (3.3 meters), while the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas could see surge of 20 feet (6 meters) and higher waves later in the week, forecasters said. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said his government was evacuating six islands in the south because authorities would not be able to help anyone caught in the “potentially catastrophic” wind, flooding and storm surge. People there would be flown to Nassau in what he called the largest storm evacuation in the country’s history. “The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life or serious physical harm,” Minnis said. The U.S. National Weather Service said Puerto Rico had not seen a hurricane of Irma’s magnitude since Hurricane San Felipe in 1928, which killed a total of 2,748 people in Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and Florida. “The dangerousness of this event is like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. “A lot of infrastructure won’t be able to withstand this kind of force.” The eye of the storm was expected to rip westward on a path taking it a little north of Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Cuba. The northern parts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti could see 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain, with as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) in the southeast Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The storm seemed almost certain to hit the United States by early next week. “You’d be hard pressed to find any model that doesn’t have some impact on Florida.” said University of Miami senior hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy. In Florida, people stocked up on drinking water and other supplies. Florida Gov. Rick Scott activated 100 members of the Florida National Guard to be deployed across the state, and 7,000 National Guard members were to report for duty Friday when the storm could be approaching the area. On Monday, Scott declared a state of emergency in all of Florida’s 67 counties. Officials in the Florida Keys geared up to get tourists and residents out of Irma’s path, and the mayor of Miami-Dade County said people should be prepared to evacuate Miami Beach and most coastal areas. Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the voluntary evacuations could begin as soon as Wednesday evening. He activated the emergency operation center and urged residents to have three days’ worth of food and water. The Hurricane Center in Miami said hurricane-force winds extended 50 miles (85 kilometers) from Irma’s center and tropical storm-force winds extended 175 miles (280 kilometers). Also Wednesday morning, a new tropical storm formed in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico’s coast. Tropical Storm Katia had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) with some strengthening forecast over the next two days. But the hurricane center said Katia was expected to stay offshore through Friday morning. And another tropical storm farther east in the Atlantic was expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night. Tropical Storm Jose’s maximum sustained winds had increased to near 60 mph (95 kph). The storm was centered about 1,255 miles (2,020 kilometers) east of the Lesser Antilles and was moving west near 13 mph (20 kph). ||||| Residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday hunkered down for Hurricane Irma, which has smashed through a string of Caribbean islands as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, killing at least 14 people en route to Florida. With winds of around 185 miles per hour (290 km per hour), the storm the size of France has ravaged small islands in the northeast Caribbean in recent days, including Barbuda, Saint Martin and the British and US Virgin Islands, ripping down trees and flattening homes and hospitals. Winds dipped on Thursday to 175 mph as the Irma soaked the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti and brought hurricane-force wind to the Turks and Caicos Islands. It remained an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm, the highest designation by the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Irma was about 40 miles (65 km) south of Turks and Caicos and is expected to reach the Bahamas later Thursday, before moving to Cuba and plowing into southern Florida as a very powerful Category 4 on Sunday, with storm surges and flooding due to begin within the next 48 hours. Across the Caribbean authorities rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of residents and tourists in the path of the storm, while on islands in its wake, shocked locals tried to comprehend the extent of the devastation while simultaneously preparing for another major hurricane, Jose, currently a Category 3 and due to hit the northeastern Caribbean on Saturday. It was the first time the Turks and Caicos islands had experienced a Category 5 storm, said Virginia Clerveaux, director of Disaster Management and Emergencies. “We are expecting inundation from both rainfall as well as storm surge. And we may not be able to come rescue them in a timely manner,” she said in comments broadcast on Facebook. The few tourists who remained on the Turks and Caicos islands were in hotels, as were some locals. “Right now I’m at the hotel with my family. There are a lot of people in the hotel. It’s boarded up,” said island resident Sofia Simmons, speaking from the Royal West Indies Hotel on Providenciales island. “Most of our shelters are packed to capacity. We had to open more shelters.” Florida emergency management officials began evacuations, ordering tourists to leave the Keys. Gas shortages in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area worsened on Thursday, with sales up to five times the norm. In Miami, hundreds of people lined up for bottled water and cars looped around city blocks to get gas in panicked preparations for Irma. “To the people of Florida, we just want you to protect yourselves, be very very vigilant and careful,” said US President Donald Trump, who owns the waterfront Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida as well as a property on the French side of Saint Martin, an island devastated by the storm. A mandatory evacuation on Georgia’s Atlantic coast was due to begin on Saturday, Governor Nathan Deal said. In the US Virgin islands, four people died, a government spokesman said, and a major hospital was badly damaged by the wind. A US amphibious assault ship arrived in the US Virgin Islands on Thursday and sent helicopters for medical evacuations from the destroyed hospital. Barbuda, where one person died, was reduced “to rubble”, according to Prime Minister Gaston Browne. In the British overseas territory of Anguilla another person was killed, while the hospital and airport, power and phone services were damaged, emergency service officials said. French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said four bodies were recovered on the tiny French-Dutch island of Saint Martin, which was hit hard. “It is an enormous disaster. Ninety-five percent of the island is destroyed. I am in shock,” Daniel Gibbs, chairman of a local council on Saint Martin, told Radio Caribbean International. Television footage from the island showed a damaged marina with boats tossed into piles, submerged streets and flooded homes. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday to coordinate an emergency humanitarian response. Three people were killed in Puerto Rico and around two-thirds of the population lost their electricity, Governor Ricardo Rossello said after the storm rolled by the US territory’s northern coast. A surfer was also reported killed in Barbados. The storm passed just to the north of the Hispaniola island shared by Dominican Republic and Haiti, causing some damage to roofs, flooding and power outages as it approached the impoverished Haitian side of the island, which is particularly vulnerable to hurricanes and rain, although it did not make landfall. While the strongest winds should not hit Haiti, authorities and aid agencies were bracing for heavy rainfall from the storm just 90 miles (145 km) north of the coast, which could cause deadly landslides and flooding. Cuba started evacuating some of the 51,000 tourists visiting the island, particularly 36,000 people at resorts on the picturesque northern coast. That included all Canadian tourists, who Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero estimated made up 60 percent of foreign visitors in the country’s keys. In Caibarien, a town in the hurricane’s predicted path, residents secured roofs with sandbags. Irma was the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean and one of the five most forceful storms to hit the Atlantic basin in 82 years, according to the NHC. The storm activity comes after Harvey claimed about 60 lives and caused property damage estimated to be as much as $180 billion in Texas and Louisiana. ($1 = 0.7640 pounds) For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App | Irma has killed at least 14 people. The storm, still at Category 5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), is moving west-northwest at 16 mph (26 km/h). It has reached the dual-country island of Hispaniola and is forecast to pass over the Turks and Caicos Islands as it heads towards The Bahamas and Cuba. The eye did not directly hit Puerto Rico; still casualties are reported and around two-thirds of its 3.4 million population are without electricity. |
A major earthquake off Mexico's southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude as 8.1 and said it was centered off of Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border. But President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City. Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur. Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them. The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 1o2 miles (165 kilometers) west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43.3 miles). The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out. "The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas. Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure. "There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged." Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one meter (3.3 feet) above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific. Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning. Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods. In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. "We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico. Lucy Jones, a seismologist in California who works with the U.S. Geological Survey, said such s quake was to be expected. "Off the west coast of Mexico is what's called the subduction zone, the Pacific Plate is moving under the Mexican peninsula," she said. "It's a very flat fault, so it's a place that has big earthquakes relatively often because of that." "There's likely to be a small tsunami going to the southwest. It's not going to be coming up and affecting California or Hawaii," she said. "For tsunami generation, an 8 is relatively small." ||||| MEXICO CITY (AP) - A massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico, toppling houses in Chiapas state, causing buildings to sway violently as far away as the country's distant capital city and setting off a tsunami warning. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 165 kilometers (102 miles) west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state not far from Guatemala. It had a depth of 35 kilometers (22 miles). The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves were possible on the Pacific coasts of several Central American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras, within three hours. There was no tsunami threat for the U.S. West Coast, but the warning system said waves could reach Mexico and as far as Ecuador. "The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, a poor largely indigenous state popular with tourists. Civil Defense in Chiapas said on its Twitter account that its personnel were in the streets aiding people and warned residents to prepare for aftershocks. But it made no immediate comment about damage. The quake was so powerful that frightened residents in Mexico City more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away fled apartment buildings, often in their pajamas, and gathered in groups in the street. Buildings swayed strongly for more than one minute, loosening light fixtures from ceilings. Helicopters crisscrossed the sky above Mexico City with spotlights. Some neighborhoods kept electricity while others remained in darkness. In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. Local radio in the Central American country reported one death, but it could not be confirmed. "We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have exact details," Morales said. He said the possible death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico. People who evacuated from bars stand in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just after midnight on Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. A massive 8-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city.(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) People who evacuated from bars check their phones in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into o the streets in panic as far away as the capital city. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) People who evacuated from bars check their phones in the street in La Roma neighborhood of Mexico City, after an earthquake shook buildings forcefully and knocked out power in the area, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. A massive earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into o the streets in panic as far away as the capital city. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell) ||||| A major earthquake off Mexico's southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake's magnitude as 8.1 and said it was centered off of Chiapas state near the Guatemalan border. But President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City. Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur. Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them. The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in Chiapas. It had a depth of 43 miles. The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico's capital more than 650 miles away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out. "The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas. Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure. "There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy," he said. "Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged." Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children's hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant's ventilator. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of 3.3 feet above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center's forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific. Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning. Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods. In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. "We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have details," Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico. The quake occurred in a very seismically active region near the point of collision between three tectonic plates, the Cocos, the Caribbean and the North American. Mexico's National Seismological Service said the area has seen at least six other quakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater since 1900 — though three of those all occurred within a nerve-wracking nine-month span in 1902-1903. Frank Griffiths in London contributed to this report ||||| JUCHITAN, Mexico: At least 58 people died when the most powerful earthquake to hit Mexico in over eight decades tore through buildings, forced mass evacuations and triggered alerts as far away as Southeast Asia, with most fatalities in the picturesque state of Oaxaca. The 8.1 magnitude quake off the southern coast late Thursday was stronger than a devastating 1985 temblor that flattened swathes of Mexico City and killed thousands. This time damage to the city was limited as the quake was deeper and further from the capital. "It almost knocked me over," said Gildardo Arenas Rios, a 64-year-old security guard in Mexico City's Juarez neighborhood, who was making his rounds when buildings began moving. The southern town of Juchitan in Oaxaca state on Mexico's narrowest point and near the epicenter, was hit particularly hard, with sections of the town hall, a hotel, a bar and other buildings reduced to rubble. "The situation is Juchitan is critical; this is the most terrible moment in its history," said mayor Gloria Sanchez after the long, rumbling quake that also shook Guatemala and El Salvador nearby to the south. Shocked residents stepped through the rubble of about 100 collapsed buildings including houses, a flattened Volkswagen dealership and Juchitan's battered town hall. "Look at what it did to my house," said Maria Magdalena Lopez, in tears outside its shattered walls. "It was horrifying, it fell down." Alma Rosa, sitting in vigil with a relative by the body of a loved one draped in a red shroud, said: "We went to buy a coffin, but there aren't any because there are so many bodies." All the deaths were in three neighboring states clustered round the epicenter. In Oaxaca, 45 people died, in Chiapas 10 and in Tabasco three people lost their lives, said the head of Mexico's civil protection agency head, Luis Felipe Puentes. Chiapas' Governor Manuel Velasco said 12 had died in Chiapas, which would bring the total to 60. In Chiapas, home to many of Mexico's indigenous ethnic groups, thousands of people in coastal areas were evacuated as a precaution when the quake sparked tsunami warnings. Waves rose as high as 2.3 ft (0.7 m) in Mexico, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, though that threat passed. State oil company Pemex said it was checking its installations for damage and closed the Salina Cruz refinery in the same region as the epicenter as a precautionary measure. It began to restart the 330,000 bpd refinery on Friday afternoon. At least 250 people in Oaxaca were also injured, according to agriculture minister Jose Calzada. Classes were suspended in much of central and southern Mexico on Friday to allow authorities to assess damage. People ran into the streets in Mexico City, one of the world's largest cities with an estimated population of more than 20 million, and alarms sounded after the quake struck just before midnight. In one central neighborhood, dozens stood outside, some wrapped in blankets against the cool night air. Children were crying. Liliana Villa, 35, who was in her apartment when the quake struck, fled in her nightclothes. "It felt horrible, and I thought, 'this (building) is going to fall,'" she said. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake's epicenter was in the Pacific, 54 miles (87 km) southwest of the town of Pijijiapan at a depth of 43 miles (69 km). John Bellini, a geophysicist at the USGS National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado, said Thursday's quake was the strongest in Mexico since an 8.1 temblor struck the western state of Jalisco in 1932. Across the Pacific, the national disaster agency of the Philippines put the country's eastern seaboard on alert for possible tsunamis, although no evacuations were ordered. Rescue workers searched through the night for anyone trapped in collapsed buildings but by early Friday the toll appeared to be less severe than that seen in many far less powerful tremors. Windows were shattered at Mexico City airport and power went out in several neighborhoods of the capital, affecting more than one million people. The cornice of a hotel came down in the southern tourist city of Oaxaca, a witness said. Helicopters buzzed overhead looking for damage to the city, which is built on a spongy, drained lake bed that amplifies earthquakes along the volcanic country's multiple seismic fault-lines, even when they occur hundreds of miles away. The 1985 earthquake was by the coast, about 200 miles from Mexico City. Thursday's quake was 470 miles from the city. Authorities reported dozens of aftershocks, and President Pena Nieto said the quake was felt by around 50 million of Mexico's roughly 120 million population, with further aftershocks likely. He advised people to check their homes and offices for damage and gas leaks. Mexico is evaluating whether the quake will trigger a payout from a World Bank-backed catastrophe bond, Finance Minister Jose Antonio Meade said on Friday. Meade said the bond's coverage could reach US$150 million, depending on magnitude and location. But he said Mexico has sufficient funds to pay for a clean-up whether the bond was triggered or not. ||||| A massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the coast of southern Mexico, toppling houses in Chiapas state, causing to sway buildings violently as far away as possible. A man sits in his wheelchair backdropped by a building damaged by the quake in Juchitan, Oaxaca state in Mexico. AP A massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake rattled the coast of southern Mexico, toppling houses in Chiapas Mexico’s civil protection agency said it was the strongest earthquake to hit the country since a devastating 1985 tremor that toppled buildings and killed thousands. Soldiers remove debris from a partially collapsed municipal building felled by a massive quake. AP Mexico’s civil protection agency said it was the strongest earthquake to hit the country since a dev It is estimated that 50 million of Mexico's 120 million people felt the quake including Guatemala, which borders Chiapas. Mexican officials ordered schools to remain closed in 11 states so they could inspect the structural damage. Residents stand in front of rubble from a partially collapsed building. AP It is estimated that 50 million of Mexico's 120 million people felt the quake including Guatemala, w The quake was so powerful that frightened residents in Mexico City more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away fled apartment buildings, often in their pajamas, and gathered in groups in the street. A woman points to the damage in her home caused by the earthquake, in Juchitan. AP The quake was so powerful that frightened residents in Mexico City more than 1,000 kilometers (650 m The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had originally said a tsunami of more than three meters (10 feet) was possible. The quake caused rough seas but no tsunami occurred. Mexico sits atop five tectonic plates, whose movement makes it one of the most seismically active countries in the world. AP The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center had originally said a tsunami of more than three meters (10 feet) ||||| MEXICO CITY (AP) — A massive magnitude-8 earthquake hit off the coast of southern Mexico late Thursday night, causing buildings to sway violently and people to flee into the street in panic as far away as the capital city. The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 and its epicenter was 102 miles west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state not far from Guatemala. It had a depth of 22 miles. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System said the earthquake was a potential tsunami threat to several Central American countries, including the Pacific coastlines of Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica. It said the threat was still being evaluated for Hawaii, Guam and other Pacific islands. Even in distant Mexico City the quake was felt so strongly that frightened residents gathered in the streets in the dark, often in their pajamas, fearing that buildings would collapse. This article will be updated as information warrants, and follow KPIX 5 on Twitter at @CBSSF or KCBS Radio on Twitter at @KCBSNews for updates on breaking news anytime. Strong earthquakes with an epicenter off the coast can trigger tsunamis, depending on the size and type of the fault movement. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center tracks earthquake data for the West Coast. WEST COAST TSUNAMI TRACKING: Tsunami Alerts & Maps © Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed ||||| A massive 8.1-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of southern Mexico, toppling houses in Chiapas state, causing buildings to sway violently as far away as the country's distant capital city and triggering a tsunami warning. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at 11.49pm local time on Thursday and its epicentre was 102 miles (165km) west of Tapachula in southern Chiapas state, not far from Guatemala. It had a depth of 22 miles (35km). The US Tsunami Warning System said hazardous tsunami waves were possible on the Pacific coasts of several Central American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras, within three hours. There was no tsunami threat for the US West Coast, but the warning system said waves could reach Mexico and as far as Ecuador. "The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily," said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, a poor largely indigenous state popular with tourists. Chiapas Civil Defence said on its Twitter account that its staff were in the streets aiding people and warned residents to prepare for aftershocks. But it made no immediate comment about damage. The quake was so powerful that frightened residents in Mexico City, more than 650 miles (1,000km) away, fled apartment buildings, often in their pyjamas, and gathered in groups in the street. Buildings swayed strongly for more than one minute, loosening light fixtures from ceilings. Helicopters crisscrossed the sky above Mexico City with spotlights. Some neighbourhoods kept electricity while others remained in darkness. In neighbouring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. Local radio in the Central American country reported one death, but it could not be confirmed. "We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don't have exact details," Mr Morales said. He said the possible death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico. ||||| An 8.1 magnitude earthquake has been detected off the coast of southern Mexico. The massive tremor hit in the Pacific Ocean near the border of Mexico and Guatemala. The aftershock was felt as far away as Mexico City. People said the shock lasted as long as 90 seconds and caused office workers to flee their buildings. The quake hit around 70 miles from the west coast of Mexico, near Tres Picos in the state of Chiapas. Widespread, hazardous tsunami waves are possible within the next three hours, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. The Warning Center later said the tsunami waves are expected to be between 1 and 3 metres high. Mexico's civil protection agency said it was the strongest earthquake to hit the country since a devastating 1985 tremor that toppled buildings and killed thousands. People in Mexico City ran out into the streets in pyjamas and alarms sounded after the quake struck just before midnight. Power went out in some neighbourhoods. "I had never been anywhere where the earth moved so much. At first I laughed, but when the lights went out I didn't know what to do. I nearly fell over," said Luis Carlos Briceno, an architect, 31, who was visiting Mexico City. ||||| MEXICO CITY (AP) — A major earthquake off Mexico’s southern coast killed at least five people, with the president saying Friday it was the biggest in a century to hit the country. Houses and at least one hotel toppled, electricity was cut and people fled into the streets in panic. The U.S. Geological Survey reported the earthquake’s magnitude as 8.1, but President Enrique Pena Nieto quoted local calculations it was 8.2, making it the largest in Mexico in 100 years — even larger than the magnitude 8.1 quake in 1985, which killed thousands and devastated large sections of Mexico City. Officials said at least five people died, but the death toll could rise as authorities assess the damage. The government closed schools Friday in at least 11 states to check them for safety. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded at least 20 aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or greater within about five hours after the main shake, and the president warned that a major aftershock as large as magnitude 7.2 could occur. Pena Nieto said that serious damage had been caused and that 1 million customers initially had been without power following the quake, but that electricity had been restored to 800,000 of them. The USGS said the quake struck at 11:49 p.m. Thursday local time and its epicenter was 165 kilometers (102 miles) west of Tapachula in Chiapas, close to Guatemala. It had a depth of 69.7 kilometers (43.3 miles). The quake caused buildings to sway violently in Mexico’s capital more than 1,000 kilometers (650 miles) away. Residents fled buildings, many in their pajamas, and gathered in frightened groups in the street. Some neighborhoods remained in darkness after electricity was knocked out. “The house moved like chewing gum and the light and internet went out momentarily,” said Rodrigo Soberanes, who lives near San Cristobal de las Casas in the southernmost state of Chiapas. Chiapas Gov. Manuel Velasco said that three people were killed in San Cristobal, including two women who died when a house and a wall collapsed. He called on people living near the coast to leave their houses as a protective measure. “There is damage to hospitals that have lost energy,” he said. “Homes, schools and hospitals have been damaged.” Tabasco Gov. Arturo Nunez said two children had died in his Gulf coast state. One of them was killed when a wall collapsed, and the other was a baby who died in a children’s hospital that lost electricity, cutting off the infant’s ventilator. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said waves of one meter (3.3 feet) above the tide level were measured off Salina Cruz, Mexico. Smaller tsunami waves were observed on the coast or measured by ocean gauges in several other places. The center’s forecast said Ecuador, El Salvador and Guatemala could see waves of a meter or less. No threat was posed to Hawaii and the western and South Pacific. Mexican authorities said they were evacuating some residents of coastal Puerto Madero because of the warning. Meanwhile, Mexico was bracing for another natural emergency on the other side of the country. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Katia was likely to strike the Gulf coast in the state of Veracruz early Saturday as a Category 2 storm that could bring life-threatening floods. In neighboring Guatemala, President Jimmy Morales spoke on national television to call for calm while emergency crews checked for damage. “We have reports of some damage and the death of one person, even though we still don’t have details,” Morales said. He said the unconfirmed death occurred in San Marcos state near the border with Mexico. Lucy Jones, a seismologist in California who works with the U.S. Geological Survey, said such s quake was to be expected. “Off the west coast of Mexico is what’s called the subduction zone, the Pacific Plate is moving under the Mexican peninsula,” she said. “It’s a very flat fault, so it’s a place that has big earthquakes relatively often because of that.” “There’s likely to be a small tsunami going to the southwest. It’s not going to be coming up and affecting California or Hawaii,” she said. “For tsunami generation, an 8 is relatively small.” Frank Griffiths in London contributed to this report. ||||| The Church issued the following statement on the Mexico earthquake, which occurred Thursday, Sept. 7, 2017. "With the rest of the world, we are deeply concerned about the many natural disasters that have occurred around the globe in recent weeks," said Church spokesman Eric Hawkins. "Last night's earthquake in Mexico affected thousands of people, and we pray for their safety and wellbeing. "Two missions of the Church were directly impacted (the Mexico Tuxtla Gutierrez and Mexico Oaxaca Missions) and the quake was felt throughout a much larger region. We have confirmed that all missionaries are safe and well. The condition of other Church facilities and the earthquake's impact to other members are unknown at this time. We will provide additional information as it becomes available." | A magnitude 8.1 earthquake is recorded 96 kilometers (60 miles) south of Pijijiapan, Chiapas, Mexico. This is Mexico's strongest quake since the 8.0 earthquake that hit the Greater Mexico City area in 1985. At least 26 deaths have been recorded. |
The annual Rapid Trident military exercises, taking place in the western Ukrainian city of Yavoriv until September 23, involve an "unprecedented" number of 2,500 soldiers from 15 countries (AFP Photo/Yuri DYACHYSHYN) Kiev (AFP) - Ukraine on Monday launched joint military exercises with the United States and a host of other NATO countries as its bitter rival Russia gears up for its own war games on the EU border. The annual Rapid Trident military exercises, taking place in the western Ukrainian city of Yavoriv until September 23, involve an "unprecedented" number of 2,500 soldiers from 15 countries, the Ukrainian military said in a statement. "Today, your support is very important for us. The experience of our colleagues is extremely valuable for the Ukrainian army," Colonel Sergei Litvinov, the exercises co-director on the Ukrainian side, said. The Ukraine drills began days ahead of Moscow's massive military exercise "Zapad 2017" ("West") in neighbouring Russia and Belarus. The event has caused alarm in the Baltic states and Poland and drawn criticism from the United States and NATO for a lack of transparency. Russia has said the exercises will involve about 12,700 Russian and Belarusian troops and are "purely defensive" in nature, but critics say there could be as many as 100,000 soldiers taking part. NATO has also deployed about 1,000 soldiers in each of the Baltic states and Poland in response to growing concern over Russian intentions after Moscow's 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. The peninsula annexation was followed by Russian-backed insurgency in the Ukraine's war-torn east that has killed more than 10,000 people. Kiev and the West have accused Russia of buttressing the rebels and sending in regular troops across the border, claims Moscow has repeatedly denied. On Friday, Kiev reported the first combat death since the warring sides agreed to a new truce in August after a series of previous such deals failed to bring any tangible results. ||||| TALLINN/VILNIUS (Reuters) - From planes, radars and ships in the Baltics, NATO officials say they are watching Russia’s biggest war games since 2013 with “calm and confidence”, but many are unnerved about what they see as Moscow testing its ability to wage war against the West. NATO eFP battlegroup soldiers attend a sniper shooting competition in Rukla, Lithuania September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins NATO believes the exercises, officially starting on Thursday in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, are already underway. It says they are larger than Moscow has publicized, numbering some 100,000 troops, and involve firing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Codenamed Zapad or “West”, NATO officials say the drills will simulate a conflict with the U.S.-led alliance intended to show Russia’s ability to mass large numbers of troops at very short notice in the event of a conflict. “NATO remains calm and vigilant,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said last week during a visit to an Estonian army base where British troops have been stationed since March. But Lithuania’s Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis was less sanguine, voicing widely-felt fears that the drills risk triggering an accidental conflict or could allow Moscow to leave troops in neighboring Belarus. “We can’t be totally calm. There is a large foreign army massed next to Lithuanian territory,” he told Reuters. Some Western officials including the head of the U.S. Army in Europe, Gen. Ben Hodges, have raised concerns that Russia might use the drills as a “Trojan horse” to make incursions into Poland and Russian-speaking regions in the Baltics. The Kremlin firmly rejects any such plans. Russia says some 13,000 troops from Russia and Belarus will be involved in the Sept. 14-20 drills, below an international threshold that requires large numbers of outside observers. NATO will send three experts to so-called ‘visitor days’ during the exercises, but a NATO official said these were no substitute for meeting internationally-agreed norms at such exercises that include talking to soldiers and briefings. Moscow says it is the West that threatens stability in eastern Europe because the U.S.-led NATO alliance has put a 4,000-strong multinational force in the Baltics and Poland. Wrong-footed by Moscow in the recent past, with Russia’s seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its intervention in Syria’s war in 2015, NATO is distrustful of the Kremlin’s public message. In Crimea, Moscow proved a master of “hybrid warfare”, with its mix of cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and use of Russian and local forces without insignia. One senior European security official said Zapad would merge manoeuvres across Russia’s four western military districts in a “complex, multi-dimensional aggressive, anti-NATO exercise”. “It is all smoke and mirrors,” the official said, adding that the Soviet-era Zapad exercises that were revived in 1999 had included simulated nuclear strikes on Europe. NATO officials say they have been watching Russia’s preparations for months, including the use of hundreds of rail cars to carry tanks and other heavy equipment into Belarus. As a precaution, the U.S. Army has moved 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad and has taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defense systems. NATO’S NEXT MOVE? Russia’s military show of force raises some uncomfortable questions for the alliance because NATO cannot yet mass large numbers of troops quickly, despite the United States’ military might, NATO officials and diplomats said. NATO, a 29-nation defense pact created in 1949 to deter the Soviet threat, has already begun its biggest modernization since the Cold War, sending four battalions to the Baltics and Poland, setting up an agile, high-readiness spearhead force, and developing its cyberspace defenses. But NATO has deliberately taken a slowly-slowly approach to its military build-up to avoid being sucked into a new arms race, even as Russia has stationed anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles in Kaliningrad, the Black Sea and Syria. “The last thing we want is a military escalation with Russia,” said one senior NATO official involved in military planning, referring to Zapad. In the event of any potential Russian incursion into the Baltics or Poland, NATO’s new multinational forces would quickly need large reinforcements. But a 40,000-strong force agreed in 2015 is still being developed, officials say. Lithuania’s Karoblis said he hoped to see progress by the next summit of NATO leaders in July 2018. Slideshow (7 Images) Baltic politicians want more discretion given to NATO to fight any aggressor in the event of an attack, without waiting for the go-ahead from allied governments. During Zapad, NATO is taking a low-key approach by running few exercises, including an annual sniper exercise in Lithuania. Only non-NATO member Sweden is holding a large-scale drill. NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Everard told Reuters there was no need to mirror Zapad. “It’s not a competition,” he said during a visit to NATO forces in Latvia. ||||| The large-scale Russian military exercise known as Zapad, which started in Belarus on Thursday, is already a propaganda success: It has alarmed Russia’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization neighbors and garnered so much Western media coverage that one might think it was an actual combat operation. But it has also provided an important insight into the fears of the Russian and Belarusian rulers, fears that are not necessarily groundless. To Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, the exercise is meant to “frighten” her country. To Finnish Defense Minister Jussi Niinisto, it’s about “information warfare” (“Western countries have taken the bait completely, they’ve plugged the exercises so much,” he said recently). To military experts, the quadrennial exercise is a chance to see how much the Russian army has progressed since 2013, when the last Zapad was held. To me, the most intriguing part of the exercise is its storyline. It places a small, hostile and, most importantly, imaginary nation called Veyshnoria in the western part of Belarus — the part of the country with the biggest Catholic population and the highest prevalence of the Belarusian language, which voted nationalist in the country’s last free election in 1994, as Belarusian economist Sergei Chaly pointed out in a recent Facebook post. That’s a clear indication of what could spark war between Russia and the West, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and their generals. The scenario they seem to have in mind starts with Western powers destabilizing Belarus the way they, in Putin’s view, destabilized Ukraine in 2014. Within Putin’s worldview, Ukraine is now split into a U.S.-controlled part and the bit held by pro-Russian rebels in the east. That’s the idea behind Veyshnoria, too — and it’s not entirely fictional. Pro-Western and nationalist activists in Belarus have welcomed “Veyshnoria” gleefully, creating a website and social network feeds for it. It’s all facetious, of course, but behind it is a dream of a Belarus — or even a part of Belarus — that belongs to the Western world and is moving toward NATO and European Union membership. The Belarusians who post about Veyshnorian history, politics and even economy, are doing it just a tiny bit wistfully, imagining how their country could have been if not for Lukashenko. To the Belarusian dictator, and to the Kremlin, these are symptoms of covert Western influence operations, the kind that led to the Ukrainian revolution. Only if the same happens in Belarus, Russia intends to interfere more forcefully. And if it does, it expects a military response from the U.S., given Belarus’ proximity to the Baltic states, which the U.S. has vowed to defend. As Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military and fellow at the Kennan Institute, told me: “Belarus is 100 percent the most likely cause of a fight between Russia and the U.S. When you look at the spread of conflict scenarios, Belarus is Russia’s red line and the Baltics are the U.S. red line. The U.S. line is easy not to cross; Belarus on the other hand can fall victim to all sorts of crises and the Russian fear is that neighboring countries will play games that ultimately result in war.” To Kofman, the current Zapad exercise continues a line of Russian signaling to the West that began with NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, during the Kosovo war. “It was the seismic event from which Russian threat perceptions have never recovered,” he says. During that air campaign, Russia saw the U.S. technological superiority. The U.S. military, it found, could act anywhere with almost total impunity. So ever since, Russia has been trying to come up with a response, should the U.S. intervene in what it sees as its sphere of influence — in response to Russian attempts to secure that sphere. The storyline of the Zapad exercise means the Kremlin considered a more forceful U.S. response to Russian interference in Ukraine a possibility, though perhaps a remote one. In the same way, it’s a possibility to Putin with regard to Belarus. With Zapad, the Kremlin is trying to show the U.S. and NATO how Russia would deal with such a U.S. response. In Kofman’s words: “The point of Zapad has always been to establish coercive credibility with the U.S., that were the U.S. to intervene either in Russia or on Russia’s borders in a country like Belarus, Moscow would use force all the way up to nuclear weapons. We’re at a transition point right where Russia is increasingly less reliant on nuclear weapons, though they still form an important component of how Russia intends to control escalation, and establish escalation dominance. Zapad has gone from 1999 — ‘If you intervene we will nuke you’ — to 2017: ‘If you intervene we have the forces to take you on, and then if we’re losing we will probably still nuke you.’ ” The good thing about that message is that it is essentially defensive, in line with official statements from Russia and Belarus. But the troubling part is that if people in Belarus, or in Russia itself, get fed up with those countries’ oppressive regimes, as Ukrainians did with President Viktor Yanukovych’s corrupt rule, the authoritarian rulers’ reaction may not be aimed merely at suppressing the rebellion. It may be a military move against the West, which will be automatically blamed for the domestic troubles of the regime. Leonid Bershidsky is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was the founding editor of the Russian business daily Vedomosti and founded the opinion website Slon.ru. ||||| MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Zapad 2017 joint strategic military exercise started on the territory of Russia and Belarus, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday. "The Zapad 2017 joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of the Union State of Russia and Belarus began on September 14," the ministry said. Up to 12,700 servicemen (about 7,200 from Belarus, some 5,500 from Russia), up to 70 aircraft and helicopters, up to 680 items of military equipment, including about 250 tanks, up to 200 guns, multiple rocket launchers and mortars, and up to 10 warships take part in the drills. Several NATO member states and Ukraine have raised concerns about the drills, while the German defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen, claimed last week that over 100,000 troops would participate, an allegation refuted by Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. According to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg NATO will send three experts exercises, following invitations from Russia and Belarus. Previously, Stoltenberg said that the alliance does not see any imminent threat posed against any NATO member by the drills. However, a number of NATO member states located in eastern Europe, including Poland and Lithuania, as well as Ukraine, have already expressed their concerns over the upcoming Russia-Belarus exercises. In their turn, senior Russian and Belarusian officials reiterated that the drills do not pose any threat to other states and are exclusively defensive in nature. Moreover, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko stated earlier that these exercises would be open for foreign observers. The Defense Ministry of Belarus reported in August that observers from seven countries — Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Norway — were invited to the event. ||||| An upcoming Russian military exercise in Europe is making analysts nervous. CNN is reporting that the major exercise, called Zapad 2017, will take place in Kaliningrad, which borders Poland, and Belarus which borders both Poland and Ukraine. “Military analysts see such war games as a possible rehearsal for a Russia-NATO armed conflict as it is taking place very close to an area that analysts consider to be the most likely target of a Russian offensive,” the article states. There is also concern by NATO that Russia is not being as transparent about the exercise as it should, such as “not allowing observers to monitor the exercise to ensure that it is not a cover for an aggressive military operation,” as required by international treaties, according to CNN. There is also worry about the true number of participating troops, with the Russians claiming 13,000 and observers saying it could actually be as large as 100,000 Russian and Belorussian forces, according to CNN. The U.S. is currently participating in a multinational training exercise in Ukraine called Exercise Rapid Trident 17. The Russian exercise will begin just days after it ends on Sept. 23. The Ukrainian-led annual exercise has 1,800 participating service members from 14 countries, and is “focused on peacekeeping and stability operations,” according to the US Army Europe website on the exercise. ||||| The first day of major joint war games between Russia and Belarus began in confusion Thursday, as the militaries of both countries announced the Russians would be moving in opposite directions. The defence ministry in Moscow first announced that units of the Russian first tank army were rushing toward Belarus - a statement swiftly denied by the Belarusian military, who insisted the Russian tanks were heading to training bases in their own country. The confusion only exacerbated fears that the Zapad war games taking place largely in Belarus are a cover for a Russian assault, like those that preceded the annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Many have joked that the Russian forces—officially numbering 3,000—might not withdraw at the end of the exercises, and analysts have speculated that they could leave behind military equipment to cut down deployment time in case of conflict. “Without question, all participants of the exercises will return to their permanent bases after the exercises, including the Russian units to the territory of the Russian Federation,” Vladimir Makarov, spokesman of the Belarusian defence ministry, told journalists. He added that the war games “don't hold any danger for Belarus, for neighbouring countries, for Ukraine”. Yet while the exercises are designed to demonstrate Russia's ability to fight Nato, they have also eroded Minsk's claims to neutrality and alarmed its neighbours. On Thursday, Poland's defence minister called Zapad 2017 a “serious threat” to regional security, and Ukraine has been holding its own “Unflinching Firmness” military manoeuvres this week. Even before it started, Zapad had been rattling Nato and its allies. Sweden is holding its largest military exercises in two decades, responding to a simulated attack from the direction of Russia, and US army tanks and fighting vehicles arrived in northern Poland on Monday as part of the ongoing Operation Atlantic Resolve exercises. Alexander Lukashenko, the Belarusian president who has long played Russia and the West off each other for aid money, cheap oil and political benefit, has only reluctantly proceeded with this year's biannual joint exercises. Displaying unusual openness, the Belarusian authorities said they have invited more than 80 observers from international organisations and nearby countries. The 12,700 troops officially said to be participating—Western pundits have estimated up to 100,000 could actually be involved—fall under the threshold for broad international monitoring. “Belarus has been trying to distance itself from Russia and establish neutrality in tensions between Russia and the West, and these exercises ruin this,” said analyst Valery Karbalevich. A Russian T-90 tank firing in Kubinka Patriot Park outside Moscow during the first day of the "Army 2017" International Military-Technical Forum. “But Belarus can't refuse because it would be very disloyal to Russia.” If it wasn't already clear that the Zapad exercises were a thinly veiled preparation for a conflict with Nato, their supposed “aggressor countries”—called Lubeniya, Veishnoriya and Vesbasriya—were located roughly where Lithuania, Latvia and Poland are on a map shown at the Russian defence ministry briefing. Moscow is demonstrating to Washington and Nato it can quickly establish control of Belarus and cut a corridor to the Russian exclave Kaliningrad, headquarters of the Baltic fleet, according to analyst Alexander Golts. “For first time in many years Russia is openly working out military actions against Nato members,” he said. The war games also showcase Russian military equipment, which was on display to buyers at the Army expo in Moscow earlier this month. Some 140 tanks, up to 150 artillery and air defence units and more than 40 planes and helicopters will participate. But some here worry Belarus is becoming Russia's Western front. For years Moscow has been seeking an airbase in Belarus, and Russia recently proposed creating a joint air defence system with Belarus. Earlier this month, the Belarusian opposition staged a protest against the Zapad exercises as a threat to independence. “The main danger is that we are drawn into a conflict. On our territory the Russian army will train to attack the West,” said Mykola Statkevich, the recently freed opposition leader. “No one wants conflict, but when escalation is happening, no one wants to step down, the likelihood of negative scenarios increases.” ||||| The first day of major joint war games between Russia and Belarus began in confusion Thursday, as the militaries of both countries announced the Russians would be moving in opposite directions. The defence ministry in Moscow first announced that units of the Russian first tank army were rushing toward Belarus - a statement swiftly denied by the Belarusian military, who insisted the Russian tanks were heading to training bases in their own country. The confusion only exacerbated fears that the Zapad war games taking place largely in Belarus are a cover for a Russian assault, like those that preceded the annexation of Crimea and intervention in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Many have joked that the Russian forces—officially numbering 3,000—might not withdraw at the end of the exercises, and analysts have speculated that they could leave behind military equipment to cut down deployment time in case of conflict. ||||| The three Baltic states are watching with concern the latest round of Russian military drills that some analysts believe could be the largest of their kind since the Cold War. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite, who often criticizes Russian leaders, says the mid-September military exercise in Belarus is a sign that Kremlin is preparing for a serious conflict with NATO. "We are anxious about this drill ... it is an open preparation for war with the West," she told reporters. Russia and Belarus say the exercises, which last until Sept. 20, will involve 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops. ||||| Russia on Thursday kicked off a week of war games with ally Belarus that have NATO neighbors and the United States watching anxiously, but also allowed Moscow to flex its muscles against one of its primary fears — possible political fissures in the Kremlin’s own orbit. Moments after Russia’s Defense Ministry said the exercises dubbed “Zapad,” or “West,” had begun, it announced that elements of its First Tank Army had been “put on alert” and moved into Belarus for the exercise. Airborne units stationed in Russia also were mobilized and prepared to join the drills, the ministry said. At a time of renewed Cold War-style tension between Russia and NATO, the symbolism couldn’t have been more striking. The Soviet-led Warsaw Pact once used the Zapad exercises to prepare for potential war with the West. The tank unit’s job was to smash through NATO lines, including 300,000 U.S. troops once stationed in Europe. But the U.S. force is down to 30,000, and many countries that once formed the Soviet bloc are now members of NATO. Russia sees itself hemmed in by a hostile, expanding force. President Vladimir Putin has decried “color revolutions” — popular rebellions that swept some former Soviet countries, such as Ukraine’s 2004 “Orange” protests — as a tool of the West, and vowed to prevent any more of them. The scenario Russian and Belarusian forces are playing out involve a “Western Coalition” of imaginary states: Lubenia, Vesbaria and Veishnoria, in which Russian and Western observers see similarities to NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. In the war game scenario, the three enemies are attempting to change the regime in Minsk, turn Belarus against Russia, and annex parts of Belarus to Veishnoria. The first phase of the drills pits Russian and Belarusan forces against “illegal armed formations” and “saboteur groups” of the Western Coalition that have infiltrated Belarus. The Russian announcement Thursday was accompanied by a reassurance — repeated by Moscow for weeks — that the current exercise is “of an entirely defensive nature and is not aimed at any other states.” Concerns in the Western alliance were raised by the apparent difference between official Russian figures about the size of the exercise — 12,700 troops and 680 pieces of military equipment, including 138 tanks — and Western estimates, based on troop and equipment movements, that the number could range from 70,000 to as many as 100,000 participants. Putin and his Belarusan counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, will appear on the sidelines of the drills this weekend, a sign of how important the drills are to the Russian leader, who has vowed to prevent “color revolutions” in the former Soviet region similar to the 2014 rebellions that established a pro-Western government in Ukraine. The exercises — an update of Zapad war games held in 2009 and 2013 — show off a military that Putin has transformed into an effective force that has deployed to Syria and Ukraine in recent years. The story line of the exercise sees militant groups linked to Veishnoriya and backed by the West cross the Belarus border, similar to the way “little green men,” widely assumed to be Russian soldiers, appeared in Ukraine in 2014 prior to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea. The Russian forces cut off the insurgents’ access to the sea and air to prevent the Western coalition from providing backing to the separatists. Western military officials have expressed concern that Zapad 2017 will serves as a “Trojan horse,” allowing Moscow to leave behind some of the military personnel and equipment it deployed for the drills. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told The Washington Post last week that Russia could build trust and head off possible accidents by being more transparent. On Thursday Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters, “We reject complaints of these exercises not being transparent.” He accused the West of “whipping up hysteria” as a “provocation.” In Latvia, Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics told The Post that the country’s leaders are “not panicking” but are being “cautious” because “what we are seeing is that the exercises are of an offensive nature, they are exercising access and area denial, they are exercising against at least four NATO member states under the pretext that they are fighting [separatists].” NATO, which has been conducting its own exercises in Europe this summer, has stationed four battalions — including U.S. troops — in the Baltic states and Poland. Western officials in the Baltics last week said they saw the games as a rehearsal of the capability to seal off Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and deny access to the Baltic Sea to NATO forces attempting to come to their rescue. They also see a larger strategic goal: to demonstrate to U.S. and NATO leaders the high cost of defending the Baltics, and thus bringing into question the viability of the alliance. In Belarus, the country’s small opposition, which fears Moscow could leave its troops to head off any attempt to remove Lukashenko from power, last week held a protest over the presence the Russian military. Ishaan Tharoor in Washington and Michael Birnbaum in Brussels contributed to this report. Fear and confidence in the face of Russian war games What you need to know about Russia’s huge military exercise Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news ||||| Russia has today kicked off its controversial week-long war games in Belarus and the Baltic, involving thousands of troops and military vehicles. The maneuvers, called Zapad - meaning 'West' in Russian - has left neighbouring countries worried it is a precursor to an invasion and seen NATO members accuse Moscow of lying about the size of the drills. Tensions between Moscow and the West have spiraled since Russia's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula, and Ukraine is among the nations worried Zapad 2017 could lead to further landgrabs . The military exercises are now officially underway at several locations in Belarus, the Baltic Sea, western Russia and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Russia and Belarus have said that the exercises, which will last until September 20, will involve 5,500 Russian and 7,200 Belarusian troops, as well as a large number of military vehicles, war ships and aircrafts. It will simulate a rebel uprising with 'troops' backed up by a fictional foreign power, widely assumed to be NATO. However, NATO officials say the number of troops is much larger than Moscow has publicised, closer to 100,000. By claiming that only 13,000 troops are involved, Russia stays below the international threshold that requires large numbers of outside observers. And despite assurances from Minsk and Moscow, leaders in Poland, the Baltic states, Slovakia, Romania, the Ukraine and Bulgaria are concerned Russia might not pull back all of its soldiers after the drills. Lithuania's Defence Minister Raimundas Karoblis said the drills risk triggering an accidental conflict or could allow Moscow to leave troops in neighbouring Belarus. 'We can't be totally calm. There is a large foreign army massed next to Lithuanian territory,' he told Reuters this week. Some Western officials including the head of the U.S. Army in Europe, Gen. Ben Hodges, have raised concerns that Russia might use the drills as a 'Trojan horse' to make incursions into Poland and Russian-speaking regions in the Baltics. Wrong-footed by Moscow in the recent past, with Russia's seizure of Crimea in 2014 and its intervention in Syria's war in 2015, NATO is distrustful of the Kremlin's public message. In Crimea, Moscow proved a master of 'hybrid warfare', with its mix of cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and use of Russian and local forces without insignia. One senior European security official said Zapad would merge manoeuvres across Russia's four western military districts in a 'complex, multi-dimensional aggressive, anti-NATO exercise'. 'It is all smoke and mirrors,' the official said, adding that the Soviet-era Zapad exercises that were revived in 1999 had included simulated nuclear strikes on Europe. NATO officials say they have been watching Russia's preparations for months, including the use of hundreds of rail cars to carry tanks and other heavy equipment into Belarus. As a precaution, the U.S. Army has moved 600 paratroopers to the Baltics during Zapad and has taken over guardianship of the airspace of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which lack capable air forces and air defence systems. | Russia and Belarus begin a six-day joint strategic military exercise inside Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad Oblast. The military exercise simulates war against the fictional state of Veyshnoria. According to the Defence Ministry of Belarus, fewer than 13,000 personnel will be taking part in the exercise; however, Western analysts believe the total number will range from 60,000 to 100,000. |
Just after Hurricane Irma battered the Caribbean, Hurricane Maria is gaining strength and on it's way. Josh King has the story (@abridgetoland). ||||| Hurricane Maria is set to hit many of the same Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just two weeks ago. Maria, a Category 1 hurricane, has prompted hurricane warnings for several Caribbean islands as the storm strengthens while hurtling toward the Leeward Islands. Shock Hurricane Maria forecast from CBS Miami chief meteorologist Greg Setzer said the storm’s path could shift toward the US if it experiences a “big disruption” while surging through the Caribbean. While showing terrifying spaghetti models skirting toward the Miami on the US coast in Florida, Setzer says: “How the land interacts with the storm will be a player in what happens with our weather here, or, maybe, our potential impacts. “There are pretty light steering currents here, but if there’s a big disruption to the storm itself, it may move a little more west. “I’m not saying it’s coming to Florida, all of the models are to our east and this solution is probably the most likely solution, but we still can’t rule out us having to watch it here.” The latest NOAA National Hurricane Center 7am update says the eye of Hurricane Maria has appeared on Guadeloupe and Martinique’s radar, as well as a Barbados radar. There is a tropical storm warning in place for Barbados, which has been spared so far during this hurricane season. Guadeloupe, Dominica and Martinique are expected to feel the worst of the hurricane’s effects and are subject to hurricane warnings.” Hurricane Maria could be “catastrophic” for Puerto Rico, according to NBC metrologist Bill Karins, who says it could receive a direct hit from the storm. He said: “There’s an excellent chance that Maria will be a major hurricane very close to Puerto Rico in 48 hours.” Karins also noted Puerto Rico has not been hit by a major Category 4 or 5 hurricane since 1928. He tweeted: “Overnight model line paths of Maria have shifted slightly west toward the Virgin Islands, too early to know who will get hit harder.” ||||| Maria is expected to develop into a “dangerous major hurricane.” ||||| Just after Hurricane Irma battered the Caribbean, Hurricane Maria is gaining strength and on it's way. Josh King has the story (@abridgetoland). ||||| Florida residents are drifting back from shelters and far-away havens to see Hurricane Irma's scattershot destruction. Florida residents are drifting back from shelters and far-away havens to see Hurricane Irma's scattershot destruction. The storage sizes of the new models are much larger than previous versions; the options are 64 GB or 256 GBS. The storage sizes of the new models are much larger than previous versions; the options are 64 GB or 256 GBS. Selena Gomez says she has received a kidney transplant due to her struggle with lupus. Selena Gomez says she has received a kidney transplant due to her struggle with lupus. London's Metropolitan Police and ambulance services are confirming they are at the scene of "an incident" at the Parsons Green subway station in the southwest of the capital. London's Metropolitan Police and ambulance services are confirming they are at the scene of "an incident" at the Parsons Green subway station in the southwest of the capital. An average of 135 children per day tested positive for opioid addiction or dependence in American emergency rooms, the study found, An average of 135 children per day tested positive for opioid addiction or dependence in American emergency rooms, the study found, MIAMI (AP) -- The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that Hurricane Maria has strengthened to a Category 5 storm as it heads through the Caribbean. As of 8 p.m., the eye of the storm is near the islands of Martinique and Dominica with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. It is moving west-northwest at 16 mph. The storm is on a path that would take it near many of the islands wrecked by Hurricane Irma and on toward Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Hurricane warnings were posted for Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. ||||| Hurricane Maria is forecast to rapidly strengthen over the next two days as it takes aim at Caribbean islands devastated by Hurricane Irma just days ago. “Significant strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane before it moves through the Leeward Islands,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest update. In its 5 a.m. update, the hurricane center placed Maria about 100 miles (160 kilometers) east of Martinique and about 130 miles (215 east-southeast) of Dominica. The storm is currently a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 90 mph, and is forecast to continue moving toward the eastern Caribbean at 13 mph. “Maria is likely to be at category 3 or 4 intensity by the time it moves into the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea,” the center said in its forecast. Maria is one of three storms churning in the Atlantic Ocean, but it poses the most danger to the hurricane-battered Caribbean. “On the forecast track, the center of Maria will move across the Leeward Islands late today (Monday) and tonight and then over the extreme northeastern Caribbean Sea Tuesday and Tuesday night,” the NHC said. Maria has prompted a hurricane warning for Martinique, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis and Montserrat. A tropical storm warning is in effect for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Lucia. A warning is typically issued 36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds. A hurricane watch has now been extended to Puerto Rico and its islands Vieques and Culebra. A watch was earlier put in place for the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barthelemy and Anguilla — many of which were devastated when Irma blew through the Caribbean, killing 44 people. A hurricane watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds. Torrential rainfall could cause deadly flash flooding and mudslides on islands that it crosses. Maria could dump 6 to 12 inches of rain across the Leeward Islands — including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands — through Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Hurricane Jose has weakened slightly as it churns north, but is sill threatening “dangerous surf and rip currents” along the US East Coast in the next few days, the hurricane center said. Early Monday, the Category 1 hurricane was about 280 miles (450 kilometers) east-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving north at 9 mph. “Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 85 mph (140 km/h) with higher gusts. Some gradual weakening is expected during the next couple of days, however, Jose is forecast to remain a hurricane through Tuesday,” the NHC said. While the center of Jose is expected to stay off from the US East Coast, “swells generated by Jose are affecting Bermuda, the Bahamas, and much of the US east coast,” the NHC said. “These swells are likely to cause dangerous surf and rip current conditions for the next several days in these areas.” Tropical storm watches are in place for portions of the eastern coast of the US stretching between Delaware and Massachusetts. The hurricane center said that Jose would produce heavy rain as it passes near southern New England and the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that based on current forecasting the risk of flooding would be “limited in scope.” Lee, the third storm in the Atlantic, fizzled from a tropical storm to a tropical depression Sunday, the hurricane center said. As of Monday morning, Lee was about 1,060 miles (1,710 kilometers) west of Cape Verde. Lee’s maximum sustained winds have sputtered to 35 mph, and are expected to further weaken in the coming days. ||||| Tropical Storm Maria formed in the Atlantic Saturday afternoon, threatening to pound islands already hit hard by Irma with another hurricane early next week. In an 8 p.m. update, National Hurricane Center forecasters said Maria will likely bring dangerous winds,more storm surge and heavy rain to parts of the Lesser Antilles and strengthen into a hurricane Sunday, then approach the Leeward Islands on Monday. On Saturday evening, hurricane watches were issued for Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Guadeloupe. Tropical storm watches were issued for other islands in the chain. By midweek, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico could again face fierce winds. The Coast Guard captain of the Port of San Juan warned that sustained gale force winds greater than 39 miles per hour may arrive within 72 hours, and advised pleasure craft “to seek safe harbor.”Read More…http://amp.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173746616.html ||||| WASHINGTON — A busy, destructive hurricane season this year continues. Soon after Irma, Hurricane Maria took aim at the Caribbean, strengthening into a Category 5 storm on Monday. Like WTOP on Facebook and follow @WTOP on Twitter to engage in conversation about this article and others. ||||| The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is advising against all travel to the British Virgin Islands, Montserrat and Anguilla as islanders prepare for another battering. Members of the UK task force set to region in the wake of Hurricane Irma described the threat from Maria as “very real”. Lieutenant Colonel Paul Maynard, commanding officer of 40 Commando Royal Marines, said the monitoring equipment to keep track of hurricanes is currently out of action on Tortola. And as Maria threatens to strike British Overseas Territories, he said: “We are relying on other overseas territories and the US to just monitor that, the threat is very real.” Lieut Col Maynard said debris left by Irma posed a major problem as another hurricane is "just going to pick all that up, spin it around and throw it like ammunition everywhere". He said: “It could cause potentially more casualties and fatalities than Irma did.” US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters said the weather front is predicted to become a Category 2 hurricane, with winds of up to 110mph set to lash islands in its path. An NHC spokesman said: “Additional rapid strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane before it moves through the Leeward Islands.” Maria is expected to make landfall on Tuesday or Wednesday with severe damage and coastal flooding expected. Up to 12 inches of rain is predicted, with "isolated maximum amounts of 20 inches" expected to hit the British Virgin Islands through Wednesday night. In Anguilla, a maximum amount of up to eight inches could fall. The NHC has warned "rainfall on these islands could cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides". Chris Austin from the Department for International Development, who is leading the UK's response to the the devastation left by Hurricane Irma, said the Joint Task Force is anticipating having to provide further short term relief as Maria edges closer. He said they have already provided 75 tonnes of aid - including shelter kits, food and water - but warned the 5,000 tarpaulins already distributed could be lost in the new weather front. Mr Austin said: “We are planning for the unexpected, we are planning for the worst, we need to demonstrate our own resilience because there could be some pretty sharp backwards steps I think.” Speaking from the British Virgin Islands, Brigadier John Ridge, the second in command of the Joint Task Force, said: "Even with an hour of rain here at the moment, it runs straight off as there is no vegetation. "Normally it would get absorbed by the leaves, that's not there, and the storm drains which then divert the flow have all been blocked by the detritus that have run off the hills." He said additional reserve troops will be sent to the British Virgin Islands, but defended his decision to put troops potentially in harm's way, stating it is a "risk worth taking" because it ensures "extra capacity" to deal with any immediate problems in the aftermath. Brig Ridge said: ”Once the hurricane is through we can leap back into action, we have got the guys positioned in the right place so they are ready to react.” ||||| (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Hurricane Maria grew into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm Monday as it barreled toward a potentially devastating collision with islands in the eastern Caribbean, and forecasters warned it was likely to become even stronger. The storm's eye was expected to pass near Dominica later in the day on a path that would take it near many of the islands already wrecked by Hurricane Irma and then on toward a possible direct strike on Puerto Rico on Wednesday. "This storm promises to be catastrophic for our island," said Ernesto Morales with the U.S. National Weather Service in San Juan. "All of Puerto Rico will experience hurricane force winds." The U.S. territory imposed rationing of basic supplies including water, milk, baby formula, canned food, batteries and flashlights. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Maria had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) in late afternoon. It was centered about 35 miles (55 kilometers) northeast of Martinique and 45 miles (70 kilometers) east-southeast of Dominica, and was heading west-northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). The center said Maria would likely continue to gain strength for the next 24 hours or longer and could reach Category 5 status. Hurricane warnings were posted for the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Kitts, Nevis, Montserrat and Martinique. A tropical storm warning was issued for Antigua and Barbuda, Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Lucia and Anguilla. Forecasters said storm surge could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas. Officials in Dominica closed schools and government offices and urged people to evacuate and seek shelters. "We should treat the approaching hurricane very, very seriously," Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said. "This much water in Dominica is dangerous." The small, mountainous island could be in trouble even if spared the storm's strongest winds. In August 2015, Tropical Storm Erika unleashed flooding and landslides that killed 31 people and destroyed more than 370 homes. Officials in Guadeloupe said the French island would experience extremely heavy flooding starting in the afternoon and warned that many communities could be submerged overnight. In nearby Martinique, authorities ordered people to remain indoors and said they should be prepared for power cuts and disruption in the water supply. All schools and non-essential public services were closed. The storm's hurricane-force winds extended out about 25 miles (35 kilometers) from the eye, and tropical storm-force winds out as far as 125 miles (205 kilometers). The current forecast track would carry it about 22 miles (35 kilometers) south of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands late Tuesday and early Wednesday, according to territorial Gov. Kenneth Mapp. "We are going to have a very, very long night," Mapp said as he urged people in the territory to finish any preparations. St. Thomas and St. John are still recovering from a direct hit by Hurricane Irma, which did extensive damage and caused four deaths on the two islands. Officials and islanders were also bracing in Puerto Rico, which did not take a direct hit from Irma but still saw blackouts across much of the territory. Nearly 70,000 people remain without power, and Gov. Ricardo Rossello warned that more widespread outages are likely with Maria. Forecasters said the storm would dump up to 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rain across Puerto Rico and whip the U.S. territory with heavy winds for 12 to 24 hours. Officials said the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to bring drinking water and help restore power in Puerto Rico immediately after the storm. Traffic was heavy Monday as people rushed to buy last-minute items. Among them was 70-year-old retiree Rafael Rivera, who clutched a small bag of dog treats for his dog and six puppies at home. "This storm is coming with some bad intentions," he said at a San Juan store where some shoppers grumbled about empty shelves. Rossello said Puerto Rico had prepared about 450 shelters capable of taking in up to 125,000 people in a worst-case scenario. Nearly 200 people are still in shelters due to Hurricane Irma. Classes were cancelled and government employees were to work only a half-day. Farther north, long-lived Hurricane Jose continued to head northward well away from the U.S. East Coast but causing dangerous surf and rip currents. It was not expected to make landfall, but a tropical storm warning was in effect for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Tropical storm watches were posted for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut. Jose was centered about 250 miles (405 kilometers) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving north at 10 mph (17 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). Seawater washed over parts of North Carolina's Outer Banks as Jose passed, and five people were knocked off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island by high surf caused by the storm. Officials said rescuers had to fight through rough surf to load the injured onto stretchers and get them to shore. All five were hospitalized. In the Pacific, Tropical Storm Norma's threat to Mexico's Los Cabos resort area at the southern end of the Baja California Peninsula eased as forecasters said it was moving away from shore and expected to weaken. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Lee weakened into a tropical depression far out in the Atlantic and Hurricane Otis became a tropical storm far out in the Pacific. Neither threatened land. | Hurricane Maria has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane watches and warnings have been issued in parts of the Caribbean. It is following a path similar to Category 5 Hurricane Irma which left at least 82 dead. |
Hurricane Maria, the strongest storm to strike Puerto Rico in nearly 90 years, carved a path of destruction through the US territory on Wednesday, causing widespread flooding and knocking power out across the island after killing at least nine people elsewhere in the Caribbean. Maria, the second major hurricane to roar through the region this month, was generating sustained winds of up to 155 miles per hour (250 km per hour) when it came ashore near Yabucoa, on the southeastern end of the island of 3.4 million people. Making landfall as a Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, the storm ripped roofs from buildings and turned low-lying roadways into rushing debris-laden rivers. The streets of historic Old Town in the capital, San Juan, were strewn with broken balconies, air conditioning units, shattered lamp posts, fallen power lines and dead birds. Few trees escaped unscathed. Thick branches were torn down from most and others were simply uprooted. “The danger continues – there are flood warnings for the whole of Puerto Rico,” Governor Ricardo Rossello warned residents on Twitter as the storm headed offshore. “Stay in safe places.” He later imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for the island. News pictures showed whole blocks flooded in areas of the capital, such as the Hato Rey neighborhood. The Miami-based US National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported “catastrophic flash flooding” in portions of the island. “When we are able to go outside, we are going to find our island destroyed,” Abner Gomez, the director of the island’s emergency management agency, known by its Spanish language acronym AEMEAD, was quoted as saying by El Nuevo Dia newspaper. “It’s a system that has destroyed everything in its path.” Electricity was believed to be out across the island, said Pedro Cerame, a spokesman for the governor. Authorities had not yet been able to assess the extent of the damage, he said. By 5 p.m. ET (1800 GMT), Maria’s center was located just north of the island, NHC said. As is typical for hurricanes passing over hilly or mountainous terrain, Maria was considerably weakened by the time it moved offshore, with top wind speeds diminishing to 110 mph (175 kph), though the NHC said the storm was likely to regain some strength in the next day or two. Maria was expected to pass near the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic Wednesday night and Thursday before approaching the Turks and Caicos Islands and sothe southeastern Bahamasn Thursday night and Friday, the NHC said. So far, it looked unlikely to threaten the continental United States. Storm-related rainfall was expected to range from 20 to 25 inches (50 to 65 cm) on much of Puerto Rico through Friday, according to NHC. Maria had ranked as a Category 5 storm when it struck the eastern Caribbean island nation of Dominica on Monday night with devastating force, killing at least seven people there, government officials. Two more people died in the French territory of Guadeloupe before Maria raked St. Croix, the southern-most of the US Virgin Islands, early on Wednesday, causing widespread damage. Hurricane Irma, which ranked as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, also left a trail of destruction in several Caribbean islands and Florida this month, killing at least 84 people. The two other main US Virgin Islands – St. Thomas and St. John – were both hard hit by Irma. Many homes and businesses across Puerto Rico have wooden or tin roofs, cheaper building materials that also keep homes cooler in the balmy Caribbean climate, but that are no match for storms of the intensity of Maria. “This might be a new, permanent part of our lives,” said Ramon Claudio Ortiz, 71, a retired lawyer. “We’re going to have to revisit our building codes.” Maria was the second-strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit Puerto Rico, behind the 1928 San Felipe Segundo hurricane, which struck the island as a Category 5 storm and killed more than 300 people. The latest hurricanes came at a time when the island is struggling financially, grappling with the largest municipal debt crisis in US history. Both its government and the public utility have filed for bankruptcy protection amid disputes with creditors. Even though Irma passed north of Puerto Rico, it knocked out power for 70 percent of the island, and killed at least three people. Passing just to the west of St. Croix, home to about half of the US Virgin Islands’ 110,000 residents, Maria damaged an estimated 65 percent to 70 percent of the island’s buildings, said Holland Redfield, who served six terms in the US Virgin Islands senate. “There were a lot of homes that had lost their roofs. It was a sad sight,” Redfield said in a phone interview. “I’m in a very densely populated area now, and I see a tremendous amount of confusion. A lot of trees are down.” Officials on St. Croix could not be reached for comment. In Guadeloupe, many roads were blocked and 40 percent of the population was without power, France’s overseas territories ministry said. The island of Dominica, with a population of about 73,000, was devastated by Maria earlier in the week. Hartley Henry, principal adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that “the country is in a daze.” For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| The British Virgin Islands have been "spared the worst" from Hurricane Maria, the governor has said, as the storm continues her path of destruction towards another UK overseas territory, PA reports. Gus Jaspert, governor of the British Virgin Islands, which was wrecked by Hurricane Irma two weeks ago, said initial assessments suggested fresh damage is relatively low. "We had high winds, we had a bit of flooding, and we had bit of a storm surge that knocked out some of the roads - but that thankfully we have been spared the worst", he said. "We are very mindful that others and colleagues in the region felt its full force and our thoughts are very much with them at the moment." Mr Jaspert said one of his first priorities on Thursday is to head to the other British Virgin Islands on a helicopter from RFA Mounts Bay to fully assess the damage there. "We prepared for the worst, it hasn't been the worst which is good. We are back on to our recovery focus, which is our key thing," he said. He revealed that there were no deaths, but that someone who was seriously injured during the latest hurricane is due to be medevaced off Virgin Gorda on Thursday. ||||| (SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — One of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Puerto Rico pummeled the island Wednesday, tearing off roofs and sending doors flying from hinges as officials warned Hurricane Maria would decimate the power company's crumbling infrastructure and force the government to rebuild dozens of communities. Maria, which has killed at least nine in the Caribbean, made landfall early Wednesday in the southeast coastal town of Yabucoa as a Category 4 storm with winds of 155 mph (250 kph) winds, and it was expected to punish the island with life-threatening winds for 12 to 24 hours, forecasters said. People calling local radio stations reported that doors were flying off hinges and a water tank flew away in the island's southern region. Meanwhile, widespread flooding was reported in the capital of San Juan, with water running down one apartment's interior staircase. "This is going to be an extremely violent phenomenon," Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. "We have not experienced an event of this magnitude in our modern history." Metal roofs were already flying and windows were breaking as the storm approached before dawn, with nearly 900,000 people without power and one tree falling on an ambulance. Those who sought shelter at a coliseum in San Juan were moved to the building's second and third floors, reported radio station WKAQ 580 AM. The storm was moving across Puerto Rico on Wednesday morning at 10 mph (17 kph), with a gust of 113 mph (182 kph) reported in the capital of San Juan, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Maria, which had previously been a Category 5 storm with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, hit Puerto Rico as the third strongest storm to make landfall in the United States based on a key measurement that meteorologists use: air pressure. The lower the central pressure a storm the stronger it is and Maria's pressure was 917 millibars, lower than Irma's U.S. landfall of 929 millibars in the Florida Keys earlier this month. Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by hurricanes that tend to veer north or south of the island. The last Category 4 hurricane landfall in Puerto Rico occurred in 1932, and the strongest storm to ever hit the island was San Felipe in 1928 with winds of 160 mph. As Maria approached, U.S. President Donald Trump offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!" More than 4,400 people were in shelters by late Tuesday, along with 105 pets, Rossello said. The storm's center passed near or over St. Croix overnight Tuesday, prompting U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp to insist that people remain alert. St. Croix was largely spared the widespread damage caused by Hurricane Irma on the chain's St. Thomas and St. John islands just two weeks ago. But this time, the island would experience five hours of hurricane force winds, Mapp said. "For folks in their homes, I really recommend that you not be in any kind of sleepwear," he said during a brief news conference. "Make sure you have your shoes on. Make sure you have a jacket around. Something for your head in case your roof should breach. ... I don't really recommend you be sleeping from 11 o'clock to 4 (a.m.). ... Be aware of what's going on around you." Maria killed two people in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe and two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials said. About 40 percent of the island — 80,000 homes — were without power and flooding was reported in several communities. The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday, where Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit sent out a series of dramatic posts on his Facebook page, including that his own roof had blown away. "The winds are merciless! We shall survive by the grace of God," Skerrit wrote before communications went down. Hartley Henry, an adviser to Skerrit, said there have been seven confirmed deaths in the Caribbean country from Hurricane Maria. Hartley Henry didn't give details about how the deaths occurred. The storm knocked out communications for the entire island, leaving anyone outside Dominica struggling to determine the extent of damage, though it was clearly widespread. "The situation is really grave," Consul General Barbara Dailey said in a telephone interview from New York. She said she lost contact with the island about 4 a.m. At that point, officials had learned that 70 percent of homes had lost their roofs, including her own. Flooding was a big concern, given the island's steep mountains, cut through with rivers that rage even after a heavy rain. Dominica was still recovering from Tropical Storm Erika, which killed 30 people and destroyed more than 370 homes in August 2015. Forecasters said the storm surge from Maria could raise water levels by 6 to 9 feet (1.8 to 2.7 meters) near the storm's center. The storm was predicted to bring 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain across the islands, with more in isolated areas. To the north, Hurricane Jose weakened to a tropical storm Tuesday night. Forecasters said dangerous surf and rip currents were likely to continue along the U.S. East Coast but said the storm was unlikely to make landfall. Big waves caused by Jose swept five people off a coastal jetty in Rhode Island and they were hospitalized after being rescued. A tropical storm warning was posted for coastal areas in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and tropical storm watches were up for parts of New York's Long Island and Connecticut. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The island of Puerto Rico is completely without electricity, a spokesman from the governor’s office said Wednesday. “We are 100 percent without power,” the spokesman said. The storm, a Category 3 as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, kept thrashing Puerto Rico, ripping trees out of the ground and hammering two-thirds of the island with hurricane-force winds. “This is total devastation,” said Carlos Mercader, a spokesman for Puerto Rico’s governor. “Puerto Rico, in terms of the infrastructure, will not be the same. … This is something of historic proportions.” Maria killed seven people on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica, said Gaston Browne, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. Browne said he had been communicating with the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, who reported “widespread devastation” and whose own house was shredded by the storm. Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday near the city of Yabucoa with winds of 155 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. By 11 a.m., those winds had weakened to 140 mph, but Maria was still a Category 4 hurricane capable of ripping roofs off houses. Maria was expected to dump at least 12 to 18 inches of rain on the island before barreling toward the Dominican Republic starting Wednesday night, then on to Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas by Thursday night, the National Hurricane Center predicted. Holed up in the Puerto Rican capital of San Juan, Geffrard Dejoie said his hotel already was deluged by midmorning Wednesday. “We are all sheltered in the hallways, as a few windows in some rooms have broken,” said Dejoie, a traveling tennis coach. “We also are located very close to the lagoon, and the water is coming up on the lobby, so we had to move to higher floors.” Puerto Rican Olympic gymnast Tommy Ramos, who’s riding out the storm in the northern city of Vega Baja, posted video of gusts blowing debris in front of him. “The house is steady,” Ramos told CNN. “What scares us is the flooding.” Virgin Islands and Dominican Republic under the gun Beyond Puerto Rico, a hurricane warning was in effect for the British and US Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, the southeastern Bahamas and the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata, the hurricane center said. At 11 a.m. ET Wednesday, Maria was centered about 25 miles west of San Juan. It was heading northwest at 12 mph. Dangerous storm surges “accompanied by large and destructive waves” will raise water levels 10 to 15 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning areas of the southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, the hurricane center said. And the British and US Virgin Islands could get pummeled with at least 5 to 10 inches of rain. ‘First responders cannot go out there’ The hurricane slammed Puerto Rico with such intensity, it broke two National Weather Service radars on the island. Calls for rescue immediately started pouring in — but to no avail. “First responders cannot go out there,” Mercader said, echoing the governor’s earlier warning that emergency crews wouldn’t go outside in winds stronger than 50 mph. Maria was expected to cause widespread power outages across Puerto Rico. Shortly after landfall, the storm had wiped out power in the east coast city of Fajardo. Maria became the first hurricane of Category 4 strength or higher in 85 years to hit the US territory, home to 3.3 million people. Thousands of Puerto Ricans heeded calls to go to emergency shelters. “As of 2:30 a.m. we count 10,059 refugees and 189 pets (in shelters),” the island’s governor, Ricardo Rosselló, tweeted. After the storm made landfall, Rosselló asked US President Donald Trump to declare Puerto Rico a disaster zone, the governor tweeted. Some tourists found themselves stranded on the island as flights, already overbooked and increasingly expensive, became unavailable. Heather Farrell was on her honeymoon with her husband, Luke, after their September 9 wedding. The couple had tried to cut the trip short but couldn’t. “We did try to get off, as early as Saturday, but all flights were either booked or canceled,” she said. “We actually are on the ocean — our room faces the ocean. It’s pretty windy, but there is no rain. We’ll stay inside for now.” Hotel staff had asked all guests to head downstairs early Wednesday morning to take shelter in a safe room, Farrell said. Nick Bailey, Brandon Edwards and John Michael Berndt — three friends from northern California — chose this week to vacation on the island. They were aware of Maria, which was only a tropical depression when they left California. “Our hostel is taking good care of us,” Berndt said, adding that staff there had boarded all the windows and created a concrete hurricane barrier. “This is a good area, apparently,” Bailey said. “It’s close to hospitals and emergency centers.” The men also were moved to rooms deeper inside the hostel — without any windows. As Maria pushed through the Caribbean toward Puerto Rico, two people were missing after a boat sank off the coast of La Désirade, a small island near the mainland of Guadeloupe. About 80,000 people, or 40% of households on the island, were left without power, the government said. The storm also caused “widespread devastation” in Dominica, the country’s Prime Minister said Tuesday. Maria ripped off the roof of his own house and left much of the island — population 73,000 — in ruins. ||||| (U.S. Edition) Though much of Puerto Rico was spared from Hurricane Irma, Hurricane Maria is now bearing down. We'll take a look at the efforts the territory is making to shelter evacuees. Afterwards, we'll discuss a new report that shows nearly 9 out of every 10 U.S. students have adequate internet bandwidth in their classrooms — a huge increase from four years ago when less than 10 percent did. How'd the digital divide get narrowed so quickly? Plus: We interview Gillian Thomas, a senior staff attorney with the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, about the push to prohibit workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. ||||| Hurricane Maria made landfall near Yabucoa, Puerto Rico early Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm. The US and British Virgin Islands were hit hard by Maria as well, with a wind gust of 106 mph reported overnight in St. Croix. The entire territory of Puerto Rico was without power as of Wednesday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center has warned of flooding and landslides as 6-9 feet of storm surge and 20+ inches of rain are both possible. Maria moved over Puerto Rico after making landfall over Dominica Monday night as a Category 5 storm. Maria had strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane Monday evening, becoming the fourth major hurricane of the Atlantic Basin’s 2017 season and the second Category 5 storm of the 2017 season. Maria is now moving past Puerto Rico, moving to the north side of Hispaniola . A Hurricane Warning extends from the northern coast of the Dominican Republic to the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas. Maria is expected to take a turn to the north, missing Florida by the end of the week. Most models are in agreement that Maria will stay out to sea from the US Mainland and weaken through next weekend. There is still a chance however that Maria could impact the Mid-Atlantic or Northeast Coast next week. The likely impacts would be similar to those of Jose, with high seas and rough surf along the east coast. Below is additional information from the National Hurricane Center. …DESTRUCTIVE WINDS AND FLOODING CONTINUE OVER PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO… …CENTER OF MARIA APPROACHING THE NORTHERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO… SUMMARY OF 1100 AM AST…1500 UTC…INFORMATION ———————————————– LOCATION…18.4N 66.5W ABOUT 15 MI…25 KM ESE OF ARECIBO PUERTO RICO ABOUT 25 MI…40 KM W OF SAN JUAN PUERTO RICO MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…140 MPH…220 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 305 DEGREES AT 12 MPH…19 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…930 MB…27.47 INCHES WATCHES AND WARNINGS ——————– CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY: The government of France has discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning for St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. The government of St. Maarten has discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning and Hurricane Watch for St. Maarten. The government of the Netherlands has discontinued the Tropical Storm Warning for Saba. SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT: A Hurricane Warning is in effect for… * U.S. Virgin Islands * British Virgin Islands * Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques * Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to Puerto Plata * Turks and Caicos Islands and the Southeastern Bahamas A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for… * Dominican Republic west of Puerto Plata to the northern border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti * Dominican Republic west of Cabo Engano to Punta Palenque A Hurricane Watch is in effect for… * Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Cabo Engano A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area. A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Interests elsewhere in Hispaniola and the Bahamas should monitor the progress of Maria. For storm information specific to your area in the United States, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. For storm information specific to your area outside the United States, please monitor products issued by your national meteorological service. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK —————————— At 1100 AM AST (1500 UTC), the center of Hurricane Maria was located inland over Puerto Rico near latitude 18.4 North, longitude 66.5 West. Maria is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this general motion with a gradual decrease in forward speed is expected through early Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Maria will move offshore of the northern coast of Puerto Rico during the next couple of hours. The center will then pass offshore of the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday and then move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas Thursday night and Friday. Maximum sustained winds are near 140 mph (220 km/h) with higher gusts. Maria is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Little change in strength is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Maria is expected to remain a dangerous major hurricane through Friday. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 150 miles (240 km). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ———————- WIND: Hurricane and tropical storm conditions are occurring over Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the warning areas in the Dominican Republic this afternoon, with hurricane conditions starting in the hurricane warning area tonight. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas Thursday morning, with hurricane conditions starting Thursday evening. Wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains and on high-rise buildings could be much stronger than the near- surface winds indicated in this advisory. STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water is expected to reach the following heights above ground if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide… The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the north and east of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office. A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning area in the Dominican Republic, and 1 to 3 ft elsewhere along the northern coasts of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. A dangerous storm surge accompanied by large and destructive waves will raise water levels by as much as 10 to 15 feet above normal tide levels in the hurricane warning area near and to the north of the center of Maria for both the Southeastern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. RAINFALL: Maria is expected to produce the following rainfall totals through Friday: Puerto Rico…12 to 18 inches, isolated 25 inches U.S. and British Virgin Islands…additional 5 to 10 inches, isolated 15 inches Northern and eastern Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos and southeast Bahamas…8 to 16 inches, isolated 20 inches Northern Haiti…2 to 4 inches Rainfall on these islands will cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides TORNADOES: Several tornadoes are possible over Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands today. THE EYE: Do not venture outside when the calm eye of the hurricane passes over, as dangerous winds will return very quickly when the eye moves away. SURF: Swells generated by Maria are affecting the Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These swells will begin affecting the northern coast of Hispaniola, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and the Southeastern Bahamas during the next day or two. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Tens of thousands of Puerto Ricans stunned by a hurricane that knocked out power for the whole island and paralyzed the U.S. territory with landslides, flooding and downed trees vowed to slowly rebuild amid an economic crisis as rescue crews fanned out Thursday. The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remained isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years. Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone's safety. "This is going to be a historic event for Puerto Rico," said Abner Gomez, the island's emergency management director. Previously a Category 5 with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, Maria hit Puerto Rico as the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Hurricane Irma that storm roared into the Florida Keys earlier this month. In the capital of San Juan, towering eucalyptus trees fell nearly every other block over a main road dotted with popular bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, some of which were damaged. Outside a nearby apartment building, 40-year-old tourism company operator Adrian Pacheco recounted how he spent eight hours in a stairwell huddled with 100 other residents when the hurricane ripped the storm shutters off his building and decimated three balconies. "I think people didn't expect the storm to reach the point that it did," he said. "Since Irma never really happened, they thought Maria would be the same." Hurricane Irma sideswiped Puerto Rico on Sept. 6, leaving more than 1 million people without power but causing no deaths or widespread damage like it did on nearby islands. Maria, however, blew out windows at some hospitals and police stations, turned some streets into roaring rivers and destroyed hundreds of homes across Puerto Rico, including 80 per cent of houses in a small fishing community near the San Juan Bay, which unleashed a storm surge of more than 4 feet. "Months and months and months and months are going to pass before we can recover from this," Felix Delgado, mayor of the northern coastal city of Catano, told The Associated Press. ||||| Updated at 9:12 a.m. ET After devastating parts of the Caribbean, Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico at 6:15 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had previously been a Category 5 hurricane, but even downgraded, it packed powerful sustained winds of 150 mph and is the strongest hurricane to have hit the island in decades. Maria's eye closed in on the island near the eastern municipality of Yabucoa. The NHC says the eye will continue to move across the U.S. territory Wednesday morning and will move off the northern coast by afternoon. "The center will then pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday," according to the hurricane center. "Very high winds are just tearing trees apart," Miguel Santiago with member station WRTU in San Juan reported Wednesday morning. "Most of the island is without power ... or water." Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by a hurricane and most recently avoided Irma, which went on to strike Florida. In the days before Maria hit the island, Puerto Ricans were urged to heed hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. "We expect severe devastation," Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told NPR. "We have about 500 shelters. People have been trickling into those shelters. But really, we have some weak infrastructure in terms of some of the homes that we have in Puerto Rico." By late Tuesday, more than 4,000 people on the island had gone to shelters to wait out Maria, the governor tweeted. "One of the shelters in San Juan had to relocate refugees to the hallways because of the roof, it was shaking due to the winds," Santiago said. President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!" Elsewhere in the Caribbean, a falling tree killed one person on the island of Guadeloupe Tuesday, The Associated Press reports. Two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials told the news agency. The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday. NPR's Two-Way reports: ||||| CLEVELAND - As Hurricane Maria bears down, Northeast Ohio residents with loved ones in Puerto Rico are expressing concern for their safety. "My parents, my grandparents and my aunts and uncles, 95-percent of my family's there right now, so I have some concern that's for sure," said June Colon. Colon lives in Cleveland, but most of his family lives in the path of Hurricane Maria, in the city of Guayama, on the southeastern coast of Puerto Rico. "We have everything we need...the food, the water, we have radios, the batteries, we have flashlights," said Maria Rodriguez. We spoke to Colon's mother Tuesday afternoon by Facetime, as Hurricane Maria barreled toward the shore. At the time, the weather was cloudy and breezy, but Maria says she, her husband and parents are ready when the weather turns ugly. "This house was constructed in 1870, so it's a historical house. It's a solid house, so hopefully it will stand. We do have some trees in front of the house, two large trees, you can see those trees right there," she said. "They've gone through so many hurricanes in the past that I think there's some kind of pride or sense of security, knowing that they've been through one of them. They've been through them all, even though this one seems larger than past hurricanes," said Colon. "It's sort of like a New Orleans style, you see we have these shutters, they're almost like doors," said Rodriguez. Maria says if they feel in danger, they will seek shelter somewhere else, but for now, she doesn't seem worried. "The house is about five feet up from the sidewalk, so we have plenty of room if it floods," she said. "I've got two or three different ways of contacting her, I called her this morning, with my son with me just to say hi, trying not to show that I'm actually afraid or anything like that," said Colon. ||||| Updated at 9:12 a.m. ET After devastating parts of the Caribbean, Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico at 6:15 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had previously been a Category 5 hurricane, but even downgraded, it packed powerful sustained winds of 150 mph and is the strongest storm to have hit the island in decades. After several deaths were reported in the Caribbean, Maria's eye closed in on the island near the eastern municipality of Yabucoa. The NHC says the eye will continue to move across the U.S. territory Wednesday morning and will move off the northern coast by afternoon. "The center will then pass just north of the northeast coast of the Dominican Republic tonight and Thursday," according to the hurricane center. "Very high winds are just tearing trees apart," Miguel Santiago with member station WRTU in San Juan reported Wednesday morning. "Most of the island is without power ... or water." As the punishing winds moved over the island, doors were ripped off hinges, roofs went airborne and widespread flooding was reported in the capital city of San Juan, says The Associated Press. Puerto Rico had long been spared from a direct hit by a hurricane; the last Category 4 storm to make landfall on the island was in 1932, reports the AP. Most recently, Puerto Rico avoided the worst of Irma, which went on to strike Florida. In the days before Maria hit the island, Puerto Ricans were urged to heed hurricane warnings and evacuation orders. "We expect severe devastation," Gov. Ricardo Rosselló told NPR on Tuesday. "We have about 500 shelters. People have been trickling into those shelters. But really, we have some weak infrastructure in terms of some of the homes that we have in Puerto Rico." By late Tuesday, more than 4,000 people on the island had gone to shelters to wait out Maria, the governor tweeted. "One of the shelters in San Juan had to relocate refugees to the hallways because of the roof, it was shaking due to the winds," Santiago said. President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered his support via Twitter: "Puerto Rico being hit hard by new monster Hurricane. Be careful, our hearts are with you- will be there to help!" The storm also blew over the tiny eastern Caribbean island of Dominica late Monday. An adviser to Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit says the storm killed at least seven people there, according to the AP. Skerrit had been active on social media, posting multiple times about the storm's effects. Monday night he wrote, "My roof is gone. I am at the complete mercy of the hurricane. House is flooding." He later said he had been rescued. His last Facebook post was made in the early hours of Tuesday, since then — silence. "Initial reports are of widespread devastation. So far we have lost all what money can buy and replace," Skerrit wrote just after midnight Tuesday. "My focus now is in rescuing the trapped and securing medical assistance for the injured." "We will need help, my friend, we will need help of all kinds." Elsewhere in the Caribbean, two people were killed on the island of Guadeloupe, the AP reports. Two people aboard a boat were reported missing off La Desirade island, just east of Guadeloupe, officials told the news agency. | Hurricane Maria makes landfall on Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Effects are disastrous and the entire island loses power. Seven deaths are reported on Puerto Rico, along with two on Guadeloupe. Puerto Rican Governor Ricardo Rosselló declares a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew through Saturday. |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — They eye of Hurricane Maria was nearing the Turks and Caicos early Friday as Puerto Rico sought to recover from the storm’s devastation. Two days after Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, flooding towns, crushing homes and killing at least two people, millions on the island faced the dispiriting prospect of weeks and perhaps months without electricity. The storm knocked out the entire grid across the U.S. territory of 3.4 million, leaving many without power. The loss of power left residents hunting for gas canisters for cooking, collecting rainwater or steeling themselves mentally for the hardships to come in the tropical heat. Some contemplated leaving the island. “You cannot live here without power,” said Hector Llanos, a 78-year-old retired New York police officer who planned to leave Saturday for the U.S. mainland to live there temporarily. Like many Puerto Ricans, Llanos does not have a generator or gas stove. “The only thing I have is a flashlight,” he said, shaking his head. “This is never going to return to normal.” Maria’s death toll across the Caribbean, meanwhile, climbed to at least 19, nearly all of them on the hard-hit island of Dominica. In Puerto Rico, the government said at least two were killed but media on the island were reporting additional deaths and the actual toll appeared unlikely to be known for days. As of Friday morning, Maria was moving toward the Turks and Caicos with winds of 125 mph (205 kph). The storm was expected to move near or just east of the Turks and Caicos and the southeastern Bahamas on Friday. From there, it is expected to veer into the open Atlantic, no threat to the U.S. mainland. In Puerto Rico, the grid was in sorry shape long before Maria — and Hurricane Irma two weeks ago — struck. The territory’s $73 billion debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. It abandoned most basic maintenance in recent years, leaving the island subject to regular blackouts. “We knew this was going to happen given the vulnerable infrastructure,” Gov. Ricardo Rossello said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it would open an air bridge from the mainland on Friday, with three to four military planes flying to the island every day carrying water, food, generators and temporary shelters. “There’s a humanitarian emergency here in Puerto Rico,” Rossello said. “This is an event without precedent.” He said his administration was trying to open ports soon to receive shipments of food, water, generators, cots and other supplies. The government has hired 56 small contractors to clear trees and put up new power lines and poles and will be sending tanker trucks to supply neighborhoods as they run out of water. The entire island has been declared a federal disaster zone. Mike Hyland, senior vice president of engineering services for the American Public Power Association, a utility industry group that is sending repair crews into the Caribbean, refused to speculate on how long it would take to restore power in Puerto Rico. “Let’s see what the facts tell us by the end of the weekend,” he said. But he acknowledged: “This is going to be a tall lift.” Maribel Montilla already had two large barrels filled with water but worried about how long it would last for her, her daughter, her son-in-law and six grandchildren. “You know what I think? We’re going to be without power for six months now,” she said. Cellphone and internet service collapsed in much of Puerto Rico. The only radio station that remained on the air during the hurricane — WAPA 680 AM — was relaying messages to help connect friends and families. Other concerns were more prosaic. Across the street, someone yelled at a neighbor, “Listen, do you have Netflix?!” Jaime Rullan, a sports commentator, has a gas stove at home but tried not to think about the lack of air conditioning on an island where the heat index has surpassed 100 degrees (37 Celsius) in recent days. “We’re used to the lights going out because of storms here in Puerto Rico, but this time, we’re worried,” he said. “We should prepare ourselves mentally to be at least a month without power.” Deysi Rodriguez, a 46-year-old caretaker for elderly people, does not have a gas stove. And unlike others who have been lining up at the few fast-food restaurants that have reopened, Rodriguez is a diabetic and has to be more careful about what she eats. Rodriguez said she might temporarily move to New Jersey if the situation gets worse. Pedro Cartagena, a 57-year-old dock supervisor, said he planned to shower, eat and sleep at his company’s office. He plans to buy food at the few restaurants that are open and operating on generators. “That’s going to drain my bank account,” he said, “but if I want to eat, that’s my only option.” In an upscale neighborhood in San Juan, 69-year-old retiree Annie Mattei’s condominium has a generator. But she said maintenance will shut it off between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to save fuel. “This has been devastating,” she said as her eyes welled with tears. In the Dominican Republican, Maria knocked down trees and power lines. But Joel Santos, president of the country’s hotel association, said the hurricane did not damage the tourism infrastructure, even though it passed close to Punta Cana, the major resort area on the eastern tip of the island. In Dominica, where Maria laid waste to hundreds of homes and was blamed for at least 15 deaths, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit wept as he spoke to a reporter on the nearby island of Antigua. “It is a miracle there were not hundreds of deaths,” he said. He added: “Dominica is going to need all the help the world has to offer.” ||||| The US Coast Guard says a British Royal Navy helicopter has rescued a family of three who were left stranded on top of their capsized vessel following Hurricane Maria. In a dramatic, coordinated effort, rescuers were able to hoist up a woman and her two children from their boat Ferrel just off Vieques, Puerto Rico early today. Coast Guard in Miami received an alert via emergency position and a distress call on Wednesday stating that those aboard the Ferrel were disabled and adrift in 6m waves and 60 km/h wind. The Coast Guard says the dead man's body was not retrieved and that the boat had capsized. The search included an HC-130 search plane, a fast response cutter, the USS Kearsage amphibious assault ship and Navy helicopters. The names of those on the vessel were not released. ||||| When Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, it not only tore roofs off buildings and caused extreme flooding, it also created a massive power outage that is affecting all 3.5 million people on the 100-mile-long island, which is making communication across the area very difficult. Some residents experienced power outages when Hurricane Irma passed north of Puerto Rico on Sept. 6 and never had their power return, according to NBC News. Other outages occurred Wednesday morning as Hurricane Maria approached the island, and even more followed throughout the day. Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority announced at about 4 a.m. Wednesday morning that 884,000 of its customers had no power. Later, the island’s Emergency Management Agency announced that 100 percent of the island was without power, according to The New York Times. Both Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz said it will likely take months to fix the outage across Puerto Rico. “The San Juan that we knew yesterday is no longer there,” Cruz told MSNBC on Thursday. “We’re looking at four to six months without electricity [in Puerto Rico].” Rosselló told CNN that the storm badly damaged the infrastructure of the power grid, which he called “a little bit old, mishandled and weak,” on Anderson Cooper 360. The power outage is inhibiting communication across the island. On Thursday, more than 95 percent of cell sites were out of service, according to the Federal Communication Service. That’s even higher than after Hurricane Irma, which had put about 56 percent of the island’s wireless network out of service. Without cell service, many people are unable to contact loved ones and confirm their safety. Resident Jeannelish Deida told CBS3 on Thursday that she cannot contact her family within the island. Deida is unable to travel due to flooding on the streets, but once water levels decrease she plans to drive to her family members and make sure they are safe. Because they lack cell service, many residents have been using social media to stay in touch from across the island. “Keep posting information on social media because that’s the only way that we are looking for what happened because here we don’t have communication,” Deida told CBS3 on Thursday. Many people living in the continental U.S. are also concerned about their friends and family in Puerto Rico, including Orlando resident Lius Alfonso Figueroa and South Carolina resident Yany Lebron. Lebron posted photos on Facebook of the wreckage in her hometown, Juncos, Puerto Rico, as she received the images from family members. Lebron wrote she is heartbroken that her “poor island has been destroyed.” Figueroa also used Facebook on Thursday to share his connection to the people in Puerto Rico: “May God be the one who takes control over my family, friends and compatriots of my island of charm!” On Wednesday, Lebron used the platform to express the difficulty she has communicating with her family members. “At this point all family members that lived out of Puerto Rico are all stressing,” Lebron wrote. “It gets very frustrating not knowing how our loved ones are doing so please be patient with us.” Celebrities who have ties to Puerto Rico in the U.S. are also voicing their concern over the situation in Puerto Rico. Jennifer Lopez posted on Instagram Thursday night that she still hasn’t heard from her family that live on the island. The singer, who was born in the Bronx, New York, to Puerto Rican parents, used Instagram to urge her fans to support and donate towards Hurricane Maria relief efforts. “What’s on my mind is what’s going on in Puerto Rico. The devastation is beyond belief,” JLo said in an Instagram video. “Me and my cousin still haven’t been able to hear from our families over there.” Rosselló also expressed difficulty communicating with people across the island when he spoke to CNN on Wednesday. He said there is only one known casualty in Puerto Rico resulting from Hurricane Maria: A man was hit by a board that had been torn from a house due to the storm’s high-speed winds. But Rosselló added that he is not yet aware of all the storm’s impacts. “We still don’t have a lot of information,” Rosselló told CNN on Wednesday. “We’re virtually disconnected in terms of communications with the southeast part of the island.” A week after Irma hit, all but six percent of cell sites had been recovered. This time it will likely take longer. “Unfortunately, getting Puerto Rico’s communications networks up and running will be a challenging process, particularly given the power outages,” FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told the Wall Street Journal. For ways to help victims of Hurricane Maria, here are some verified organizations assisting in the efforts. ||||| If you live in this municipality of Puerto Rico, or know of anyone who lives there but can’t reach their family members abroad, help us connect them. Ask the people on the island for their names and location, as well as the contact information for their relatives abroad. Then share that information with us through a private message on Univision Puerto Rico´s Facebook page or send it to uninoticiasdigital@univision.net. We will contact their family members abroad with the information you provide. #PRActivate If you live in this municipality of Puerto Rico and want to tell a story, report something or send us photos or videos, you can contact us through the Univision Puerto Rico Facebook page, through Twitter or through WKAQ 580 Facebook Page. If you are outside of Puerto Rico, you are looking for your relatives and cannot locate them you can also visit the Facebook group 'Puerto Rico Maria Updates', which is not run by Univision, but is being used by many families to organize spontaneously. ||||| If you live in this municipality of Puerto Rico or have direct information about your situation after Hurricane Maria and you want to help us inform other relatives, write to our journalists at mfelix@univision.net or call 305-798-9271 #PRActivate. If you live in this municipality of Puerto Rico and want to tell a story, report something or send us photos or videos, you can contact us through the Univision Puerto Rico Facebook page, through Twitter or through WKAQ 580 Facebook Page. If you are outside of Puerto Rico, you are looking for your relatives and cannot locate them you can also visit the Facebook group 'Puerto Rico Maria Updates', which is not run by Univision, but is being used by many families to organize spontaneously. ||||| It could take months to restore power to Puerto Rico because most of the island's power lines were aerial, Puerto Rico's secretary of state told CNBC on Friday. Power went down across the entire island after Hurricane Maria made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Wednesday. It was the most powerful storm to hit Puerto Rico in 90 years. Much of the infrastructure is down, "so we need to get it up and running. We established priorities whereby we have our hospitals first in line and certainly the hotels and going into communities," Luis Rivera Marin said in an interview with "Power Lunch." ||||| Here are live updates from the the NOAA, National Hurricane Center (NHC) and the National Weather Service (NWS) as well as the most advanced weather models from around the world. All times EDT. Bringing you the latest Hurricane Maria path updates, storm track, weather models, forecasts, tracking maps and videos as the storm heads towards the Caribbean. Several Puerto Ricans have tweeted that "terrifying noises" are marking the arrival of Hurricane Maria. Strong winds have been reported in Humacao on the southeast coast of the island. The NOAA has released a special 4am update on Maria’s position and intensity. Maria’s eyewall is currently over Vieques, with the center of the storm located about 20 miles south-southeast of Vieques and about 60 miles southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The update added: “A sustained wind of 68 mph (109 km/h) with a wind gust to 83 mph (133 km/h) was recently reported in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. “A sustained wind of 47 mph (76 km/h) with a wind gust to 63 mph (102 km/h) was recently reported at San Juan International Airport.” Keraunos, the French hurricane observatory, has said that Hurricane Maria will hit Puerto Rico within 2 to 3 hours. Residents across the island, including those in its capital San Juan, are hunkering down ahead of the storm’s impact. "It looks like a ghost town," 53-year-old psychiatrist Jose Torres said as he walked through the center of Old San Juan. “We're taking more precautions this time after Irma.” Puerto Rico avoided a direct hit from Irma, but the storm knocked out power for 70 percent of the island, and killed at least three people. Maria promises to be worse. "We know that this hit is going to be much more devastating than the previous one," Puerto Rico's Governor Ricardo Rossello told National Public Radio. 3.30am: Dominica devastated with ’90 per cent of buildings destroyed’ Six people have died on Dominica, according to initial but unconfirmed reports. Communications are still down on the island, which was hit by Maria on Monday night, meaning that it is impossible to verify the extent of the devastation. WIC News understands that at least 90 per cent of the island’s buildings have been destroyed, with trees uprooted and power and communications down. The website has also received reports of severe flooding and landslides blocking several roads. Levi Peter, the attorney general of Dominica, spoke to Sky News this morning from London. ||||| Compounding Puerto Rico's devastation in the wake of Hurricane Maria is the fact that so much is still unknown. Because most of the island's cellphone sites are out of service and the power grid is down, it has been difficult or impossible to connect with the people who live there — whether from the mainland or from another part of the island. Atlanta resident Silkia Babilonia, who lives in Atlanta, says that since the storm, she hasn't been able to reach friends and family on the island's west side. "I tried to call every single number have for them, cellphone and landlines, but nothing," Babilonia, who was born and raised in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, before moving to the mainland five years ago, told NPR. "We're trying to stay calm, pray and hope everything is alright." Calling family in the San Juan area has been easier, Babilonia said. "My husband can talk to his family nearly every day, and they're doing OK. They're safe." Puerto Rican officials say at least six people are confirmed dead on the island in connection with the storm, The Associated Press reports. The death toll across the Caribbean was 27 as of Friday afternoon, with at least 15 deaths on Dominica. The Federal Communications Commission reported Thursday that 95.2 percent of all cellular telephone sites in Puerto Rico were out of service. (In the U.S. Virgin Islands, meanwhile, 76.6 percent of cell sites are down.) It's not just the cellular networks that aren't working: The FCC says it has received reports that "large percentages of consumers are without either cable services or wireline services." Some people were able to connect using Internet-based tools. Julio Cerón, who lives in Silver Spring, Md., said he reached family members in the northeastern region of Canovanas by calling via Messenger, a service from Facebook, "which we couldn't have done a couple of years ago," he told NPR. But if you can't get on the Internet, services like Messenger are no help. Dyn Research posted charts of Internet traffic in Puerto Rico, which dropped precipitously on Wednesday as power and Internet connections there failed. Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, who works in Boston, told NPR member station WBUR on Thursday that it took her days and dozens of tries to reach her 87-year-old father on a landline. "He's doing good. So that's great. When we were able to connect today, our calls dropped and then we weren't able to reconnect," she said. "But at least we were able to talk long enough to know that he's fine and to have a good conversation. So it is very erratic right now. It's very choppy. There's no consistent way of communicating." Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor said she, too, was struggling to reach family members in the west coast area of Mayaguez. "The island is suffering a great tragedy right now," she said, according to CNN. "Myself personally and the rest of my family, we are exceedingly concerned. We ask for your prayers." On a Hurricane Maria page on its USA.gov website, the federal government offered suggestions to people trying to connect with loved ones in Puerto Rico, including an email address (maria1@prfaa.pr.gov) and phone number (202-800-3133) to call the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration. Though the site cautioned: "They are experiencing high email volume, please do not send more than one email unless the situation of your loved one has changed." Its other suggestions include a registry run by the Red Cross and one rather low-tech option: calling into Puerto Rican radio station WIPR. A small handful of radio stations managed to keep broadcasting through the storm and have worked to relay messages about loved ones who couldn't be reached by phone or Internet. Silkia Babilonia says she knows what it's like to be out of touch: She was on the island in 1998 during Hurricane Georges and its aftermath, when phone service was lost for months. "From my side now," she says of trying to reach people, "you feel a bit anxious about it." "But on the other side, being the person living through the situation, you want to tell everybody else that you're doing good, but you're not able to. It just doesn't feel right." Do you have a Maria story? Tell us here. ||||| SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Rescuers fanned out to reach stunned victims Thursday after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, knocking out electricity to the entire island and triggering landslides and floods. The extent of the damage is unknown given that dozens of municipalities remained isolated and without communication after Maria hit the island Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with 155 mph winds, the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in over 80 years. Uprooted trees and widespread flooding blocked many highways and streets across the island, creating a maze that forced drivers to go against traffic and past police cars that used loudspeakers to warn people they must respect a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew imposed by the governor to ensure everyone’s safety. People resorted to rafts and kayaks to get around because flooding made many roads remained impassable. “This is going to be a historic event for Puerto Rico,” said Abner Gomez, the island’s emergency management director. Previously a Category 5 with 175 mph (281 kph) winds, Maria hit Puerto Rico as the third-strongest storm to make landfall in the U.S., based on its central pressure. It was even stronger than Hurricane Irma when that storm roared into the Florida Keys earlier this month. In the capital of San Juan, towering eucalyptus trees fell nearly every other block over a main road dotted with popular bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, some of which were damaged. Outside a nearby apartment building, 40-year-old tourism company operator Adrian Pacheco recounted how he spent eight hours in a stairwell huddled with 100 other residents when the hurricane ripped the storm shutters off his building and decimated three balconies. “I think people didn’t expect the storm to reach the point that it did,” he said. “Since Irma never really happened, they thought Maria would be the same.” Hurricane Irma sideswiped Puerto Rico on Sept. 6, leaving more than 1 million people without power but causing no deaths or widespread damage like it did on nearby islands. Maria, however, blew out windows at some hospitals and police stations, turned some streets into roaring rivers and destroyed hundreds of homes across Puerto Rico, including 80 percent of houses in a small fishing community near the San Juan Bay, which unleashed a storm surge of more than 4 feet. “Months and months and months and months are going to pass before we can recover from this,” Felix Delgado, mayor of the northern coastal city of Catano, told The Associated Press. The slow slog back to normalcy was in evidence Thursday, however, as residents removed storm shutters and lines began forming at the few restaurants with generator power. The sound of chain saws and small bulldozers filled the post-storm silence that had spread across San Juan as firefighters removed trees and lifted toppled light posts. Some neighbors pitched in to help clear the smaller branches, including Shawn Zimmerman, a 27-year-old student from Lewistown, Pennsylvania who moved to Puerto Rico nearly two years ago. “The storm didn’t bother me,” he said. “It’s the devastation. I get goosebumps. It’s going to take us a long time.” Maria has caused at least 10 deaths across the Caribbean, including seven in the hard-hit island of Dominica and two in the French Caribbean territory of Guadeloupe. Puerto Rico’s governor told CNN one man died after being hit by flying debris. No further details were available, and officials could not be immediately reached for comment. Dominica Tourism Minister Robert Tonge described his badly damaged country three days after Hurricane Maria made landfall in the eastern Caribbean island. An update from him said the capital of Roseau still had severe flooding and there was heavy damage throughout the city. The hospital and a community center both lost roofs. One of two airports serving the country was inoperable while the other was expected to be operational in the coming days. An estimated 95 percent of the roofs were blown off in some towns, including Mahaut and Portsmouth. Maria weakened to a Category 2 storm later in the day but re-strengthened to Category 3 status early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph). According to the National Hurricane Center in Miami, the storm was centered about 105 miles (175 kilometers) east-northeast of Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph). The eye of the storm is expected to approach the Turks and Caicos Islands and the southeastern Bahamas late Thursday and early Friday. The hurricane was still dumping rain overnight Wednesday in Puerto Rico, where crumbled red roof tiles lay scattered across many roads, and curious residents sidestepped and ducked under dozens of black power lines still swaying in heavy winds. But they posed no danger: Maria caused an island-wide power outage, with officials unable to say when electricity would return. Puerto Rico’s electric grid was crumbling amid lack of maintenance and a dwindling staff even before the hurricanes knocked out power. Many now believe it will take weeks, if not months, to restore power. Edwin Rosario, a 79-year-old retired government worker, said an economic crisis that has sparked an exodus of nearly half a million Puerto Ricans to the U.S. mainland will only make the island’s recovery harder. “Only us old people are left,” he said as he scraped a street gutter in front of his house free of debris. “A lot of young people have already gone...If we don’t unite, we’re not going to bounce back.” ||||| TAMPA, Fla. -- With the very first communication starting to trickle out from Puerto Rico to friends and relatives here in Florida, people are gathering in places to share what they know. In North Tampa, a small restaurant has become a hub for people with loved ones in Puerto Rico, sharing as much emotion as they are information. El Sabor Boricua typically gets a good lunchtime crowd, but on Thursday, the restaurant known for its authentic Puerto Rican food was also doubling as a hub. A gathering spot, for people to get the latest news and share their concerns. Maribelle Crespo cried as she explained that her mother is stranded in the south. She's upset because most of the news is from the north. And what little she’s heard is not good. “We're worried. Worried for our family. We're worried for what is happening right now and what's going to happen,” said a woman who was eating lunch with another friend from Puerto Rico. The restaurant says it’s keeping its doors open, knowing the people here are hungry not just for food - but information. “I'm here. You know, this is a business, but other than the business we are here for the people,” said owner Robert Torres. Santos Revera was one of the few people who'd gotten a text. It was from his uncle who lives near San Juan. Just five minutes of Wi-Fi access before he lost contact. His grandmother, Revera found out, is OK. But the family home is gone. “He saw the whole top of the roof, the walls, from the third floor was all out,” he said. People say they're also worried about what's to come as the situation in Puerto Rico becomes more desperate. Rafaela Sepulveda, who has cousins, aunts and uncles on the island said there are already reports of crime. “Looting. People breaking into homes. They're desperate, no water no food,” said Sepulveda. For now the vast majority of people I talked to say they haven’t heard from anyone. “No. I have not,” said Iris Ortiz. “As far as I've heard, the whole island is without power.” And so, they huddle together in a small restaurant. Troubled by the images. United by concern. But with the knowledge they’re not alone. “We find comfort because we're out here,” said one visitor. “We are hoping and praying for them,” said Ortiz, “That's all we can do.” | Casualty reports indicate at least 15 people have been killed on Dominica and two on Guadeloupe. The casualty report for Puerto Rico is now two deaths, including a man from a capsized boat near Vieques, Puerto Rico. Power remains out for an estimated 3.4 million Puerto Ricans as the energy grid is all but destroyed. Guajataca Dam in Puerto Rico will experience an "imminent dam break" according to the National Weather Service which will threaten 70,000 residents. In addition, more than 95 percent of the island’s wireless cell sites are out of service. |
The FBI has arrested 10 people, including college basketball coaches and high-level apparel company employees, in connection with an alleged widespread college basketball scheme. The United States Attorney's Office in New York filed three complaints that allege fraud and corruption in the "dark underbelly of college basketball," acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim said Tuesday at a news briefing. Four college assistant and associate coaches -- Chuck Person, Lamont Evans, Tony Bland and Emanuel Richardson -- employed at Division I schools with top-tier basketball programs, have "abused the trust" placed in them by players and families, according to the complaints. They have been charged with wire fraud, bribery, travel act, and conspiracy offenses. According to the complaint, the coaches facilitated and received bribes from athlete advisers, including business managers and financial advisers Christian Dawkins and Munish Sood, over multiple instances, in exchange for directing and pressuring players and their families to retain the services of these advisers. In a second scheme, the complaints allege that the athlete advisers and individuals affiliated with major athletic apparel company Adidas paid bribes directly to student athletes and their families. The money paid was in exchange for the athlete's commitment to attend a specific university sponsored by the company, and an agreement to ultimately be represented by the "bribe-payers" once they enter the NBA. "All of those charged today contributed to a pay-to-play culture that has no business in college basketball," Bill Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York division, added at the briefing. The bribed coaches showed little regard to the players' interests, ignoring "red flags and seeing only the green of the cash bribes flowing their way," Kim said. He provided as an example an adviser who was charged with securities fraud last year and was not reviewed for his qualifications and track record by the coaches before they introduced him to the players. Defendant Jim Gatto, the director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas, secretly funneled cash to the families of high school recruits and disguised those payments in the company's books, according to Kim, who would not name the company. In a statement, Adidas said it had become aware on Tuesday that federal investigators arrested an employee, and that the company is learning more about the situation. "We're unaware of any misconduct and will fully cooperate with authorities to understand more," an Adidas official said. As part of the investigations, undercover agents and wiretaps were used. Kim quoted coach Bland telling managers and advisers he can "definitely mold players and put them in the lap of you guys," and Merl Code, a business affiliate of Adidas and its high school and college basketball programs, according to the court documents, saying "it's on the books, but it's not on the books for what it's actually for." The different schools are the main victims of this scheme, Kim said. Coach Person, who also played and coached in the NBA, is employed by Auburn University, which stated it was "saddened, angry and disappointed" and has suspended Person without pay effective immediately. The University of Arizona had also immediately suspended assistant coach Richardson, and stated it is "appalled to learn of the allegations as they do not reflect the standards we hold ourselves to and require from our colleagues." The school's planned men's basketball media day, previously scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed. Oklahoma State University, employer of coach Evans, and University of Southern California, where coach Bland works, expressed their shock and surprise at the allegations. Both universities said they hold their athletic programs to high standards and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. The University of Louisville has also confirmed it received notice of being included in the federal investigation. It is one of 94 Adidas NCAA schools listed on the company's website. NCAA President Mark Emmert issued a statement suggesting a "despicable breach" of trust by the implicated coaches. "The nature of the charges brought by the federal government are deeply disturbing. We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior," he said. ||||| U.S. authorities on Tuesday unveiled fraud charges against 10 people, including four coaches and an Adidas AG executive, associated with some of the country's premier college basketball programs following a multi-year corruption probe. Prosecutors said they uncovered many instances in which apparel executives, financial advisers and others bribed assistant college coaches to steer elite players to them, with some money going to athletes' families. Bribes also went to star high school players to win their commitments to play for particular schools, prosecutors said. The charges include bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy, and arose from a probe that began in 2015 of "the criminal influence of money" on basketball governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, prosecutors said. Perhaps the best-known defendant charged is Chuck Person, a former National Basketball Association star who is now an associate head coach at Auburn University, his alma mater. The other coaches charged are Anthony "Tony" Bland, from the University of Southern California; Lamont Evans, from Oklahoma State University; and Emanuel "Book" Richardson, from the University of Arizona. Among the other defendants are James Gatto, director for global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas and Rashan Michel, founder and operator of a clothing company in Atlanta. A money manager, Munish Sood, was also charged, as was a onetime sports agent, Christian Dawkins. Representatives of the universities and the NCAA, which regulates college basketball, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Adidas said in an email that one of its employees had been arrested. "We're unaware of any misconduct and will fully cooperate with authorities to understand more," it said. Sood's firm was not named in court papers. A spokeswoman for a firm matching its description had no immediate comment. Contact information for lawyers for the other defendants could not immediately be located. Person was a two-time All-American at Auburn and became its all-time scoring leader. He later played for the Indiana Pacers and other teams in a 13-year NBA career. Prosecutors said Person accepted $91,500 of bribes over 10 months to steer Auburn basketball players he thought capable of joining the NBA to buy suits from Michel and hire an unnamed cooperating witness to provide financial services. They said he kicked back $18,500 to the families of two of the players. Person allegedly told a current Auburn player at a secretly recorded December 2016 meeting at a Manhattan hotel that he knew some help he was providing was "a violation ... of rules, but this is how the NBA players get it done, they get early relationships, and they form partnerships, they form trust." In a separate complaint, prosecutors said Gatto and others funneled $100,000 from Adidas, identified as "Company-1," to a high school basketball player's family to secure his commitment to play at a Kentucky university sponsored by Adidas. Prosecutors also said the player agreed to sign a contract with Adidas upon turning professional. The university is not named, but its description matches that of the University of Louisville. The school did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan was holding a news conference to discuss the charges. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) - In one of the biggest crackdowns on the corrupting role of money in college basketball, 10 men - including a top Adidas executive and four assistant coaches - were charged Tuesday with using hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to influence star athletes' choice of schools, shoe sponsors, agents, even tailors. Some of the most explosive allegations appeared to involve Louisville, one of college basketball's biggest powerhouses, which is already on NCAA probation over a sex scandal. Federal prosecutors said at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn't name the schools but contained enough details to identify them as Louisville and Miami. "The picture of college basketball painted by the charges is not a pretty one," said acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim, adding that the defendants were "circling blue-chip prospects like coyotes" and exploited them to enrich themselves. Prosecutors said that while some of the bribe money went to athletes and their families, some went to coaches, to get them to use their influence over their potentially NBA-bound players. The coaches charged are Chuck Person of Auburn, Emanuel Richardson of Arizona, Tony Bland of Southern California and Lamont Evans of Oklahoma State. Person and Evans were suspended, and Bland was placed on administrative leave. Bland appeared in court in Tampa, Florida, wearing handcuffs and ankle chains. He said little during a brief hearing other than to answer the judge's questions and did not enter a plea. Richardson appeared in court in Tucson, Arizona, where he was set for release on $50,000 bond. His lawyer declined to comment. Those charged also include James Gatto, director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas; Rashan Michel, a maker of custom suits for some of the NBA's biggest stars; and various financial advisers and managers. NCAA President Mark Emmert condemned the alleged misconduct, saying, "Coaches hold a unique position of trust with student-athletes and their families, and these bribery allegations, if true, suggest an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust." Since 2015, the FBI has been investigating the influence of money on coaches and players in the NCAA. Kim noted a special FBI hotline was set up and asked anyone aware of additional corruption to come forward. Prosecutors said the coaches took bribes to use their "enormous influence" to steer players toward certain financial advisers and agents. Most if not all of the 10 defendants were under arrest. Lawyers for Gatto and two of the coaches did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It was unclear whether Evans had an attorney. Adidas said it was unaware of any misconduct by an employee and vowed to fully cooperate with authorities. Gatto and others are accused of funneling $100,000 to the family of a high school athlete to gain his commitment to play at Louisville and to sign with Adidas once he became a professional. Louisville and Adidas announced a 10-year, $160 million extension of their sponsorship deal over the summer. The player's name was not released, but details in the criminal complaint make it clear investigators were referring to Brian Bowen, who did not return messages seeking comment. Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the allegations "come as a complete shock to me." The development comes as Louisville is appealing a four-year NCAA probation over a scandal involving escorts hired for players and recruits. The scandal could cost the school its 2013 national championship. In court papers Tuesday, the FBI said it recorded a July meeting at which an assistant coach at Louisville was briefed on a plan to funnel thousands of dollars to a potential high school recruit. The participants in the meeting noted they had to be careful because Louisville was on probation. "We gotta be very low key," said the coach, according to the FBI. Investigators said agents wiretapped a call in which Gatto and another defendant discussed an unidentified coach at Miami requesting that Adidas pay as much as $150,000 to another recruit, in part to prevent him from accepting a similar offer from a rival apparel company. Louisville interim President Gregory Postel confirmed the university has been informed it is part of the investigation and said, "Any violations will not be tolerated." Miami said it will cooperate with authorities, while USC said it appointed former FBI Director Louis J. Freeh to conduct an internal investigation. The investigation began after Martin Blazer, a Pittsburgh-based financial adviser to pro athletes, began cooperating with authorities in 2014. Blazer, accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of taking money from clients without permission, pleaded guilty this month to fraud and other crimes. He admitted making payments and loans to NCAA athletes as far back as 2000 to get them to hire him. Person, associate head coach at Auburn, was drafted by the Indiana Pacers in 1986 and played for five NBA teams over 13 seasons. Prosecutors said Person accepted about $91,500 in bribes from Blazer last year to steer clients to him when they reached the NBA. Some payments were alleged to have been arranged by Michel, a former NBA referee turned high-end clothier. Person was quoted by prosecutors as telling one player: "The most important part is that you ... don't say nothing to anybody ... don't share with your sisters, don't share with any of the teammates, that's very important 'cause this is a violation ... of rules. But this is how the NBA players get it done." Prosecutors said Evans solicited at least $22,000 over the past two years, while Richardson in February was paid $20,000 in bribes, some of which he kept for himself and some of which he gave to at least one high school athlete to get him to play for Arizona. Associated Press writers Fred Goodall in Tampa, Florida, Gary Graves in Louisville, Kentucky, Larry Lage in Detroit and Fred Lief in New York contributed. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Mark Emmert said Tuesday that the NCAA has "no tolerance whatsoever" for the behaviour alleged by federal prosecutors. Four assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State were among those arrested on federal corruption charges earlier Tuesday. Authorities say they were caught taking thousands of dollars in bribes to steer stars toward certain agents or advisers. Emmert says coaches hold a "unique position of trust" between players and their families and that the allegations suggest "an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust." Also charged was the director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas. Federal prosecutors say at least three top high school basketball players were promised payments of as much as $150,000 to attend two colleges that were sponsored by Adidas. The criminal complaints filed with the court didn't name the schools but contained details that identified them as the University of Louisville and the University of Miami. Investigators said some coaches at those schools encouraged those payments. No one from the schools was charged. They say the payments were orchestrated by an Adidas executive and business advisers who hoped to work with the players after they turned professional. Louisville interim President Gregory Postel issued a statement calling the case a "serious concern" and pledging co-operation with any law enforcement or NCAA investigation. A University of Miami spokesman says it couldn't comment. Auburn University says it has suspended an assistant coach accused of taking a $50,000 bribe in exchange for steering a player into doing business with a certain financial adviser. Chuck Person was arrested in Alabama on Tuesday in a case that involves corruption charges against 10 coaches, agents and sports marketing executives at several universities. The university said in a statement that Person had been suspended without pay effective immediately. Person was the associate head coach at Auburn. He played in the NBA for 13 seasons. Adidas says it's unaware of any misconduct at its company in a college basketball bribe-paying scheme but will "fully co-operate with authorities." The company issued a statement Tuesday after federal prosecutors announced that its director of global sports marketing is charged along with four college assistant coaches. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim says the investigation was "covert until today." The head of New York's FBI office, William F. Sweeney Jr., says the probe is still active and investigators are conducting interviews "as we speak." Federal investigators say a group of business advisers to athletes used thousands of dollars in Adidas money to make payments to top high school basketball players to get them to attend certain schools. The acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan says the picture of college basketball painted by criminal charges his office brought against four college assistant coaches and an Adidas executive is not a pretty one. Joon Kim made the comment at a news conference Tuesday after the charges were unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Assistant coaches at Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State were expected to appear in courts later Tuesday to face the charges. Kim says the case against 10 men, including sports agents and marketing professionals, exposed "the dark underbelly of college basketball." He says the coaches exploited the "trust of the players they coached and recruited." It was not immediately clear who will represent the coaches in court. The director of global sports marketing for Adidas is among those charged in a bribe-paying scheme that federal authorities say was designed to match agents and advisers to players before they became NBA stars. James Gatto was arrested Tuesday along with nine others, including four assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State. It was not immediately clear who will represent him in court. In criminal complaints, authorities said agents and financial advisers paid bribes to assistant coaches to get them to introduce them to star college players and their parents before the students turned professional. Authorities said the coaches received thousands of dollars in bribes, enabling the agents and others to get a slice of the millions of dollars the athletes could eventually make in the NBA. Federal prosecutors have announced charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball, including against four coaches. The coaches work at Oklahoma State, Auburn University, Arizona and the University of Southern California. They were among 10 people charged in New York City federal court. Others included managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company. The details will be discussed at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. In court papers, prosecutors said the FBI has since 2015 been investigating the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA. They said the probe has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid by athlete advisers, including financial advisers and associate basketball coaches, to assistant and associate basketball coaches to exert influence over student athletes. By The Associated Press ||||| The Latest on fraud and corruption charges announced against people associated with college basketball (all times local): University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino says he’s shocked by corruption allegations made by prosecutors in New York against some college basketball assistant coaches. A top Adidas executive and four assistant coaches are among 10 men charged with using hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to influence star athletes’ choice of schools, shoe sponsors and agents. Some of the most explosive allegations appear to involve Louisville, which already is on NCAA probation over a sex scandal. Court papers contain enough details to identify Louisville. Pitino says he agrees with prosecutors that third-party schemes initiated by a few bad actors “operated to commit a fraud” on universities and their basketball programs. He says fans and supporters deserve better. A University of Southern California basketball assistant coach charged in a massive corruption case has made his initial court appearance in Florida. Tony Bland went into the courtroom wearing handcuffs and ankle chains Tuesday. He said little during the brief hearing other than to answer the judge’s questions. He did not enter a plea and said he needs a lawyer. Prosecutors recommended Bland be released on $100,000 bail with the understanding he must appear Oct. 10 in federal court in New York for another hearing. That was granted by the U.S. magistrate judge. The judge says Bland can travel back to his home in Gardenia, California. A top Adidas executive and four assistant coaches are among 10 men charged with using hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to influence star athletes’ choice of schools, shoe sponsors and agents. The president of the NCAA says charges that bribes were exchanged to influence NBA-destined college stars’ choice of schools, agents and financial advisers are “deeply disturbing.” Mark Emmert said Tuesday that the NCAA has “no tolerance whatsoever” for the behavior alleged by federal prosecutors. Four assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State were among those arrested on federal corruption charges earlier Tuesday. Authorities say they were caught taking thousands of dollars in bribes to steer stars toward certain agents or advisers. Emmert says coaches hold a “unique position of trust” between players and their families and that the allegations suggest “an extraordinary and despicable breach of that trust.” Also charged was the director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas. Federal prosecutors say at least three top high school basketball players were promised payments of as much as $150,000 to attend two colleges that were sponsored by Adidas. The criminal complaints filed with the court didn’t name the schools but contained details that identified them as the University of Louisville and the University of Miami. Investigators said some coaches at those schools encouraged those payments. No one from the schools was charged. They say the payments were orchestrated by an Adidas executive and business advisers who hoped to work with the players after they turned professional. Louisville interim President Gregory Postel issued a statement calling the case a “serious concern” and pledging cooperation with any law enforcement or NCAA investigation. A University of Miami spokesman says it couldn’t comment. Auburn University says it has suspended an assistant coach accused of taking a $50,000 bribe in exchange for steering a player into doing business with a certain financial adviser. Chuck Person was arrested in Alabama on Tuesday in a case that involves corruption charges against 10 coaches, agents and sports marketing executives at several universities. The university said in a statement that Person had been suspended without pay effective immediately. Person was the associate head coach at Auburn. He played in the NBA for 13 seasons. Adidas says it’s unaware of any misconduct at its company in a college basketball bribe-paying scheme but will “fully cooperate with authorities.” The company issued a statement Tuesday after federal prosecutors announced that its director of global sports marketing is charged along with four college assistant coaches. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim says the investigation was “covert until today.” The head of New York’s FBI office, William F. Sweeney Jr., says the probe is still active and investigators are conducting interviews “as we speak.” Federal investigators say a group of business advisers to athletes used thousands of dollars in Adidas money to make payments to top high school basketball players to get them to attend certain schools. The acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan says the picture of college basketball painted by criminal charges his office brought against four college assistant coaches and an Adidas executive is not a pretty one. Joon Kim made the comment at a news conference Tuesday after the charges were unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Assistant coaches at Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State were expected to appear in courts later Tuesday to face the charges. Kim says the case against 10 men, including sports agents and marketing professionals, exposed “the dark underbelly of college basketball.” He says the coaches exploited the “trust of the players they coached and recruited.” It was not immediately clear who will represent the coaches in court. The director of global sports marketing for Adidas is among those charged in a bribe-paying scheme that federal authorities say was designed to match agents and advisers to players before they became NBA stars. James Gatto was arrested Tuesday along with nine others, including four assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State. It was not immediately clear who will represent him in court. In criminal complaints, authorities said agents and financial advisers paid bribes to assistant coaches to get them to introduce them to star college players and their parents before the students turned professional. Authorities said the coaches received thousands of dollars in bribes, enabling the agents and others to get a slice of the millions of dollars the athletes could eventually make in the NBA. Federal prosecutors have announced charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball, including against four coaches. The coaches work at Oklahoma State, Auburn University, Arizona and the University of Southern California. They were among 10 people charged in New York City federal court. Others included managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company. The details will be discussed at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. In court papers, prosecutors said the FBI has since 2015 been investigating the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA. They said the probe has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid by athlete advisers, including financial advisers and associate basketball coaches, to assistant and associate basketball coaches to exert influence over student athletes. ||||| The FBI today arrested 10 people including a top Adidas exec on charges that the company illegally funneled cash to high-school athletes in exchange for pledges to attend Adidas-sponsored universities. The University of Miami isn't named in the complaint, but details strongly suggest the feds have tied the school to recruits who took payouts from the sportswear company. The feds say that Jim Gatto, Adidas' head of sports marketing, and his cohort paid a high-school athlete $150,000 in exchange for that player agreeing to attend a "private research university located in Florida" with roughly 16,000 students, 15 Division I sports teams, and a sponsorship deal with Adidas. Those details all match UM, which entered into a 12-year partnership with Adidas two years ago estimated to be worth more than $90 million. UM spokespeople declined to confirm or deny whether the school was involved in the federal probe, but said they would cooperate with authorities if asked. “The University of Miami is aware of the indictments handed down today by the Department of Justice involving several men’s college basketball programs, coaches, financial advisors, agents and apparel executives," a UM spokesperson said via email. "As we are just learning the details, we cannot comment on the actions taken today by federal authorities. However, if requested, we will cooperate in any legal or NCAA review of the matter.” The federal complaint also suggests that a coach at the Florida school — listed only as "University 7" — was involved in the bribery process. An anonymous coach, listed only as "Coach 3," allegedly spoke with Gatto twice on August 6, 2017. The FBI claims the payments to the recruit were made "at the request of" the anonymous coach. That unnamed coach "knows everything," two of the people arrested said while being wiretapped, the FBI claims. Gatto and four other defendants are charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit both of those crimes. In addition to Gatto, the FBI charged fellow Adidas executive (and former Nike employee) Merl Code, NBA agent Christian Dawkins, financial adviser Munish Sood, former NBA official Rishan Michel, and Jonathan Brad Augustine, who runs the Adidas-sponsored "1 Family AAU" program. The FBI also charged four college basketball assistant coaches — Auburn's Chuck Person, Southern California's Tony Bland, Emanuel Richardson, and Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans — with multiple federal charges, including bribery. The FBI says it began looking harder at the NCAA-sports underworld in 2015; it's long been suspected that "amateur" players receive cash under the table, but the public has largely not known how. The complaint claims that the five men charged in the Adidas probe worked to "defraud" the anonymous university believed to be since they allegedly tricked the university into enrolling athletes who were not eligible for scholarships. The federal complaint sheds some light on that black market for top college talent. But it also shows how remarkably stupid the current payment restrictions on "amateur" student athletes are. The NCAA says players can't take a dime of sponsorship money from companies like Adidas if they want to remain eligible to play — but major athletic brands (e.g. Nike, Under Armour, Puma, et cetera) and major sports networks such as ESPN make billions off the backs of those same players. The NCAA argues that the students should just be happy with getting free degrees in exchange for playing sports, but money schools and TV networks make compared to the peanuts they give student athletes is wholly out of whack. As today's complaint shows, schools and athletes just find ways to game the system anyhow. The FBI's case suggests a massive underground sports-company payment machine, where multiple firms secretly funnel money to recruits on behalf of university programs and coaches. In UM's (alleged) case, the anonymous basketball coach helped Adidas orchestrate the deal just so UM wouldn't lose the recruit to another anonymous university, which had also offered the player $150,000 through a rival athletic company. According to the complaint, the coach, Gatto, and four other men were caught on wiretaps multiple times last August admitting they were in something of a bidding war over the player. '[W]e're trying to keep him from going to one of their schools," one of the defendants, Merl Code, was caught saying. He added that the payments would be sent to the player's family gradually, and would not be "all in one lump sum." Gatto and Code were caught multiple times saying that anonymous "Coach 3," believed to be a UM official, was pressuring them to funnel cash to the player. "[University 7] wants this kid named [Player 12]," the men were caught on tape admitting. UM only recently overcame the fallout from its last major athletics scandal: In 2011, Ponzi schemer and school booster Nevin Shapiro claimed he gave more than $2 million in illegal benefits to 72 football players from 2002 to 2010. By August 2011, UM had striped eligibility from 13 players tied to Shapiro, and the NCAA later imposed harsh sanctions on the team. Many worried the scandal would end the historic UM football program permanently, but the school's athletic program has lived on to possibly break NCAA rules yet again. The basketball program, now in its seventh year under head coach Jim Larrañaga, has been something of a national breakout, twice making the Sweet 16 at the NCAA Tournament. ||||| The United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced early Tuesday that charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball against four current assistant coaches -- Arizona's Emanuel "Book" Richardson, Auburn's Chuck Person, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans and USC's Tony Bland -- will be detailed at a noon ET press conference. Managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company are also involved. The four basketball coaches were arrested late Monday. Among other things, Person is accused of accepting payments from an agent who was trying to development a business relationship with Auburn's Austin Wiley and his family. The sophomore center was a top-40 prospect coming out of high school. Richardson, Evans and Bland are accused of similar crimes. Jim Gatto, director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas, was among those arrested. He's accused of helping funnel approximately $100,000 to the family of an "All-American high school basketball player" to secure the prospect's commitment to a school Adidas sponsors. According to documents, the prospect committed in June. The only "All-American high school basketball player" who committed to a school Adidas sponsors in June is Brian Bowen. He's now enrolled at Louisville. Louisville coach Rick Pitino was asked about Bowen's commitment in June. "We got lucky on this one," Pitino said. "I had an AAU director call me and say, 'Would you be interested in a basketball player?' I said ... 'Yeah, I'd be really interested.' But [Bowen and his people] had to come in unofficially, pay for their hotels, pay for their meals. So we spent zero dollars recruiting a five-star athlete who I loved when I saw him play. In my 40-some-odd years of coaching, this is the luckiest I've been." NBA agent Christian Dawkins was among those arrested. According to documents, he told an unidentified Louisville coach they would have to be "particularly careful" with how they passed money to Bowen and his family because Louisville was already on probation. The Louisville coach agreed, according to the document, and said, "We gotta be very low key." "I don't know anything about that," Bowen's mother, Carrie Malecke, told the Louisville Courier-Journal on Tuesday. "I don't know anything about that. I'm not aware of anything like that. Not me. I had no idea." The USAO described the investigation as such: "Since 2015, the FBI and USAO have been investigating the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA. As relevant here, the investigation has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid by athletic advisors, including financial advisors and business managers, among others, to assistant and associate basketball coaches employed by NCAA Division I universities as facilitated by the coaches, in exchange for those coaches exerting influence over student-athletes under their control to retain the services of the bribe-payers once the athletes enter the National Basketball Association." CBS Sports will be updating this breaking news story. ||||| The criminal complaints filed with the court didn't name the schools but contained details that identified them as the University of Louisville and the University of Miami. Investigators said some coaches at those schools encouraged those payments. No one from the schools was charged. They say the payments were orchestrated by an Adidas executive and business advisers who hoped to work with the players after they turned professional. Louisville interim President Gregory Postel issued a statement calling the case a "serious concern" and pledging co-operation with any law enforcement or NCAA investigation. A University of Miami spokesman says it couldn't comment. Auburn University says it has suspended an assistant coach accused of taking a $50,000 bribe in exchange for steering a player into doing business with a certain financial adviser. Chuck Person was arrested in Alabama on Tuesday in a case that involves corruption charges against 10 coaches, agents and sports marketing executives at several universities. The university said in a statement that Person had been suspended without pay effective immediately. Person was the associate head coach at Auburn. He played in the NBA for 13 seasons. Adidas says it's unaware of any misconduct at its company in a college basketball bribe-paying scheme but will "fully co-operate with authorities." The company issued a statement Tuesday after federal prosecutors announced that its director of global sports marketing is charged along with four college assistant coaches. Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim says the investigation was "covert until today." The head of New York's FBI office, William F. Sweeney Jr., says the probe is still active and investigators are conducting interviews "as we speak." Federal investigators say a group of business advisers to athletes used thousands of dollars in Adidas money to make payments to top high school basketball players to get them to attend certain schools. The acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan says the picture of college basketball painted by criminal charges his office brought against four college assistant coaches and an Adidas executive is not a pretty one. Joon Kim made the comment at a news conference Tuesday after the charges were unsealed in Manhattan federal court. Assistant coaches at Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State were expected to appear in courts later Tuesday to face the charges. Kim says the case against 10 men, including sports agents and marketing professionals, exposed "the dark underbelly of college basketball." He says the coaches exploited the "trust of the players they coached and recruited." It was not immediately clear who will represent the coaches in court. The director of global sports marketing for Adidas is among those charged in a bribe-paying scheme that federal authorities say was designed to match agents and advisers to players before they became NBA stars. James Gatto was arrested Tuesday along with nine others, including four assistant basketball coaches from Arizona, Auburn, the University of Southern California and Oklahoma State. It was not immediately clear who will represent him in court. In criminal complaints, authorities said agents and financial advisers paid bribes to assistant coaches to get them to introduce them to star college players and their parents before the students turned professional. Authorities said the coaches received thousands of dollars in bribes, enabling the agents and others to get a slice of the millions of dollars the athletes could eventually make in the NBA. Federal prosecutors have announced charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball, including against four coaches. The coaches work at Oklahoma State, Auburn University, Arizona and the University of Southern California. They were among 10 people charged in New York City federal court. Others included managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company. The details will be discussed at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. In court papers, prosecutors said the FBI has since 2015 been investigating the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA. They said the probe has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid by athlete advisers, including financial advisers and associate basketball coaches, to assistant and associate basketball coaches to exert influence over student athletes. By The Associated Press ||||| LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The University of Louisville appears to be one of seven schools implicated in a scathing cash-for-talent report released Tuesday. Charges were filed against several assistant and associate coaches at high-profile NCAA basketball programs, major sports apparel providers and some of their business associates. FBI agents made several arrests Monday evening. Federal prosecutors announced the charges on Tuesday, following a fraud and corruption probe that stretches back to 2015. At a news conference at about 12:15 p.m., United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Joon Kim, opened his remarks candidly. "Coaches from some of the nation's top programs accepting bribes ... circling top prospects like coyotes," he said. "If you read the three complaints you will find yourself in the dark underbelly of college basketball." No UofL coaches were identified by name in any of the several lengthy reports released Tuesday by the the U.S. Attorney's Office. The school itself wasn't even named, but there is enough information in the complaints for WAVE 3 News to identify UofL. UofL spokesman Kenny Klein told WAVE 3 News at 11:25 a.m. Tuesday that he was "not aware of anything at this point. We're hearing this for the first time in the last hour." Adidas global marketing director Jim Gatto and the other defendants reportedly funneled $100,000 to the family of a high school basketball player to convince the player to sign with a "public research university" in Kentucky, the complaints said. UofL's basketball apparel is provided by Adidas. Conspirators were "allegedly treating (the players) as little more than opportunities to enrich themselves through bribery and fraud schemes," Kim said. Information in the complaints implicate a "Player 10," which appears to be Brian Bowen, currently on the UofL roster, whose family received a cash gift. In July, several of the defendants met in a Las Vegas hotel room, where the FBI recorded their conversation. In that meeting, the defendants discussed how they had secured (Bowen's) commitment. One of the agents said "a rival athletic apparel company was coming with a higher number." One of the agents said he asked a coach at Louisville, identified in the complaints as "Coach 2," to secure more money from Adidas for (Bowen). The complaint then said call records indicate three calls were made from Coach 2's phone number to Gatto shortly before (Bowen) committed to UofL. Coach 2 is not identified by name in the complaint, except when one of the defendants -- Brad Augustine, program director of a Florida AAU league sponsored by Adidas -- said "no one swings a bigger d*** than Coach 2 with Adidas." He continued, "all (Coach 2 has to do) is pick up the phone and call somebody, (and say), 'these are my guys; they're taking care of us.'" The complaint does not specify whether Coach 2 is an assistant or head coach. However, the UofL assistant coach in the Las Vegas hotel room "explained that '(Coach 2) is not a guy to have his own agent already set up,' so that it would fall upon Coach 1 and another assistant coach at (UofL) to steer the athletes to certain advisors." MORE FROM WAVE3.COM + Trooper caught on video in altercation with construction crew + Parent who recorded confrontation with bus driver arrested + Grimes rejects claim Kentucky has more registered voters than adults "Fraud, abuse and corruption of the type alleged in the charges brought today contaminates all that is good and pure around it and it has no place in college sports," Kim said. At that same meeting in Las Vegas, the defendants discussed a future recruit expected to graduate from high school in 2019, identified in the complaints as Player 11. Christian Dawkins, a prospective agent, explained to the group "the player we're talking about tonight is (Player 11) with (UofL)." Dawkins told the group that the player's family was demanding money, and "we're all working together to get this kid to (UofL)." Dawkins acknowledged that (UofL) already was on probation with the NCAA, which levied the sanctions on UofL following the Katina Powell scandal. UofL is still appealing some of the penalties in that case. Dawkins "indicated that they would have to be particularly careful with how they passed money to Player 11 and his family." The UofL coach in the room agreed, stating "we gotta be very low-key," the complaint said. Dawkins suggested that payments go through Augustine and his organization. Augustine told the group "all my kids will be (Adidas) kids." At that point, an undercover FBI agent handed Augustine an envelope containing $12,700 in cash, according to the complaint, which then detailed how payments to the families of Players 10 and 11 have continued. WAVE 3 News is working to confirm the identity of Player 11. Who Else Is Implicated? Former NBA star Chuck Person, now an associate head coach at Auburn University, is among the assistant coaches named in the initial 32-page complaint unsealed Tuesday morning. Lamont Evans, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State, also is one of the men facing charges. Prior to his hiring at OSU in 2016, Evans spent the previous four seasons as an assistant at the University of South Carolina. Both schools appear to be identified in the complaint. The University of Southern California and the University of Arizona also appear to be among the schools who have assistant coaches under investigation. Emanuel "Book" Richardson (Arizona) and Anthony Bland (Southern California) are among the other assistant coaches mentioned. "For the defendants charged today, the madness of college basketball went well beyond the big dance in March," Kim said. The U.S. Attorney's Office began its investigation into Person and Rashad Michel, a former NBA and NCAA basketball official whose "clothing company has a client base that consists primarily of professional athletes," according to the complaint. The complaint also included a very telling excerpt about the two-year-long investigation: "Since 2015, the FBI and USAO have been investigating the criminal influence of money on coaches and student-athletes who participate in intercollegiate basketball governed by the NCAA. As relevant here, the investigation has revealed numerous instances of bribes paid by athlete advisors, including financial advisors and business managers, among others, to assistant and associate basketball coaches employed by NCAA Division I universities, and sometimes directly to the student-athletes at Division I universities as facilitated by the coaches, in exchange for those coaches exerting influence over student-athletes under their control to retain the services of bribe-payors once the athletes enter the National Basketball Association ("NBA")." ||||| The United States Attorney's Office in New York filed three complaints that allege fraud and corruption in the "dark underbelly of college basketball," acting US Attorney Joon H. Kim said Tuesday at a news briefing. Four college assistant and associate coaches -- Chuck Person, Lamont Evans, Tony Bland and Emanuel Richardson -- employed at Division I schools with top-tier basketball programs, have "abused the trust" placed in them by players and families, according to the complaints. They have been charged with wire fraud, bribery, travel act, and conspiracy offenses. According to the complaint, the coaches facilitated and received bribes from athlete advisers, including business managers and financial advisers Christian Dawkins and Munish Sood, over multiple instances, in exchange for directing and pressuring players and their families to retain the services of these advisers. In a second scheme, the complaints allege that the athlete advisers and individuals affiliated with major athletic apparel company Adidas paid bribes directly to student athletes and their families. The money paid was in exchange for the athlete's commitment to attend a specific university sponsored by the company, and an agreement to ultimately be represented by the "bribe-payers" once they enter the NBA. "All of those charged today contributed to a pay-to-play culture that has no business in college basketball," Bill Sweeney, assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York division, added at the briefing. The bribed coaches showed little regard to the players' interests, ignoring "red flags and seeing only the green of the cash bribes flowing their way," Kim said. He provided as an example an adviser who was charged with securities fraud last year and was not reviewed for his qualifications and track record by the coaches before they introduced him to the players. Defendant Jim Gatto, the director of global sports marketing for basketball at Adidas, secretly funneled cash to the families of high school recruits and disguised those payments in the company's books, according to Kim, who would not name the company. In a statement, Adidas said it had become aware on Tuesday that federal investigators arrested an employee, and that the company is learning more about the situation. "We're unaware of any misconduct and will fully cooperate with authorities to understand more," an Adidas official said. As part of the investigations, undercover agents and wiretaps were used. Kim quoted coach Bland telling managers and advisers he can "definitely mold players and put them in the lap of you guys," and Merl Code, a business affiliate of Adidas and its high school and college basketball programs, according to the court documents, saying "it's on the books, but it's not on the books for what it's actually for." The different schools are the main victims of this scheme, Kim said. Coach Person, who also played and coached in the NBA, is employed by Auburn University, which stated it was "saddened, angry and disappointed" and has suspended Person without pay effective immediately. The University of Arizona had also immediately suspended assistant coach Richardson, and stated it is "appalled to learn of the allegations as they do not reflect the standards we hold ourselves to and require from our colleagues." The school's planned men's basketball media day, previously scheduled for Wednesday, has been postponed. Oklahoma State University, employer of coach Evans, and University of Southern California, where coach Bland works, expressed their shock and surprise at the allegations. Both universities said they hold their athletic programs to high standards and pledged to cooperate with the investigation. The University of Louisville has also confirmed it received notice of being included in the federal investigation. It is one of 94 Adidas NCAA schools listed on the company's website NCAA President Mark Emmert issued a statement suggesting a "despicable breach" of trust by the implicated coaches. "The nature of the charges brought by the federal government are deeply disturbing. We have no tolerance whatsoever for this alleged behavior," he said. CNN's Kristina Sgueglia, Janet DiGiacomo, Danielle Wiener-Bronner, Chris Liakos, David Close and Tina Burnside contributed to this report. | The office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announces that 10 individuals, including assistant coaches at four NCAA Division I men's basketball programs—Arizona, Auburn, Oklahoma State, and USC—have been arrested on federal corruption charges. The accused are alleged to be part of a scheme by which coaches accepted bribes to steer NBA-bound college players toward certain agents and financial advisers. Court documents also allege that an apparel company later identified as Adidas paid $100,000 to the family of an unnamed player to ensure his signing with an unnamed Division I school, which was later confirmed as the University of Louisville. |
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee and a political force on financial issues, announced Tuesday he would not seek re-election. The 65-year-old lawmaker, who recently had been encouraged by President Donald Trump to seek a third term, made the surprise announcement hours before a showdown vote in an Alabama Senate runoff that pitted the establishment favorite against firebrand Judge Roy Moore. “After much thought, consideration and family discussion over the past year, Elizabeth and I have decided that I will leave the United States Senate when my term expires at the end of 2018,” Corker said in a statement. Corker has helmed the Foreign Relations panel, playing a significant role on Russia and Iran sanctions, and was considered a possible secretary of state in the Trump Cabinet before the president tapped Rex Tillerson. A member of the Banking Committee, Corker had his hand in major financial legislation. Despite expressing doubts about another bid, Corker had a $6.5 million balance in his campaign account at the end of the last reporting period, the most among GOP senators facing re-elections next year. Corker has increased his cash on hand by $1 million, according to his office. The senator had criticized Trump after he blamed both white nationalists and anti-racist protesters for the violence at an August rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Corker questioned whether Trump had shown the “stability” and “competence” to succeed in office. Trump responded on Twitter, “Strange statement by Bob Corker considering that he is constantly asking me whether or not he should run again in ‘18.” Trump added, “Tennessee not happy!” The announcement quickly set off heavy speculation in Tennessee about which Republicans could run to replace him, ranging from former NFL and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning to term-limited Gov. Bill Haslam. Manning, Corker and President Trump went on a highly-publicized golf outing earlier this year, and the quarterback also attended a Republican congressional retreat. Corker and Haslam are close family friends, and the senator helped persuade the popular governor to first run for public office when he made a successful bid for mayor of Knoxville in 2003. Earlier Tuesday, when he was pressed on whether the Republicans should hold a vote on a health care bill, he put off the question by saying: “I’m not much of a politician, as you know. So I’ll let people who worry about politician-y things decide that.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., praised Corker as an “integral member of our team and confidant of mine during his time in the Senate. His leadership on important issues has helped guide our conference and had a real impact at home and abroad. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, called Corker a “model senator, adding, “We all regret him leaving.” Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, but establishment candidates backed by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have come under fire from the right, with critics questioning their fealty to Trump. Republican incumbents in Nevada and Arizona face primary challengers. The biggest test for the GOP establishment is in Alabama, where Sen. Luther Strange is locked in a runoff Tuesday against Moore. Corker took over as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee in 2015 after Republicans took control of the Senate. The panel’s top Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, gave Corker high marks for running the committee in an inclusive, bipartisan way. But Corker emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the Obama administration’s foreign policy. At a September 2016 hearing on Syria, Corker assailed President Barack Obama and his administration for refusing to take the necessary steps to get humanitarian aid into Syria and to deter Bashar Assad’s military forces from targeting civilians. He considered Obama to be unreliable on foreign affairs, declaring that the president wasn’t willing to “roll up sleeves and deal with the tough issues that we have to deal with.” Corker also could be an iconoclast. In 2015, as Republican criticism of the Obama administration’s nuclear talks with Iran escalated, Corker was one of a handful of Republicans who declined to sign a letter circulated by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., that was addressed directly to Iran’s leaders warning them that any accord Obama struck could be undone. He was first elected to the Senate in 2006 and two years later became a member of the Banking Committee. He played a key role in the negotiations that bailed out the collapsing financial industry with the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. But he’d later disparage the program as a slush fund and vote to shut it down and use any of the remaining money to pay down the federal debt. Corker criticized the major U.S. automakers who also sought a multi-billion dollar bailout in late 2008. He’d offer an alternative proposal that imposed stiffer requirements on the auto companies that Detroit opposed but which eventually were followed by the Obama administration’s task force on the auto industry. He reached across the aisle in 2010, joining Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., on provisions for the orderly liquidation of financial firms deemed “too big to fail” that were included in Dodd-Frank, the banking law created after the 2008 economic crisis. ||||| Roy Moore, a former State Supreme Court chief justice, defeated Senator Luther Strange on Tuesday in the Republican runoff to fill the United States Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, now the attorney general. Mr. Moore will face the Democratic nominee, Doug Jones, a former United States attorney, in the general election on Dec. 12. Northern Alabama was anticipated to be a pivotal region, with Mr. Strange and Mr. Moore facing off. The area was a stronghold of Representative Mo Brooks, who came in third in the primary. Mr. Strange targeted Mr. Brooks’s home base of Huntsville, and President Trump campaigned for him there last week. Over all, the race was expected to hinge on turnout of Mr. Moore’s rural base and Mr. Strange’s supporters around Birmingham and Mobile. To offset his rival’s dedicated backers, Mr. Strange counted on a larger number of voters — beyond those who participated in the primary. Read more » ||||| Image copyright Reuters A Republican Senate primary in Alabama is twisting Donald Trump and his party in knots and turning the president's supporters against each other. Mr Trump has put his power and reputation on the line for the kind of Washington insider he used to rail against - a former corporate lobbyist who was appointed to the Senate by a governor who subsequently resigned in disgrace, no less. Meanwhile erstwhile White House aides, rabble-rousing former Trump surrogates and even a member of the president's own Cabinet are lining up behind an upstart insurgent who almost no one in Washington wants to see roaming the halls of the Senate. The senator and the judge The president's man is Luther Strange, the former Alabama attorney general named to the seat Jeff Sessions vacated when he became US attorney general earlier this year. Despite his Dickensian name and remarkably tall stature (6 feet, 9 inches), Mr Strange is an otherwise unremarkable politician, reserved in manner and unenthusiastic on the stump - a replacement-level senator from a reliably conservative state. For an incumbent with his party's support, that's usually good enough to ensure a smooth nomination. Not this time, however. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Luther Strange has relentlessly touted that he has Donald Trump's endorsement With just a day left before a run-off vote for the Republican nomination, Mr Strange trails in opinion polls to Roy Moore, a man who has been called many things, but unremarkable and unenthusiastic are not among them. The former Alabama chief justice and tireless evangelical firebrand once lost his job on the state's Supreme Court because he refused to obey a federal order to remove a massive sculpture of the biblical Ten Commandments from his courthouse. He was elected by the people of Alabama to the court again, then was suspended - and subsequently resigned - for failing to enforce the US Supreme Court's 2015 ruling legalising gay marriage. Mr Moore is a lawyer who says the laws of man are superseded by those of God; a politician campaigning to make life miserable for politicians in Washington. Judge Moore and Senator Strange, a political odd couple if there ever were one, held an unusual, unmoderated hour-long debate in the state capital of Montgomery on Thursday night, and within minutes the gist of their campaigns was clear. Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Roy Moore: 'Sexual perversion and sodomy sweep this land' Mr Strange found a way every five minutes to note he had the backing of Mr Trump - who packed tens of thousands of supporters into a southern Alabama football stadium in August 2015. The senator positioned himself as the experienced hand who could help enact Mr Trump's agenda. Mr Moore, on the other hand, was all fire and brimstone. He opened with a warning about the threat of "transgender troops in our bathrooms" - and went on from there. "I want to see virtue and morality return to our country," he said. "Crime, corruption, immorality, abortion, sodomy, sexual perversion sweep our land." When Mr Moore did talk about Mr Trump, it was to suggest that the president was being misled into supporting a man who was a rubber stamp for the hated powers in Washington. A president 'sabotaged' This is the conundrum at the heart of the Alabama special election. Why is Mr Trump fighting on the side of the Washington establishment? Why, in particular, is he making league with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who the president - and many Alabama conservatives - hold most responsible for legislative failings in Congress this year? The question perplexed Mr Moore's supporters at a post-debate rally just a handful of blocks away from Thursday night's debate site in Montgomery. As a sign held up by Mobile resident Chu Green put it: "Mr President and Mr VP I love you, but you are WRONG! America needs Judge Moore." "Judge and Trump, to me, are hand in hand," said Boyd Wainwright, a registered nurse from nearby Prattville. "It's a no-brainer." Janet Oglesby, a retiree from Mobile, said the president is an "honourable" man who is being sabotaged by the members of his own party and even his own administration who are telling him to support Mr Strange. Image caption Janet Oglesby and her husband Omer think Donald Trump is being misled into supporting Luther Strange "I think that someone gave him advice that they knew would hurt him," she says. The crowd's angst gave way to joy upon arrival of Mr Moore's campaign bus, carrying an assortment of political celebrities from the fringes of power. Siran Stacy, a former star running back for the Alabama Crimson Tide college football team, lashed out at the hundreds of thousands of dollars Mr McConnell and Washington-based groups have poured into Alabama to support the Strange campaign. "We're not going to allow any outside influences to tell us who we ought to see in the Senate," he said. "We don't mind you coming to our house. You can come down, and we can fix you some grits and scramble some eggs, but don't tell us how to run our house." Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka - introduced as the "rock star" behind the president's best speeches - cast Mr Moore as the true keeper of Mr Trump's anti-establishment flame. "Let's remember what we all did in November," he said. "We elected a man who I worked for, who had never ever held political office or senior military rank. Why? Because the political establishment on the left and the right have betrayed us for too long." And finally, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin drove the point home, accusing the establishment of trying to "hijack" the Trump presidency. "On Tuesday, you get to tell them, 'Hey, our movement isn't over, and it's not slowing down," she said. Image copyright Reuters Several days later Moore would host another rally, with Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, recently ousted Trump senior adviser Steve Bannon and former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage. As Mr Strange quipped during their debate, Mr Moore's advocates look like "the unemployment line at the White House". Then again, they also look a lot like the vanguard of Trump's political revolution. A Moore rally - its enthusiastic crowds, its homemade signs, its unscripted political edginess - looks a lot like a small-scale Trump event. The Trump bump Of course, if Mr Moore's campaign get-togethers seemed like ersatz Trump circa 2016, on Friday night Mr Strange had the real thing - a packed, 10,000 seat arena of adoring, Make America Great Again hat-wearing supporters there to hear the president's in-person pitch for the senator. Sort of. In a speech that lasted nearly an hour and a half, the president said Mr Strange "works hard" and "shares our agenda". He said he's backing the senator because, unlike some other politicians, he never asked for anything in exchange for his support. In true Trump fashion, however, the praise was sometimes backhanded. He noted - as he had in earlier tweets - that Mr Strange had been trailing badly in the polls and only "pulled even" after the president's endorsement. And, perhaps most concerning for the embattled senator, he said that if Mr Moore wins, he'd come back to Alabama and campaign "like hell" for him. Image caption Peter Grove decorates an old bicycle with anti-Strange, pro-Moore signs That line will be welcome news to the pro-Moore supporters, including those who had gathered outside the Huntsville venue to show support for their man. Peter Grove, a retiree from Cloverdale, said he didn't think Mr Trump cared whether Mr Moore or Mr Strange won - he was just endorsing the incumbent (whom he called "Lucifer Strange") to collect some political capital. Eva Dastrow, a recent high-school graduate now working at a Christian ministry, said many in the Trump crowd were telling her they were pro-Moore and just there to see the president. Image caption Eva Dastrow has travelled across Alabama to campaign for "godly" Roy Moore "Moore has proven to Alabama and the nation that he'll stand on God's word," she said. After the rally, the verdict was mixed. Kenny Minyar said he was on the fence, but Mr Strange's loyalty to the president won him over. Melissa Hotz, on the other hand, said she came into the evening "all for Moore". Did the president change her mind? She shook her head and smiled. According to a Cygnal Political poll released on Monday, 31% of Alabamans were more likely to vote for Mr Strange based on the president's endorsement, while 30% were less likely. Overall, Mr Moore led the senator 52% to 41%. Holding his nose and voting If there's any hope for Mr Strange it won't come from opinion surveys, which paint an increasingly dark picture. Or from the sometimes conflicted thousands who flocked to the arena in Huntsville, Alabama, to hear the president speak. Or from the millions of dollars in anti-Moore advertising that have saturated the Alabama airwaves for months. The senator's fate, rather, could be decided by the kind of folks having lunch in Charlie's Place, in Selma, Alabama, on Friday afternoon. Just a block from the Edmund Pettis Bridge, where a violent clash between police and anti-segregation protesters became a rallying cry for the 1960s civil rights movement, diners munched on burgers and fried green tomatoes and largely avoided discussing state politics, which owner Charlie Morgan called "a mess". Image caption Cullen Wiggens (left), Emily Rogers and friends talk Alabama politics over lunch When pressed, most of the customers said they were reluctantly going to vote for Mr Strange. "I'm going to hold my nose and do it," said James McNeill, a lawyer who went to school with Mr Moore and wants nothing to do with him. Cullen Wiggins, a chemical company sales executive, said he was also going to opt for Mr Strange - but would cast a ballot for Democrat Doug Jones in December. He said Mr Strange is corrupt but "Moore is crazy". And that's how Mr Strange might win. Mr Moore has enthusiasm on his side but if enough Alabama Republicans object to his extreme evangelical politics, they could opt for the more traditional pick. The key will be getting those less-than-inspired Alabama Republicans to the polls. That's where an organised get-out-the-vote effort comes in - something the Strange campaign has more than enough funds to pull off. Even the best outreach programmes can only do so much to inspire lethargic voters, however. Emily Rogers said she had received a robo-call from presidential daughter-in-law Lara Trump - but it did nothing to convince her to head to the polls for Mr Strange. In fact, she admitted, she still didn't even know when the vote takes place. Signs of a coming storm On Friday night, Mr Trump expressed his doubts about whether he was doing the right thing by coming down to Alabama to push for Mr Strange. He said he "might have made a mistake" and fretted that if Mr Strange were to lose on Tuesday, the media would say the president had failed to "pull his candidate across the line". Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Donald Trump has embraced Luther Strange - but will it be enough? If the president is a bit concerned, however, others in Washington are downright scared. Mr Moore's success raises the possibility that while Republican Party loyalists have sought a means to work with the president, the forces that swept him to power could be beyond even Mr Trump's control. If an upstart judge can take down a sitting senator with a wealth of resources at his disposal, is anyone in the establishment safe? If Trump's stardom can't pump voltage into Mr Strange's campaign, what will protect Republican members of Congress from a bloodbath in next year's mid-term elections? For some, the possibility that the recent conservative populist revolt is a storm that has not yet been spent is their greatest fear. For those on the outside, however - the ones who are rallying around an upstart judge in the heart of Dixie - a bigger, stronger tempest to come is their dearest wish. And the sooner the president returns to the fold, the better. ||||| Roy Moore, the controversial former Chief Justice who once defied an order to remove a Ten Commandments monument, is squaring off against the Donald Trump-endorsed incumbent, U.S. Sen. Luther Strange, in an Alabama Republican primary runoff in the special election for the Jeff Sessions’ Senate seat. The September 26 runoff election is being painted in some corners as a referendum on the Deep South’s support for Trump, and as a bellwether of the president’s influence over Republican primary voters. However, there are some odd elements to consider in this race: The Trump-endorsed incumbent, Strange, was also endorsed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, whom Trump has dogged with public criticism, and, in some ways, the bombastic, iconoclastic, and anti-establishment opponent, Roy Moore – who is leading in the polls by a lot – resembles Trump a lot more than the guy Trump endorsed. Furthermore, Strange was placed in the seat by a scandal-hobbled former governor in a way that engendered controversy back home, and he’s ticked off some establishment Republicans over the years in Alabama. All of that means that there may be enough peculiarities in this race that the results will be tough to extrapolate into a prediction of how other upcoming GOP primaries will go (new polling shows that Moore would dominate Democrat Doug Jones if he makes it to the general election; Strange would defeat Jones, but by less. However, some Democrats see Moore’s past controversies and comments as an open door for them to exploit.) What do the polls specifically say heading into election day in the closely watched Republican contest? The winner of Tuesday’s runoff will compete in the general election against Jones. The polls show Moore with a large lead over Strange. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Moore with a 10.4 percentage point lead over Strange, as of September 25. Moore has led in polling since August, but the margin has jumped in his favor in recent weeks. (You can see the specific polls later in this article.) Although Trump has tossed support to Strange, polling has shown that those who approve of Trump make up the largest portion of Moore’s supporters. The same is true of Strange, though. After all, it’s a GOP primary. The Optimus poll found that most people know that Trump endorsed Strange. FiveThirtyEight argues that the primary is a bellwether on Trump’s ability to influence primary voters. It’s an unusual election, though, because Moore is, in many ways, running to the right of Strange (just on Thursday, Moore said “abortion, sodomy, sexual perversion sweep our land.”) “Trump’s endorsement of Strange never made a lot of sense from either a messaging or policy standpoint. Trump ran as an outsider,” FiveThirtyEight noted. “Strange is an incumbent U.S. senator backed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and the pro-McConnell Senate Leadership Fund. He’s the ‘establishment’ candidate. Strange’s opponent Moore, on the other hand, is a lot more like Trump. Both Moore and Trump are populist politicians who have made a political career by running against the establishment.” Mike Pence also stumped for Strange, but former White House strategist Steve Bannon was stumping for Moore, dividing conservative loyalties further. The president returned to Alabama for a rally in which he stressed that Strange was an ally on Obamacare repeal. Trump, though, said he would “fight like hell” for Moore if Moore beats Strange in the primary runoff, according to CNN. Here’s a round up of the latest polls in the primary: Doug Kaplan, the managing partner of Gravis Marketing, which conducted one of the recent polls, stressed, “The dynamics can change if the undecideds break towards Strange. Then, there is the factor of how many show up. It’s illegal for Democrats to vote if they voted in the Democratic primary last month, so Strange has to get new Democratic voters, who did not vote in the primary to show up for him.” CNN reports that a Moore win could be a canary in the mine for other races, most notably primary fights in Nevada and Arizona. Kaplan added, “Another factor working for Moore is his lead with both voters with a favorable opinion and unfavorable opinion of Trump.” Moore was the top vote getter on the Republican side in the Alabama Senate Special Election during an earlier primary but not by a big enough margin to avoid a runoff. The seat was once occupied by Sessions, who left to become Trump’s Attorney General. The president had gone all in, throwing his support to Strange in a state that favored him. There are other localized issues at play, though. Moore’s messaging mirrors that of Trump himself in November; underfunded compared to opponents, but beloved by some on the far right for his stances on the Ten Commandments and same-sex marriage, he has railed against Washington insiders on the campaign trail. According to USA Today, “Strange and the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) spent a combined $10 million on the campaign through Sept. 6, and even more in the weeks after. Moore’s campaign spent just $1.1 million through early September.” Moore already has high name ID in Alabama though, and he endeared himself to some on the right when he was removed as Alabama’s chief justice in 2003 “for refusing to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments,” reports FiveThirtyEight. The Moore saga doesn’t end there, though. After being removed as chief justice, he won reelection. However, he was then “suspended for declining to enforce the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized same-sex marriages. After losing an appeal, he resigned in April,” reports Politico. Moore, a former prosecutor, judge, and military police officer in Vietnam, has a history of making controversial remarks. According to Politico, he told The Guardian that Vladimir Putin is “maybe … more akin to me than I know” because Putin opposes gay marriage, and, of transgender troops, he said, “If we’re going to file for hormone treatments and medical surgeries, that’s not making your military stronger. You’ve got to have a disciplined military.” On the Democratic side, the race was always a bit of a Hail Mary; according to Five Thirty Eight, “No Democrat has won a Senate race in Alabama since 1992, and Trump won the state by 28 percentage points last November.” Adding another twist, turnout is expected to be low. According to The New York Times, a low turnout would be good for Moore, many experts believe, because “his defiance has only endeared him to his supporters, who are highly likely to show up to vote in any contest where he appears on the ballot.” Moore’s support with Evangelicals also would help him in a low turnout race because they tend to turn out in greater numbers. Trump recorded a robocall for Strange before the earlier primary in addition to tweeting his support. “He is helping me in the Senate and is going to get the tax cuts for us. He’s doing a lot of things for the people of Alabama and for the people of the United States,” Trump said in the robocall, according to CNN. There are also the localized concerns. Some observers say that Strange is struggling to hold onto the seat in part because he’s had tense relationships with some in the Republican establishment in Alabama as well as dealing with continued fallout over the fact he was appointed to the seat by former Gov. Robert Bentley, who was being investigated by the Alabama Attorney General’s office at the time Strange was interviewed for the Senate post. Strange was the state’s Attorney General at the time of his appointment to the Sessions’ Senate seat. ||||| Roy Moore, winner of the Republican primary for the US Senate seat in Alabama, speaks to supporters at his election party on Sept. 26, 2017. —A firebrand Alabama jurist wrested a US Senate nomination from an appointed incumbent backed by millions of dollars from national Republicans, adding a new chapter Tuesday to an era of outsider politics that ushered President Trump into the White House yet leaves his presidency and his party in disarray. Roy Moore's 9-point victory over Sen. Luther Strange (R) of Alabama, backed by the White House and Republican leaders on Capitol Hill, ranks as a miscalculation and temporary embarrassment for the president; it's a more consequential rebuke for Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky, who Mr. Moore said should step aside as GOP floor chief. The Kentucky Republican already is struggling to capitalize on his narrow 52 to 48 majority. He failed this week to deliver a long-promised health-care overhaul, with equally perilous fights looming on taxes, the budget, immigration, and the nation's credit limit. Now, Senator McConnell may also face a 2018 midterm election cycle complicated by GOP primary challengers who, like Moore, make the Senate leader an albatross for establishment candidates, including incumbents Sen. Dean Heller (R) of Nevada and Sen. Jeff Flake (R) of Arizona. Moore, the famed "Ten Commandments judge" twice removed from elected judicial office for defying federal courts, declared his nomination a message to Washington leaders "that their wall has been cracked and will now fall," though he excepted the president from his ire. "Together we can make America great," he said, echoing Mr. Trump's campaign slogan. In Mississippi, state lawmaker Chris McDaniel, who nearly defeated Sen. Thad Cochran (R) of Mississippi in 2014, called Moore's win an "incredibly inspiring" blueprint that leaves him on the cusp of challenging Sen. Roger Wicker (R) of Mississippi in 2018. "We know Mitch McConnell was rejected tonight – and Roger Wicker is just another part of Mitch McConnell's leadership apparatus," Mr. McDaniel told The Associated Press, saying he expects conservative challengers to emerge in other states, as well. Trump and McConnell quickly closed ranks behind Moore after Senator Strange conceded, underscoring their desire to keep the seat in Republican hands. Trump tweeted congratulations to Moore after the win. "Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Dec!" he said Three tweets supporting Strange on Monday and Tuesday disappeared from Trump's Twitter account. The White House didn't immediately respond with an explanation. On Wednesday morning Trump sent a tweet praising Moore. "Spoke to Roy Moore of Alabama last night for the first time. Sounds like a really great guy who ran a fantastic race," said Trump's tweet. The Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-aligned political action committee, also pledged to support Moore after spending $9 million on Strange's behalf. A West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, Moore now is the favorite over Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election, though Republicans quietly worry the sometimes controversial Moore could yield an uncomfortably close race to fill the seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump, meanwhile, must reconcile being the president who promised to "drain the swamp" yet endorsed and campaigned alongside Strange, a lobbyist-turned-politician, in lieu of Moore, a figure steeped in anti-establishment fervor. Adding intrigue was the fact that Strange got his Senate post by being promoted from his job as Alabama attorney general by a now-convicted former governor whom Strange's office had been investigating for corruption. Trump's choice left him opposite from his campaign architect and departed White House adviser Steve Bannon, who campaigned for Moore and introduced the nominee to his supporters Tuesday night as revelers watched returns showing Moore victorious in 63 of Alabama's 67 counties. Bannon cast Moore's romp as a win for Trump, regardless of the president's Strange endorsement. "Who is sovereign, the people or the money? Alabama answered today," Bannon said. Mississippi's McDaniel said conservatives never blamed Trump for taking sides. "We supported Donald Trump because he was an agent of change, and he's still an agent of change," McDaniel said. "In this instance, he must have been given bad advice to retain this particular swamp creature." And it's worth noting that Trump turned his trip to Alabama last week into a national spectacle having nothing to do with Strange or Moore, as the president blasted professional athletes who protest during the national anthem. The fallout cemented Trump's bond with his core supporters and raised questions about how interested Trump really was in the Alabama race. Elsewhere in Republican ranks, there are warnings not to make the Alabama results more than one state's choice. Republican pollster Whit Ayres, who has worked for Senate campaigns across the country, said Trump learns the same lesson his predecessor, Barack Obama, learned watching Democrats lose control of Congress and then seeing Trump defeat his chosen successor, Hillary Clinton. "You can't just transfer the popularity of your brand to another candidate," Ayres said. As for Strange, Mr. Ayres noted the freshman senator was facing voters for the first time since being appointed by a governor who eventually resigned in disgrace. "No other Republican Senate incumbent will carry that baggage," Ayres said. In defeat, Strange did not directly confront those variables, telling a subdued crowd in suburban Birmingham he was proud of his team's effort and grateful both to Trump and his Senate colleagues, but befuddled by the campaign he'd just concluded. "We're dealing with a political environment that I've never had any experience with," Strange said. "The political seas and winds in this country right now ... are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand." This story was reported by The Associated Press. ||||| Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore soundly defeated Sen. Luther Strange in a GOP primary runoff that pitted President Donald Trump against some of his most loyal supporters, including former chief strategist Steve Bannon, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and a slew of conservative members of the House of Representatives. With 57 percent of the precincts reporting, Moore led Strange by 57 percent to 43 percent, a margin of more than 35,000 votes. State officials estimated a low turnout of between 12 and 15 percent of eligible voters. Strange lost despite the endorsement of Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom traveled to Alabama to make the case for the incumbent in the final week of the race. In his concession statement, Strange thanked Trump and Pence for their support and vowed to “go back to work with President Trump and do all I can to advance his agenda over the next few weeks.” Moore is now the favorite in December’s general election against Democrat Doug Jones, a lawyer and former U.S. attorney during President Bill Clinton’s administration. The winner of that race will complete the Senate term started by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and be up for re-election in 2020. At a rally in Huntsville Friday, Trump portrayed Strange as loyal to him and said he appreciated how Strange agreed to vote for ObamaCare replacement legislation this summer without asking any favors from him. However, Trump’s endorsement was overshadowed nationally by his attack on NFL players who kneel during the National Anthem prior to games. Trump also said at the Alabama rally that he would campaign for Moore in the general election if he secured the nomination, but he believed Moore would have a tougher time against Jones in the general election. Trump posted a Tweet before voting began Tuesday morning, imploring Alabamians to “Finish the job [and] vote for ‘Big Luther.'” Pence also flew to Birmingham on Monday evening to campaign for Strange. “Luther Strange is a real conservative. He’s a leader and a real friend to President Trump. I got to tell you, Big Luther has been making a big difference in Washington,” Pence said before exiting the stage to the tune of “Sweet Home Alabama.” The Senate Leadership Fund, a group with ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spent an estimated $9 million trying to secure the nomination for Strange. That support played into Moore’s argument that the election was an opportunity to send a lesson to what he called the “elite Washington establishment.” “Mitch McConnell needs to be replaced and your vote tomorrow may determine that,” Moore said Monday at a Fairhope rally attended by Bannon, Brexit leader Nigel Farage, and “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson. Bannon told the crowd that Alabama can show the world “that this populist, nationalist, conservative movement is on the rise.” “A vote for Roy Moore is a vote for Donald J. Trump,” Bannon said. Wearing a white cowboy hat and leather vest at the rally Monday night, Moore repeated the conservative Christian themes he has used his entire public career. He also lashed out at attack ads run against him in the race, including one suggesting he was weak on gun rights. “I believe in the Second Amendment,” Moore said, pulling a handgun from his pocket. Moore, known in Alabama as the “Ten Commandments Judge,” has a colorful political history that has both fueled and complicated his rise. Moore first received national attention in the 1990s as a county judge when he hung a wooden Ten Commandments plaque on the wall of his courtroom. The ACLU filed a lawsuit against him. Benefiting from his popularity after the episode, Moore then ran and won a race for chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court in 2000. But he was ousted after refusing to remove a 5,280-pound granite Ten Commandments monument from the rotunda of the state judicial building. Moore resurrected his political career in 2012, when he was elected chief justice again. But his second tenure was short-lived: in 2016, Moore was suspended as chief justice after he directed probate judges not to issue marriage certificates to gay couples. Strange, the former attorney general in Alabama, was temporarily appointed to the seat in April by then-Gov. Robert Bentley, who has since resigned in disgrace. Opponents have used the appointment against Strange, accusing Bentley of naming him to the seat so he could install someone who might be more sympathetic to him in the state attorney general’s office. On the outskirts of Montgomery, 76-year-old Air Force retiree John Lauer said Trump’s endorsement swayed him to vote for Strange on Tuesday. “I voted for Strange. I’m a Trump voter. Either one is going to basically do the Trump agenda, but since Trump came out for Luther, I voted for Luther,” said Lauer said. Merlene Bohannon, a widow with three grown children, said she had planned to vote for Strange until seeing Bannon stump for Moore on Fox News on Monday night. “Steve Bannon and God spoke to me, and this morning when I went in I voted for Moore,” said Bohannon, 74. Fox News’ Alex Pappas and the Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore won a major victory Tuesday in Alabama’s special election GOP runoff against interim Sen. Luther Strange, and he’s widely expected to win the race for the Senate in December. The Associated Press called the race for Moore just before 9:30 Eastern time. With 95 percent of precincts reporting, Moore had 54.8 percent to Strange’s 45.2 percent. Analysts had claimed the race embodied a war inside the GOP between establishment and anti-establishment forces. As WND reported, Breitbart Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle even suggested the race was “a flashpoint in a larger war inside the GOP for the heart and soul of the party.” “If Alabamians send Moore to the U.S. Senate, they will be sending a message to the swamp in Washington, D.C., that they do not support Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others’ efforts to dilute the agenda that President Trump campaigned on,” he wrote. What do YOU think of Judge Roy Moore? Sound off in today’s WND poll! Former Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, who resigned amid scandal, had appointed Strange to the seat vacated when Sen. Jeff Sessions became U.S. attorney general. Moore came away from the initial Republican primary on Aug. 15 with 39 percent of the vote, while Strange, who was backed by the GOP establishment, had 32.8 percent. The third leading GOP candidate, Republican Rep. Mo Brooks, took 20 percent. Now Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in the December special election. The Republican nominee is expected to prevail in the GOP-dominated state. President Trump had campaigned on behalf of Strange and voiced support for Strange in the August primary. “‘Big Luther’ is a great guy who gets things done!” he tweeted. Get a collector’s edition copy of Judge Roy Moore’s autobiography signed by him – limited supplies left! In one interview with an Alabama radio show Monday, Trump admitted, “I don’t know that much about Roy Moore.” McConnell and his allies endorsed Strange before the initial Republican primary in August, stoking criticism that Strange represented the Washington establishment, which dropped a cool $30 million on the race. With the exception of Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has said he refrains from getting involved in primaries involving incumbents, Strange had the support of nearly all his colleagues in the Senate. Meanwhile, Moore had been making political hay out of the establishment support for Strange. In a fundraising email, he accused the McConnell of “dirty tricks and schemes … like turning out Democrats to vote for his crony Luther Strange in our Republican primary.” “Judge Roy Moore in the U.S. Senate means the END of Mitch McConnell’s reign as Majority Leader,” Moore added. Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, slammed Moore in a recent interview, asserting the former Alabama Supreme Court justice would not be a productive member of the Republican caucus. “Look at his track record,” Cornyn said. “It’s highly likely that he could be disruptive. We’re talking about somebody who has been removed from the bench twice.” Moore was first removed, on a federal judge’s order, from the Alabama Supreme Court more than a decade ago for refusing to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments from the Supreme Court building. Voters put him back in the same position. He then was removed in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s creation of same-sex “marriage” when he issued an administrative order advising Alabama judges with with respect to a current marriage case, the state law regarding marriage was still in force. “They feel like maybe I would take the same kind of attitude at the United States Senate,” Moore said of Senate Republicans in an interview with Politico. “And maybe I would. Because I stand for what I believe in.” Get a collector’s edition copy of Judge Roy Moore’s autobiography signed by him – limited supplies left! At the entrance to an election night watch party for Moore, there was a large display of the Ten Commandments. Fox News correspondent Jonathan Serrie tweeted the following image of the display. Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon threw his support behind Moore. Bannon also told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday that there should be a “real review” of the information given to President Trump to convince him to back Strange. Bannon attended Tuesday night’s election night watch party. “They tried to destroy Donald Trump; the same gang that is going after Roy Moore is the same gang that went after Donald Trump,” Bannon said. “And I have to tell you, I think at some time later after [Tuesday], a real, you know, review has to be done of how President Trump got the wrong information and came down on the wrong side of the football here.” After Moore’s win, Trump tweeted: “Congratulations to Roy Moore on his Republican Primary win in Alabama. Luther Strange started way back & ran a good race. Roy, WIN in Nov!” At a Conservative Action Project meeting on Aug. 28, Bannon emphasized that his support for Moore is not about undermining or subverting the president, but is a move to disrupt the GOP establishment, specifically to rebuke McConnell. Former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin also endorsed Moore last month, arguing he “has what it takes to stand up to the out-of touch political establishment.” Boyle said most of the Washington establishment “that despises Trump’s agenda – including the Chamber of Commerce, the NRA, McConnell’s forces, and Karl Rove and his allies – have aligned behind Strange.” “Most of the supporters of the president’s agenda – including Fox News anchor Sean Hannity, former White House chief strategist and Breitbart News executive chairman Stephen K. Bannon, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin – have aligned behind Moore’s campaign.” ||||| Firebrand jurist Roy Moore has won the Alabama Republican primary for U.S. Senate, defeating Luther Strange - an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. In an upset likely to rock the party establishment, Moore clinched victory Tuesday over Sen. Luther Strange to win the GOP nomination for the Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election. Moore is the state's former chief justice who was twice removed from his duties for defying federal courts over same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments. Propelled by evangelical voters, Moore consolidated support from a number of anti-establishment forces, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon. If you don't see the results below, CLICK HERE. Sorry, your browser doesn't do inline frames or is currently configured not to display them. Copyright 2017 WBRC. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| The Latest on Alabama's GOP primary (all times local): Incumbent Sen. Luther Strange wished jurist Roy Moore well after losing the Alabama Republican primary for Senate. Strange told his supporters Tuesday night that "we wish (Moore) well going forward." But he quickly shifted to his own bewilderment at the race he just finished. "We're dealing with a political environment that I've never had any experience with," he said. "I'm telling you, the political seas and winds in this country right now ... are very hard to navigate, very hard to understand." Strange also thanked President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for backing him. Strange said Trump, may "be criticized" for coming to Alabama on his behalf. "Sometimes it's just about friendship ... a common goal to make the country better," he said. A group that put millions of dollars behind Sen. Luther Strange in Alabama's Senate race says it will now back Roy Moore. Senate Leadership Fund President and CEO Steven Law said Tuesday that Moore won the nomination "fair and square." Law says Moore "has our support, as it is vital that we keep this seat in Republican hands." The group, which has ties to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, put millions of dollars behind Strange in the heated GOP primary with Moore. Firebrand jurist Roy Moore has won the Alabama Republican primary for U.S. Senate, defeating an appointed incumbent backed by President Donald Trump and allies of Sen. Mitch McConnell. In an upset likely to rock the party establishment, Moore clinched victory Tuesday over Sen. Luther Strange to win the GOP nomination for the Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Moore will face Democrat Doug Jones in a Dec. 12 special election. Moore is the state's former chief justice who was twice removed from his duties for defying federal courts over same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments. Propelled by evangelical voters, Moore consolidated support from a number of anti-establishment forces, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon. Alabama Sen. Luther Strange has yet to appear at his election night party where several dozen of his supporters are gathering to watch early returns showing Strange trailing Roy Moore in a U.S. Senate primary runoff. Strange's supporters were late arrivals to the suburban Birmingham hotel, and many are quietly watching returns and suggesting that Moore's wide leads in many counties will be too much for Strange to overcome. He was appointed to the seat earlier this year when Jeff Sessions won confirmation as the nation's attorney general. Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore entered his election night party to applause from supporters optimistic that he will win the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. Moore smiled broadly Tuesday evening as he exchanged handshakes and hugs from supporters. He did not speak to the crowd. He will watch returns in a room in another part of the building. Moore is competing against incumbent Sen. Luther Strange for the nomination for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' former Senate seat. Former University of Alabama running back Siran Stacy, who is now a pastor, led the crowd in a prayer as they held their hands up in worship, and a hymn. The crowd applauded as the first results showed Moore leading in rural counties. Voting ended 7 p.m. Tuesday in the race to fill Attorney General Jeff Sessions' former Senate seat. U.S. Sen. Luther Strange and firebrand jurist Roy Moore are competing in the Alabama's GOP primary that has pitted President Donald Trump against a former top adviser. Trump is backing Strange. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon is supporting Moore. Moore's campaign chairman said Bannon is expected to attend Moore's election night party in Montgomery, Alabama. Sen. Luther Strange is urging voters to get the polls in Alabama's heated GOP runoff for the Senate seat. "President Donald Trump needs you NOW!" the campaign wrote in a Tuesday message that was emailed to supporters at midday. The campaign urged people to get to the polls before they close at 7 p.m. His campaign has emphasized his endorsement from Trump. Strange voted early Tuesday morning in the race where he faces former state chief justice Roy Moore. Strange then greeted breakfast diners at nearby restaurants. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill says turnout for the state's Republican runoff for U.S. Senate is so far looking pretty low. Merrill said he was projecting a 12 to 15 percent turnout for Tuesday's race. Sen. Luther Strange and Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore are vying for the Republican nomination for the Senate seat that belonged to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Low turnout is largely considered to be positive for Moore, who has a loyal following among state evangelical voters. Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary, and runoff polls have shown him leading or in a dead heat with Strange. Turnout for the August primary was 17 percent. Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore has cast his ballot after riding a horse to his rural polling place in northeastern Alabama. Moore wore a short-sleeve shirt and a white cowboy hat Tuesday morning as he climbed off his mount outside the Gallant Volunteer Fire Department. Accompanied by relatives, he chatted with fellow voters and marked his ballot in the tiny precinct. Moore and appointed Sen. Luther Strange are vying for the U.S. Senate seat previously held by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Strange voted earlier in suburban Birmingham. Moore says riding a horse to vote is an Election Day tradition for him. His house is near his polling place. Alabama Sen. Luther Strange is billing himself as the "true conservative" as voters go to the polls in the state's special GOP primary runoff election. Strange called a supportive conservative talk show on Birmingham's WERC radio after voting Tuesday. He made a final plea for support in his race against former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore is casting Strange as being part of the problem in Washington since he's supported by the GOP establishment. But Strange denies that and says he's only trying to get President Donald Trump's agenda passed through Congress. A super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has pumped millions of dollars into the Alabama race on behalf of Strange. But Strange says he only met McConnell a few months ago and denies being close to him. The winner of the Republican runoff will face Democratic nominee Doug Jones in the general election. Polls have opened in a special U.S. Senate election in Alabama where President Donald Trump is backing the establishment candidate to keep the seat once held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Trump supported Sen. Luther Strange with a Tweet sent before voting began Tuesday morning. Strange is being opposed by former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore, known for publicly displaying the Ten Commandments and opposing gay marriage. Former Trump aide Steve Bannon spoke at a rally in support of Moore on Monday night. Moore led Strange by about 25,000 votes in the crowded August primary. Runoff polls have shown him leading, or in a dead heat with, Strange, who is a former state attorney general. President Donald Trump is making a final push for Sen. Luther Strange in Alabama's GOP primary. Trump tweeted early Tuesday before voting began: "Luther Strange has been shooting up in the Alabama polls since my endorsement. Finish the job - vote for 'Big Luther.'" The Alabama primary is being closely watched to see how much political sway Trump still has in the populist, conservative movement that helped send him to the White House. Strange, the establishment-backed incumbent, is locked in a tight race with former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore. Moore is a jurist known for pushing unsuccessfully for the public display of the Ten Commandments and opposing gay marriage. He is backed by some of Trump's most ardent supporters and has the support of Trump's former aide Steve Bannon. U.S. Sen. Luther Strange and firebrand jurist Roy Moore face off in Alabama's GOP primary that has pitted President Donald Trump against a former top adviser. Vice President Mike Pence campaigned for Strange in Alabama ahead of Tuesday's runoff. Trump's former strategist Steve Bannon endorsed Moore, arguing he's a better fit for the "populist, nationalist, conservative movement." The two Republicans are vying for Attorney General Jeff Sessions' former Senate seat. The winner will face Democrat Doug Jones in December. Strange, the state's former attorney general, was appointed to the seat in February. Moore is the state's former chief justice. He was twice ousted from those duties over stands against gay marriage and for the public display of the Ten Commandments. ||||| Roy Moore, Culture Warrior, Will Be Favored To Be The Next U.S. Senator From Alabama After winning Tuesday night's Alabama GOP Senate primary runoff, Roy Moore is one step closer to the United States Senate. The anti-establishment conservative could give Republican leaders plenty of headaches if he wins the general election in December. The former chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Moore has been in the public eye for almost two decades amid a number of controversies in that time, including his removal from the bench and a separate suspension. One thing he has never shied away from is his devout religious beliefs and the conviction that faith should be integrated into the public square and with the law. Moore has to defeat Democrat Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney, to get to the Capitol. Republican leadership has warned that a Moore victory in the primary would make securing what should be a safe seat more difficult for the party. President Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell backed Moore's primary opponent, Sen. Luther Strange. Still, Moore remains the favorite in ruby red Alabama, and Democrats will have to decide whether wading into the contest is a worthwhile investment. Here's a rundown of some of Moore's past judicial controversy and statewide bids: Moore gained his nickname even before he was elected statewide, for refusing to take down a hand-carved plaque of the Ten Commandments hanging behind his bench when he was the Etowah County circuit court judge. In 1995, the American Civil Liberties Union sued over the plaque and Moore's habit of opening sessions with prayers, saying such actions were unconstitutional and violated the separation of church and state. "Separation of church and state never meant to separate God from government," Moore told NPR at the time. "The First Amendment never meant to divide our country from an acknowledgement of God. It's time to stand up and say, we have a right under our Constitution to acknowledge God." The Montgomery Advertiser wrote in a recent profile of Moore that "the original lawsuit was dismissed due to lack of standing, but then-Gov. Fob James — who once pledged to send the National Guard to defend the plaque — sued to get a ruling on the constitutionality of Moore's actions. In 1996, Montgomery County Judge Charles Price initially ordered Moore to stop the prayer but allowed the Ten Commandments plaque to be displayed; however, he ordered the plaque removed after visiting Moore's courtroom the following year." Eventually, though, the case was dismissed by the Alabama Supreme Court and the plaque got to stay, giving Moore a "new statewide status," according to the Advertiser. When he was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court in 2000, Moore took his crusade over the Ten Commandments even further, designing and commissioning a 2 1/2-ton granite monument inscribed with the Ten Commandments to be placed in front of the court. "Moore had not told his fellow justices he was planning to install the monument, but brought a company in to tape the installation of the monument in the Heflin-Torbert Judicial Building. Sales of the tapes later helped pay for his legal defense fund," the Advertiser says. A federal lawsuit was filed over the monument, and in 2002, a federal district judge ruled it was unconstitutional, violating the establishment clause of the Constitution. A deadline for removing the monument came and went in August 2003, and Moore refused to budge. A state panel ruled that Moore had violated the judicial ethics code, and Moore was removed from the bench. Moore, however, didn't have any regrets about standing by his beliefs. "I will not violate my oath," he told NPR in 2003. "I cannot forsake my conscience. I will not neglect my duty. And I will never, never deny the God upon whom our laws and our country depend." The Ten Commandments standoff led to national fame for Moore, and he flirted with running for president, courted by the Constitution Party. Ahead of the 2012 cycle, Moore visited Iowa and seemed poised to run on the GOP line, but he ultimately didn't enter the fray. He did make two failed statewide bids for governor. In 2006, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Republican Gov. Bob Riley, losing by an almost 2-to-1 margin. A 2010 bid didn't pan out any better, with Moore finishing a fourth in the primary, getting 19 percent of the vote. The man who won that race, Robert Bentley, is the one who appointed Strange to fill the vacancy left by now-Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation. Bentley himself resigned earlier this year amid a sex scandal. The optics of him appointing Strange, who as the state attorney general was investigating possible misuse of his office to cover up the alleged affair with an aide, greatly hurt Strange in the race with Moore, according to several local observers. Those two lackluster statewide performances is one reason Moore wasn't expected to gain much steam when he first entered this Senate race, but with the election of Trump, a rise of political outsiders, a reigniting of the culture wars and vulnerabilities by Strange, there was a perfect storm for him to finally grasp the nomination. Back on the bench — then suspended over same-sex marriage In 2012, Moore successfully won back his seat on the state Supreme Court, just less than a decade after being removed from the bench. After winning the GOP nomination — defeating another appointed judge despite being heavily outspent — the race turned unexpectedly competitive, given Moore's history — a similar scenario to what worries Republicans now. As NPR's Debbie Elliott reported at the time, Democrat Bob Vance tried "to forge a fragile coalition of Democrats and the establishment Republicans who aren't comfortable with Moore's religious crusades." Moore eventually narrowly prevailed with 52 percent of the vote. He didn't resurrect his Ten Commandments monument, but when the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling in 2015 legalizing gay marriage, Moore ordered state judges to defy it and instead enforce the state's ban on same-sex marriage. "The Court's (Obergefell) opinion speaks repeatedly of homosexuals being humiliated, demeaned, and being denied 'equal dignity' by a state's refusal to issue them marriage licenses," Moore wrote in response to Obergefell v. Hodges. "The majority seeks to invoke the grief, sorrow and compassion associated with a Greek tragedy. Riding a tidal wave of emotion, the ensuing tears and pathos then suffice to fertilize a new constitutional right nowhere mentioned in the Constitution itself." That action resulted in another appearance before Alabama's Court of the Judiciary and he was suspended for the rest of his term; however, Moore's age had already precluded him from running again in 2018. He retired from the court and then jumped into this Senate race earlier this year. Moore has long been an opponent of same-sex marriage. CNN unearthed comments from 2005 where Moore said that "homosexual conduct" should be illegal and compared such acts to bestiality. Also, like Trump, he has perpetuated the false "birtherism" narrative as recently as last December, questioning whether former President Barack Obama was born in the United States. | Justice Roy Moore and U.S. Senator Luther Strange face off in Alabama’s special election in what political analysts claim is a deepening rift between the Republican Party's establishment and anti-establishment factions. Moore is projected to win the primary runoff. |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – This was the biggest news in college basketball that wasn’t news to anybody who has followed the game within the game for years. Bigger than strippers and prostitutes frolicking at the University of Louisville basketball dorm. Serious money flowing from an apparel company to advisers to coaches to players to ensure those players did all the things that the coaches, advisers and apparel company needed them to do. Been hearing that for decades. Been hearing the NCAA was investigating those tactics for years. Been hearing the complaints from coaches who didn’t want to play that game and ended up losing recruits, then games and ultimately their jobs. Now the federal government has popped the seal of the secret toxic world of paying for play – and college sports will never be the same. It’s time for the University of Louisville to sweat and decide what it wants its basketball program to be, beyond the punch line that the last U of L scandal created. It’s time for everybody to sweat, not just the four programs that had assistant coaches named in the indictment released Tuesday morning in New York City. Federal authorities touted their tip line. They encouraged anybody with information to call -- before they received a call from the feds. They’re nobodies in college basketball. Haven’t seen them sniff the Final Four for years. They have not been recruiting and signing the Who’s Who on the national recruiting boards. The only somebody that took a hit was Arizona – until you dug deeper into Page 14 of indictment and started reading about University 6, Coach 1, Coach 2, Player 10, and Company 1. That player, who allegedly needed $100,000 to commit after flirting with another apparel company, was a Class of 2017 stud who picked his school at the strangely tardy date of June 3, about two months after the NCAA spring signing period opened. Coincidentally, June 3 is the day that Brian Bowen, a McDonald’s all-American from Saginaw, Mich., delivered a recruiting shocker – committing to the University of Louisville, even though the Cardinals had never been strongly mentioned as a landing spot for Bowen. Michigan State, Texas and Arizona had been three schools in the front row recruiting Bowen. Over the winter and spring, those three and others dropped out. Bowen signed with Louisville even though recruiting insiders did not speculate that Louisville was involved. It was a five-star recruiting fairy tale unlike any other. If you have followed the recruiting meat market you learned long ago not to believe in fairy tales. Are U of L coaches and administrators sweating? They should be sweating and preparing to pack. If U of L basketball is involved in what this federal indictment appears to suggest, the future of Cardinal basketball will be as bleak as it has ever been, considering the program is already trying to win its appeal of penalties imposed by the NCAA for the stripper and prostitution scandal. A potential death penalty for the basketball program that would result in no games for a period determined by the NCAA? Certainly a painful and surreal possibility. U of L interim president Dr. Greg Postel issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, confirming the university had received notice that the school was included in this federal investigation and that the university was committed to following NCAA rules, rules that the basketball program recently violated. It’s the minimum move Postel could make. We’re about to discover if Postel is a leader or a guy who issues statements. I recommended a basketball reboot two years ago. If this scandal attaches itself to Louisville basketball, there’s no reason to delay. Those are the stakes in play with this story. They’re king-sized. It’s a textbook snapshot into the world that coaches have howled about for years. They chase a kid for winter, spring, summer and fall. They build a relationship. They connect with family members. They’re convinced they have a commitment. Then the player commits elsewhere. The losing coach believes that he knows why he lost the player. But he cannot prove it. Neither can the NCAA. The federal government believes that it can expose “the dark underbelly of college basketball,” transforming the power of wiretaps, secret informants and subpoena power into investigative juice that the NCAA can only ponder. College basketball coaches across America should be concerned, very, very concerned, especially at the University of Louisville. ||||| (USA TODAY) - University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino is out Wednesday after the FBI alleged in a criminal complaint that coaches with the program had participated in a scheme to pay recruits' families. Steve Pence, Pitino's attorney, told the Courier-Journal the coach has been placed on administrative leave but has been "effectively fired." The scandal, which has rocked college basketball, involves at least four named men's assistant college basketball coaches from around the country and a senior executive at Adidas. University interim President Greg Postel confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Louisville was part of the investigation. He said the allegation "is a serious concern that goes to the heart of our athletic department and the university." Postel added that "any violations will not be tolerated." Pitino, who is the highest paid coach in basketball, makes nearly $7.8 million a year, according to USA TODAY's salary database. He has coached at the collegiate level at Boston University, Providence College, The University of Kentucky and Louisville. He also coached the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA. During his nearly 30-year coaching career, he has won 770 games at the college level, two national championships and made seven Final Fours. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Here's a look at some of the highs and lows during his tenure at Louisville: March 21, 2001: After four seasons as head coach of the Boston Celtics, Pitino returned to college — and the state of Kentucky — following the retirement of U of L head coach Denny Crum. March 26, 2005: In just his fourth season at Louisville, Pitino's team makes the Final Four after beating West Virginia, 93-85 in overtime. It was Louisville's first Final Four appearance since 1986 and the first of three under Pitino. April 19, 2009: Pitino releases a statement saying he was the target of an extortion attempt. He later admits to having sex with Karen Sypher, the wife of a University of Louisville equipment manager, and having paid $3,000 for her to have an abortion. Sypher was later convicted of extortion. Pitino apologized. April 8, 2013: After entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, the Cardinals defeat the University of Michigan to capture the school's third NCAA men's basketball championship. Oct. 2, 2015: The college basketball world is rocked by a book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," in which escort Katina Powell alleges U of L staffer Andre McGee paid strippers and prostitutes to dance and have sex with U of L players and recruits in the team dormitory. Pitino said he had no knowledge of any of the events alleged in the book. June 5, 2017: The NCAA, which opened an investigation into the allegations,suspends Pitino for the first five ACC games of the upcoming season and hits University of Louisville with a "vacation of basketball records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible." The school is appealing that decision. Sept. 26, 2017: An FBI investigation alleges that a coach from a public research university in Kentucky that matches the description of Louisville paid $100,000 to a basketball recruit's family. The school later acknowledged that the school's men's basketball recruiting was part of the investigation. Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey and Justin Sayers of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, part of the USA TODAY Network. ||||| (USA TODAY) - University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino is out Wednesday after the FBI alleged in a criminal complaint that coaches with the program had participated in a scheme to pay recruits' families. Steve Pence, Pitino's attorney, told the Courier-Journal the coach has been placed on administrative leave but has been "effectively fired." The scandal, which has rocked college basketball, involves at least four named men's assistant college basketball coaches from around the country and a senior executive at Adidas. University interim President Greg Postel confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Louisville was part of the investigation. He said the allegation "is a serious concern that goes to the heart of our athletic department and the university." Postel added that "any violations will not be tolerated." Pitino, who is the highest paid coach in basketball, makes nearly $7.8 million a year, according to USA TODAY's salary database. He has coached at the collegiate level at Boston University, Providence College, The University of Kentucky and Louisville. He also coached the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics in the NBA. During his nearly 30-year coaching career, he has won 770 games at the college level, two national championships and made seven Final Fours. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. Here's a look at some of the highs and lows during his tenure at Louisville: March 21, 2001: After four seasons as head coach of the Boston Celtics, Pitino returned to college — and the state of Kentucky — following the retirement of U of L head coach Denny Crum. March 26, 2005: In just his fourth season at Louisville, Pitino's team makes the Final Four after beating West Virginia, 93-85 in overtime. It was Louisville's first Final Four appearance since 1986 and the first of three under Pitino. April 19, 2009: Pitino releases a statement saying he was the target of an extortion attempt. He later admits to having sex with Karen Sypher, the wife of a University of Louisville equipment manager, and having paid $3,000 for her to have an abortion. Sypher was later convicted of extortion. Pitino apologized. April 8, 2013: After entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed, the Cardinals defeat the University of Michigan to capture the school's third NCAA men's basketball championship. Oct. 2, 2015: The college basketball world is rocked by a book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," in which escort Katina Powell alleges U of L staffer Andre McGee paid strippers and prostitutes to dance and have sex with U of L players and recruits in the team dormitory. Pitino said he had no knowledge of any of the events alleged in the book. June 5, 2017: The NCAA, which opened an investigation into the allegations,suspends Pitino for the first five ACC games of the upcoming season and hits University of Louisville with a "vacation of basketball records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible." The school is appealing that decision. Sept. 26, 2017: An FBI investigation alleges that a coach from a public research university in Kentucky that matches the description of Louisville paid $100,000 to a basketball recruit's family. The school later acknowledged that the school's men's basketball recruiting was part of the investigation. Contributing: Phillip M. Bailey and Justin Sayers of The Courier-Journal in Louisville, part of the USA TODAY Network. ||||| In charge of the program since 2001, Pitino has led the Cardinals to three Final Four appearances and an NCAA title in 2013. The school’s athletic director was fired earlier on Wednesday. Louisville is among the schools under investigation by the FBI, where it is alleged that an Adidas executive paid the family of a top recruit $100,000 to attend the school and represent the athletic company after turning pro. Five coaches were indicted on Tuesday by the FBI on bribery and fraud charges. "These allegations come as a complete shock to me," Pitino said in a statement through his lawyer on Tuesday. "If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney's Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better, and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable." A native of New York City, the 65-year-old Pitino is one of college basketball’s highest-profile coaches, having been involved with the game since 1974 when he came on as an assistant with the Hawaii Rainbows. Prior to taking the Louisville job, Pitino was the head coach at Boston (1978-1983), Providence (1985-1987) and Kentucky (1989-1997), with whom he won a national title in 1996. He also coached in the professional game as the head coach of the New York Knicks (1987-1989) and the Boston Celtics (1997-2001). This is not the first controversy faced by Louisville with Pitino at the helm. In 2009, Pitino revealed he was the victim of an extortion attempt by the former wife of the team’s equipment manager, a woman with whom Pitino had a sexual relationship. In 2010, Karen Cunagin Sypher was found guilty of extortion and lying to federal agents. An ESPN Outside the Lines feature in 2015 revealed that Andre Green, a former Pitino assistant with the Cardinals who was promoted to director of player personnel in 2012, paid for strippers and prostitutes at more than two dozen parties for players and recruits from 2010 to 2014. In the midst of an NCAA investigation, the school withdrew itself from postseason play in the 2015-16 season. Pitino had a reported $55 million remaining on his contract. ||||| Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino was placed on unpaid leave by the university on Wednesday in a move that means the Hall-of-Fame coach has been "effectively fired" his attorney told the Louisville Courier-Journal. Pitino, 65, was given leave from his post after the latest scandal to rock U of L. An FBI probe into fraud and bribery exposed a number of programs and assistant coaches working illegally to obtain the services of high school prospects in a conspiracy effort to steer those players to Adidas, plus certain financial advisers and entrepreneurs. Louisville, which is under FBI investigation, is among the schools caught in the case that has quaked college basketball. No one connected to Louisville has been publicly named or charged in the case, but this latest twist in the winter of Pitino's career could prove to be the one complication he could not wiggle out of. Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich, who stood by Pitino and championed him to stay on at U of L despite previous scandals, is being placed on paid leave. Jurich, 61, has been at Louisville for almost 20 years. "The allegations are serious," Louisville interim president Greg Postel said. "It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to NCAA rules and, of course, federal law. Doing nothing would be a tacit enforcement of criminal behavior.' Postel said Pitino's status will be determined at a later date while Jurich's future will be addressed by the University of Louisville's Board of Trustees on or before its next meeting on Oct. 18. A source told CBS Sports' Gary Parrish that Louisville has no intention of ever allowing Pitino to coach the Cardinals again. In 2011, an out-of-wedlock sex scandal that involved extortion from Karen Sypher, Pitino's mistress, did not cost Pitino his job. Nor did an unprecedented scandal involving escorts entertaining Louisville players and recruits in dorm-room parties sporadically from 2010 to 2014. But this final scandal which, according to the FBI, includes an unnamed Louisville assistant arranging payments as recently as July for the services of a 2019 prospect, has ended Pitino's tenure with the Cardinals. The escort scandal/NCAA case is currently under appeal by Louisville. The NCAA has levied charges that could include vacating the 2013 national championship. If that happens, it will mark the first time the NCAA has removed a championship from a Division I men's basketball program. Pitino, who has 770 wins to his name, also stands to lose a lot victories on his record because of players who could ultimately be ruled ineligible after the fact. Concurrently, Louisville is embroiled in an FBI investigation due to illicit recruitment of multiple players, a wide-ranging conspiracy that also includes two Adidas representatives, financial advisors and entrepreneurs. A wiretapped conversation between an unnamed U of L assistant and an undercover agent on July 27 came 42 days after the NCAA made its initial ruling in the escort case, in June. Louisville was, and remains, on probation. SPORTSLINE: WHO COULD TAKE OVER AT LOUISVILLE? One high-profile Louisville player, freshman Brian Bowen, a 2017 five-star prospect, is not specifically named in the FBI's complaint but connecting the dots leaves only Bowen as the possible candidate for "Player 10" at "University-6" (Louisville). Accusations by the FBI include $100,000 payments, in four installments, from an Adidas representative to the family of "Player 10." Upon completion of those payments, per the FBI's records, "Player 10" committed to Louisville shortly thereafter. The timeline matches Bowen's commitment to Louisville on June 5. Pitino's was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013. He was the coach at Boston University from 1978-1983, then led Providence from 1985-87 before taking the New York Knicks job. Pitino struggled in the NBA, accumulating a 192-220 record in two seasons with the Knicks and four seasons with the Boston Celtics. His stints with two legendary programs in the state of Kentucky came to define his coaching career -- before the scandals of recent years. Pitino brought the University of Kentucky back to national prominence after major NCAA sanctions grounded the program in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996, he coached the Wildcats to a national championship with a roster that's considered one of the most talented in college basketball history. He made another title game in 1997 before taking the Celtics job. In 2001, Pitino returned to college basketball and took the reins on Louisville's program. Pitino took the program to the NCAA Tournament in all but three of his 16 seasons at U of L. He holds a 416-141 record -- for now. He is the only coach in men's basketball history to win a national title at two programs, and is the only coach to bring three programs (Providence, UK, Louisville) to the Final Four. Since being hired at Louisville in 1997, Jurich has been responsible for a complete turnaround of the athletic department. Not only was he responsible for hiring Pitino, who brought the Cardinals their first basketball national championship since 1986, he changed the culture of the football program by hiring Bobby Petrino and later Charlie Strong. Petrino went 41-9 in four seasons during his first stop at Louisville and played a major role in the program moving from Conference USA to the Big East. After three down seasons under Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville and Jurich hired Strong, who went 37-15 in four seasons and helped Louisville regain the football prominence to join first the AAC and then the ACC. It was at that point that Jurich rehired Petrino, who went 67-22 in his first three years back with the program prior to this season. Cardinal Authority's Jody Demling, who has been covering the program exclusively for 10 years, knows what went on behind-the-scenes leading up to Rick Pitino being placed on leave. He's on-campus right now with the latest impact on recruiting, the next coach, and all of the fallout. If you're a Louisville fan, you won't want to miss it. Visit CardinalAuthority.com now for the very latest. ||||| LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville has placed coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on administrative leave amid a federal bribery investigation. Interim university President Greg Postel said at a news conference Wednesday that Jurich is on paid leave, while Pitino is on unpaid leave. The coach's attorney, Steve Spence, told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has "effectively fired" Pitino. Neither Pitino nor Jurich attended the news conference. "I'm more angry than embarrassed," Postel said. "We will be looking for someone with integrity. There's no reason this team can't have a good season. "It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and of course federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of criminal behavior." Pitino's exit comes after the school acknowledged Tuesday that the men's program is part of a federal investigation into alleged bribery of recruits. The 65-year-old coach was not named in the indictment that resulted in the arrest of 10 people, including four assistant coaches at other schools and an Adidas executive. it is the latest black eye for the Cardinals program. Pitino and Louisville are in the middle of appealing NCAA sanctions handed out in June after an escort scandal that unfolded nearly two years ago, which could cost the school its 2013 national title. Jurich has supported Pitino through his transgressions during the athletic director's nearly 20-year tenure at the university. Pitino, 65, was 416-143 over 16 years at Louisville, including that 2013 NCAA championship. In the latest investigation, federal prosecutors say at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn't name the schools but contained enough details to identify one of them as Louisville. Postel also said Wednesday that one student-athlete has been informed he will not practice or play for the university until investigation is resolved. "This decision will protect the interests of both the student and the University of Louisville," Postel said. Pitino is not named in the federal documents, though the school acknowledged it is under investigation by the FBI. "These allegations come as a complete shock to me," the coach said in a statement Tuesday night. "If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney's Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable." Louisville was already reeling from the sex scandal. The program has been ordered to vacate up to 123 victories in which ineligible players received improper benefits — a period that includes the 2013 title, its third — along with the 2012 Final Four appearance. The NCAA also placed the school on four years' probation and ordered the return of money received through conference revenue sharing. McGee received a 10-year, show-cause penalty. Pitino was ordered to miss five unspecified Atlantic Coast Conference games this season. The NCAA noted that Cardinal players and recruits had received improper benefits and called the activities in the dorm "repugnant" in its decision. Pitino is 770-271 over a 32-year coaching career with stops at Hawaii, Boston, Providence and Kentucky, where he won the 1996 NCAA title. He has also coached in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. But that success has been overshadowed by a recent series of episodes that began nearly two years ago with escort Katina Powell's book allegations that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers for sex parties with players and recruits in the team's dormitory. Powell wrote in Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen that former Cardinals men's basketball staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers to strip and have sex with players and recruits from 2010-14. Powell said McGee paid her $10,000 for 22 shows, with most occurring in the team's Billy Minardi Hall dormitory named for Pitino's brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Pitino denied knowledge of the activities described in Powell's book and criticized McGee for his actions. Before the sex scandal case, Pitino had to testify in 2010 in a federal extortion trial for the wife of the school's equipment manager, when he acknowledged under oath to having an extramarital affair with her in a Louisville restaurant. ||||| LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville has placed coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on administrative leave amid a federal bribery investigation. Interim university President Greg Postel said at a news conference Wednesday that Jurich is on paid leave, while Pitino is on unpaid leave. The coach’s attorney, Steve Spence, told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has “effectively fired” Pitino. Neither Pitino nor Jurich attended the news conference. “I’m more angry than embarrassed,” Postel said. “We will be looking for someone with integrity. There’s no reason this team can’t have a good season. “It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and of course federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of criminal behavior.” Pitino’s exit comes after the school acknowledged on Tuesday that the men’s program is part of a federal investigation into alleged bribery of recruits. The 65-year-old coach was not named in the indictment that resulted in the arrest of 10 people including four assistant coaches at other schools and an Adidas executive. It is the latest black eye for the Cardinals program. Pitino and Louisville are in the middle of appealing NCAA sanctions handed out in June following an escort scandal that unfolded nearly two years ago, which could cost the school its 2013 national title. Jurich has supported Pitino through his transgressions during the athletic director’s nearly 20-year tenure at the university. Pitino, 65, was 416-143 over 16 years at Louisville, including that 2013 NCAA championship. In the latest investigation, federal prosecutors say at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn’t name the schools but contained enough details to identify one of them as Louisville. Postel also said Wednesday that one student-athlete has been informed he will not practice or play for the university until investigation is resolved. “This decision will protect the interests of both the student and the University of Louisville,” Postel said. Pitino is not named in the federal documents, though the school acknowledged it is under investigation by the FBI. “These allegations come as a complete shock to me,” the coach said in a statement Tuesday night. “If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable.” Louisville was already reeling from the sex scandal. The program has been ordered to vacate up to 123 victories in which ineligible players received improper benefits — a period that includes the 2013 title, its third — along with the 2012 Final Four appearance. The NCAA also placed the school on four years’ probation and ordered the return of money received through conference revenue sharing. McGee received a 10-year, show-cause penalty. Pitino was ordered to miss five unspecified Atlantic Coast Conference games this season. The NCAA noted that Cardinal players and recruits had received improper benefits and called the activities in the dorm “repugnant” in its decision. Pitino is 770-271 over a 32-year coaching career with stops at Hawaii, Boston, Providence and Kentucky, where he won the 1996 NCAA title. He has also coached in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. But that success has been overshadowed by a recent series of embarrassing episodes that began nearly two years ago with escort Katina Powell’s book allegations that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers for sex parties with players and recruits in the team’s dormitory. Powell wrote in “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen” that former Cardinals men’s basketball staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers to strip and have sex with players and recruits from 2010-14. Powell said McGee paid her $10,000 for 22 shows with most occurring in the team’s Billy Minardi Hall dormitory named for Pitino’s brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Pitino denied knowledge of the activities described in Powell’s book and criticized McGee for his actions. Before the sex scandal case, Pitino had to testify in 2010 in a federal extortion trial for the wife of the school’s equipment manager, when he acknowledged under oath to having an extramarital affair with her in a Louisville restaurant. Monday will mark two years since the escort scandal broke and sparked multiple investigations, including one by the school as well as the NCAA. Louisville’s own investigation determined that violations did occur and announced in February 2016 a self-imposed postseason ban along with recruiting restrictions. Those measures were implemented in hopes of mitigating further discipline by the NCAA, which accepted the self-imposed ban. That didn’t happen. The NCAA’s Committee on Infractions dismissed Pitino’s contention that he was unaware of McGee’s activities and imposed harsher penalties on the program and the coach. Louisville’s appeal contends that the NCAA overstepped its authority with “draconian” penalties. Pitino called the penalties “unjust and over the top in its severity” when announced on June 15. Tuesday’s indictment also occurs just over a month since Adidas and Louisville announced a 10-year, $160 million partnership extension through 2028. The sportswear maker has been partnered with the school since 1998. ||||| Men's basketball coach Rick Pitino expressed "complete shock" that Louisville is involved in the federal investigation into fraud and corruption in recruiting. Interim university president Gregory Postel announced Tuesday that Louisville had been notified of its part in the federal investigation.
• None Rick Pitino could be staring at his final days as coach He has been through a sex scandal in which a mistress went to jail for extortion. He made it through strippers in dorm rooms partying with players and recruits. Now, with the FBI at the door, it will be difficult for Rick Pitino to escape this scandal.
• None Federal prosecutors have announced charges of fraud and corruption in college basketball. Among those arrested and charged are four assistant coaches at Auburn, Arizona, Oklahoma State and USC.
• None Vaccaro: Apparel co. schemes nothing new Sonny Vaccaro said he thinks schemes involving apparel companies, coaches, players and agents have existed "forever," but that they are carried out on a bigger scale today. "These allegations come as a complete shock to me," Pitino said in a prepared statement. "If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorneys Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable." Earlier in the day, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption against 10 people involved in college basketball, including four assistant coaches -- Auburn's Chuck Person, Oklahoma State's Lamont Evans, Arizona's Emanuel "Book" Richardson and USC's Tony Bland. The three-year FBI probe focused on coaches being paid tens of thousands of dollars to steer NBA-bound players toward sports agents, financial advisers and apparel companies. Federal criminal complaints accuse at least one coach at a "public research university located in Kentucky" -- identified as Louisville -- of taking part in a scheme to funnel about $100,000 from Adidas company to an All-American high school player that the Cardinals were recruiting. Louisville is currently on probation by the NCAA, and Pitino is facing a suspension by college's governing body following a sex scandal investigation. On June 15, the NCAA suspended Pitino for five Atlantic Coast Conference games. The university is appealing. The NCAA also placed the basketball program on four years' probation, vacated wins in which ineligible players participated and issued a 10-year show-cause order for former basketball operations director Andre McGee. Former escort Katina Powell alleged that McGee had hired her and other escorts to strip and have sex with Louisville recruits and players. ||||| LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville has placed coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on administrative leave amid a federal bribery investigation. Interim university President Greg Postel said at a news conference Wednesday that Jurich is on paid leave, while Pitino is on unpaid leave. The coach's attorney, Steve Spence, told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has "effectively fired" Pitino. Neither Pitino nor Jurich attended the news conference. "I'm more angry than embarrassed," Postel said. "We will be looking for someone with integrity. There's no reason this team can't have a good season. "It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and of course federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of criminal behaviour." Pitino's exit comes after the school acknowledged on Tuesday that the men's program is part of a federal investigation into alleged bribery of recruits. The 65-year-old coach was not named in the indictment that resulted in the arrest of 10 people including four assistant coaches at other schools and an Adidas executive. it is the latest black eye for the Cardinals program. Pitino and Louisville are in the middle of appealing NCAA sanctions handed out in June following an escort scandal that unfolded nearly two years ago, which could cost the school its 2013 national title. Jurich has supported Pitino through his transgressions during the athletic director's nearly 20-year tenure at the university. Pitino, 65, was 416-143 over 16 years at Louisville, including that 2013 NCAA championship. In the latest investigation, federal prosecutors say at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn't name the schools but contained enough details to identify one of them as Louisville. Postel also said Wednesday that one student-athlete has been informed he will not practice or play for the university until investigation is resolved. "This decision will protect the interests of both the student and the University of Louisville," Postel said. Pitino is not named in the federal documents, though the school acknowledged it is under investigation by the FBI. "These allegations come as a complete shock to me," the coach said in a statement Tuesday night. "If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney's Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable." Louisville was already reeling from the sex scandal. The program has been ordered to vacate up to 123 victories in which ineligible players received improper benefits — a period that includes the 2013 title, its third — along with the 2012 Final Four appearance. The NCAA also placed the school on four years' probation and ordered the return of money received through conference revenue sharing. McGee received a 10-year, show-cause penalty. Pitino was ordered to miss five unspecified Atlantic Coast Conference games this season. The NCAA noted that Cardinal players and recruits had received improper benefits and called the activities in the dorm "repugnant" in its decision. Pitino is 770-271 over a 32-year coaching career with stops at Hawaii, Boston, Providence and Kentucky, where he won the 1996 NCAA title. He has also coached in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. But that success has been overshadowed by a recent series of embarrassing episodes that began nearly two years ago with escort Katina Powell's book allegations that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers for sex parties with players and recruits in the team's dormitory. Powell wrote in "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen" that former Cardinals men's basketball staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers to strip and have sex with players and recruits from 2010-14. Powell said McGee paid her $10,000 for 22 shows with most occurring in the team's Billy Minardi Hall dormitory named for Pitino's brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York. Pitino denied knowledge of the activities described in Powell's book and criticized McGee for his actions. Before the sex scandal case, Pitino had to testify in 2010 in a federal extortion trial for the wife of the school's equipment manager, when he acknowledged under oath to having an extramarital affair with her in a Louisville restaurant. Monday will mark two years since the escort scandal broke and sparked multiple investigations, including one by the school as well as the NCAA. Louisville's own investigation determined that violations did occur and announced in February 2016 a self-imposed post-season ban along with recruiting restrictions. Those measures were implemented in hopes of mitigating further discipline by the NCAA, which accepted the self-imposed ban. That didn't happen. The NCAA's Committee on Infractions dismissed Pitino's contention that he was unaware of McGee's activities and imposed harsher penalties on the program and the coach. Louisville's appeal contends that the NCAA overstepped its authority with "draconian" penalties. Pitino called the penalties "unjust and over the top in its severity" when announced on June 15. Tuesday's indictment also occurs just over a month since Adidas and Louisville announced a 10-year, $160 million partnership extension through 2028. The sportswear maker has been partnered with the school since 1998. ||||| Amid reports that men's basketball coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich have been fired, Louisville has scheduled a news conference for 10 a.m. Pacific time, when officials are expected to address the university’s involvement in a federal bribery investigation, the latest scandal involving the Cardinals men’s basketball program. Pitino's attorney, Steve Spence, has told the Courier-Journal that Louisville has put the basketball coach on administrative leave, but has “effectively fired” Pitino amid the bribery investigation. Pitino is not mentioned in the federal indictment announced Tuesday that resulted in the arrest of 10 people, including four assistant basketball coaches at major Division I programs. The investigation and arrests come as Pitino and Louisville are appealing NCAA sanctions following a sex scandal that began nearly two years ago. In the latest investigation, federal prosecutors say at least three top high school recruits were promised payments of as much as $150,000, using money supplied by Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by the athletic shoe company. Court papers didn’t name the schools but contained enough details to identify one of them as Louisville. This story will be updated as more information becomes available. Who is Tony Bland? USC's assistant coach charged with involvement in a federal bribery scheme Plaschke: L.A. fans don't just give their devotion, teams have to earn it | The University of Louisville, whose men's basketball team was linked to illicit payments by Adidas to the family of freshman player Brian Bowen, places head coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on administrative leave, pending further university action. Pitino's attorney tells Louisville's newspaper, The Courier-Journal, that Pitino has been "effectively fired", and multiple media reports indicate that Jurich has also been effectively fired. Louisville men's basketball was already on NCAA probation due to violations related to a recent sex scandal. |
Story highlights Everyone on Ambae island to be evacuated as volcanic activity increases More than 144,000 have been evacuated around Mount Agung in Bali (CNN) Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Indonesian island of Bali and on Ambae island in Vanuatu as two volcanoes threaten to erupt. The entire population of Ambae is being moved from the path of the "increasingly active" Manaro volcano, also known as Lombenben, according to the Pacific nation's government. On the Indonesian island of Bali, more than 144,000 people have been taken to shelters as authorities warn that Mount Agung, in the island's north, could erupt at any time. Both volcanoes sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire , an area of intense seismic activity that stretches 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) from New Zealand to South America. That they're showing signs of erupting at the same time is pure coincidence, said Benjamin Andrews, of the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. Read More ||||| MORE than 120,000 people have fled the region around the Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali, fearing it will soon erupt. Nyoman Parwata, an official at the disaster mitigation agency’s command post in Bali, said the number of evacuees has swelled to about 122,500. They are scattered in more than 500 locations across the island famed for its beaches, lush green interior and elegant Hindu culture, taking shelter in temporary camps, sports centres and other public buildings. The volcano has been at its highest alert level since Friday, sparking the massive exodus of villagers. Thousands of cows are also being evacuated. An exclusion zone around the mountain extends as far as 12km from the crater in places but officials say people further from the volcano are leaving too. Agung, which dominates the landscape in the northeast of the island, last erupted in 1963, killing more than 1100 people. It remained active for about a year. Volcanologists say the recent dramatic escalation in tremors indicates an eruption is more likely than not, but they can’t say with certainty when it will happen. “I would definitely be following the advice to stay outside the exclusion zone,” said Heather Handley, an assistant earth sciences professor at Sydney’s Macquarie University. The increase in tremors suggests an eruption is “imminent,” she said. The mountain, about 70km to the northeast of the tourist hot spot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. In case of an eruption, Indonesia plans to divert flights headed for Bali to ten other airports, including on nearby Lombok and the capital Jakarta. Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. The imminent eruption in Bali comes after the Vanuatu government decided they could not risk people’s lives and so ordered the compulsory evacuation of Ambae island, which is home to about 11,000 people. Officials last weekend raised the activity measure of the Manaro volcano to level four and on Monday declared an emergency. At first, they relocated people close to the volcano to other parts of the island. WEIRD ERUPTION THEORY AS BALI’S Mt Agung volcano continues to rumble ominously, the locals are blaming tourists for angering the ancient mountain. A local priest reportedly said Mount Agung is wrathful because “bule” (white people) had sex and menstruated on the mountain. “The climbers did that,” he said. Despite the warnings, Australian tourists on holiday in Bali say they are not worried and not trying to rush home to beat an eruption. Late on Wednesday, Mt Agung recorded its biggest tremor so far, registering at 4.3. Ten airports around Indonesia are being prepared as alternatives if the expected eruption causes Bali’s airport to close. But experts still cannot predict when the mountain will erupt. It is more than 70km from the tourist hot spots of Kuta and Seminyak. While many Australian tourist remain unaffected by the impending eruption, some have spoken of being woken in the middle of the night to evacuate their hotels. AUSSIE TOURISTS DIVIDED Rory Eastick from Newcastle said he was woken by his Indonesian brother-in-law at 11.30pm and told to leave his hotel in Tulamben, on the northeast coast of Bali, immediately. “It was quite a worrying moment because it was at that time we realised everyone in our hotel had already left,” he said. “Family staying in another hotel were kicked out and made to find their own way to safety.” Monique Correia from Perth said she was also told to pack her things and evacuate. “The lady from my hotel has just told us to all pack our stuff and evacuate and drive back to Kuta now,” she said. However, other tourists are feeling more relaxed about the situation. David and Kellie Smith, from Redhead in Newcastle, are on their first Bali holiday with their two daughters and say they are not concerned by the possibility of Mt Agung erupting. They have spoken a lot with locals who say the most concern rests with the villagers closest to the mountain. Like many Australians spoken to yesterday by News Corp Australia at Seminyak and Legian, their travel insurance appears sound, should the volcano erupt. “We are all covered. I have spoken to our travel agent and she said as soon as she gets notice (of any problems) she will email me,” Ms Smith said, adding that they monitor social media for developments. “If the locals are not panicked, we are not too worried at the moment.” The family arrived in Bali on September 16 just as Mt Agung was rumbling into action and the next day took a day trip, with a guide and driver, to Amed where they had spectacular views of Mt Agung before it was on alert. RELATED: Aussie inmates among those evacuated from a Bali prison “Honestly, we haven’t been too worried. We have had people ringing us (to find out what’s going on) but from what I understand there is not too much drama,” Mr Smith said. They are due to return home on Saturday. Melbourne man Brett McKenzie was at the Double Six beach yesterday while his three sons, twins Ryan and Jackson, 13, and Bailey, 11, had a surf lesson. The family arrived in Bali on Sunday and Mr McKenzie said he and his wife had no reservations about coming, knowing that Mt Agung was stirring. He said they had thoroughly checked the DFAT Smartraveller advice before coming and had travel insurance. “It is one of those things, it is a force of nature, unavoidable. If we have to stay longer (if the airport closes) we have to stay longer,” Mr McKenzie said. It was about taking personal responsibility and being aware of risks, taking note of the expert warnings. “Our concern is more with the local Balinese people. These people are subsistence farmers ... in the villages and nearby surroundings and their livelihoods are at risk. That’s where our concern comes from, more than ourselves,” he said. Mr McKenzie said due care was needed to avoid any risks, adding it was important to take responsibility for yourself, should Mt Agung erupt. “I think one thing we are aware of is the unpredictability of the volcano,” he said. He said while his family would be interested to see the volcano itself, they were concerned not to be traipsing up the mountain just to take a look with massive relief efforts underway. “You don’t want thousands of people running up there making it difficult for them,” he said. Throughout the day on Wednesday hundreds of earthquakes were recorded within Mt Agung. Between 6am and 12 noon, there were 521 earthquakes. EVACUATIONS IN PLACE The biggest tremor recorded so far came at 1.19pm yesterday registering at 4.3. Thousands of people have been evacuated from the 12km exclusion zone around the mountain and who are sheltering in evacuation centres further down the mountain. And shops around Bali reported yesterday having sold out of advanced face masks with filters as people rush to ensure they are stocked up. Many people were buying in bulk, saying they were donating to the relief effort or intended to volunteer when the eruption happened. And children, who are in shelters with their parents, are now being organised to attend schools closest to the shelters where they are staying. Children who have fled from a rumbling Bali volcano to makeshift camps are being entertained by social workers with music pic.twitter.com/eyr4wPGZ8S — AFP news agency (@AFP) September 27, 2017 In the Karangasem district, volunteers were helping with classes for some of the thousands of children whose schools within the exclusion zone around the volcano are now closed. “So far the children look happy and are enjoying themselves,” said volunteer Yenni Ariyanti. “They do not look worried or sad. Hopefully we can continue to maintain their excitement and keep them in good spirits.” Bali’s Governor Made Pastika has urged Australians that Bali is safe despite the looming eruption of Mt Agung volcano. TRAVEL WARNINGS It comes as DFAT updated its travel warning late today, noting the potential for widespread ash fall outside the declared danger zone. The new travel advice says: “Past eruptions of Agung volcano have shown this volcano’s potential to cause significant impacts to the island of Bali, including the potential for widespread ash fall outside the declared danger area surrounding the volcano. Depending on the weather conditions at the time of an eruption, an ash cloud could affect flights and ash fall may impact Denpasar and neighbouring airports in East Java and Lombok, causing widespread disruption to the travelling public. Contact your airline or tour operator directly to confirm travel plans.” At the Klungkung evacuee shelter, large numbers of people, from the volcano slopes, are living inside a large indoor basketball court and sports arena while others are in tents outside. There have been problems with the tents during rain and Mr Pastika said this was the biggest problem now facing authorities. The agency handling Mt Agung says it is still not possible to say when it would erupt but that the potency was now very large. “To our brothers and sisters from abroad, of course Bali still safe,” Mr Pastika said, adding that the danger area is within a 12km perimeter of the mountain’s peak. He said there were many tourist areas away from the mountain which were more than safe. Mr Pastika spoke to News Corporation today as he visited an emergency shelter for evacuees in Klungkung, which is currently housing more than 3800 people. “The biggest problem is if the rain comes so that's why we are trying to move them to traditional village halls. People living the tents can’t stay there more than one month,” he said, for health and sanitation reasons. At the Klungkung centre, as volunteers cooked food for the evacuees in huge vats, a local library brought its mobile book truck to the shelter so the children could borrow books to read. Nearby an extended family of 15 shares a 6x4m tent. ||||| (CNN) Thousands of people have been evacuated on the Indonesian island of Bali and on Ambae island in Vanuatu as two volcanoes threaten to erupt. The entire population of Ambae is being moved from the path of the "increasingly active" Marano volcano, also known as Lombenben, according to the Pacific nation's government. On the Indonesian island of Bali, more than 134,000 people have been taken to shelters as authorities warn that Mount Agung, in the island's north, could erupt at any time. Both volcanoes sit on the Pacific Ring of Fire , an area of intense seismic activity that stretches 40,000 kilometers (25,000 miles) from New Zealand to South America. That they're showing signs of erupting at the same time is pure coincidence, said Benjamin Andrews, of the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program. Vanuatu's Ambae island hasn't been evacuated on this scale since an alert in 2005, Minister of Land and Natural Resources Ralph Regenvanu told CNN. Most of the island's 11,000 residents are being taken away by boat, but some are also being airlifted to evacuation centers on Vanuatu's Pentecost and Maewo islands. On Wednesday, a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) aerial survey found "huge columns of smoke, ash and volcanic rocks billowing from the crater of an erupting volcano" on the island, according to a press release from the agency. The alert level is at 4, the second highest on the scale. "Ambae volcano is in an ongoing moderate eruption state," a statement from Vanuatu Meteorology and Geohazards Department said. People in local villages could experience the danger of flying rocks, volcanic gases and acid rain, the statement added. "The principle concerns here are that the volcano can eject volcanic rocks to distances of many kilometers from the crater, and that the volcano could erupt ash and/or emit sulfur dioxide," said Andrews, from the Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program.. Australia had responded to a request for assistance, pledging up to 20.5 million Vatu ($190,000) in "much-needed supplies like food, water, shelter and hygiene kits for affected communities on Ambae," a Vanuatu government statement said Thursday. Australia was also funding surveillance flights over the volcanoes on Ambae and nearby Ambrym island, it added. In Bali, residents are still being moved outside an exclusion zone that stretches 12 kilometers from the center of Mount Agung. More than 134,000 are living in evacuation centers, sleeping on floors and waiting for something to happen. "It's been six days since we are here, we want to go home," said Wayan, 65, who like many Indonesians only goes by one name. He evacuated with this elderly mother, wife, children and young grandchild to the Swecapura sports arena. Wayan also fled his home back when Mount Agung last erupted in 1963. Back then, there was no evacuation plan, people just "ran to save themselves," he said. More than 1,700 people were killed and many villages destroyed. This time, 447 temporary shelters have been set up outside the exclusion zone around the volcano, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Ngurah Rai International Airport remains open but is on alert in case of ash disruption, and there are plans to bus people to other airports, if needed. Seismic activity continues in the volcano and the alert level for an eruption has been raised to 4, the highest warning level on the Indonesian scale. ||||| Footage broadcast by RT, taken from the area near the volcano in Indonesia shows ash clouds and smoke engulfing parts of the mountain. Villages surrounding the volcano have since been evacuated leaving more than 75,000 people displaced with experts predicting Mount Agung could erupt “within hours”. Balinese locals continue to flee the danger zone, which stretches 7.5 miles around Mount Agung. The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) has raised the Bali volcano alert to 4, meaning an eruption can be expected at any time. A 200m-tall column of smoke was spotted rising from Mount Agung early on Sunday, according to Gede Suantika, the chief geologist monitor the site. He said: “We observed sulphuric smoke spewing from its carter and we never saw this before.” More than 1,000 tremors were recorded on the Bali Volcano on Monday and Tuesday, including a magnitude 4.2 quake at 11am BST on September 26. After the quake, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center tweeted: “Strongest quake so far while the volcano may be about to erupt. “Agung volcano is said to be close to erupting and the Bali island just taken by a M4.2 earthquake.” More frequent shallow earthquakes could be a sign a new batch of magma has moved just under the summit of the Bali volcano, according to Volcano Discovery. Devy Kamil Syahbana, a seismologist from Indonesia’s volcanology centre, said he’d never seen such high seismic energy on Mount Agung. He said: “We need to pay attention because these kinds of earthquakes indicate the movement of magma and increase the probability of an eruption.” The latest Foreign Office advice to Britons planning to visit the region warned “an eruption is possible in the next 24 hours”. The Foreign Office said: “You should follow the advice of the local authorities and stay outside the exclusion zone. If there is an eruption, volcanic ash clouds could cause flight disruptions.” ||||| Villagers eat at an evacuation centre in Karangasem on the Indonesian resort island of Bali September 24, 2017. — AFP picKARANGASEM, Sept 28 — More than 122,000 people have fled their homes on the resort island of Bali, fearful that a rumbling volcano could erupt at any time, disaster officials said. Mount Agung, 75 kilometres (47 miles) from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time since 1963 — a potential blow to the country's lucrative tourism industry. Officials at an evacuation centre in Klungkung district said 122,490 people had left their homes, taking refuge at nearly 500 makeshift shelters or moving in with relatives. Around 62,000 people lived in the danger zone before the evacuations, according to Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, but residents just outside the area have also left their homes out of fear. Despite the significant increase in estimated evacuees, the government said it was prepared. "In general the evacuation is going well, the logistics supply is sufficient for the evacuees' needs," Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the agency spokesman, said Thursday. This week Indonesia's national disaster agency has sent face masks, mattresses, blankets and tents for evacuees, who have also been provided with food. Five mobile sirens have been installed in the danger zone to warn residents in the event of an eruption. Around 10,000 animals have also been evacuated from the flanks of the volcano. Officials estimate there are at least 30,000 cows within a 12-kilometre radius of the mountain’s summit, and efforts to relocate them are ongoing. "We've set a target to evacuate 20,000 more cows from the affected areas," Nugroho said. The animals are extremely valuable to the evacuees — mostly farmers — some of whom have refused to leave the danger zone, the spokesman said. The Indonesian Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said Mount Agung was highly active today, recording 125 volcanic earthquakes between 12am and 6am. "If we look at the magnitude, it continues to increase, yesterday we also felt several quakes with the magnitude of three on the Richter scale," said Kasbani, head volcanologist at the centre who goes by one name. Highest alert level -Elsewhere, the threat of a separate volcanic eruption on the Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu prompted authorities on Thursday to order the compulsory evacuation of the entire island of Ambae, home to 11,000 people. Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) said it was the first time in living memory that an island's whole population had been moved because of volcanic activity. The Manaro Voui volcano, which last erupted in 2005, sent up a plume of steam and ash over the weekend, prompting authorities to declare a state of emergency. In Indonesia, officials have announced the highest possible alert level and warned people to stay at least nine kilometres away from the crater. The airport in Bali's capital Denpasar, through which millions of foreign tourists pass every year, has not been affected, but several countries including Australia and Singapore have issued a travel advisory. Mount Agung last erupted in 1963, killing nearly 1,600 people. — AFP ||||| Bali Volcano Mount Agung has spewed smoke and ash from its crater since Sunday, prompting terrified locals to evacuate its danger zones as fears the volcano could erupt in a “matter of hours”. The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) has raised the Bali volcano alert to 4, meaning an eruption can be expected at any time. More than 1,000 tremors were recorded on the Bali Volcano on Monday and Tuesday, including a magnitude 4.2 quake at 11am BST on September 26. After the quake, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Center tweeted: “Strongest quake so far while the volcano may be about to erupt. “Agung volcano is said to be close to erupting and the Bali island just taken by a M4.2 earthquake.” More frequent shallow earthquakes could be a sign a new batch of magma has moved just under the summit of the Bali volcano, according to Volcano Discovery. Devy Kamil Syahbana, a seismologist from Indonesia’s volcanology centre, said he’d never seen such high seismic energy on Mount Agung. He said: “We need to pay attention because these kinds of earthquakes indicate the movement of magma and increase the probability of an eruption.” The Bali volcano has prompted the Foreign Office to warn of cancelled flights, leaving tourists stranded on the island in the event of Mount Agung erupting. The latest Foreign Office advice to Britons planning to visit the region warned: “an eruption is possible in the next 24 hours.” The Foreign Office said: “You should follow the advice of the local authorities and stay outside the exclusion zone. If there is an eruption, volcanic ash clouds could cause flight disruptions. “In the event of volcanic ash clouds, you should confirm your travel arrangements directly with your airline or travel agent before travelling to the airport. Terrifying video footage of the Bali volcano shows the mountain spewing tonnes of ashes and smoke as locals brace themselves for its eruption. A 200m-tall column of smoke was spotted rising from Mount Agung early on Sunday, according to Gede Suantika, the chief geologist monitor the site. He said: “We observed sulphuric smoke spewing from its carter and we never saw this before.” ||||| The tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu has ordered the complete evacuation of its northern island of Ambae as a volcano has begun erupting. Manaro Voui began emitting ash, smoke and steam over the weekend, triggering concerns of an imminent major eruption. Residents were being assisted by aid agency Red Cross at evacuation centres on the eastern side of the island, before the government ordered all inhabitants to move to the nearby islands of Maewo, Pentecost and Santo. Boats have begun ferrying residents off Ambae, which is home to about 11,000 people, in a process expected to take about a week. The activity measure of the volcano was raised last weekend to Level 4, on a scale in which Level 5 represents a major eruption. Geological experts warned of "flying rocks and volcanic gas", acid rain, and ash falls. New Zealand's military flew a plane over the volcano on Tuesday (26 September), and said huge columns of smoke, ash and volcanic rocks were billowing from the crater. The last time Manaro Voui erupted was in 2005. Even if Manaro Voui does not going into a major eruption, aid workers fear the spread of volcanic ash across the island will cause long-term harm to locals, who are almost entirely reliant on locally grown produce for food. Ambae is one of about 65 inhabited islands in the Pacific nation about one-quarter of the way from Australia to Hawaii. Vanuatu, home to about 260,000 people, is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and its Tana island active volcano is a major tourist attraction. The move comes after authorities in Bali warned of a potentially imminent eruption of its highest volcano on Mount Agung, forcing more than 75,000 people from their homes. ||||| Officials in Indonesia have formed plans to divert flights away from Bali should the volcano erupt Evacuations are underway on the Indonesian island of Bali as experts warn of an imminent volcano eruption. Over 75,600 people have been evacuated after dramatic increases in seismic activity sparked fears that Mount Agung could erupt in a “matter of hours”. The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) has raised the volcano alert to 4, meaning an eruption can be expected at any time. There are no current disruptions to flights travelling to Bali, but officials in Indonesia have formed plans to divert flights should the volcano erupt. Flights will instead land at 10 other airports across the country, including Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, Balikpapan, Solo, Ambon, Manado, Praya, Kupang and Banyuwangi. ||||| More than 34,000 people have fled from a rumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali as the magnitude of tremors grows, prompting fears it could erupt for the first time in more than 50 years, an official said Sunday. Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency said the number of people fleeing their homes surrounding the volcano had tripled since Friday amid growing alarm that Mount Agung could erupt at any moment. “The evacuation process is ongoing and we expect the number of evacuees to continue to rise,” agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said. The volcano, the highest point in Bali and located about 75 km (50 miles) from the tourist hub of Kuta, has been rumbling since August. Officials announced the highest possible alert level Friday following increasing volcanic activity, and urged people to stay at least 9 km (just over 5 miles) away from the crater. “I am actually very worried to leave, I left my cows and pigs at home because we were ordered to vacate our village immediately,” villager Nyoman Asih, who fled with her entire family, said. The international airport in Denpasar, Bali’s capital, was anticipating the prospect of closure but no flight schedules had been affected as of Sunday. The airport has prepared buses and trains to divert passengers to alternative hubs in neighboring provinces if the mountain erupts. Flight disruptions due to drifting ash clouds are not uncommon in Indonesia. Last year more than two dozen domestic and international flights to Bali’s neighboring resort island of Lombok were cancelled due to a drifting ash cloud from erupting Mount Rinjani. Bali officials said the island is still generally safe but urged tourists to stay away from tourism spots located within the danger zone. Pura Besakih temple, one of Bali’s most prominent temples which is located just a few kilometers away from the mountain’s slopes, has been closed to visitors since Saturday. The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said the tremors grew more powerful Sunday. “The mountain has not erupted until now. The earthquakes are happening less frequently but the magnitude is getting stronger,” Gede Suantika, a senior volcanologist at the agency said. Indonesia is home to around 130 volcanoes due to its position on the “Ring of Fire,” a belt of tectonic plate boundaries circling the Pacific Ocean where frequent seismic activity occurs. The volcano agency’s chief, Kasbani, said Mount Agung has a history of major eruptions that eclipsed recent episodes in Indonesia, including the 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi in central Java that claimed at least 350 lives. The 1963 eruption of Agung killed more than 1,000 people and devastated many villages. The 2010 Merapi eruption, which also forced hundreds of thousands of villagers to flee, was that mountain’s biggest since 1872. However, it was 10 times smaller than Mount Agung’s 1963 eruption. “We hope this time it will not be that big, but we need to be prepared for the worst case scenario and prioritize vigilance,” Kasbani told Metro TV. ||||| BALI, Indonesia (AP) - A week after authorities put Bali's volcano on high alert, tremors that indicate an eruption is coming show no sign of abating, swelling the exodus from the region to at least 140,000 people. Disaster authorities on the Indonesian island famed for its lush tropical interior and beguiling beaches said Friday that instruments recorded more than 200 tremors from cone-shaped Mount Agung from dawn until midday. The disaster agency said more than 144,000 people have now left areas around the volcano, including from places outside the immediate danger zone. Near the edges of that zone which extends as far as 12 kilometers (7 miles) in places, some hamlets appeared devoid of people but daily life continued in others. "We don't know what's going to happen. We can't predict anything," said villager Wayan Sudarma, who still returns to the mountain to help evacuate cattle. He said he's not afraid despite the risks. Volcanologists say the past week's dramatic escalation in tremors indicates an eruption is more likely than not, but they can't say with certainty when it will happen. Periodic plumes of vapor from the crater are another sign of rising magma within the volcano. "Water in cracks and fissures is being changed to vapor because the temperature is rising," said David Boutelier, a geologist at Australia's University of Newcastle. "Vapor is more indirect evidence of magma rising under the volcano. It could still explode or lead to a lava flow." Agung's last eruptions in 1963 produced deadly clouds of searing hot ash, gases and rock fragments that traveled down its slopes at great speed. Lava spread for several kilometers (miles) and people were also killed by lahars - rivers of water and volcanic debris. About 1,100 people died in total. The official figure for evacuees is more than double the estimated population within the immediate danger zone. The broader Karangasem district surrounding the volcano is home to about 400,000 people. Uncertainty about when the volcano will erupt is beginning to weigh on some people who have stayed for days in temporary shelters. "I have my baby here and it's a difficult situation," said villager Wayan Cintia, who is staying at a public sports center in Klungkung district south of the mountain. "I'm confused and don't know what to do. I'm afraid to go home because of the earthquakes." Agung, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) to the northeast of the tourist hotspot of Kuta, is among more than 120 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Another volcano, Mount Sinabung on Sumatra, has been erupting sporadically since 2010. Officials say tourists on Bali, which had nearly 5 million visitors last year, are not in danger but they have prepared evacuation plans if an eruption forces the closure of the island's international airport. Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands, is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. | More than 134,000 people on the island of Bali, Indonesia, have been taken to shelters as the Mount Agung volcano continues to release smoke. The alert level for an eruption has been raised to the second highest level, 4. In addition, the entire population of Vanuatu's Aoba Island, also at alert level 4, is being moved from the path of the increasingly active Lombenben volcano. |
EDMONTON, Alberta (Reuters) - A Somali refugee who had been on a watch list over extremist views faced five counts of attempted murder and terror charges on Sunday after Canadian police said he stabbed a police officer and ran down four pedestrians with a car in Edmonton, Alberta. The suspect, a 30-year-old man whom police did not identify, had been investigated two years ago for promoting extremist ideology but was not deemed a threat, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said. RCMP Assistant Commissioner Marlin Degrand said an “exhaustive investigation” into the man in 2015 did not uncover sufficient evidence to pursue charges. Canadian media identified the suspect as Abdulahi Hasan Sharif, although Reuters was not immediately able to confirm his identity. Police cordoned off an apartment block near downtown Edmonton and plainclothes officers were seen carrying large bags of equipment into the building. The attacks in the western Canadian city began when a Chevy Malibu hit a police officer standing in front of a football stadium at about 8:15 p.m. Mountain time on Saturday (10.15 p.m. ET), sending him flying into the air. The driver got out of the car and stabbed the officer multiple times before fleeing, according to police accounts and surveillance footage of the incident. Police identified the suspect when he was stopped at a checkpoint and his license showed that he was the owner of the Malibu. He fled the checkpoint and was apprehended after a police chase across a downtown street, during which he hit four pedestrians. A flag of the Islamic State militant group was found inside the Malibu, said Rod Knecht, police chief of Edmonton, Alberta’s provincial capital. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson told reporters: “To the best of our knowledge, this was a lone-wolf attack. There’s no immediate cause for panic or concern.” Edmonton Police investigate at the scene where a man hit pedestrians then flipped the U-Haul truck he was driving, pictured at the intersection at 107 Street and 100th Avenue in front of the Matrix Hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Candace Elliott U.S. national security agencies strongly leaned toward the conclusion that the suspect acted alone, although they were reviewing the matter, a U.S. official told Reuters. The police officer, who had stab wounds to the head and face, was released from a hospital on Sunday along with two pedestrians. A third pedestrian was upgraded to stable from critical, while the fourth suffered a fractured skull and had regained consciousness. On Sunday, two women were stabbed to death and their assailant shot dead by a soldier in the southern French port city of Marseille in what officials describe as a “likely terrorist act”. TRUDEAU, ALBERTA MUSLIMS CONDEMN ATTACK Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Edmonton attack “another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against.” Canada’s government said it would keep the terrorist threat level at medium, where it has been since late 2014. The Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council denounced the attack and hundreds attended a Sunday evening rally organized by the group. “These types of acts, whether terrorism or not, seek to divide communities. We have to show that’s not going to happen, not in Edmonton,” said group spokesman Aurangzeb Qureshi. Canada has been dealing in recent months with a surge in illegal border crossings by people seeking refugee status, which has renewed debate over whether it should tighten its borders. The North American country has not experienced as much violence from extremist attacks as the United States and Western European nations, but there have been several deadly incidents in recent years. In January, a French-Canadian university student was charged with murder after six people were shot and killed inside a Quebec City mosque, in what Trudeau called “a terrorist attack.” In August 2016, Canadian police raided an Ontario home and killed Aaron Driver, who they said was an Islamic State supporter preparing an attack on a Canadian city with a homemade bomb. Slideshow (8 Images) In 2014, Canada was stunned by two deadly attacks that police said were the work of homegrown radicals and led to tougher new anti-terrorism measures. A gunman killed a soldier at Ottawa’s national war memorial before launching an attack on the Canadian Parliament in October 2014. In the same week, a man ran down two soldiers in Quebec, killing one. In 2015, a videotape attributed to al Shabaab, a Somali-based Islamist militant group behind a deadly 2013 attack on a Kenyan shopping center, threatened North American malls, including the West Edmonton Mall. ||||| Edmonton police released disturbing video footage Sunday morning showing the first in a chain of events they are now investigating as an “act of terrorism.” The video shows a white Chevrolet Malibu driving directly through a road barricade at an intersection near Commonwealth Stadium, hitting a police officer who goes flying through the air before he is then attacked. The stabbing of a police officer and a subsequent high-speed chase where several pedestrians were run down is being investigated as an act of terrorism, Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said at a 3 a.m. news conference. Knecht, standing side by side with representatives of the RCMP, said based on evidence at the scene, and the actions of the suspect “it was determined that these incidents are being investigated as acts of terrorism under section 83.2 of the Criminal Code.” Knecht also confirmed that an ISIS flag was discovered in the vehicle the suspect was driving when he rammed the police car, then stabbed the police officer — and that the flag is part of the investigation. The attack began on the officer who was manning a routine Edmonton Eskimos game-day blockade by himself southwest of Commonwealth Stadium at 107A Avenue and 92 Street. The officer was outside his vehicle, which had its lights flashing to improve visibility. At around 8:15 p.m., a man driving a white Chevrolet Malibu crashed into the barricades set up to keep pedestrians separated from vehicles. The vehicle struck the officer “sending him flying through the air 15 feet before colliding with the officer’s cruiser” at high speed. The suspect, believed to be 30 years old, then got out of his vehicle and attacked the officer with a knife. The officer was stabbed multiple times before the suspect fled on foot northbound on 92 Street. The officer was transported to hospital and the chief said he is not in critical condition. Immediately after the incident, Knecht said information about the registered owner of the vehicle was broadcast to patrol officers across the city. A manhunt was underway when before midnight a suspect was pulled over at a police checkstop on Wayne Gretzky Drive and 112 Avenue driving a U-Haul truck. When the officer asked to see a driver’s licence, he recognized the name as being similar to that of the registered owner of the Malibu used in the earlier attack. The suspect fled the scene with at least a dozen police vehicles in pursuit. Pedestrians targeted in downtown chase A high-speed chase ensued with the suspect racing west down Jasper Avenue into the downtown, where Knecht said the suspect “deliberately tried to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys” at two areas along the route. Four pedestrians were struck and were subsequently transported to hospital. There is no information on their condition. Shortly after the pedestrians were run down, the suspect’s vehicle overturned on 100 Avenue just south of Jasper Avenue “due to police interaction,” said Knecht. The driver was arrested and is now in police custody. Witnesses who saw the chase and pedestrians being struck described the scene as chaotic. ‘There were people flying’ Just before midnight Kim Anderson was waiting for her bus when she saw the U-Haul hit pedestrians near Jasper Avenue and 107 Street. “There were people flying and everything,” she said. “I’m shocked — I just see people flying.” At the Matrix Hotel on 100 Avenue and 106 Street, right across from where the truck overturned, Natalie Pon was at a wedding. She said guests heard loud bangs like gunshots. Staff kept them away from the windows as the situation unfolded. When she snapped a photo of the U-Haul there was a “huge hole” in the windshield of the truck. But she didn’t see a suspect. “We caught wind this was happening outside, so we saw it after the fact.” Pat Hannigan said he was across the street when he saw the truck flip over. “They (police) were pulling him out of the windshield, then handcuffed him,” he said. Brian McNeill was sitting on the back of a pickup truck when he saw the U-Haul going about 80 km/h, chased by 14 to 20 police vehicles. “Holy shit, this is too fast,” he thought as he watched vehicles driving west on Jasper Avenue. He says the truck hit two pedestrians and disappeared. Then he said he heard what he believed was a gunshot. McNeill questioned why a high-speed chase was allowed to happen in the downtown. “That should have never happened,” he said. Chief justifies high-speed chase Knecht addressed those concerns at the news conference, saying the seriousness of the crime dictated why the chase continued. The chief also said police had no forewarning of the attack and they believe the suspect acted alone. However Knecht also cautioned that “the investigation is in the early stages, and we are urging Edmontonians to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.” “Contact police if you see anything suspicious or hear anything suspicious,” he said. Several hours after the officer was attacked, the white sedan with a damaged front end sat between two police vehicles near a darkened grocery store adjacent to a Crown Liquor store. The trunk on the sedan was open and the scene was bordered by yellow police tape. A police hat and what appeared to be a yellow police vest lay on the ground near the car. Police diverting traffic A heavy police presence had blanketed Edmonton’s inner city after the initial incident as the manhunt ramped up. Police were stopping vehicles and peering inside with flashlights throughout the area. Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the Walterdale Bridge. One complication, although it appeared to transpire without incident, was the thousands of fans exiting Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game very near the first crime scene. But traffic was diverted and remained orderly. Knecht will provide a further update at 3 p.m. ||||| A Somali asylum-seeker has been arrested on Sunday (1 October) after attacks in Edmonton, Canada left five people injured. The 30-year-old unidentified man reportedly stabbed a police officer and injured four pedestrians in the attack on Saturday. The officer, who was directing traffic at a Canadian Football League game, was struck by a vehicle travelling at a high speed outside Alberta's Commonwealth Stadium and then was attacked with a knife, the BBC reported. "The vehicle struck the police officer, sending him flying into the air 15 feet, before colliding with the police officer's cruiser again at a high rate of speed," Edmonton Police Service Chief Rod Knecht said. The suspect then jumped out of the vehicle, stabbed the officer several times before fleeing on foot. A flag belonging to the Islamic State was reportedly found inside the vehicle that struck the police officer, broadcasters CBC and CTV reported. Just before midnight, a man driving a rented van was pulled over at a checkpoint and the man's name on documents was reportedly "very similar" to that of the suspect police were looking for. The man then fled the scene and was chased by officers. The vehicle struck four pedestrians during the pursuit, in what authorities are calling a deliberate action. Two of the pedestrians hit were released from hospital, while the police officer is recovering from his injuries. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident a "terrorist attack" adding he was "deeply concerned and outraged" by "this senseless act of violence". In a press conference on Sunday (1 October), authorities said the suspect was previously known to Edmonton police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Knecht said the suspect was arrested on several charges, including participation in a terrorist act and the commission of an offence for a terrorist group, CNN reported. The man was investigated in 2015 after police received a report that he was "espousing extremist ideology," said RCMP Deputy Criminal Operations Officer Marlin Degrand. There was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges at the time and the suspect was not found to be a threat, Degrand said. Formal charges have not yet been filed. The arrest came on the same day that an attacker was shot dead outside a railway station in Marseille, France after he killed two women with a knife in what is a suspected terror incident. ||||| A 30-year-old Canadian is in custody after a police officer was hit by a car then "viciously stabbed" and hours later four pedestrians were "deliberately struck" by a fleeing U-Haul truck Saturday night in Edmonton, Alberta, according to the Edmonton Police Service. Police say the incidents "may be related" and are investigating both as acts of terrorism. It began around 8:15 p.m. local time outside a football game between the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was Military Appreciation Night at the stadium and a senior member of the Canadian Armed Forces conducted the pregame coin flip, while CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-over before kickoff, reports The Associated Press. An Edmonton Police Service officer was working traffic control behind a barricade. "Suddenly and without notice and at a high rate of speed a male driving a white Chevrolet Malibu crashed through the traffic barricades that were separating vehicles from pedestrians," said Edmonton Police Service Chief Rod Knecht in an early morning press conference. The car hit the officer, sending him 15 feet into the air, and the driver jumped out stabbing "the officer several times before fleeing the scene on foot." An ISIS flag was found on the front seat of the vehicle, according to Knecht. As for the officer's condition, "He is obviously injured but it is not critical," Knecht said. Then just before midnight, a U-Haul was pulled over elsewhere in Edmonton and the officer recognized the name on the license as "being similar" to the registered owner of the Chevy Malibu, according to police. The U-Haul fled the scene and as officers gave chase, "the U-Haul truck deliberately attempted to hit pedestrians in crosswalks and alleys," Knecht said. Four pedestrians were hit and have been hospitalized "with multiple injuries." The pursuit ended when the U-Haul flipped and the driver, an Edmonton man, was placed in police custody. "Currently, we believe this is an individual who acted alone, although the investigation is in its early stages," said Chief Knecht. "We are urging all Edmontonians to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings." ||||| A suspect stabbed an Edmonton police constable then later drove a truck that tried to ram into pedestrians while it was being chased by police cruisers in downtown Edmonton Saturday night, officials say, in what is now being investigated as a terrorism incident. Four pedestrians and the constable were injured when the U-Haul truck struck them as it sped down Jasper Avenue, Edmonton police chief Rod Knetch told reporters. The officer is not in critical condition. Knetch could not provide more details about the condition of the pedestrians. The suspect is in custody and appears to have acted alone, the police chief said. Knetch said an Islamic State flag that was insdie the suspect's vehicle had been seized and was part of the investigation, which now involves the local RCMP-led Integrated National Security Enforcement Team, a counter-terrorism unit. The incident started around 8:15 p.m. near Commonwealth Stadium, where a police officer was handling traffic-control duties outside the Edmonton Eskimos-Blue Bombers game. Knetch said a Chevrolet Malibu slammed into the officer's vehicle. The driver got out of the Malibu holding a knife and stabbed the officer, Knetch said. The suspect then fled on foot. Police found identification papers for a man in his 30s in the Malibu. About two hours later, a police officer stopped a U-Haul truck and saw that the driver's name appeared to match that of the suspect in the earlier incident. The U-Haul driver sped away, with several police cruisers in pursuit. While being chased, the suspect tried to hit pedestrians as he passed by crosswalks and alleyways, Knetch said. The chase ended with the truck swerving into Jasper Avenue, where it eventually overturned. Knetch said the high-speed pursuit in the downtown area was justified by the serious nature of the incident. Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar just west of the downtown core, said the truck hit a person in the alley outside his establishment. "We were just standing out front here and basically a U-Haul was heading north down 109th Street and peeled into this smoking alley here where people were having a smoke," he said. "There was like 10 cop cars following him. "It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing." Elgie said after the vehicle passed by the steps of the bar, the view was obscured by the corner of the building. But he said it hit a man who was a bar patron. "I have a registered nurse on my bar team and I grabbed her and had her look after the guy until the ambulance came." "He was breathing and we got him in the ambulance and he was still breathing." After that, Elgie said he still had a bar to run that was full of people. Plus he had to talk to police and have staff review security footage." The alley was blocked by police afterwards, but people continued to come and go from The Pint. The U-Haul ended up on its side a few blocks away outside the Matrix hotel. Natalie Pon tweeted that she was at a wedding at the hotel when the crash happened. "They're keeping us away from windrows/the lobby," she said. "They let us exit thru north employee entrance. Tons of police presence and closed roads immediately around Matrix." Pon posted pictures of the U-Haul on it's side with a large hole in the windshield. Witnesses told local media they saw a suspect being pulled from the vehicle through the broken windshield and then placed in handcuffs. With a report from The Canadian Press. More to come ||||| A Saturday evening attack in Edmonton, Alberta has been deemed a terror attack by authorities, according to The Globe And Mail. According to reports, a Canadian Forces military appreciation night was in full swing as the football home team the Edmonton Eskimos took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. At around 8:15 pm MST, Constable Mike Chernyk was on duty directing traffic outside of Commonwealth Stadium when a white Chevy Malibu plowed through the barrier in place and sent him flying into the air. Shortly thereafter, as passerby went to help the fallen officer, the suspect exited the Malibu and promptly started stabbing the officer. It did not take long for Alberta premier Rachel Notley to condemn the Edmonton attack. “The horrific events last night in downtown Edmonton have left us shocked and angry,” she said in a Sunday morning news conference. “It’s left us shocked at the indiscriminate cruelty and angry that someone might target their hatred at places where we gather with our families and friends.” To be sure, this was one of the first times that Alberta has seen such an indiscriminate attack since the war on terror began after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Edmonton attack has been described as “lone wolf” in nature, with the attacker having been on the radar of police forces since 2015. CTV News reports that RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand explained that the suspect had been interviewed by police in 2015. Then, police were acting on reports that the suspect had been radicalized and determined that an interview was necessary. Insufficient evidence led the police to conclude that the suspect did not then pose a threat to Canada’s national security. The suspect is a Somali national who is currently living in Canada as a refugee. Toronto Sun, as well as other publications, is reporting that Canada is currently embroiled in a bit of a refugee crisis as Haitians that once took refuge in the United States began to surge over the border into Quebec in an effort to escape Trump’s desire to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA. Canadian citizens who currently do not support the Liberal government’s apparent open acceptance of refugees will likely be turning to the Edmonton attack from Saturday as evidence that something needs to change as far as the Canadian approach to refugees goes. Constable Chernyk did survive the attack with physical injuries more or less amounting to scrapes and bruises. Edmonton police is reporting that while Chernyk is doing well, the mental trauma from the Edmonton attack is something that he will take longer to recover from. Canada’s national security level is currently at medium in the wake of the attack, and while four were injured by the U-Haul that the suspect had apparently begun driving after abandoning the Malibu used in the attack against Chernyk, all appear to be working towards recovery. Terror charges are currently pending against the suspect. ||||| The stabbing of a police officer and a subsequent high-speed chase where several pedestrians were run down is being investigated as an act of terrorism, Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said at a 3 a.m. news conference. Knecht confirmed that an ISIS flag was discovered in the vehicle the suspect was driving when he attacked the officer and that it is part of the investigation. The attack began on a police officer who was manning a routine Eskimos game-day blockade by himself near Commonwealth Stadium at around 8:15 p.m. when a car rammed into him, tossing him 15 feet into the air. The suspect then rammed a police vehicle at high speed before getting out of his white Chevrolet Malibu and attacking the officer with a knife. The officer was stabbed multiple times before the suspect fled on foot. A manhunt was underway when the suspect was pulled over at a police check stop on Wayne Gretzky Drive around three hours later driving a U-Haul. The suspect, believed to be 30 years old, fled when his name was recognized as the owner of the vehicle used in the initial attack. A high speed chase ensued with the suspect racing west down Jasper Avenue into the downtown, deliberately attempting to run over pedestrians in crosswalks and in alleys. Four pedestrians were struck before the suspect’s vehicle overturned on 100 Avenue just south of Jasper chased by more than a dozen police vehicles. Just before midnight Kim Anderson was waiting for her bus when she saw the U-Haul truck hit pedestrians near Jasper Avenue and 107 Street. “There were people flying and everything,” she said. “I’m shocked — I just see people flying.” The overturned U-Haul was cordoned off with police tape near on 100 Ave. and 106 Street. Natalie Pon was at a wedding at the Matrix Hotel, right across from where the truck overturned. She said guests heard loud bangs like gunshots. Staff kept them away from the windows as the situation unfolded. When she snapped a photo of the U-Haul there was a “huge hole” in the windshield of the truck. She didn’t see a suspect. “We caught wind this was happening outside, so we saw it after the fact.” Guests were not allowed to exit through the front entrance of the hotel. Pat Hannigan said he was across the street when he saw the truck flip over. “They (police) were pulling him out of the windshield, then handcuffed him,” he said, adding he started shooting video of the incident. Brian McNeill was sitting on the back of a pickup truck when he saw the U-Haul going about 80 kilometres per hour, chased by 14 to 20 police vehicles. “Holy shit, this is too fast,” he thought as he watched vehicles driving west on Jasper Avenue He says the truck hit two pedestrians and disappeared. Then he says he heard what he believed was a gunshot. A U-Haul box truck was tipped over after a police chase west down Jasper Avenue on Saturday Sept. 30, 2017. IAN KUCERAK / EDMONTON JOURNAL Several hours after the officer was attacked, the white sedan with a damaged front sat between two police vehicles near a darkened grocery store adjacent to a Crown Liquor store. The trunk on the sedan was popped open and the scene was bordered by yellow police tape. A police hat and what appeared to be a yellow police vest lay on the ground near the car. A heavy police presence blanketed Edmonton’s inner city after the incident. Police were stopping vehicles and checking inside with flashlights at intersections throughout the area. Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the Walterdale Bridge. One complication, although it appeared to transpire without incident, was the thousands of fans exiting Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game very near the initial crime scene. Traffic was diverted and remained orderly. ||||| EDMONTON -- Police say terrorism charges are pending against a suspect arrested after a series of violent attacks that saw an Edmonton police officer stabbed and several pedestrians run down by a truck. Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht did not release the 30-year-old suspect's name, but said that five charges of attempted murder are also expected to be filed. RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand says the suspect has been on the radar of authorities since 2015 when a complaint was filed suggesting he may have been radicalized. Degrand says the suspect is a Somali national who was in the process of making a refugee claim in Canada. This is a breaking news update. See below for earlier story Edmonton's mayor says violent attacks overnight in the city that saw a police officer stabbed and several pedestrians run down by a truck were the work of a "lone wolf." Don Iveson said a 30-year-old male suspect was in custody and being interviewed by police Sunday morning. "To the best of our knowledge, this was a lone wolf attack," he said at city hall as he urged calm. "It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence. "Terrorism is about creating panic and about sowing divide and about disrupting people's lives. We can succumb to that or we can rise above it." It took place over more than four hours, starting with an attack on an officer outside a football game at 8:15 p.m. Saturday night, leading hours later to a multi-car high-speed police chase through downtown that saw four pedestrians run over by the suspect as he twisted and turned his cube van through alleys and cross streets. It ended when the suspect's truck crashed onto its side, with police handcuffing and hauling him away. No deaths have been reported. The names of the victims, the suspect, and the nature and severity of their injuries have not been released. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the violent events overnight as a "terrorist attack" and a "senseless act of violence." "Early reports indicate that this is another example of the hate that we must remain ever vigilant against," Trudeau said in a statement. "We cannot -- and will not -- let violent extremism take root in our communities." Police say it began outside Commonwealth Stadium, northeast of downtown, in a game between the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was military appreciation night. Canada's chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip and two CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-past before kickoff. Outside the stadium, a police officer with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier, sending the officer flying five metres through the air. The Malibu driver then got out and began stabbing the officer. "He was stabbed several times and he was able to fend off the attacker even after getting thrown through the air after being struck by the vehicle," said Det. Bob Walsh, president of the Edmonton Police Association. Surveillance video released by police appears to depict the police officer wrestling with the driver on the ground. At one point, it appears the officer is on top of the driver. Footage shows them both getting to their feet and the driver running across the street while the officer slowly follows behind him into traffic. "He followed him for a little bit and radioed ahead to let them (police) know what had happened," said Walsh. Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht said an Islamic State flag was found in the front seat of the Malibu. The manhunt was on. Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter with the suspect, now driving a U-haul cube van, east of the stadium just after midnight. Knecht said when the U-haul pulled over for the checkpoint, the driver was confronted after he produced identification linking him to the registered owner of the Malibu. The U-Haul then sped off toward downtown and Jasper Avenue, the city's main east-west thoroughfare, with multiple police cars in pursuit. The truck veered into alleys and cross-streets through the downtown amid late-night bar and nightclub goers. Knecht said the truck deliberately hit four pedestrians. Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar, saw the van zoom by with police giving chase. The van "peeled" into an alley where people were smoking, he said. "There were like 10 cop cars following him ... It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing." Elgie said the van hit a man who was a bar customer. "I have a registered nurse on my bar team and I grabbed her and had her look after the guy until the ambulance came. "He was breathing and we got him in the ambulance and he was still breathing." The chase came to an end outside the Matrix Hotel, just south of Jasper Avenue, when the van rolled on its side. Witnesses said they saw the suspect being pulled from the vehicle through the broken windshield and then placed in handcuffs. Bystander Natalie Pon posted pictures of the U-Haul on its side with a large hole in the windshield. Knecht said the suspect was known to police, but there was no warning for the attack. Police were to deliver an update later Sunday. "Hatred has no place in Alberta. It's not who we are. We are in this together and together we are stronger than any form of hate," Notley told reporters at the legislature. In Regina, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was asked if the suspect had been known to Canada's spy agency. "The individual apparently had some appearance on a police watch list, but that is a detail of the investigation that the authorities will pursue in the appropriate way. There are no conclusions that can be drawn at this present time," said Goodale. Walsh said he visited the officer, a 10-year veteran, in hospital. "He was in good spirits," said Walsh. He was very shaken up -- still a bit in shock. He went through a very traumatic incident. It is something that won't go away today or tomorrow. There will be some side-effects that will traumatize him for a longtime yet to come." Edmonton police Sgt. Michael Elliott, speaking on behalf of the Alberta Federation of Police Associations, said the public reaction to the attack will be critical. "We want our communities to come together. When events such as this occur and could potentially create a divide," said Elliott. "This has happened in Germany, France and England and now it has made it to our doorstep. Only together can we change the tide." With files from Andy Blatchford in Ottawa ||||| EDMONTON -- Mounties say the man accused of attacking a police officer and running down four pedestrians with a rental truck in a dramatic late-night downtown chase is a Somali refugee once investigated for espousing extremism. RCMP assistant commissioner Marlin Degrand said the suspect, 30, was checked thoroughly in 2015 and deemed at that time to not pose a threat. "There was insufficient evidence to pursue terrorism charges or a peace bond," Degrand said Sunday. "The suspect was actually not deemed at that time to pose a threat to the security of Canada." Degrand said files on the suspect were kept and shared with other intelligence and police agencies after 2015, but said that was as much as the law would allow. "We didn't have sufficient evidence to warrant continued investigation of that individual following the 2015 (check)," he said. Police did not name the suspect but CTV News has confirmed it's Abdulahi Sharif. Police said he was arrested with an Islamic state flag in one of his vehicles. Degrand initially said was the suspect was the process of making a refugee claim in Canada, but a spokesman with the federal Public Safety Department later clarified that he had already been found to be a refugee by the Immigration and Refugee Board. He is facing a number of charges, including five counts of attempted murder, dangerous driving and participation in a terrorist activity. Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht said, so far, it appears the suspect does not have any co-conspirators. "From all indications it appears that this was a single individual acting alone," said Knecht. "We have no reason to believe that there is any threat to our city." The attacks began around 8:15 Saturday night near Commonwealth Stadium, just north of downtown, during a game between the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It was military appreciation night. Canada's chief of defence staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, conducted the pregame coin flip and two CF-18 fighter jets did a fly-past before kickoff. Outside the stadium, Edmonton police Const. Mike Chernyk, with his marked, flashing cruiser was handling crowd control and security when a speeding white Chevy Malibu rammed through a barrier and hit his car, sending him flying five metres through the air. The driver then got out, pulled out a large knife and began stabbing him. Knecht said Chernyk, a 10-year-veteran, fought back, forcing the suspect to flee on foot. "He was in a struggle for his life, holding onto his gun with one hand and blocking the knife with his other," said Knecht. "It's a testament to his experience and training that he survived." Knecht said Chernyk has since been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. "He has stab wounds on his face and head from the knife and significant abrasions on his arms as a result of being hit by the car." Chernyk managed to radio in what had happened and the manhunt was on. Police set up checkpoints and began stopping cars, leading to a second encounter hours later with the suspect, now driving a U-haul cube van, east of the stadium just after midnight. Knecht said when the U-haul pulled over for the checkpoint, the driver produced identification linking him to the registered owner of the Malibu. He became suspicious when police held him up, and decided to flee. The U-Haul then sped off toward Jasper Avenue, downtown Edmonton's main east-west thoroughfare, with multiple police cars in pursuit. Knecht said the suspect drove in the opposite lane, almost T-boned a vehicle and purposely drove into pedestrians, injuring four. He said the call was made to keep the high-speed pursuit through the downtown, busy with late night bar and night-club goers, because of the threat posed by the suspect. Of the four pedestrians, two suffered head injuries including a skull fracture. Two have been released from hospital. "Their injuries range from broken bones to brain bleeds," said Knecht. He said officers used a "tactical manoeuvre" to force the truck to crash onto its side just south of Jasper Avenue. Officers smashed through the windshield and tossed in a stun grenade to distract the driver. When he resisted, they used a stun gun to make the arrest. "No shots were fired. In fact, no shots were fired anywhere in this entire incident," said Knecht. Austin Elgie, manager of The Pint bar, saw the van zoom by with police giving chase. The van "peeled" into an alley where people were smoking, he said. "There were like 10 cop cars following him ... It was crazy. It just came around the corner, ripping. I thought at first he was pulling over for the cops coming by, but he was clearly the one they were chasing." "Hatred has no place in Alberta. It's not who we are," Notley said Sunday. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also condemned the violent events as a "terrorist attack" and a "senseless act of violence." "We cannot -- and will not -- let violent extremism take root in our communities," he said. In the United States, President Donald Trump's press secretary issued a statement saying "Law enforcement authorities from the United States are in touch with their Canadian counterparts to offer assistance with the ongoing investigation." "It is vital now that we not succumb to hatred, that we not be intimidated by violence," said Iveson. "Terrorism is about creating panic and about sowing divide and about disrupting people's lives. "We can succumb to that or we can rise above it." With files from Jennifer Graham in Regina and Andy Blatchford in Ottawa ||||| A police officer is recovering after he was attacked near Commonwealth Stadium Saturday night. The officer was by himself at a traffic blockade at around 8:15 p.m. when a car rammed into a police vehicle. The suspect got out of the vehicle, an altercation occurred and the suspect fled on foot. The suspect remains at large, but police have not provided a description. A heavy police presence covered Edmonton’s inner city after the incident. Police are stopping vehicles and checking inside with flashlights at intersections throughout the area. Officers were also seen stopping traffic on the High Level Bridge as well as maintaining a presence on the Walterdale Bridge. Traffic leaving Commonwealth Stadium after the Eskimos game has also been diverted. An ambulance sped towards the Royal Alexandra Hospital, although there are no details yet on the nature of the incident. Police have said they will provide an update at some point tonight. Police are asking people to avoid the area near 107A Avenue and 93 Street. | In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, near Commonwealth Stadium, a man drives into a police officer and then stabs the officer. The suspect fled the scene and was later arrested that night following a police pursuit, where four pedestrians were hit by the suspect in a rental truck. Police are investigating the incident as an act of terrorism. |
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — The United States accused Pakistan on Tuesday of playing a "double game" on fighting terrorism and warned Islamabad it would have to do more if it wanted to maintain U.S. aid. "They can do more to stop terrorism and we want them to do that," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters. The White House said it would likely announce actions to pressure Pakistan within days, shortly after U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said at the United Nations that Washington would withhold $255 million in assistance to Pakistan. "There are clear reasons for this. Pakistan has played a double game for years," Haley told reporters. "They work with us at times, and they also harbor the terrorists that attack our troops in Afghanistan. "That game is not acceptable to this administration. We expect far more cooperation from Pakistan in the fight against terrorism." The comments followed an angry tweet from President Donald Trump on Monday that the United States had been rewarded with "nothing but lies and deceit" for "foolishly" giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years. "They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" he tweeted. Pakistan civilian and military chiefs on Tuesday rejected "incomprehensible" U.S. comments and summoned American Ambassador David Hale to explain Trump's tweet. Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad's alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban. The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil, and has signaled it will cut aid and take other steps if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militants crossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. Related: Trump threatens to cut Pakistan aid, says it harbors terrorists In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town of Abbottabad. At the State Department on Tuesday, spokesman Heather Nauert said Pakistan knows what it needs to do, including taking action against the Haqqani network and other militants. Pakistan needs to "earn, essentially, the money that we have provided in the past in foreign military assistance," she said. Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough to fight militants, noting that its casualties at the hands of Islamists since 2001 number in the tens of thousands. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump's tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals. The committee, in a statement issued by the prime minister's office, did not name Trump but spoke of "deep disappointment" at a slew of critical comments coming from U.S. officials over the past few months. "Recent statements and articulation by the American leadership were completely incomprehensible as they contradicted facts manifestly, struck with great insensitivity at the trust between two nations built over generations, and negated the decades of sacrifices made by the Pakistani nation," it said. On Tuesday evening, Trump tweeted again about Pakistan, but also lashed out similarly at Palestinians, saying: "It's not only Pakistan that we pay billions of dollars to for nothing, but also many other countries, and others. As an example, we pay the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue... ...peace treaty with Israel. We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" ||||| Pakistan lashed out Monday after President Trump accused its leaders of “lies & deceit” and suggested the United States would withdraw financial assistance to the nuclear-armed nation it once saw as a key ally against terrorism. U.S. Ambassador David Hale was summoned to the Foreign Ministry to discuss the president’s statement, U.S. Embassy spokesman Richard Snelsire said. Pakistan lodged a strongly worded protest and asked for clarification about Trump’s comments, according to two foreign office officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, called a Cabinet meeting for Tuesday and a meeting of the National Security Committee on Wednesday to discuss Trump’s New Year’s Day tweet. It was the president’s latest broadside against Pakistan after a speech in August in which he demanded its leaders crack down on the safe havens enjoyed by Taliban militants fighting U.S.-backed forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Advertisement “The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,” Trump wrote. The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018 Trump’s face was plastered across TV channels in Pakistan. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif went on Geo TV, the country’s biggest news channel, to respond. “We have already told the U.S. that we will not do more, so Trump’s ‘no more’ does not hold any importance,” Asif said. Advertisement He said that Trump was disappointed that the U.S. was losing its 16-year war in Afghanistan and trying to blame Pakistan. He also said Pakistan was “ready to publicly provide every detail of the U.S. aid that it has received.” Pakistani officials maintain the billions it has received from the U.S. were mainly reimbursements for supporting U.S.-led coalition forces that invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to topple the Taliban regime that sheltered Al Qaeda. Opposition politician Shireen Mazari called Trump “shameless.” “We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting [your] war which we [should] never have done,” Mazari said. U and ur country r shameless. We have sacrificed our citizens & soldiers fighting ur war which we shd never have done. Keep ur money and Pak govt shd immed implement our Parl resolution demanding Pak stop giving GLOC & ALOC facilities to US. Let's c what u achieve then in Afgh! https://t.co/7bIo00gH9W — Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) January 1, 2018 Afghan officials have cheered Trump’s tough talk against Pakistan, which Kabul accuses of sponsoring terrorist attacks on Afghan soil. But some analysts say Trump is playing a dangerous game by challenging Pakistan’s security establishment, which many U.S. officials view as essential to forging a peace agreement with the Taliban. Still, Pakistan has periodically taken steps to show it is cooperating against militants. In October, security forces freed two hostages, including an American woman, held by a Taliban-linked group for five years. On Monday, Pakistan passed an order prohibiting donations to people and groups under United Nations Security Council sanctions. The move was seen as targeting Hafiz Saeed, the mastermind of the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, who runs a high-profile political organization in Pakistan despite a $10-million reward issued by the U.S. for information leading to his conviction. Advertisement Special correspondent Sahi reported from Islamabad and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India. shashank.bengali@latimes.com Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia ||||| In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of "lies and deceit", Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of "lies and deceit", Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday. The Prime Minister will chair the huddle to discuss the future course of action following the US President's scathing statement against Pakistan, a PM office statement said. The moot will be attended by Foreign Minister, Interior Minister, Minister for Defence, services chiefs besides, senior civil and military officers, the PM office media wing said. Trump tweeted that the US "foolishly" gave aid to Pakistan over the course of 15 years but Islamabad remained deceitful by providing safe havens to "terrorists" from Afghanistan. Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go ||||| Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would preside over a meeting of the cabinet today. (File photo) ||||| In the wake of US President Donald Trumps tweet in which he accused Islamabad of “lies and deceit”, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Wednesday. The Prime Minister will chair the huddle to discuss the future course of action following the US President’s scathing statement against Pakistan, a PM office statement said. The moot will be attended by Foreign Minister, Interior Minister, Minister for Defence, services chiefs besides, senior civil and military officers, the PM office media wing said. Trump tweeted that the US “foolishly” gave aid to Pakistan over the course of 15 years but Islamabad remained deceitful by providing safe havens to “terrorists” from Afghanistan. ||||| By Sajjad Hussain Islamabad, Jan 2 (PTI) Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will chair Cabinet and the National Security Committee meetings to discuss Pakistan's response to US President Donald Trump's accusation that Islamabad deceived America by sheltering terrorists in return for USD 33 billion aid. Trump yesterday tore into Pakistan accusing it of giving nothing to the US but "lies and deceit" and providing "safe haven" to terrorists in return for aid over the last 15 years thinking of American leaders as "fools". In his strongest attack against Pakistan yet, Trump in his first tweet of the year on New Year's day also appeared to suggest he could cut off foreign aid to Pakistan. The White House later said the US has suspended its USD 255 million military aid to Pakistan, saying the fate of such assistance will depend on Islamabad's decisive action against terrorists. Radio Pakistan reported that Abbasi would preside over a meeting of the federal cabinet today, which will discuss among other things, national security issue. Official sources said that Trump's remarks would be the main point of discussion in the meeting. The cabinet meeting will be followed by the meeting of National Security Committee (NSC) tomorrow. The Prime Minister will chair the NSC moot which will review in detail the security situation of the country and the region. The meeting will be attended by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan, services chiefs and senior civil and military officers. Sources said that the NSC meeting will help to firm up the final response to the latest accusation by the US. In August, Trump had accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorists. Pakistan has been cautious in reacting to the latest remarks by Trump and so far only Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has on the record spoke about it. "We will respond to President Trump's tweet shortly inshallah...Will let the world know the truth..difference between facts & fiction..," Asif tweeted yesterday. PTI SH NSA . This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire. ||||| Pakistan summoned the US ambassador in protest against President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit”. David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the meeting took place. In a withering attack, Trump on Monday said the United States has “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid in the last 15 years and had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, on Tuesday, will chair a cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s tweet while, on Wednesday, the country’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss deteriorating US ties. Relations between United States and its uneasy ally Pakistan have been strained for many years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban. Washington has signaled to Pakistan that it would cut aid and enact other punitive measures if Islamabad did not stop helping or turning a blind eye to the Haqqani network militants who carry out cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough in the war against militancy, saying that since 2001, Pakistan has suffered more than the United States from militancy as casualties at the hands of Islamists number in the tens of thousands. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt borne out of frustration over US failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks. “He has tweeted against us (Pakistan) and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV, on Monday. “He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.” Asif added that Pakistan did not need US aid. A US National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send 255 million dollars in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and said “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.” In August, the administration had said it was delaying the payment. ||||| ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned the U.S. ambassador in protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistan’s “lies and deceit”, while Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed the outburst as a political stunt. David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the meeting took place. In a withering attack, Trump on Monday said the United States had “foolishly” handed Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years and had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit”. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” Trump wrote on Twitter. Trump’s harsh words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighboring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan’s record of combating “terrorism”. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday will chair a cabinet meeting that will focus on Trump’s tweet, while on Wednesday the country’s top civilian and military chiefs will meet to discuss deteriorating U.S. ties. Relations between United States and its uneasy ally Pakistan have been strained for many years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban. The United States also alleges senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil. In 2016, the then-Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad. Washington has signaled to Pakistan that it will cut aid and enact other punitive measures if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to the Haqqani network militants who carry out cross-border attacks in Afghanistan. Islamabad bristles at the suggestion it is not doing enough in the war against militancy, saying that since 2001, Pakistan has suffered more than the United States from militancy as casualties at the hands of Islamists number in the tens of thousands. Pakistani Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt borne out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks. “He has tweeted against us (Pakistan) and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday. “He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.” Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid. A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and said “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation.” In August, the administration had said it was delaying the payment. “His Excellency President Trump has declared the reality. Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism,” General Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan ministry of Defence, told Reuters. Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian Prime Minister’s Office, said Trump’s posturing has “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”. But China gave Pakistan its backing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a regular briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States but defended Pakistan’s contributions in counter-terrorism. “We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism. It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts,” he said. Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has deepened ties with Islamabad after pledging to invest $57 billion in infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative. Analysts say Trump’s tweet signals that the fraught U.S.-Pakistan ties are likely to worsen in 2018. “The trend lines have not been good, and the tweet gives an indication of the turmoil that awaits in 2018,” said Michael Kugelman, the senior associate for South Asia at the Woodrow Wilson Center. ||||| ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has summoned the emergency federal cabinet meeting today (Tuesday) to evolve the the strategy in wake of US president Donald Trump's latest statement , in which he leveled unfounded allegations on Pakistan. While the National Security Committee (NSC) will meet on Wednesday. The meeting will discuss the Trumpsâ anti-Pakistan statement, formulating the strategy to tackle the challenges can be faced after this new controversy. The issues related to countryâs security situation would also be taken into consideration in the meeting. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will chair NSC meeting which would be attended by senior civil and military officials, including the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, services chiefs, ministers of defence, interior, foreign affairs and finance. Inter-Services Intelligence Director General Lt Gen Naveed Mukhtar and National Security Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Nasser Janjua are also expected to attend that crucial meeting. The meeting would discuss the trump's latest tweet in which he accused Islamabad of harboring violent extremists and lying about it. Ongoing military operations on the Pak-Afghan border as well as the internal security situation of the country and the situation along the Line of Control in Kashmir would also be discussed. According to details, the US President Donald Trump on Monday tweeted that Pakistan has received 33 billion dollars from United States in aid over the last 15 years, and what t gave in return  ânothing but lies and deceitâ. He added that Islamabad thinks of US leaders âAs Foolsâ. The US presidentâs streak of unfounded allegations against Pakistan has been a trend since Trump announced the administrationâs latest national security strategy. Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, in response to a tweet by US President Donald Trump, said that Pakistan has already refused to âdo moreâ for the United States. It is learnt that soon after Trumpâs tweet came to the fore, Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif called on Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and briefed him on the situation. The prime minister also contacted Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa over telephone and discussed the situation in detail. Earlier on Monday, commenting on the United States President Donald Trump'statement , Special Assistant to the prime minister, Dr. Musadik Malik said that being a responsible nation Pakistan would respond to Trump's latest tweet in line of international diplomatic norms. ||||| ISLAMABAD – Pakistan has summoned the U.S. ambassador to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s angry tweet about Pakistani “lies and deceit”, which Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif dismissed as a political stunt. David Hale was summoned by the Pakistan foreign office on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, media said. The ministry could not be reached for comment but the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad confirmed on Tuesday that a meeting had taken place. Trump said the United States had had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit” for “foolishly” giving Pakistan more than $33 billion in aid in the last 15 years. “They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” he tweeted on Monday. His words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighbouring Afghanistan, but long-time ally China defended Pakistan. Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump’s tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals. Relations with Washington have been strained for years over Islamabad’s alleged support for Haqqani network militants, who are allied with the Afghan Taliban. The United States also alleges that senior Afghan Taliban commanders live on Pakistani soil, and has signalled that it will cut aid and take other steps if Islamabad does not stop helping or turning a blind eye to Haqqani militants crossing the border to carry out attacks in Afghanistan. In 2016, Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was killed by a U.S. drone strike inside Pakistan and in 2011, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was found and killed by U.S. troops in the garrison town of Abbottabad. Islamabad bristles at the suggestion that it is not doing enough to fight Islamist militants, noting that its casualties at the hands of Islamists since 2001 number in the tens of thousands. Foreign Minister Asif dismissed Trump’s comments as a political stunt born out of frustration over U.S. failures in Afghanistan, where Afghan Taliban militants have been gaining territory and carrying out major attacks. “He has tweeted against us and Iran for his domestic consumption,” Asif told Geo TV on Monday. “He is again and again displacing his frustrations on Pakistan over failures in Afghanistan as they are trapped in dead-end street in Afghanistan.” Asif added that Pakistan did not need U.S. aid. A U.S. National Security Council official on Monday said the White House did not plan to send an already-delayed $255 million in aid to Pakistan “at this time” and that “the administration continues to review Pakistan’s level of cooperation”. Afghan defence spokesman General Dawlat Waziri said Trump had “declared the reality”, adding that “Pakistan has never helped or participated in tackling terrorism”. Jitendra Singh, a junior minister at the Indian prime minister’s office, said Trump’s comment had “vindicated India’s stand as far as terror is concerned and as far as Pakistan’s role in perpetrating terrorism is concerned”. But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, asked during a briefing about Trump’s tweet, did not mention the United States. “We have said many times that Pakistan has put forth great effort and made great sacrifices in combating terrorism,” he said. “It has made a prominent contribution to global anti-terror efforts.” Pakistani officials say tough U.S. measures threaten to push Pakistan further into the arms of China, which has pledged to invest $57 billion in Pakistani infrastructure as part of its vast Belt and Road initiative. | Pakistan asks U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan David Hale to clarify Trump's remarks. Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi calls for Cabinet and National Security Council meetings to discuss the tweet. |
Story highlights A hot air balloon with 20 people crashes in Luxor, Egypt Company identifies deceased as an Australian man (CNN) A hot air balloon with 20 people crashed Friday in Egypt's ancient city of Luxor, killing at least one person and injuring more than a dozen others, according to Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority and a hot air balloon company. At least one tourist was killed, according to a statement from the government agency, which referred to the incident as a hard landing. The Sindbad hot air balloon company, whose craft crashed, identified the deceased as an Australian man. Strong winds were responsible for the crash, the hot air balloon company said. "The balloon was getting ready to land at 6:30 a.m., when a sudden, strong wind erupted, causing a hard landing," Hany Al-Sayyed, Sinbad's traffic manager, told CNN. "The victim is an Australian man of South African descent. His head was hit during the landing. Most of the other injuries are minor, scratches to the torso, and they were taken to the hospital," he said. Read More ||||| Egyptian officials say a sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern city of Luxor has crash landed, killing one tourist and injuring seven. The officials say Friday's incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city's pharaonic temples and tombs. There were no details immediately on the nationalities of the victims. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity under regulations. Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon. Since then, balloon rides are monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters. ||||| LUXOR, Egypt — A hot air balloon with foreign tourists sightseeing over the southern city of Luxor crash landed on Friday, killing a tourist from South Africa and injuring seven others, Egyptian officials said. The officials said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon, which was carrying 20 tourists, off its course above the ancient city, home to some of Egypt’s most remarkable pharaonic temples and tombs. The balloon took off shortly before sunrise and flew about 45 minutes at an altitude of 450 metres (1,476 feet) before the pilot lost control due to strong wind that forced a crash landing in a mountainous area, the officials said. The officials said the killed tourist was South African. No details were immediately available on the nationalities of the other victims. The remaining 12 tourists were unhurt. Other balloons had taken off around the same time but landed safely, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Earlier in the day, Egypt’s meteorological service had warned of strong winds across the country mainly in the Nile River delta and northern Egypt. Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. The deadliest took place in 2013 when a balloon flying over the city caught fire and plunged about 305 metres (1,000 feet) to the ground, crashing into a sugar cane field and killing at least 19 foreign tourists. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon. Over the years, Egypt has tightened safety rules for balloon rides, which are now monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 metres (6,562 feet). Hot air balloon flights above Luxor are famous among tourists for because of the spectacular views of the ancient Karnak and the temples of Luxor. Such flights usually start before sunrise and pass over green fields leading to the Valley of the Kings — the burial site of famous boy king Tutankhamun and other pharaohs. Egypt’s vital but ailing tourism industry, partially driven by sightseeing, has been hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. In 2015, tourism was dealt a blow when the Islamic State group’s affiliate in Egypt downed a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt never officially said what caused the downing of the Russian plane but IS said it blew up the plane with a bomb smuggled on board. After that bombing, Russia imposed a ban on all flights to Egypt and Egypt’s national carrier is still barred from flying to Russia. Flights between Moscow and Cairo are planned to be resumed in February, after more than a two-year hiatus. The Egyptian government has been trying to draw tourists back to the country by announcing ancient discoveries and tightening security measures around tourist sites. ||||| One tourist is dead and a dozen more were injured in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt on Friday, the latest balloon accident in a number of tragedies in the popular tourist region of Luxor over the past few years. All of those involved in the accident are believed to be foreign tourists. An official from Luxor's governor's office said the person killed was a 36-year-old woman from South Africa. The injured included tourists from Spain, South Africa and Argentina. The Egyptian Ministry of Health said 12 people were injured in the crash, which took place at about 7:30 a.m. local time. The Egypt Aviation Authority said there were 20 passengers on the balloon. The crash was caused by strong winds that led the pilot to lose control over the balloon as he was landing, according to the governor's statement. The accident occurred in Luxor, in southern Egypt, which is popular with tourists due to its number of ancient temples and ruins. The Karnak Temple Complex, which dates back to around 2000 B.C., is located within the modern-day city. The Valley of the Kings, which has dozens of ancient tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun, is located just outside the city. Hot air balloon rides were temporarily suspended in Egypt in 2016 after a crash landing led to the injuries of 22 Chinese tourists. The deadliest balloon crash in history occurred in February 2013 in Luxor, when 19 people were killed. Balloon flights were grounded for two months after that accident. Sixteen people were injured in a Luxor hot air balloon flight in 2011 as well. ||||| LUXOR, Egypt (AP) — A hot air balloon with foreign tourists sightseeing over the southern city of Luxor crash landed on Friday, killing one tourist and injuring seven others, Egyptian officials said. The officials said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon, which was carrying 20 tourists, off its course above the ancient city, home to some of Egypt's most remarkable pharaonic temples and tombs. The remaining 12 tourists were unhurt. No details were immediately available on the nationalities of the victims. Other balloons had taken off around the same time but landed safely, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. Earlier in the day, Egypt's meteorological service had warned of strong winds across the country mainly in the Nile River delta and northern Egypt. Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. The deadliest took place in 2013 when a balloon flying over the city caught fire and plunged about 305 meters (1,000 feet) to the ground, crashing into a sugar cane field and killing at least 19 foreign tourists. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon. Over the years, Egypt has tightened safety rules for balloon rides, which are now monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters (6,562 feet). Hot air balloon flights above Luxor are famous among tourists for because of the spectacular views of the ancient Karnak and the temples of Luxor. Such flights usually start before sunrise and pass over green fields leading to the Valley of the Kings — the burial site of famous boy king Tutankhamun and other pharaohs. Egypt's vital but ailing tourism industry, partially driven by sightseeing, has been hit hard by extremist attacks and political turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak. In 2015, tourism was dealt a blow when the Islamic State group's affiliate in Egypt downed a Russian passenger plane over the Sinai Peninsula, killing all 224 people aboard. Egypt never officially said what caused the downing of the Russian plane but IS said it blew up the plane with a bomb smuggled on board. After that bombing, Russia imposed a ban on all flights to Egypt and Egypt's national carrier is still barred from flying to Russia. Since then, the Egyptian government has been trying to draw tourists back to the country by announcing ancient discoveries and tightening security measures around tourist sites. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| A sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern Egyptian city of Luxor crashed Friday, killing one tourist and injuring seven. Egyptian authorities said the incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city’s pharaonic temples and tombs. Authorities said the killed tourist was a South African national. Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor: - In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire. - In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon. More: Egypt's new cathedral may be a big target for ISIS, Coptic Christians fear ||||| Cairo - Egyptian prosecutors have ordered the detention of four people over a hot air balloon crash that killed one tourist and wounded at least a dozen others. Saturday's decision includes the balloon's pilot, the director of the airport from which it took off and two officials from the balloon-owning company. They were detained for four days pending an investigation. Also read: Hot air balloon crash: One South African dead, two injured in Egypt The incident occurred Friday when strong winds forced the balloon, carrying 20 tourists, off course above the southern city of Luxor. Egypt's Civil Aviation Ministry said other balloons carrying over 400 tourists had taken off and landed safely on Friday. Luxor has a history of hot air balloon crashes. The deadliest was in 2013 when at least 19 foreign tourists were killed when theirs caught fire. ||||| LUXOR, Egypt -- Egyptian officials say a sightseeing balloon carrying foreign tourists over the southern city of Luxor has crash landed, killing one tourist and injuring seven. The officials say Friday's incident was caused by strong winds that forced the balloon off its course above the city's pharaonic temples and tombs. A 36-year-old South African woman was killed in the crash, an official at Egypt's Ministry of Health told CBS News, and two other passengers were in critical condition. The nationalities of the dozen people left injured, including the two with serious injuries, was not immediately clear. Hot air balloon incidents have occurred in the past over ancient Luxor. In 2013, 19 foreign tourists were killed when their balloon caught fire. In 2016, Egypt temporarily halted balloon flights after 22 Chinese tourists suffered minor injuries in a crash landing of their hot air balloon. Since then, balloon rides are monitored by cameras and banned from flying above 2,000 meters (yards). ||||| A South African tourist was killed and 12 other people were injured when a hot air balloon crashed near Egypt's ancient city of Luxor on Friday, a health ministry official said. Sharif Wadie, the assistant health minister in charge of emergency services, told AFP there were no other casualties but did not elaborate on the extent of the passengers' injuries. Their nationalities were not immediately clear. Tourists often take early morning hot air balloon rides over the city and the ancient Egyptian temples and relics in neighbouring areas. One of the main attractions is the Karnak temple, which dates back thousands of years. The hot air balloons also offer views of the Valley of the Kings, where pharaonic nobility were buried. Hot air balloon companies in Luxor offer the tours usually starting at sunrise. The government had previously suspended the rides after two crashes in four years. In 2009, 13 tourists were injured when their hot air balloon struck a communications mast in Luxor and crashed. In 2013, a hot air balloon caught fire in mid-flight over Luxor, killing 19 tourists. A fact-finding committee later found that the accident was probably caused by a gas leak near the burner, sparking a blaze that spread throughout the balloon. The tourists, from Britain, France, Hong Kong, Hungary and Japan, died when the balloon plummeted to the ground after catching fire. The pilot and one tourist survived by jumping from the balloon, officials said at the time. Friday's accident comes as the government tries to woo back tourists following years of unrest that drove them away. A jihadist insurgency led by the Islamic State group has targeted tourists, including bombing a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from an Egyptian resort in 2015 that killed all 224 people on board. ||||| One tourist is dead and a dozen more were injured in a hot air balloon crash in Egypt on Friday, the latest balloon accident among a number of tragedies in the region over the past few years. All of those involved in the accident are believed to be foreign tourists. It is not yet known which countries the injured are from. Egypt's Ministry of Health confirmed one person was killed and 12 injured in the crash. The accident occurred in Luxor, in southern Egypt, which is popular with tourists due to its number of ancient temples and ruins. The Karnak Temple Complex, which dates back to around 2000 B.C., is located within the modern-day city. The Valley of the Kings, which has dozens of ancient tombs, including that of King Tutankhamun, is located just outside the city. Hot air balloon rides were temporarily suspended in Egypt in 2016 after a crash landing led to the injuries of 22 Chinese tourists. The deadliest balloon crash in history occurred in February 2013 in Luxor, when 19 people were killed. Balloon flights were grounded for two months after that accident. Sixteen people were injured in a Luxor hot air balloon flight in 2011 as well. | A hot air balloon crashes due to strong winds in Egypt's Luxor Governorate. A tourist from Australia is killed and 12 other tourists are injured. The Egypt Aviation Authority says there were 20 passengers on the balloon. |
The Trump administration has not yet transferred a planned $125 million payment to the United Nations (U.N.) agency charged with assisting Palestinian refugees amid frustrations over a lack of progress on a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis. Axios reported Friday that the Trump administration had frozen the funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), and was conducting a broader review of U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority. That money, according to Axios, was supposed to be transferred on Jan. 1. A State Department official denied that the department had missed a deadline, telling The Hill that funding decisions were still underway. "Contrary to reports that we have halted funding to UNRWA, the decision is under review. There are still deliberations taking place, and we have missed no deadline," the official said. A State Department official had told Axios that the funds were not necessarily frozen, and that the administration has until Jan. 15 to decide its next steps. ADVERTISEMENT There is no formal deadline for transferring the funds, though donors usually do so early in the year. Chris Gunness, a spokesman for UNRWA, said in a statement that no decision had yet been made on the funding. “Based on extensive conversations with interlocutors in the U.S. Administration, our understanding is that no decision has been made on the question of American funding to UNRWA,” he said. The $125 million in question amounts to about a third of Washington's annual donations to the agency. According to Axios, Trump is considering cutting that portion of the funding altogether, and is weighing slashing as much as $180 million in U.S. funding to UNRWA. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley Nimrata (Nikki) HaleySouth Carolina GOP appears to violate own rules in canceling primary for Trump Politico's Johnson to become Free Beacon's new editor-in-chief GOP voters overwhelmingly want Pence on 2020 ticket with Trump MORE suggested this week that the U.S. could cut funding for the Palestinians unless they agreed to return to the negotiating table with Israel. Trump took to Twitter to make similar threats, blaming the Palestinians for the stalled peace process. The State Department told UNRWA officials this week that no hold had been placed on the money, but that the Trump administration was conducting a review of funding to the Palestinians, according to a U.N. official who spoke on background to discuss internal deliberations on the matter. That official also said, however, that Haley told U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week that the funding to UNRWA was, in fact, on hold. The UNRWA is separate from the Palestinian Authority, and does not play a role in the decision on whether to enter peace talks with Israel. The Palestinian Authority suspended contacts with the Trump administration last month after the president announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinian officials and other leaders in the Arab and Muslim worlds have said that the move essentially disqualified the U.S. from brokering peace talks in the region. Israelis consider Jerusalem their eternal capital, but Palestinians have also long aspired to establish the city's eastern sector as the capital of a future Palestinian state, making the city a sensitive subject in potential peace talks. – This story was updated Jan. 6 at 3 p.m. with additional information ||||| FILE PHOTO: A general view of Jerusalem shows the Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem's Old City on the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has frozen $125 million in funding for a U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees, Axios news site reported on Friday, but a State Department official said no decision had been made on the payment. Days after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians, Axios said the funding was frozen until the U.S. government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority. The sum, a third of the annual U.S. donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by Jan. 1, Axios said, citing three unidentified Western diplomats. The State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “That (Axios) story is very misleading. Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or canceled. Deliberations are ongoing, and we have until mid-January to make a final decision.” Asked if any preliminary decision had been made, the official replied: “No. And reports to that effect are false.” UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said the agency had not been “informed directly of a formal decision either way by the U.S. administration.” Trump said on Tuesday he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being “no longer willing to talk peace” with Israel. “We pay HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Trump said on Twitter. The United States is the largest donor to the agency, with a pledge of nearly $370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website. ||||| A report that Washington has frozen a $125 million payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is being denied by a US official, according to Reuters. UNRWA provides aid to Palestinian refugees.The $125 million, a third of what the US contributes annually, was supposed to be paid Monday.On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump tweeted he was considering halting payments to the PA. The sentiments were echoed by the US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley."But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" Trump wrote.The frozen amount represents more than a third of the $300 million the US contributes to UNRWA annually. Haley threatened to withhold the funds last week, after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Trump's move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.Just because the funds were not transferred does not mean they were frozen, Ravid quotes a State Department official as saying.On January 3, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum called the threats to defund UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority "cheap political blackmail" that "reflects American barbaric behavior."Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat Trump is "threatening to starve Palestinian children in refugee camps and deny their natural rights to health and education if we don't endorse his terms and dictations."On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly supported Trump's "critical attitude towards UNRWA," according to statement from his office.Privately, however, Netanyahu urged Trump not to enact the cuts, according to the Times of Israel . That assessment is shared by the Israeli security establishment and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) - the Israeli body that administers the West Bank and Gaza - according to Ravid's report. A senior Israeli official told him that the "humanitarian situation in Gaza is complicated enough and harming UNRWA funding will only make it more complicated."UNRWA was set up in 1949, following the establishment of the state of Israel. The agency provides education, social services and healthcare to more than ||||| Washington has frozen a $125 million payment to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency that was scheduled for January 1, according to a report citing unnamed diplomats. UNRWA provides aid to Palestinian refugees. Citing “three Western diplomats,” Israeli Channel Ten diplomatic correspondent Barak Ravid reported the freeze on Friday at Axios. The diplomats reportedly said that the funding is being frozen until the Trump administration finishes a review of US aid to the Palestinian Authority. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump tweeted he was considering halting payments to the PA. The sentiments were echoed by the US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley. “But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Trump wrote. The frozen amount represents more than a third of the $300 million the US contributes to UNRWA annually. Haley threatened to withhold the funds last week, after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected Trump’s move to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Just because the funds were not transferred does not mean they were frozen, Ravid quotes a State Department official as saying. “There are still deliberations taking place, and we have until mid January to decide what we are going to do.” Shuttering the UNRWA, which is already facing budget shortages, would leave millions of Palestinian refugees inside Israeli-controlled borders without their basic needs met. Destabilization could spark a popular uprising and potential armed conflict with Hamas, the militant group that rules the Gaza Strip. On January 3, Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum called the threats to defund UNRWA and the Palestinian Authority “cheap political blackmail” that “reflects American barbaric behavior.” Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat Trump is “threatening to starve Palestinian children in refugee camps and deny their natural rights to health and education if we don’t endorse his terms and dictations.” On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly supported Trump’s “critical attitude towards UNRWA,” according to statement from his office. Privately, however, Netanyahu urged Trump not to enact the cuts, according to the Times of Israel. That assessment is shared by the Israeli security establishment and the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) – the Israeli body that administers the West Bank and Gaza – according to Ravid’s report. A senior Israeli official told him that the “humanitarian situation in Gaza is complicated enough and harming UNRWA funding will only make it more complicated.” UNRWA was set up in 1949, following the establishment of the state of Israel. The agency provides education, social services and healthcare to more than 5 million Palestinian refugees. ||||| Days after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians, Axios said the funding was frozen until the U.S. government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority. The sum, a third of the annual U.S. donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by Jan. 1, Axios said, citing three unidentified Western diplomats. The State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “That (Axios) story is very misleading. Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or canceled. Deliberations are ongoing, and we have until mid-January to make a final decision.” Asked if any preliminary decision had been made, the official replied: “No. And reports to that effect are false.” UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness said the agency had not been “informed directly of a formal decision either way by the U.S. administration.” The United States is the largest donor to the agency, with a pledge of nearly $370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website. ||||| The Trump administration is reportedly freezing $125 million in funding to the United Nations (U.N.) agency charged with assisting Palestinian refugees amid frustrations over a lack of progress on a peace deal between the Palestinians and Israelis. Axios reported Friday that the Trump administration did not transfer the funding to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) on Jan. 1 as planned, and was conducting a broader review of U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority. A State Department official denied that the department had missed a deadline, telling The Hill that funding decisions were still underway. "Contrary to reports that we have halted funding to UNRWA, the decision is under review. There are still deliberations taking place, and we have missed no deadline," the official said. A State Department official had told Axios that the funds were not necessarily frozen, and that the administration has until Jan. 15 to decide its next steps. The $125 million in question amounts to about a third of Washington's annual donations to the agency. According to Axios, Trump is considering cutting that portion of the funding altogether, and is weighing slashing as much as $180 million in U.S. funding to UNRWA. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley Nimrata (Nikki) HaleyHaley: 'Open question' if US athletes will attend Olympics amid North Korea tensions Haley: Trump isn't deciding who controls east Jerusalem Emergency UN Security Council meeting called after Trump's Jerusalem announcement: report MORE suggested this week that the U.S. could cut funding for the Palestinians unless they agreed to return to the negotiating table with Israel. Trump took to Twitter to make similar threats, blaming the Palestinians for the stalled peace process. The Palestinian Authority suspended contacts with the Trump administration last month after the president announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Palestinian officials and other leaders in the Arab and Muslim worlds have said that the move essentially disqualified the U.S. from brokering peace talks in the region. Israelis consider Jerusalem their eternal capital, but Palestinians have also long aspired to establish the city's eastern sector as the capital of a future Palestinian state, making the city a sensitive subject in potential peace talks. ||||| US freezes US$125m funds for Palestinian refugees, report says Trump said on Tuesday he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being ‘no longer willing to talk peace’ with Israel. ― Reuters picWASHINGTON, Jan 6 ― The United States has frozen US$125 million (RM499.6 million) in funding for a UN agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees, Axios news site reported yesterday, days after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians. But a State Department official said no decision had been made on the funding. The funding, a third of the annual US donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by January 1 but was frozen until the US government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority, Axios reported, citing three unidentified Western diplomats. The State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said: “That (Axios) story is very misleading. Just because they were expecting the money on the first, and they did not get it at that time, does not mean it was suspended or canceled. Deliberations are ongoing, and we have until mid-January to make a final decision.” Asked if any preliminary decision had been made, the official replied: “No. And reports to that effect are false.” Trump said on Tuesday he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being “no longer willing to talk peace” with Israel. “We pay HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Trump said on Twitter. The United States is the largest donor to the agency, with a pledge of nearly US$370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website. ― Reuters ||||| WASHINGTON: The United States has frozen US$125 million (£92.1 million) in funding for a U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinian refugees, Axios news site reported on Friday, days after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold future aid payments to Palestinians. The funding, a third of the annual U.S. donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, was supposed to be delivered by Jan. 1 but was frozen until the U.S. government finishes its review of aid to the Palestinian Authority, Axios reported, citing three unidentified Western diplomats. Trump said on Tuesday he would withhold money from the Palestinians, accusing them of being “no longer willing to talk peace” with Israel. "We pay HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don’t even want to negotiate a long overdue peace treaty with Israel ... with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?” Trump said on Twitter. The United States is the largest donor to the agency, with a pledge of nearly US$370 million as of 2016, according to UNRWA’s website. ||||| On Tuesday, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, delivered a rather ambiguous threat in response to a question on the maintenance of the US level of funding to UNRWA. She replied; "the president has said that he doesn't want to give any additional funding or stop funding until the Palestinians are agreeing (sic) to come back to the negotiating table". President Trump himself tweeted the following threat; "But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" Ambiguous threats and foreign policy statements are not a new phenomenon for the Trump administration, and whilst UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness maintains they have not been informed of any change in US policy, the consequences of potential funding withdrawal from the agency must also be considered in all seriousness. UNRWA was established in 1950 in order to provide relief services for the 700,000 Palestinian refugees who had been expelled from Palestine following the establishment of Israel. It operates in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria and provides Palestinians with primary and secondary education, health services as well as various camp infrastructure projects. Although millions of Palestinians rely on their services, UNRWA is also sometimes criticized for perpetuating the conflict and footing the bill that Israel should be paying. The US is UNRWA's biggest donor with last year's donation totaling $368 m , nearly 30 percent of its total funding. In the past, when UNRWA has had a funding shortfall they have suspended programmes or certain aspects of programmes. In 2015 they came close to delaying the start of the school year for nearly half a million Palestinian children. Luckily, they managed to overcome the $100m deficit after an urgent appeal by former UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. However, a total US funding cut would mean a serious reduction in services and the complete halt of many of the education and health programmes. "Schools and health clinics would close leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees across the region without schooling, health care, jobs, making their situation even more dire." In other words, schools and health clinics would close leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees across the region without schooling, health care, jobs, making their situation even more dire. Indeed, if it is left to function at two thirds of its capacity, the viability of the agency as a whole would be called into question. On the other hand, if the Palestinian Authority is forced to return to US mediated negotiations in exchange for the continuation of funding, UNRWA's basic services would be left tainted with the political demands of an administration that is determined to defy international consensus. Particularly in light of the recent of Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, defying international law. This too, however, is not new, with aid and development in Palestine long being held captive to politics. In a recent piece for MEE, Alaa Tartir explained: "Aid flows over the decades resulted in entrenchment of aid dependency…which stripped the Palestinian people of power to resist colonialism, apartheid and oppression". The political strings attached to aid, and Palestinian dependency to it, are among the main reasons that have kept Palestinians from developing a sustainable resistance to the Israeli settler colonial regime. Indeed, UNRWA, and other international agencies, are paying the bill for Israel's military occupation and thus are huge factors in maintaining the status quo. Should UNRWA cease its operations, the gap will have to be filled by someone else. This is an important detail which seems to have escaped President Trump. It's not yet clear whether the Trump administration's threats are directed towards UNRWA or the PA and it is very likely that the administration itself is also unsure of the recipient of these threats. What is clear, however, is that if the threats were directed at the former, the Palestinian refugees will once again be the ones who suffer for the political decisions of a leadership that refuses to fight for their fundamental right to return home. If it was directed at the latter, the PA is left with very few cards to play especially with its legitimacy among the Palestinian people dwindling. ||||| Jerusalem would like to see US aid gradually reduced to the UN Relief and Works Agency, to wean the Palestinians of this assistance and serve as an incentive to reform the organization, rather than end the assistance all at once, The Jerusalem Post has learned. This message has been relayed to the US administration, which is debating whether to cut funding to the organization in some form unless the Palestinians return to the negotiation table with Israel. One idea Israel is proposing is that the money the US annually provides to UNRWA – which deals exclusively with Palestinian refugees and their descendants and in Jerusalem’s viewpoint perpetuates the refugee issue – is given instead to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is charged with providing protection and relief to refugees worldwide, Channel 2 reported on Saturday night.The Trump administration is in the throes of an internal debate over whether to reduce funding to the Palestinian Authority after the president threatened it with an aid cut last week.Discussions began on Friday among the administration’s national security principals and will continue throughout this week. The current debate focuses on whether to cut funding to UNRWA.Several US sources told the Post that Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, is the primary advocate for a cut in aid to UNRWA. But agency heads based in Washington support maintaining the aid, as do some inside the Israeli government, who fear a humanitarian and security crisis should the funding be slashed.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position is that UNRWA should be gradually defunded, in the hope that this will trigger change inside the organization. The way UNRWA is currently set up, Netanyahu maintains, perpetuates the refugee problem, rather than providing a permanent solution to those benefiting from its aid.Israel’s criticism of the organization is that it treats Palestinian refugees differently from refugees from every other conflict in the world, and that it “incentivizes” victimhood.Since the Palestinians are habituated to this aid, the argument runs, there is no incentive to significantly alter the situation by providing permanent homes outside of camps for the refugees and their descendants, and that keeping them dependent on the assistance only perpetuates the refugee problem into eternity.Channel 2 reported last week that an internal Foreign Ministry report, however, argued that cutting funds to UNRWA “may worsen the humanitarian situation and lead to catastrophe, especially in Gaza,” adding that “it will not help, but on the contrary, it will [put the burden on] Israel.” Senior security officials have reported similar sentiments.The United States is UNRWA’s largest donor. In 2016, it contributed $152 million directly to the organization and another $216m. to projects related to its work – totaling about a quarter of the agency’s budget – according to UNRWA’s donor charts.Erroneous reports circulated in Israeli media on Friday suggesting a decision in Washington had been made to cut $125m. of the aid, as the US funding had not been delivered by the first of the month.But “there is no existing schedule that obligates the United States to provide specific amounts of aid to UNRWA on specific dates,” a senior administration official told the Post. “The decisions of when to provide aid in the fiscal year, and in what allocations, lie with the secretary of state.“At this time no such decisions have been made,” the official added.The formal interagency review process began after Trump tweeted angrily last week that Palestinians were receiving “HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS” in US aid without offering Washington “appreciation or respect” in return.PA officials dismissed Trump as a serious peace broker last month after he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.“We are reviewing our assistance to the Palestinians in light of their recent conduct, per the president’s recent message,” the senior administration official told the Post.Earlier last week, the White House accused PA officials of “spreading falsehoods” about US policy and undermining its efforts to forge peace before they formally begin.In Israel, meanwhile, a number of ministers expressed support for cutting the aid.Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan responded to the report on Twitter, expressing astonishment.“I find it hard to believe that the Foreign Ministry of Israel opposes a cut to UNRWA – the body that perpetuates the refugee problem instead of solving it and that aids terror in all kinds of ways that have been proven – we have to dismantle it as quickly as possible,” Erdan wrote.And Education Minister Naftali Bennett issued a statement saying that “UNRWA is a terror-supporting organization.“Its very existence perpetuates the dire situation of Gaza’s population, who suffer under the rule of Hamas,” he said. “Aiding the residents of Gaza should be no different than aiding the Syrian residents suffering under a terror regime, or from aiding any other group of descendants of refugees.”Bennett said that he expected “all Israeli branches of government, including the Foreign Ministry, to support a decision to cut funding to an organization which employs Hamas terrorists and uses its schools to hide rockets.”Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report. | An anonymous U.S. State Department official says no decision has been made on the scheduled January 1, 2018, $125-million payment to the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency), which administers aid for Palestinian refugees. Media reports had stated the money was frozen. The official added the government is still reviewing U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority and has until January 15 to resolve the issue. |
UNITED NATIONS — Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran’s crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday, as members of the United Nations Security Council instead used a special session called by the United States to lecture the American ambassador on the proper purpose of the body and to reaffirm support for the Iran nuclear agreement. It was an afternoon of high diplomatic theater that began with a passionate denunciation of Iran’s “oppressive government” by the American ambassador, Nikki R. Haley, and ended with the Iranian ambassador delivering a lengthy history of popular revolt in the United States — from the violent demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968 to the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011. In the interim, Council members did, one by one, condemn the Iranian government’s response during more than a week of protests. As of Friday, more than 20 people had been killed and hundreds had been arrested. The authorities have blocked access to social media and have blamed foreign “enemies” for instigating the unrest, a common refrain at times of upheaval that in this case the government has provided no evidence to support. In her remarks, Ms. Haley said that the United States would remain steadfastly behind the Iranian protesters. ||||| Friday's UN Security Council meeting didn't disappoint in terms of the anticipated level of inflammatory rhetoric and accusations. Also not unexpected is that the US finds itself isolated after a week of the Trump White House going on the offensive: first by essentially calling for regime change in Iran after the onset of mass protests last week (the State Dept.'s first statement a week ago referenced "transition of government"), and then came the bombshell announcement that all foreign aid to Pakistan, which reportedly totals up to $2 billion in promised security aid, has been cut. And not helpful to any of this was Trump's lashing out through a series off the cuff tweets aimed at Iran and Pakistan in the past days - some of which may have precipitated Pakistan's finally pulling the trigger on ditching the dollar in trade with China in retaliation. These countries and others came out swinging at the UN. First, Iran's ambassador told the meeting that his government has "hard evidence" that recent protests in Iran were "very clearly directed from abroad." According to the Washington Post, Iran's highest legal authority previously claimed direct CIA involvement in the unrest which has now taken over two dozen lives, including at least one police officer and three Iranian intelligence officers who were reported killed during clashes in the western city of Piranshahr on Wednesday. The Washington Post summarized the allegations as follows: Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo also accused the United States of abusing its power as a permanent member of the Security Council by calling for a meeting to discuss the protests. "It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current U.S. administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate," he said. Iran's accusation was backed by Russia, whose envoy Vasiliy Nebenzia addressed the US head on, asserting "You are dispersing the energy of the Security Council, instead of focusing it on dealing with key crisis situations in Afghanistan, Syria Libya, Iraq, Yemen, DPRK, the African continent. Instead of that, you are proposing that we interfere in the internal affairs of a state." The Russian representative continued, “We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what’s taking place.” Russia further presented the US position as one of hypocrisy: "If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan,” Vasiliy said. "We don't want to get involved in destabilizing Iran or any other country." This was in response to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's opening speech, who characterized the week long unrest in Iran as a "spontaneous expression of fundamental human rights," claiming the protests were simultaneously playing out in "over 78 locations" - though according to many reports anti-regime protests have largely died down while giving way to possibly larger pro-government rallies. She ascribed the usual freedom and democracy motives to the Iranian demonstrators - which by the accounts of many analysts are multi-faceted and complex, mostly focusing on deep seated economic grievances - something to be expected anytime protests occur in any country whose government the US doesn't like. "In the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny. Let there be no doubt the US stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet," Haley said, while also derisively shooting down accusations that protesters and provocateurs being used as "puppets of foreign powers." She said the US was absolutely sure that protests were not at all being driven by external influence or intervention. She further reiterated a warning first emphasized in a prior State Department press release: "The Iranian regime is now on notice: The world will be watching what you do." Meanwhile Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has added his name to the growing chorus of countries charging the US with meddling in the internal affairs of both Iran and Pakistan, and other Muslim majority countries. At an Istanbul press conference on Friday, Turkey's president accused the US of seeking control of the Middle East's resources, saying, "We cannot accept that some countries - foremost the US, Israel - to interfere [sic] in the internal affairs of Iran and Pakistan," according to the AFP. A number of nations, including European countries like France, have worried that the US is exploiting Iran's domestic situation to undermine the 2015 nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA). Earlier in the week Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov expressly warned the US "against attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran," while stressing, "what is happening there is an internal affair". And even France in a rare moment of complete agreement with Russia and Iran earlier in the week slammed the US for prematurely using human rights to undermine the nuclear agreement. On Wednesdays President Emmanuel Macron told reporters, "The official line pursued by the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, who are our allies in many ways, is almost one that would lead us to war." He charged that some countries seemed to be engaged in a “deliberate strategy” to undermine the JCPOA. “Otherwise, we end up surreptitiously rebuilding an ‘axis of evil’,” Macron said in reference to an infamous phrase by former President George W. Bush, who used the phrase to describe countries including Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Macron further warned at the time that the world could go down a path of a "conflict of extreme brutality" should US pressures on Iran continue. During Friday's UN emergency session, France stuck by Macron's earlier words, as French Ambassador Francois Delattre urged a careful approach to Iran's internal matters, saying just before the meeting, "Yes, of course, to vigilance and call for full respect of freedom of expression, but no to instrumentalization of the crisis from the outside - because it would only reinforce the extremes, which is precisely what we want to avoid." His call to cautiously prevent the "instrumentalization of the crisis from the outside" is a clear reference to repeat Israeli and US officials' demands for international solidarity with the anti-Tehran protesters in cause of regime change. Thus when even France sides squarely against the US and with Iran and Russia, the US has definitely found itself isolated on the world stage. ||||| The Friday comments by Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia followed a hastily-called emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) — at the demand of the US ambassador — in which Washington sought to paint the current Tehran administration as corrupt, incompetent and totalitarian, a spin noted by UN members to be a pretext to dismantling the historic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between the P5+1 and Iran. The P5+1 (for the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States — plus Germany and the European Union) entered into the agreement with Iran in 2015 as a means to deescalate nuclear tensions in the region. Many UN members expressed their displeasure with what are considered to be heavy-handed and isolationist tactics by the US to dismantle the key nuclear treaty, an agreement that has been to shown to be largely successful in its aims, according to al Jazeera. "The United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," said Russian Ambassador Nebenzia. "Let Iran deal with its own problems," Nebenzia advised, adding, "The real reason for convening today is not to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather a veiled attempt to continue to undermine the Iranian nuclear agreement," cited by the New York Times. UNSC member France declared that the ongoing Iran demonstrations were not an issue for which the international body required emergency meetings. "However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security," French Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre said, cited by Reuters. "We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished," Delattre added. Tehran was more to the point, observing what it referred to as a US overreach in the use of the UNSC body. Iranian Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo asserted that the administration of US President Donald Trump — in the form of its current and widely-criticized ambassador Nikki Haley — was abusing its position as a permanent UNSC member in demanding the emergency meeting. "It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate," noted Khoshroo. Almost a week of sporadically violent protests involving upwards of 50,000 demonstrators in the Middle Eastern country has seen at least 22 killed, as Tehran authorities accuse the United States, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of tacitly fomenting unrest that began in late December 2017. ||||| A United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to discuss recent protests in Iran turned into criticism of the United States for requesting to meet on what some member states said was an internal issue for Tehran. France’s ambassador to the UN said the protests do not threaten international peace and security, in what may be an implicit criticism of the United States. “We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished,” Ambassador Francois Delattre said. “However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security.” Demonstrations erupted in Iran over a week ago after the government announced plans to raise fuel prices and cut monthly cash handouts to lower-income Iranians. The unrest spread over 80 cities and towns and has resulted in 22 deaths and more than 1,000 arrests, according to Iranian officials. The US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said Iran is “on notice,” after listing what she referred to as slogans chanted by Iranian protesters. “The Iranian regime’s contempt for the rights of its people has been widely documented for many years,” said Haley, adding that the United States stood “unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families, and dignity for their nation. We will not be quiet. No dishonest attempt to call the protesters ‘puppets of foreign powers’ will change that.” Iran’s UN Ambassador Gholamali Khoshroo told the Security Council that his government has “hard evidence” that recent protests in Iran were “very clearly directed from abroad.” Khoshroo also said the United States had abused its power as a permanent member of the Security Council by calling for a meeting to discuss the protests. “It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate,” he said. Russia’s UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the United States was abusing the Security Council’s platform and the meeting was an attempt to use the current Iranian situation to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, which the US administration opposes. Discussing the domestic situation of Iran at the council “does not help resolve the domestic issue of Iran,” said China’s Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| The Iranian government has hard evidence that the violence in the ongoing protests in the country is incited from abroad, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Gholam Ali Khoshroo said during an emergency UN Security Council meeting."We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protesters, in some cases resulting in the deaths of policeman and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad," Khoshroo said on Friday.Iranian Envoy to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo also stressed that"The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for legitimate grievances some exacerbated by none other than US itself in its dereliction of its obligation under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] is an abuse of its power as a permanent member and an abuse of the council itself," Khoshroo said on Friday.Moreover, Khoshoroo pointed outIran should be the one calling for an investigation into the role of foreign elements instigating violence in the country, Khoshroo concluded.The UN Security Council meeting was called by the United States which has taken an active interest in what it sees as attempts by Iranian authorities to crack down on pro-democracy protesters. The US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the world was watching what the Islamic Republic was doing.Meanwhile,Discussing this domestic situation of Iran by the Council is a practice that is not in line with the Council's responsibilities," he said at the meeting. "China takes note of the recent domestic developments of Iran," Wu admitted, adding Beijing trusted the Iranian government with doing what needs to be done to keep the country stable. He stressedThe Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia stressed it is unacceptable to use "bogus pretext" to include internal political issues of Iran in the agenda of meeting. Nebenzia said the domestic political situation has stabilized in recent days. He added the"It is obvious for everyone that the topic chosen today does not fall within the prerogatives established by the UN charter," Nebenzia said. "The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interest of Iranian people, but rather an attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action."Russian Ambassador emphasized that the United States is undermining the authority of the United Nations Security Council by calling a special meeting on protests in Iran."Today we are witnessing how the United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," Nebenzia stated on Friday. "Why the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, is undermining the authority of the Security Council as the main body which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security?"If the Security Council follows the logic of the United States, they should have called meetings after violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri or waves of unrest in any Western country, Nebenzia said.The envoy urged the Security Council members to allow Iran to deal with its own problems and rather focus on crisis situations in Lybia, North Korea, Syria.Meanwhile, theso that the Iranian people may see its benefits, UK Ambassador to the UN Matthew John Rycroft said during a Security Council meeting."The United Kingdom remains fully committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, it is one of the international community's greatest successes in recent memory, we welcome Iran's compliance with its nuclear commitments," Rycroft said on Friday. "We encourage all member states to uphold their commitments so that the Iranian people see the tangible benefits of this deal."From the perspective of finding a solution to the "flash points" in the crisis in the Middle East , the UN Security Council must remain fully committed to upholding the nuclear agreement with Iran and must fully promote its implementation, French Ambassador Francois Delattre said during the emergency meeting.In October 2017, US President Donald Trump refused to confirm to the US Congress that Iran strictly abides the nuclear deal but at the same time he did not question compliance on the international level. The United States has since delivered additional sanctions on Iran.However, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley warned during a UN Security Council meeting on Friday that Iran has been put on notice that the world is watching how Tehran handles the ongoing anti-government protests."The Iranian regime is now on notice. The world will be watching what you do," Haley said.The UN Security Council briefing on Iranian protests was another foreign policy flop by the administration of US President Donald Trump , Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Friday.Another FP blunder for the Trump administration," he tweeted.Russia, China, and France - three of the body's five permanent members - spoke against the US move to raise anti-government protests in Iran at a UN meeting, saying they did not pose a risk to international peace or security.They and the United Kingdom also spoke in favor of keeping the 2015 deal with Tehran in place. Russia's Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of calling the briefing to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which saw Iran scale back its nuclear activities in return for sanctions easing. President Trump has called it the worst deal ever.The Iranian people have taken to the streets in major cities in the country since December 28, 2017, to protest against unemployment, poverty, rising cost of living and policies of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At least 20 people have reportedly been killed and 450 have been detained, according to published reports. ||||| UNITED NATIONS (NYTIMES) - Efforts by the Trump administration to marshal a muscular international response to Iran's crackdown on anti-government protesters appeared to backfire on Friday (Jan 5) as members of the UN Security Council instead used a special session called by the United States to lecture the US ambassador on the proper purpose of the body and to reaffirm support for the Iran nuclear agreement. It was an afternoon of high diplomatic theatre that began with a passionate denunciation of Iran's "oppressive government" by the US ambassador, Ms Nikki Haley, and ended with the Iranian ambassador delivering a lengthy history of popular revolt in the United States - from the violent demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in 1968 to the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011. In the interim, council members did, one by one, condemn the Iranian government's response during more than a week of protests. As of Friday, more than 20 people had been killed and hundreds had been arrested. The authorities have blocked access to social media and have blamed foreign "enemies" for instigating the unrest, a common refrain at times of upheaval that in this case the government has provided no evidence to support. In her remarks, Ms Haley said the United States would remain steadfastly behind the Iranian protesters. "Let there be no doubt whatsoever," she said, "the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves." But there was evidence of a mini-revolt brewing within the Security Council chamber, not only among traditional adversaries like Russia and China, but also among close allies like France and Sweden. Many seemed to fear that the outspoken criticism by the Americans was simply a pretext to undermine the Iran nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has long desired to scrap. It is not precisely clear what Ms Haley hoped to achieve by convening the session on Friday, which was not previously scheduled. Until the meeting began at 3pm, it was not even certain whether Ms Haley would be able to secure the votes needed to call the session to order. But even before the session began, France's ambassador, Mr François Delattre, warned against "instrumentalisation" of the protests "from the outside". Speaking before the council, he went further. "We must be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have a diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished," Mr Delattre said. The Russian ambassador, Mr Vasily Nebenzya, was more blunt. He asked rhetorically why the Security Council had not taken up the issue of Black Lives Matter protests in Ferguson, Missouri, which were at times also met with a violent police response. "The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interests of the Iranian people, but rather as a veiled attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine" the Iranian deal, Mr Nebenzya said. Mr Trump has repeatedly excoriated the deal, which was a signature diplomatic achievement of his predecessor, Mr Barack Obama. In October, he refused to recertify the deal, though he left it to Congress to legislate changes to it. (None of the other world powers that signed the deal believes renegotiation is possible.) This month, Mr Trump will again have to choose whether to continue to waive sanctions, as the deal requires, or chart a more confrontational approach that would further antagonise European allies. Mr Trump himself conflated the protests with the Iran nuclear deal this week, arguing that financial benefits received by the Iranian authorities as part of the accord had fuelled the corruption that the country's people were protesting. At the Security Council on Friday, most members insisted that these two issues were separate. "It needs to be crystal clear to the international community that the situation in Iran does not belong on the agenda of the Security Council," said Mr Sacha Sergio Llorenty, the Bolivian ambassador. Sweden's representative, Ms Irina Schoulgin Nyoni, concurred: "We have our reservations on the format and timing of this session." Such reticence to support the US position is the latest evidence of growing international resistance to the Trump administration's foreign policy priorities, particularly at the United Nations. Last month, a large majority of UN members voted for a resolution denouncing the United States' decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the US Embassy there. Ms Haley had to use her veto to block a similar resolution in the Security Council that was supported by every other member. On Wednesday, the US Mission to the United Nations held a cocktail reception for the nine countries that voted against the resolution in the General Assembly, which, aside from Israel, were Guatemala, Honduras, Togo, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau. In a video message played at the reception, Mr Trump thanked the attendees for "standing with the United States". He said the vote would "go down as a very important date", and their support was "noted and greatly appreciated." ||||| "We have hard evidence of the violence in Iran by a handful of the protesters, in some cases resulting in the deaths of policeman and security officers, being very clearly directed from abroad," Khoshroo said on Friday. Iranian Envoy to the UN Gholam Ali Khoshroo also stressed that the United States is abusing its power as a member of the United Nations Security Council and as a permanent member of the council by calling a meeting to discuss the protests in Iran. "The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for legitimate grievances some exacerbated by none other than US itself in its dereliction of its obligation under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] is an abuse of its power as a permanent member and an abuse of the council itself," Khoshroo said on Friday. Moreover, Khoshoroo pointed out instigators based in the United States and Europe have been seen inciting violence during the protests in Iran. The instigation has included such activities as encouraging and training people to use Molotov cocktails, capture ammunition depots and stage an armed uprising. Iran should be the one calling for an investigation into the role of foreign elements instigating violence in the country, Khoshroo concluded. Meanwhile, China's Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Wu Haitao said Friday his country took note of protests in Iran but believed they were its domestic issue that lay outside of UN’s scope. "The Iranian situation does not pose any threat to international peace or security nor is it on the agenda of the Security Council. Discussing this domestic situation of Iran by the Council is a practice that is not in line with the Council’s responsibilities," he said at the meeting. "China takes note of the recent domestic developments of Iran," Wu admitted, adding Beijing trusted the Iranian government with doing what needs to be done to keep the country stable. He stressed UN’s interference would not help resolve the issue. Nebenzia pointed out the real reason for convening the meeting was not a desire to protect human rights or promote the interest of the Iranian people, but rather an attempt to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). "It is obvious for everyone that the topic chosen today does not fall within the prerogatives established by the UN charter," Nebenzia said. "The real reason for convening today's meeting is not an attempt to protect human rights or promote the interest of Iranian people, but rather an attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action." "Today we are witnessing how the United States is abusing the platform of the Security Council," Nebenzia stated on Friday. "Why the United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, is undermining the authority of the Security Council as the main body which is responsible for maintaining international peace and security?" If the Security Council follows the logic of the United States, they should have called meetings after violent protests in Ferguson, Missouri or waves of unrest in any Western country, Nebenzia said. The envoy urged the Security Council members to allow Iran to deal with its own problems and rather focus on crisis situations in Lybia, North Korea, Syria. The UN Security Council briefing on Iranian protests was another foreign policy flop by the administration of US President Donald Trump, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Friday. "The UNSC rebuffed the US' naked attempt to hijack its mandate. Majority emphasized the need to fully implement the JCPOA and to refrain from interfering in internal affairs of others. Another FP blunder for the Trump administration," he tweeted. They and the United Kingdom also spoke in favor of keeping the 2015 deal with Tehran in place. Russia’s Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of calling the briefing to undermine the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which saw Iran scale back its nuclear activities in return for sanctions easing. President Trump has called it the worst deal ever. The Iranian people have taken to the streets in major cities in the country since December 28, 2017, to protest against unemployment, poverty, rising cost of living and policies of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. At least 20 people have reportedly been killed and 450 have been detained, according to published reports. ||||| UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - France’s ambassador to the United Nations told a U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday that recent protests in Iran do not threaten international peace and security, in what may be an implicit criticism of the United States for calling the meeting. “However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be they do not constitute per se a threat to international peace and security,” Ambassador Francois Delattre said. “We must be wary of any attempts to exploit this crisis for personal ends, which would have the diametrically opposed outcome to that which is wished,” he said. ||||| The United Nations Security Council’s emergency meeting on the recent protests in Iran at the request of the United States “discredits” the council and demonstrates how Washington “abuses” its powers as a permanent member to forward its own agenda, says Iran’s envoy to the UN. Addressing the largely-divided session on Friday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo expressed regret that the council had been forced to reconvene and discuss an issue that was “purely domestic.” “It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security,” he asserted. Last week, groups of peaceful protesters staged unauthorized gatherings in several areas across the country, calling on the authorities to address their economic issues. Despite having no mandate, the protests were allowed to go on uninterrupted for several days. However, some of events turned violent after armed elements and vandals took the opportunity to destroy public property and attack police stations, killing and injuring dozens of people in the process. While many countries such as Russia, Turkey and Syria condemned the violence, US President Donald Trump hyped up the unrest in a series of tweets, pledging continued support for the rioters. "There is a long history of US bullying at the UN, but this is a preposterous example: the purely internal affairs of a nation—in this case protests that the Iranian government has addressed with the utmost respect for the rights of the protesters and with every attempt to deal with peacefully, despite violent infiltrators and direct encouragement by foreign forces including by the president of the United States—is not the subject of debate by the world’s most important security organ," Khoshroo explained.
• US mulling new Iran sanctions to bolster riots Acknowledging the “legitimate grievances” of the people who held peaceful rallies, Khoshroo said Washington was in part responsible for their hardships by failing to deliver on its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers. Trump has adamantly pursued undermining the deal, which limits parts of Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program in exchange for lifting all nuclear-related sanctions. Khoshroo also reminded council members such as the UK, France and the US of their long record in cracking down on protests. He referred to Saudi Arabia’s ongoing war against Yemen and Israel’s occupation of Palestine as some of the “genuine issues” that the council should be focusing on instead. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also posted a tweet in reaction to the meeting, calling it another "blunder" for the US foreign policy. Also speaking at the meeting was Russia’s UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia, who accused Washington of trying to bend the UNSC mandate by supporting the unrest in Iran. “We obviously regret the loss of lives as a result of the demonstrations that were not so peaceful. However, let Iran deal with its own problems, especially since this is precisely what’s taking place,” he said. The Russian envoy then pointed to Washington’s handling of protests over widespread police killings of unarmed African Americans and crackdown on other social justice movements. "If we follow your logic, then we should have meetings of the Security Council after the events in Ferguson or after the dispersal by force of the Occupy Wall Street movement in Manhattan.” China's Deputy UN Ambassador Wu Haitao also took a similar line, saying the protests were a "domestic issue" of Iran and discussing them at the council "does not help resolve" them. ||||| Washington (CNN) US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley warned Iran on Friday that no government can legitimately deny human rights, adding that the regime is "now on notice." Haley's comments come at a United Nations Security Council meeting that centered on Iran after the US requested an emergency session amid protests in the country. "Human rights are not the gift of governments, they are the inalienable rights of the people themselves," Haley said. "The Iranian regime is now on notice, the world will be watching what you do." She added: "Freedom and human dignity cannot be separated from peace and security. When the rights of the people are denied, the people rightly resist. If the concerns are not acknowledged, then peace and security are inevitably threatened." Haley said that "in the end, the Iranian people will determine their own destiny," and she reiterated US support for the protesters. "And let there be no doubt whatsoever, the United States stands unapologetically with those in Iran who seek freedom for themselves, prosperity for their families and dignity for their nation," she added. While most nations echoed Haley's support for human rights and free speech, some also voiced concern that the UN Security Council was not the appropriate venue to discuss protests in Iran. "It is up to the Iranians, and to the Iranians alone, to pursue the path of peaceful dialogue, a dialogue based on full respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the Iranian people," French Ambassador Francois Delattre said. "However worrying the events of the last few days in Iran may be, they do not constitute, per se, a threat to international peace and security." Prior to the meeting, Delattre warned against the "instrumentalisation of the crisis from the outside because it would only reinforce the extremes, which is precisely what we want to avoid." Russian UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also slammed the US for using the meeting to bring up the Iranian protests under a "bogus pretext." "Let Iran deal with its own problems," said Nebenzia, who once again raised the idea of the Security Council meeting about protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and Occupy Wall Street demonstrations as the Russian mission to the UN did in a tweet on Tuesday. "The move by the United States to bring to this council protests in Iran by some of our citizens for their legitimate grievances -- some exacerbated by none other than the US itself in its dereliction of its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- is an abuse of its power as a permanent member, and an abuse of the council itself," Iranian Ambassador to the UN Gholamali Khoshroo said. "It is unfortunate that despite the resistance on the part of some of its members, this council has allowed itself to be abused by the current US administration in holding a meeting on an issue that falls outside the scope of its mandate, putting on display the failure of the council to fulfill its real responsibility in maintaining international peace and security," he said. The US has been vocal in its support of the demonstrators and offered harsh condemnation of the Iranian government, including a tweet from President Donald Trump that called the Iranian regime "brutal and corrupt." For its part, Iran has accused the US of "grotesque" meddling in social media to incite unrest -- and thus tampering with Iranian affairs, according to a letter sent to the UN on Thursday. Haley said earlier this week that the US wanted emergency meetings in New York and in Geneva at the Human Rights Council to discuss the Iran situation. Russia's deputy foreign minister has called the US proposal "harmful and destructive." Differences in opinion between the US and Europe over how to address the situation in Iran began to manifest themselves ahead of Friday's meeting. While the US and its European partners -- including the United Kingdom, France and Germany -- all fundamentally support the right of Iranian demonstrators to peacefully protest, they disagree in their analysis of where the situation on the ground is headed and over the strategic value of ramping up the rhetoric publicly, sources have told CNN. Uncertainty over how long the protests will continue has prompted European countries to collectively take a much more cautious approach to what it says publicly than the US. | During a session of the United Nations Security Council, the United States repeat its "unapologetic" support for the ongoing Iranian protests. Russia denounces the "veiled [U.S.] attempt to use the current moment to continue to undermine" the JCPOA. France calls to "be wary of any attempt to exploit this crisis for personal ends". |
Bangkok: Malaysia's 92-year-old former long-serving prime minster Mahathir Mohamad has been named to lead opposition parties into one of his country's most bitterly fought elections since independence. Authorities in Kuala Lumpur have also announced that former popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from jail on June 8, opening the way for him to be possibly pardoned and eventually become prime minister. Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's 92-year-old former prime minister. Credit:Bloomberg Long-time arch enemies Mahathir and Anwar have come together in a stunning turnaround from years of bitter feuding that shaped Malaysia's political landscape for almost two decades. The pair are seen as the biggest threat for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal. ||||| KAJANG (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Jailed Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from prison in June, says his wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. "Insyallah, he will be released on June 11," she said in her speech at the launch of the Wanita Pakatan Harapan convention in Kajang on Saturday (Jan 6). She noted also that Jan 6 marked Anwar's 1,062nd day in prison. "Although he is not physically here, he is supporting our fight in spirit," she said. At a press conference later, Dr Wan Azizah said that Pakatan Harapan had yet to finalise its choice of prime ministerial candidate, adding that the candidate could be a woman. "We have many qualified candidates and we will look at the credibility factor as well as the female factor. A female can be prime minister. What's wrong with that?" she said. On whether PKR had resolved its issues on the naming of a suitable candidate for the prime minister's post, Dr Wan Azizah said: "Why do you want to speculate? We are solid. There is no internal problem." It was reported that Anwar has become a stumbling block for Pakatan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to be named as the prime minister candidate if the opposition coalition manages to win the next general election. Pakatan is expected to announced its prime ministerial candidate on Sunday. ||||| Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is expected to be released from prison on June 11, an event that is likely to have implications for the country's political temperature. "God willing, he will be released on June 11," his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said in a speech at a Pakatan Harapan (PH) function, as quoted by The Star Online. Dr Wan Azizah is president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), a federal opposition party that heads the PH alliance ruling Selangor. She was also quoted by The Malaysian Insight news portal as saying: "If the law permits, he will be released on June 11." This is the first time anyone has given an actual date for Anwar's release after serving a five-year sentence for sodomy. Anwar started serving the sentence in February 2015, meaning he would be released in 2020, should he have to serve the full term. But prisoners in Malaysia often get a one-third reduction of sentences for good behaviour. By June this year, Anwar would have been in jail for 40 months - or two-thirds of his five-year sentence. The announcement came amid preparations for the general election by both the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition led by Prime Minister Najib Razak, and the four-party PH opposition alliance helmed by ex-premier Tun Mahathir Mohamad, 92. Datuk Seri Najib is expected to call for the polls within months. Some pundits see a window for the elections after the Chinese New Year holidays on Feb 16 and 17, and before the Muslim fasting month on May 16. Polls could be held as late as August this year. "Dr Mahathir is sharp on policies and knows the workings of the government; Anwar will rally the urban crowd," said ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute fellow Norshahril Saat. "If Anwar is out, BN's strategy will change and they could bring back the old stories" about the Mahathir-Anwar breakup in 1998, she added. That year, then prime minister Dr Mahathir sacked Anwar, then his deputy. The two politicians have come together again after Dr Mahathir left Umno in early 2016. Dr Mahathir is officially the chairman of PH and Anwar its de facto leader. Due to his conviction, Anwar cannot stand for election over the next five years unless he is pardoned by the Malaysian King. But once freed from jail, the 70-year-old charismatic opposition chief could freely travel to work the ground, and inject energy into the opposition. His ability to get voters excited about his "reform agenda" and in uniting the opposition shook Malaysian politics in the 2008 and 2013 polls. The opposition in 2008 captured five of Malaysia's 13 state assemblies. And in 2013, the united opposition for the first time won the popular vote. Based on this history, PM Najib might consider calling the elections before June, some pundits say. Mr Najib, 64, is currently unassailable in his party Umno and in the 13-party BN coalition, after locally containing the scandal surrounding state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd. On the other hand, the opposition is weaker following Anwar's jailing and the death of spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat of Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), both in February 2015. PAS is now leaning towards BN-led Umno. The four-party PH, when not busy trading barbs with PAS, is split on whether to nominate Dr Mahathir as its candidate for prime minister, should it win the upcoming elections. PH is holding its national convention today, when it is expected to name its nominee prime minister. Leaders of the opposition pact yesterday held a five-hour meeting to decide on its nominee, but declined to tell reporters on what was decided. "Tomorrow (Sunday), you will hear all the announcements that will clear all of your questions," Dr Mahathir told reporters, as quoted by Malaysiakini. ||||| Bangkok: Malaysia's 92-year-old former long-serving prime minster Mahathir Mohamad has been named to lead opposition parties into one of his country's most bitterly fought elections since independence. Authorities in Kuala Lumpur have also announced that former popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from jail on June 8, opening the way for him to be possibly pardoned and eventually become prime minister. Long-time arch enemies Mahathir and Anwar have come together in a stunning turnaround from years of bitter feuding that shaped Malaysia's political landscape for almost two decades. The pair are seen as the biggest threat for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal. The four-party opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition also named Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Ismail as its candidate for deputy prime minister at the elections that must be called before August. Announcing the decision Pakatan's secretary general Saifuddin Abdullah described Mahathir and Anwar as two "statesmen" who are cooperating to topple Najib's long ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Victory would see Mahathir become the world's oldest leader. Anwar, 70, who has been serving a five-year jail sentence on politically-motivated sodomy charges, was previously named opposition leader but his conviction bans him from standing for elected office for five years. But Saifuddin said a new government would immediately commence legal processes to obtain a royal pardon so Anwar could immediately play a role in the federal government and subsequently be proposed as a candidate to be prime minister. Under Anwar's leadership opposition parties won the popular vote at elections in 2013 but a gerrymandered system of voting favouring rural Malays prevented the government's defeat. Mahathir sacked Anwar as his deputy in the 1990s. Anwar was then subjected to years of political persecution that included a fierce beating and years in jail on trumped up charges. During 22 years in power, Mahathir clashed with successive Australian leaders from both sides of politics, once declaring them to be too "pale of skin" to engage in Asia. His antagonism shut Australia out of key Asian forums and sabotaged diplomatic relations between the two countries. Last year Mahathir lashed out again at Australia, accusing Canberra of turning a blind eye to corruption in the sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (!MDB) which Najib set-up and oversaw through an advisory board. Almost $1 billion was transferred into Najib's personal bank accounts and investigations are underway in at least five countries into how billions of dollars have allegedly gone missing from the fund. Anwar has also in the past criticised Australia for failing to speak up on his behalf as he endured years after political persecution, including from Mahathir, who sacked him as his deputy prime minister in the 1990s. Despite the 1MDB scandal Najib has strengthened his power in UMNO through a system of money politics and patronage, as he used state agencies to silence his critics and harass independent media outlets. Analysts say that with Anwar in jail Mahathir has become the person most feared by the 13-party ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. He was an authoritarian leader who ruled during a 'Golden era' of unprecedented period of growth . Analysts say his stature and track record ranks higher than Najib in many of UMNO's core strongholds. Anwar's early release in June because of good behaviour could prompt Najib to call a snap election, analysts say. Anwar would inject fresh energy into the opposition's campaign if he is released by the time Malaysians go to the polls. In a speech read out by his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar at Pakatan's convention on Sunday, Anwar said he accepted the decision of the coalition's presidential council to name Mahathir as its candidate for prime minister. "I urge my friends to focus on the principles of the struggle we started a decade ago," he said. ||||| Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks during an anti-kleptocracy rally in Petaling Jaya, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 14 October 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin/Files KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's opposition coalition on Sunday named 92-year old former premier Mahathir Mohamad as its prime ministerial candidate for a general election that must be called by August. With the country's most popular opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a corruption scandal. Mahathir, who earned a reputation during his 22-year tenure as prime minister of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world's oldest leader if the opposition wins. A victory could also potentially pave the way for former Mahathir foe Anwar to become the prime minister. Mahathir and Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, will be the Pakatan Harapan coalition's candidates for the premier and deputy prime ministerial posts respectively, secretary-general Saifuddin Abdullah said at the alliance's convention. If the opposition wins, the component parties have agreed to immediately commence the legal processes to obtain a royal pardon for Anwar, Saifuddin said. "...So that Anwar could immediately play a role in the federal government and subsequently be proposed as a candidate for the eighth prime minister," he said. The Mahathir-Anwar coalition and their endorsement of each other is a turnaround from their bitter feud that has shaped Malaysia's political landscape for nearly two decades. Anwar was once a protege of Mahathir and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they had a falling-out in the late 1990s. Soon afterwards, Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft, after being sacked as the deputy prime minister. He denied the charges, dismissing them as politically motivated. Anwar later led an opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition lost the popular vote in that election but managed to stay in power after winning a majority of the seats in parliament. But Anwar was convicted and jailed again in 2013 for sodomizing a former aide, a charge he and his supporters describe as an attempt to end his career. The sodomy conviction disqualifies Anwar from political office and from contesting the next election. A royal pardon, however, would allow him to contest. Opposition to Prime Minister Najib has brought Anwar and Mahathir back together, with their parties now working in the opposition coalition. Najib has been embroiled in a corruption scandal involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). In civil lawsuits, the US Justice Department has alleged that about $4.5-billion was misappropriated from 1MDB. The fund has denied any wrongdoing and Najib, who founded 1MDB, has denied all allegations of corruption against him and was cleared of wrongdoing by Malaysia's attorney-general. ||||| KAJANG - Malaysia's jailed opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from prison on June 8, two days ahead of schedule, the Prisons Department director-general said on Sunday (Jan 7). "The 2000 Prison Regulations (No. 28) states that if a prisoner's release date falls on a weekend or public holiday, they have to be released the day before," Datuk Seri Zulkifli Omar was quoted saying by the website. "Because June 10 is a Sunday and June 9 is a Saturday, he (Anwar) will be released on Friday, June 8," he said. Anwar's wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had announced at the launch of the Wanita Pakatan Harapan convention in Kajang on Saturday that he would be released from prison on June 11. His release date was determined based on calculations made in accordance with Section 44 of the Prison Act (1995) and Rule No. 43 (1)(a) of the Prisons Regulations, Datuk Seri Zulkifli said. Anwar is serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy, a charge he has said is politically motivated. He cannot run for political office for five years after his release, unless the Malaysian King pardons him. ||||| 92-year-old to run as Prime Minister in Malaysia Malaysia’s opposition coalition on Sunday named 92-year old former premier Mahathir Mohamad as its prime ministerial candidate for a general election that must be called by August. With the country’s most popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat for 64 year-old Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is engulfed in a corruption scandal. Mahathir, who earned a reputation during his 22-year tenure as prime minister of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world’s oldest leader if the opposition wins. A victory could also potentially pave the way for former Mahathir foe Anwar to become the prime minister. Mahathir and Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be the Pakatan Harapan coalition’s candidates for the premier and deputy prime ministerial posts respectively, secretary general Saifuddin Abdullah said at the alliance’s convention. If the opposition wins, the component parties have agreed to immediately commence legal processes to obtain a royal pardon for Anwar, Saifuddin said. “…So that Anwar could immediately play a role in the federal government and subsequently be proposed as a candidate for the eighth prime minister,” he said. The Mahathir-Anwar coalition and their endorsement of each other is a turnaround from their bitter feud that has shaped Malaysia’s political landscape for nearly two decades.Anwar was once a protege of Mahathir, and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they had a falling-out in the late 1990s.. Do you have something awesome to share with the world? Click here to share Do you ever have any question about anything you wish to ask and get answer? Click here to ask Also, Like us on facebook This post was syndicated from The Guardian Nigeria Newspaper – Nigeria and World News. Click here to read the full text on the original website. ||||| KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister could once again helm the country, with the opposition coalition naming Dr Mahathir Mohamad as its interim PM pick should it emerge victorious in the elections. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Anwar's wife, was also announced as Pakatan Harapan's choice for deputy prime minister at the coalition's annual convention on Sunday (Jan 7). Dr Mahathir, 92, would serve as prime minister until his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim is ready to take over upon his release from prison, where he is serving a sentence for a sodomy conviction that the opposition insists is politically motivated. Anwar is expected to be released in June. Channel NewsAsia understands that Pakatan hopes to get around a five-year political ban for convicts by getting Anwar a royal pardon once they are in government. Dr Mahathir had told Channel NewsAsia in an interview in June that it would be "churlish" for him not to consider being prime minister again. Pakatan also announced its seat allocations for peninsula Malaysia for the coming polls, with Mahathir's party Bersatu set to contest 52 seats, PKR 51, the Democratic Action Party 35 and Parti Amanah Negara 27. Mahathir, who earned a reputation during his 22-year tenure as prime minister of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world's oldest leader if the opposition wins. If the opposition wins, the component parties have agreed to immediately commence the legal processes to obtain a royal pardon for Anwar, secretary general Saifuddin Abdullah said at the alliance's convention. "... So that Anwar could immediately play a role in the federal government and subsequently be proposed as a candidate for the eighth prime minister," he said. The Mahathir-Anwar coalition and their endorsement of each other is a turnaround from their bitter feud that has shaped Malaysia's political landscape for nearly two decades. Anwar was once a protege of Mahathir, and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they had a falling-out in the late 1990s. Soon afterwards, Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft, after being sacked as the deputy prime minister. He denied the charges, dismissing them as politically motivated. Anwar later led an opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition lost the popular vote in that election, but managed to stay in power after winning a majority of the seats in parliament. But Anwar was convicted and jailed again in 2013 for sodomizing a former aide, a charge he and his supporters describe as an attempt to end his career. The sodomy conviction disqualifies Anwar from political office and from contesting the next election. A royal pardon, however, would let him contest. Opposition to Prime Minister Najib has brought Anwar and Mahathir back together, with their parties now working in the opposition coalition. Najib has been embroiled in a corruption scandal involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). In civil lawsuits, the US Justice Department has alleged that about US$4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB. The fund has denied any wrongdoing and Najib, who founded 1MDB, has denied all allegations of corruption against him and was cleared of wrongdoing by Malaysia's attorney-general. ||||| Dr Mahathir Mohamad (in purple jacket) bowing his head after he was named Pakatan Harapan's choice for Prime Minister. SHAH ALAM After Dr Mahathir Mohamad was named opposition coalition Pakatan Harapan's choice for prime minister yesterday, he did something which showed just how unpredictable life, and for that measure politics, can be. The former prime minister thanked his ex-deputy Anwar Ibrahim, saying he owed him a "debt of gratitude" for agreeing to work with him in the opposition coalition, the Malay Mail reported. When he was the prime minister, Dr Mahathir sacked Anwar and then vilified him when he was thrown in jail on sodomy and corruption charges. "I am aware how he must have felt. It was not easy for him to accept me. I owe him a debt of gratitude, and I say thank you to him," Dr Mahathir, 92, said. According to unnamed sources quoted by news site The Malaysian Insight (TMI), Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), had set three conditions for Dr Mahathir to be named the coalition candidate for prime minister. These were for Anwar to be given a pardon and made prime minister within a year of Pakatan winning the election, for PKR to be allocated the highest number of seats to contest the election and for Dr Mahathir to agree to institutional reforms. Anwar, currently serving a five-year sentence for sodomy, is due to be released from prison on June 8, the Prisons Department director-general said on Sunday, barring any intervention from higher authorities. He cannot run for political office for five years after his release unless he is pardoned by the King. Pakatan's announcement comes after disagreement within the pact, chiefly from PKR over the candidate for the post, and criticism from ruling party Umno that the opposition was in disarray. In a speech read out by his daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar at the convention on Sunday, Anwar said that he would accept the decision of Pakatan's presidential council. "I urge my friends to focus on the principles of the struggle we started a decade ago," Anwar said, as reported by TMI. "In the spirit of cooperation and working together, we accept the decisions of the leadership." In Sunday's announcement, Pakatan also named Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as the opposition candidate for deputy prime minister. She is president of PKR. Pakatan also announced parliamentary seat allocations for its component parties in the election. PKR will contest the lion's share of seats - 51 of 165 seats in Peninsular Malaysia plus an undisclosed number of seats in Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan, which have 57 parliamentary constituencies in total. Of the seats in Peninsular Malaysia, Dr Mahathir's Parti Pribumi has been allocated 52 seats, DAP has 35 seats while Parti Amanah Negara has 27 seats. ||||| KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia 's opposition alliance named former premier Mahathir Mohamad on Sunday as its prime ministerial candidate for a general election this year, although the authoritarian who ran the country for two decades and is now 92 years old faces an uphill task.With the country's most popular opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in jail, Mahathir is seen as the biggest threat for premier Najib Razak , who must call an election by August but is engulfed in a corruption scandal.Still, an independent survey showed the opposition would have difficulty beating Najib, due to divisions within its own camp and unfavourable electoral boundary changes.Mahathir and former foe Anwar have joined up to oust Najib, and an election victory by their alliance could also potentially pave the way for Anwar to return and take over as prime minister.If the opposition wins, it would immediately start the process to obtain a royal pardon for Anwar so that he can be eligible to become prime minister, secretary general Saifuddin Abdullah said at the alliance's convention.Anwar's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will be the coalition's candidate for deputy prime minister.Mahathir, who during his 22-year tenure as prime minister earned a reputation of being a no-nonsense authoritarian with little time for dissenters promoting liberal values, stands to become the world's oldest leader if the opposition wins.The Mahathir-led opposition, however, looks unlikely to unseat the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, according to a survey conducted by independent polling firm Merdeka Center in December.The survey showed that although BN's share of the popular vote will shrink further, it can potentially regain a two-thirds majority in parliament, The Malaysian Insight reported on Sunday.Merdeka Centre's director Ibrahim Suffian said the Mahathir-led group was at a disadvantage due to a split in the opposition and the redrawing of electoral boundaries that critics say favour the ruling government.The Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), which was part of the opposition group in 2013, is no longer part of the pact."We are highly sceptical of the opposition's prospects if they continue to be split as things are now," Ibrahim said.Malaysia's political landscape has been shaped for nearly two decades by a bitter feud between Anwar and Mahathir.Anwar was once a protege of Mahathir, and the rising star of Malaysian politics, but they had a falling out in the late 1990s. Anwar was jailed on charges of sodomy and graft, after being sacked as the deputy prime minister. He denied the charges, dismissing them as politically motivated.Anwar later led an opposition alliance to stunning electoral gains in 2013. Najib's coalition lost the popular vote in that election, but won a majority of the seats in parliament.Anwar was convicted and jailed again in 2013 for sodomy, a charge he says is an attempt to end his career.The sodomy conviction disqualifies Anwar from political office and from contesting the next election. A royal pardon, however, would let him contest.Opposition to Najib has brought Anwar and Mahathir back together.Najib has been embroiled in a corruption scandal involving state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). In civil lawsuits, the U.S. Justice Department has alleged that about $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB.The fund has denied any wrongdoing and Najib, who founded 1MDB, has denied all allegations of corruption against him and was cleared of wrongdoing by Malaysia's attorney-general. | The Pakatan Harapan alliance chooses 92-year-old former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad as their candidate Prime Minister in the upcoming Malaysian general election. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will be released from jail on June 8. Mahathir and Anwar join forces in the election. |
This article is more than 1 year old This article is more than 1 year old The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was made an Ecuadorian citizen last month, the nation’s foreign ministry has revealed, in an attempt to resolve the political impasse over his continued presence in the UK. The 46-year-old has been naturalised after living for five and a half years in the cramped, Latin American country’s embassy in Knightsbridge, central London. Earlier this week the UK’s Foreign Office revealed that Ecuador had asked for Assange, who was born in Australia, to be accredited as a diplomat. The request was dismissed. The Ecuadorian initiative was intended to confer legal immunity on Assange, allowing him to slip out of the embassy and Britain without being arrested for breaching his former bail conditions. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Julian Assange posted this picture of himself in an Ecuadorian football shirt on Twitter. Photograph: Twitter Assange failed to surrender to the UK authorities in 2012 after the supreme court rejected his appeal against extradition to Sweden to face accusations of sexual crimes, including rape. He was granted asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy. Swedish prosecutors last year unexpectedly dropped their investigation into allegations against him, which he denied. WikiLeaks, however, fears that the US will seek his extradition if he leaves the embassy, believing there is a sealed US indictment seeking his arrest. At a press conference on Thursday in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, the foreign minister, María Fernanda Espinosa, explained that Assange had sought citizenship and that it had been granted on 12 December last year. “The Ecuadorian government is empowered to grant nationality to the protected person and thus facilitate ... his inclusion in the host state,�? Espinosa told reporters. Assange’s life could be under threat from other states, she warned, adding that she was seeking a “dignified and just�? solution to his situation with Britain. On Wednesday evening, the UK Foreign Office put out a statement explaining that: “The government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter. Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.�? At the same time Assange appeared on his Twitter account for the first time wearing an Ecuadorian national football shirt. A statement by Assange’s legal team said: “The UN ruling, issued almost two years ago, is crystal clear in its language. [He] is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by the UK authorities and must be released. The UK should not permit itself to be intimidated by the Trump administration’s public threats to ‘take down’ Mr Assange.�? ||||| Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been holed up in its London embassy for more than five years. Maria Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador's foreign minister, told reporters on Thursday that the South American country accepted Assange's application for naturalisation in December. "What naturalisation does is provide the asylum seeker another layer of protection," she told reporters in Quito. The Australian-born activist took refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in the UK capital in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, amid fears that he would have been handed over to the US to face prosecution over the publication of classified military and diplomatic documents by WikiLeaks. He was wanted in Sweden for questioning over rape accusations. Prosecutors there dropped the case last year, but Assange remained in the embassy after British police said he would still be arrested for violating bail conditions. Assange posted a photograph of himself wearing a yellow Ecuadorean national soccer team jersey on Twitter on Wednesday. Espinosa said Ecuador had asked the UK to grant diplomatic status to Assange in a bid to secure immunity and safe passage, but the request was rejected. The UK's Foreign Office, in a statement earlier in the day, said, "Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice". Espinosa said the issue was not about Assange facing British law, but "founded fears that we have about possible risks to the life and integrity of citizen Assange, not necessarily from the United Kingdom, but possibly by third states". Ecuador was obliged to give him protection as "long as the life, integrity of this protected person could be at risks and danger," she said, adding that her government was exploring other options to resolve the seven-year standoff. ||||| Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after more than five years of living in asylum at the nation's embassy in London, officials have announced. Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after more than five years of living in asylum at the nation's embassy in London, officials have announced. Foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said officials accepted Mr Assange's request for naturalisation in December and they continue to look for a long-term resolution to a situation that has vexed officials since 2012. "What naturalisation does is provide the asylum seeker another layer of protection," Ms Espinosa said. Ecuador gave Mr Assange asylum after he sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden for investigation of sex-related claims. Sweden dropped the case but Mr Assange has remained in the embassy because he is still subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail. He also fears a possible US extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents. Australian-born Mr Assange posted a photograph of himself wearing a yellow Ecuadorean national football team jersey on Instagram on Wednesday and his name now appears in the Andean country's national registry. The new citizenship status, however, appears to change little for Mr Assange in the immediate future. He would still need to alert British authorities of any movement outside the embassy. Ms Espinosa said Ecuador is trying to make Mr Assange a member of its diplomatic team, which would grant him additional rights under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including special legal immunity and safe passage. Britain's Foreign Office said earlier on Thursday it has rejected Ecuador's request to grant him diplomatic status in the UK. "Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice," the office said. Ecuador has repeatedly urged Mr Assange not to interfere in the affairs of other countries following his frequent online comments on international issues. The biggest crisis came in October 2016 when the embassy cut his internet service after WikiLeaks published a trove of emails from then-US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. He was also a point of contention in Ecuador's 2017 presidential election. Conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso pledged to evict the Australian within 30 days of taking office while current President Lenin Moreno said he would allow him to stay. Mr Assange later taunted after Mr Lasso's loss that he would "cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days". Mr Moreno issued a warning reminding Mr Assange not to meddle in politics. He has also called Assange a hacker. ||||| ECUADOR HAS GRANTED citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been sheltering at its London embassy for five years to avoid arrest, Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa announced today. Espinosa told a press conference in Quito that Assange, a 46-year-old Australian, became an Ecuadoran citizen on 12 December. As a result, she said Ecuador had asked London to recognise Assange as a diplomat – which would give him safe passage out of the embassy without fear of arrest – but Britain had refused. “The Ecuadoran government is empowered to grant nationality to the protected person and thus facilitate… his inclusion in the host state,” Espinosa told reporters. She said the request to Britain to accept diplomatic status for Assange was made on 20 December, and denied a day later. The foreign minister said Quito would not insist further on the issue because of the “good relations we have with the United Kingdom”. The British foreign ministry said in a statement that Ecuador had “recently requested diplomatic status for Mr Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter”. Ecuador’s attempt to obtain diplomatic status for Assange comes as part of the country’s broader efforts to resolve the case of their long-term lodger, who moved into the embassy in 2012 to avoid arrest over a Swedish probe into rape allegations. Sweden dropped their investigation over the 2010 allegations last year, but British police have said they are still seeking to arrest him for failing to surrender to a court after violating bail terms. “Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice,” Britain’s foreign ministry said today. Assange has refused to step outside the embassy and claimed he fears being extradited to the United States, over WikiLeaks’ publication of leaked secret US military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010. Espinosa had said on Tuesday her government was looking at the possibility of a “third country or a personality” stepping in to resolve the stand-off. “No solution will be achieved without international cooperation and the cooperation of the United Kingdom, which has also shown interest in seeking a way out,” she said. Read: Assange asks Sweden to drop arrest warrant so that he can fly to Ecuador ||||| Ecuador says it has granted citizenship to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as officials try to find a way for him to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London without risking legal action. Assange, who is Australian, first sought refuge at the embassy more than five years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced an investigation over rape allegations. He was granted asylum, and has been holed up in the embassy ever since. The original case against him has been dropped, but Assange remains inside the embassy. "He is still subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail," The Associated Press notes. "He also fears a possible U.S. extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents." "Earlier this week, Ecuador said the situation was unsustainable and requested diplomatic status for Assange in hopes of springing him," NPR's Frank Langfitt reports from London. "A British government spokesman responded: 'Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.' " Reuters has more on Ecuadorean efforts to assist Assange, as described by officials on Thursday: " 'Ecuador is currently exploring other solutions in dialogue with the UK, like good offices of renowned authorities, other states, or international organizations that could facilitate a just, final and dignified solution for all parties,' Ecuador's foreign minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa told a press conference. ... " 'There are well-founded fears we have about possible risks to his life and integrity, not necessarily by the UK but by third party states,' Espinosa said. "She did not give details on how granting Assange citizenship might help in avoiding his arrest by British police. ... "For some, Assange is a cyber hero for exposing government abuses of power and championing free speech but to others he is a criminal who has undermined the security of the West by exposing secrets. Earlier this week Assange "fueled speculation he'd received an Ecuadorean passport," Frank notes, "by posting a photo on Twitter wearing a jersey of the Ecuadorean national soccer team." ||||| The founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange has been granted Ecuadorian citizenship following five years of stay at the country’s Embassy in London. Assange was formally “naturalized” on December 12m 2017. He has been in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, avoiding an arrest warrant issued in Sweden and to avoid extradition to the United States. Ecuador has considered giving Assange a diplomatic status to allow him to leave the Embassy in London, but the UK is pushing back at the suggestion. Assange’s residence has not always been unproblematic for Ecuador, as for example when he voiced open support for Catalan independence, ||||| Speaking at a news conference in Quito, Espinosa said Assange was granted naturalization on December 12. She called the measure "one more ring of protection" for Assange, who has been holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 in an effort to avoid a Swedish arrest warrant on rape allegations -- a charge he has always denied. Sweden dropped the charges in May 2017, but Assange remains the subject of a UK arrest warrant. Assange, 46, has previously expressed concern that if he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy in London he could end up being extradited to the US, where he fears facing the death penalty over allegations of revealing government secrets through WikiLeaks. Espinosa said that in December, the Ecuadorian government requested diplomatic status for Assange, pointing out that his Ecuadorian naturalization reinforces his status as "protected." But the UK rebuffed the request. "The Government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr. Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter. Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice," the UK Foreign Office said in a statement. In a briefing Tuesday, Espinosa said Ecuador will continue to pursue a dialogue with the UK to eventually remove Assange from the embassy. She added that Ecuador was exploring the possibility of third-country mediation. "We will continue to protect Julian Assange while his physical and psychological integrity are at risk," Espinosa said. "We are a country that defends human rights and additionally, a country that respects international law." A 2016 United Nations report concluded that the WikiLeaks founder had been arbitrarily detained by Sweden and the United Kingdom. Assange's legal team has called on UK and Swedish authorities to end his "deprivation of liberty, respect his physical integrity and freedom of movement, and afford him the right to compensation." "The UN ruling, issued almost two years ago, is crystal clear in its language, Mr Assange is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by the UK authorities and must be released," Assange's legal team said on Twitter. "We believe Julian Assange's situation, from a human perspective, is not sustainable. A person cannot live in these conditions forever. And we are very respectively looking with the United Kingdom to find mechanisms that lead to a solution," Espinosa added. ||||| Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the South American nation’s foreign minister announced Thursday, in a bid to resolve an “unsustainable” situation at its embassy in London, where Assange sought refuge more than five years ago. But a standoff with British authorities continued, as the Foreign Office rejected an Ecuadoran request that it grant diplomatic status to Assange, insisting instead that the Australian national “leave the embassy to face justice.” Ecuador’s foreign minister, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, subsequently said that Assange would not leave the embassy in the absence of security guarantees. She said in a news conference Thursday in Quito, the Ecuadoran capital, that Assange was granted citizenship on Dec. 12, after having applied for it in September. Espinosa also said that Ecuador was concerned about potential threats to Assange’s life from unspecified other nations and was looking for a “dignified” exit from the stalemate in London. [Assange says CIA is waging “war on free speech” ] Assange, who angered the U.S. government when his anti-secrecy organization published troves of classified documents obtained from a U.S. Army intelligence analyst in 2010, sought refuge in the Ecuadoran Embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was sought in an investigation of alleged sexual offenses. Sweden later dropped the case, but Assange remained ensconced in the embassy because he still faced arrest by British authorities for jumping bail. He also is said to fear extradition to the United States, where the Trump administration’s Justice Department is weighing whether to charge him for his role in publishing the secret documents obtained from the Army intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning, who was then known as Bradley Manning. News of the Ecuadoran move to grant Assange citizenship emerged Wednesday when the Ecuadoran newspaper El Universo reported that, according to the country’s civil register, he had been assigned an identity number. The daily reported that Assange also may have been issued a passport. The Ecuadoran Foreign Ministry at first responded that it would not address “rumors or distorted or out-of-context information,” Germany’s DPA news agency reported. Espinosa, the Ecuadoran foreign minister, said Tuesday that her country was trying to resolve a situation she described as “unsustainable.” Assange has been living in a small office at the country’s London Embassy, which gave him asylum in August 2012. He had surrendered to British police in December 2010, a month after Sweden requested his extradition, and was held for 10 days before he was released on bail. But when his challenge to the extradition request was rejected, he jumped bail and became a fugitive, turning up at the Ecuadoran Embassy. Assange was given asylum by Ecuador’s then-president, Rafael Correa, a fiery leftist and fierce critic of Washington who once expelled both the U.S. ambassador and the U.S. Agency for International Development from his country. However, Correa was succeeded last year by his former vice president, Lenin Moreno, who has sought to put Ecuador on a more moderate path. The new president also became involved in a public spat with Assange over the WikiLeaks founder’s vocal support for Catalan separatists in Spain. The Washington Post reported in April 2017 that federal prosecutors were weighing whether to bring criminal charges against members of WikiLeaks, revisiting the 2010 publication of U.S. diplomatic cables and military documents and investigating the organization’s more recent revelation of sensitive CIA cyber-tools. Under President Barack Obama, the Justice Department decided not to charge WikiLeaks for revealing some of the government’s most sensitive secrets on grounds that doing so would be like prosecuting a news organization for publishing classified information. But the Trump Justice Department under Attorney General Jeff Sessions has indicated that it may take a different view. Julian Assange is squabbling with Ecuador’s new president. That could put his London refuge at risk. Why WikiLeaks and Julian Assange hate the WikiLeaks movie Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news ||||| The Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) says they have granted naturalization to Julian Assange. The reaction of the MFA comes one day after Quito reportedly granted an ID card to Assange. The passport could obtain his first step to obtaining diplomatic immunity, as Ecuador wants to resolve Assange’s indefinite embassy stay. The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy for five years. The UK Foreign Office reportedly rejected a request from Quito to grant the whistle-blower diplomatic status. The passport was reportedly granted to him on December 12. Ecuador’s foreign minister Guillaume Long, says the country is seeking a “dignified and just” solution with the UK government over Assange’s case. He added that Assange will not leave Ecuador’s embassy while there are no security guarantees. A UK Foreign Office spokesman said, according to the Express: “The government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter.” “Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.” It comes after Mr Assange posted a picture of himself in an Ecuadorian football shirt amid unconfirmed reports he had been issued an Ecuadorian passport. Ecuador usually issues such ID cards for people claiming residency status, which are called cedulas. The Vienna convention on diplomatic relations states that someone who holds a diplomatic passport is immune from prosecution. It is still no guarantee, however. Assange has been living inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, when he was accused of sexual assault in Sweden. Although Swedish prosecutors have since dropped the charges, British police remain outside the embassy ready to arrest the WikiLeaks co-founder for breaking his 2012 bail conditions. Assange refuses to surrender to the British authorities, fearing they would extradite him to the United States where he expects to be prosecuted for his whistleblowing activities. ||||| Ecuador has granted citizenship to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after more than five years of living in asylum at the nation's embassy in London, officials announced Thursday. Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said officials accepted Assange's request for naturalization in December, and they continue to look for a long-term resolution to a situation that has vexed officials since 2012. "What naturalization does is provide the asylum seeker another layer of protection," Espinosa said. Ecuador gave Assange asylum after he sought refuge in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden for investigation of sex-related claims. Sweden dropped the case, but Assange has remained in the embassy because he is still subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail. He also fears a possible U.S. extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents. The Australian-born Assange posted a photograph of himself wearing a yellow Ecuadorean national soccer team jersey on Instagram Wednesday and his name now appears in the Andean country's national registry. The new citizenship status, however, appears to change little for Assange in the immediate future. He would still need to alert British authorities of any movement outside the embassy. "Even if he has two or three nationalities, the United Kingdom will continue in its efforts against him," said Fredy Rivera, an expert in foreign affairs at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences in Ecuador. Espinosa said Ecuador is trying to make Assange a member of its diplomatic team, which would grant him additional rights under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, including special legal immunity and safe passage. Britain's Foreign Office said earlier Thursday it has rejected Ecuador's request to grant him diplomatic status in the U.K. "Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice," the office said. Though protected by Ecuador, the relationship between Assange and nation's leaders has at times been dicey. Ecuador has repeatedly urged Assange not to interfere in the affairs of other countries following his frequent online comments on international issues. The biggest crisis came in October 2016, when the embassy cut his internet service after WikiLeaks published a trove of emails from then-U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign. He was also a point of contention in Ecuador's 2017 presidential election. Conservative candidate Guillermo Lasso pledged to evict the Australian within 30 days of taking office, while current President Lenin Moreno said he would allow him to stay. Assange later taunted after Lasso's loss that he would "cordially invite Lasso to leave Ecuador within 30 days." Moreno issued a warning reminding Assange not to meddle in politics. He has also called Assange a hacker. | It is revealed that Ecuador granted citizenship to Julian Assange. Ecuador granted him asylum in August 2012 and he has remained in the Embassy of Ecuador in London avoiding extradition to Sweden on rape charges. Subsequently, Swedish authorities dropped the charges in May 2017. |
Passenger plane teeters on cliff edge after skidding off runway in Turkey Passenger plane teeters on cliff edge after skidding off runway in Turkey A passenger jet was left teetering on a cliff edge after skidding off the runway at an airport in northern Turkey. Dramatic images show the white aircraft dangling precariously on the steep, muddy cliff face against the backdrop of the clear waters of the Black Sea. Image: The aircraft crashed off the runway after landing in the Turkish province of Trabzon "We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane's rear was up. There was panic; people shouting, screaming," one of the passengers, Fatma Gordu, told state-run news agency Anadolu. All 162 passengers and crew, who were on board the aircraft when it overshot the runway on Sunday, were evacuated safely by emergency services. No one was hurt. Image: All passengers and crew were evacuated safely The Pegasus Airline's Boeing 737 was flying from the Turkish capital Ankara to Trabzon Airport. Advertisement It is not yet known what caused the plane to skid off on to the cliff face. Image: The plane was stuck in mud on the cliff face The local governor, Yucel Yavuz, said an investigation had been launched into the incident - which Pegasus Airlines described in a statement as a "runway excursion". The airport, situated in the Turkish province of the same name, was closed for several hours afterwards but has since reopened. Image: An investigation has been launched into the incident Social media users reacted to the footage of the crash, with some saying it was "incredible it stopped where it did". "How lucky are those passengers!" wrote one person on Twitter. ||||| A Pegasus Airlines flight skidded off the runway of a Turkish coastal airport and ended up halfway down a steep slope into the Black Sea, but no passengers or crew were hurt, Turkish media reported on Sunday. A Pegasus Airlines flight skidded off the runway of a Turkish coastal airport and ended up halfway down a steep slope into the Black Sea, but no passengers or crew were hurt, Turkish media reported on Sunday. The incident happened on Saturday night at Trabzon airport in northeast Turkey. Pictures from the site showed the plane's nose close to the water's edge. Pegasus Airlines said in a statement that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, flying from Ankara to Trabzon, "had a runway excursion incident" as it landed but the 162 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew were unhurt. A Pegasus Airlines aircraft is pictured after it skidded off the runway at Trabzon airport by the Black Sea in Trabzon, Turkey, January 14, 2018. Muhammed Kacar/Dogan News Agency via REUTERS PA Media ||||| ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — In a story on Jan. 12 about a travel advisory warning Turks traveling to the United States, The Associated Press quoted a Turkish Foreign Ministry regarding an incident at Ohio University. In November 2016, a student at Ohio State University, not Ohio University, intentionally drove a car into pedestrians on campus and attacked people with a knife. A corrected version of the story is below: Turkey tells citizens to reconsider travelling to US Turkey has warned its citizens about traveling to the United States, in retaliation for a new U.S. travel advisory about Turkey ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey on Friday cautioned its citizens about traveling to the United States, in retaliation for a new U.S. travel advisory that warned Americans about terror threats and arbitrary detentions in Turkey. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the U.S. travel warning "unfairly" portrayed Turkey as an unsafe country and did nothing to improve frayed ties between the NATO allies. "Ankara is as safe as Washington, Istanbul is as safe as New York," Yildirim said. The Turkish travel advisory urged citizens to reconsider travel plans to the United States, citing a series of terror attacks and violent incidents, including in Charlottesville, at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, and at a mosque in Minnesota. It also warned about "arbitrary arrests" in the U.S. — an apparent reference to a Turkish banker who was arrested in the U.S. and convicted of helping Iran avoid U.S. sanctions. The travel warning came a day after the United States urged its citizens to reconsider travel to Turkey, saying "terror groups continue plotting possible attacks in Turkey." It also cited the risk of arbitrary detentions under an ongoing state of emergency "based on scant or secret evidence and grounds that appear to be politically motivated." Ties between the allies have deteriorated over what many in Turkey perceive as a U.S. reluctance to extradite U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey blames for a 2016 failed coup attempt. Gulen denies any involvement, and U.S. officials say the legal process is still ongoing. Turkey is also angered at U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish militia that it considers to be "terrorists." The trial of the Turkish banker has also heightened tensions. The U.S. last year temporarily suspended visa services to Turkish citizens following the arrest of a local Turkish employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| In an unprecedented move, on January 14, Sunday, a Pegasus Airlines flight slued off the runway of a Turkish coastal airport, which landed up appallingly halfway down a steep slope into the Black Sea, which created panic among the passengers, however, no passenger or crew were hurt as per the reports by Turkish media. The plane stopped just a few metres away from the sea. The horrific incident happened on Saturday night at the Trabzon airport, which is located in the Northeast part of Turkey. Amid the hue and cry, Trabzon governor, Yucel Yavuz said all the 162 passengers and the crew on board were immediately evacuated from the plane. The governor said, the cause of the accident yet remains ambiguous and the airport was closed till 8 am local time. Pegasus Airlines said that the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which departed from Ankara, on late Saturday “had runway excursion incident”, as it landed, nonetheless, 162 passengers, 2 pilots and 4 cabin crew remained unhurt. Pictures from the site showed the plane’s nose close to the water’s edge. The video and as well as the video posted on social media have been transcending and are shooting on social media immensely, the incident depicts a major aviation disaster. Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish budget airline based in the Kurtkoy area of Pendik, Istanbul. ||||| ISTANBUL (AP) - A commercial plane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the sea. Some of the 168 people on board the Boeing 737-800 described it as a "miracle" that everyone was evacuated safely. Images show the aircraft on its belly and at an acute angle just above the water. If it had slid any further along the slope, the plane would have likely plunged into the Black Sea in the Turkish province of Trabzon. A Boeing 737-800 of Turkey's Pegasus Airlines after skidding off the runway downhill towards the sea at the airport in Trabzon, Turkey, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said all 162 passengers and crew on board were evacuated and safe early Sunday. The cause of the accident was not yet known. (DHA-Depo Photos via AP) The incident late Saturday created panic among the 162 passengers on board Pegasus Airlines Flight PC8622. The six-member crew, including two pilots, was also evacuated and Pegasus said there were no injuries. Flights were suspended at Trabzon Airport for several hours after the incident before resuming again Sunday. Passenger Yuksel Gordu told Turkey's official Anadolu news agency that words weren't enough to describe their fear. "It's a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea," Gordu said. "Thank God for this. I feel like I'm going crazy when I think about it." Another passenger, Fatma Gordu, told private Dogan news agency that there was a loud sound after landing. "We swerved all of a sudden," she said. "The front of the plane crashed and the back was in the air. Everyone panicked." Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said that investigators were trying to determine why the plane had left the runway. The prosecutor's office launched an investigation. The flight originated in the capital, Ankara. ||||| (DHA-Depo Photos via AP). A Boeing 737-800 of Turkey's Pegasus Airlines after skidding off the runway downhill towards the sea at the airport in Trabzon, Turkey, Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018. Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said all 162 passengers and crew on board ... ISTANBUL (AP) - A commercial airplane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously Sunday off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the Black Sea. Some of the 168 people on board the Boeing 737-800 described it as a "miracle" that everyone was evacuated safely from the plane, which went off a runway at Trabzon Airport. Images show the aircraft on its belly and perched at an acute angle just above the water. If it had slid any further along the slope, the plane would have likely plunged into the sea in the Turkish province of Trabzon. Pegasus Airlines said no one was injured during the incident late Saturday, despite the panic among the 162 passengers on board Flight PC8622. The six-member crew, including two pilots, was also evacuated. Flights were suspended at Trabzon Airport for several hours before resuming again Sunday. Passenger Yuksel Gordu told Turkey's official Anadolu news agency that words weren't enough to describe the fear on the aircraft. "It's a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea," Gordu said. "Thank God for this. I feel like I'm going crazy when I think about it." Another passenger, Fatma Gordu, told private Dogan news agency that there was a loud sound after landing. "We swerved all of a sudden," she said. "The front of the plane crashed and the back was in the air. Everyone panicked." Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said investigators were trying to determine why the plane had left the runway. The prosecutor's office launched an investigation. The flight originated in the Turkish capital, Ankara. Airport officials would not discuss the status of plane Sunday and whether it had been towed off the slope. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| A passenger jet was left teetering on a cliff edge after skidding off the runway at an airport in northern Turkey. Dramatic images show the white aircraft dangling precariously on the steep, muddy cliff face against the backdrop of the clear waters of the Black Sea. "We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane's rear was up. There was panic; people shouting, screaming," one of the passengers, Fatma Gordu, told state-run news agency Anadolu. All 162 passengers and crew, who were on board the aircraft when it overshot the runway on Sunday, were evacuated safely by emergency services. No one was hurt. The Pegasus Airline's Boeing 737 was flying from the Turkish capital Ankara to Trabzon Airport. It is not yet known what caused the plane to skid off on to the cliff face. The local governor, Yucel Yavuz, said an investigation had been launched into the incident - which Pegasus Airlines described in a statement as a "runway excursion". The airport, situated in the Turkish province of the same name, was closed for several hours afterwards but has since reopened. Social media users reacted to the footage of the crash, with some saying it was "incredible it stopped where it did". "How lucky are those passengers!" wrote one person on Twitter. ||||| A commercial plane that skidded off a runway after landing in northern Turkey dangled precariously off a muddy cliff with its nose only a few feet from the sea. Some of the 168 people on board the Boeing 737-800 described it as a “miracle” that everyone was evacuated safely. Images show the aircraft on its belly and at an acute angle just above the water. If it had slid any further along the slope, the plane would have likely plunged into the Black Sea in the Turkish province of Trabzon. The incident late Saturday created panic among the 162 passengers on board Pegasus Airlines Flight PC8622. The six-member crew, including two pilots, was also evacuated and Pegasus said there were no injuries. Flights were suspended at Trabzon Airport for several hours after the incident before resuming again Sunday. Passenger Yuksel Gordu told Turkey’s official Anadolu news agency that words weren’t enough to describe their fear. “It’s a miracle we escaped. We could have burned, exploded, flown into the sea,” Gordu said. “Thank God for this. I feel like I’m going crazy when I think about it.” Another passenger, Fatma Gordu, told private Dogan news agency that there was a loud sound after landing. “We swerved all of a sudden,” she said. “The front of the plane crashed and the back was in the air. Everyone panicked.” Trabzon Gov. Yucel Yavuz said that investigators were trying to determine why the plane had left the runway. The prosecutor’s office launched an investigation. The flight originated in the capital, Ankara. ||||| Passengers on a Pegasus Airlines flight had a narrow escape after the Boeing 737-800 plane skidded off the runway at Trabzon Airport in north-east Turkey on Saturday, leaving it stuck halfway down a steep slope facing the Black Sea. According to reports, the plane had flown in from Ankara and went off the tarmac after landing in Trabzon. No injuries were reported among the 162 passengers and six crew members in the accident. ||||| A passenger jet carrying 168 people came within metres of plunging into the sea after it skidded off an icy runway as it landed at a Turkish airport. Panic spread through the Boeing 737-800 as it stopped at the edge of the Black Sea - with its nose dangling precariously off a cliff edge. Luckily, flight PC8622's wheels became stuck in icy mud as it left the runway at Trabzon Airport, which may have preventing it from entering the sea. Pegasus Airlines confirmed in a statement there were no injuries among the 162 passengers onboard as well as two pilots and four cabin crew after they were evacuated. Shocking footage from inside the Pegasus plane taken just moments after the crash shows passengers evacuating as women and children are heard crying out in fear. The aircraft's left jet engine was also ripped from its wing during the crash. Bodies fill the central aisle of the aircraft and stewards can are heard addressing passengers over a loud speaker system. The dramatic footage appears to show smoke billowing from the cabin. Another clip taken from outside the aircraft shows fire services dousing the plane with jets of water. However, from the video there is no suggestion of there having been a fire. More footage shows passengers gathering under the wing of the plane on the steep slope down to the water. The flight departed from Ankara, Turkey's capital, on Saturday evening. But on landing at Trabzon Airport, just under 90 minutes later, the plane left the runway. Pegasus Airlines is a Turkish budget airline based in the Kurtköy area of Pendik, Istanbul. One of the passengers, Fatma Gordu, said panic erupted onboard during the landing. 'We tilted to the side, the front was down while the plane's rear was up. There was panic. People shouting, screaming,' she told state-run news agency Anadolu. The airport was temporarily shut before reopening on Sunday morning Trabzon Airport shut and flights were delayed and cancelled as passengers from the flight were evacuated. Trabzon governor Yucel Yavuz confirmed that all of the passengers and crew on board escaped uninjured, saying: 'We've taken all necessary measures. We will reopen the airport to air traffic as soon as possible'. He added that a crisis desk had been set up at the airport. Flights have now resumed in and out of Trabzon. | A Pegasus Airlines flight from Esenboğa International Airport in Ankara, Turkey, departs the runway of Trabzon Airport in northern Turkey upon landing. All 162 passengers, two pilots, and four cabin crew evacuated the aircraft, a Boeing 737, unharmed. The local government launched an investigation into the incident. |
The IDF completed its destruction in the early hours of Sunday morning of a Hamas terror tunnel that was attacked by Israeli jets Saturday evening underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing. Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter The tunnel reached all the way to the Egyptian side of the border and was dug from Rafah at a length of approximately 1.5 kilometers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the same evening that Israel would continuue to “systematically respond with even greater force” to terror attacks launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, confirming that the Israel Air Force (IAF) had attacked the Hamas target in the southern Gazan city. Tunnel discovered by the IDF (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) “There are people who say that the IDF attacks sand dunes. That is not correct. We are responding to aggression against the State of Israel and are taking vigorous and systematic action against hostile infrastructures,” Netanyahu said as he boarded the plane for his departure for India. “Hamas needs to understand that we won’t allow these continued attacks and we will respond with even greater force.” PM Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu board plane for India (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO) Israeli planes bombed the tunnel opening at around 11pm Saturday night on the Gazan side in Rafah, some 900 meters from the enclave’s border with Israel. The tunnel penetrated 180 meters into Israel territory, passing underneath Kerem Shalom, the only commercial crossing between Gaza and Israel which serves as the conduit for gas and diesel pipelines and antennas. Israel shut down the crossing before the IAF attack until further notice. IDF Spokesperson Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis denied claims made by Hamas that the tunnel was merely intended for smuggling. IAF F-15 jet (Photo: Reuters) “This is the first terror tunnel of its kind that has been dug over the last year and was still being worked on. It’s possible that the it was dug on the Egyptian side to stage a combined attack in the future on the Kerem Shalom crossing from the Egyptian side too and to transport activists or weapons to the Sinai,” Manelis said. “It is a significant asset for Hamas. We will continue to act rigorously against the terror tunnels and we are not interested in an escalation of the situation,” Manelis continued. “The tunnel endangered the Kerem Shalom crossing and Hamas did this cynically and absurdly.” Yoav Galant, a member of Netanyahu's Security Cabinet, also said on Army Radio that Israel is "not looking for confrontation with Hamas." Nonetheless, he said Israel "could not abide by a situation in which Israelis are harmed by fire (from Gaza)". (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit) The incident marks the fourth time the IDF has uncovered and destroyed Hamas tunnels in the last three months, but a different method was adopted to neutralize the latest tunnel. “One time it is an incident, two times it is a coincidence and three times it is a system,” Manelis asserted. “The IDF has the most advanced ability in the world against tunnels, but it is not a magic solution and it is still a process. Through that crossing, tens of thousands of tons of merchandise is transported to the Palestinians.” Other officials in the IDF also refuted Hamas claims that the tunnel was intended only for smuggling. “We know how smuggling tunnels look … and this is absolutely a terror tunnel, the central part of which was dug underneath a commercial crossing.” Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the tunnel was a flagrant violation of Israel’s sovereignty. “The destruction of the attack tunnels is an essential component of the policy of systematically striking Hamas’s strategic capabilities,” Lieberman said. “The message to Gaza’s leadership ad residents is clear: Invest in the sanctity of life, no in burial tunnels.” Hamas militants in a tunnel (Photo: Reuters) A military committee charged with reviewing Operation Protective Edge published in October 2016 some of its conclusions, including a belief that the IDF was not adequately prepared for the tunnel threats on the eve of the war. In September 2016, a senior Israeli military official said a massive underground barrier being built along the Gaza border to defend against Hamas tunnels should be finished in a matter of months. ||||| Jerusalem (CNN) The Israeli military said Sunday it destroyed a mile-long tunnel that stretched from Gaza under Israel and into Egypt. "Necessary coordination" was made with Egyptian authorities, Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said. The Israeli military at first described the target as a "terror infrastructure" site, in a statement shortly after the strike, clarifying that it was a tunnel in a conference call with reporters Sunday. Israel blamed Hamas for building the tunnel and says it holds the Islamist group responsible for all actions emanating from Gaza. The tunnel, which began approximately 900 meters into the coastal enclave along the Gaza-Egypt border, crossed into Israel under the Kerem Shalom border crossing before continuing into Egypt. Read More ||||| JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Sunday it destroyed an attack tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, through Israel and into Egypt, and that ran past Israeli military posts as well as gas and fuel pipelines. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza’s main point of entry for humanitarian aid. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated “tools” destroyed the rest. Conricus said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. The crossing has been closed until further notice. Israel has made neutralizing the tunnel threat a top priority since its 2014 war, when Hamas militants on several occasions made their way into Israel. Although they did not manage to reach civilian areas, the infiltrations caught Israel off guard, killing five soldiers in one attack, and terrified the local population. Sunday’s operation marked the third such tunnel Israel has destroyed over the past two months. But Conricus said this did not mark “more of the same” since it involved the most advanced technological means Israel has deployed. “(We) now hold a method, an organized system to destroy terror tunnels dug into Israel,” he said in an early morning briefing to reporters. “This is a key mission for us and our intention is to allow quiet and to deter Hamas so we can continue to build the obstacle.” Hamas initially said a typical smuggling tunnel was destroyed, but had no immediate response to the Israeli announcement. There were no casualties in the Israeli airstrike. The demolition of a tunnel belonging to the Islamic Jihad militant group in November killed a dozen militants. Speaking from India, where he is on an official visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the significance of the operation. “We are systematically destroying Hamas’ and Islamic Jihad’s tunnel infrastructure. Let them not mess with us,” he said. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the tunnel’s construction was a clear violation of Israeli sovereignty and destroying it delivered a stinging blow to one of Hamas’ most significant assets. “The message to Gaza’s leadership and residents is clear — invest in the sanctity of life and not these burial tunnels,” he said. Conricus, the military spokesman, noted that the tunnel’s route stretched underneath the Kerem Shalom crossing, where 15 million tons of food, clothing, construction material and other essential goods had been transferred into Gaza since the 2014 war. Israel and Egypt have maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007. Conricus said the crossing itself was a potential target, as well as the gas and fuel pipelines. The tunnel could have also been used to transfer militants and arms for attacks in Israel or Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, he said. “It was a terror tunnel designed to strike strategic Israel assets,” he said. He didn’t specify which tools were used, but in the past Israel has said its new system involves combat units, military intelligence, logistics and research to destroy the tunnels. The military released photos and video of a wide tunnel with concrete paneled walls. ||||| The Israeli military has said it destroyed an attack tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip into Egypt. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said the mile-long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza's main point of entry for humanitarian aid. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest. There were no casualties. Lt Col Conricus said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. The crossing has been closed until further notice. Israel has made neutralising the tunnel threat a top priority since its 2014 war, when Hamas militants on several occasions made their way into Israel. Although they did not manage to reach civilian areas, the infiltrations caught Israel off guard, killing five soldiers in one attack, and terrified the local population. Sunday's operation marked the third such tunnel Israel has destroyed over the past two months. But Lt Col Conricus said this did not mark "more of the same" since it involved the most advanced technological means Israel has deployed. "(We) now hold a method, an organised system to destroy terror tunnels dug into Israel," he said. He said the tunnel's route stretched underneath the Kerem Shalom crossing, where 15 million tons of food, clothing, construction material and other essential goods had been transferred into Gaza since the 2014 war. Israel and Egypt have maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007. Lt Col Conricus said the crossing itself was a potential target, as well as gas and fuel pipelines. The tunnel could have also been used to transfer militants and arms for attacks in Israel or Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, he said. "It was a terror tunnel designed to strike strategic Israel assets," he said. He did not specify which tools were used, but in the past Israel has said its new system involves combat units, military intelligence, logistics and research to destroy the tunnels. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "We are responding to aggression against the state of Israel and are taking vigorous and systematic action against hostile infrastructures." Defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said the tunnel's construction was a clear violation of Israeli sovereignty and destroying it delivered a stinging blow to one of Hamas' most significant assets. "The message to Gaza's leadership and residents is clear - invest in the sanctity of life and not these burial tunnels," he said. ||||| Eight Palestinians killed after Israel blows up tunnel stretching from Gaza Strip Israel said Sunday it used a combination of air strikes and other means to destroy a tunnel stretching from the Gaza Strip into the country and continuing into Egypt. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus noted that the tunnel's route stretched underneath the Kerem Shalom crossing, where 15 million tons of food, clothing, construction material and other essential goods had been transferred into Gaza since the 2014 war. Israel and Egypt have maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power in 2007. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest. The crossing has been closed till further notice. The strikes occurred within the Gaza Strip, while further means were carried out in Israeli territory. The tunnel began east of the city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, crossed into Israel some 180 meters, then continued into Egypt for an unspecified length, with no exit point detected, he said. Conricus said Israel had coordinated with Egypt on the operation. The army said they didn't know whether they killed or injured anyone during the incident. The latest tunnel was the third destroyed since late October by Israel, but it comes at a particularly sensitive time. Tensions between Palestinians and Israel have been high since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital on December 6. ||||| The Israeli military says it has destroyed a tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip, though Israel and into Egypt. Military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus says Sunday the 1.5-kilometer (1-mile) long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza’s main point of humanitarian aid, and under strategic gas and fuel pipelines. He says Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated “tools” destroyed the rest. He said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. Israel has placed a high priority on halting the tunnel threat since Hamas infiltrated Israel during the 2014 war. It marks the third such tunnel Israel has destroyed over the past two months. ||||| The tunnel, which originated in Rafah in Gaza, stretched hundreds of yards into both Israeli and Egyptian territory. The tunnel was dug under the Kerem Shalom border crossing, including going underneath the gas and diesel pipelines located under the crossing. The Kerem Shalom crossing, the only commercial crossing between Gaza and Israel, was closed on Saturday night until further notice. Israeli jets bombed the tunnel opening on the Gaza side of the border late on Saturday night. Hamas claimed the tunnel was used only for smuggling, a claim that was denied by the IDF. The IDF said the tunnel was used to smuggle weapons and terrorists into both Israel and Egypt. “This is a severe breach of Israel’s sovereignty, a serious threat to Israeli civilians and a threat to the humanitarian efforts that Israel allows for the people in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF said in a statement. The IDF said it holds Hamas responsible for all activity emanating from Gaza. It is at least the third Gaza terror tunnel destroyed by the IDF in recent months. The IDF also said the tunnel, with an arm also reaching into Egypt and going directly under the Kerem Shalom crossing, is unlike other tunnels it has seen. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the strike on the tunnel as he boarded a plane late Saturday night for an official visit to India: “This evening, the IDF attacked a main Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. There are some who say that the IDF attacks sand dunes – this is incorrect. We are responding to aggression against the State of Israel and are taking vigorous and systematic action against hostile infrastructures.” The IDF expects to destroy more tunnels in the near future. Over the past year, the military has been building an underground barrier around the Gaza Strip to prevent other tunnels from being built from Gaza to Israel. ||||| Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Israel Defense Forces on Sunday said the air force destroyed a mile-long tunnel built by Hamas under Gaza, Israel and Egypt. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told CNN the strike was carried out Saturday with "necessary coordination" with Egypt. Sources told the Palestinian News Network no one was injured in the strike. "This is a blatant violation of Israeli sovereignty, endangering the citizens of Israel and sabotaging the humanitarian efforts that Israel is making for the citizens of Gaza," an IDF statement read. Israel said the tunnel was being used to smuggle weapons and militants from Egypt into the Gaza Strip in order to attack the Kerem Shalom crossing. The IDF also closed the crossing. "The terrorist organization Hamas is responsible for everything happening in and out of the Gaza Strip," the IDF said. Cornricus said that if the tunnel was only to smuggle harmless goods, there was no need for it to go under Kerem Shalom. This is the third tunnel into Gaza Israel has destroyed in two months. ||||| JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said Sunday it destroyed a tunnel built by the Hamas militant group that stretched from the Gaza Strip through Israel and into Egypt, and that ran past Israeli military posts as well as gas and fuel pipelines. Military spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the 1.5-kilometre-long tunnel ran underneath the Kerem Shalom border crossing, Gaza's main point of entry for humanitarian aid. He said Israeli jets struck part of the tunnel and a new set of sophisticated "tools" destroyed the rest. Conricus said forces had been monitoring its construction for some time and an imminent attack on Israelis was possible. The crossing has been closed until further notice. Israel has made neutralizing the tunnel threat a top priority since its 2014 war, when Hamas militants on several occasions made their way into Israel. Although they did not manage to reach civilian areas, the infiltrations caught Israel off guard, killing five soldiers in one attack, and terrified the local population. Sunday's operation marked the third such tunnel Israel has destroyed over the past two months. Conricus said this did not mark "more of the same" since it involved the most advanced technological means Israel has deployed. "(We) now hold a method, an organized system to destroy terror tunnels dug into Israel," he said in an early morning briefing to reporters. "This is a key mission for us." Hamas initially said a typical smuggling tunnel was destroyed, but had no immediate response to the Israeli announcement. There were no casualties in the Israeli airstrike. The demolition of a tunnel belonging to the Islamic Jihad militant group in October killed a dozen militants. Speaking from India, where he is on an official visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the significance of the operation. "We are systematically destroying Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's tunnel infrastructure. Let them not mess with us," he said. Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the tunnel's construction was a clear violation of Israeli sovereignty and destroying it delivered a stinging blow to one of Hamas' most significant assets. "The message to Gaza's leadership and residents is clear — invest in the sanctity of life and not these burial tunnels," he said. Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who heads COGAT, the defence body responsible for Palestinian civilian matters, told the Arabic-language Alhurra TV station that Israel had information about other tunnels and that "soon, we will hear about the uncovering of the existing tunnels." ||||| Traffic is set to return to normal at the Kerem Shalom Crossing into the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, just days after the IDF destroyed an attack tunnel with an exit adjacent to the crossing, The Times of Israel reported on Monday. “The [IDF’s] Southern Command completed the neutralization of the terror tunnel dug under the crossing and thwarted the threat it posed,” the army said in a statement on Monday evening. “With the completion of the process and following an assessment of the situation, it was decided the crossing will reopen,” the military said. The crossing is the main route through which humanitarian aid and commercial goods enter Gaza, via hundreds of tractor-trailers each day. On Motzoei Shabbos, Israeli jets and ground forces obliterated the Hamas-dug tunnel, which the IDF said was to be used for a terrorist attack on the Kerem Shalom Crossing, an IDF installation, and gas and diesel pipelines. Meanwhile, more details about the tunnel emerged on Monday night. The IDF said it was built on a bigger scale than tunnels previously uncovered, measuring several dozen meters deep (3 feet to a meter), and with a height and width sufficient to let through a force of several dozen terrorists with armaments. | The Israel Defense Forces report the complete destruction of an underground tunnel dug by Hamas under the Kerem Shalom crossing. Israel shut down the crossing before its jets bombed the tunnel opening in Gaza Saturday night. The crossing remains closed. |
With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. “There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000,” about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. “There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That’s an inaugural class,” Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition’s air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would “legitimise a terror organisation”. Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — considered by the Turkish government to be a “terrorist” group. “Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying,” said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible,” Kalin added. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. “We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition,” Bali told AFP. “The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them.” Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria “in the days ahead”. The SDF’s relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a “de-confliction line” cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to “prevent the resurgence of IS”. “With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn’t mean the end of Daesh,” he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “We’ll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained,” he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria’s east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any “transient movement” by IS fighters between the two countries. ||||| The US-led coalition fighting the group said on Sunday it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel told AFP. "There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000," about half of whom would be retrained fighters, he said. "There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That's an inaugural class," Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition's air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would "legitimise a terror organisation". Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - considered by the to be a "terrorist" group. "Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying," said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President "Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible," Kalin added. Top media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force and said training had already begun. "We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the coalition," Bali told AFP. "The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them." Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and, on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria "in the days ahead". The SDF's relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a "de-confliction line" cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to "prevent the resurgence of IS". "With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn't mean the end of Daesh," he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "We'll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained," he said. Dillon said troops in Syria's east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any "transient movement" by IS fighters between the two countries. ||||| The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said on Sunday it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. "There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000," about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. "There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That's an inaugural class," Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition's air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would "legitimise a terror organisation". Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) -- considered by the Turkish government to be a "terrorist" group. "Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying," said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible," Kalin added. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. "We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition," Bali told AFP. "The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them." Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria "in the days ahead". The SDF's relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a "de-confliction line" cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to "prevent the resurgence of IS". "With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn't mean the end of Daesh," he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "We'll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained," he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria's east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any "transient movement" by IS fighters between the two countries. ||||| The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said on Sunday it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. “There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000,” about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. “There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That’s an inaugural class,” Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition’s air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would “legitimise a terror organisation”. Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — considered by the Turkish government to be a “terrorist” group. “Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying,” said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible,” Kalin added. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. “We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition,” Bali told AFP. “The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them.” Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria “in the days ahead”. The SDF’s relationship with regime forces is less tense. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to “prevent the resurgence of IS”. “With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn’t mean the end of Daesh,” he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “We’ll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained,” he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria’s east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any “transient movement” by IS fighters between the two countries. ||||| BEIRUT: The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said on Sunday it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. "There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000," about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. "There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That's an inaugural class," Dillon said. The SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria, backed by the US-led coalition's air strikes, equipment and arms. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would "legitimise a terror organisation". Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) -- considered by the Turkish government to be a "terrorist" group. "Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying," said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible," Kalin added, in comments reported by Turkish media. Dillon could not immediately confirm whether the border security force would be deployed along the frontier with Turkey or adjacent to territory controlled by Syrian regime forces. He declined to comment on possible "rules of engagement" between the border units and Turkish or Syrian troops. The force's creation, Dillon said, was instead part of a broader strategy to "prevent the resurgence of IS". "With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn't mean the end of Daesh. We'll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained," he said. ||||| BEIRUT: The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said on Sunday (Jan 14) it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. "There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000," about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. "There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That's an inaugural class," Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition's air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would "legitimise a terror organisation". Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - considered by the Turkish government to be a "terrorist" group. "Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying," said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible," Kalin added. BEIRUT: The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said on Sunday (Jan 14) it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. "There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000," about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. "There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That's an inaugural class," Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition's air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force on Sunday, saying it would "legitimise a terror organisation". Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) - considered by the Turkish government to be a "terrorist" group. "Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying," said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible," Kalin added. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. "We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition," Bali told AFP. "The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them." Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria "in the days ahead". The SDF's relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a "de-confliction line" cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to "prevent the resurgence of IS". "With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn't mean the end of Daesh," he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "We'll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained," he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria's east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any "transient movement" by IS fighters between the two countries. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. "We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition," Bali told AFP. "The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them." Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria "in the days ahead". The SDF's relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a "de-confliction line" cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to "prevent the resurgence of IS". "With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn't mean the end of Daesh," he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "We'll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained," he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria's east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any "transient movement" by IS fighters between the two countries. ||||| The U.S.-led coalition confirmed reports Saturday that it will establish a 30,000-strong new border security force with the People's Protection Units (YPG)-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria, a move that has already angered Turkey. The coalition named the "new" army the Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). About 15,000 of the fighters will be SDF veterans as the fight against Daesh comes to a close. Another 15,000 will be recruited and trained in the near future. Currently, 230 individuals are training in the inaugural class, according to the coalition statement. The coalition said the ethnic composition of the new border force would be relative to the areas in which they serve: "Efforts are taken to ensure individuals serve in areas close to their homes. More Kurds will serve in the areas in northern Syria. More Arabs will serve in areas along the Euphrates River Valley (ERV) and along the border with Iraq to the south." This makes almost certain that the U.S. designated terror group PKK's Syrian armed YPG militia will be deployed to the Turkish-Syrian border, a move that will further increase tensions in the area as well as with Washington. The Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Charge D'affaires Phil Kosnett on Wednesday following an Anadolu Agency report saying that a group of 400 fighters from the YPG-led SDF have been trained as border guards. The group, "named as the North Army by the PKK, was provided with technical training as well as military training and 'high-tech equipment,'" according to the report. A curious part of the statement is that the Combined Joint Task Force, Operation Inherent Resolve, would deploy some of the border force along the Euphrates River Valley, a natural border with the Assad regime forces and the Russians. "The Border Security Force will be stationed along the ERV to the west, along the Iraqi border to the southeast, and along the border with Turkey to the north. They will serve under the leadership of the SDF. They will be providing border security through professionally securing checkpoints and conducting counter-IED operations," the coalition added. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Gen. Joseph Votel announced last month that they would establish border forces in Syria, which he said would help prevent the resurgence of Daesh. On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon refused to provide details of the training given to the so-called "North Army," but added that the Pentagon has maintained full accountability and transparency with the Turkish government over the aid granted. "We want to reassure the people and government of Turkey that the U.S. is committed to preventing additional security risks and protecting our NATO ally," Pahon said. ||||| The decision of the US to create “border forces” on the territory under their control in Syria outright violates the UN charter and the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic, said the Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs Konstantin Kosachev to RIA Novosti on Sunday. As the official representative of the US-led coalition on the fight against ISIS earlier reported to the “Defense Post” publication, the coalition started in Syria to create so-called “border forces” on the territory under their control. According to him, the coalition works together with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to create and train new Syrian border forces (SBF). Currently about 230 people are trained, the ultimate goal is to create a force of approximately 30,000 people. “The US-led coalition is no more than a chimera, in reality no coalition exists, there is only the unilateral actions of the US supported by a number of countries, either for reasons of allied solidarity or because of obligations that arise when the appropriate military or economic assistance is received,” said the senator. He stressed that “controlling territory” in relation to a sovereign State and a member of the UN without its consent is an “outright violation of the UN charter, international law, and the sovereignty of this State”. And the most important thing is that unilateral and uncoordinated actions do not work in the fight against ISIS, which the Americans had to be repeatedly convinced of, since August, 2014, when for the first time they tried to conduct their own operation against terrorists, noted Kosachev. The US’ plans for the creation of so-called border forces on the territory of Syria under their control are unacceptable, said the press secretary of the president of Turkey İbrahim Kalın on Sunday. ||||| The US-led coalition fighting Daesh in Syria has started to form new "Border Defense Forces" at the borders of the area held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) dominated by the Kurdish YPG militias, CJTF-OIR Public Affairs Officer Col. Thomas Veale told the Defense Post website on Saturday. READ MORE: Turkey Summons US Charge d’Affairs Twice in 24 Hours — Reports "The Coalition is working jointly with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to establish and train the new Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). Currently, there are approximately 230 individuals training in the BSF’s inaugural class, with the goal of a final force size of approximately 30,000," according to the coalition's representative. The ethnic composition of the force will differ in various areas, with efforts taken to ensure that people serve close to their homes. More Kurds will serve in the areas of northern Syria, while more Arabs will serve in areas along the Euphrates River Valley and along the border with Iraq, Veale noted. The US plans immediately triggered reaction from Ankara, with President Erdogan's representative Ibrahim Kalin stating that such move is unacceptable and "worrying." He said that instead of ending supplying the SDF forces with arms "the USA is taking worrying steps to legitimise this organisation and make it lasting in the region." READ MORE: Turkey Summons Top US Diplomat in Ankara Over Situation in Syria — Reports Earlier on Sunday, a Turkish senior official told Reuters that the US training of the new "Border Security Force" was reason why the US charge d'affaires was summoned in Ankara on Wednesday, as relations between Washington and Ankara remain strained due to US military support for the YPG units. ||||| The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group said today it was working to create a 30,000-strong border security force in northern Syria, drawing sharp condemnation from Turkey. With the offensive against IS winding down, the coalition and its allies in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance were beginning to shift their focus to border security, coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon told AFP. “There is a goal of a final force of approximately 30,000,” about half of whom would be retrained SDF fighters, he said. “There are approximately 230 individuals that are training right now in the border security force. That’s an inaugural class,” Dillon said. Backed by the US-led coalition’s air strikes, special forces advisers, and weapons, the SDF has ousted IS from swathes of northeastern Syria. Its Kurdish and Arab members now control territory bordering Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east and Syrian government forces to the west. Turkey reacted sharply to news of the border force today, saying it would “legitimise a terror organisation”. Ankara is fiercely opposed to the SDF, which is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) – considered by the Turkish government to be a “terrorist” group. “Rather than end its support to the PYD-YPG, these steps taken to legitimise a terror organisation and to make it permanent in the region are worrying,” said Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “Accepting this state of affairs is absolutely not possible,” Kalin added. Top SDF media official Mustefa Bali confirmed the creation of the border force, and said training had already begun. “We are transitioning to a new phase of coordination between us and the international coalition,” Bali told AFP. “The wide areas and cities that were liberated need someone to protect them.” Bali said the new units would be deployed along the Turkish border and adjacent to territory held by Syrian troops, but did not immediately respond to a question on rules of engagement in those areas. Turkey has often targeted YPG positions in northern Syria and on Sunday, Erdogan threatened to attack the Kurdish-held area of Afrin in northern Syria “in the days ahead”. The SDF’s relationship with regime forces is less tense. Since last year, a “de-confliction line” cutting diagonally across eastern Syria has largely kept the two forces from clashing. There was no immediate reaction from the Syrian government to the border force announcement. The coalition declined to comment on possible military protocol when it came to Turkish or regime troops. Dillon said the force was primarily part of a broader strategy to “prevent the resurgence of IS”. “With the fight against IS, as the remaining pocket continues to go away, we know that doesn’t mean the end of Daesh,” he told AFP, using the Arabic acronym for IS. “We’ll have to make sure that there is security that can be maintained,” he said. Dillon said SDF troops in Syria’s east were already coordinating with Iraqi forces across the border to target any “transient movement” by IS fighters between the two countries. | The U.S.-led coalition confirms reports that it will form a new 30,000-strong Syrian Border Security Force (BSF). Half of the forces will be Syrian Democratic Forces veterans. Another 15,000 will be recruited and trained in the near future. |
Image copyright AFP Image caption With the election of Roger Torrent as speaker, separatist MPs have control of Catalonia's parliament Catalan MPs in Barcelona have elected a pro-independence speaker at their first meeting since Madrid dissolved the region's parliament. The choice of Roger Torrent is the first step to reinstating local government. Separatist parties, who remain dominant after December's election, want Carles Puigdemont to be president again. But the ex-leader risks arrest if he returns from self-imposed exile in Belgium. He is wanted by Spain on charges of rebellion and sedition over last year's independence drive. And Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says Catalonia's autonomous powers will not be restored, if the regional parliament permits Mr Puigdemont to lead the government from exile. Mr Rajoy took direct control of the region - sacking its leaders and dissolving its parliament - after Mr Puigdemont and his government declared independence in October. Read more: Separatist lawmakers secured control of parliament on Wednesday with the election of Mr Torrent, a member of the left-wing separatist ERC party. He beat an anti-independence candidate by 65 votes to 56. The session was broadcast to a flag-waving crowd outside. ERC's leader, Oriol Junqueras, is among three Catalan MPs in prison awaiting trial over the independence push. But they were allowed to vote to select a parliamentary speaker via proxies. Five others in self-imposed exile in Belgium did not assign proxies. Yellow ribbons were placed on their empty seats. The MPs also met to select a board who will decide who gets the first chance to form a government. It will have two weeks to pick a president. It is likely to nominate Mr Puigdemont to lead the region, and his supporters say he could potentially do so via video link from Belgium. Mr Puigdemont's spokesman, Joan Maria Piqué, told the BBC's Gavin Lee that it was perfectly plausible for him to be president remotely. He pointed to how Donald Trump uses Twitter as a prime source of interaction in the US. But lawyers for the Catalan parliament council, an advisory body, have said it would not be legal or within the Spanish constitution to allow for a president in exile. ||||| "Roger Torrent is elected the president of the Catalan parliament of the twelfth term," the parliament said in a tweet. Roger Torrent needs to choose a candidate to try to form a government by the end of the January. Parliament has to elect a new regional government by the end of the month. Carles Puigdemont would have to get approval from Roger Torrent's committee to vote and be elected from abroad. The former head of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont fled to Belgium with four of his cabinet members. READ MORE: Catalonia to Remain Under Madrid's Control Until New Gov't Appointed — Rajoy The Spanish prosecutor's office accuses Puigdemont in insurgency and embezzlement. The court issued a warrant for his arrest in case he returned to the country. The former leader of Catalonia can try to become the head of the autonomy remotely by video link or with the help of a representative. The Spanish government has assured that it will appeal to the court any violations when assuming the post of head of the autonomy. Early parliamentary elections were held on December 21, most of the seats in the parliament were received by parties that favored the independence of the region from Spain. In October, the Spanish government applied 155 article of the Spanish Constitution, which provides a number of restrictions on the autonomy of Catalonia up to early regional elections. On October 27, the Parliament of Catalonia was dissolved. ||||| Catalonia’s new parliament meets for the first time on Wednesday, a step towards choosing a president for Spain’s wealthiest region, a daunting challenge when the top candidate has fled abroad and other potentials are in jail. Here is a look at what lies ahead for Catalonia, a region which has been ruled by Madrid for the past three months after it held an illegal independence referendum: Carles Puigdemont, the 55-year old ex-Catalonia chief sacked by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for his role in organising the Oct. 1 independence referendum, is the separatists’ candidate to rule Catalonia. In theory, that should have been easy: the Dec. 21 regional election called by Rajoy in a bid to weaken the independence drive backfired and gave nationalists an absolute majority. But Puigdemont is targeted by an arrest warrant over leading the secession bid. He is now in Brussels and faces arrest and potentially decades in jail the minute he steps foot in Spain. Puigdemont and his allies have touted ruling via proxy or by videolink from Belgium. But, Rajoy said Madrid would simply not recognise such an in-absentia regional government and would continue its direct rule of Catalonia in that case. Catalonia’s parliament’s own legal advisers said such a government would be against the law. IF NOT PUIGDEMONT, WHO ELSE? The head of ally ERC, Oriol Junqueras, the other main separatist leader, is in jail for his role in Catalonia’s secession bid. The problem for the nationalists, if they don’t manage to get one of them elected, is that there are no obvious replacement candidates and agreeing on someone else could be a lengthy and difficult process. Another option would be for those jailed or fugitive deputies to forfeit their seats and hand them to other party members. WHO DECIDES IF PUIGDEMONT CAN BE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE? On Wednesday, lawmakers will be sworn in and elect their house’s president and the assembly’s committee. The committee has the ultimate authority to decide whether Puigdemont is allowed to present himself as presidential candidate from Brussels, a move Madrid says it will contest in the courts. Since separatists have a majority in parliament they are likely to dominate the committee. After Wednesday, more voting will be needed for Catalonia’s parliament to choose the region’s government and its president. That could take up to two months if no candidate gets an absolute majority of votes. If parties agree on a regional leader and it’s Puigdemont while he is still abroad, Madrid would declare the vote null and keep its control over the region. If they fail to agree on Puigdemont or another candidate in that time frame, it’s back to square one with fresh regional elections. For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App ||||| Catalonia's parliament met on Wednesday in a first step towards forming a new government dominated by the question of whether sacked former leader Carles Puigdemont can return as president and continue his push for independence from Spain. Puigdemont's supporters have suggested the former journalist could rule the wealthy region via video link from self-imposed exile in Brussels, to where he fled in October to avoid arrest for charges including sedition and treason. The Spanish government had imposed direct rule on the region, whose economy is bigger than that of Portugal, after the previous Catalan administration led by Puigdemont made a unilateral declaration of independence. However, a regional election in December returned a slim majority to secessionist parties in terms of seats. In a sign of strength for the parties seeking a split from Spain, Catalan lawmakers on Wednesday elected pro-independence politician Roger Torrent as speaker of the regional parliament. Torrent was the preferred candidate for speaker of the two main pro-independence parties, Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia). But the secession movement has also been weakened by the fact that five members of parliament, including Puigdemont, are in Brussels while three are in custody for their role in an illegal independence referendum in October. Late on Tuesday, the two main pro-independence parties said they would back Puigdemont as presidential candidate. A first vote to choose a new leader is likely to take place on Jan. 31. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has dismissed the possibility that Puigdemont could rule by Skype as absurd and the Catalan parliament's own legal experts have ruled that any president must be physically present in parliament. However, the ultimate decision lies in the hands of the Catalan parliamentary committee which will be formed on Wednesday. Rajoy has said he will contest in the courts any move to allow Puigdemont to return to power. The seats of absent lawmakers were marked with giant yellow ribbons on Wednesday. Even if these lawmakers are unable to vote, the pro-independence parties will still have more weight in parliament than those favouring unity with Spain. Pro-independence supporters gathered outside the parliament on Wednesday waving red and yellow Catalan flags. "I know that we are going to have a lot of problems with the Spanish government but we are going to do it," said demonstrator Dolors Esplugas. "On January 31, Carles Puigdemont is going to be appointed." Uncertainty over the region's future has led to thousands of companies, including two of the country's top banks, moving their headquarters from Catalonia to elsewhere in Spain. The independence drive has also increased tension between Madrid and Barcelona, divided people the region, and caused resentment in much of the rest of Spain. ||||| A group representing Spain’s Jewish communities has criticised a video tweeted by the ousted Catalan president that features images of the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, along with archive footage of Hitler and Franco. Shortly before Catalonia’s regional parliament convened to elect a new speaker on Wednesday, Carles Puigdemont renewed his attack on the Spanish authorities for sacking his government after it staged an independence referendum last October. “They understand only fear, violence and imposition,” Puigdemont tweeted. “We will teach them that there is nothing that can bend the spirit of a free, peaceful and democratic people. We are restoring our institutions. We are fighting for the country. We are exercising dignity. Long live the land, and long live free Catalonia!” Beneath the message was a video that mixed footage of the Spanish police violence during the referendum with film of a 1940 meeting between the Nazi leader and the Spanish dictator, immediately followed by a video of Rajoy. Puigdemont thanked the maker of the “awesome video”, adding: “The commitment and determination of the new generations are the best guarantee of the republic.” The video was condemned by the Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities as senseless and counterproductive. “The deceitful use of photos and images relating to the second world war makes no sense and undermines the credibility of the message,” it said in a statement. The federation also said it supported - and would always support - Spanish law and the constitution. A source close to Puigdemont said: “He wasn’t making any comparison between Franco and Hitler and [Rajoy’s] People’s party. All he was doing was sharing the video and saying that it was impressive because it showed the power of the [Catalan] people on 1 October.” The source added that Puigdemont had always been firmly against attempts to play down the horrors of Nazism. Puigdemont’s former government has previously compared the Spanish authorities to authoritarian regimes in North Korean, China and Turkey. Puigdemont, who led the region’s push for secession from Spain, fled to Brussels in October after the Catalan parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence, prompting Rajoy to sack the regional government, take control of Catalonia and call fresh elections. The polls, held on 21 December, saw Catalonia’s three pro-independence parties retain their majority, winning a total of 70 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament. Puigdemont intends to return as president, but faces immediate arrest on possible charged of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds as soon as he sets foot in Spain. His supporters believe he could be sworn in again as president by appearing via videolink or having one of his MPs read out his speech in the investiture debate likely to be held on 31 January. Rajoy has insisted that Puigdemont will not be allowed to govern remotely. “It’s absurd that someone may intend to be a candidate to be the head of the regional government while being in Brussels and running away from justice,” he said on Monday. “This is no longer just a judicial and political problem, this a problem of pure common sense.” On Wednesday morning, Roger Torrent, a member of the pro-independence Catalan Republican Left party, was elected the new parliamentary speaker. Torrent said he intended to focus on ending the Spanish government’s direct rule and looking for “understanding and dialogue in Catalonia’s political life”. Puigdemont congratulated Torrent, tweeting: “I am sure you will exercise the role with nobility and bravery, protecting institutions and the country.” The former Catalan vice-president, Oriol Junqueras, remains in prison facing possible charges over the push for independence, as do the region’s former interior minister and two prominent pro-independence activists. Article 155 of the Spanish constitution – which permits Madrid to maintain direct rule over Catalonia – will stay in place until there is a new Catalan government. If no candidate is elected within two months of the first investiture vote, parliament will be dissolved and new elections held 54 days after the date of the first investiture vote. ||||| Catalonia’s new parliament has elected a pro-secession speaker, virtually guaranteeing the push for independence for Spain’s northeastern region will go ahead. The opening session of the new Catalan assembly came amid looming questions about the role that fugitive and jailed politicians will play within the chamber’s separatist majority and the future regional government. Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium in October to dodge a Spanish judicial probe, wants to be reinstated to his old job. But he faces arrest if he returns to Spain and legal hurdles if he wants to be voted in from abroad by the regional assembly. Poll: Majority of Scots don’t want Indyref2 in next five years Mr Puigdemont’s seat and other empty seats in the parliament were adorned with a yellow ribbon today. Four ex-Cabinet members sought by Spain’s Supreme Court are also in Brussels and three more elected lawmakers, including former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras, have been jailed on provisional charges of rebellion or sedition. Other former Cabinet members and parliamentary officials have been released from jail, but remain under investigation. Spanish central authorities took direct control of Catalonia following the unilateral declaration of independence by separatist lawmakers on 27 October. Under special powers, Spain fired Mr Puigdemont’s government, dissolved parliament and forced a new regional election on 21 December in the hope of halting the secession drive. But contrary to Madrid’s hopes, separatists regained their slim parliamentary majority despite receiving less than half of the votes, although Ciutadans (Citizens) – a party that fiercely opposes independence – gained the most seats. Several hundred people rallied near the parliament in central Barcelona, waving separatist flags as they watched the new house speaker’s election on a large outdoor screen. Roger Torrent, a lawmaker with the left-republican ERC party, was elected to head the assembly’s governing committee that plays a key role in deciding what issues are debated and voted on in parliament. “I want democracy and coexistence to be the foundations of this term,” Mr Torrent told fellow lawmakers from the speaker’s podium as he vowed to restore the self-government of Catalonia that is now in the hands of Madrid. He also said, as speaker, he would defend the right of “all 135 voices in the chamber”, including those fugitive or in jail. But Ciutadans leader Ines Arrimadas criticised the inaugural session, saying, “We start the legislature as we finished the last one, with a parliament speaker who is going to work only for independence.” However, Ms Arrimadas pointed out things had changed in the parliament because the secessionist bloc now had fewer seats and votes and the independence stance had no international support. “No matter what happens, we are going to be the guarantors for Catalonia not to make any independence declaration,” she said. Although Ms Arrimadas’ party won the most seats – 36 – unlike the secessionist bloc, she lacks enough support to form a government. Mr Torrent is tasked with choosing a candidate to try to form a government by the end of the month. The two secessionist parties back the candidacy of Mr Puigdemont, but the former president would first have to get approval from Mr Torrent’s committee to vote and be elected from abroad. Elsa Artadi, spokeswoman for Mr Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), said the separatists were “working to explore all the tools in the parliament’s rules to see what will be the formula”. Parliamentary legal advisers said in a report this week Mr Puigdemont could not be sworn in via video link or by having a proxy candidate as he must debate his candidacy in person in parliament. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has also vowed to maintain direct rule over Catalonia if the fugitive separatist politician tries to resume office from Brussels. The parties that promote Catalan independence jointly hold 66 seats in Catalonia’s parliament and also have support from four pro-independence, anti-establishment lawmakers. Polls consistently show that most Catalans want the right to decide the region’s future, but are evenly divided over splitting from Spain. ‘He’s extremely vigorous’: Jeremy Corbyn not too old to be Labour leader ||||| Madrid: Spain will continue to rule the regional administration of Catalonia directly from Madrid in the event that its self-exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont is chosen as president by the Catalan parliament, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Monday. Puigdemont fled to Brussels in October after Rajoy fired him as Catalonia’s leader when he declared an independent republic following an illegal referendum. He faces arrest and possibly decades in jail if he returns to Spain. With only days before Catalonia’s parliament convenes to elect a new regional government, separatists said Puigdemont was their candidate to lead the region again. They are exploring the possibility he could do so by video link from Brussels. But Rajoy on Monday poured scorn on the idea. "It’s absurd that someone aspires to be president of the Catalan regional government as a fugitive in Brussels — it’s a case of common sense," he said in a speech at his centre-right People’s Party (PP) Madrid headquarters. If Puigdemont tried to attend the parliamentary vote for a new head of region from Brussels, the Spanish government would challenge his appearance immediately in the courts, he said. Rajoy said if Puigdemont was re-elected, constitutional powers invoked by the government in October to impose direct rule on the region would continue to apply. Rajoy had called regional elections in December to try and resolve the political crisis that led to an exodus of companies from the region. However, the election returned a slim majority to parties favouring independence, raising the possibility of a renewed push for a split from Spain this year. The parliament will meet for the first time on Jan. 17 to choose the committee that rules its day-to-day activities. A new leader could be voted in by parliament as early as 31 January. ||||| BARCELONA, Spain — Donald Trump has his tweets, but fugitive Catalonian separatist leader Carles Puigdemont is opening a new frontier in social media-aided governance. From his Belgian sanctuary, Mr. Puigdemont is asking the Spanish province’s new parliament, where separatists have retained control despite a bruising battle with the central government, to inaugurate him this week by Skype and allow him to govern “telematically.” He made the unusual request as a fierce clash between the rebellious northeastern province and the central government in Madrid was flaring again after inconclusive regional elections last month failed to resolve the gravest challenge to Spain’s unity in decades. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy warned Monday that the government will keep control of Catalonia if the former regional leader tries to resume office from Belgium. “It’s absurd that someone may intend to be a candidate to be the head of the regional government while being in Brussels and running away from justice,” Mr. Rajoy told reporters Monday in Madrid. “This is no longer just a judicial and political problem; this a problem of pure common sense.” The latest elections proved a disappointment to both sides. Mr. Rajoy hoped a majority of Spain’s richest province would reject the separatists, but three pro-independence parties captured 70 of the 135 seats in the Catalan parliament. Pro-independence forces failed to gain a majority of the votes cast, and Ciudadanos, a center-right party gaining support throughout Spain, received the largest single share — 27 percent — of the seven parties competing in the local elections. Since the vote, the separatists have struggled to find unity and bolster their popular support, even as the Rajoy government dismissed Mr. Puigdemont’s Skype inauguration as surreal. Officials in the exiled former leader’s Junts per Catalunya have said they will present enabling legislation before the Catalan parliament, which reconvenes Wednesday to allow the online swearing-in to proceed. Mr. Puigdemont fled to Belgium in November to escape arrest when Mr. Rajoy imposed direct rule on Catalonia in response to a declaration of independence by its regional government. Mr. Rajoy then called the December regional vote, calculating that parties opposing the break with Spain would ride to victory on a backlash against separatism. But his gamble fell short. After Ciudadanos, Mr. Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya got the second-largest share with 23 percent. Spanish government officials have said that direct rule provisions they have instituted in Catalonia will remain in place if separatist parties try to install Mr. Puigdemont this week by video conference. “It’s a fallacy, an impossible pretension. You cannot be president from 2,000 miles away,” said central government chief spokesman Ernesto de Vigo. He said last week that Madrid would immediately challenge Mr. Puigdemont’s authority in the constitutional court, which earlier declared Catalonia’s independence bid to be illegal. The Associated Press reported Monday that legal analysts have also informed leaders of the Catalan parliament that the proposed Skype ceremony would not be valid and that the person sworn in as the chamber’s leader must be physically present. The central government has other cards to play, according to Ciudadanos lawmaker Carlos Carrizosa. He told The Washington Times in an interview that secessionists may be unable to muster a majority because eight of their parliamentary representatives are either in jail or abroad as “fugitives” and can’t attend parliamentary sessions. Independence leaders have said they can get around the problem. Spokesmen for the secessionist umbrella organization ANC said their leader, Jordi Sanchez, and two others in prison can give their parliamentary votes to a proxies in the legislature. But even that would leave the secessionists three votes short of the 68 needed to vote for Mr. Puigdemont. The shortfall could be covered only if three of the five lawmakers who fled to Belgium resigned their seats to be replaced by others down their party’s list, in accordance with Spain’s system of proportional representation. ANC sources said that is being negotiated. But despite televised images of Mr. Puigdemont meeting with his parliamentary group and forming a shadow Cabinet in Brussels, there are signs that his coalition could be unraveling. His imprisoned vice president, Oriol Junqueras, has said he should be named president in Mr. Puigdemont’s absence, in effect agreeing with the central government’s premise that the president must be physically present to be elected. There was speculation in the Spanish press that Mr. Junqueras was negotiating his release from prison in exchange for renouncing his region’s independence declaration. Other secessionist leaders have done so. The president of Catalonia’s parliament, Carmen Forcadell, retracted her support for unilateral independence before a Spanish court last month, and others are reportedly seeking plea bargains. Mr. Puigdemont’s security chief, Joaquim Forn, has been cooperating in Spain’s widening probe into Catalan police collusion in October’s independence referendum. “It’s like being back in the days of the Spanish Inquisition, when religious conversion was obtained under duress,” one commentator remarked. If secessionists fail to muster an absolute majority, then the election for a president would pass to a simple majority, providing an opening for Ciudadanos and its 36-year-old leader, Inez Arrimadas, a former business consultant, to seek an alliance with the Socialists. Officials of Mr. Rajoy’s Popular party, which got a mere 5 percent in December’s vote, have openly urged Ms. Arrimadas to give it a try. “We have the full legitimacy to opt for the presidency of the Catalonia’s regional government,” said Mr. Carrizosa, “but it would be complicated.” All the independence parties would close ranks against Ciudadanos, said ANC spokesman Andre Astis. “All those exiled in Belgium would concede their seats to fellow independence supporters to block Ciudadanos,” he said in an interview. Ciudadanos is also opposed by Spain’s leftist Podemos party, whose bloc of eight lawmakers in the Catalan parliament may emerge as power brokers. Podemos already blocked a bid by Ciudadanos for the parliament’s speakership. “We may be left with no alternative but supporting the central government’s prolongation of direct rule in Catalonia,” Mr. Carrizosa said. The growing confusion of Catalonia’s politics could prove a target of opportunity for Russia. Some critics say the Kremlin sees the separatist battle in Spain, a NATO ally that hosts a key U.S. Navy base, as part of a larger drive to sow divisions across Europe, according to Spanish and U.S. intelligence reports. A Spanish Defense Ministry think tank published a report last week saying cyberoperations targeting Spain similar to the ones in Ukraine and other Eastern European countries where Moscow is seeking to expand its influence. The Spanish press has revealed that a Catalan communications specialist who is a close aide to Mr. Puigdemont has met in London with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, whose organization is at the center of the U.S. 2016 election meddling probe after publishing internal Democratic Party documents originally stolen by Russian hackers. ||||| Puigdemont is in self-imposed exile in Belgium. Photo: AFP Spain's prime minister warned Monday that Madrid would maintain unpopular direct control of Catalonia if the former regional leader Carles Puigdemont tries to govern again from exile in Belgium. Speaking to party members in Madrid, Mariano Rajoy said that Puigdemont had "to be physically present" in Catalonia to take office, and if that didn't happen, the central government would maintain direct rule imposed after Catalan leaders declared independence in October. Puigdemont is the separatist camp's favoured candidate to lead Catalonia again after pro-independence parties won an absolute majority in December regional elections. READ MORE: Ex-Catalan leader's party pledges to re-elect him remotely But he is in self-imposed exile in Belgium and risks arrest on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for his role in the region's failed independence bid if he comes back to Spain. To be elected regional president, he should in theory be present at the parliamentary session where the vote takes place, but he wants to appear by videolink or write a speech and have it read by someone else. If that is allowed -- and legal experts doubt this can be done -- Puigdemont would then have to officially take office from Belgium and could try to govern the region remotely. Direct rule on Catalonia is very unpopular in a region that enjoyed considerable autonomy before its leaders attempted to break away from Spain. This prompted Rajoy to take control of the region, sack its government, dissolve its parliament and call the snap December elections. ||||| BARCELONA: The new pro-independence speaker of Catalonia's parliament on Thursday started meeting party representatives to pick a regional president, with exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont in the lead for the post. The central government in Madrid has already warned it will keep direct control over Catalonia if Puigdemont tries to govern from Belgium, where he and other ousted ministers fled after declaring independence from Spain in October. On Wednesday, the region's separatist block regained control of the Catalan parliament following the assembly's dissolution on October 27 by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in response to the breakaway attempt. Fresh from a victory in December elections that gave them an absolute majority in parliament, separatist lawmakers elected Roger Torrent of the left-wing, pro-independence ERC party as speaker. Four out of seven of his deputies are also pro-independence. Their next step is to regain control of the government with Puigdemont as their leader. Torrent, 38, who gave a conciliatory first parliamentary speech on Wednesday, is holding talks with all the different assembly groups to designate the candidate with most support. He was due to meet Thursday with the Socialists, who oppose independence, and Catalunya en Comu, the Catalan allies of far-left party Podemos, who are also against Puigdemont as candidate. Puigdemont's Together for Catalonia list won the most votes in December within the separatist bloc, but he is in Brussels in self-imposed exile after escaping just days after the regional parliament declared independence. He risks arrest on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for his role in the failed independence bid if he comes back to Spain. He wants to present his candidacy and government programme to parliament -- a prerequisite to being voted in -- remotely via videolink or by having someone else read it for him. The Catalan parliament's legal experts, however, say the contender has to be physically present and Madrid has vowed to block him. But the final say lies in Torrent and his deputies, who will ultimately decide whether or not to allow it. Last week, Torrent hinted that he would follow what the parliament's legal experts said. But his ERC party has said it will support Puigdemont as president. | The Parliament of Catalonia opens the new legislature. Roger Torrent (ERC) is named Speaker. Three parliamentarians in jail vote through proxies, the five parlementarians in exile in Belgium do not. Carles Puigdemont (PDeCAT, JuntsxCat), through his spokesman, considers it "perfectly plausible" for him to be president remotely. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says that he will not restore Catalonia's autonomous powers if the regional parliament permits Puigdemont to lead the government from exile. |
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"The bodies were taken to the hospitals in the area, and the army continues to search for other displaced people trapped in the snow, in order to evacuate them and provide medical treatment for them." The identities of the Syrian refugees were not immediately known. According to some reports, at least one child was found among the bodies. Two other Syrian nationals were arrested and charged with people-smuggling, the army added. 'We are deprived of everything' Temperatures dropped on Friday as winter storms battered the Lebanon-Syria border, making the lives of the more than 357,000 Syrian refugees living in makeshift tents in the Bekaa Valley, some 60km north of Masnaa, even more difficult. Reporting from the region, Al Jazeera's correspondent Zeina Khodr said that Syrian refugees "face many challenges during the winter months". "They live in tents that are made out of plastic sheeting, which does little to protect them from the cold and the rain," she said. Hammadi Chelbi, a Syrian refugee who has been living in Bekaa Valley after he fled the Syrian conflict in its first year, told Al Jazeera that he and his family are living in misery. "We have nothing but pain, sickness and suffering," he said. "We are deprived of everything." There are one million registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon, although government officials estimate that the number is closer to 1.5 million. The UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) says it is not getting the money it needs to help Syrian refugees in Lebanon through another harsh winter. Last year, it requested $228m but received less than 60 percent of that, prompting it to warn that life in the camps was getting worse. ||||| Syrians fleeing war in their country freeze to death when an icy storm hits a smuggling route in the mountains near a border post with Syria as they cross into Lebanon. The Lebanese Army retrieves the body of a Syrian near the Masnaa border crossing. (Credit: ABC licensed) Nine Syrians froze to death crossing into Lebanon when an icy storm hit a smuggling route in the mountains near a border post with Syria. The Lebanese Army said in a statement on Friday it rescued six others from near the Masnaa border crossing, one of whom later died in hospital. The army arrested two Syrians on smuggling charges and is still searching for others lost in the snow. Two children were among the nine refugees who died. Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have now all closed their border crossings to Syrian refugees. Syrians wishing to enter Lebanon must prove to Lebanese authorities they have reason to be in Lebanon, such as property ownership, an embassy appointment, or a residency permit. For many Syrians fleeing war in their country, securing residency or work permits is impossible. Many are in Lebanon illegally and face arrest if discovered. Lebanon took in around 1.5 million Syrian refugees at the height of Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year. ||||| BEIRUT - Nine Syrians froze to death crossing into Lebanon when an icy storm hit a smuggling route in the mountains near a border post with Syria, the Lebanese Army said on Friday. The army rescued six others from near the Masnaa border crossing, one of whom later died in the hospital, an army statement said. The army arrested two Syrians on smuggling charges and is still searching for others lost in the snow, it added. Syrians wishing to enter Lebanon must prove to Lebanese authorities they have reason to be in Lebanon, such as property ownership, an embassy appointment or a residency permit. For many Syrians fleeing war in their country, securing residency or work permits is impossible. Many are in Lebanon illegally and face arrest if discovered. Lebanon took in around 1.5 million Syrian refugees at the height of Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year. ||||| The death toll of Syrian refugees who froze to death due to a snowstorm in eastern Lebanon has risen to 12, according to Lebanese Civil Defense sources. Three more bodies were found on Saturday, taking to the death toll to 12, the sources said. According to the sources, three children were among the victims, who lost their lives as they attempted to cross into Lebanon from neighboring Syria. Three more refugees were rescued by Lebanese civil defense teams, the sources said. On Friday, the Lebanese army said nine refugees had frozen to death along Lebanese-Syria border due to harsh weather. The severe weather is expected to become sunny on Saturday and Sunday, according to Lebanese metrological agency. Several parts of Lebanon -- including the Beqaa Valley, which is home to thousands of Syrian refugees -- have been hit recently with extremely cold weather and heavy snowfall. Last month, the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) said the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon had fallen to about 998,000 from a previous 1.5 million. ||||| The number of Syrians who have died trying to flee their war-torn country into neighbouring Lebanon during a snowstorm has risen to at least 13, the United Nations said Saturday. A group of Syrians, including children, had tried to enter neighbouring Lebanon late on Thursday through a smuggling route but were caught in a fierce storm. The Lebanese army and civil defence said on Friday they had retrieved the bodies of 10 Syrians, including two children and six women. But the toll has since increased. Lisa Abou Khaled, a spokeswoman for the UN's refugee agency, said at least 13 Syrians were confirmed to have died in the incident. "The victims were trying to cross an arduous and rugged passage in freezing temperatures," the UNHCR said in a statement. "Others in the group, including a pregnant woman, were discovered in time and assisted by nearby residents and the Lebanese Armed Forces and Civil Defence to reach hospitals before they froze to death." A Lebanese army source told AFP on Saturday that the toll had reached 14. "The army retrieved a total of 12 bodies on Friday, and one person died at the hospital. Another body was found on Saturday, bringing the total to 14," the source said. Lebanon, a country of four million, hosts just under a million Syrians who have sought refuge from the war raging in their neighbouring homeland since 2011. Many live in informal tented settlements in the country's east and struggle to stay warm in the winter. The UN's children's agency UNICEF said on Saturday it was distributing blankets, warm clothes and heating fuel. "More children could be among the dead as residents in the area and the Lebanese authorities continue to look for people who are reportedly trapped in the mountainous in freezing temperatures and snow," a UNICEF statement said. "The brutal wars have to stop and we all need to step up our generosity and assistance for the most affected children. We have no excuse. We cannot continue failing children!" In 2015, Lebanese authorities introduced new restrictions to curb the number of Syrians entering the country. Lebanon and Syria share a rocky 330-kilometre (205 mile) border with no official demarcation at several points. ||||| Nine Syrians freeze to death while crossing to Lebanon Nine Syrians froze to death crossing into Lebanon when an icy storm hit a smuggling route in the mountains near a border post with Syria. The Lebanese Army said in a statement on Friday it rescued six others from near the Masnaa border crossing, one of whom later died in hospital. The army arrested two Syrians on smuggling charges and is still searching for others lost in the snow. Two children were among the nine refugees who died. Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan have now all closed their border crossings to Syrian refugees. Syrians wishing to enter Lebanon must prove to Lebanese authorities they have reason to be in Lebanon, such as property ownership, an embassy appointment, or a residency permit. For many Syrians fleeing war in their country, securing residency or work permits is impossible. Many are in Lebanon illegally and face arrest if discovered. Lebanon took in around 1.5 million Syrian refugees at the height of Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year. ||||| Lebanon’s army says 10 Syrians froze to death while trying to cross into the country via a dangerous smuggling route through the mountains. Military officials say the Syrians, including two children and six women, were caught in a strong snowstorm while trying to cross the mountainous frontier between the two nations. An army statement said troops received a tip Friday morning that the group of refugees had gotten stuck in the snowstorm. It said an army patrol found the bodies of nine refugees who had died from the cold and rescued six other people near the Masnaa border crossing. It said one of those rescued later died from frostbite. The army said troops were still searching for others who might have been lost in the snow. It said two Syrians had been arrested on smuggling charges. Lebanon and Syria share a border that extends for 330 kilometers, and the smuggling routes between the countries tend to be in areas of rougher terrain. Syrian refugees began pouring into Lebanon after the start of Syria's civil war in 2011. Lebanon took in at least a million refugees at the height of the conflict, but in 2015 the Lebanese government put in place new restrictions in order to curb the number of refugees entering the country. Many of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in informal tent settlements in the east of the country and struggle to stay warm in the winter. ||||| A rainbow is seen over downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday (Reuters photo) BEIRUT — Lebanon thwarted extremist plans to attack places of worship and government buildings over the holidays after gaining rare access to a Daesh terror group operative, the interior minister said on Friday. Nuhad Mashnuq said at a press conference that an elite unit in Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) had arrested an Iraqi Daesh commander in Beirut last June. The commander, known as Abu Jaafar Al Iraqi, had been tasked by the Daesh leadership to establish an extremist network in Lebanon, according to information presented at the briefing. This network would not only carry out attacks in Lebanon, but could have potentially hosted top Daesh officials fleeing Iraq and Syria. Full details of the operation and the current whereabouts of Abu Jaafar were not revealed. But Mashnuq said that for five months after the Iraqi commander's arrest the ISF kept tabs on him through a mysterious "volunteer", who had gained his trust and rented a home for him that was bugged by Lebanese authorities. "This is one of those rare operations where you have someone this important in the terrorist organisation, and you're able to use him for five months to find out about the plans supposed to happen during the holidays, against places of worship and government buildings," Mashnuq told reporters. "The nature of this operation, as we explained, is unprecedented in the Arab world," he claimed. Daesh’s now-defunct "caliphate" spread across swathes of Iraq and Syria but never officially included territory inside Lebanon. Extremists from Daesh were entrenched along the Lebanese-Syrian border for several years however and claimed several deadly attacks in Lebanon. According to a film shown at Friday's briefing, Lebanese authorities had worked since the end of 2016 to lure Abu Jaafar to Lebanon with the help of Arab and international authorities. An intermediary, trained in Turkey and cooperating with the ISF, rented out an apartment for Abu Jaafar that was being surveilled and met with him there several times. Audio and video clips from the apartment were aired during the press conference. Abu Jaafar allegedly asked Daesh leaders in Iraq and Syria for help in planning attacks on New Year's Eve in Lebanon, and they said they may be able to provide suicide belts and automatic weapons. He was ultimately unable to pull together an operation, the clip said. The film mentioned one Lebanese Daesh member who had been arrested as part of the year-long operation. The minister did not mention any other arrests nor did he elaborate on the intelligence gained. ||||| Three children were among the dead, NNA said. The Lebanese Civil Defense and the Lebanese army took the bodies from the spot where they were found -- on a smuggling route in al-Masnaa area -- to a hospital. Three people who were discovered near the bodies were transported for urgent medical treatment, state news said. An army statement gave a different toll of nine bodies and said the military saved five Syrians. Another person died later in a hospital from frostbite, the army said. | The bodies of ten Syrian men are found after a snowstorm on the Lebanon–Syria border. The Lebanese Army says they tried to enter Lebanon illegally. Two presumed people smugglers are arrested. |
KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital killed at least 18 people, including 14 foreigners, and pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was slain Sunday. The casualty toll expected to rise. The heavily guarded luxury hotel is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the 18 killed included 14 foreigners and a telecommunications official from western Farah province who was attending a conference. Danish said 11 of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline. KamAir also put out a statement saying some of their flights were disrupted because of the attack. One Ukrainian citizen was killed in the attack, according to Vasyl Kyrylych, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. His brief statement on Twitter did not provide further details. Afghan officials did not identify the foreigner killed in the attack. Ten other people, including six from the security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, were rescued from the hotel, Danish said. The Taliban claimed the attack, which began around 9 p.m. Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to attack the hotel Thursday night but postponed the assault because there was a wedding underway and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. During a news conference, Danish said that early investigations show that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. Two attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. Danish said initial reports indicated that a person or persons inside the hotel helped the attackers get inside. He added that the investigation is not completed. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province who survivor the attack said “I was on my way from my room toward the reception, when I the elevator door opened, I saw two-armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them.” Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. A fire broke out at the hotel as the fighting raged, and the sound of explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant roadside bombs to target Afghan security forces. ||||| KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, killing at least five people, including a foreigner, and setting off a 12-hour gun battle with security forces that continued into Sunday morning, as frantic guests tried to escape from fourth and fifth-floor windows. Six other people, including three security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, have been rescued from the hotel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The bodies of three attackers were recovered as security forces continued to clear the landmark building, he said. "For the time being we can only confirm that one foreigner was among those who were killed in the attack," he added. "The security forces are going room-by-room to make sure that there are no more attackers in the building," Danish said. The Intercontinental Hotel is located on a hilltop in the Bagh-e Bala area of the capital and is heavily guarded because it hosts both Afghan and foreign guests as well as official conferences. Last night's attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault. The property is not part of the InterContinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which started around 9 p.m. Saturday. As the fighting raged, a fire broke out. Firefighters are still battling the blaze. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years. In the western Farah province, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. The Taliban claimed both attacks. Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Security forces said Sunday they had killed the last of six Taliban militants to end an overnight siege at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel that left at least 18 people dead, including 14 foreigners. Some of the 150 guests fled the gunbattle and fire sparked by the assault by shimmying down bedsheets from the upper floors. The militants, who wore suicide vests, pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours after the attack began about 9 p.m. Saturday. The gunmen roamed the hallways and targeted foreigners and Afghan officials inside the luxury, hilltop hotel. The more than 150 people who were rescued or managed to escape included 41 foreigners, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. Of those, 10 people were injured, including six security forces, he said. Eleven of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline, Danish said. KamAir put out a statement saying some of its flights were disrupted because of the attack. Six of those killed were Ukrainians, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who added that his office was working with Afghan law enforcement agencies "to clarify the circumstances of this terrorist act." Two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir were among the dead, according to Luis Figuera. He told The Associated Press that his brother-in-law, Adelsis Ramos, was killed along with Pablo Chiossone, and that their bodies were identified by another Venezuelan pilot at a Kabul hospital. A citizen from Kazakhstan also was among the dead at the hotel, according to Anuar Zhainakov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were at the hotel for a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. Afghan officials said that also among the dead was a telecommunications official from Farah province in western Afghanistan; Waheed Poyan, the newly appointed consul general to Karachi, Pakistan; and Ahmad Farzan, an employee of the High Peace Council, a commission created to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and other opposition groups. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded hotel that is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to strike the hotel Thursday night but postponed it because a wedding was underway there and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province, said he was walking from his room to the reception for his group on Saturday night. "When the elevator door opened, I saw two armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them," he said. Fire broke out in the six-story hotel as the fighting raged, filling some guest rooms with smoke. Explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV video showed people trying to escape through windows and from the upper stories as thick, black smoke poured from the building. The Interior Ministry said it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. It said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago at the hotel, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain. During a news conference, Danish said that an initial investigation showed that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. A person or persons inside the hotel might have helped the attackers gain entrance, Danish said, adding that the probe is continuing. Two of the attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces had led the response efforts and that no foreign troops were hurt in the attack, according to initial reports. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States strongly condemns the attack, adding that Washington "stands with the government and people of Afghanistan. We remain firmly committed to supporting Afghan efforts to achieve peace, security and prosperity for their country." Neighboring Pakistan also condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists on their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years. In other violence in Afghanistan this weekend, insurgents burst into a home in Balkh province in the north where several members of a pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb early Sunday killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant bombs to target Afghan security forces. ||||| KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital killed at least six people, including a foreigner, and pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was killed Sunday, with the casualty toll expected to rise. The heavily-guarded luxury hotel is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the six killed included a foreigner and a telecommunications official from the western Farah province who was attending a conference. Six other people, including three security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, were rescued from the hotel, Danish said. The Taliban claimed the attack, which began around 9 p.m. Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to attack the hotel Thursday night but postponed the assault because there was a wedding underway and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property, which is not part of the InterContinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. A fire broke out at the hotel as the fighting raged, and the sound of explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western Farah province, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western Herat province, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant roadside bombs to target Afghan security forces. Follow the Bangor Daily News on Facebook for the latest Maine news. ||||| KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Security forces said Sunday they had killed the last of six Taliban militants to end an overnight siege at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel that left at least 18 people dead, including 14 foreigners. Some of the 150 guests fled the gunbattle and fire sparked by the assault by shimmying down bedsheets from the upper floors. The militants, who wore suicide vests, pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours after the attack began about 9 p.m. Saturday. The gunmen roamed the hallways and targeted foreigners and Afghan officials inside the luxury, hilltop hotel. The more than 150 people who were rescued or managed to escape included 41 foreigners, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. Of those, 10 people were injured, including six security forces, he said. Eleven of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline, Danish said. KamAir put out a statement saying some of its flights were disrupted because of the attack. Six of those killed were Ukrainians, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who added that his office was working with Afghan law enforcement agencies "to clarify the circumstances of this terrorist act." Two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir were among the dead, according to Luis Figuera. He told The Associated Press that his brother-in-law, Adelsis Ramos, was killed along with Pablo Chiossone, and that their bodies were identified by another Venezuelan pilot at a Kabul hospital. A citizen from Kazakhstan also was among the dead at the hotel, according to Anuar Zhainakov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were at the hotel for a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. Afghan officials said that also among the dead was a telecommunications official from Farah province in western Afghanistan; Waheed Poyan, the newly appointed consul general to Karachi, Pakistan; and Ahmad Farzan, an employee of the High Peace Council, a commission created to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and other opposition groups. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded hotel that is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to strike the hotel Thursday night but postponed it because a wedding was underway there and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province, said he was walking from his room to the reception for his group on Saturday night. "When the elevator door opened, I saw two armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them," he said. Fire broke out in the six-story hotel as the fighting raged, filling some guest rooms with smoke. Explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV video showed people trying to escape through windows and from the upper stories as thick, black smoke poured from the building. The Interior Ministry said it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. It said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago at the hotel, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain. During a news conference, Danish said that an initial investigation showed that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. A person or persons inside the hotel might have helped the attackers gain entrance, Danish said, adding that the probe is continuing. Two of the attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces had led the response efforts and that no foreign troops were hurt in the attack, according to initial reports. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States strongly condemns the attack, adding that Washington "stands with the government and people of Afghanistan. We remain firmly committed to supporting Afghan efforts to achieve peace, security and prosperity for their country." Neighboring Pakistan also condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists on their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years. In other violence in Afghanistan this weekend, insurgents burst into a home in Balkh province in the north where several members of a pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb early Sunday killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant bombs to target Afghan security forces. ||||| (KABUL) — A Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital killed at least 18 people, including 14 foreigners, and pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was killed on Sunday, with the casualty toll expected to rise. The heavily-guarded luxury hotel is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the 18 killed included 14 foreigners and a telecommunications official from the western Farah province who was attending a conference. “11 of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline,” said Danish. KamAir also put out an announcement saying some of their flights were disrupted because of the attack. Ukraine says one of its citizens was killed in the attack. Vasyl Kyrylych, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, announced the death of the Ukrainian citizen in a brief statement on Twitter, without providing further details. Afghan officials did not identify the foreigner killed in the attack. Ten other people, including six from the security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, were rescued from the hotel, Danish said. The Taliban claimed the attack, which began around 9 p.m. Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to attack the hotel Thursday night but postponed the assault because there was a wedding underway and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. During a press conference, Danish said that early investigations show that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. Two attackers were killed by Special Forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. “We need to complete our investigation, but our initial reports show that the attackers were moved in to the hotel,” said Danish. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province who survivor the attack said “I was on my way from my room toward the reception, when I the elevator door opened, I saw two-armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them.” Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. A fire broke out at the hotel as the fighting raged, and the sound of explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western Farah province, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western Herat province, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant roadside bombs to target Afghan security forces. ||||| Gunmen stormed the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, killing at least five people, including a foreigner, and setting off a 12-hour gun battle with security forces that continued into Sunday morning, as frantic guests tried to escape from fourth and fifth-floor windows. Six other people, including three security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, have been rescued from the hotel, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. The bodies of three attackers were recovered as security forces continued to clear the landmark building, he said. "For the time being we can only confirm that one foreigner was among those who were killed in the attack," he added. "The security forces are going room-by-room to make sure that there are no more attackers in the building," Danish said. The Intercontinental Hotel is located on a hilltop in the Bagh-e Bala area of the capital and is heavily guarded because it hosts both Afghan and foreign guests as well as official conferences. Last night's attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault. The property is not part of the InterContinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which started around 9 p.m. Saturday. As the fighting raged, a fire broke out. Firefighters are still battling the blaze. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to combat the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of massive attacks in recent years. In the western Farah province, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. The Taliban claimed both attacks. ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Guests tried to escape by using bed sheets to climb down from balconies An eyewitness has told the BBC of the terrifying moment gunmen burst into Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel restaurant on Saturday. The man, who is not being named for security reasons, said he was spared after saying he was an Afghan. "Where are the foreigners?" they shouted. Fourteen foreigners are confirmed to have died, along with four Afghans. However, some media reports indicate the number of dead could be much higher. The interior minister said the recent decision to transfer security to a private company had been a mistake. Some 160 people were rescued after Afghan troops fought throughout the night to regain control of the building. Three attackers were also killed in the siege, officials said. Ten people, including four civilians, were injured. Kabul police told the BBC that nine Ukrainians, one German, one Greek and one Kazakh citizen had been confirmed dead. Two have yet to be identified. Afghan airline Kam Air says a number of its employees were killed and some are still missing. The Taliban, which targeted the hotel in 2011, says it was behind the latest attack. A spokesman said in a statement quoted by AFP that the group had "killed tens of foreign invaders and their puppets". Gunmen 'ate before shooting' The gunmen burst into the six-floor hotel at around 21:00 local time (16:30 GMT) on Saturday evening, as guests were enjoying dinner. The eyewitness told the BBC he was having dinner with his son when the gunmen began firing into the air with small arms. They killed a woman - believed to be a foreigner - and turned the gun on the eyewitness himself. He shouted "I'm Afghan". One of the gunmen shouted that they didn't kill Afghans and demanded to know "Where are the foreigners?" The men then ran out of the room to look for them. Haseeb, another eyewitness told Tolo News that two of the gunmen had asked him to serve them food first. "They were wearing very stylish clothes," he said. "They came to me and asked for food. I served them the food and they thanked me and took their seats. Then they took out their weapons and started shooting the people." "There were dozens of dead bodies lying around me." Several guests were pictured using bed sheets to try to climb down from a top-floor balcony. Dramatic images on Afghan TV showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the imposing hilltop hotel. Image copyright AFP Image caption The hotel is a landmark in Kabul Image copyright Reuters Image caption Several ambulances were on hand to transport the wounded to hospital Afghan special forces were lowered by helicopters on to the roof of the hotel during the night, an interior ministry spokesman said. They were working with Western special forces to bring the siege to an end. The ministry has promised an investigation into how the attackers breached security, which was handed to a private company two weeks ago. Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab said the gunmen had entered the hotel through a kitchen. The Intercontinental is a state-owned hotel - not linked to the global hotel chain of the same name - which often hosts weddings, conferences and political gatherings. Security has been tightened in Kabul since last May, when a huge truck bomb killed at least 150 people. However, there have been several attacks in recent months. They include a bomb at a Shia cultural centre last month that killed more than 40 people. Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so, you can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: ||||| KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Afghanistan’s capital killed at least 18 people, including 14 foreigners, and pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours before the last attacker was slain Sunday. The casualty toll expected to rise. The heavily guarded luxury hotel is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish said the 18 killed included 14 foreigners and a telecommunications official from western Farah province who was attending a conference. Danish said 11 of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline. KamAir also put out a statement saying some of their flights were disrupted because of the attack. One Ukrainian citizen was killed in the attack, according to Vasyl Kyrylych, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. His brief statement on Twitter did not provide further details. Afghan officials did not identify the foreigner killed in the attack. Ten other people, including six from the security forces, were reported wounded and more than 150 people, including 41 foreigners, were rescued from the hotel, Danish said. The Taliban claimed the attack, which began around 9 p.m. Saturday, saying five gunmen armed with suicide vests targeted foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to attack the hotel Thursday night but postponed the assault because there was a wedding underway and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain of worldwide hotels. The Interior Ministry said a private firm assumed responsibility for securing the hotel around three weeks ago. The ministry says it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. During a news conference, Danish said that early investigations show that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. Two attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. Danish said initial reports indicated that a person or persons inside the hotel helped the attackers get inside. He added that the investigation is not completed. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province who survivor the attack said “I was on my way from my room toward the reception, when I the elevator door opened, I saw two-armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them.” Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were gathered at the hotel to participate in a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. A fire broke out at the hotel as the fighting raged, and the sound of explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV footage showed people trying to escape through windows on the upper stories. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces were leading the response efforts. He said that according to initial reports, no foreign troops were hurt in the attack. Neighboring Pakistan condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists along their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years. In the northern Balkh province, insurgents burst into a home where several members of a local pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, leading them outside and killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police early Sunday, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant roadside bombs to target Afghan security forces. ||||| KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Security forces said Sunday they had killed the last of six Taliban militants to end an overnight siege at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel that left at least 18 people dead, including 14 foreigners. Some of the 150 guests fled the gunbattle and fire sparked by the assault by shimmying down bedsheets from the upper floors. The militants, who wore suicide vests, pinned security forces down for more than 13 hours after the attack began about 9 p.m. Saturday. The gunmen roamed the hallways and targeted foreigners and Afghan officials inside the luxury, hilltop hotel. The more than 150 people who were rescued or managed to escape included 41 foreigners, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. Of those, 10 people were injured, including six security forces, he said. Eleven of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline, Danish said. KamAir put out a statement saying some of its flights were disrupted because of the attack. Six of those killed were Ukrainians, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who added that his office was working with Afghan law enforcement agencies "to clarify the circumstances of this terrorist act." Two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir were among the dead, according to Luis Figuera. He told The Associated Press that his brother-in-law, Adelsis Ramos, was killed along with Pablo Chiossone, and that their bodies were identified by another Venezuelan pilot at a Kabul hospital. A citizen from Kazakhstan also was among the dead at the hotel, according to Anuar Zhainakov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry. Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were at the hotel for a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry. Afghan officials said that also among the dead was a telecommunications official from Farah province in western Afghanistan; Waheed Poyan, the newly appointed consul general to Karachi, Pakistan; and Ahmad Farzan, an employee of the High Peace Council, a commission created to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and other opposition groups. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded hotel that is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to strike the hotel Thursday night but postponed it because a wedding was underway there and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties. The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property. Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province, said he was walking from his room to the reception for his group on Saturday night. "When the elevator door opened, I saw two armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them," he said. Fire broke out in the six-story hotel as the fighting raged, filling some guest rooms with smoke. Explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV video showed people trying to escape through windows and from the upper stories as thick, black smoke poured from the building. The Interior Ministry said it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. It said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago at the hotel, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain. During a news conference, Danish said that an initial investigation showed that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. A person or persons inside the hotel might have helped the attackers gain entrance, Danish said, adding that the probe is continuing. Two of the attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel. Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces had led the response efforts and that no foreign troops were hurt in the attack, according to initial reports. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States strongly condemns the attack, adding that Washington "stands with the government and people of Afghanistan. We remain firmly committed to supporting Afghan efforts to achieve peace, security and prosperity for their country." Neighboring Pakistan also condemned the "brutal terrorist attack" and called for greater cooperation against militants. Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists on their long and porous border. Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014. They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years. In other violence in Afghanistan this weekend, insurgents burst into a home in Balkh province in the north where several members of a pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said. In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb early Sunday killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief. In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant bombs to target Afghan security forces. | Six insurgents kill at least 18 people, including 4 Afghans and 14 foreigners, in a 13-hour gun battle. The Afghan Interior Ministry says that the siege ended when the last gunman was shot dead. NATO reports that "no foreign troops" died. The Taliban claim that they sent five suicide bombers armed with hand grenades and AK-47 assault rifles. The Afghan government blames the attack on the Pakistan-based Haqqani network. |
KINSHASA (Reuters) - At least three people were killed when Congolese security forces fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse a protest against President Joseph Kabila organized by the Catholic church on Sunday, a local watchdog said. Seventeen other people were wounded, it said. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. At least six people were lightly wounded when they were struck with flying tear gas canisters, he said. Anger has been building against Kabila since he refused to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016, triggering street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa, and emboldening a plethora of armed rebel groups upcountry. This has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. "I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights," protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. Georges Kapiamba, president of Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ) put the initial toll at three dead and 17 seriously wounded. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The violence echoed that of New Year's Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists.. Under a deal mediated between the Catholic church and Kabila's opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed -- it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. The Roman Catholic Church has since emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila's efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. Kabila, who has been president his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. ||||| KINSHASA (Reuters) - At least three people were killed when Congolese security forces fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse a protest against President Joseph Kabila organized by the Catholic church on Sunday, a local watchdog said. Seventeen other people were wounded, it said. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. At least six people were lightly wounded when they were struck with flying tear gas canisters, he said. Anger has been building against Kabila since he refused to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016, triggering street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa, and emboldening a plethora of armed rebel groups upcountry. This has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. “I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. Georges Kapiamba, president of Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ) put the initial toll at three dead and 17 seriously wounded. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The violence echoed that of New Year’s Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists.. Under a deal mediated between the Catholic church and Kabila’s opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed -- it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. The Roman Catholic Church has since emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. Kabila, who has been president his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. ||||| KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese security forces shot dead at least six people and wounded dozens more as they fired tear gas to disperse a protest against President Joseph Kabila organized by the Catholic Church on Sunday, a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country said. Riot policemen fire teargas canisters to disperse demonstrators during a protest organised by Catholic activists in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo January 21, 2018. REUTERS/Kenny Katombe Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. It has also emboldened armed rebel groups in different parts of the country. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air on Sunday outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. Florence Marchal, spokeswoman for the U.N. mission (MONUSCO), also said 57 people were wounded and dozens of arrests had been made across the country. As well as Kinshasa, protests erupted in the central Congolese diamond-mining town of Mbuji-Mayi, in the eastern cities of Goma, Lubumbashi and several other places. A police spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The instability has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. “I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. “Kabila has done his two terms. He should leave now and give a chance to someone else”. “WE WILL USE FORCE” The chief of police for Kinshasa city, General Sylvano Kasongo Kitenge, had warned in a statement overnight that the protest was banned and that “no attempt to disturb public order will be tolerated anywhere in Kinshasa.” Kasongo, surrounded by several armed police, visited the road leading to Notre Dame where a protest was happening. “Mass is over, the priests should now go home, and everybody else should go home. If you refuse, we will use force and shoot tear gas, let that be very clear,” he told them. The violence echoed that of New Year’s Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists.. Under a deal mediated by the church between Kabila and his opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed — it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. Diplomats from the United States, British and Swiss embassies had all put out statements encouraging the Congolese to march to pressure Kabila to respect the deal. “We applaud Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation of the (agreement),” the U.S. and British embassies said in a joint statement. “Those who do not protect these rights must be held accountable.” Slideshow (7 Images) Congo’s influential Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. “I ask the authorities ... and all in this beloved country to put their best effort toward avoiding ... violence,” Pope Francis said of Congo’s crisis while in Peru on Sunday. Kabila, who has been president since his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. ||||| KINSHASA (Reuters) - Congolese security forces shot dead at least five people and fired tear gas to disperse a banned protest against President Joseph Kabila organized by the Catholic church on Sunday, a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the country said. Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. It has also emboldened armed rebel groups in different parts of the country. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air on Sunday outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. Florence Marchal, spokesman for the U.N. mission (MONUSCO), also said 33 people were wounded and that 49 arrests had been made across the country. As well as Kinshasa, protests erupted in the central Congolese diamond-mining town of Mbuji-Mayi. “We haven’t yet established the nature or cause of the injuries,” Marchal added. A police spokesman did not respond to a request for comment. The instability has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. “I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. “Kabila has done his two terms. He should leave now and give a chance to someone else”. The chief of police for Kinshasa city General Sylvano Kasongo Kitenge had warned in a statement overnight that the protest was banned and that “no attempt to disturb public order will be tolerated anywhere in Kinshasa.” Kasongo, surrounded by several armed police, visited the road leading to Notre Dame where a protest was happening, ordering everyone to go home, a Reuters witness saw. “Mass is over, the priests should now go home, and everybody else should go home. If you refuse, we will use force and shoot tear gas, let that be very clear,” he told them. The violence echoed that of New Year’s Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists.. Under a deal mediated between the church and Kabila’s opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed -- it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. Diplomats, including the United States, British and Swiss embassies had all put out statements encouraging the Congolese to march to pressure Kabila to respect the deal. “We applaud Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation of the [agreement],” the U.S. and British embassies said in a joint statement. “Those who do not protect these rights must be held accountable.” The Roman Catholic Church has emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. Kabila, who has been president his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. ||||| KINSHASA, Jan 21 (Reuters) - At least three people were killed when Congolese security forces fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse a protest against President Joseph Kabila organised by the Catholic church on Sunday, a local watchdog said. Seventeen other people were wounded, it said. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. At least six people were lightly wounded when they were struck with flying tear gas canisters, he said. Anger has been building against Kabila since he refused to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016, triggering street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa, and emboldening a plethora of armed rebel groups upcountry. This has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. "I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights," protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. Georges Kapiamba, president of Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ) put the initial toll at three dead and 17 seriously wounded. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The violence echoed that of New Year's Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists.. Under a deal mediated between the Catholic church and Kabila's opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed -- it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. The Roman Catholic Church has since emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila's efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. Kabila, who has been president his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. (Reporting by Amedee Mwarabu; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Matthew Mpoke Bigg) ||||| Demonstrators chant slogans during a protest against President Joseph Kabila, organized by the Catholic church in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo January 21, 2018. Photo: Reuters Paris - France on Monday blamed Congolese security forces for the shooting dead of at least six people and wounding of dozens during a protest against President Joseph Kabila organised by the Catholic Church. “France strongly condemns the violence perpetrated by the security forces during the demonstrations organised on Sunday,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. Kabila’s refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. It has also emboldened armed rebel groups in different parts of the country. In the statement, France called for the proportionate use of force in the maintenance of law and order. The instability has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. UN mission in the Congo said six people were killed during the protests, 73 wounded and 115 people arrested. Congolese police said that two people had been killed and a number of police officers wounded. There was a heavy police presence on the streets of the capital with security forces firing teargas at demonstrators after the protest was banned by the authorities and the government blocked access to the internet. The central African country’s powerful Catholic Church was instrumental in organising the protests and has been a voice of opposition to Kabila. Several people were also killed in New Year’s Eve protests organised by the church. Kabila has promised to hold elections in December. ||||| Centraal in ons cookiebeleid staat respect voor uw privacy. Via de link "Meer informatie" onderaan verneemt u welke cookies we gebruiken en kan u specifiek instellen voor welke doeleinden u cookies aanvaardt. Deze website maakt net zoals de meeste websites gebruik van cookies. 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Bijkomende informatie over de instellingen kan u vinden door op "Instellingen" te klikken. ||||| KINSHASA. – At least three people were killed when Congolese security forces fired teargas and live bullets to disperse a protest against President Joseph Kabila organised by the Catholic Church yesterday, a local watchdog said. Seventeen other people were wounded, it said. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitary troops fire volleys of teargas and shoot into the air outside the Notre Dame cathedral in the capital Kinshasa. At least six people were lightly wounded when they were struck with flying tear-gas canisters, he said. Anger has been building against President Kabila since he refused to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016, triggering street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa, and emboldening a plethora of armed rebel groups upcountry. This has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed thousands in the 1990s. “I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. Georges Kapiamba, president of Congolese Association for Access to Justice (ACAJ), put the initial toll at three dead and 17 seriously wounded. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The violence echoed that of New Year’s Eve, when Congolese forces killed at least seven people in the capital during a protest by Catholic activists. Under a deal mediated between the Catholic church and Kabila’s opponents, the president was to step down at the end of last year, paving the way for an election early this year. But he reneged on the deal and the poll has been repeatedly delayed – it is currently loosely scheduled for the end of 2018. The Roman Catholic Church has since emerged as a harness for opposition to Kabila’s efforts to stay in power with no mandate, while his political opposition remains feeble and fragmented. Kabila, who has been president since his father was killed in office in 2001, blames the electoral delays on the logistics of voter registration. In another development, the authorities in the DR Comgo allegedly blocked the Internet in Kinshasa and set up roadblocks throughout the city ahead of planned protests yesterday demanding that President Kabila leave power. Meanwhile, the head of the Muslim community in DRC has backed the church, urging the authorities to allow the march to take place despite no official permission being granted. “I ask the authorities to avoid repressing the march,” Cheikh Ali Mwinyi M’Kuu, legal representative of the Muslim community, told AFP on Saturday. “If they decide to repress, there will be no peace. But if they let the march take place, they will respect the constitution and peace will prevail.” The previous anti-Kabila march, on December 31, descended into a bloody crackdown after police and security forces opened fire on demonstrators. Protest organisers said 12 people were killed, while the United Nations reported at least five dead. The authorities said no deaths that day were linked to the demonstration. The country’s powerful Catholic Church, one of the few institutions to nationally enjoy broad credibility, condemned what it called “barbarism” and the UN and France sounded their concern over the death toll. The church has been joined by a group of eight intellectuals in calling for the march to be peaceful. The so-called “secular committee of coordination” has called on people to march after mass “with our peace branches, our Bibles, our rosaries, our crucifixes, to save the Congo”. Arrest warrants were issued against at least five members of the committee, a magistrate told AFP, prompting them to go into hiding. “We’re scared. I’m just like everyone else, I’m scared. I’m terrified for my children, who have been alone since December 28,” said Kandolo, a member of the group in Kinshasa. The committee has called for the release of political prisoners, to allow the return of exiled political opponents and, above all, a guarantee that Kabila will stand down and not seek a third term. President Kabila’s constitutional term in office expired in December 2016, but he stayed on — a move that stoked a bloody spiral of violence. Under an agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, he was allowed to stay in office provided new elections were held in 2017. The authorities later said organisational problems meant that the vote would be held on December 23, 2018 — a postponement that has angered Western nations, but one that they have reluctantly accepted. – Reuters/AFP ||||| At least five people have been killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the UN, as authorities cracked down on banned protests against President Joseph Kabila. Witnesses told news agencies that security forces on Sunday fired live rounds and tear gas in the capital, Kinshasa, to disperse demonstrators demanding an end to Kabila’s 17-year rule. The Catholic church had called for rallies around the country, despite a government ban on all demonstrations since September 2016, when anti-Kabila protests turned violent. MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission, said at least five people were killed on Sunday in Kinshasa and 33 others injured nationwide. Dozens of people were also reportedly arrested. “I marched today for a simple reason: I want to bring up my children in a country that respects human rights,” protester Pascal Kabeya, a 40-year-old market trader, told Reuters news agency where a few hundred had gathered in a suburb of Kinshasa. A 16-year-old girl died after shots were fired from an armoured vehicle at the entrance to a church in the Kitambo area of the capital, Jean-Baptise Sondji, a former minister and government opponent, told AFP news agency. A Reuters witness saw police and paramilitaries fire volleys of tear gas and shoot into the air outside the Notre Dame Cathedral in Kinshasa. At least six people were lightly wounded when they were struck by flying tear gas canisters, he told Reuters. The latest round of anti-government protests on December 31, 2017 turned deadly, with protest organisers saying a dozen people were killed after taking to the streets to demand that Kabila step down. “A lot of people are very frustrated with the political situation in the country and they’re looking more to the church for guidance and leadership,” Al Jazeera correspondent Catherine Soi said. In office since 2001, Kabila’s constitutional term ended in December 2016, but he stayed on. Under an agreement brokered by the Catholic Church, he was allowed to stay in office, provided new elections were held in 2017. “That did not happen, the deal has expired, that’s why the Catholic Church leadership is so angry,” Soi said. “[Catholic Church leadership are] saying they’re going to continue calling on their faithful to come out in peaceful protests, demanding for electoral justice, demanding for politicians to respect the constitution and also for president Joseph Kabila to peacefully step down.” DRC authorities have said a vote would be held on December 23, 2018. But analysts, as well as Kabila’s opponents, accuse him of wanting to stay in power. Michael Tshibangu, a UK-based political analyst and president of the Association for Development and Democracy in Congo, said in early January the swift and forceful repression of December’s protests showed “how determined [Kabila] is to stay in power. “Everything we’re seeing today shows that the DRC is going backwards. Kabila is in the process of establishing a dictatorship,” Tshibangu told Al Jazeera. The flare-up in violence has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich DRC could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. ||||| France on Monday blamed Congolese security forces for the shooting dead of at least six people and wounding of dozens during a protest against President Joseph Kabila organised by the Catholic Church. PARIS: France on Monday blamed Congolese security forces for the shooting dead of at least six people and wounding of dozens during a protest against President Joseph Kabila organised by the Catholic Church. "France strongly condemns the violence perpetrated by the security forces during the demonstrations organised on 21 January 2018," a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement. "It reiterates its call for respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, starting with the right to protest." Kabila's refusal to step down at the end of his mandate in December 2016 has triggered a series of street protests in which scores have been killed in Kinshasa. It has also emboldened armed rebel groups in different parts of the country. In the statement, France called for the proportionate use of force in the maintenance of law and order. The instability has stoked fears that the vast, mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo could slide back into the wars that killed millions in the 1990s, mostly from hunger and disease. | The Kabila government begins blocking internet access in the capital Kinshasa at midnight, after a Catholic lay group's call to march today, in defiance of a government ban on public demonstrations. A joint statement was released by the American and British embassies on Twitter the day prior, applauding "Congolese citizens exercising their constitutional right to assemble peacefully in support of the full implementation" of the Sylvester agreements of December 2016. The statement also said that those who do not protect these fundamental human rights must be held accountable "at the highest level". |
Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has vowed to form a new government despite what he described as "threats" from the central government in Madrid. Speaking at a debate on Catalonia at the University of Copenhagen, Mr Puigdemont said: "We will not surrender to authoritarianism despite Madrid's threats. "Soon we will form a new government. It’s time to end their oppression and find a political solution for Catalonia." Earlier, Spain's Supreme Court rejected the state prosecutor's demand to reactivate a European arrest warrant for Mr Puigdemont. Spanish prosecutors had sought to reactivate the warrant, as the former Catalan leader landed in Denmark for his first trip away from Belgium in three months of self-imposed exile. The decision to reactivate the arrest warrant was postponed until the Catalan parliament is restored to normal activity, the court said in a statement. Mr Puigdemont fled to Brussels in October after authorities in Madrid sacked him and accused him of sedition over an illegal referendum and a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain by the Catalan parliament. He is the top candidate to lead Catalonia again after regional elections last month gave separatist parties a majority. Shortly after his arrival in Copenhagen, Spain's state prosecution service said it had asked the Supreme Court to reactivate the warrant, on charges of sedition and rebellion, originally issued - and later lifted - after he fled to Belgium. After weeks of uneasy calm, the political crisis triggered by Catalonia's independence drive flared up again last week when the new regional parliament elected a separatist speaker at its first sitting. Speaker Roger Torrent announced this morning that he proposed Mr Puigdemont to be the Catalan president. Mr Puigdemont said on Friday he could be re-elected and govern remotely from Brussels, but the Spanish government said it would not let that happen. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption The ex-leader appeared at the University of Copenhagen on Monday A Spanish Supreme Court judge has accused Catalonia's former leader Carles Puigdemont of trying to provoke his own arrest by travelling abroad. Judge Pablo Llarena's comment came as he rejected a prosecutor's request to reissue a European arrest warrant. Mr Puigdemont is on a trip to Denmark from Belgium, where he fled in October. In Spain he is wanted for rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds, after leading an independence referendum that was ruled illegal. The charges carry a potential prison sentence of up to 30 years. A European arrest warrant for him and four deputies was dropped in December by the court, which said it could complicate Spain's own legal probe and control over the case. A request for it to be reissued was submitted on Monday by prosecutors, following news that Mr Puigdemont had left Belgium for the first known time since fleeing. Judge Llarena turned the request down, saying it was important to wait until "constitutional order" had returned to the region. He accused Mr Puigdemont of travelling to Denmark "to provoke his arrest abroad" as part of a wider strategy to legitimise his efforts to resume his position as Catalan president. The judge wrote that the move would "equip him with a justification that his absence is not a free decision as a fugitive, but the consequence of a situation that has been imposed on him". Ruling from abroad? The controversy came as Mr Puigdemont was nominated by the speaker of the Catalan parliament, Roger Torrent, to head the regional government on Monday. Mr Torrent said Mr Puigdemont's candidacy to lead was "absolutely legitimate" despite the charges against him. The Spanish government says he cannot govern from abroad. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated on Saturday it would be considered "illegal". But Mr Puigdemont's supporters say it would be possible with modern technology. His candidacy will be voted on by the end of the month. His party emerged as the largest of the three separatist groupings in Catalonia's regional election in December. Together the parties secured 70 out of the 135 seats. ||||| Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday said it will not reactivate an international warrant to arrest deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, after he flew to Denmark from Belgium, The Guardian reported. Puigdemont fled Spain after Catalonia declared independence on October 27. Soon after, the Spanish government dissolved the Catalan government, dismissed its leaders and initiated legal proceedings against them. Puigdemont faces charges for his role in supporting Catalonia’s movement for independence from Spain, and will be arrested if he returns to his country. At the time, the Supreme Court had issued an international arrest warrant against him, but withdrew it in December to avoid Belgium granting him asylum. On Sunday, the prosecution said it would ask the judge to reinstate the arrest warrant so that Danish authorities could arrest Puigdemont when he lands there, Reuters reported. The court, however, postponed the decision to reactivate the arrest warrant until the Catalan parliament is restored to normal activity, The Guardian reported, quoting a court statement. In December 2017, voters in Catalonia backed pro-independence parties in a snap election, dealing a major blow to the Spanish government. Spain wanted to quell the secessionist movement with this election. The Spanish government led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had called the election on October 30 after it rejected the Catalan declaration of independence. In the weeks leading to the elections, the entire region saw several pro-independence and pro-unity demonstrations. ||||| The Latest on fugitive Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont (all times local): A Spanish judge has rejected a petition from the country's prosecutor to ask Danish authorities to arrest ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. Puigdemont arrived Monday in Copenhagen from Brussels to speak at the University of Copenhagen. He was to meet Danish lawmakers on Tuesday. The trip is Puigdemont's first outside Belgium since he fled there to avoid a Spanish probe for his role in an illegal— and unsuccessful— secession bid for Catalonia in October. Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena says in his decision that Puigdemont wants to be arrested overseas so he can blame on Spain his absence from a meeting of the Catalan parliament later this month in which he is the candidate to be sworn in as the region's president. Spain's foreign minister says that "for the moment" ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is free to move in Europe outside of Spain, adding that his arrest was a matter for judges to decide. Puigdemont flew Monday to Copenhagen from Belgium, where he has been since fleeing a Spanish investigation into the Catalan parliament's secession declaration last year. Spain's prosecutors promptly asked a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest but the judge has yet to decide. Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said in Brussels that "Mr. Puigdemont is subject to a process in Spain. Outside, for the moment, his movements are free within the European Union, but we'll see." Spanish courts initially sought Puigdemont's extradition from Belgium but canceled that petition amid concerns that Belgium might send him back but restrict the crimes with which he could be charged. The speaker of Catalonia's parliament has proposed former regional leader Carles Puigdemont as candidate to form a government, despite his status as a fugitive from Spanish justice. Puigdemont arrived in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Monday to talk at a university there and meet Danish lawmakers. It is his first trip outside of Belgium since he left Spain dodging a judicial investigation into an illegal — and unsuccessful — independence declaration in late October. Spain's state prosecutor is seeking his arrest in Denmark. A Spanish judge is yet to rule on the European warrant. Catalan Parliament Speaker Roger Torrent says that Puigdemont is the only candidate with enough backing to attempt a government following regional elections last month. Torrent says he has written asking Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to meet and talk about the "abnormal situation" in Catalonia. Spain's state prosecutor has set in motion the process to arrest Catalonia's former leader in Denmark, where he has arrived to attend a debate. Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is scheduled to speak Monday at the University of Copenhagen and meet Danish lawmakers on Tuesday. The trip is Puigdemont's first outside Belgium since he fled there to avoid a Spanish probe for his role in an illegal— and unsuccessful— secession bid for Catalonia in October. The prosecutor's office says it has asked the Supreme Court to approve a European warrant for his arrest. It's unclear if Judge Pablo Llarena will grant it. In December, Llarena withdrew a similar order, concerned that Brussels would send Puigdemont back to Spain but restrict the crimes with which he could be charged. The fugitive former leader of Catalonia has arrived in Denmark, despite threats from Spain to seek his immediate arrest there. On Sunday, Spain's state prosecutor's office said it will reissue a European arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont if he travels from Belgium to Denmark. Spain issued a warrant for Puigdemont's arrest in November, but withdrew it after a month amid fears that Brussels would send him back but restrict the crimes he could be tried for. Puigdemont is being investigated by Spain over a unilateral declaration of independence by Catalonia's parliament on Oct. 27. He is slated to take part in a debate at the University of Copenhagen Monday, and Tuesday he has been invited to the Danish Parliament by a Faeroese lawmaker, but leading members of the government and opposition have declined to meet him. ||||| A European arrest warrant will be reissued for the fugitive former leader of Catalonia if he leaves Belgium and enters Denmark as planned, Spain’s state prosecutor’s office said. The region’s ex-president Carles Puigdemont is scheduled to attend a debate at the University of Copenhagen on Monday. The trip would be Mr Puigdemont’s first outside Belgium since he fled there to avoid a court summons in Spain for his role in a failed secession bid led by his government in October. The state prosecutor said that if Mr Puigdemont enters Denmark as planned it will "immediately request" the Spain Supreme Court to issue a European warrant for his arrest by Danish authorities. Spain issued a European warrant for Mr Puigdemont’s arrest in November, but withdrew it after a month. ||||| Spanish Supreme Court Judge Pablo Llarena on Monday rejected a request by the Spanish state prosecutor’s office for a European arrest warrant for exiled former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont. Puigdemont travelled from Belgium to Denmark on Monday to attend a conference at a university, Xinhua news agency reported. Llanera argued that Puigdemont’s visit to Denmark was a strategy for the former Catalan leader to be arrested in order to “force a context in which he would be able to delegate his vote as if he was in the same situation as those who are currently at the disposition of this court and who have been provisionally denied their liberty.” This is a reference to Puigdemont’s former deputy Oriol Junqueras and the representatives in the Catalan regional assembly, Joaquim Form and Jordi Sanchez, who have been able to delegate their vote in the assembly elected on December 21, even though they are in prison facing charges of rebellion, sedition; while Junqueras faces trial for the misuse of public funds. Llanera argued that Puigdemont’s trip had “no other aim other than to provoke his arrest” to allow him to participate in the forthcoming investiture debate. Puigdemont has been in exile in Belgium since the start of November after leaving Spain in the wake of the Catalan independence referendum and unilateral declaration of independence. The Supreme Court had previously issued a European arrest warrant when he originally travelled to Belgium only to withdraw it because Belgium does not have a crime which is the exact equivalent of rebellion. ||||| COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Spain’s prosecutors Monday asked the country’s Supreme Court to issue a European arrest and extradition order against Catalonia’s fugitive former leader after he arrived in Denmark. Carles Puigdemont flew to Copenhagen from Belgium, where he has been since fleeing a Spanish investigation after the Catalan parliament’s secession declaration on Oct. 27. He is due to attend a university debate in Copenhagen later Monday. He was immediately surrounded by media, but he made no comment before he got into a car that drove him away to an undisclosed location. His trip also came as Catalonia’s parliamentary speaker proposed him as a candidate to form a government despite his status as a fugitive. It remains to be seen whether Spanish Judge Pablo Llarena will issue the European warrant and ask Danish authorities to arrest him. Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said the matter was for judges to decide. “Mr. Puigdemont is subject to a process in Spain. Outside, for the moment, his movements are free within the European Union, but we’ll see,” Dastis said in Brussels. The push by the Catalan government, while Puigdemont was regional president, triggered Spain’s most serious political crisis in decades. Spain ousted Puigdemont’s Cabinet, dissolved the regional parliament and called the December regional elections as part of special powers invoked following the independence declaration. He and his 13 former Cabinet members face possible charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement, which carry jail sentences of up to 30 years under Spanish law. Despite Puigdemont’s legal situation, Catalan parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent said Monday that the former president was the only candidate with enough backing to attempt a new government following the regional election last month. Torrent said that he has written to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to request a meeting to talk about the “abnormal situation” in Catalonia. Puigdemont faces immediate arrest if he returns to Spain and, if he remains abroad, central authorities in Madrid say they will block any attempt he might make to be Catalonia’s president in absentia. Rajoy has even threatened to maintain special constitutional powers to keep direct control of the region, a move that his government sought after the Oct. 27 unilateral independence declaration by a slim majority of Catalan separatist lawmakers. Puigdemont was slated to take part in a debate at the University of Copenhagen on Monday. On Tuesday, he has been invited to the Danish Parliament by a Faeroese lawmaker, although leading members of the government and opposition have declined to meet with him. Spanish courts initially sought Puigdemont’s extradition from Belgium but canceled that petition amid concerns that Belgium might send him back but restrict the crimes with which he could be charged. The judge might not re-issue the arrest order for the same reasons. Associated Press writers Aritz Parra and Ciaran Giles contributed to this report from Madrid. ||||| Spanish prosecutors have asked the country’s supreme court to reactivate the international arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont after the deposed Catalan president flew to Denmark from Belgium. He has been living in Brussels for the past three months following the regional parliament’s unilateral declaration of independence. Puigdemont, who fled to Brussels at the end of October after being sacked by the Spanish government, is facing possible charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds over his role in the push to split from Spain. He faces arrest the moment he sets foot on Spanish soil. Early on Monday morning, the ousted leader flew to Copenhagen to take part in a conference on Catalonia. Spanish prosecutors had warned they would seek to renew the international arrest warrant that a judge had dropped in December because of a discrepancy between Belgian and Spanish law that would limit the charges under which Puigdemont could be extradited and therefore be charged with on his return. Puigdemont is trying to return as Catalonia’s president after December’s snap election, in which pro-independence parties retained their majority in the regional parliament. He hopes to be sworn in via videolink or by using one of his MPs to read his candidate speech when the regional parliament begins a debate to choose its new leader at the end of January. However, the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has said Puigdemont must attend the investiture debates in person. “It’s absurd that someone may intend to be a candidate to be the head of the regional government while being in Brussels and running away from justice,” Rajoy said last week. “This is no longer just a judicial and political problem. This a problem of pure common sense.” The Spanish government assumed control of Catalonia on 27 October after Puigdemont’s government held an illegal referendum and the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence, plunging Spain into its worst political crisis since its return to democracy four decades ago. ||||| The Latest on fugitive Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont (all times local): Spain's state prosecutor has set in motion the process to arrest Catalonia's former leader in Denmark, where he has arrived to attend a debate. Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is scheduled to speak Monday at the University of Copenhagen and meet Danish lawmakers on Tuesday. The trip is Puigdemont's first outside Belgium since he fled there to avoid a Spanish probe for his role in an illegal— and unsuccessful— secession bid for Catalonia in October. The prosecutor's office says it has asked the Supreme Court to approve a European warrant for his arrest. It's unclear if Judge Pablo Llarena will grant it. In December, Llarena withdrew a similar order, concerned that Brussels would send Puigdemont back to Spain but restrict the crimes with which he could be charged. The fugitive former leader of Catalonia has arrived in Denmark, despite threats from Spain to seek his immediate arrest there. On Sunday, Spain's state prosecutor's office said it will reissue a European arrest warrant for Carles Puigdemont if he travels from Belgium to Denmark. Spain issued a warrant for Puigdemont's arrest in November, but withdrew it after a month amid fears that Brussels would send him back but restrict the crimes he could be tried for. Puigdemont is being investigated by Spain over a unilateral declaration of independence by Catalonia's parliament on Oct. 27. He is slated to take part in a debate at the University of Copenhagen Monday, and Tuesday he has been invited to the Danish Parliament by a Faeroese lawmaker, but leading members of the government and opposition have declined to meet him. ||||| The region’s ex-president Carles Puigdemont is scheduled to attend a debate at the University of Copenhagen on Monday. The trip would be Mr Puigdemont’s first outside Belgium since he fled there to avoid a court summons in Spain for his role in a failed secession bid led by his government in October. The state prosecutor said that if Mr Puigdemont enters Denmark as planned it will “immediately request” the Spain Supreme Court to issue a European warrant for his arrest by Danish authorities. | Carles Puigdemont, ex-President of Catalonia, travels to Denmark while Spanish Attorney General requests the European Arrest Warrant. The Speaker of the Catalan Parliament appoints Puigdemont to be invested as President. Spain's Supreme Court refuses to reactivate the arrest warrant. |
US Senate set to vote on plan to reopen federal government Washington DC, Jan 21 (EFE).- The leader of the Republican majority in the United States Senate announced Sunday that the chamber would vote at noon Monday on a bill to fund the government, which remained partially closed during the weekend, after the federal budget was not approved on Jan. 19. The senators will vote on a bill to keep the Administration open until Feb. 8, Senator Mitch McConnell said. The proposal would give Republicans and Democrats more time to negotiate the final budget for the 2018 fiscal year, although it is not clear that the 60 votes needed to approve that bill are guaranteed. After McConnell’s announcement, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned they still have to reach an agreement on the way forward that is acceptable to both parties. Before the plenary session of the Senate, McConnell tried to convince the Democratic opposition to support the bill by promising to push the debate on legislation to provide a solution to undocumented young immigrants who came to the US as children known as “dreamers”, if no agreement is reached before Feb. 8. The Obama-era protection plan, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), protecting these young people from deportation will be phased out by Mar. 5, 2018. Some 800,000, deemed “non-essential”, out of a total of 3.5 million public employees are affected by the partial government shutdown and will be furloughed until Congress reaches a budget agreement. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the budget battle (all times local): 8:55 p.m. The White House says President Donald Trump has signed a bill reopening the government, ending a 69-hour display of partisan dysfunction after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations. The shutdown took effect Saturday on the one-year anniversary of the president’s inauguration, but the White House maintains that Trump came out the winner in the GOP’s standoff with Democrats. The White House argues Democrats “caved” after Trump refused to negotiate with them on immigration policy until the government reopened. Democrats had been holding out for a firmer commitment to provide protections for some 700,000 younger immigrants brought illegally to the U.S. as children. __ 6:30 p.m. Prominent immigrant advocacy groups are skewering Democratic senators for relenting in a fight that linked immigration changes to continued government funding. The youth group United We Dream says Senate Democrats who supported a deal to keep the government running through Feb. 8 are “enablers” of President Donald Trump’s agenda. The Los Angeles-based Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights says Democrats “need to grow some courage.” The American Civil Liberties Union says Republicans and Democrats “betrayed our American values and allowed bigotry and fear to prevail.” America’s Voice executive director Frank Sharry says he was moved to tears of disappointment that Democrats “blinked.” __ 6:15 p.m. Congress has approved a bipartisan agreement to re-open the federal government after a three-day partial shutdown. The House approved the bill, 266-150, hours after the Senate backed it, 81-18. President Donald Trump is expected to quickly sign the measure to fund government operations through Feb. 8. The votes set the stage for hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return Tuesday, cutting short what could have become a messy and costly impasse. Senate Democrats reluctantly voted in favor of the bill, relenting in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant “dreamers” and other contentious issues. Democrats from states won by Trump in 2016 broke with progressives looking to satisfy liberals’ and immigrants’ demands. __ 4:55 p.m. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana has voted against a bipartisan agreement to re-open the federal government after a three-day shutdown. He was the only “no” vote Monday among 10 incumbent Democrats facing re-election this year in states won by President Donald Trump in 2016. Tester says the budget deal did not include funding for community health centers important to his rural state, nor did it add resources for border security. Tester says that while pundits have focused on immigration, “this was always about Montana for me and I just won’t allow Washington to keep failing our state.” The National Republican Senatorial Committee is blasting Tester for “engaging in political games with vital government funding” and says the two-term senator voted alongside the Senate’s most liberal Democrats. __ 4:30 p.m. The Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation that will end the federal shutdown, almost certainly in time for the government to reopen Tuesday. The 81-18 vote came hours after Democrats abandoned their opposition to the measure. They’d been using the shutdown in hopes of pressuring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to cut a deal on immigration. But many moderates from both parties were pushing party leaders to reopen federal agencies. Democrats backed the bill after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he’d try reaching a compromise on immigration and the budget early next month. McConnell said if there was still no immigration agreement by Feb. 8, he’d immediately begin debate on the issue. The bill will finance government through Feb. 8. House passage was expected later Monday. __ 4:25 p.m. The Senate has approved legislation to make sure federal workers get paid for the three-day government shutdown. The unanimous voice vote sends the measure to the House, where approval is expected. Under the law, workers aren’t paid when there’s a lapse in funding for the government — even if they’re deemed essential and have to show up to work. Monday’s measure would fix that and make sure every federal worker would be paid during the shutdown that began Saturday. The measure would also add retroactive pay language to a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government that passed the Senate Monday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the legislation as soon as he receives it. __ 4:20 p.m. President Donald Trump is meeting with a pair of moderate Democratic senators at the White House Monday afternoon to discuss immigration. Press secretary Sarah Sanders says West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin and Alabama Sen. Doug Jones are meeting with the president to discuss the legislative path forward after the three-day government shutdown is ended. The red-state lawmakers both broke with the majority of their party Friday on a vote to keep the government open. But enough Democrats withheld their support from the measure in an effort to force progress on legislation to address immigration policy. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pledging to bring up immigration legislation next month if agreement isn’t reached by Feb. 8. __ 3:25 p.m. The No. 2 Senate Republican says President Donald Trump is eager to involve himself in the immigration debate and “reach a solution.” Texas Sen. John Cornyn says he and five other GOP senators met Monday with Trump at the White House soon after Democrats halted their blockade against a bill ending the government shutdown. Cornyn says they discussed how to address immigration issues “in creative ways.” Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, David Perdue of Georgia, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and James Lankford of Oklahoma also met with Trump. Several of them are among the harder-line Republicans on immigration. Democrats let the bill ending the shutdown advance after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he intended to reach a bipartisan deal on immigration and budget issues. ___ 2:30 p.m. President Donald Trump says he is pleased that congressional Democrats “have come to their senses” and abandoned their filibuster that shut down the federal government. Trump says his administration will make a long-term immigration deal “if and only if it’s good for our country.” Trump issued a statement Monday afternoon after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the federal government shutdown. It was read by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a press briefing. Trump said he was glad the government will be funded. He continued: “Once the government is funded, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration.” He added: “We will make a long term deal on immigration if and only if it’s good for our country.” __ 1:55 p.m. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine says Monday is “a day to celebrate” after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the government shutdown. The Republican says the group shared a common determination to keep the government running while doing something about “Dreamers” who were brought to the country as children and are now here illegally. Collins says a group of 17 senators grew to a quarter of the Senate over the weekend. Several Democrats who were part of that group dropped their objections Monday after Majority Leader Mitch McConnell made a final offer to try to reach bipartisan solutions on immigration and other issues by early February. ___ 1:30 p.m. Vice President Mike Pence is praising a Senate agreement to reopen the federal government. Pence says before a dinner in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (neh-ten-YAH’-hoo) that the shutdown is ending “thanks to the firm stand taken by President Trump” and congressional Republicans. Pence says Americans know a “minority” in the Senate chose to shut down the government. He said, “But the Schumer shutdown failed.” He was referring to Senate Demoratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Pence was joined by Netanyahu for statements at the prime minister’s residence before dinner with their spouses. __ 12:55 p.m. It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending. Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8. The Senate vote was 81-18 — well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House. __ 12:35 p.m. Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date. McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.” The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later. __ 12:10 p.m. Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote. Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown. Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.” Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan. __ 10:35 a.m. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he hopes and intends to resolve immigration and a host of other issues by early February in an effort to come to bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government. Senate Democrats blocked a House-passed temporary funding bill to reopen the government through Feb. 16. A pending Senate measure would last through Feb. 8. Opening the Senate Monday, McConnell said that if they could not find bipartisan solutions on immigration, military spending, disaster aid and other issues by the Feb. 8 deadline then he would hold a vote on those matters. Top Democrat Chuck Schumer did not appear on the floor to respond. Several members of both parties met Monday morning to try and resolve the shutdown mess. __ 10:25 a.m. White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney is defending President Donald Trump’s lack of outreach to Democratic lawmakers during the government shutdown. Mulvaney discussed the shutdown on MSNBC Monday morning. Trump did not speak with any Democratic senators over the weekend. Asked why, Mulvaney said Trump spoke with Democrats before the shutdown and will speak to them when it is over. But he says: “we are not going to negotiate immigration in the middle of the shutdown.” __ 9:05 a.m. House Speaker Paul Ryan says if the Senate approves a temporary spending bill to reopen the government through Feb. 8, the House will approve it, too. Senate Democrats had blocked a stopgap measure passed by the House to keep the federal bureaucracy operating through Feb. 16. But speaking on “Fox and Friends,” Ryan says the new date works for the House. The Wisconsin Republican also says negotiations on an immigration deal are taking place in good faith. Democrats want to protect young immigrants in the country illegally and are skeptical of Republican pledges to bring up free-standing immigration legislation next month. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut says on MSNBC he has “zero confidence” that Ryan will bring legislation to shield the roughly 700,000 immigrants known as “Dreamers.” ___ 8:35 a.m. President Donald Trump is accusing Democrats of prioritizing services and security for noncitizens over U.S. citizens. He says in a tweet Monday: “Not good!” Some government functions shut down over the weekend. Democrats are rejecting a funding bill until Republicans agree to protect 700,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children. The Republican president says in a second tweet Monday that “Democrats have shut down our government in the interests of their far left base. They don’t want to do it but are powerless!” Trump’s earlier tweet appeared to undercut comments by his legislative affairs director, Marc Short, who told CNN that the immigrants in question are law-abiding and “productive to our society.” Short says the administration wants to “find a pathway for them” to stay in the U.S. ___ 7:55 a.m. CIA Director Mike Pompeo says the government shutdown won’t affect the spy agency’s operations. He tells “CBS This Morning” in an interview Monday: “We’re going to continue crushing our adversaries whether the government’s open or closed.” A dispute in Congress over spending and immigration forced scores of federal government agencies and outposts to close their doors early Saturday. But many government functions, particularly those involving national security, are considered essential and won’t be affected. Pompeo also says he doesn’t agree that the stalemate on Capitol Hill that led to the shutdown is a signal of dysfunction in Washington. He says, “The American people are having complicated discussions about their priorities.” He says that’s entirely appropriate in a democracy. ___ 1:45 a.m. The government shutdown is set to complicate the beginning of the workweek. Over the weekend, the Senate inched closer but ultimately fell short of an agreement that would have reopened federal agencies. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations were still underway late into Sunday night, with a vote to break a Democratic filibuster on a short-term funding bill scheduled for noon Monday. Under the proposal taking shape, Democratic would agree to a three-week spending measure — until Feb. 8 — in return for a commitment from the Republican leadership in the Senate to address immigration policy and other pressing legislative matters in the coming weeks. But there is no agreement yet. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the budget battle (all times local): It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending. Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8. The Senate vote was 81-18 – well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House. Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date. McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.” The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later. Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote. Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown. Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.” Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan. This is a developing story, please check back for updates. ||||| It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. After the vote, President Trump said that he was pleased that congressional Democrats "have come to their senses" and abandoned their filibuster that shut down the federal government. Trump says his administration will make a long-term immigration deal "if and only if it's good for our country." Trump issued a statement Monday afternoon after roughly 25 senators from both parties helped negotiate an end to the federal government shutdown. It was read by spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders at a press briefing. Trump said he was glad the government will be funded. He continued: "Once the government is funded, my administration will work toward solving the problem of very unfair illegal immigration." He added: "We will make a long term deal on immigration if and only if it's good for our country." Vice President Mike Pence praised the Senate agreement while in Israel. Pence says before a dinner in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the shutdown is ending "thanks to the firm stand taken by President Trump" and congressional Republicans. Pence says Americans know a "minority" in the Senate chose to shut down the government. He said, "But the Schumer shutdown failed." Pence was joined by Netanyahu for statements at the prime minister's residence before dinner with their spouses. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending. Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8. The Senate vote was 81-18 - well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House. U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) released this following statement after the Senate voted to pass the continuing resolution: “President Trump created a manufactured crisis when he ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Now, thousands are losing their jobs, their status, and their livelihoods. President Trump and Senator McConnell, when faced with the decision to bring up a long-term, bipartisan budget to address issues like providing health care for low income kids, funding our military, putting Dreamers on a pathway to citizenship and addressing the growing opioid epidemic, chose to hold Americans hostage and shutdown the government. Pitting Americans against one another is no way to govern. Senator McConnell has consistently proven that his word cannot be counted on. Dreamers cannot wait. Now, it’s more important than ever to keep pressure on Leader McConnell to pass the Dream Act. We must fight like hell to make sure that Senator McConnell keeps his promise.” “It’s about time that Democrats came to their senses and made the decision to end their political games that led to the Schumer Shutdown. Their filibuster of legislation that would open the government, pay our troops, and fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was reckless and an example of Washington dysfunction at its worst. Because of their political posturing, Democrats sacrificed our national security, paying our troops, and care for this country’s most vulnerable children. It was particularly disappointing that for days, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on a piece of legislation that not only would have avoided a government shutdown and pay our troops, but contained many priorities – like CHIP and delaying the Cadillac tax – that they actually support. In fact, the legislation passed today is the same bill that was initially proposed last week with the exception of moving up the next deadline by eight days." ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) – The Latest on the budget battle (all times local): It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept the government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending. Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening the government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8. The Senate vote was 81-18 – well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House. Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through Feb. 8. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date. McConnell says the end to the standoff shows “the American people didn’t understand” why Democrats shut down the government because they wanted to help “illegal immigrants.” The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later. Democrats are aligning behind a plan to reopen the federal government as the Senate heads toward a key vote. Several Democratic senators predict a proposal to fund the government until Feb. 8 will move forward, overcoming a Democratic filibuster. That would clear the way for an end to the three-day shutdown. Democrats appear to have jumped on board after two days of negotiations that ended with new reassurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that the Senate will consider immigration proposals in the coming weeks. Sen. Amy Klobuchar said Monday morning she believed Democrats and Republicans now have “a path forward.” Florida Democrat Bill Nelson is predicting a resounding yes from Democrats on the plan. ||||| The hard details are as-yet still hearsay, but the Senate just voted to end the filibuster on the continuing resolution sent over by the House last week and reopen the government for another 17 days. If Trump signs it, of course. We don't really know whether he will or not. This bill would extend CHIP for six years, taking that bargaining tool out of Republicans' hands. Still, it's a bitter pill, given that we're in this dysfunctional loop of having Dems enable Republicans on the basis of weak and empty promises from the likes of Mitch McConnell. Here is Chuck Schumer's floor speech explaining what will happen next. TL:DR: 15-day CR, CHIP extension, if no DACA resolution by 2/15 a vote triggered on clean DREAM Act. Thank you, Mr. President. Now, today, we drink seltzer. Today we enter the third day of the Trump shutdown. The first ever real shutdown to occur when one party controls the entire legislative process. The Republican party controls the House, the Senate, the Presidency, and yet they were unable to keep the government open for the American people. Leader McConnell knows it takes 60 votes to win passage of a spending bill, and yet he moved forward with a last-minute extension that he knew lacked the votes. Both Democrats and Republicans voted against that bill. The reason the Republican majority had such difficulty finding consensus is they could never get a firm grip on what the President of their party wanted to do. These days you never know who to deal with when it comes to the Republicans. The Republican leaders told me to work out a deal with the White House. The White House said work it out with Republican leaders on the Hill. Separately, President Trump turned away from not one, but two, bipartisan compromises. Each would have averted this shutdown. Each would have led to a deal on the budget and health care and disaster aid and things like opioids and veterans and pensions and on immigration. My recent offer to the president was a generous one. I put campaign issue on the table in exchange for DACA, and still he turned away. President Trump's unwillingness to compromise caused the Trump shutdown and brought us to this moment. The facts are well known. Now I wish to update the Senate on where things stand after this weekend. Since our meeting in the Oval office on Friday, the president and I have not spoken. And the White House refused to engage in negotiations over the weekend. The great deal-making president sat on the sidelines. Despite and because of this frustration, I've been having conversations with the Republican leader over the weekend about a path forward. After several discussions, offers, counteroffers, the Republican leader and I have come to an arrangement. We will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating a global agreement with the commitment that if an agreement isn't reached by February the 8th, the senate will immediately proceed to consideration of legislation dealing with DACA. The process will be neutral and fair to all sides. We expect that a bipartisan bill on DACA will receive fair consideration and an up or down vote on the floor. Now, it's a shame, Mr. President, that the American people and the Senate have had to endure such hand-wringing, finger-pointing stridency to reach a guarantee that we will likely address this urgent issue. It is something the majority could have avoided entirely, a concern the president could have obviates if he were only willing to answer. While this procedure will not satisfy everyone on both sides, it's a way forward. I'm confident that we can get the 60 votes in the senate for a DACA bill. And now there is a real pathway to get a bill on the floor and through the Senate. It is a good solution, and I will vote for it. I'm incredibly grateful to the bipartisan group that has come together in recent days to renew the immigration debate with a sense of urgency. There you are. I believe that this group has the potential to return the senate to the kind of place it should be on the issue of immigration, a place for bipartisanship, a place for action, a place for achievement. The bipartisan group, in a very fine way, filled the glaring absence of the president in these talks. I expect the majority leader to fulfill his commitment to the Senate, to me and to the bipartisan group and abide by this agreement. If he does not, of course, and I expect he will, he will have breached the trust of not only the Democratic Senators but members of his own party as well. Through these complicated and lengthy negotiations, Democrats have always sought to be reasonable, to act in good faith and get something real done. Despite all of our entreaties, the president was obstinate. The Senate has muddled along too long from our most impressive challenges until the last moment. That ends today. The Republican majority now has 17 days to prevent the Dreamers from being deported. Mr. President, we have a way to address the fate of the Dreamers. Starting right now, instead of waiting until March, with the minority and the moderate middle empowered to bring a bill to the floor instead of being held by the most strident, anti-immigration voices in the Republican caucus. And we, on our side of the aisle, will continue to fight as strongly as we can for the Dreamers in the weeks ahead. I say to all Americans, urge your senators to vote yes on the bipartisan compromise when it comes forward. Write, tweet, e-mail, phone, visit, do everything you can so we can finally pass this bill. In a few hours, the government will reopen. We have a lot to do. The issue of the Dreamers demands resolution. A budget must be written. Health care has to be addressed. Relief provided to disaster-stricken parts of our country. Pensions and opioids, veterans, childcare. All have to be taken care of. The Trump shutdown will soon end. But the work must go on. And it will. Thank you and I yield the floor. ||||| It looks like the government shutdown will end soon. The Senate has advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending. Moderates from both parties pressured leaders to end the shutdown and compromise. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats agreed to back the bill reopening government after he and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell agreed to begin debating an immigration bill by Feb. 8. The Senate vote was 81-18 - well above the 60 votes needed. The Senate still must vote on final passage to send the bill to the House. ||||| Senate leaders have reached an agreement to reopen the government. Democrats have yielded and ended their delaying tactics against a bill financing federal agencies through February 8. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in exchange, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has agreed to begin debating immigration by that date. The Senate has started a vote to advance the bill reopening the government. It is expected to pass easily, and House approval is expected later. ||||| The Senate overwhelmingly advanced a three-week spending bill Monday afternoon that would reopen the government. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said ahead of the vote that he had reached a deal with Republican leaders and that Democrats would vote in favor of the bill. Senators voted 81-18 to end debate and move to a vote on final passage. If it's approved, the House will have to vote on the proposal. Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, signaled Sunday that the House would pass the bill. Schumer said ahead of the procedural vote at noon that "we will vote today to reopen the government to continue negotiating" a global agreement with the commitment from GOP leaders that if there isn't a deal by the Feb. 8 deadline, the Senate will immediately proceed to legislation dealing with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Schumer said it will be "neutral and fair to all sides" that will get an up or down vote on the floor. The government shutdown has remained in effect Monday, after senators failed to come to an agreement to end it late Sunday night. Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell attempted to schedule a vote Sunday night that would end the shutdown, but Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer objected. McConnell had promised that if by Feb. 8, there is no agreement on immigration, the Senate would address DACA and border security, as well as increased defense spending. "Let's step back from the brink" and stop victimizing the American people and get back to work, McConnell argued. House and Senate lawmakers met throughout the day Sunday to end the government shutdown as the impasse continued into the second day, with both chambers hoping to strike a deal on spending and immigration that would reopen federal agencies ahead of the work week. Sunday morning, the fragile outlines of a potential deal seemed to be taking shape. On CBS News' "Face the Nation," House Speaker Paul Ryan said the lower chamber has agreed to accept a short-term deal that would fund the government through Feb. 8 if the Senate is able to pass such a bill. On Saturday, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina suggested the bill that would fund the government in exchange for a commitment to move onto immigration after Feb. 8. "After extensive discussions with Senators, on both sides of the aisle, I believe such a proposal would pass if it was understood that after February 8, the Senate would move to an immigration debate with an open amendment process if no agreement has been reached with the White House and House of Representatives," Graham said in a statement Saturday afternoon. On Saturday, Republicans and Democrats failed to reach an agreement as federal agencies began implementing shutdown procedures. McConnell told reporters that lawmakers would be "right back at it" for "as long as it takes." "We will keep at this until Democrats end their extraordinary filibuster of government funding and children's healthcare, and allow a bipartisan majority of Senators to reopen the federal government for all Americans and get Congress back on track," McConnell said Saturday on the Senate floor. Senate Democrats say they will not support a funding resolution that does not include protections for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children under the DACA program and spending for disaster relief. ||||| A bipartisan group of negotiators has reached across the aisle to finalise an agreement to reopen the US federal government almost 60 hours after it first shut down. On Monday afternoon, the Senate passed a short-term spending bill after voting to end debates by a vote of 81-18, with the measure sent to the President for his signature shortly thereafter, laying the groundwork for the government's reopening by Monday evening. The bill was set to fund the government until 8 February and ... | The United States Senate reaches an agreement to reopen federal agencies through to February 8. A bill is working its way through the legislative process. The first Senate vote was 81–18. |
||||| ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck off Alaska's Kodiak Island early Tuesday, prompting a tsunami warning for a large swath of the state's coast and Canada's British Columbia, and watches for the rest of the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii. Officials at the National Tsunami Center canceled the warning after a few tense hours after waves failed to show up in coastal Alaska communities. The strong earthquake hit at 12:30 a.m. and was recorded about 170 miles southeast of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. Kodiak Island is located about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, which was not under a tsunami threat. Reports varied about how long the shaking lasted. In the popular cruise ship town of Seward, about 230 miles northeast of Kodiak Island, fire chief Eddie Athey said the quake felt like a gentle rattle and lasted for up to 90 seconds. There were no immediate reports of damage, not even on Kodiak Island, the closest land to the epicenter of the quake. Initially, the USGS said the earthquake was a magnitude 8.2. That prompted the tsunami warning for coastal Alaska and Canada's British Columbia, while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. Tsunami alerts in Alaska and West Coast lifted A tsunami warning for the southern coastline of Alaska -- from the Aleutian Islands to Southeast Alaska -- was downgraded to a tsunami advisory for the coastline east of Seward to Chignik Bay. It was later canceled, CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA-TV reported. Elsewhere in the United States, Washington state, Oregon, California and Hawaii were under tsunami watches, which eventually were lifted. Officials in Japan say there was no tsunami threat there. For Alaskans accustomed not only to tsunami threats but also to regular drills, the early morning alert that made cellphone alarms go off still created some fretful moments. The phone message read: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland." Keith Perkins got the phone alert and later heard sirens going off in his southeast Alaska hometown of Sitka. He said people on Facebook were talking about whether the threat was real and what they should do. Given the magnitude of the earthquake, Perkins said, he thought it best to head to the high school, a tsunami evacuation point, even though in the past he felt his home was at a "high-enough spot." "I figured I'd probably just better play it safe," he said. Vehicles are seen evacuating Kodiak, Alaska, in wake of tsunami warning issued after powerful earthquake 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island early on Jan. 23, 2018 @Jupiter00000 People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage. Reports varied about how long the quake's shaking lasted, depending on location. In the popular cruise ship town of Seward, about 110 miles south of Anchorage, Fire Chief Eddie Athey said the quake felt like a gentle rattle that lasted for up to 90 seconds. "It went on long enough that you start thinking to yourself, 'Boy, I hope this stops soon because it's just getting worse,'" Athey said. The earthquake woke Kodiak Police Lt. Tim Putney from a dead sleep. He said it shook for at least 30 seconds but admits his estimate might be skewed by sleeping through some of it. "I've been in Kodiak for 19 years that was the strongest, longest-lasting one I've ever felt," he said by telephone. John Bellini, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center, said there had been more than two dozen aftershocks as of about 6:30 a.m. The biggest aftershock had a magnitude of 5.3. The earthquake was initially reported as magnitude 8.2, but Bellini said as more data comes in, better calculations can be made. Earthquake waves take time to spread. Kodiak was projected to get the first tsunami wave, and officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. Some people sought refuge in schools. The wave never materialized there or in other coastal communities like Homer and Seward, and the warning was soon canceled. Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, said schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school. He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for updates. He said sirens go off in the community every week as a test to make sure they are working. In Seward, at the southern end of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, residents retreated to higher ground or left on the only road out of the city, the fire chief said. He described it as a controlled evacuation and compared it to people driving home from a holiday fireworks show. Officials later tweeted: "National Tsunami Warning Center has CANCELLED the Tsunami Watch for San Francisco." National Tsunami Warning Center has CANCELLED the Tsunami Watch for San Francisco. Check your email for more informa https://t.co/LH5QIHH0jQ — San Francisco DEM (@SF_emergency) January 23, 2018 The U.S. Geological Survey tweeted an explanation of what caused the quake: ||||| A warning was issued for "widespread hazardous tsunami waves" following an 8.2 magnitude earthquake off the southeast coast of Alaska. The quake - among the strongest in US history - hit at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles) some 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island at 00.31am local time (9.31am in the UK) on Tuesday, with waves of up to 32ft (10m) reported. Parts of Alaska and the west coast of Canada were issued with a tsunami warning, while a tsunami watch was put in place for the entire US west coast - with "hazardous waves" said to be possible within the first three hours of the earthquake. Image: Emergency services in Kodiak. Pic: Ted Panamarioff However, the watch status was later cancelled throughout the US and Canada by the National Tsunami Centre, barring areas local to the quake itself in Alaska. Cheers as tsunami warning called off The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre had said when news of the quake broke: "Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre." Advertisement Watches were put in place for British Columbia in Canada, as well as Washington state, Oregon, California and Hawaii. People in Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, reported feeling the quake, despite being hundreds of miles away. Sirens ring out in Alaska Resident and KTVA reporter Emily Carlson told Sky News she felt the "slow groan" of the tremor for about 30 or 40 seconds, but that the city was not under threat. She said: "People are generally trying to stay very calm. I think people are worried and I've heard a lot of people heading to higher ground, but we're still monitoring it on social media. In the middle of the night, not everybody is by their phone. Cars line up to evacuate Alaska coast "Where we are we are not in tsunami danger. Kodiak Island is where the earthquake is closest to and I've seen on social media people are evacuating and heading to the high school. "Earthquakes to me are the scariest natural disaster that you could imagine because with earthquakes come tsunamis. But we live in Alaska so we hear about earthquakes all the time; so while people are worried, it's very measured, they're calm, and they're just waiting to see what happens." Image: The entirety of the US west coast was on tsunami watch In Kodiak, one of seven communities on Kodiak Island, schools were used as shelters for people who evacuated their homes, with police there telling residents to retreat to higher ground and await further updates. In a video posted to the Kodiak Police Department Facebook page shortly after the quake, one officer said: "This is not a drill - this is an actual tsunami warning. "Everybody get at least 100ft above sea level. Everybody get out of your homes and to a safe place. Best place right now is the high school parking lot." Tsunami warning 'not a drill' The department later said in a statement: "Remain at high ground. We have received two reports that the tide levels have been fluctuating in the channel six inches to one foot." But no areas appeared to be under immediate threat, with waves missing their predicted landfall time in Kodiak, which would likely have been the first community to be hit. Alaska resident @emilyreporting describes her experience during the earthquake and has the latest on the US west coast tsunami warning pic.twitter.com/WyW1SUBjwi — Sky News (@SkyNews) January 23, 2018 In a wider warning for Alaska and British Columbia issued earlier, the Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said: "If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring. "Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest." Tue Jan 23 10:07:47 UTC 2018 event picture pic.twitter.com/qeKKqFTysB — NWS Tsunami Alerts (@NWS_NTWC) January 23, 2018 And in a message sent to smartphones in Alaska, the National Weather Service advised: "Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland." Several local government websites crashed under the strain of people seeking updates, including the nationwide state-run tsunami.gov. #tsunami warning for BC notification zones A, B, C & D. More information from Environment Canada: https://t.co/y28IfBkpdm pic.twitter.com/JJrBei92v5 — Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) January 23, 2018 Ready - the US government's official campaign to prepare people for natural disasters - features online advice, telling people to stay away from the beach and head inland, to higher ground if possible, in the event of a tsunami. However, the campaign website was not providing any live advice or updates due to the US government shutdown. Image: People at an evacuation centre in Tolfino, British Columbia. Pic: Catherine Lempke Only four earthquakes with a greater magnitude have ever been recorded in the US, all of which were in Alaska and caused a tsunami. The most powerful came on 27 March 1964, when a 9.2 magnitude quake caused ground fissures, collapsed buildings and killed 139 people. Japan's meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but has not issued a tsunami alert. ||||| An 8.2-magnitude earthquake has been detected about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak, Alaska, in the Gulf of Alaska, according to preliminary figures from the United States Geological Survey. The quake had a depth of about 6 miles, according to USGS. A tsunami warning is in effect for southeast and south Alaska, including the Alaska peninsula, Aleutian islands and British Columbia in Canada. A tsunami watch is in effect for California, Oregon and Washington, according to the Tsunami Warning Center. Developing story - more to come ||||| Tsunami warning in effect after magnitude-7.9 earthquake off Alaska A magnitude-7.9 earthquake detected in the Gulf of Alaska has triggered tsunami warnings in Alaska and tsunami watches across several Western states. A tsunami warning is in effect for southeast and south Alaska, including the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, as well as British Columbia in Canada. A tsunami watch is in effect for California, Oregon and Washington, according to the Tsunami Warning Center. As of 2:29 a.m. (6:29 a.m. ET), water in the harbor near Kodiak was receding, the city’s police department tweeted, after earlier urging residents to get at least 100 feet above sea level. “Citizens should remain in place and wait for further updates,” Kodiak police said. – READ MORE ||||| UPDATE: Tsunami watches for California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Hawaii have been canceled. An advisory is still in place for Alaska. A tsunami watch was issued for the coast from Washington to California as well as Hawaii early Tuesday after a preliminary magnitude 7. earthquake struck the Gulf of Alaska. A tsunami warning was also in effect for the coast of Alaska and the Canadian province of British Columbia. “Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters … widespread hazardous tsunami waves are possible,” the NWS Tsunami Warning Center said. “No areas covered by this message appear to be immediately threatened. However... the situation is still under investigation,” it said. The epicentre of the quake was about 330 miles south from the coast of Alaska at a depth of six miles, the USGS said. The Anchorage Police Department said the city was not covered by the warning and was outside the danger zone, and urged residents not to call 911. ||||| A magnitude-7.9 earthquake detected in the Gulf of Alaska has triggered tsunami warnings in Alaska and tsunami watches across several Western states. A tsunami warning is in effect for southeast and south Alaska, including the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands, as well as British Columbia in Canada. A tsunami watch is in effect for California, Oregon and Washington, according to the Tsunami Warning Center. As of 2:29 a.m. (6:29 a.m. ET), water in the harbor near Kodiak was receding, the city's police department tweeted, after earlier urging residents to get at least 100 feet above sea level. "Citizens should remain in place and wait for further updates," Kodiak police said. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management warned residents within three blocks of the Pacific Coast or within five blocks of the San Francisco Bay to prepare to evacuate, "so that you are ready if evacuation is needed," the agency tweeted. The earthquake struck about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak, Alaska, shortly after midnight Alaska local time, according to preliminary figures from the United States Geological Survey. The quake had a depth of about 15 miles, according to the USGS. Previously, the earthquake had been measured at magnitude 8.2. Nathaniel Moore was on a boat in Kodiak when the quake hit. He said he felt it "shake really good for a minute." He and others on the commercial fishing vessel quickly got to shore and headed for higher ground amid the tsunami warning. "The whole town is evacuating," he told CNN early Tuesday. Tsunami sirens sounded in Kodiak, and police warned: "This is not a drill." Wendy Bliss Snipes described the quake as "a slow roller, so it was felt for at least a minute before the real rolling started. Nothing fell off the walls, and I didn't have to wake my kiddo." Heather Rand, who was in Anchorage, Alaska, told CNN that the earthquake felt like the longest she had ever experienced. "It was a very long, slow build up. Creepy, more than anything. Definitely the longest, and I was born here," Rand said. She reported no damage besides cracks in the drywall. CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correctly attribute a quotation from an Alaska resident. ||||| A boy jumps from a snow sculpture in Nome, Alaska, March 11, 2014. A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit the Gulf of Alaska today. — Reuters picWASHINGTON, Jan 23 — A magnitude 8.2 earthquake hit the Gulf of Alaska in the early hours of today, prompting authorities to warn people in the area to move away from the coast in case it causes a tsnuami. The quake hit 256 km (157 miles) southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km at 0931 GMT, the US Geological Survey said. “If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,” Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia. Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast and Hawaii were issued. “Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicentre,” the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said. Japan’s meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert. — Reuters ||||| ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Latest on an Alaska earthquake that prompted a tsunami warning for coastal Alaska, Canada’s British Columbia and the West Coast of the U.S. (all times local): The National Tsunami Center has canceled a tsunami warning that was triggered by a powerful earthquake off the coast of Alaska. Mickey Varnadao, a computer specialist with the warning center in Palmer, Alaska, said early Tuesday that an advisory remains in effect for parts of Alaska, from Kodiak Island to Prince William Sound. Watches have been canceled for British Columbia in Canada, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. Officials in Japan say there is no tsunami threat there. Varnadao says the agency canceled the alert after waves failed to show up in coastal Alaska communities. The earthquake was recorded about 12:30 a.m. about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southeast of Kodiak Island in the Gulf of Alaska. It had a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 but has been downgraded to magnitude 7.9. Larry LeDoux, superintendent of the Kodiak Island Borough School District, says schools were open as shelters and estimated there were about 500 people at the high school. He described the atmosphere inside as calm, with people waiting for any updates. He said sirens go off in the community every week, as a test to make sure they are working. He said the sirens were sounded for the early Tuesday tsunami warning. An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck early Tuesday about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island. A tsunami warning was issued for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. The city of Kodiak, Alaska, was projected to see the first wave at about 1:45 a.m., about an hour after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 prompted a tsunami warning. About a half hour later, Lt. Tim Putney of the Kodiak Police Department said there had been no reports of a wave and nothing had been seen, yet. However, officials were telling people to hold fast at evacuation centers until further notice. He said the town has several shelters above the 100-foot mark, and they were still encouraging people below that level to evacuate. The earthquake woke Putney up out of a dead sleep, and he estimates it shook for at least 30 seconds. The police had not received any reports of damage. The Alaska Earthquake Information Center said the quake was felt widely in several communities on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout southern Alaska, but it also had no immediate reports of damage. An official in the state emergency operations center says there have been no reports of damage as the timeline for initial waves has passed after a tsunami warning was issued following an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.2 struck near Kodiak Island, Alaska. Kerry Seifert, an emergency management specialist, says it is almost too soon to get damage reports as members of most communities could be seeking higher ground following the quake that struck recorded about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island early Tuesday morning. A tsunami warning was issued for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: “Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland.” Authorities in Kodiak, Alaska, are telling residents to move to higher ground after a strong earthquake struck nearby, prompting tsunami warning for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. A dispatcher at the Kodiak police department answered a call from The Associated Press by saying, “If this about the tsunami, you need to get to higher ground immediately.” The earthquake, initially reported as a magnitude 8.2, was recorded about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island early Tuesday morning. Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: “Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland.” Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage. A magnitude 8.2 earthquake off Alaska’s Kodiak Island prompted a tsunami warning for a large swath of coastal Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia while the remainder of the U.S. West Coast was under a watch. The strong earthquake was recorded about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak Island early Tuesday morning. Warnings from the National Weather Service sent to cellphones in Alaska warned: “Emergency Alert. Tsunami danger on the coast. Go to high ground or move inland.” Kodiak officials warned residents to evacuate if they lived in low-lying areas. People reported on social media that the quake was felt hundreds of miles away, in Anchorage. ||||| An 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit Alaska overnight, prompting a tsunami warning for coastal areas of Alaska and British Columbia from Attu, Alaska, to the Washington State border. A tsunami watch is in effect along the west coast from Washington to southern California. The earthquake hit about 175 miles southeast of Kodiak City, Alaska. “If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,” according to an alert from the Anchorage Office of Emergency Management. Hawaii is also under a tsunami watch. The Kodiak Police Department posted a video urging residents to get at least 100 feet about sea level: | A 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurs in the Gulf of Alaska. A tsunami warning is issued for coastal Alaska and British Columbia, and the entire U.S. West Coast is placed under a tsunami watch. Areas of Alaska remain under a tsunami advisory. It is tied as the sixth-largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States, but there are no reports of significant damage or fatalities. |
A Dozen Camels Disqualified From Saudi Beauty Pageant Over Botox Injections Enlarge this image toggle caption Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images Some pageant contestants hit a hump in the road this week. That is, a camel beauty contest in Saudi Arabia disqualified a dozen camels for receiving Botox injections to make them more attractive. Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on the camels a few days before the pageant, according to UAE's The National. In addition to the injections, the clinic was surgically reducing the size of the animals' ears to make them appear more delicate. "They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a regular at such festivals and the son of a prominent Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.' " Real money is at stake: About $57 million is awarded to winners of the contests and camel races, The National reports, with more than $31.8 million in prizes for just the pageants. The festival provides a number of informative graphics about camels, including a diagram titled Standards of Camel Beauty. It is sadly unspecific about what makes for handsome nostrils and withers, though it does mention a "leathery mouth." Enlarge this image toggle caption Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images Among regulations about the age, breeding and teething of the dromedaries, contest rules say "[i]n case of fraud to change the natural form of participating camels, the participant shall be excluded immediately" — with violators banned from this year's contest and the next five sessions of the festival, along with possible legal penalties for violating the kingdom's animal welfare laws. Camel owner Ali Obaid told The National that cheaters will get creative to get an edge and will alter an animal's appearance for months before it's sold to a buyer. "For example they start to pull the lips of the camel, they pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer," he explained to the newspaper. "Secondly, they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner." The beauty contest, launched in 2000, is a centerpiece of the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival. Last year, authorities moved the festival from a remote location in the desert to a site an hour and a half from Riyadh, and this year attendance has increased by a third, according to Reuters. "The camel," the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told the newswire, "is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime." ||||| Twelve camels have been disqualified from Saudi Arabia’s annual camel beauty contest after receiving botulinum toxin injections to make their pouts look more alluring. Saudi authorities have raised the profile of the King Abdulaziz camel festival by relocating it from the desert to the outskirts of the capital, Riyadh. This year’s event has been mired in scandal after the lure of US$31.8 million in prize money tempted some owners to cheat. The key attributes in camel beauty are considered to be delicate ears and fulsome snouts. But there are strict rules against the use of drugs in the lips, or shaved or clipped body parts. This year, a dozen camels were banned after a vet was caught performing plastic surgery on them. Camels were also given Botox-type injections at his clinic, according to Saudi media. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirati camel breeder, told the UAE daily the National. “It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh, look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.’” After the banning decision, the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, said: “The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.” The month-long festival is the biggest in the Gulf and involves up 30,000 camels. ||||| 12 camels have been disqualified from a beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia after getting Botox injections. Yes, you read that right. According to The National, the animals were disqualified from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival after receiving the cosmetic enhancements. "They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, son of a top Emirati breeder, told the publication. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.'" ||||| Batty eyelashes, pouty lips and perfectly placed humps — not all camels are blessed with such good looks. Enter cosmetic enhancements. A dozen camels were banned from a beauty contest during the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Saudi Arabia after they were given Botox injections. About 30,000 camels are brought to the annual event in Al Dhana, near Riyadh, for racing, an obedience competition and a beauty pageant. The prize money totals $57 million, with $31.8 million reserved for “pageantry.” But some people apparently tried to cheat the system — enhancing the animals’ natural beauty. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali Al Mazrouei, the son of a top Emirati breeder, told the newspaper. “It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.’” Saudi media reported that a veterinarian was caught performing cosmetic surgery on camels — giving them Botox and making their ears smaller, according to the National. A pageant guide says cheaters may even “pull the lips of the camel.” “They pull it by hand like this every day to make it longer. And he says they use hormones to make it more muscular and Botox makes the head bigger and bigger. Everyone wants to be a winner.” Others may lather them with oil to make their coats appear darker. ||||| Twelve camels have been disqualified from an annual beauty pageant in Saudi Arabia, outside Riyadh. The handlers of the camels allegedly injected botox into the faces of the camels to accentuate facial features. The pageant is part of a larger festival that celebrates bedouin life in the desert. ||||| Around 30,000 beauty pageant contestants walked on a dusty ramp in Saudi Arabia, but unfortunately, 12 were kicked out of the annual competition and the reason is Botox. They were disqualified from the beauty pageant because their owners used Botox to make them look more handsome. Every year, Saudi Arabia organises King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, a beauty pageant for camels in the kingdom. This year, the month-long beauty contest, which started on January 1, is taking place on the outskirts of the capital Riyadh. The month-long event also features an auction of the camels and camel racing. "The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime," the chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, explained it to Reuters. A panel of judges rates tens of thousands of camels based on the size of their lips, cheeks, heads and knees. The prize money of the competition is around $57 million (213 million riyals), so it comes as a no surprise that thousands of camels participate in the beauty pageant. But this year, a Botox scandal has hit the competition due to which 12 camels were disqualified from the pageant for violating the rules. "They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, 31, a regular attendee and son of a top Emirati breeder told The National. "It makes the head more inflated so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big is that head is. It has big lips, a big nose'." Due to the massive prize money, several camel owners fear that Botox-injected camel could take home the amount. In fact, before the start of the competition report surfaced online that a veterinarian was caught performing plastic surgery on camels. Several owners want to see stronger punishment enforced on the culprit. "The people who are just in the camel competition to make it more valuable, they are cheating everyone," Al Mazourei said. "A fine should be applied. In camel racing, whoever is using drugs is fined about 50,000 Dirhams in Abu Dhabi. The fine is not yet applied for beauty camels." ||||| Twelve camels were disqualified from a beauty contest after judges got the hump over them using botox. The animals were given jabs to make their pouts look more alluring for the annual event in Saudi Arabia. Other measures of camel beauty are delicate ears and fulsome snouts. There are rules against using drugs in the lips and shaving body parts. The 12 camels were banned after a vet who gave them botox at his clinic was caught performing plastic surgery on them. Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirates camel breeder, said: “They use Botox for the lips, the nose and even the jaw. "It makes the head more inflated.” The month-long King Abdulaziz camel festival at capital Riyadh is the biggest in the Gulf, involving some 30,000 camels and 600,000 visitors. But the event has been mired in scandal after the lure of £22.6million in prize cash tempted cheats. Chief judge Fawzan al-Madi said: “The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. "We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.” ||||| Camels are seen during a beauty contest as part of the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, some 160 kilometers east of Riyadh. What do Megyn Kelly and Saudi Arabia's King Abdulaziz Camel Festival have in common? It turns out, both the morning-show host and the organizers of this hoofed-animal parade have a habit of worrying about other beings' plastic-surgery habits. Officials with the King Abdulaziz festival kicked out a dozen camels from a camel beauty contest for receiving Botox injections, according to a report published today (Jan. 23) in The National, an Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates-based newspaper. More than 30,000 camels and 300,000 human visitors showed up for the second annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, which runs from Jan. 1to Feb. 1 this year, The National reported. And the top spot of that horde of humped herbivores is worth a pretty penny: This year's prize money totals $57 million, with $31.8 million set aside for awards for "pageantry." [Why Do Camels Have Humps?] Perhaps it's all that cash driving the sketchy behavior among camel showers. "They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper lips, the lower lips and even the jaw," Ali Al Mazrouei, a festival regular, told The National. "It makes the head more inflated, so when the camel comes it's like, 'Oh look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose.'" Days before the festival, a veterinarian was also "caught red-handed" both giving camels Botox and performing surgery to reduce the size of their ears, The National reported. The National also reported that, in addition to the height, shape and placement of its hump, "a full, droopy lip and large features are essential to achieving camel celebrity status in the multimillion-dollar industry of camel pageantry." The festival website displays this helpful infographic on camel beauty standards. For a full rundown of camel-show cheating methods, as well as information about the festival, read The National's article here. ||||| Twelve camels have been disqualified from an annual Saudi beauty contest after their owners were found to have used Botox. The animals were ejected from the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, taking place near Riyadh, for violating strict beauty contest rules. Cash prizes for camel competitions at the 28-day festival total $57million, so pressure to cheat can be intense. A new handbook was issued to beauty contest entrants last year, Newshub reports. 'Camels that are found with drugs in the lips, shaved, dyed in any parts of the body, or with changes from natural form are not allowed,' the handbook says. Aside from the beauty contest there are awards for camel racing, obedience training, camel hair art and the best photographs of camels. Chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told Reuters: 'The camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia. 'We used to preserve it out of necessity, now we preserve it as a pastime.' In recent years the Saudi royal family have boosted the profile of the camel festival as they emphasise aspects of traditional culture, while at the same time pushing for societal reform. Last year the event was moved from a remote desert to the outskirts of the capital. On a rocky desert plateau, the government has erected a permanent venue to host the headline events such as races and a show competition. The pavilion features an auction where top camels can fetch millions of riyals. There are food stalls and souvenir shops, a petting zoo featuring the world's tallest and shortest camels and a museum with life-size sand sculptures of camels. There are also tents for tasting camel's milk and viewing camel-hair textiles, and a planetarium showing how Arabs rode camels through the desert guided by the stars. Organizers say this 'heritage village' will expand in coming years as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman takes the reins through a newly-created official Camel Club established by royal decree last year. Halfway through this year's festival, attendance is up about a third from last year, with about 300,000 people making the one and a half hour trip from Riyadh so far, said Fahd al-Semmari, a Camel Club board member. 'The vision is for the (festival) to become a global, pioneering forum for all classes of people to come for entertainment, knowledge and competition.' ||||| Twelve animals were disqualified at Saudi Arabia’s annual camel beauty contest after judges found that their owners had injected them with botox to give them larger snouts and “attractive pouts”, The National reported. Every year, thousands of people enrol their camels for the King Abdulaziz camel festival. The animals are judged by their delicate ears, full snouts, droopy lips and large features, the daily reported. There is a strict policy against the use of drugs, and the winner gets $31.8 million (approximately Rs 202 crore) in prize money. Around 30,000 camels are taking part in the event this year. The contest was first held in 2000, BBC reported. In 2017, authorities moved the festival from a remote desert to a venue closer to Capital Riyadh. At least three lakh people have visited the festival since it began on January 1. In the lead up to the pageant, authorities caught a vet doing plastic surgery on the camels and injecting them with botulinum toxin injections, local media reported. “They use Botox for the lips, the nose, the upper and lower lips and even the jaw,” Ali al-Mazrouei, the son of an Emirati camel breeder, told The National. “It makes the head more inflated, so when the camel comes it’s like, ‘Oh, look at how big that head is. It has big lips, a big nose’.” The chief judge of the show, Fawzan al-Madi, told Reuters that the camel is a symbol of Saudi Arabia that used to be preserved out of necessity. “Now, we preserve it as a pastime,” al-Madi said. | A dozen camels are disqualified from a beauty pageant at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival, near Riyadh, after reports in the media about injections with botox. A veterinarian is caught performing plastic surgery to make the camels more attractive. Rules prohibit to change the natural form of participating camels. |
Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday. Jones and Thome were both elected in their first year of eligibility. This is the fourth time that the Baseball Writers' Association of America has elected four players in a year (1947, 1955, 2015). "It was waterworks," said Jones, who drew 97.2 percent of the vote after being selected on 410 of 422 ballots. The four will join veterans committee inductees Jack Morris and Alan Trammell in entering the Baseball Hall of Fame on July 29 in Cooperstown, New York. It took 75 percent for election, or 317 votes, to be elected into the Hall of Fame. Designated hitter Edgar Martinez came close -- falling just 20 votes shy -- after a grass-roots campaign. Roger Clemens, who was picked on 57.3 percent of ballots, and Barry Bonds (56.4), both tainted by the steroids scandal, edged up in voting totals but again fell far short. Jones, an eight-time All-Star who played all 19 seasons for the Atlanta Braves, ranks third all time in home runs by a switch-hitter. The veteran third baseman had a career .303 batting average with 468 home runs. Hall of Fame voting results Receiving the necessary 75 percent of votes, Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman were announced as the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2018. Here are the results from the 422 ballots cast. Name Votes Pct. Chipper Jones 410 97.2% Vladimir Guerrero 392 92.9% Jim Thome 379 89.8% Trevor Hoffman 337 79.9% Edgar Martinez 297 70.4% Mike Mussina 268 63.5% Roger Clemens 242 57.3% Barry Bonds 238 56.4% Curt Schilling 216 51.2% Omar Vizquel 156 37.0% Larry Walker 144 34.1% Fred McGriff 98 23.2% Manny Ramirez 93 22.0% Jeff Kent 61 14.5% Gary Sheffield 47 11.1% Billy Wagner 47 11.1% Scott Rolen 43 10.2% Sammy Sosa 33 7.8% Andruw Jones 31 7.3% Jamie Moyer 10 2.4% Johann Santana 10 2.4% Johnny Damon 8 1.9% Hideki Matsui 4 0.9% Chris Carpenter 2 0.5% Kerry Wood 2 0.5% Livan Hernandez 1 0.2% Carlos Lee 1 0.2% Orlando Hudson 0 0 Aubrey Huff 0 0 Jason Isringhausen 0 0 Brad Lidge 0 0 Kevin Millwood 0 0 Carlos Zambrano 0 0 He is the only switch-hitter with at least 1,000 at-bats and a .300 batting average, .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. "I don't know how you tabulate or calculate WAR,'' Jones said, referring to a sabermetric stat that didn't exist for much of his career. "... What I want to see is batting average, on-base percentage, runs produced.'' Jones, a force for most of the Atlanta teams that won 14 straight division titles, joins former teammates John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz in the Hall. Of the four new members, Jones was the only one to win a World Series. He joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only overall No. 1 draft picks to reach the Hall. Thome hit 612 home runs, which ranks eighth all time, over his 22 seasons with the Indians, Phillies, White Sox, Twins, Dodgers and Orioles. The infielder's 13 walk-off home runs are more than any other player. Thome became emotional after receiving a call from former manager Charlie Manuel, his longtime hitting coach, while he was being interviewed on MLB Network. "I couldn't be happier for Jim, who is like a son to me," Manuel said. "This is totally deserving and, for me, ranks up there with anything I've ever seen happen in the game of baseball. For someone that I met as a 19-year-old and saw improve as much as anyone over time, it makes me smile to think that all that hard work, all those swings in the batting cage, is now paying off for him. "I started thinking this was possible after he hit his 500th home run. And for the day to finally be here, it's like winning the World Series all over again." Thome was known for his batter's box routine, standing absolutely still in the box while pointing his bat at the pitcher. He said the posture helped him relax, slow down and "not be so tense.'' Guerrero, a nine-time All-Star, was elected in his second try, getting 92.9 percent of the vote. Over his 16 seasons with the Montreal Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles, Guerrero had a .318 career batting average and a .553 slugging percentage -- one of nine players with numbers higher than .315/.550. "I still can't believe it," Guerrero, the first position player from the Dominican Republic to make the Hall, told ESPN Deportes on Wednesday. "Maybe I have to wait until tomorrow to make sure this is for real. This is for Don Gregorio [his hometown], my people and the entire Dominican Republic." Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina, who was in Switzerland, congratulated Guerrero on Twitter, saying "it fills all Dominicans with pride that he has carried our flag to the top.'' The outfielder, a notorious bad-ball hitter, also had 449 home runs and 1,496 RBIs. His career batting average is sixth highest among players with at least 400 career home runs. Guerrero said he developed his hitting talent as a kid in the Dominican Republic, playing a game similar to cricket in which hitters swung broomsticks while pitchers tried to bounce balls past them and knock over folded license plates. Hoffman, getting 79.9 percent of the vote to become just the sixth reliever to be elected into Cooperstown, has 601 career saves, which ranks second to Mariano Rivera on the all-time list. And his nine seasons with at least 40 saves are tied with Rivera for most all time. "This was my job title, this is what I was asked to do, and I did it pretty well," Hoffman said at Petco Park in San Diego. "There's really not much else you can do [about making the Hall] after you're done playing. You can choose to kind of battle a fight that's not worth fighting. "I was comfortable with the career I had, comfortable with the way I went about it, and if enough people felt the same about it as I did, we'd be standing here today. And fortunately, we were." The seven-time All-Star, who played for the Marlins, Padres and Brewers during his 18 seasons, also had 1,133 career strikeouts. "Trevor Time" became an event in San Diego, where AC/DC's "Hells Bells" blared when batters knew they'd be facing Hoffman's flummoxing changeup, which dropped toward the dirt and more often than not eluded their bats. "It was one of those moments in the game that never, never got old, trust me," said Bruce Bochy, who managed Hoffman in San Diego from 1995 to 2006, before becoming the Giants' manager. "It's always good to bring your closer in, but the 'Hells Bells' became part of it, just to see how it brought the crowd to life, the team. It energized the whole ballpark. It was electric." Rivera highlights the newcomers on next year's ballot, once again raising debate over whether any player will be unanimously elected to the Hall. Todd Helton, Andy Pettitte and the late Roy Halladay also will be first-time candidates. For Martinez, who finished with 70.4 percent of the vote in his ninth time on the ballot, it was the second straight year with a significant jump; he was at 58.6 percent in the 2017 voting. Thank you to all the fans out there that supported my #HOF candidacy. We are trending up, next year may be the year. Thank you @Mariners and the best fans in baseball — Edgar Martinez (@11EdgarMartinez) January 24, 2018 Martinez remains optimistic about his chances in 2019. "Getting 70.4 percent is a big improvement, and all I can think right now is that it's looking good for next year," Martinez said on a conference call. "It would have been great to get in this year, but it looks good for next year." Just four years ago, Martinez was slogging at 25.2 percent in the balloting, but the past few years have marked a major change in how voters are viewing his contributions, even though he rarely played the field after 1992. Martinez's career .312 batting average, .933 on-base plus slugging and seven All-Star Game appearances created a strong foundation for his candidacy. "At that time, I thought I would never get to this point," Martinez said. "It is encouraging to see 70 percent going into my final year. I just feel I still have a good chance. But yeah, 2014, I didn't think I was going to be at this point right now." In addition to Martinez, Clemens and Bonds, pitchers Mike Mussina (63.5) and Curt Schilling (51.2) were named on more than half the ballots but were not elected. Clemens and Bonds each get four more tries. They seem to be "gaining steam with newer voters,'' Jones said. Omar Vizquel (37 percent), Scott Rolen (10.2) and Andruw Jones (7.3) were first-time candidates. Among the players who drew under 5 percent and fell off the ballot were Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Johan Santana. Pete Rose, permanently banned from Major League Baseball after an investigation into his betting on the game, didn't receive any write-in votes, as he often has in the past. The Baseball Writers' Association of America has elected 16 players to the Hall over the past five years, the largest total over a five-year span, breaking the previous mark of 13 from 1952 to 1956. The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| Get out your kleenex, Tribe fans. On Wednesday evening, legendary slugger Jim Thome was elected to the Class of 2018 of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He'll join Chipper Jones, Trevor Hoffman, Vladimir Guerrero, Jack Morris, and Alan Trammell in this year's class. The cameras were rolling when the Baseball Writers of America called Thome to give him the good news. Watch Jim as he enjoys the moment with his wife Andrea and their children. Thome, who was named on 89.8 percent of the 422 ballots cast, is the first Indians player to earn induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame since pioneering outfielder Larry Doby was selected in 1998. The Class of 2018 will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York, on Sunday, July 29, 2018. ||||| Wednesday was a day Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman never will forget. Those four players were elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame and will be inducted into Cooperstown, NY., alongside Alan Trammell and Jack Morris on July 30. It was the first year on the ballot for both Jones (97.2 percent) and Thome (89.8 percent), while Guerrero (92.9 percent) made the cut on his second try and Hoffman (79.9 percent) got in on his third attempt. And each of these four Major League Baseball greats had an incredible reaction upon hearing the news. First, one of the four best third basemen in baseball history got the call. Then, Vlad the Impaler kept it cool. Next up: Hell’s Bells gets emotional. Congrats to the 2018 Hall of Fame class. ||||| NEW YORK >> Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. Designated hitter Edgar Martinez came close after a grass-roots campaign to boost him. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both tainted by the steroids scandal, edged up but again fell far short. Jones and Thome made it 54 players elected in their first year of eligibility by members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Jones drew 97.2 percent (410 of 422) in results announced Wednesday, and Thome was at 89.8 percent. “It was waterworks,” Jones said after hearing the vote. Jones was an eight-time All-Star third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. The switch-hitter batted .303 with 468 home runs. Jones was a force for most of the Atlanta teams that won 14 straight division titles — his election puts another member of those Braves clubs in Cooperstown, along with pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz. Thome hit 612 home runs, putting him eighth on the career list. The five-time All-Star played mostly for the Cleveland Indians. Guerrero was elected in his second try, getting 92.9 percent. The nine-time All-Star slugger played half his career with the Montreal Expos. The outfielder was a notorious bad-ball hitter, batting .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs. Hoffman was chosen in his third year, getting 79.9 percent after missing by just five votes last time. The former San Diego Padres closer had 601 saves, second to Mariano Rivera’s 652. It took 75 percent for election, or 317 votes. Martinez made a big move up to 70.4 percent and fell 20 votes short. Mike Mussina climbed to 63.5 percent. Clemens, winner of 354 games and seven Cy Young Awards, got 57.3 percent after drawing 54.1 percent last time. Bonds, the career home run leader and a seven-time MVP, reached 56.4 percent, up from 53.8 percent. Clemens and Bonds each have four tries left. The four new members will be inducted on July 29 . They will be joined by Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, who were picked last month by a committee that considered older players and executives. Rivera heads the ballot next year, once again raising debate over whether any player will unanimously elected to the Hall. The late Roy Halladay also will be a first-time candidate. ||||| (Reuters) - Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman have been voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday, with their inductions due to be held on July 29. Former Detroit Tigers team mates, pitcher Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, are also included in the six-player list of new entrants after they were selected by the Modern Era Committee last month. Jones and Thome will enter Cooperstown as first-ballot Hall of Famers with the former receiving 97.2 percent of the 422 ballot votes. The 1999 National League MVP was an eight-time All-Star and helped lead the Atlanta Braves to a World Series title in 1995. “When you get the call and you’re able to share that with the people you care about the most -- it was waterworks around the Jones’ house,” Jones told reporters. “It’s just a tremendous honor, I couldn’t be more proud.” Guerrero was voted in on his second year on the ballot and Hoffman made it in his third. Guerrero, the first Dominican-born position player to make the Hall of Fame, ended his career with 449 home runs and 1,496 RBIs (runs batted in). Thome ranks eighth on the all-time list of home runs with 612 blasts, while Hoffman is second on the saves list with 601. ||||| The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. is set for a huge ceremony this coming July. The Veterans Committee already elected Tigers greats Jack Morris and Alan Trammell to join the 2018 Hall class and the BBWAA has added four more names to the list on Wednesday night: Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, Indians (and several others) first baseman/designated hitter Jim Thome, Expos/Angels (and some others) outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and Padres (and others) closer Trevor Hoffman. Here's the breakdown of voting percentages (there were 422 ballots). Seventy-five percent gains entry and more than five percent keeps a player on the ballot for next year: Orlando Hudson, Aubrey Huff, Jason Isringhausen, Brad Lidge, Kevin Millwood and Carlos Zambrano were shut out. The four-man BBWAA class is tied for the second-most ever, after the original 1936 class. This is an excellent class. Jones played 19 years, all for the Braves. He hit .303/.401/.529 (141 OPS+) with 2,726 hits, 549 doubles, 468 home runs, 1,623 RBI and 1,619 runs. He won the MVP in 1999, won the 1995 World Series and carries a career .287/.409/.456 slash in 93 postseason games. He deservedly makes it in on his first ballot. Thome spent 13 of his 22 years with the Indians. He was with the Phillies for four, White Sox for four, Twins for parts of two, Dodgers for 17 games and Orioles for 28 games. In all, he hit .276/.402/.554 (147 OPS+) with 2,328 hits, 451 doubles, 612 home runs, 1,699 RBI and 1,583 runs. He hit 17 home runs in 71 career postseason games and won two AL pennants. He ranks seventh in career walks, eighth in home runs and 26th in RBI. Thome is also a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Guerrero spent eight years with the Expos, six with the Angels, one with the Rangers and one with the Orioles. He hit .318/.379/.553 (140 OPS+) with 2,590 hits, 477 doubles, 449 home runs, 1,496 RBI and 1,328 runs. He won the 2004 AL MVP in his first season with the Angels. With a cannon in right, he ranks ninth all-time in assists from right field, and that can't measure how much impact he had in terms of runners not taking the chance of going for the extra base. Guerrero made it on his second try. Hoffman spent 16 years with the Padres, coming out from the bullpen to AC/DC's "Hell's Bells." He also spent his first half season with the Marlins and final two years with the Brewers. In all, Hoffman saved 601 saves, which was a record when he retired and he's still second to just the great Mariano Rivera. Hoffman pitched to a 2.87 ERA (141 ERA+), 1.06 WHIP and struck out 1,133 hitters against 249 unintentional walks in 1,089 1/3 innings. He helped the Padres to the 1998 NL pennant. Hoffman gains induction on his third attempt. Hall of Fame weekend is July 27-30 with the induction ceremony beginning at 1:30 on Sunday, July 30. We'll hear six speeches, whether in person, watching on TV or streaming online. ||||| Former Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 24. Former Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 24. Former Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 24. (Source AP Images) Former Cleveland Indians first baseman Jim Thome was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Jan. 24. (Source AP Images) Longtime Atlanta Braves switch-hitter Chipper Jones is one of four players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, announced Wednesday. Longtime Atlanta Braves switch-hitter Chipper Jones is one of four players inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, announced Wednesday. Former Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones is honored during a ceremony before a baseball game between the Braves and the San Diego Padres in Atlanta, Friday, April 14, 2017. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) Former Atlanta Braves' Chipper Jones is honored during a ceremony before a baseball game between the Braves and the San Diego Padres in Atlanta, Friday, April 14, 2017. (AP Photo/John Bazemore) (AP Photo/File). FILE - These file photos show baseball players, from left, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome. All four were elected to baseball's Hall of Fame on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. NEW YORK (AP) - Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. Designated hitter Edgar Martinez came close after a grass-roots campaign to boost him. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both tainted by the steroids scandal, edged up but again fell far short. Jones and Thome made it 54 players elected in their first year of eligibility by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jones drew 97.2 percent (410 of 422) in results announced Wednesday, and Thome was at 89.8 percent. "It was waterworks," Jones said after hearing the vote. Jones was an eight-time All-Star third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. The switch-hitter batted .303 with 468 home runs. Jones was a force for most of the Atlanta teams that won 14 straight division titles - his election puts another member of those Braves clubs in Cooperstown, along with pitchers John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, manager Bobby Cox and general manager John Schuerholz. Thome hit 612 home runs, putting him eighth on the career list. The five-time All-Star played mostly for the Cleveland Indians. Guerrero was elected in his second try, getting 92.9 percent. The nine-time All-Star slugger played half his career with the Montreal Expos. The outfielder was a notorious bad-ball hitter, batting .318 with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs. Hoffman was chosen in his third year, getting 79.9 percent after missing by just five votes last time. The former San Diego Padres closer had 601 saves, second to Mariano Rivera's 652. It took 75 percent for election, or 317 votes. Martinez made a big move up to 70.4 percent and fell 20 votes short. Mike Mussina climbed to 63.5 percent. Clemens, winner of 354 games and seven Cy Young Awards, got 57.3 percent after drawing 54.1 percent last time. Bonds, the career home run leader and a seven-time MVP, reached 56.4 percent, up from 53.8 percent. Clemens and Bonds each have four tries left. The four new members will be inducted on July 29 . They will be joined by Jack Morris and shortstop Alan Trammell, who were picked last month by a committee that considered older players and executives. Rivera heads the ballot next year, once again raising debate over whether any player will unanimously elected to the Hall. The late Roy Halladay also will be a first-time candidate. Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ||||| Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome and Trevor Hoffman are headed to Cooperstown after being voted in as the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2018, president Jeff Idelson of the Hall of Fame announced Wednesday evening. Jones and Thome both earned the distinction of being first-ballot Hall of Famers in voting conducted by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Guerrero was voted in on his second year on the ballot, and Hoffman made it in his third. Edgar Martinez was passed over in his ninth time on the ballot by receiving 70.4 percent of the vote. A candidate needs 75 percent to gain induction. Mike Mussina (63.5 percent) also fell short. Controversial candidates Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds again fell short of the threshold, getting 57.3 percent and 56.4 percent of the vote, respectively. It was the sixth year on the ballot for both Bonds and Clemens. The inductions will be held July 29. Former Detroit Tigers teammates Jack Morris, a pitcher, and Alan Trammell, a shortstop, are part of the class after being selected by the Modern Era Committee last month. Jones was named on a robust 97.2 percent of the 422 ballots. Guerrero received 92.9 percent, Thome 89.8 percent and Hoffman 79.9 percent. A total of 317 votes was needed for induction. Jones, 45, joins Ken Griffey Jr. as the only No. 1 overall picks in the baseball draft to wind up in the Hall of Fame. The Braves selected Jones in 1990 out of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla., and Jones broke into the majors as a shortstop in 1993 before settling in as a third baseman. He spent his entire 19-season career in Atlanta. The 1999 National League MVP, Jones was an eight-time All-Star, and he led the Braves to a World Series title in 1995, hitting .364 in the postseason that year. In 2,499 career games, Jones batted .303 with a .401 on-base percentage, a .529 slugging percentage, 468 homers and 1,623 RBIs. Guerrero, 42, ranks as one of the best players in the Montreal Expos' abbreviated history. He spent his first eight of his 16 major league seasons in Montreal before moving on to the Anaheim/Los Angeles Angels, the Texas Rangers and the Orioles. He was the 2004 American League Most Valuable Player in his first season as an Angel, leading the league in runs (124) and total bases (366) while batting .337/.391/.598 with 39 homers, 126 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Guerrero wound up with a slash line of .318/.379/.553 to go with 449 homers and 1,496 RBIs. He was a nine-time All-Star. Thome, 47, spent 12 1/2 of his 22 major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles. His total of 612 homers ranks eighth in baseball history, and he sits 26th in career RBIs with 1,699 and seventh in walks with 1,747. On the flip side, Thome is also second in career strikeouts with 2,548. A five-time All-Star, Thome surprisingly led his league in homers only once, when he hit 47 for the Phillies in 2003. He produced a career batting line of .276/.402/.554. Hoffman, 50, ranks second with 601 career saves, trailing only Mariano Rivero (652). After breaking into the majors with the expansion Marlins in 1993, Hoffman was dealt to the Padres that June in the deal that brought Gary Sheffield to Florida. Hoffman became a fixture in the San Diego bullpen until spending his final two seasons (2009 and '10) with the Milwaukee Brewers. A seven-time All-Star, Hoffman twice led the NL in saves, posting 53 in 1998 and 46 in 2006. He wound up with a career 61-75 record and a 2.87 ERA to go along with 1,133 strikeouts and 307 walks in 1,098 1/3 innings. Martinez was attempting to join Frank Thomas as the only Hall of Famers who spent the majority of their careers as a designated hitter. ||||| For Vladimir Guerrero, and probably for Trevor Hoffman, the wait at the edge of Cooperstown is almost over. Guerrero and Hoffman, the most prominent candidates with Southern California ties, both came up just short of earning the votes for election to the Hall of Fame a year ago. When this year’s results are announced on Wednesday, Guerrero is certain to ease over the finish line, while Hoffman’s case is not quite as clear. Hoffman, an Orange County native and longtime Padres closer, missed by just one percent of the vote last year, coming up five votes shy of the required 75 percent for election. Guerrero, who won an MVP in his six years with the Angels, finished at 71.1 percent. As of Tuesday afternoon PT, Guerrero has 94.8 percent of the vote, while Hoffman is at 78.4 percent, with just over half of the ballots made public and tabulated by noted Hall of Fame watcher Ryan Thibodaux. Either or both of them figure to be joined in Cooperstown by first-time candidates Chipper Jones (98.3) and Jim Thome (93.1) and possibly even Edgar Martinez (77.1). While it looks like it will be another nail-biter for Hoffman, Guerrero is going to sail in with a rare boost. Since the return of annual balloting in 1966, only nine players have seen their vote totals jump at least 20 percent in one year, according to Hall of Fame expert Jay Jaffe. The only player to jump 20 points to cross the 75-percent threshold was Barry Larkin, in 2012. For Guerrero, it seems the jump is the result of a ballot number crunch. Voters are limited to picking 10 players, even though the ballot has gotten so crowded a case can be made for nearly twice that many. Much of Guerrero’s increase is from voters who simply couldn’t fit him on their ballots last year, according to a partial survey. Among writers who added Guerrero this year, six of seven who were questioned said they would have voted for Guerrero last year too if their ballots were unlimited. “Nothing has changed,” the Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal said via text. “I would have voted for Vlad (last year) if I had room.” A year ago, Rosenthal said he chose to give the last spot on his ballot to Billy Wagner, who he feared would not get the required 5 percent to remain on the ballot. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle said he made the same decision, giving his last vote to Garry Sheffield. Dan Hayes of the Athletic said he picked Larry Walker over Guerrero for his last spot simply because Walker was closer to the end of his time on the ballot. This is Walker’s eighth year of 10 years of eligibility on the writer’s ballot. “As far as this year, it was a no-doubter to put Vlad in,” Hayes said. “He’s without question a Hall of Famer to me, and we fortunately cleared three names off the ballot (last year). When I looked at last year’s class, I believed there were 14-15 viable candidates. He was my No. 11 choice and rightfully moved up.” Clearing names off the ballot is another incentive for some writers who might have viewed Guerrero as a borderline candidate in his first year. Once Guerrero was nearly elected in his first year, it was inevitable that he was going to be elected, so the sooner he got in, the more space there would be for other candidates. Guerrero figures to be one of at least five who enter the Hall of Fame this year, along with Jones, Thome, Alan Trammell and Jack Morris. The latter two were elected by the Veteran’s Committee after failing to gain entry via the writers. Hoffman is also likely to join them. Last year Hoffman was included on 72.7 percent of the ballots that were revealed before the final announcement, and he gained a small percentage when all the votes were tallied. Most candidates see their pre-announcement totals drop, because the voters who keep their ballots private tend to be stingier with their support, but Hoffman bucked that trend. As a closer, Hoffman is likely to favored more by voters who look at traditional stats than those who lean toward advanced metrics. Modern analysis tends to weight how effectively someone pitches, regardless of the inning, instead of giving extra credit for being the one to work the ninth and get a save. Hoffman is second all-time in saves, with 601. Martinez, who is usually favored more by the public voters, is likely to see a decline, below 75 percent. Mike Mussina (70.1 percent in public ballots) and Curt Schilling (59.3) also seem to be making progress toward eventual election. One of the most interesting questions when the final totals are released will be what happens with the totals for Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who have been tied together since they appeared on the ballot. No-doubt Hall of Famers by the numbers, both are also dogged by reports of steroid use. They both received around 54 percent of the vote last year, their highest total so far. They have four years left on the ballot, so they will need to keep trending up if they are to reach 75 percent. Public voting has both around 64 percent, but their support typically drops when all the private ballots are added. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) -- Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman have been elected to the baseball Hall of Fame. Designated hitter Edgar Martinez came close after a grass-roots campaign to boost him. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, both tainted by the steroids scandal, edged up but again fell far short. Jones and Thome made it 54 players elected in their first year of eligibility by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Jones was an eight-time All-Star third baseman for the Atlanta Braves. Thome hit 612 home runs, putting him eighth on the career list, and played mostly for the Cleveland Indians. Guerrero was elected in his second try. The nine-time All-Star slugger played half his career with the Montreal Expos. Hoffman was chosen in his third year. The former San Diego Padres closer had 601 saves, second all-time to Mariano Rivera's 652. The Hall announced the voting results Wednesday. The four new members will be inducted on July 29 in Cooperstown, New York. | The Baseball Writers' Association of America elects Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, and Trevor Hoffman to the U.S. Baseball Hall of Fame. They will be formally inducted alongside Jack Morris and Alan Trammell, voted in by a special Hall of Fame committee, on July 29. |
At least 12 people were killed and scores injured in clashes between government forces and southern separatists in Yemen’s coastal city of Aden, according to the health ministry. The violence broke out after forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC) reportedly seized the government headquarters in Aden on Sunday. Ministry official Jalal Baoudah said nine people were in a serious condition, according to the official Saba news agency on Monday. It remains unclear whether civilians were among the victims. Tension has been running high in Aden since the STC called for sacking the government of Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr. The STC accuses the government of starving Yemenis and pushing the country to the verge of famine. Aden serves as the temporary seat of the Saudi-backed government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi since Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa, in 2014. In 2015, Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as an Iranian proxy -- launched a massive military campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back the Houthis’ territorial gains. ||||| Five militants of the Southern Transitional Council were killed by snipers, while four soldiers died in clashes. The day before clashed resulted in 12 people dead and over 130 wounded, while supporters of a movement to restore South Yemen's independence from the North reportedly captured several government facilities. Clashes between former allies — the Saudi-led pro-government forces and militants of the Southern Transitional Council erupted the day after the internationally recognized government hadn't met a deadline for the resignation. READ MORE: Yemen's Southern Movement: What They Want and Who They Are Southern rebels initially backed internationally-recognized Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled from advancing Houthi rebels to his hometown of Aden, and alongside the Saudi-led coalition helped push the Houthis away from southern regions. Hadi, in turn, rejected the ultimatum and banned public gatherings before January 28 — subsequently, clashes erupted. The president has called on the Saudi-led coalition to help and currently facing two fronts — one against the Houthis and a second against the Southern rebels. ||||| Supporters of southern Yemeni separatists take part in an anti-government protest in Aden, Yemen, on Sunday (Reuters photo) ADEN, Yemen — Four people were killed on Monday in a second day of fighting between rival factions seeking control of the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, where the internationally recognised administration is based, witnesses and officials said. The clashes between southern separatists allied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and forces loyal to Saudi-based President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi risk crippling their once united campaign against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement. Witnesses reported fighting outside Yemeni government camps in the districts of Khor Maksar and Dar Saad in the north of Aden. The clashes involved tanks and heavy artillery targeting a hill, Jabal Hadeed, which overlooks Khor Maksar and Aden port. The SABA state news agency, controlled by the Hadi government, said four people had died in Monday's fighting, bringing the total death toll since Sunday to 16 and the number of wounded to 141. President Hadi issued a statement ordering the military to secure the city and assuring the population that his government was capable of handling the situation. The witnesses said forces loyal to the Southern Transitional Council (STC), which was formed last year to push for the revival of the former independent state of South Yemen, were apparently trying to wrest control of two bases in Aden from Prime Minister Ahmed Bin Daghr’s government. In downtown Aden, most people stayed off the streets as government forces guarded the main road to Al Maasheeq palace where the government is based. Aden airport was closed for a second consecutive day because of the fighting, local officials said. A government source said the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen in support of the Hadi administration should rein in the STC separatists or else the battle against the Houthis would suffer. “The military commanders leading the battle in the western part of Yemen [against the Houthis] have given short notice to the Saudis and the UAE to intervene to end the fighting in Aden. Otherwise they will leave the battlefront and move back to Aden to assist President Hadi and the government,” the source said. Sunday’s fighting broke out after the expiry of a deadline set last week by separatists from the STC for Hadi to dismiss the Bin Daghr government, accusing it of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies the charges. Bin Daghr has described the ultimatum as a coup against the internationally-recognised government, which the STC has accused of attacking civilians who had converged on the city’s Parades Square from across southern Yemen for a rally. The clashes in Aden have effectively divided the city into two zones, one controlled by the STC and one by the government. Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen’s territory. The factional fighting in the south compounds the misery of Yemenis whose country has been torn apart by three years of conflict between Hadi’s forces and the Houthis. ||||| ADEN (Reuters) - At least ten Yemeni fighters were killed and 30 were wounded in clashes which erupted throughout the southern Yemeni port city of Aden on Sunday, medical sources told Reuters. The medics added that the figures, which were gathered from several hospitals in the city, were a preliminary tally. ||||| At least four people have been killed in raging battles between government forces and secessionist fighters in Yemen's southern port city of Aden. Yemen's Prime Minister Ahmed bin Dagher accused southern separatists of attempting a coup after fighting erupted. The two sides in Aden are supported by countries within the Saudi-led coalition that are fighting the Houthi rebels. Fighting has also intensified in the city of Taiz in central Yemen, prompting international aid organisations such as OXFAM to close down their offices. ||||| Separatists in southern Yemen, who are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have dispatched sizable reinforcements to the city of Aden, where they have been engaged in fierce clashes with Saudi-allied militants loyal to the former Yemeni government. Reports on Monday said the so-called Southern Transitional Council had sent a large number of armed members from Dhale and Shabwah Provinces, respectively in southwestern and south-central Yemen, to Aden. The fresh outburst began on Sunday after the separatists managed to take control of a number of sites and military camps run by the former Yemeni administration following intense clashes with Saudi mercenaries. At least 15 people, including civilians, were killed and over 130 more injured in Sunday's violence. The International Committee of the Red Cross reported overnight clashes in Aden. The UAE has played a key role in the Saudi military campaign, which was launched in March 2015 with the aim of reinstalling the government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crushing the Houthi Ansarullah movement that currently runs Yemen’s state affairs. Prior to the offensive, Hadi had resigned and fled to Riyadh. The Saudi regime and its allies later managed to seize Aden from the Houthis and put it under the control of the ex-president’s officials. Numerous Arab-language outlets have verified the collision between Saudi and Emirati interests there. Neither Abu Dhabi nor Riyadh has, however, attested to any division within the Saudi-led coalition. The latest wave of violence broke out a week after Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the separatist council, said in a statement that the self-proclaimed Yemeni parliament would be barred from convening in the city of Aden unless Hadi removes his “prime minister” and his entire “cabinet.” The statement declared “a state of emergency in Aden” and said “it has begun the process of overthrowing” Hadi’s “government.” The separatists have long demanded independence for Yemen’s south, which used to be independent -- with former British colony Aden as its capital -- from its formation in 1967 until 1990, when it was unified with the north. Last year, it was revealed that the UAE clandestinely supports the secessionists against the Saudi-armed forces loyal to Hadi. Given its economic importance, Aden’s control would lend considerable leverage to any side exercising ultimate control over the port. ||||| Yemen’s prime minister Ahmed bin Dagher is accusing southern separatists of a coup after they seized several government buildings during fighting Sunday with government forces the port city of Aden. The fighting killed at least 10 and left as many as 86 wounded, including some civilians. At least a temporary calm returned when Yemeni leaders ordered their forces back to their barracks. The fighting broke out when President Abd Rabuh Mansour Hadi ignored separatists’ demands to fire Prime Minister bin Dagher, accusing him of corruption. The separatists also accuse Yemeni troops of firing on anti-government protesters. The separatists, backed by the United Arab Emirates, want Yemen to return to its pre-1990 status, when it was an independent state before unifying with North Yemen. All of Yemen has been in turmoil since Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sana’a in 2014, forcing Hadi to flee to exile in Saudi Arabia. The government has since set up shop in Aden. Saudi-led coalition airstrikes trying to oust the Houthis have obliterated entire civilian neighborhoods, including schools and hospitals. Yemen is also battling a deadly cholera outbreak, a possible famine, and the U.N. estimates about 80% of Yemenis are in desperate need of food, medicine, and clean water. ||||| ADEN/MARIB, Yemen (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed and about 100 others were wounded as southern Yemeni separatists fought government troops in the southern city of Aden on Sunday, local medics said, deepening a rift between forces that had been on the same side. The worst clashes yet between southern separatists, who are allied to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and forces loyal to the Saudi-based government risk crippling their once united war against the Iran-aligned Houthi movement in Yemen’s north. The fighting subsided by the evening after Prime Minister Ahmed bin Daghr ordered a truce and instructed forces loyal to the government to return to barracks, witnesses said. By evening, some shops were open but the streets were mostly deserted. Yemen has been torn apart by three years of conflict between the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Houthi, and the factional fighting in the south compounds the misery. The fighting broke out after the expiry of a deadline set last week by separatists from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) for Hadi to dismiss the bin Daghr government, accusing it of corruption and mismanagement. The government denies this. Gunmen were deployed throughout most of Aden’s districts and there was heavy automatic gunfire and explosions in the southern port city, according to Reuters witnesses. Armed separatists appeared to gain the upper hand by wresting a key military base in Khor Maksar district in northern Aden and several government buildings from soldiers loyal to Hadi, local newspaper Aden al-Ghad reported on its website. Residents said that hundreds of pro-Southern demonstrators had gathered in a main square. Hospitals said at least nine fighters and one woman were killed in the fighting. International medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said 86 wounded people were being treated, including seven people from one family whose car was hit by a shell. Bin Daghr had earlier denounced the separatists’ actions as a coup and said the outcome of the contest in Aden was in the hands of their backers, the UAE, who enjoy overall control in the city. He said the situation was headed toward “a comprehensive military confrontation ... (which is) a direct gift to the Houthis and Iran”. “This is a serious matter and the coalition and Arabs as a whole must move to save the situation,” bin Daghr wrote in a message on his Facebook page. “The matter is in their hands and the hope, as we in the government see it, is on the (United Arab) Emirates.” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said the UAE’s stand was “clear and principled in supporting the Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia”. The STC accused bin Daghr’s government of attacking peaceful protesters and urged Hadi to sack the prime minister and his cabinet. “The STC holds the bin Daghr government fully responsible after it violated the Arab coalition’s call for calm and used weapons to prevent demonstrators from reaching the parades square,” it said in a statement. Although Hadi remains in exile in Saudi Arabia, his administration and local allies nominally control about four-fifths of Yemen’s territory, but political and military leaders in Aden now want to revive the former independent state of South Yemen. A top military adviser to Hadi, Mohammed Ali al-Miqdashi, said any move toward rebellion would render the southerners an enemy. “There is no difference between the Houthis and anyone else who rebels against the legitimate government, no matter who they are - left, right, south, east,” said Miqdashi, speaking at a remote military base near the central Yemeni city of Marib, late on Saturday. ||||| The ongoing Yemeni civil war and staggering famine has further intensified the conflict between the southern and northern parts of the country. In 1990, the once independent state of South Yemen (1967-1990) was unified with North Yemen under the leadership of the North's leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh. Four years later, the South accused North of economic marginalization, corruption and abuses of power, and a civil war broke out between April 27 and July 7, leaving between 7,000 and 10,000 people dead. Although southern leaders sought to regain sovereignty, the government quashed the separatist movement. In May 2007 in South Yemen, retirees who had not received pensions for years took to the streets to protest economic and political inequality. The movement gained momentum and evolved into open calls for sovereignty of the region. The authorities branded the demonstrators as “apostates of the state” and reportedly fired on them. The Southern Movement formed in response to the purported shootings, embracing a diverse mosaic of groups sticking to the idea of splitting from the North. Herak separatists are the spearhead of the movement. Southern separatists initially backed internationally-recognized Yemen President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, who fled from advancing Houthi rebels to his hometown of Aden, and alongside the Saudi-led coalition helped push the Houthis away from southern regions. However, the economic and political issues remained a point of contention. On April 4, 2017, the Southern Movement established the Southern Transitional Council (STC) – a 26-member secessionist body. Its leader, Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the head of the Aden Governorate, was dismissed by Hadi for “disloyalty” at the time. The separatists control the area of Aden and are reportedly supported by the United Arab Emirates. 'Great Surprise': General Says Turning Point in Yemen Conflict is Close at Hand Fresh Developments On January 22, 2018, al-Zubaidi accused the Hadi government of “rampant corruption,” and declared a state of emergency in Aden, where the authorities are located. The STC said the president had a week to make his choice. Hadi, in turn, rejected the ultimatum and banned public gatherings before January 28 – subsequently, clashes erupted. The president has called on the Saudi-led coalition to help and currently facing two fronts – one against the Houthis and a second against the separatists. ||||| Forces loyal to Yemeni President Abdu Rabbu Mansour Hadi, backed by Saudi Arabia, exchanged fire with an armed group linked to the Southern Transitional Council, a movement supported by the United Arab Emirates that is demanding secession for southern Yemen, in the city of Aden on Sunday. According to reports, at least 10 people were killed and 30 others were wounded in the clashes. Following the battle, officials in Yemen accused the southern separatist forces of trying to stage a coup after they took hold of government offices. Speaking with Sputnik Radio's Loud & Clear, Mustafa Akhwand, executive director of Shia Rights Watch, offered insight into the ongoing issues in Yemen and his take on what needs to happen to ease the suffering of the Yemeni people. "Right now, the situation is between Saudi Arabia and UAE," Akhwand said. "There is a lot of news and documentation that there is a natural resource in Yemen and that each of those countries want to have a stake [in it]." "Thats a big issue right now," Akhwand added, referring to the newfound resources of oil, silver and gold along Yemen's border with Oman. "If Saudi Arabia controls that, they're going to control more natural resources in the region and the UAE, at the same time, because they have a small country, they're trying to get [control of the natural resources in order to get] more power in the region as well." Akhwand described the ongoing situation to show hosts Brian Becker and John Kiriakou as "the poorest country fighting the richest country in the region." And yet, the situation is only going to get worse, the activist said. "We have 10,000 people killed, almost 19 million out of water, gas, any natural resources and more than 2 million children without education, which will create a third party conflict of observers who will be in the region and not have enough education to survive," he told Kiriakou. For Akhwand, the only way for the situation to settle and see a positive change is simply for the violence to stop and to get Yemenis in the northern and southern region to find a balance in order to get along. "That's the one thing we have to do, to get the north and south to work together," he told Becker. "Hadi has to go and someone moderate has to come who will work with the Houthis and others to build the country again." "With this new natural resources that is coming a lot of economy growth can come, a lot of medical resources can be built, a lot of education can be given… that's what we need to bring to the country to be able to work with," he added. | United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) fighters seize control of government buildings in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, after clashing with forces loyal to President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi. At least 10 people are reportedly killed and 30 wounded. Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr accuses the separatists of mounting a coup. |
* Calls for voters to boycott what it says is unfair vote MOSCOW, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Hundreds of supporters of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny began a nationwide day of protest against the authorities on Sunday, calling on voters to boycott what they said was a rigged presidential election on March 18. Beneath bright blue skies, hundreds of young people gathered in the main square of the port of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. Speakers called the election, which polls show incumbent Vladimir Putin should easily win, a farce. “I will go to the elections when there’s a choice,” read one placard in Vladivostok, a reference to the fact that Navalny has been barred from running over what he says is a trumped up suspended prison sentence. “Putin is gobbling up Russia’s future,” read another. Other protests took place in Novosibirsk, Kurgan, Omsk, Magadan, Kemerovo and Yakutsk. Navalny’s supporters said they expected thousands of people to take part in similar demonstrations in 118 towns and cities. “Your own life is at stake,” Navalny, who organised the boycott protests, said in a pre-protest video. “How many more years to do you want to live with these thieves, bigots and creeps?” In Moscow, where a protest is expected later on Sunday, police forced their way into Navalny’s office and started questioning and searching people, citing reports of a bomb, an online feed run by Navalny’s supporters showed. Police shut down a TV studio at the office which had been broadcasting online news bulletins, but another studio in a different location continued to operate. Police detained six of Navalny’s supporters at the Moscow studio and around 16 protesters in other parts of Russia, OVD-Info, an independent monitoring group, said. It was unclear where Navalny was, but a group of police officers was stationed near his home. Navalny said he planned to attend the Moscow protest later on Sunday. Police warned beforehand they would harshly suppress any illegal protest activity and authorities refused to authorise events in Moscow and St Petersburg, the country’s two biggest cities, raising the possibility of possible violence. Navalny, a lawyer who has campaigned against official corruption, was barred from running in the election by the central election commission in December over what he said was a trumped up suspended prison sentence. The United States and the EU criticised the decision. Putin, who has dominated the Russian political landscape for the past 18 years, described U.S. criticism of the election’s commission’s decision as crude interference in Russia’s internal affairs and suggested Navalny was Washington’s pick for the presidency. Polls show Navalny had scant chance of beating Putin, but Navalny says the system is rigged against political opponents like himself which makes polls meaningless. Whilst there is little suspense about the outcome of the election, there is keen interest in voter turnout as media reports say the Kremlin wants to ensure Putin is re-elected on a turnout of around 70 percent or more as it sees high turnout as lending him greater legitimacy. Though Navalny can’t run against Putin and says he knows Putin will be re-elected, his spoiler campaign is aimed at lowering voter turnout to try to take the shine off a Putin win. (Additional reporting by a Reuters reporter in Vladivostok; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Katya Golubkova) ||||| This article is more than 1 year old This article is more than 1 year old The Russian opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny and 15 others have been arrested in Moscow after he attempted to lead a protest before a presidential election that is expected to return Vladimir Putin to power for another six years. Navalny, 41, was wrestled to the ground by officers on Sunday as he walked up Tverskaya, Moscow’s main thoroughfare. Amid chaotic scenes, police with truncheons fought off supporters who attempted to pull him free. His arrest came shortly after police had forced their way into his headquarters in Moscow in an apparent attempt to disrupt an online broadcast of nationwide opposition rallies. Police said they were looking for a bomb. Navalny, tweeting from a police van, said: “I have been detained. This means nothing. You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your future.” He was later released without charge, his lawyer told Reuters, although he will have face court at a later date. The anti-corruption campaigner, who has a large social media following, had called for rallies in support of an opposition boycott of the election. The Kremlin critic is barred from standing for public office after being convicted on fraud charges that he says were trumped up to prevent him from challenging Putin at the ballot box. Alexey Navalny (@navalny) Задержание одного человека теряет малейший смысл, если нас много. Кто-нибудь, придите и замените меня pic.twitter.com/TODVdF5lEm Authorities in Moscow and St Petersburg refused to give permission for the protests. In Moscow, about 2,000 people defied bitter cold and a heavy police presence to gather in Pushkin Square, a short walk from the Kremlin. “Putin is a thief!” the protesters chanted. “Six more years? No thanks!” read one sign. Pyotr Kuvshinov, a 20-year-old student, said: “These are not elections, if there is no choice. They have stolen our candidate from us.” Youthful opposition members at one point scaled lampposts on the square and unfurled a Russian flag to cheers from the crowd. Protesters later briefly marched towards the Kremlin. Scattered protests continued across Moscow into Sunday night, including outside the White House, the Russian government building. Vladimir, a 70-year-old academic who attended the rally in Moscow, said: “We want to live in a democratic country. But people in our country have been taught not to think.” In St Petersburg, where police cracked down hard on an opposition rally in October on Putin’s 65th birthday, about 2,000 people demonstrated in the centre of the city. Ten people were arrested. Navalny supporters also rallied in about 100 cities across Russia, from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad. In Cheboksary, central Russia, 50 people were detained, while 45 people were taken into custody at a rally in Ufa, according to OVD-Info, a non-governmental group that tracks arrests. Other opposition supporters braved temperatures of minus 45C to attend a protest in Yakutsk, Siberia. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Navalny told supporters: ‘You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your future.’ Photograph: Pavel Golovkin/AP However, numbers at the rallies were far down on March and June, when Navalny brought tens of thousands of people out on to the streets to protest over alleged corruption by Dmitry Medvedev, the prime minister. Police were also far more restrained, detaining about 250 people nationwide compared with more than 1,000 in June. Navalny has already served three protest-related prison sentences since March, and he was nearly blinded in one eye last year when a Kremlin supporter with alleged links to the security services threw a chemical in his face. Although Navalny has huge support among Russian liberals, many opposition members remain suspicious of him because of his links to Russia’s nationalist movement. Yulia, a protester in Moscow, said: “I’m here because I hate Putin, not because I like Navalny.” Navalny's army: the Russians risking all to oppose Vladimir Putin Read more Navalny says Putin is afraid to face genuine challengers at elections, and accuses the Kremlin of handpicking and approving rival candidates. Although Navalny is polling at about 2%, his supporters say an election campaign would have allowed him to capitalise on growing discontent over corruption and rising poverty. There is precedent for this: Navalny unexpectedly took almost 30% of the vote at Moscow’s mayoral election in 2013, securing second place and almost forcing the Kremlin’s candidate into an embarrassing run-off. The rallies on Sunday are unlikely to set alarm bells ringing in the Kremlin, which is keen to present a positive image of Russia before the World Cup in June. They also present Navalny with the challenge of rejuvenating his protest movement before the election. Speaking in an interview before the rallies, Gleb Pavlovsky, a former Kremlin spin doctor who now supports the opposition, said: “Navalny has done a very important thing – he has returned politics to Russia. But Navalny has a big problem – he is unable to capitalise on his success.” ||||| A still image taken from a video footage shows Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny being detained by Interior Ministry members during a rally for a boycott of a March 18 presidential election in Moscow, Russia January 28, 2018. NAVALNY.COM/Handout/Reuters TV via REUTERS MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was released from police custody late on Sunday after a brief appearance at a rally in Moscow calling for the boycott of a March presidential election that he said would be a rigged. Navalny’s lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, told Reuters that her client had been released without charge but would have to face court at a later date. If charged with violating laws on holding demonstrations, Navalny could face up to 30 days in jail. ||||| Update 12.10pm: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been arrested in Moscow as protest demonstrations called by him took place across the country. He has called on supporters to continue the demonstrations despite his arrest Sunday. He said on Twitter: "They have detained me. This doesn't mean anything ... you didn't come out for me, but for your future." Protests ranging from a few dozen to several hundred people were reported throughout the country. Mr Navalny is calling for a boycott of the March 18 presidential election in which President Vladimir Putin is seeking a fourth term. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, centre, is detained by police officers in Moscow. Photo: AP Photo/Evgeny Feldman Russia police have raided the Moscow office of opposition leader Alexei Navalny as demonstrations calling for a boycott of Russia’s presidential election take place across the country. A video stream on Sunday morning from Mr Navalny’s headquarters showed police entering the office. Police guard outside the office of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in Moscow. Photos: AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin One broadcaster on the stream said police apparently were using a grinder to try to get access to the broadcast studio. The anchors said police say they had come because of a bomb threat. Mr Navalny, who has been blocked from running in Russia’s March 18 presidential election, called for nationwide protests on Sunday. Sizeable gatherings have been reported in the Far East and Siberia, including Vladivostok, and more are set for Moscow and St Petersburg in the afternoon. ||||| (CNN) Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was arrested during anti-Kremlin protests in Moscow on Sunday, as rallies continue nationwide. "I've been detained. This doesn't matter. Come to Tverskaya (Street). You are not going there for me, it's for you and your future," Navalny tweeted after his arrest. Within minutes of arriving at Pushkinskaya Square, where hundreds of protesters had gathered, Navalny was wrestled into a patrol van by police, in dramatic footage posted on Youtube. Moscow Police said Navalny taken to a police station for arraignment and to be charged for illegally organizing a protest. If found guilty, he faces 30 days in detention and a fine. Earlier Navalny said police forced their way into his Moscow office, hours before the protests were due to take place. Navalny, a longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin, broadcast CCTV footage of what he says is the moment police forced their entry into the office. CNN contacted the Moscow police, but officials there said they "have no information regarding the raids." Navalny has called for nationwide protests and for supporters to boycott what he calls rigged presidential elections, set to take place March 18. Following the office raid, Navalny urged supporters to join the protests later Sunday. "I am proud of all those who joined us today in any capacity: from Magadan to Sochi. From the FBK office to the headquarters in Kemerovo. From Krasnodar to Yakutsk, where the meeting took place at -40. These are real citizens," he said in a Facebook post. "Be real citizens. Go out to the demo in your city." Across the country, protests have ranged from gatherings of a few dozen in remote areas, to around 1,000 people in central Moscow, police said in a statement. Prior to his arrest, Navalny said police sawed through the door of the office's studio during a YouTube broadcast Sunday morning. "In order to take down our broadcast, the police cut out the door to the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK) office, and then began to saw the door to the studio right in the middle of broadcast," he said in a Facebook post. "Do you know the formal reason? Dmitry Nizovtsev, the host, was accused of planting a bomb (without actually going off air, we must assume), and it was necessary to cut the doors ASAP in order to find this bomb. "And then they detained him. Watch it, it's a good example of what the Russian police has become." Eight staff members of Navalny's Moscow offices were detained in the raid, part of 90 people arrested across the country, according to independent monitoring group OVD-Info. They included the head of Navalny's Moscow headquarters, Nikolay Lyaskin, who was grabbed by police on his way out of the office, according to Navalny press secretary Kira Yarmysh. Putin controls and dominates Russian State TV and there has so far been no mention of the demonstrations. Instead, Navalny and his supporters have turned to YouTube to get their message out, with over 50,000 people watching his live feed as of Sunday morning. Navalny, Russia's best-known opposition leader, was barred from running in the upcoming elections after a 2017 criminal conviction for embezzlement. Critics say the case against the 41-year-old was politically motivated. "Putin has been in power for 18 years now," he said. "People are not ready to wait another six years, then another six, then another." The Kremlin has rejected allegations of widespread, high-level corruption and has condemned Navalny as a dangerous influence whose calls for protests could plunge Russia into chaos. ||||| Protesters gathered across Russia Sunday to support opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s call to boycott the March presidential election, and Navalny himself was arrested while walking to the Moscow demonstration. Many of the crowds that turned out in generally frigid weather skewed sharply young, apparently reflecting growing discontent among Russians who have lived most or all of their lives under President Vladimir Putin, who came to power on New Year’s Eve 1999. “As long as I’ve been alive, Putin has always been in. I’m tired of nothing being changed,” said 19-year-old Vlad Ivanov, one of about 1,500 protesters who assembled in St Petersburg. Navalny, Putin’s most prominent foe, organised the protests to urge a boycott of Russia’s March 18 presidential election, in which Putin is sure to win a fourth term. He was wrestled to the ground and forced into a police bus as he walked toward the demonstration on Moscow’s Pushkin Square. The anti-corruption campaigner was denied permission to be a presidential candidate because of an embezzlement conviction in a case widely seen as politically motivated. Late Sunday night, hours after police detained him, Navalny said on Twitter that he had been released before a trial. Russian news reports cited police earlier as saying he was likely to be charged with a public-order violation for calling unauthorised demonstrations. Independent radio station Ekho Moskvy reported after his release that Navalny had not yet been presented with a charge. No figures were available for how many people participated in the protests, but the turnout was clearly smaller than for rallies Navalny organised last year. The size and scope of the earlier protests, which took place in provincial cities regarded as the centre of Putin’s support, rattled the Kremlin. Protests were reported in dozens of cities, from the Pacific Coast to the Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad. Navalny’s webpage showed a small group of protesters in remote Yakutsk, where it was minus 45 degrees Celsius. A crowd that police estimated at 1,000 people, but appeared larger, assembled in central Pushkin Square, brandishing placards reading “They’ve stolen the election from us” and “Elections without Navalny are fake.” After that gathering dispersed, columns of protesters took off in several directions. One group skirted the Kremlin, then headed down the Novy Arbat, a prime shopping and entertainment area, and to the riverside government headquarters building informally called the Russian White House. Shouting “Putin is a thief,” some of the protesters threw handfuls of snow through the high spiked fence surrounding the building. Police did not interfere, a contrast to their typically quick and harsh responses to unauthorised gatherings. The OVD-Info organisation, which monitors political repression, reported that 257 people were arrested in the demonstrations throughout the country. Hours before the Moscow protest, police raided Navalny’s headquarters, where there is a studio for live video transmissions. One broadcaster on the stream said police apparently were using a power grinder tool to try to get into the studio. The anchors hosting the feed reported that police said they had come because of an alleged bomb threat. One anchor, Dmitri Nizovtsev, was detained by police, according to video broadcast from the headquarters. Navalny’s Moscow coordinator, Nikolai Lyaskin, also was detained Sunday, the Interfax news agency quoted him as saying. Several hundred demonstrators assembled in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, complaining both of Putin’s rule and of Navalny’s exclusion from the March 18 presidential election. “They took these elections away from us, they took away our votes. Our candidate was not allowed to run,” said Vladivostok demonstrator Dmitri Kutyaev. Navalny rose to prominence with detailed reports about corruption among top Russian officials, which he popularised on social media to circumvent state control of television. ||||| Moscow: Russian Opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been freed after a brief spell in police detention in Moscow as thousands rallied against a March election expected to extend Vladimir Putin's Kremlin term. "I'm free," Navalny said on Twitter late on Sunday, adding: "Today has been an important day... Thanks to all those who were not afraid to fight for their rights." Heeding a call by Putin's bete noire, thousands braved freezing temperatures to stage rallies in dozens of cities to protest upcoming "pseudo-elections," as Navalny and his supporters refer to them. In Moscow, Navalny chanted "Swindlers and thieves" at a rally in the city centre on Sunday before several police officers pounced on the 41-year-old Opposition politician, knocking him to the ground and dragging him on to a bus. Authorities said earlier Navalny would be charged with organising an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to a police station. The Opposition leader urged Muscovites not to give up. "You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your future," he tweeted. About 4,000 people turned up for the unsanctioned rally in Moscow, with many chanting "Down with the czar" and brandishing placards saying "Voters' strike." Authorities beefed up security, dispatching police vans and passenger buses to the city centre, but police largely refrained from arresting protesters. A crowd of protesters was later allowed to walk down to Red Square. One group of protesters walked several kilometres and reached the government headquarters as police watched on. Authorities estimated the Moscow turnout at around 1,000 people. Ahead of the Moscow rally police broke into Navalny's headquarters using a power saw. Police also detained several members of Navalny's team. More than 250 people were detained across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor. Sunday's turnout paled in comparison to last year's protests when tens of thousands demonstrated against corruption among Russia's elite in March and June, 2017. Police unleashed a severe crackdown afterwards, arresting more than 1,000 people including schoolchildren. Navalny himself served three jail sentences of 15 days, 25 days and 20 days for organising unauthorised protests in 2017. ||||| Russian police used an angle grinder to force their way into the office of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, according to his spokeswoman. Images broadcast online by supporters of Mr Navalny showed officers arriving at the Moscow building and beginning to question people. Mr Navalny's spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, said she thought the raid was designed to shut down the work of the politician's TV studio, which broadcasts bulletins and other videos on YouTube. However, supporters of Mr Navalny have claimed that police said they were looking into reports there was a bomb in the office. :: There's more at stake in Russia's election than Putin's pride The incident on Sunday morning came as hundreds of the 41-year-old's supporters began a nationwide day of protests against authorities, calling on voters to boycott what they believe will be a rigged presidential election on 18 March. Last month Mr Navalny was barred from running in the election by Russia's central election commission because of a suspended prison sentence for fraud, but thousands still turned out to endorse him for the presidency during demonstrations across the country. In a video message addressing his supporters following the commission's decision, Mr Navalny said: "We knew this could happen, and so we have a straightforward, clear plan. "We announce a boycott of the election. "The process in which we are called to participate is not a real election. It will feature only Putin and the candidates which he has personally selected." Despite Mr Navalny's show of defiance, polls show Vladimir Putin is on course for a comfortable re-election which would keep him in office for another six years. Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that unsanctioned pro-Navalny rallies would lead to "certain consequences". ||||| Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was released from police custody on Sunday after he was arrested during a day of nationwide protests against President Vladimir Putin. Navalny, 41, was "released without charge," his lawyer, Olga Mikhailova, told Reuters. She noted her client would have to face court at another time. Russian police reportedly wrestled Navalny into a patrol car in Moscow on Sunday moments after the anti-corruption campaigner appeared at a rally urging voters to boycott what he said would be a rigged presidential election in March. Putin is running for a fourth term. Video showed Navalny walking a short distance when he was surrounded by helmet-clad police officers, according to Reuters. They wrestled him to the ground on the pavement, and then dragged him feet first into the patrol wagon. Navalny urged supporters to continue the demonstrations despite his arrest. He said on Twitter, "they have detained me. This doesn't mean anything ... you didn't come out for me, but for your future." Navalny was denied permission to be a presidential candidate because of an embezzlement conviction in a case widely seen as politically motivated. Earlier on Sunday police raided Navalny’s campaign office in Moscow. A video stream Sunday morning from Navalny's headquarters showed police entering the office. One broadcaster on the stream said police apparently were using a grinder to try to get access to the broadcast studio. The anchors said police say they had come because of a bomb threat. Thousands of people braving the cold demonstrated in Moscow and other cities, including St. Petersburg. The OVD-Info group, which monitors political arrests, reported scores of demonstrators had been detained at protests in cities including Murmansk, Ufa and Kemerovo. Several hundred demonstrators assembled in the Pacific port city of Vladivostok, complaining both of Putin's rule and of Navalny's exclusion from the March 18 presidential election. "They took these elections away from us, they took away our votes. Our candidate was not allowed to run," said Vladivostok demonstrator Dmitri Kutyaev. Fox News' Nicole Darrah and The Associated Press contributed to this report. ||||| MOSCOW: Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been freed after a brief spell in police detention in Moscow as thousands rallied against a March election expected to extend Vladimir Putin's Kremlin term. "I'm free," Navalny said on Twitter late Sunday, adding: "Today has been an important day... Thanks to all those who were not afraid to fight for their rights." Heeding a call by Putin's bete noire, thousands braved freezing temperatures to stage rallies in dozens of cities to protest upcoming "pseudo-elections," as Navalny and his supporters refer to them. In Moscow, Navalny chanted "Swindlers and thieves" at a rally in the city centre Sunday before several police officers pounced on the 41-year-old opposition politician, knocking him to the ground and dragging him on to a bus. Authorities said earlier Navalny would be charged with organising an unpermitted protest, adding he had been taken to a police station. The opposition leader urged Muscovites not to give up. "You are not rallying for me, but for yourselves and your future," he tweeted. - 'Down with the czar' - About 4,000 people turned up for the unsanctioned rally in Moscow, with many chanting "Down with the czar" and brandishing placards saying "Voters' strike." Authorities beefed up security, dispatching police vans and passenger buses to the city centre, but police largely refrained from arresting protesters. A crowd of protesters was later allowed to walk down to Red Square. One group of protesters walked several kilometres and reached the government headquarters as police watched on. Authorities estimated the Moscow turnout at around 1,000 people. Ahead of the Moscow rally police broke into Navalny's headquarters using a power saw. Police also detained several members of Navalny's team. - 'Not scared' - More than 250 people were detained across the country, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitor. Sunday's turnout paled in comparison to last year's protests when tens of thousands demonstrated against corruption among Russia's elite in March and June, 2017. Police unleashed a severe crackdown afterwards, arresting more than 1,000 people including schoolchildren. Navalny himself served three jail sentences of 15 days, 25 days and 20 days for organising unauthorised protests last year. But many protesters said Sunday authorities would not intimidate them. "These are not elections because we already know the result," Elena Ruzhe, 62, told AFP in Moscow. "I'm not scared to protest," added the former culture ministry worker. Protester Alexandra Fedorova, who wore a fur coat, said it was wrong not to let Navalny take part in the vote. "I don't see a future. There is nobody to vote for," the 27-year-old said. - 'I want change' - Protesters expressed similar sentiments in the second city of Saint Petersburg where around 1,500 people rallied, some chanting "Russia without Putin" and "Putin is a thief." "I want change," Andrei Petrov, 20, told AFP in the former imperial capital. "We are tired of living in this quagmire." Earlier in the day opposition supporters protested in far eastern Russia and Siberia, including in the northern city of Yakutsk where people rallied despite temperatures of around minus 45 Celsius (minus 49 Fahrenheit). In the Ural city of Yekaterinburg around 1,000 people turned up, with the city's mayor joining the crowd. "What we are being offered now is not an election," the outspoken mayor, Yevgeny Roizman, told the gathering. Navalny -- seen as the only politician able to take on Putin -- has built a robust protest movement, tapping into the anger of a younger generation yearning for change. He says the upcoming election will be little more than a coronation of Putin who is expected to win a fourth presidential term, becoming the longest-serving Russian leader since Stalin. Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned unsanctioned rallies would lead to "certain consequences" -- a thinly-veiled promise of punishment. Last year Navalny mounted a forceful bid to run for president but officials ruled him ineligible due to a criminal conviction which he says is politically motivated. Navalny has said he would use the full force of his campaign -- including over 200,000 volunteers -- to organise "voters' strikes" and encourage Russians to stay away from polling stations on election day. After 18 years of leadership, both as president and prime minister, Putin fatigue is spreading across Russia. But the post-Soviet turbulence of the 1990s remains deeply ingrained in Russia's collective psyche, making many reluctant to take to the streets, observers say. | Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is arrested by police at a protest rally in Moscow. His arrest comes shortly after police raid the headquarters of his unregistered Progress Party in an apparent attempt to disrupt online broadcasts of opposition rallies against Vladimir Putin, while police say they were looking for a bomb. Navalny is released from police custody without charge late Sunday but needs to appear in court later. |
If the Royal Rumble is the road to WrestleMania, then it’s going to be a bumpy ride. The Rumble kicked off WWE’s build to WrestleMania, and the publicly owned company listened to its fan base when Shinsuke Nakamura claimed victory in the men’s Rumble and challenged AJ Styles for the WWE championship at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans. WWE made the right call to close the card with the women’s Royal Rumble, as Asuka dominated and became the first-ever women’s winner. Cheers quickly turned to confusion as Ronda Rousey arrived right before Asuka chose her ‘Mania opponent, and the pay-per-view went off the air with the announcing team discussing Rousey’s arrival and conveniently dismissing Asuka’s victory. An otherwise rushed men’s Rumble, which was highlighted by the return of Rey Mysterio, came together perfectly during its final 25 minutes. The ring was filled with the likes of John Cena, Finn Balor, Nakamura, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns, until Nakamura and Reigns had a showdown to finish the match. WWE will have some explaining to do regarding the finish of the women’s Rumble that somehow allowed Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey to replace Asuka and both women’s champions as the central figures of the show. Here are my notes from the Rumble: 1. Did it feel cheap to anyone else when the show opened with the WWE championship match? SmackDown is clearly positioned as the company’s secondary show, well behind Raw, and placing the world title in the opening match was only further confirmation. 2. Wrestling is constantly criticized for its modern-day lack of selling injuries, but Kevin Owens reinjuring his ankle following Styles doing a number on Owens’s ankle on SmackDown was a nice touch. While I was impressed by the storyline continuity, Owens’s ankle was somehow perfectly fine for the remainder of the match—though he was selling the injury in the backstage segment post-match. 3. The finish to the show-opening title match was well-designed, as the tag wasn’t made between Zayn and Owens so Styles pinned an opponent who was not the legal man. The finish protects Owens and Zayn, as two top heels should not be defeated by one opponent, no matter how phenomenal he may be. 4. Styles has earned the right to main event WrestleMania 34. Although that slot appears to already be filled by the Roman Reigns-Brock Lesnar rematch, the wrestling diehards deserve a wrestling match between two full-time talents to close out the biggest show of the year. If the same philosophy was used in WWE history, where part-timers were brought in to main event the show, then Steve Austin and The Rock would have never closed out WrestleMania 15, which was a major turning point in the stardom of The Rock and helped cement Austin as the top draw in the world. 5. The backstage segment between Owens, Zayn and Shane McMahon is building perfectly to a tag-team match at WrestleMania 34. McMahon’s partner, of course, has to be Daniel Bryan. The decibel level at the Superdome in New Orleans will be deafening when McMahon starts the match… and then finally tags Bryan into the match. 6. The Usos opened the match by proclaiming they had nothing to lose, which, of course, is far from the truth in a company that scripts its finishes. TMZ reported that Jey Uso was arrested two weeks ago for driving while impaired. It’s worth noting that Vince McMahon claimed players in the XFL—which he announced will return in 2020—will not allow anyone on the field with criminal records. 7. Chad Gable’s sky-high moonsault was another peek at Gable’s talent. He feels like a Jim Ross hire from the early 2000s as he was a successful college athlete with a legitimate amateur wrestling background, and someone comfortable working with other alpha males in a locker room. Gable’s breakout in WWE is inevitable, and I reached out to Jim Ross during the show for a comment. “Chad Gable reminds me at times of the great Kurt Angle with his fundamental wrestling soundness and attention to detail,” Ross said, who took a break from his one-man tour and book signings of Slobberknocker to connect with Sports Illustrated. “Athletic entertainers such as Angle, Brock Lesnar, and others like Jack Brisco have always been significant pieces to the foundation of the genre. Chad Gable is no exception. I expect greatness from Chad.” 8. WWE shocked tag teams around the world when The Usos claimed the first two falls to win a best-of-three falls match without going to the third fall. The match was just picking up momentum, and the finish was flat. Considering WWE desperately needs to build new tag teams, choosing to keep the belts on The Usos feels like a missed opportunity. 9. The Usos are tremendous heels. Are we ready for Roman Reigns to go full-out heel and work with Jimmy and Jey Uso? Reigns turning on his Shield partners, especially with a chair shot to the back of Seth Rollins, would be a great way to jumpstart their control of the company. 10. WWE’s “All About the Numbers” video for the Royal Rumble was fantastic, but the company has remained steadfast in its decision not to highlight Hulk Hogan. Although Hogan was briefly in a montage video during Raw 25, he was never specifically mentioned during the Rumble video, despite the fact that Hogan’s wins–and even his loss at the 1992 Rumble–firmly established the pay per view as a must-see attraction. 11. Jerry Lawler returned to broadcast the Rumble, ending any speculation that his “puppies” comment on Raw was not pre-approved. 12. Despite the rules of the Royal Rumble, where a new competitor enters every two minutes, there were only 78 seconds separating Rhyno and Baron Corbin’s entries in the Rumble. There were 100 seconds in between Corbin and Heath Slater, so clearly WWE is going to play by its own rules when it comes to when a new competitor enters the Rumble. Elias Sampson came to the ring only a minute and twenty-two seconds after Slater. For those keeping track, the first entry to come out two minutes after the buzzer was Sheamus at number eleven. 13. The addition of NXT champion Andrade “Cien” Almas into the Rumble was a welcome addition. Almas wrestled Johnny Gargano at the previous night’s NXT Takeover: Philadelphia in arguably the match of the year, including matches from New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom on January 4. 14. Would anyone object to Big E winning the Rumble? He is cast as a comedy player in the SmackDown tag-team division. But Big E is the rare babyface who is beloved by the crowd, has the ability to speak confidently on the microphone and can work fantastic matches. Of course, Big E was eliminated by Jinder Mahal. 15. There had to be a better way to explain Zayn’s entrance at no. 10. Zayn and Owens ambushed Tyler Dillinger in the back, and Zayn then claimed the spot and entered the match. It was a moot point when Shinsuke Nakamura eliminated Zayn. 16. Slater’s moment at the Rumble, which saw him eliminate Sheamus, served as a quick reminder that WWE has a hidden gem who can connect with their audience in Slater. Personally, I would be thrilled to watch a Slater-Miz program for the Intercontinental title. 17. If Nakamura does not win the Rumble, then throw ice all over his WWE future. It’s now or never for “The Artist,” who is more likely to return to New Japan than become WWE champion if he does not win the Rumble. 18. Seth Rollins entered at no. 18, and this Rumble is flying. The entries have averaged just under 90 seconds, and WWE is clearly worried about the timing of the show. 19. Kofi Kingston’s “power of the pancakes” spot was creative, but ultimately lost its meaning with Kingston’s elimination only moments later. Kingston has claimed the athletic spots that were formerly performed in the Rumble by Johnny Morrison, who now wrestles with Impact, AAA, and Lucha Underground. “One of the reasons I watch the Royal Rumble is because I’m looking forward to seeing what Kofi Kingston is going to do and how he will top what he did the year before,” Morrison said. “There is no end to Kofi’s creativity and athleticism, and he’s one of my favorite performers in the entire business.” Morrison noted that many of his own athletic spots inspired his stunts during his action film, Boone: The Bounty Hunter, which is now available on iTunes and Amazon. “Kofi’s spot got a huge pop at our house this year,” Morrison said. “I’m amazed that he can deliver every year. My only regret is that I wish he stayed in the Rumble longer to allow the fans in the crowd and in their homes all over the world more time to appreciate what he did.” 20. To allow for Kingston’s acrobats, there were two minutes and fifty-four seconds after Seth Rollins entered until Matt Hardy’s entry. 21. How great was the stare down between John Cena and Shane “Hurricane” Helms? Helms would be a welcome addition to the cruiserweight division, and provide an additional reason to watch 205 Live every Tuesday. 22. With Randy Orton’s entry into the Royal Rumble, the ring was filled with a three-time Ring of Honor champion in Cole, a 16-time WWE champion in Cena, a 13-time champion in Orton, the current NXT champion in Almas, as well as a three-time IWGP champion in Nakamura and former Bullet Club leader Finn Balor. 23. The return of Rey Mysterio was arguably the most memorable moment of this year’s Rumble. It is no coincidence that Mysterio was just mentioned as a future possible opponent for Kenny Omega in New Japan, so this was a great chance for WWE to highlight Mysterio’s return and remind the wrestling world—particularly New Japan, who had something of a coup with their signing of Chris Jericho—that pro wrestling, I mean sports entertainment, is WWE’s yard. 24. WWE has done a tremendous job of weaving in the newer talent (Almas, Cole) with returning stars (Mysterio) and its top talent (Reigns, Cena, Balor). And, instead of a returning star at No. 30, it was much better to see Dolph Ziggler claim that spot. WWE should do everything in its power to highlight the talent who work year round, instead of continually placing that spotlight on those who return for ‘Mania. Ziggler, for what it’s worth, was eliminated by the time I finished typing that last sentence. 25. The sight of Randy Orton and John Cena in the ring together brings back instant nightmares. The 2014 Rumble title match between Cena and Orton still occasionally haunts my dreams; I’m perfectly fine never seeing another main event between those two. 26. Balor eliminating Mysterio was another perfect call. Every chance to build Balor should be capitalized. 27. The Rumble was rushed to highlight the final four of Cena, Reigns, Balor and Nakamura. The moment climaxed when Cena eliminated Balor, which would be an incredible match, and passing of the torch, at WrestleMania from Cena to Balor. 28. Roman Reigns is an entirely different performer than the one we saw win the Rumble in 2015. In addition to a vast improvement in the ring, there is no doubt he is the most polarizing figure in professional wrestling. 29. Nakamura eliminating Reigns concluded one of the most compelling Royal Rumble events of all-time. Reigns’s moment will still come against Lesnar at ‘Mania, but this was an opportunity—and WWE took full advantage—to use Reigns to make Nakamura to the WWE audience. The vast majority of WWE fans do not watch New Japan Pro Wrestling, so giving Nakamura his chance to shine over Reigns was the right call, and we now have a Nakamura-Styles match to look forward to at WrestleMania. 30. Why is there no animosity between Raw stars and their counterparts from SmackDown? That entire angle for the Survivor Series, where the two sides allegedly hated each other, continues to age poorly. 31. Ric Flair’s “KFC Rumble” was a quick commercial, but man, that contained some real emotion. Flair was given less than a 20% chance of survival this past summer, so to see him recreate the finish of the 1992 Rumble—where he eliminated Sid Justice, who had just tossed Hulk Hogan—was a perfect moment. 32. The worst spot on this card was the match following the men’s Royal Rumble, which was given to the Raw tag-title match featuring Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan against Cesaro and Sheamus. The titles changed hands, as Cesaro continues to emerge as a modern-day tag-team specialist, but the titles felt like an afterthought to the storyline between Jordan and Rollins. 33. Fascinating to see the depths in which WWE has de-valued Brock Lesnar in his battles with Braun Strowman. Wrestling is a business that revolves entirely around commodities, and the performers are just that, so it’s easy to watch with considerable interest as WWE allows Strowman to destroy Lesnar. As Michael Cole noted at the end of the match, Lesnar “survived” the match after pinning Kane. The end of Lesnar’s WWE run is coming, which appears to be this August at SummerSlam before his inevitable return to the UFC heavyweight division. 34. Imagine UFC telling Bruce Buffer to step aside during the biggest match of a pay-per-view so someone else could be the ring announcer? No, I can’t either, but that’s exactly what WWE did by bringing in Maria Menounos to guest ring announce before the women’s Rumble. Why does @mariamenounos announce everyone like she's a ghost on the Disney Haunted Mansion ride? #RoyalRumble — WWE Creative Humor (@WWECreative_ish) January 29, 2018 35. The bell rang for the women’s Royal Rumble at 10:08 p.m. ET. If you thought the entry times for the men’s Rumble were squeezed together, you ain’t seen nothing yet. 36. WWE Hall of Famer Lita returned to the Royal Rumble, and wore a #TIMESUP shirt, which is fairly controversial in the world of WWE. It’s worth mentioning that the Daily Beast reported Vince McMahon allegedly sexually assaulted a woman in a tanning booth. No mention was made of Lita’s shirt by the broadcast team of Michael Cole, Corey Graves and Stephanie McMahon. 37. The women’s Rumble would have been greatly enhanced with the presence of SmackDown champion Charlotte and Raw champion Alexa Bliss. Considering WWE creates the rules—as evidenced by the time clock—why not just add a provision to include the champions? 38. Molly Holly’s flip onto Sasha Banks looked incredibly unsafe. Even attempting a move with that much risk and such little reward makes no sense, but it was a clear reminder how the Rumble is such a dangerous match. 39. Michelle McCool’s return—and strong spots—further indicates that her husband, The Undertaker, is returning for this year’s WrestleMania. 40. Stephanie McMahon added a calm presence on the broadcast, and she is incredibly well-spoken. But… isn’t she supposed to be a heel? 41. Just like the men’s Rumble, WWE did a nice job presenting former stars while still showcasing the current roster. Out of all the returners, I was surprised Torrie Wilson did not last longer. 42. Sasha Banks continues to slip outside the ring any time there could physical contact. The spot from Holly appeared to injure her, in what appeared to be her shoulders. 43. The Naomi spot—where she climbed from the barricade back to the ring with the help of an office chair, only to be quickly eliminated by Nia Jax—mirrored the same sequence from Kofi Kingston’s pancakes spot during the men’s Rumble. 44. Beth Phoenix would be a fantastic addition to the women’s division. Mickie James has not been booked as a legend, but Phoenix, who is a WWE Hall of Famer, could serve as a great opponent to further enhance Nia Jax as a heel once she is champion. 45. The Philadelphia crowd delivered a loud “John Cena sucks!” chant after Nikki Bella returned to the ring, in what was the first card Cena and Bella both worked since last year’s WrestleMania. 46. Bayley’s stock has dropped over the past six months in WWE. Unfortunately, there is less and less of a buzz during her entrances, and she wasn’t even considered a possibility to win the Rumble. 47. Trish Stratus was reportedly upset with her appearance this past Monday on Raw 25, as she was only a part of one segment where she was introduced and waved to the crowd, but her entrance was a perfect way to allow her to shine. Instead of Ronda Rousey, the crowd was thrilled to see Stratus at no. 30. 48. If Banks was injured, she did a tremendous job of working through the pain. Her elimination deflated the crowd, who much preferred to see a Banks-Asuka standoff instead of Asuka vs. the Bella sisters. 49. The Rumble is an emotionally draining event, let alone two, but the crowd remained invested in the finish because of its attachment to and interest in Asuka. Even though Nikki Bella had no chance of winning, it was worth watching to see Asuka celebrate her moment as the first-ever winner of the women’s Royal Rumble. 50. The finish of the pay-per-view—which saw Ronda Rousey interrupt Asuka’s moment, before she could even choose whether she would wrestle Charlotte or Alexa Bliss at WrestleMania—was extremely poorly done. Unfortunately, the Rumble ended on a sour note. Just like Nakamura’s win earlier in the night, the show should have finished by celebrating the winner of the women’s Rumble. Instead, we were treated to the Ronda Rousey show. Asuka never announced her opponent for ‘Mania, Rousey pointed again and again to the WrestleMania sign, and the show ended on a Rousey-Stephanie McMahon handshake. Somehow, on a night that had highlighted the women’s division, the show ended by teasing a McMahon-Rousey feud. A show that ran for over four hours did not provide enough time to complete the story of Asuka and her ‘Mania opponent. The Rock is currently scheduled to team with Rousey against Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WrestleMania, but the build to that match should have started on Raw. The Rumble was supposed to Asuka’s moment, but instead ended with her as an afterthought. Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso. ||||| Share this article with Google Plus WWE Royal Rumble will go down as one of the most newsworthy shows of the year after a four hour show which produced plenty of talking points. Two Japanese stars won big at the event, as Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s Royal Rumble, and Asuka claimed victory in the first ever women’s Rumble. But it was the debut of former UFC Champion Ronda Rousey which got the world talking, as the longtime wrestling fan strolled down to the ring after Asuka’s victory. Rousey pointed at the Wrestlemania sign and shook Stephanie McMahon’s hand at ringside, before it was revealed on social media that she had signed a full time WWE contract. Many had expected Rousey to take part in the Rumble itself, and when the men’s version went on first, the expectation was that she would win the match. Instead it was the undefeated Asuka who emerged victorious, and she refused Rousey’s offer of a handshake in the post-match antics. A potential Wrestlemania match between the two would be a sight to behold, but both Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown champion Charlotte Flair are expected to be involved as well. Trish Stratus, Lita and The Bella Twins all returned for the women’s Rumble, while NXT champion Ember Moon also made an appearance. It was a night of success for Japan as Shinsuke Nakamura won the men’s Royal Rumble after eliminating 2015 winner Roman Reigns. Previous stars including Rey Mysterio and The Hurricane competed in the match, as well as NXT champion Andrade Cien Almas and former Ring of Honor champion Adam Cole. The final six consisted of an all-star cast including John Cena, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, who eliminated both John Cena and Roman Reigns to win the match. Nakamura’s win was hugely popular, and he immediately challenged WWE Champion AJ Styles for a title match at Wrestlemania. Styles defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn earlier in the show, while Brock Lesnar retained his Universal title against Braun Strowman and Kane. Lesnar pinned Kane after an F5 onto a steel chair, and he is expected to face Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 34 in April. Sheamus and Cesaro regained their Raw tag-team titles over Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan, while The Usos retained against Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin. With WWE’s flagship Monday Night Raw show taking place tonight, expect plenty of news from the Royal Rumble to be developed in more depth. ||||| WWE Royal Rumble 2018 ended with Asuka winning the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match, but not to be outdone, Ronda Rousey also made her highly anticipated WWE debut. Asuka and Ronda Rousey entered the match as the top two betting favorites, but with Rousey not actually participating in the match, it was Asuka who outlasted 29 other competitors and earned herself the monumental victory. Now that WWE has pulled the trigger on another marquee win for the unstoppable Asuka on the same night Rousey came to WWE, the next step is quite apparent: Rousey must face Asuka at WrestleMania 34. In a WWE world where its female audience is the largest it has ever been, Rousey vs. Asuka is the "money match" that the women's division has never had. On one hand, you've got Asuka, who has never been been pinned or submitted in WWE and is arguably the most must-see attraction in the women's division in recent memory. On the other hand, there is Rousey, the most successful female MMA fighter of all-time and someone who helped ignite the women's evolution in WWE, whether fans realized it or not, by forcing WWE to put a spotlight on women's wrestling. Rousey was recently listed by ESPN as the 16th most famous athlete in the world and No. 1 among female athletes, even outranking well-known names like Tom Brady, Conor McGregor, Maria Sharapova and James Harden. Rousey's celebrity has expanded well beyond the world of MMA into Hollywood and now the world of sports entertainment, where she brings with her a huge fan base the likes of which WWE's women's division has never seen. Rousey is one of the biggest draws in UFC history, so it stands to reason that, even after enduring a rollercoaster ride of an MMA career in recent years, that drawing ability will translate to the world of pro wrestling. Although recent data indicates that stars like Alexa Bliss and the Bella Twins are surprisingly good draws (especially the former), the women's division, at least in modern history, has never had the massive mainstream star who could catapult it to new heights beyond the scope of WWE. That's exactly what Rousey can do, and it's why her expected presence in the women's division will benefit everyone in WWE. Male or female. The former UFC star equals more exposure for WWE and its women's division, which means more exposure, and ideally, more money for every female performer in WWE. The effect that Rousey could have on WWE's women's division should be similar to that of Brock Lesnar, WWE's most notable crossover star, who is also one of UFC's biggest draws ever and has been given that same moniker as WWE's biggest current draw. ||||| : I’ve enjoyed the series between these teams. Sure, Benjamin and Gable have the least amount of personality in a division featuring the Usos, New Day, Rusev Day, etc., but they’re very good in between the ropes. The 2 Out of 3 Falls stipulation should allow this to have the time to really get going, and it’ll most likely be on the Kickoff Show. I’m saying the Usos retain, at least until WrestleMania. Jake Chambers: Everything wrong with the WWE these days can be summed up in this one match: 1. Bloated roster – They’ve poached so many great wrestlers from around the world but have little idea what to do with many of them, whether veterans like Benjamin, up-and-comers like Gable or stars in their prime like The Usos. 2. Pointless titles – To be Smackdown Tag Team Champions in a universe where there are three tag team titles is pointless, especially with no distinction between divisions other than just being arbitrarily put on certain shows. There’s no ranking, no earning title shots by climbing a ladder – it’s all just one belty gold blur. 3. Great wrestling doesn’t matter – All these guys are capable of having great matches (well, that’s a bit of a stretch for Benjamin), but this match will unlikely be indecipherable to the bland matches they book all week on TV. 4. Too much stuff – Much like their slate of weekly television that often exceeds 8 hours a week, jamming a 2/3 Falls Match onto a PPV that has 2 one-hour Royal Rumble matches for the first time in history is so disorganized. 5. Winning is meaningless – Sure, the Usos are likely to win here… or not. It honestly has no creative consequence. The losers will just get a rematch on TV next week or something, and no one will care. Mike Chin: This is as likely of a candidate as any for match of the night. Originally, I assumed the Usos would keep rolling, but with Jey’s recent DUI, I anticipate the brothers, at minimum, dropping the titles here. Paul Leazar: The Usos have been wonderful as the tag champs. Honestly, this might be their best run yet with the championships, and that’s great. That’s wonderful even! I think you look around the tag team landscape over on Smackdown, and you have to think it’s time for a change in scenery. The Uso’s are quickly running out of credible challengers, and I think a switch here to the very entertaining Gable & Benjamin tandem would do the trick. It might have taken these guys a while to gel, but it’s happened before our eyes over the last month. My choice here also might be colored by Jey Uso’s recent activities outside of the WWE getting him into some trouble, but I think if you look at it either way, the title change would certainly help things over on the blue brand. I’m taking Gable and Benjamin here by cheating their way into winning the last fall. Mitch Nickelson: I haven’t put too much thought into this match because most everything not being the Rumble has a tendency to get overshadowed, but this is a potentially show-stealing bout. Both teams are phenomenal and have been putting in good work in one of the consistently best divisions in regards to match quality. And this 2 out of 3 Falls stipulation should ensure that this one is a banger. I don’t think the swerve title win from a few weeks back was the last time Gable & Benjamin would hold those straps. I’m calling that they get a proper reign and it will begin Sunday night. JUSTIN WATRY: Tough call. What would I like to see? The Usos winning and continuing their great heel run. Who do I think takes it? Eh, Chad Gable and Shelton Benjamin kinda have to win or they have nowhere else to go. The duo can only lose so many times before getting shoved to the side for the next challengers. I don’t know. This tag bout is surely going to be really good, so quality won’t be the problem. The problem will be who is next in line for a championship story line. Rusev and Aiden English? The Old Day? The Ascension? The Bludgeon Brothers? Breezango? Play it safe and go with The Usos. BRANDON EWING: This is gonna be a classic that I am very excited to see take place at the Royal Rumble. I’m gonna go with Chad Gable & Shelton Benjamin winning the tag titles. The Usos have proven to be amazing Tag Team Champions and arguably the best tag team on the entire WWE roster. The timing is right for them to drop the titles. Rob Stewart: Oh, this is going to be good. The Usos absolutely killed it in 2017, and Gable and Benjamin both have potential to do the same throughout 2018 if they are kept at prominence. Surprisingly good booking and storytelling has seen Benjamin and the plucky underdog Gable playing a ‘tweener role with some heel-ish tendencies, and they are sliding effectively into “will do anything to win” territory. This shift for them has been handled with a deftness I wouldn’t normally give WWE Creative credit for, and it’s nice to see they have it in them to change up the formula for some guys. I think the Usos should retain here; it just seems too early to have them lose the straps right now. Gable and Benjamin should get to stick around in the title scene as the program segues into featuring another team or two (the Fashion Police, Rusev Day, the Bludgeon Brothers, and Kevin & Sami all are options), but I don’t want to see the belts start getting throw on every new challenger that comes along. Gable and Benjamin are a great unit with which to build momentum for Jimmy and Jey. : I like how the Raw tag division has been The Bar against someone for about a year. The Club, The Hardys, The Shield, and now Jason Jordan and Seth Rollins. It hasn’t been a bad idea at all. The WWE has done a very good job building to this Jordan heel turn. I’m thinking it takes a big step forward at the Royal Rumble. Jordan either loses and gets frustrated, or he makes a mistake that costs Seth to take the loss. Jake Chambers: I never pick against Sheamus. I want to encourage everyone to find that wrestler you love with irrational passion. This is pro-wrestling and if they’re pretending to be competing then shouldn’t we sometimes have an obligation to pretend to be real fans? That’s what I do with my man Sheamus. I just want him to win every time, and I believe he can. Because he wins a lot. Because he’s amazing! Mike Chin: WWE easily could pull the trigger on the title change and Jordan’s full-fledged heel turn at the Rumble, but I suspect we’re in for at least a few more weeks of Rollins and Jordan having a reason to coexist before that goes down. They retain this weekend. Paul Leazar: This one is interesting to me. How quickly are we going to have Rollins & Jordan turn on each other? It’s certainly been building very nicely for Jordan for the last couple of weeks, but I think we need more fuel to the fire before we pull the trigger. Especially with the way WWE books nowadays, where you don’t want to do something to early before they run it into the ground. I say wait until Fast Lane for the turn, keep it as fresh as possible, and let that take us in WrestleMania. For that to happen, Jordan needs to somehow pull out the win here against The Bar, and it needs to be as douchy a win as a heel can get. Mitch Nickelson: The internet tells me that Sheamus has a bad injury and will be packing up his wrestling boots soon. If all of that’s true, then I’m rooting for he & Cesaro to pull out the win here. Give him the chance to walk into WrestleMania holding a title one last time. Also, I foresee Seth Rollins in a singles match at Mania far more than in a tag match, so why not start building for whoever that’ll be against? I guess he’ll be entering into a program against Jason Jordan, but I’m not necessarily rooting for that matchup. Maybe a loss here will somehow lead to a Rollins vs. Kurt Angle match instead, which I’d be totally on board with. JUSTIN WATRY: Tag team wrestling has a good shot at stealing the show on Sunday. The WWE Title match is probably going to be more of a story than an actual bell to bell fight. The Universal Title triple threat is just a slugfest with a predictable outcome. With the tag bouts, not only are they both unpredictable, all four teams are more than ready to answer the bell. I am going to pick Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan to retain only because going to THE BAR once again just feels like a repeat. I have the same thoughts on The Miz with the IC Title. Yes, it had to get far away from Roman Reigns but back to The Miz? AGAIN? Fine. Back to the RAW Tag Team Titles, I don’t know where this is all headed, except that WWE has played the fans to perfection with Jordan. Well done. BRANDON EWING: It’s time to setup for the enviable Seth Rollins vs. Jason Jordan match for WrestleMania 34. Easy prediction here. The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) become the new WWE RAW Tag Team Champions. Rollins and Jordan officially split up, with Jason Jordan turning “heel” officially (not that he already is seen as a heel in the eyes of many within’ the WWE Universe). Love him or hate em, Jason Jordan is over like rover as one of the most hated and annoying talents on the RAW roster (aside from the typical Roman Reigns banter from the IWC, obviously). Rob Stewart: Jason Jordan’s story is becoming one of my favorite aspects of Raw, honestly. He’s clearly transitioned to heel but is playing it so damn earnestly that I can’t help but dig it. The crowd is all over him, but he’s brushing it off and just continuing to be so damn smarmy. Coincidentally, he and Seth are now sitting in the role of hated heel & popular face which Cesaro and Sheamus used to occupy so well. It’s both too obvious and too soon for Seth and Jason to drop the belts here; their story still feels like it has places to go. We’ve just barely scraped the surface of their discomfort with each other. I believe these belts next find their way onto the waists of Gallows and Anderson, meaning The Bar is unfortunately just here to build the saga of Rollins and Jordan. : A Triple Threat match probably would’ve been better. It could’ve still worked like a handicap match, but had some intrigue. As much as I’d love to see Sami and Kevin LayCool the titles together, I just don’t think it happens. Owens and Styles have been the best performers on Smackdown for the past year, though aren’t great against each other. Their best stuff was when Jericho got added, and I feel Sami will have a similar effect. AJ retains and hopefully enters Mania with the title. Jake Chambers: Oh fine, why not, let’s give the most important wrestling championship BELT to a tag team. It’s clear the WWE doesn’t care anymore about the figurative zygote that evolved 50 years later into a multi-billion dollar global corporate merchandizing and live event entertainment promotion company. 2017 was the lowest year in the history of the WWE Championship – easily. They had the belt defended in an embarrassing special effect match at WrestleMania that made Papa Shango cringe. Then they gave it to a career-jobber for over six months who no one bought as championship caliber, only to knee-jerk the title off him on TV to a lame-duck AJ Styles, who proceeded to lose clean one week later to “champion of the universe” Brock Lesnar. So go ahead WWE, make the symbol of your entire heritage a prop for a bad comedy bit. Bruno, Backlund, Hogan, Savage, Hart, HBK, Austin, Undertaker, Rock, Cena, Edge, Punk, Bryan – KAMI – RAW 25, XFL, Ronda Rousey, Network subscriptions, stock prices, the tsunami of TV recap podcasts, blogs, reddit threads, tweets, comment sections… me! Argggh! Mike Chin: I’m a big fan of Zayn and Owen’s efforts since teaming up and would love to see Sami capture a main roster title. Heck, Owens and Zayn are that rate tandem I’d be OK with seeing break tradition to hold the WWE Championship together for a short spell. That’s a little convoluted for a world title, though, and while the handicap rules should theoretically give the heels a big advantage, I suspect Shane McMahon will end up costing them this one. Paul Leazar: You know, I look this match up and down, and I love everything about the guys in the ring. AJ Styles has been playing second fiddle in this feud, which kinda stinks, but he’s sorta the guy caught in the middle of the whole Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens/Daniel Bryan/Shane McMahon feud that has been dominating the Smackdown air waves since Hell in a Cell. So, with all of that said, I think you already know how this plays out. You’re gonna have some good wrestling, you’re gonna have both Shane & D-Bry finding themselves getting involved somehow, and we’ll get some weird non-finish that leaves AJ Styles still as the champion with not a whole lot being solved. I think I just summed up the Smackdown Live main event scene for the last four months. Mitch Nickelson: I do like the obnoxious duo act of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. However, I really do not want a co-WWE Championship reign. Maybe it can work because those two are super talented but it’s just a dumb premise. The first example of a stunt like this that comes to my mind is when Chris Jericho and Chyna were co-Intercontinental Champions. I thought that was really stupid at the time and now there’s a chance that a similar reign could happen with an even more important belt. Please don’t do it, Vince. Simply have them lose and turn on each other in the following weeks. Then, give us a straight up Zayn vs. Owens singles match at WrestleMania. As for AJ, he’ll keep the title and go on to face the guy I’m picking to win the 30-man Rumble contest. JUSTIN WATRY: I’m not feeling it. The Kevin Owens/Sami Zayn versus AJ Styles has been stuck in neutral for a month now. Ever since it started, things just never got going. The feud has basically been them wrestling on Tuesday nights…and Zayn prancing around Owens. Cool and all but not what I consider to be a WWE Championship level feud. The Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon dynamic adds some intrigue but not enough to save the “Co-Champions” BS. Styles will keep the gold to WrestleMania 34, where he hopefully faces off against Shinsuke Namaura – something I have been predicting since last year. It needs to happen. Really, there are no other options for the blue brand… BRANDON EWING: AJ Styles defies the odds with the deck stacked against him to retain the WWE Championship and will remain champion heading into WrestleMania 34. Nuff said! Rob Stewart: With the rumors of Kevin Owens being injured and the ease with which AJ dispatched of him on Smackdown, it will be curious to see what kind of load he bears here. Luckily, this match is perfect for him to have a starring role without overly exerting himself, leaving the heavy lifting in the more-than-capable hands of Sami and AJ. There’s the potential for this match to become overburdened with Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan, but I’d hope it doesn’t… I’d much rather see these guys get the time to tell their own story. But yeah, that’s a pipe dream. We are definitely getting more of the Bryan/Shane build here with this match serving as little more than a vehicle for their ongoing frustrations with each other. As long as the payoff is good there, I suppose everything will be all right. It is long-form story-telling, I guess. In the meantime, I can’t figure AJ to not retain here; this is a perfect “overcoming adversity” story for him. : Remember when Braun, Brock, Reigns, and Joe had an incredible war of the beasts at SummerSlam? Well, this is far from that. Brock/Braun underwhelmed badly at No Mercy, and Kane is not the guy to make anything better in 2018. Brock retains so he can drop the title to the BIG DOG. Moving on. Jake Chambers: Oh, here we go. WWE is just poking me in the ribs with a splintery stick now. Let’s see, you’ve got the WWE’s favourite non-wrestling wrestler, a 50-year-old guy they want us to pretend is 20 years younger and has supernatural powers, and a young phenom they literally want to show us as having super-human strength but still gets pinned after one Lesnar F5 in an 8-minute match. Such a deserving trio to be fighting over what is now apparently the most important championship in the WWE. And if they have Lesnar lose here it will be one of the dopiest things ever, so knowing the WWE these days that almost makes it possible. Mike Chin: Even though I would be into Braun Strowman winning the Universal Championship, there’s not really a WrestleMania story set up for him. Lesnar defending against Roman Reigns at ‘Mania seems like the road WWE is dead set on. Kane is here to take the fall and protect Strowman so he can circle back to the title picture after New Orleans. Paul Leazar: I have absolutely zero interest in this match. I love watching Braun killing fools as much as the next guy (and I think a feud with Roman over the Universal Title with Strowman at the helm much more interesting then Roman trying to avenge his “loss” to Brock from WM 31), but that’s just not in the cards it seems like. Kane is here to take the fall, Braun kicks some ass, Brock wins. Woo… Mitch Nickelson: I’m sticking with predictability for this contest. Brock is supposed to lose the title to Roman at WrestleMania, so expect him to retain. He’ll pin Kane, who’s only in this match to keep Braun from taking a loss. As for Strowman, he’ll probably eat an Amtrak or something equally monstrous. As long as it’s booked to be a solid ten minutes or so of gigantic dudes wrecking each other while also destroying some hardware along the way, I’ll be entertained. If I’m wrong and Braun wins the title, I’ll happily accept that I picked wrong. BRANDON EWING: In my heart, I would LOVE for Braun Strowman to become the new WWE Universal Champion. He’s ready. He’s over. People love him and pop for him. However, knowing how the WWE mind works behind the scenes with their “logic”, it seems as if we will see Brock Lesnar retain the Universal title and move on to face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 34. Rob Stewart: What is WWE even doing with Braun Strowman? They keep building him up and then immediately throwing his momentum away on nothing, go-nowhere match losses at shitshows like No Mercy and Fastlane. I can not, for the life of me, figure out what their endgame here is. We’ve already seen Braun lose to Brock… why are we telling this story again? Kane being here to eat the pin doesn’t soften the blow; it honestly makes everything feel worse because this match is so predictable that it makes Strowman an afterthought. Brock’s going to win, probably after he takes some huge spot halfway through the match that makes it look like he’s out of it until he steals victory from Braun’s fingertips. Okay, great. I’m not excited for this match… it’s just a gimme lay-up on the road to WrestleMania. They might as well have kept Braun out of it and had Brock vs. Kane. It would be just as relevant and exciting. : Originally, I pegged Ronda Rousey for this. She could still win if she appears, but I really feel like WWE would’ve advertised her ahead of time, because she’s box office. So, I’m sticking with the current crop of women. Becky Lynch was an enticing pick, because she’s so goddamn good and deserves it, but I think we know where this goes. Nobody is ready for Asuka. Jake Chambers: I predicted Bayley a few weeks ago in a Fact or Fiction column, and I’m sticking with it. The WWE is gonna want a real conservative winner for this match, someone who will likely be with the company for a very long time so Michael Cole can tag-line her as the “first ever women’s Royal Rumble winner” over and over, as he tends to have to do. They had Charlotte and Sasha in the #firstever women’s Hell in a Cell, and Carmella of all people was the #firstever women’s Money in the Bank winner, Alexa Bliss is the #firstever to hold both the new RAW and Smackdown women’s titles; all four of them being heel-ish and/or brash. Winning a women’s Royal Rumble is easily a bigger #firstever accomplishment than all those others and I’m predicting they give it to a humble and natural babyface who still resonates fondly with smart fans, mainstream audiences and kids, and likely will for many years. Mike Chin: The smart money is on Asuka to kick start the legacy of the women’s Rumble by traveling as traditional of a road as possible, and using this big win to set her up to relieve Alexa Bliss of the title at ‘Mania. I’m going to go out on a limb here, though, and suggest the rumors and social media posts suggesting Rousey won’t be at the Rumble and isn’t officially signed yet are all smoke and mirrors and she will show up to take this match. Rousey is major star to put the first women’s Rumble on the map, and there’s the added bonus that it offers a logical reason to set up a match between her and Charlotte Flair in the otherwise murky SmackDown Women’s Championship picture. Add in that in entering around 30 and last eliminating Asuka, Rousey will be setting up another dream match for down the road with the Empress of Tomorrow. Paul Leazar: I really hope there isn’t going to be a whole ton of argument over this one. Maybe there should be because I’d just wanna see other people try to justify somebody else besides Asuka. Let her come out sometime after 25, get all the legends such out of the way. Celebrate whatever you want (because that’s what this match is about more so than any other story they have going on within either side of the WWE’s women’s divisions.), and just let Asuka come in a wreck shop. Job done. Mitch Nickelson: My safe pick would’ve been either Asuka or maybe even Nia Jax, but I’m going with the mega star power instead. It’s pretty much a guarantee that Ronda Rousey will imminently be on a WWE screen, so why not have her win here to earn a title shot at WrestleMania? The media exposure will be INSANE following this and leading up to the biggest show of the year, so I don’t see how WWE doesn’t have her win. And another way to look at this is what if Ronda sucks at wrestling? I’m optimistic she’ll do fine but maybe she’s terrible in the ring and no matter who she works with in 2018, she only puts on mediocre matches at best. If she’s pushed now while nobody has any clue what her potential in wrestling is, they’ll still get the crazy amounts of buzz without having to worry about smart fans complaining about the spot she’s taking from another wrestler who has way more talent that deserves it much more. Justin Watry: In some late breaking news, Stephanie McMahon is now going to be on commentary for this historic event. I don’t have any issues with that. However, I do wonder what that means for the outcome – if anything. It could be just as simple as raising the arm of the winner afterwards…or something more. Time will tell I suppose. That is the beauty of watching a television show, right? You never know. In being realistic, there are only three possibilities for WWE. Either Becky Lynch to battle Charlotte, Asuka wins to battle Alexa Bliss, or Ronda Rousey wins to battle Charlotte. As I have been writing about for awhile now (on another website), I am ALL IN on Rousey to WWE. That is instant money and is a surefire WrestleMania headline. Whether she debuts on Sunday or even appears for the blue brand (still perceived as the B Show), the timing is there. I am 100% convinced that the MMA star will show up sooner rather than later. Since Steph is going to be ringside, my spidey senses really are telling me it goes down in Philly. To play it safe though, my head is saying pick Asuka and be done with it. Undefeated, unbeatable, and the clear favorite. As for surprises, I’ll go with Molly Holly and Lita as the legends – exactly why they were held off Raw 25 on Monday. Then let’s say Ember Moon and Iconic Duo from NXT. Throw in Kharma and others, and you have one heck of a night. BRANDON EWING: I’m more excited to see which former WWE Divas and/or Legends will appear in the match versus the outcome. I love Asuka but its a foregone conclusion that she’s winning the first ever Women’s Royal Rumble match. I think, as a twist, she should face Charlotte for the SD Live Women’s Championship. After all, if I can recall during the first brand extension, wrestlers CAN go after EITHER RAW or SmackDown’s major championship. Chris Benoit did it in 2004 when he jumped to RAW to face Triple H and subsequently Shawn Michaels so why not have Asuka jump ship to SmackDown to face Charlotte? All due respect to Alexa Bliss, but that match has been done and over with before on RAW. Good match, but we didn’t see the caliber of a fight that we have the most potential to witness if it were Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair. That would be something worth buying at WrestleMania in my opinion. Rob Stewart: I really, truly, and desperately do not want Ronda Rousey anywhere near this match. I mean… I guess she can enter it and build a story and look dominant, but she can’t win it. She just can’t. As little as we all needed a man to win the first women’s Money In The Bank ladder match… that’s how little we need a non-wrestler to stroll in and win the first women’s Royal Rumble. It just. Shouldn’t. Happen. There’s a direction to go here, and hear me out on this: Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns is set in stone, right? We know we’re getting that at ‘Mania no matter how little anyone wants it. Roman is going to go over this time, and the fans are going to boo the main event out of the building for the third year in a row. But… what if Roman/Brock ISN’T the main event? WWE has toyed with the whole “Do you think a women’s match will ever main event WrestleMania” enough ever since Stephanie McMahon invented female wrestlers two years ago, and honestly… this may be the year to do it. WWE has positioned Charlotte as THE face in women’s wrestling. She has won everything there is to win, and she’s beaten everyone there is to beat. Except for the one woman whom no one has defeated. Except for Asuka. The Empress of Tomorrow wins the first ever women’s Rumble and sets her sights on the gold standard of WWE women’s wrestling. Give it three months to build and develop, and there you have it: Asuka vs. Charlotte, the first ever female WrestleMania main event. Freeing Roman up to go over in the undercard (or “co-main event”or whatever they prefer to call it). WINNER: Asuka. Or, hell, ANYONE that isn’t Ronda Rousey. : It’s kind of tough to pick this year. On one hand, we all know where the Universal Title match at Mania is headed. Roman Reigns. They could go a few different ways about that, with him winning the Rumble being the least interesting choice. On the Smackdown side, I could see a guy like Shinsuke Nakamura winning. Though Nakamura hasn’t been any good on the main roster, a Mania title match with Styles would be a good contrast to Brock/Roman. I think I’ll go with that. Mike Chin: It’s very good sign for this year’s Rumble that there are truly multiple viable potential winners. My heart says Shinsuke Nakamura takes this to set up the WrestleMania dream match a lot of fans have been clamoring for two years, between him and AJ Styles at WrestleMania. My head says Vince McMahon doesn’t see Nakamura as over enough for that push. There are plenty of dark horse contenders, including Styles himself, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, or Braun Strowman–whoever among them doesn’t leave their respective world title matches with a belt. Then there’s John Cena. It’s believable enough WWE would let him join Steve Austin a three time Rumble winner, and he has proven chemistry with AJ Styles (if the Cena- Undertaker rumors aren’t substantiated). Then there’s Roman Reigns. Occam’s Razor tells us the simplest solution is the most likely. If WWE is going to insist on redoing Reigns challenging Lesnar for a world title at ‘Mania, redoing the Rumble push is logical enough, and it’s not like Reigns winning the Rumble would be any worse received this go round. Paul Leazar: This one would be a bit harder to pick out if it we didn’t already know for sure that Roman was going to be challenging for the Universal Title come WrestleMania time. So, let’s hope WWE uses this opportunity to put somebody else over. Why not use this to make the dream match people have been wanting to see again if you follow New Japan? You could argue the field is much more open then what I’m making it out to be (and it is!) just because WWE hasn’t really telegraphed it at all on screen. But why not let Shinsuke have the moment? Let him pull it out against Roman at the end, let Philly have the big pop of it not being Roman like last time around, and let’s ride that all the way to WrestleMania. Mitch Nickelson: At this moment, Brock is the champ on Raw and AJ Styles is the champ on SmackDown. Assuming there’s no title changes at the Rumble (and I’m not calling for any), then the most logical winners for the 30-man contest are either Roman Reigns or Shinsuke Nakamura. Roman’s way more of a lock that he’ll be challenging for his respective title, but I still think Nakamura is a safe bet. I’d prefer Nakamura to win over Roman, although that’s probably silly of me to think WWE will give him the nod. Still, I’m sticking with him. @JustinWatry: Shockingly enough, I don’t have a lot to say here. The Royal Rumble is my most anticipated match every year, so my excitement is a 10 out of 10. The buzz in the air, the countdown clock, the importance, etc. Perfect way to kick off the Road to WM. I write about it more in this week’s Fact or Fiction, so head on over there to read my full thoughts. Here are my quick two cents: Raw has barely hyped up the bout. Seriously, does anybody from Monday nights even care? The main focus has come Smackdown LIVE. Either that is a red herring or a clear indicator that for the second year in a row, the blue brand takes the Rumble. Sorry Roman Reigns. Sorry free agent John Cena. Your path to WM goes a different route. This road belongs to just one man. To the surprise of nobody, I am going with Nakamura. Been saying it for awhile and will stand behind it: AJ vs. Shinsuke at Mania is the easiest AND best showdown to promote. First Asuka, then Nakamura – come on WWE. Do right by these two. The women’s Royal Rumble match has some flexibility when it comes to a winner. Becky, Asuka, and Ronda all make sense. With the male participants though, it has to be Nakamura, right? Right? BRANDON EWING: Shinsuke Nakamura gets the win here. May seem like a surprising pick but I feel like this is a good way to setup for AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura for WrestleMania 34. After all, RAW has the Elimination Chamber event in February and that would be the time for RAW to setup their Lesnar-Reigns match by having Reigns win the Elimination Chamber match to become the new #1 contender to face Lesnar. We’ve seen the matches that Styles and Nakamura can put on from NJPW. Therefore, if they can even come close to pulling off even half the match those two men have had in the past we will be in for a treat. Rob Stewart: YES. I love me some Rumbles. I mean, obviously, I wrote a daily article here last January reviewing every single one leading up to the 2017 edition. And don’t worry… I’ll get the 2018 edition added to that series after this is all said and done. Here we have another fairly up-in-the-air Rumble, and those always have an air of excitement to them. Even when you think “Oh man, ANYONE can win this!” and then Randy friggin’ Orton wins it last year. But what can you do? There’s always the possibility that WWE takes the most direct path to WrestleMania possible and puts Roman Reigns as the last man standing here, but whoof, man. Roman winning ANOTHER Rumble? In PHILLY again? That would require masochism on a level that makes me physically erect just thinking about. So, nah… I think we’re going off the board on this one. That leaves the remaining favorites as… who? I’ve seen Shinsuke Nakamura’s nam bandied around a lot, and the idea of Nak/Styles at WrestleMania does hold promise. Randy Orton again? God, please save us from Orton winning Rumbles. John Cena? Well, hell, I’d certainly prefer that over the notion of the much-rumored Cena/Undertaker match at WrestleMania. But I don’t see it happening, and we have already had so many Cena/Styles matches. Braun Strowman pulling double duty? Why, so he can wrestle Brock Lesnar AGAIN? None of this is doing it for me, so I’m looking for a guy WWE desperately needs to pull the trigger on… and they showed that maybe they know it on Raw 25. I’m looking at Finn Balor. I’m liking the idea of Finn winning the match here and using his opportunity to target AJ Styles, who he justifiably already knows he can beat for a three-count. Finn, along with Gallows and Anderson, vs. AJ Styles at WrestleMania? That feels big to me. It even gets to be lower on the card while Roman fights Brock and Charlotte meets Asuka. Jake Chambers: Professional wrestling pulls at my nerves with a pair of tweezers. I lay like a Operation game board as the shaky hand of an omniscient old producer tries to thread through tight creative borders to pluck the elusive prize that I’ve constructed in my bones for what excellent professional wrestling means. But that metal keeps hitting the electrified sides and jolting me with pain; salvation now only in my mind’s eye, floating further away from my outstretched arm like flower petals in a stream. Is it selfish to want everything to be your way? Or is that but the survival instinct of an animal raised in the wild who knows only one thing: to be a fan. When your primal, fandom soul is tied to a decaying structure so vast that there is nothing you can do to fix it all, you lash out in frustration. “No one understand this product like me,” “Everyone is a troll or an idiot,” and, “Oh, how easily I could solve all the problems of the WWE.” Ah yes, the WWE – Enter the Dragon turned Rumble in the Bronx turned Fate of the Furious: the independent and artistic vision of one man risen to the most gross successes capitalism can promise. The arc of the WWE is ingrained into all of our personal desires; if only we too could do a creative thing we love to the extent of global domination. But we are not McMahons, this is not our child, and for us to want the WWE to be profound art is like hoping futile that Walmart will sell original Monets and Basquiats beside Oreos and underwear. The contradictions are confusing, the art is worn, the sky is purple and WWE wrestling feels like it can never be what we all want it to be again. But there IS one chance left. One man who defied it all once before. A wrestler who stood up to the obelisk and molded its marble like clay. They said he was too small, too boring, too indie, and too ugly, yet he adapted to all his criticisms and did it with a smile. This aberration of positivity forced the rusty railroad switch of an entertainment economy to change lanes. He would not be a cog in the machine; he would not be a frustrated fan. Yet his successes melted on our finger tips like perfect snowflakes in early spring. Injuries, contracts, doctors and lawyers tornado swirl around him now, the WWE laughing in the middle like a super villain who can control the weather. However, this moment – this weekend – this Rumble – feels like his last chance to thrash Mjolnir to the ground, call the Valkyries to his side, and return to stop Ragnarok. There is only one wrestler left with the power to give us – to give me – what we all want again: great professional wrestling, all the time, everywhere, from the house shows to the TV shows to the stadiums to the stars. And that man will be the winner of the Royal Rumble this year. JOIN 411 SUNDAY AT 5PM ET FOR OUR LIVE COVERAGE OF THE SHOW ||||| At the end of the night on Sunday, the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble winner stood in the ring with the two WWE champions, but something even bigger was coming. Thirty women stepped into the ring and 29 of them were eliminated with only Asuka standing tall as the winner of the huge match, but the world stood in shock at what happened next. Some strange music filled the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia and Ronda Rousey made her WWE debut. Asuka put on an incredibly impressive performance and stood tall as the overall winner, but she had a big decision to make. Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair entered the ring so Asuka could select who she would face at WrestleMania 34. The Royal Rumble winner looked back and forth at the two champions and looked at the sign for the iconic event. Before she could actually reveal her decision, she was interrupted by some strange entrance music and a TitanTron video showcasing the name of none other than Ronda Rousey. Yes, the former MMA legend had entered a WWE arena yet again, but it didn’t look like she was there just for an appearance this time around. As reported by ESPN, Ronda Rousey has now signed a full-time contract with WWE which means the years of rumors have finally come true. Rousey was sporting a T-shirt honoring the late Rowdy Roddy Piper, and she entered the ring to face off with three of the best women in wrestling today. She looked at the two champions and Asuka before extending her hand to shake that of the Royal Rumble winner. As Asuka reaches out, she just slaps Rousey’s hand away and receives a smile from the former MMA fighter. Ronda Rousey then points to the WrestleMania sign as her music starts up, and she leaves the ring with a big smile on her face. Asuka didn’t get to make her selection as to who she wanted to face at WrestleMania 34, but that will come soon enough. The world was shocked by all that transpired tonight at the Royal Rumble, but WWE knew how to take it one step past all of that. The rumors have finally come true and Ronda Rousey is now a full-time superstar, but who will she go after first? ||||| PHILADELPHIA >> Ronda Rousey’s next bout in the ring won’t come in mixed martial arts but in the world of professional wrestling. The biggest superstar in women’s MMA officially made the jump to WWE on Sunday night with a surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. The former UFC bantamweight champion also told ESPN that she’s fully committed to wrestling and not just planning cameos at WWE’s biggest events. “This is my life now. Yeah, they have first priority on my time for the next several years,” she said. “This is not a smash and grab, this is not a publicity stunt.” Rousey appeared to roaring fans Sunday night after the women’s Royal Rumble in Philadelphia, challenging winner Asuka to fight at Wrestlemania — scheduled for New Orleans in April — by pointing to a sign as Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” blared through the arena. Rousey fed into the surprise with a little misdirection before one of wrestling’s biggest pay-per-view events of the year. Before getting in the ring, she had ruled out an appearance at the Royal Rumble in an interview and even posted an Instagram video over the weekend of herself in Colombia enjoying a night out with the crew filming her latest movie, the action thriller “Mile 22” with Mark Wahlberg and John Malkovich. Still, she had frequently met with WWE executive Paul Levesque, better known as wrestling superstar Triple H, to discuss her interest in a deal that finally came to fruition. She has not fought since she suffered a 48-second loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December 2016. Rousey (12-2) lost two straight bouts in 13 months and took a break to extend her entertainment credits, including a stint as team coach in the reboot of “Battle of the Network Stars.” WWE fans have been clamoring for Rousey to make the move and speculation (correctly) ran wild on a Royal Rumble appearance at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Rousey has made cameo appearances on WWE programming the last few years and even trained at the company’s performance center in Orlando, Florida. It’s unclear whether Rousey plans to fully give up on the UFC and mixed martial arts, and she would not commit to saying she’s retired when asked directly by ESPN. “That’s what everybody else seems to say — I mean, I never retired from judo. So that’s what you guys want to think,” she said. “All I know is I really want to devote 100 percent of my time to wrestling right now and whatever people want to call that they can call it.” UFC President Dana White said Rousey will never fight again for the company, and Rousey said she hasn’t followed MMA in the past year. Rousey adopted the “Rowdy” nickname from WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. She notably stood side-by-side with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as they fought off the villainous Triple H and his wife and fellow executive, Stephanie McMahon, in a segment at WrestleMania in 2015. Rousey also appeared at WWE’s Mae Young Classic. Rousey and fellow MMA fighters Marina Shafir, Shayna Baszler and Jessamyn Duke were known as the Four Horsewomen — a tribute to the nefarious Ric Flair-led Four Horsemen stable of the 1980s and ‘90s. Baszler now wrestles for WWE, and the rest of the Horsewomen stable confronted WWE stars Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Bayley at the female wrestling tournament. “Name the time. Name the place,” Rousey told the WWE stars in a tense standoff. Rousey could lead her Horsewomen against a WWE faction at WrestleMania on April 8. “I think with her main eventing in UFC, she obviously opened the door for us to be taken more serious as superstars,” said Flair, daughter of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair. “It’s one thing to show up one night. It’s another be a WWE superstar. I’m on the road with all the other girls, all the men and women who are on the road 270 days a year. We bust our butts to be called WWE superstars. “She’ll have to put in the work if she wants to be a part of what we do.” The best scenario for WWE could be Rousey being used sparingly and steamrolling every opponent, much like she did early in her MMA career to earn the reputation as the Baddest Woman on the Planet. “Ronda Rousey should go out there and just smash everybody. Ronda Rousey’s matches should look like her early UFC career where she was out there for a minute, 2 minutes, just submitting everybody,” UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier said. ||||| Ronda Rousey’s crossover into professional wrestling is official. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion has signed with WWE and made a surprise appearance at tonight’s Royal Rumble in Philadelphia. “This is my life now,” Rousey told ESPN.com of her decision to join WWE. “First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt. When I first met with Triple H, I told him, ‘There are other things I can do with my time that’ll make way more money, but I won’t enjoy nearly as much.'” Rousey, 30, had her last UFC fight on Dec. 30, 2016, when she lost in 48 seconds via TKO to current champion Amanda Nunes. It was the second consecutive stoppage loss of Rousey’s career after opening 12-0 to help put women’s MMA on the map. She joined the UFC in February 2013 and reeled off six consecutive title defenses as her popularity transcended into the mainstream. Ever since the loss to Nunes, Rousey (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) remained quiet on her future, never officially announcing her retirement from MMA. UFC President Dana White has said repeatedly in the past 13 months that he didn’t believe Rousey would return to the octagon. A career in pro wrestling has been rumored for months, given Rousey’s life-long fandom. Her nickname, “Rowdy,” is an homage to late WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. But even though there was speculation, nothing seemed certain until recently when it was widely reported that Rousey began meeting with WWE executives Paul “Triple H” Levesque and Stephanie McMahon. Rousey even showed up to WWE events to support friend and former MMA fighter Shayna Baszler, which only ramped up speculation. Rousey tried to keep her Royal Rumble debut a secret this week, but many believed she was just doing her part to swerve fans. That turned out to be the case. In her first appearance, Rousey came out after the first-ever women’s Royal Rumble match. She had a face-off of sorts with winner Asuka, Smackdown women’s champion Charlotte Flair and Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss. Seemingly declared her intention to be part of April’s Wrestlemania pay-per-view when she gestured toward the sign hanging at Wells Fargo Center. Here’s what went down (via WWE Twitter): ||||| Ronda Rousey made a surprise entry into the WWE arena on Sunday night after the conclusion of women’s Royal Rumble 2018 match. Rousey confronted the Rumble winner Asuka, Raw Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss, and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte. Rousey pointed to the WrestleMania sign and then offered to shake hands with Asuka who denied the offer. Ronda Rousey again pointed at the WrestleMania sign hanging in the rafters before walking out of the ring. She then went on to shake hands with Stephanie McMahon before exiting the arena. The Ronda Rousey’s debut in WWE at the Royal Rumble 2018 was one of the most shocking moments of the night. While earlier rumors did hint her participation in the Rumble, no one expected her to walk in the ring after the match concluded. New reports suggest the Ronda Rousey has signed a contract with WWE. As reported by the ESPN, Ronda Rousey has signed a contract with WWE as a full-time professional wrestler. Rousey clarified that this was not a publicity stunt or a one-time thing and WWE would be her first priority for the next several years. This does suggest the Ronda Rousey and WWE have finally agreed on mutual terms. The rumors of Ronda Rousey joining WWE have been doing rounds for quite some time. Rousey first had a brush with WWE during WrestleMania 31 when Rock pulled her from the crowd into the ring, and she tossed Triple H as well as Stephanie McMahon out of the ring. She was later spotted at a couple of other WWE events. During the Mae Young Classic, Ronda Rousey was seen with fellow MMA fighter Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke being confronted by Bayley, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch. This incident triggered rumors of “Four Horsewomen” match with the addition of Sasha Banks and Shayna Baszler to the mix. Rousey was also seen in the audience in Las Vegas supporting fellow MMA veteran Baszler. Ronda Rousey is an iconic name in the world of MMA with some unbelievable wins under her belt. She won her first three amateur MMA fights in under a minute and her first 12 professional fights were also one-sided. She eventually went on to become the women’s bantamweight champion. Rousey is considered as one of the most renowned MMA fighters. With Ronda Rousey debuting on the Royal Rumble 2018 and becoming a full-time wrestler with WWE, it would be interesting to see who will be her first target. The WWE women’s division has come a long way, addition of Rousey will only consolidate the fan base and result in more exciting matches. ||||| “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey can now add professional wrestler to her résumé. Rousey, 30, made a surprise appearance after the World Wrestling Entertainment’s women’s Royal Rumble match Sunday. She signed a full-time contract with the WWE, ESPN reported during her appearance. “This is my life now. First priority on my timeline for the next several years. This is not a smash-and-grab; this is not a publicity stunt,” she said to ESPN. As Asuka celebrated her Royal Rumble victory next to Raw women’s champion Alexa Bliss and SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair, Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” blasted across the speakers. Rousey came out wearing a shirt with “Rousey” printed on it, in the same style of the “Hot Rod” shirts that former WWE pro wrestler “Rowdy” Roddy Piper wore. Fitting as Rousey earned her nickname from Piper. The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion was reportedly close to signing a deal with the WWE last December. Her last mixed martial arts fight was in December 2016 when she lost via knockout to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207. Rousey first appeared in the WWE in March 2015 when she made an appearance at WrestleMania 31 alongside Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson to confront Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. She also in the audience of the WWE’s Mae Young Classic in September 2017 — a 32-women tournament featuring wrestlers from the company’s developmental brand, NXT, and the independent circuit. There she faced off against the WWE’s “Four Horsewomen” of Bayley, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. “Now that I realize I really do have this opportunity, I feel like my 6-year-old self would totally kick my (butt) if I didn’t take it,” she said to ESPN. Many MMA fighters have made the leap to the world of pro wrestling over the years, including UFC Hall of Famers Dan Severn and Ken Shamrock. Current WWE Universal titleholder Brock Lesnar is a former UFC heavyweight champion. ||||| Above is video of Ronda Rousey talking to the WWE cameras after coming back out to greet fans after the Royal Rumble went off the air in Philadelphia on Sunday. As noted, Rousey made her debut by interrupting a post-Rumble segment with winner Asuka, SmackDown Women's Champion Charlotte Flair and RAW Women's Champion Alexa Bliss. Rousey pointed at the WrestleMania 34 sign, took a look at both titles and tried to shake Asuka's hand but Asuka slapped it away. Rousey also shook Stephanie McMahon's hand at ringside to squash their storyline beef. Rousey says she really doesn't know how to process everything but this is not something she does every day and is something very different from fighting. Rousey says it was a real pleasure being able to soak everything up and she's very aware of how lucky she is. Rousey says coming to WWE has been her dream since before she could talk. She talks about asking late WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper if she could use the "Rowdy" nickname when she got into MMA. Rousey says no matter what else she did in life, pro wrestling kept following her around and it was time to take a hint from the WWE Universe. Rousey also reveals that the leather jacket she wore at the Rumble was brought to her by Piper's son Colt, who flew the jacket in from Las Vegas to Philadelphia. Rousey says she wants people to remember Piper every time she's out there and says she wouldn't be here or had her run in UFC if it weren't for Piper. Rousey says Piper taught her so much from afar and showed her that she can also touch people from afar. Rousey says she is a better person because Piper lived. Regarding the first-ever women's Royal Rumble match, Rousey says she was thinking about how a women's Rumble would have been laughed at before and how she's been laughed out of gyms in the past. Rousey says women have been brushed aside in combat sports for so long but to see everyone give a standing ovation to the women's Rumble was big, and how fans were really invested in the match, and how it was well-accepted by the fans, not forced on them. Rousey says she didn't even know about women's wrestlers when she was a kid but she wants to make sure there's not another generation that doesn't know about women's wrestlers when they're little. When asked about pointing to the WrestleMania 34 sign, Rousey says she thinks it's a big fat hint that she's going to be there in New Orleans at the big event. | In professional wrestling, Shinsuke Nakamura wins the 31st Royal Rumble match. Asuka wins the 32nd, the first all-woman version. Both receive championship matches at WrestleMania 34. Former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey returns to WWE. |
Train Carrying GOP Lawmakers Hits Garbage Truck In Virginia Enlarge this image toggle caption Rep. Greg Walden via AP Rep. Greg Walden via AP Updated at 1:15 a.m. ET Thursday An Amtrak train carrying House and Senate Republicans to their annual retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck Wednesday morning near Charlottesville, Va. At least one person was killed, according to a statement released by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The University of Virginia Medical Center had this update on the injured on Wednesday evening: "One patient is in critical condition, one patient is in good condition, three patients are being evaluated, and one patient has been discharged." President Trump said he spoke with House Speaker Paul Ryan. "The train accident was a tough one, a tremendous jolt," Trump told reporters. "We don't have a full understanding yet as to what happened. But it was a train hitting a truck going at a pretty, pretty good speed. And we'll have a full report as to what it looks like the driver of the truck was killed." The Associated Press reports the man who died in the crash was a passenger in the truck. The driver and another passenger were seriously injured. In a statement, Amtrak said the train "came into contact with a truck that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va." It said two Amtrak crew members and three passengers were transported to a local hospital with what were described as minor injuries. It said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told CNN that he was on the train near the front and got off to help. He said there was a person who "was deceased" and another person who was "pretty bad off." Flake added, "I hope he survives." Flake said another person wasn't as seriously injured and was able to walk to the ambulance. Flake said he was not sure whether those injured or killed were in the cab of the truck or were holding onto the back. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, tweeted that he helped tend to the patients until emergency medical technicians showed up. "We're fine, but our train hit a garbage truck," wrote Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon. "Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck." The Republican lawmakers were headed to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., for a three-day strategy retreat focused on their policy agenda and this year's midterms. They are scheduled to hear from Vice President Pence on Wednesday evening followed by a speech from Trump on Thursday. After the crash, the train returned to Charlottesville, Va., and lawmakers boarded buses to continue their journey. Ryan, R-Wis., tweeted the accident was "a terrible tragedy," adding, "we pray for the victims and their families." The Congressional Institute, which is sponsor of the retreat, said it will proceed with an adjusted program. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by today's incident." The institute said the program will now include a moment of prayer for those involved in the accident and a security briefing from the sergeant-at-arms and the Capitol Police. ||||| A Chartered Amtrak train carrying Republican congressmen headed to a GOP retreat collided with a dump truck blocking the tracks in Crozet Virginia just outside Charlottesville. One person on the truck was killed, a few of the lawmakers were injured. “There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff,” she said in a statement. The victim’s identity was not immediately released. ( Via NBC ) A chartered train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat collided with a trash truck in Virginia Wednesday morning and left at least one person dead. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there was one confirmed fatality and one person seriously injured. The train was carrying House and Senate Republicans to the retreat in West Virginia when it hit the truck. “We were on our way to West Virginia and it was a sudden impact, a loud noise and everyone was jolted,” Rep. Carlos Curbelo, of Florida, said on MSNBC. Rep. Jason Lewis of Minnesota was taken to an area hospital for a reported concussion, but did not sustain a serious injury, according to a senior leadership source on the train. A statement from Amtrak said the crash happened at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Virginia. “Two Amtrak crew members and two passengers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. Local law enforcement is investigating the incident,” the statement said. (read more) ||||| WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - An Amtrak passenger train carrying Republican members of the U.S. Congress from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia slammed into a garbage truck on Wednesday in Crozet, Virginia, killing one person aboard the truck, authorities said. There was one confirmed fatality and one serious injury in the collision, the White House said. Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who was aboard the train, said on Twitter that three people were in the truck and one was killed. Of the other two, Cassidy said, one sustained major injuries and one had minor injuries. "There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. Amtrak said two crew members and two passengers were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Representative Jason Lewis of Minnesota was examined at a local hospital for a possible concussion after the collision. "I'm fine compared to, tragically, the truck drivers, and thankful for the prompt action of our doctors and first responders. My thoughts are with the family of the driver who passed away," Lewis told Reuters. The truck was on the tracks at a crossing when the crash occurred, Amtrak said. Video from the scene showed the battered truck afterward, with trash strewn around it. The train was taking lawmakers to an annual retreat being held this year in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, just west of the Virginia state line. Amtrak said the collision occurred at 11:20 a.m. and local law enforcement was investigating. Crozet is a tiny town between the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, and White Sulphur Springs. Lawmakers said spouses and children of some members of Congress were aboard. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan was on the train, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was not aboard, lawmakers said. Cassidy, a doctor, said he and other lawmakers who are physicians tended to the injured until emergency personnel arrived. Immediately after the crash, a law enforcement team dressed in black surrounded the train with weapons drawn and searched the area for possible attackers as first responders treated the injured, said a local emergency worker, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They surrounded the train on both sides and set up a perimeter with their automatic weapons pointing out and then searched the woods around the train," the worker said. "At least five members of Congress helped firefighters and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) treat the three injured people who had been in the truck." "We're fine, but our train hit a garbage truck. Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck," Representative Greg Walden wrote on Twitter. The Republican retreat, an opportunity for lawmakers to discuss both legislation and politics in the run-up to November's congressional elections, was scheduled to run until midday Friday. President Donald Trump was scheduled to attend on Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence was due to attend on Wednesday. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending team to investigate the crash. The collision was the second tragedy to hit congressional Republicans in the past year. Last June, a gunman opened fire at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, where Republican lawmakers were practicing for an annual charity game pitting Republicans against Democrats. Representative Steve Scalise, the No. 3 House Republican, was severely wounded but has recovered and returned to work. He was not on the train. While it was not immediately clear who was at fault in the Virginia collision, Amtrak's safety record has come under scrutiny after a series of recent incidents including a derailment of a passenger train south of Seattle in December that killed three. In that crash, an engineer misread a signal and failed to slow the train, investigators said. In November, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board issued a harsh critique of Amtrak's culture. ||||| CROZET, Va. (Reuters) - An Amtrak passenger train carrying Republican members of the U.S. Congress from Washington to a retreat in West Virginia slammed into a garbage truck on Wednesday at a rural Virginia road crossing, killing one person on the truck, authorities said. No serious injuries were reported among the lawmakers or their staff on the train, the U.S. Department of Transportation said. There was one death and one serious injury among those on the truck, it added. Amtrak said two crew members and three train passengers were hospitalized with minor injuries after the crash in Crozet, Virginia. One of those, Representative Jason Lewis of Minnesota, was examined for a possible concussion. “I‘m fine compared to, tragically, the truck drivers, and thankful for the prompt action of our doctors and first responders. My thoughts are with the family of the driver who passed away,” Lewis told Reuters. The train was taking lawmakers to an annual retreat being held this year in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, just west of the Virginia state line. Amtrak said the collision occurred at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, a tiny town between the college town of Charlottesville, Virginia, and White Sulphur Springs. U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor, said he and other lawmakers who are physicians tended to the injured until emergency personnel arrived. The truck was on the tracks at a crossing when the crash occurred, Amtrak said. Video from the scene showed the battered truck afterward, with trash strewn around it. “We were going along the Virginia countryside at pretty good speed,” Senator Jeff Flake said in comments released by his office. “All of a sudden, we felt an impact and obviously heard a pretty loud noise. Most of us were thrown a bit in our seats and those of us who were standing were really thrown.” Spouses and children of some lawmakers were aboard, lawmakers said. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan was on the train, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was not, lawmakers said. “It was clear upon impact that something had gone terribly wrong and I am very grateful that the train was able to stop without severely derailing,” U.S. Representative Lee Zeldin said in a statement. Immediately after the crash, a law enforcement team surrounded the train with weapons drawn and searched the area for possible attackers as first responders treated the injured, said a local emergency worker, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They surrounded the train on both sides and set up a perimeter with their automatic weapons pointing out and then searched the woods around the train,” the worker said. “At least five members of Congress helped firefighters and EMTs (emergency medical technicians) treat the three injured people who had been in the truck.” The Republican retreat, an opportunity for lawmakers to discuss legislation and politics in the run-up to November’s congressional elections, was scheduled to run until midday Friday. President Donald Trump was due to attend on Thursday. Vice President Mike Pence went as scheduled on Wednesday. Trump told reporters at the White House he had spoken to Ryan and others, and that the accident had been “a pretty rough hit.” “We don’t have full understanding yet as to what happened,” Trump said. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to investigate. The Virginia Department of Transportation said the intersection where the crash occurred had flashing signals and gates to prevent motorists from getting on the tracks when trains were approaching. It was the second tragedy to hit congressional Republicans in the past year. Last June, a gunman opened fire at a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, where Republican lawmakers were practicing for an annual charity game against Democratic colleagues. Representative Steve Scalise, the No. 3 House Republican, was severely wounded but has recovered and returned to work. He was not on the train. While it was not immediately clear who was at fault in the Virginia collision, Amtrak’s safety record has come under scrutiny after a series of recent incidents including a derailment of a passenger train south of Seattle in December that killed three. In that crash, an engineer misread a signal and failed to slow the train, investigators said. ||||| A chartered Amtrak train carrying Republican members of Congress collided with a garbage truck in Virginia early Wednesday morning. Lawmakers were headed to their annual retreat in West Virginia at the time of the accident. Some had minor injuries but one man on the garbage truck was killed and two others were seriously injured. The lawmakers were scheduled to spend the next few days at the West Virginia resort for their annual issues conference. The Amtrak train departed Union Station in Washington, D.C. at about 8:30 a.m., and the train hit the back of a garbage truck at about 11:20 a.m. Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, told CBSN in an interview that as far as he knows, "Everyone on the train is fine." Westerman was still on the train during the interview. He thought the train was still operable. The front half of the truck was crushed in the accident. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to address the retreat this evening. The White House released this statement about the accident: "The President has been fully briefed on the situation in Virginia and is receiving regular updates. There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury. There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff. Senior Administration officials are in regular contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident." “An Amtrak train came into contact with a vehicle that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va. There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members. Local law enforcement is investigating and crews are inspecting equipment for damage. The train originated in Washington, D.C. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available.” Highway and rail crossing incidents have increased in recent years. An Federal Railroad Administration report found that the increases were likely due to higher traffic volumes. According to a recent report from 2010-2014 there was an average of 2,100 incidents per year of these collisions between trains and vehicles. ||||| A train carrying members of Congress — including House Speaker Paul Ryan — to their legislative retreat in West Virginia hit a truck Wednesday, multiple sources told CNN, leaving at least one person dead. Multiple sources said that all members of Congress on the train and their families were OK, with the exception of a few minor injuries. White House press secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed in a statement that there was at least one fatality from the collision, though it was unclear who that was. “The President has been fully briefed on the situation in Virginia and is receiving regular updates,” Sanders said in her statement. “There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury. There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff.” An aide confirmed Ryan was on the train and is fine. “Today’s incident was a terrible tragedy,” the Wisconsin Republican tweeted later. “We are grateful for the first responders who rushed to the scene and we pray for the victims and their families. May they all be in our thoughts right now.” Rep. Jason Lewis of Minnesota was taken to the hospital for a potential concussion. “I’m fine compared to tragically the truck driver and thankful for our first responders,” Lewis said in a statement. The status of the truck driver is unclear. Amtrak said in a statement that the train came into contact with a vehicle that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. ET in Crozet, Virginia, outside Charlottesville. Amtrak’s statement said “two Amtrak crew members and two passengers were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries.” Republican members of Congress on the train, which left Washington’s Union Station, were on their way for a retreat at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The retreat starts Wednesday and ends Friday. Vice President Mike Pence, who was not on the train, is scheduled to speak to members later Wednesday and President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the event on Thursday. A GOP congressman told CNN Wednesday that the retreat will go on as planned. According to a tweet from its official account, the National Transportation Safety Board says it “is launching a Go-Team to the scene of the Amtrak accident in VA. More information will be released as it becomes available.” US Capitol Police said congressional officials, including the USCP, are on the scene and are working closely with partner law enforcement agencies in response to the incident. Several members of Congress have medical training and assisted the injured. Rep. Roger Marshall’s office says the Kansas congressman and doctor helped individuals who needed medical attention, including performing CPR. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, who was on the train that crashed Wednesday. Rep. John Faso, a New York Republican, who was on the train that crashed, said he was able to see the truck that hit the train, and that he was told that injuries were expected from people in the truck, not the train. “There was (what) looks like a tractor trailer carrying trash that was hit by the train,” Faso, who said he was in the third car of the train, told CNN. “I think everyone on the train is OK,” Faso said. “I don’t know that for sure, it’s a long train. But most of the concern is for the people outside.” One GOP source said members “hit the deck.” Other Republican members of Congress tweeted that they were OK in the moments after the crash. “I am safe and was not on board the train in West Virginia. Thank you to those who have reached out and please pray for the safety of all involved,” Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, tweeted “Our train heading to the GOP Retreat in West Virginia has been involved in an accident. I am safe but first responders are treating minor injuries on the train & treating the truck drivers. Praying….,” Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma tweeted “We’re fine, but our train hit a garbage truck. Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck,” Rep. Greg Walden, an Oregon Republican, tweeted ||||| WASHINGTON -- A chartered train carrying dozens of GOP lawmakers to a Republican policy retreat in West Virginia struck a garbage truck in a rural Virginia town on Wednesday. No lawmakers or aides were reported injured, but the White House said one person was killed and another was seriously injured. Lawmakers said the fatality appeared to be someone who was in the truck. One lawmaker who was aboard the train, Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said the vehicle had been ripped in half and said he saw a person wrapped in tarp and said emergency workers appeared to be "putting a body away." An aide confirmed House Speaker Paul Ryan was on the train and is fine. Separately, a congressman on the train told CNN most of the staff and members on the train are OK. The Amtrak train left from Union Station in Washington earlier Wednesday, and was carrying members of Congress, as well as their spouses, some family members and aides to the lawmakers. Illinois Congressmen Peter Roskam and Randy Hultgren were both on the train that collided with a truck in West Virginia. They are both OK. Rep. John Faso, a New York Republican, who was on the train that crashed, said he was able to see the truck that hit the train, and that he was told that injuries were expected from people in the truck, not the train. "There was (what) looks like a tractor trailer carrying trash that was hit by the train," Faso, who said he was in the third car of the train, told CNN. "I think everyone on the train is OK," Faso said. "I don't know that for sure, it's a long train. But most of the concern is for the people outside." One GOP source was unsure how many members of Congress were on the train or how many people were injured, but said there were injuries. That source said members "hit the deck." Republican members of Congress were on their way for a retreat at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, starting Wednesday and ending Friday. Vice President Mike Pence, who was not on the train, is scheduled to speak to members later Wednesday and President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the event tomorrow. ||||| A train carrying GOP House members to retreat in West Virginia has hit a truck. According to the White House, one person was killed in the collision and there is one seriously injured. The White House also said no lawmakers or staff were seriously injured. The White House released a statement about the accident early Wednesday afternoon: "The President has been fully briefed on the situation in Virginia and is receiving regular updates. There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury. There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff. Senior Administration officials are in regular contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident." CBS News reports the crash took place near Charlottesville, Virginia. Oklahoma Senator James Lankford quickly tweeted that he is uninjured. Oklahoma GOP Representative Tom Cole was also on the train and said a person on the truck may have been injured. Emergency workers were on the scene. A GOP aide speaking on condition of anonymity because the aide was not authorized to speak publicly says no lawmakers were injured. Cole says he believes the accident occurred near Charlottesville, Virginia. Other Oklahoma lawmakers said they were not on the train. Representative Markwayne Mullin's communications director said he was not on the train. Senator Jim Inhofe also sent a tweet letting his followers know he was not on the train. Rep. John Faso, a New York Republican, who was on the train that crashed, said he was able to see the truck that hit the train, and that he was told that injuries were expected from people in the truck, not train. “There was (what) looks like a tractor trailer carrying trash that was hit by the train,” Faso, who said he was in the third car of the train, told CNN. “I think everyone on the train is OK,” Faso said. “I don’t know that for sure, it’s a long train. But most of the concern is for the people outside.” That source said members “hit the deck.” Republican members of Congress were on their way for a retreat at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia starting Wednesday and ending Friday. Vice President Mike Pence, who was not on the train, is scheduled to speak to members later Wednesday and President Donald Trump is scheduled to address the event tomorrow. The train left from Union Station in Washington earlier Wednesday. ||||| One person is dead and a member of Congress was taken to the hospital after an Amtrak train carrying some Republican members of Congress and their families to a party retreat in West Virginia collided with a garbage truck Wednesday, authorities said. No member of Congress or their staff was seriously hurt, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. But one person is dead and another was seriously hurt, Sanders said, offering the White House's thoughts and prayers for those affected. The fatality and critical injury involved people in the truck, according to Jessica Twohey, a spokeswoman for the Congressional Institute, which sponsors major conferences for members of Congress. One member of Congress was sent to the hospital while another member and a congressional staffer were being examined. Some members of the congressional delegation rushed to the warped, overturned truck after the train stopped near Charlottesville, Virginia, including at least two who did the same at another deadly incident involving a group of Republicans, the shooting at a congressional baseball practice last year that left Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., severely wounded: Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup. Flake said on CNN he helped secure a very badly injured person onto a stretcher and saw another person who was dead: "They worked on him for quite a while but they could not revive him." He said on MSNBC that a third person, who appeared to be the truck's driver, was able to walk away from the wreck. "It seems to have been just a horrible, horrible accident," Flake said, adding that, "with Brad Wenstrup there, it was all too reminiscent of the Scalise incident." Scalise was not on Wednesday's Amtrak train, one of many Republican members of Congress tweeted or called into cable news channels to say they weren't hurt. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., was on the train with his wife when "there was a sudden impact, a loud noise and everyone was jolted," he said on MSNBC. "My wife who was in front of me, her cellphone went flying," he continued. "It was just uncomfortable for a few minutes and as we started realizing that everyone was okay I think people started feeling a little better." Curbelo said there were some minor injuries but "most people are OK here." Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis was taken to an area hospital for a reported concussion, a source connected to senior leadership told NBC News, but it's not considered a serious injury. House Speaker Paul Ryan was not hurt, sources told NBC News. But a lawyer for his team was taken to a hospital with a suspected concussion, according to a source. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was not on the train. President Donald Trump, who was meeting with his national security team, was made aware of the incident and is receiving regular updates, Sanders said. An Amtrak representative said the train collided with a truck on the tracks in Crozet, Virginia, at 11:20 a.m. ET. The incident is under investigation by local law enforcement, according to the Amtrak statement. Amtrak had said there were no injuries, but in an update said two members of its crew and two passengers received minor injuries. The United States Capitol Police is at the scene and working with other law enforcement agencies, according to a representative. A person died in a separate crash related to a congressional retreat to West Virginia last year. The driver of an SUV was killed in a chain-reaction crash on Jan. 25, 2017, as police blocked traffic in Maryland to clear the way for a motorcade of buses. "Awful to hear of my Republican colleagues' train accident. We're praying for the safety of everyone on the train and in the truck," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said. "Praying that all are well both on the train and off," Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said. ||||| A train carrying House and Senate Republicans to their annual retreat in West Virginia has struck a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Va., according to multiple social media reports from members of Congress aboard the train. At least one person was killed and one seriously injured according to a statement released by White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. "The President has been fully briefed on the situation in Virginia and is receiving regular updates," Sanders said. "There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff. Senior Administration officials are in regular contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident." Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake told CNN he was on the train near the front, and got off to help. He said there was a person who "was deceased" and another person who was "pretty bad off." Flake added, "I hope he survives." Flake said another person wasn't as seriously injured, and was able to walk to the ambulance. Flake said he was not sure if the those injured and killed were in the cab of the truck or was holding on to the back. An Amtrak train came into contact with a vehicle that was on the tracks at 11:20 a.m. in Crozet, Va. There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members. Local law enforcement is investigating the incident and crews are inspecting equipment for damage. The train originated in Washington, D.C. Updates will be provided as new information becomes available. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, tweeted that he helped tend to the patients until emergency medical technicians showed up. "We're fine, but our train hit a garbage truck," wrote Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon. "Members with medical training are assisting the drivers of the truck." The Republican lawmakers are headed to the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia for a three-day strategy retreat focused on their policy agenda and this year's midterms. They are scheduled to hear from Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday evening followed by a speech from President Trump on Thursday. This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops. | An Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers to a retreat in West Virginia collides with a garbage truck in Crozet, Virginia. At least one person dies and one person is seriously injured. The White House states that there are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff. |
The building will be left empty for at least six years for repair work After an historic Commons vote, MPs and peers are to move out of the Houses of Parliament while the crumbling building is repaired and restored at a cost of around £4bn. At the end of a three-hour debate, MPs voted by 236 to 220, a majority of just 16, to go ahead with controversial plans for a "full and timely decant" of the Palace of Westminster. But in a move urged by Theresa May to keep costs down, MPs voted by 234-185 for a motion proposing only essential work between now and the next election and a review of the cost of further work. The move out of Parliament for MPs and peers will not happen before 2025, the Government insisted, and MPs are likely to move to a temporary Commons chamber in Whitehall. Image: MPs voted to decant while the repair work takes place And because of security concerns, part of Whitehall will be included in a new security zone, which could mean two of Westminster's most famous pubs - the St. Stephen's Tavern and the Red Lion - closing. Advertisement It will be the first time MPs have moved out of the Palace of Westminster since the Second World War, when the Commons chamber was badly damaged by bombing. The House of Lords is due to vote on the proposals next week, but MPs who back the move out of the Palace of Westminster are confident that peers will back the decisions taken by the Commons. The so-called "decant" was bitterly opposed by a large group of mainly veteran MPs - mostly Tories - who proposed an amendment aiming to keep the Commons inside the Houses of Parliament. Their amendment, which was not voted on after the "full and timely decant" was backed, proposed: "During the progress of work, the debating chamber of the House of Comons will remain in the Palace of Westminster or Portcullis House." Image: There have been warnings that a catastrophic fire could occur Younger MPs have told Sky News the older MPs are motivated by self-interest because they don't want to end their days in the House of Commons in temporary accommodation. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom promised a legal guarantee that MPs and peers will return to Parliament after restoration. Opening the debate, she said she had listened "very closely to very real concerns" that MPs and peers may be "forced out, never to return" by moves to secure the long-term future of the Palace of Westminster. Experts claim parts of the Houses of Parliament are crumbling and there have been warnings that a catastrophic fire could occur unless ageing electrical systems are replaced. Image: Mrs Leadsom told MPs there could be no blank cheque for the work Mrs Leadsom told MPs there could be "no blank cheque" for this work, but warned of "critical risks" in the Palace of Westminster - revealing there have been 60 incidents over the last 10 years which had the potential to cause a serious fire. "The Palace of Westminster in all cases will remain the home of our Parliament," she said. "That has always been the plan. "To make absolutely clear, full or partial decant will not take place until 2025 at the earliest." Image: One of the leading supporters of a move out, Labour MP Chris Bryant Answering MPs who feared they would not return, she said: "I am happy to confirm today that were the House to agree that we must take action now, this commitment to return to the Palace will be enshrined in the legislation the Government will subsequently introduce to set up the sponsor body and delivery authority. "It will be on the face of the Bill, putting the matter beyond doubt." One of the leading supporters of a move out, Labour MP Chris Bryant, told MPs: "In the end, this place is here to make decisions on behalf of the nation. "It's time we got a grip and made a decision. I don't mind what the decision is in the end, but make a decision we must surely to God." Image: The Red Lion pub may have to close under the plans In his first speech since quitting as the Prime Minister's former deputy, Damian Green said Parliament was not safe in its current condition and it was not a "wild exaggeration" to say it was a "death trap". Sir Edward Leigh, who led those opposing the move, said: "I predict that we will be out of this building for 10 or even 12 years because actually the Canadian parliament, they are moving out for 12 years. "And we have to say to our constituents, do we really believe at this time of unparalleled austerity we should now take the decision to spend upfront, this evening, £5bn on our own working place?" ||||| British MPs vote to abandon the historic Palace of Westminster during renovations which will cost upwards of $6 billion. Britain's Houses of Parliament has fallen into disrepair and poses a serious fire risk. (Credit: Reuters) British MPs have voted to move out of the historic Houses of Parliament for at least six years to allow a 3.5 billion pounds ($6.17 billion) restoration project to take place. MPs voted 236 to 220 in favour of the move to a temporary location while widespread repair work is carried out on the Palace of Westminster, parts of which date back to the Middle Ages. The relocation is not expected to take place until the mid-2020s. The sprawling building by the River Thames is in disrepair. There are fears it is a major fire risk, it is plagued with rats, and struggles to manage the million tourists who visit every year. In a debate on Westminster's future, MPs were told there had been 60 episodes in recent years that could have led to a serious fire. Experts have warned there could be a "catastrophic event" if urgent refurbishments are not carried out. Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said the "patch and mend" approach to preserving Westminster could not be allowed to continue. Labor MP Stephen Pound said there was a lot at stake. "Just think about what it means as an icon of democracy, of representative democracy, where the people's voices are heard, in this building, in this place, in this chamber, in this Palace of Westminster," he said. "We cannot lose this." But MPs have previously put off a decision because of the high costs involved. "In these days of austerity, tightening of belts, impending disaster of Brexit, this would be near the bottom of public concerns," Scottish National Party MP Pete Wishart said. "And the sums are simply eye-watering." MPs debated whether to move everyone out during the building works, or stay in place and try to work around it. Moving everyone out while the work takes place has been called a "full decant". Historic building dates back mostly to the 19th century In its current form the 1,100-room Palace of Westminster dates from the mid-1800s. The site was rebuilt after a fire destroyed many parts of the previous building in 1834, although the parts that survived date back to 1099. The House of Commons chamber had to be rebuilt after being destroyed during a German bombing raid in 1941. Tourists coming to London are already confronted with a covered-up Big Ben which is undergoing restoration work which will take another few years. The Government says MPs will return to Westminster after the renovations are complete. ||||| The future of the Palace of Westminster will be voted on by MPs but a final decision on a multibillion-pound restoration programme could be further delayed. Parts of the Houses of Parliament are crumbling and there have been warnings that a catastrophic fire could occur unless ageing electrical systems are replaced. But concerns over cost and public opinion have dogged the restoration and renewal project, expected to cost around £4 billion, and one of the options put forward for MPs to consider is for a further review. MPs must decide whether they can “afford to justify” repairs to the historic building, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said earlier this month. Mrs Leadsom has tabled two motions for debate on January 31, with the first allowing MPs to authorise essential repairs but agree to review before the end of the Parliament in 2022 the “need for comprehensive works”. The second would establish a body to carry out a “sufficiently thorough and detailed analysis” of various aspects linked to the restoration work, including whether MPs and peers move out or partially stay in the palace during the repairs, and would seek to push forward the process sooner. The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster warned in 2016 that the decision on how to repair Parliament could not be delayed any further. Labour’s Chris Bryant, who sat on the joint committee, is backing a bid to reject the options put forward by Mrs Leadsom in favour of more rapid progress. An amendment tabled by Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier would back the 2016 recommendation for a “full and timely decant”, with MPs and peers leaving the building for work to be carried out. It is the “swiftest and most cost-effective option”, he said. Meanwhile, an SNP-led amendment would see MPs consider the option of whether to abandon the Palace of Westminster altogether. It calls for a review of the work to include a “detailed assessment of the cost-effectiveness of relocating Parliament away from the Palace of Westminster”. SNP MP Neil Gray said: “While Labour and the Tories in the Scottish Parliament are set to vote against a pay rise for nurses and investment in public services, it is utterly hypocritical for them to vote at the same time for billions to be spent on crumbling palaces for politicians.” As well as the threat of fire, the building is thought to be vulnerable because of its antiquated sewerage system and parts of the palace are riddled with asbestos. ||||| British MPs vote to move out Westminster for repairs Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge on a foggy day in central London December 11, 2013. — Reuters picLONDON, Feb 1 — British MPs yesterday voted in favour of moving out of their historic Westminster home, to make way for major renovation work of the iconic Houses of Parliament. Lawmakers backed the decision for a “full and timely decant” of parliament by 234 votes to 185, paving the way for a multi-billion-pound revamp of the dilapidated complex. “This debate arguably should have taken place about 40 years ago,” said House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom at the start of the debate. “The Palace of Westminster is the seat of our democracy, an iconic world-famous building and it is in dire need of repair,” she added. Much of the Palace dates from the mid-1800s, while Westminster Hall was built in 1099. The complex is part of the Unesco Westminster World Heritage Site and includes the Houses of Parliament and the clock tower housing Big Ben, which is already undergoing work. Conditions are considered dire, with a Commons committee listing fire, sewage inundation and electrical failure among possible risks if urgent repairs are not carried out. “The risk of a catastrophic failure is high and growing with every month that passes,” the committee said in a March report. There are reports of mice infestations, while there is a round-the-clock patrol as modern fire prevention measures are impossible to implement. “That’s a most unusual way of dealing with things, and we really need to do a full restoration to deal with the fire safety aspects,” said David Orr, a member of its restoration and renewal programme board. One MP said that urine was leaking into his office and sewage ejectors — pushing parliamentary waste into London’s main sewer — are from the Victorian era and could soon fail, according to engineers. - ‘Death trap’ -While the MPs’ vote signifies a step towards the large-scale renovation, lawmakers have yet to decide when they will be moving out or where to. They agreed a body would be established to provide up-to-date costings and a “realistic” timetable for repairs, which would allow lawmakers to return to their chamber “as soon as possible”. But not everyone was convinced, with MP Edward Leigh warning that voters experiencing “unparallelled austerity” would not be happy with politicians spending billions on their own revamp. “I think that’s a very difficult decision, a very difficult argument to make to our constituents,” he told parliament, predicting that lawmakers would have to move out for up to 12 years. But fellow Conservative lawmaker Damian Green warned parliament was not safe and said it is not a “wild exaggeration” to describe it as a “death trap”. Cost estimates so far have included a £5.7 billion (6.5 billion euros, $8.0 billion) price tag for lawmakers to stay on site, with the works taking 32 years. The most efficient proposal would take six years, costing upwards of £3.5 billion, with both MPs and lawmakers from the House of Lords having to move out. There have been various suggestions for lawmakers’ alternative base, including plans for a floating chamber on the River Thames drawn up by architects Gensler. — AFP ||||| MPs have supported both Houses of Parliament moving out during the multibillion-pound restoration programme. They committed to a “full and timely decant” after deleting sections from a motion which would have allowed them to kick into the long grass the need for “comprehensive works” at the Unesco World Heritage Site. A body would also be established to provide up-to-date costings of the work and a “realistic” timetable for the repairs. The amendment was tabled by Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier and was viewed as a way of ensuring more rapid progress to repair the Palace of Westminster compared with two motions tabled by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom. But Conservative former minister Sir Edward Leigh warned during the debate that Ms Hillier’s amendment could result in MPs leaving Parliament for up to 12 years and effectively authorise the spending of £5 billion during a time of “unparalleled austerity”. Ms Hillier’s amendment was supported by 236 votes to 220 – majority 16. The amended motion was then voted upon and approved by 234 votes to 185, majority 49. Peers are to consider the restoration and renewal of the palace on February 6. ||||| A battle has erupted over whether MPs should move out of a crumbling Palace of Westminster while refurbishment costing billions of pounds goes ahead. Some North East MPs are arguing Commons and Lords debates should take place elsewhere, because it would cut the cost of long-awaited repairs to the Houses of Parliament. But they are up against colleagues who insist that major debates must always be held on the Parliamentary estate - even if it means taxpayers pay more. Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah, Blaydon MP Liz Twist, Gateshead MP Ian Mearns and Houghton and Sunderland South MP Bridget Phillipson are among those calling for the cheaper option, which would still cost at least £3.5bn. They have put their name to an amendment stating: “A full and timely decant of the Palace is the best and the most cost-effective delivery option.” It would mean MPs move to an alternative location, such as a nearby building in London, for a period of at least five years. There have also been suggestions that MPs and members of the House of Lords could move out of the capital entirely, and hold debates in English regions instead. But 44 MPs have put their names to an amendment insisting: “During the progress of work, the debating Chamber of the House of Commons will remain in the Palace of Westminster or Portcullis House.” Carrying out repairs while MPs are still using the buildings would push costs up to at least £4.42bn, according to a study in 2014. The fact that the figures are more than three years old, and almost certainly under-estimate the cost today, reflects the lack of progress in making a decision. While many people associate Parliament with the Commons debating Chamber and its famous green benches, it’s also a sprawling complex of corridors, offices, canteens and meeting rooms, where thousands of officials, researchers, journalists and maintenance staff work. Most of the Palace of Westminster was built between 1840 and 1870. Some areas were rebuilt after the Second World War, largely to repair bomb damage. It’s in a poor state today, with frequent minor floods and mechanical breakdowns, Some the high voltage cables in the building are decaying - but there is no way of accessing many of them. The building is not well compartmentalised, which could allow fire to spread quickly. And there is a substantial amount of asbestos in the building which has to be removed. But MPs have been slow to do anything about it. The problem may be partly that they are worried about being seen to spend billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on refurbishing their own offices. However, there is also no agreement about what should be done. Some think it’s obvious that they should move out temporarily, if that’s going to cut costs. Others claim that if they do this, some excuse will be found to prevent MPs ever returning, and the place will become a museum. And a few, including SNP MPs, suggest the best course of action would be to build a brand new Parliament with up to date technology. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said Parliament had a “hotch potch” of pipes and wiring that was ageing faster than it was possible to repair. “There are some critical risks in the Palace of Westminster,” she said. “Firstly, the lack of fire compartmentation increases the risk of fire, meaning that 24-hour fire patrols are necessary in order to keep us safe. “Over the last 10 years, 60 incidents have had the potential to cause a serious fire.” She also highlighted a “huge amount” of asbestos in the walls and the fact many pipes and cables were decades past their lifespan. “The likelihood of a major failure grows the longer the systems are left unaddressed,” she said. ||||| Pictures show some of the 4,000 windows which need to be restored at the Palace of Westminster in London. ||||| The Government has promised to legally guarantee MPs and peers will return to Parliament should they move out during a multibillion-pound restoration programme. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said she had listened “very closely to very real concerns” that parliamentarians may be “forced out, never to return” by moves to secure the long-term future of the Palace of Westminster. But Mrs Leadsom said two motions before MPs about how to approach the repairs were intended to be “explicit” that this was not the case, adding the commitment to return would also be put in law. Parts of the Houses of Parliament are crumbling and there have been warnings that a catastrophic fire could occur unless ageing electrical systems are replaced. But concerns over cost and public opinion have dogged the restoration and renewal project, expected to cost about £4 billion, and one of the options put forward for MPs to consider was for a further review. Mrs Leadsom has tabled two motions for debate on January 31, with the first allowing MPs to authorise essential repairs but agree to review before the end of the Parliament in 2022 the “need for comprehensive works”. The second would establish a body to carry out a “sufficiently thorough and detailed analysis” of various aspects linked to the restoration work, including whether MPs and peers move out or partially stay in the palace during the repairs, and would seek to push forward the process sooner. Labour’s Chris Bryant, who sat on the joint committee, is backing a bid to reject the options put forward by Mrs Leadsom in favour of more rapid progress. An amendment tabled by Public Accounts Committee chairwoman Meg Hillier would back the 2016 recommendation for a “full and timely decant”, with MPs and peers leaving the building for work to be carried out. Moving the motions, Mrs Leadsom said there could be “no blank cheque for this work” and warned of “critical risks” in the Palace of Westminster – noting there have been 60 incidents over the last 10 years which had the potential to cause a serious fire. Speaking on motion two, Mrs Leadsom said: “(It) invites the House to make a clear statement about the need to act with urgency but also ensures that a rigorous and professional business case will be drawn up that will provide confidence to members and to the public.” She said if this motion was carried, the final fully-costed recommendation from the body would be returned within 12 to 18 months for a vote. Mrs Leadsom added: “The Palace of Westminster in all cases will remain the home of our Parliament. That has always been the plan. “To make absolutely clear to all (MPs), full or partial decant will not take place until 2025 at the earliest.” Mrs Leadsom also sought to reassure MPs who feared they would not return following a full decant, telling them: “To put the matter beyond doubt and recognising the depth of concerns from some colleagues, I am happy to confirm today that were the House to agree that we must take action now, this commitment to return to the Palace will be enshrined in the legislation the Government will subsequently introduce to set up the sponsor body and delivery authority. “It will be on the face of the Bill, putting the matter beyond doubt.” Mr Bryant said neither of the motions in Mrs Leadsom’s name made a decision, telling the debate: “In the end this place is here to make decisions on behalf of the nation. It’s time we got a grip and made a decision. “I don’t mind what the decision is in the end, but make a decision we must surely to God.” ||||| LONDON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - British lawmakers will leave the Palace of Westminster for at least six years to allow for a proposed multi-billion pound refurbishment, the first time politicians have left the historic building en masse since World War Two. At a vote on Wednesday, lawmakers voted in favour of a "full decant" of the building, home to the "Big Ben" clock tower, perhaps London's best-known landmark, to try to fix a multitude of problems that some politicians said had made the palace a potential "death trap". The planned move, part of a proposed 5.6 billion pound ($8 billion) modernisation, will not take effect until 2025 at the earliest. "There are difficult decisions to make on how we best protect one of the world's most iconic buildings for future generations, but we must address these decisions head on," Andrea Leadsom, leader of the House of Commons, told lawmakers, many of whom were reluctant to leave the building. "The Palace of Westminster is the seat of our democracy, an iconic world famous building and it is in dire need of repair," she said, adding there were "critical risks" at the palace, where over the last 10 years 60 incidents could have ended in fire. Westminster has been at the heart of British politics for some 900 years and lawmakers have gathered on the same site since 1547. The Palace of Westminster was almost completely destroyed by a fire in 1834 and it was rebuilt in 1852. The Big Ben bell was installed in the clock tower seven years later. ($1 = 0.7013 pounds) (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper) ||||| MPs have finally agreed a multi-billion pound restoration project to shore up the crumbling Houses of Parliament. Concerns over cost and public opinion have dogged the restoration and renewal project, which could cost around £6 billion. The proposal agreed to by MPs, tabled by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will commission an Olympics-style delivery authority to led a major restoration of the Palace of Westminster - and for MPs to move out of the historic building while that takes place. MPs in favour of that option by 234 to 185. Ms Leadsom, who led the debate, said it was a decision that should have taken place around 40 years ago. She said parliament consisted of a “hotch potch” of pipes and wiring that was ageing faster than it was possible to repair. “There are some critical risks in the Palace of Westminster,” she said. “Firstly, the lack of fire compartmentation increases the risk of fire, meaning that 24-hour fire patrols are necessary in order to keep us safe. “Over the last 10 years, 60 incidents have had the potential to cause a serious fire.” She also highlighted a “huge amount” of asbestos in the walls and the fact many pipes and cables were decades past their lifespan. “The likelihood of a major failure grows the longer the systems are left unaddressed,” she said. Other options put forward included an amendment proposed by the chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier and endorsed y the chairs of several select committees including Frank Field, Rachel Reeves, Hilary Benn and Nicky Morgan. This commits parliament to a "full and timely decant" as the most "cost-effective" solution. It also proposed a Olympic-style delivery authority.Ms Hillier said: "We cannot keep putting this into the long grass, we have to make a decision".She tackled arguments over the expense of the repairs saying: ""It is going to cost money, of course, but it's not as if that money, let's face it, the Treasury is going to give to matters in my constituency that I want to see.Estimates suggest a 'full decant', which would mean relocating both MPs and peers while the entire building is renovated, would cost £3.5 billion over six years.While a 'partial decant’, moving first MPs while the House of Commons is renovated and then beginning work on the Lords after they return is understood to cost: £4.4bn over 11 years.To ‘refurbish on site’, meaning a rolling programme of upgrades would be carried out while MPs and peers remain in the Palace, would cost an estimated £5.7bn over 35 years.A number of MPs voiced concern that if MPs moved out while the repairs were taking place then they wouldn't return.But Shadow Commons leader Valerie Vaz said action needed to be taken “immediately”, and warned that MPs could have to leave the Palace of Westminster without choice if they did not do so to begin the repairs.She said the link to the site “might be broken beyond our control and we would have to be forced to leave if there were a fire or any other act of God that takes place.”During the Commons debate, former First Secretary of State Damian Green warned that the Houses of Parliament were not safe saying that while it was an “exaggeration” to describe the Unesco World Heritage site as a “death trap” it is not a “wild exaggeration”.He said: “Anyone who has taken that tour of the basement will have seen the full horror of the current arrangements.”The MP for Ashford pointed out that chunks of masonry had fallen off high parts of the building, adding: “We are lucky that no-one has been killed so far because of this.“It is not remotely conceivable that if this were a normal building that people would be allowed to work in it let alone that thousands of tourists would be allowed to visit it.”He said he supported those saying Parliament should stay in the Palace of Westminster in the long term, but said: “I think no-one’s conscience should be comfortable with the potential consequences of delay and inaction in these circumstances.”Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the former transport secretary argued in favour of a “full decant”.He said the recent renovation at London Bridge station would have been finished much more quickly if the station had been closed.A joint committee warned in 2016 that unless urgent action was taken the Palace of Westminster was at risk of a “catastrophic event”.The steam-heated building - with its basements a tumble of wires, pipes and cables - was the scene of seven fires in 2017, while there were two hundred reported “toilet failures”.The outgoing senior parliamentary official Black Rod warned action needed to be taken or it could become “another Grenfell”. The famous Big Ben bell has already been silenced while urgent work is carried out on the Elizabeth Tower. An amendment to motion one in the name of SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, which asked for any future review to assess the cost of relocating Parliament away from the Palace of Westminster, was defeated by 410 votes to 47 - majority 363. | MPs vote 236–220 in favour of moving out of the Houses of Parliament for six years while the Palace of Westminster undergoes repairs at a cost of around £4 billion. The move out of Westminster will not occur before 2025. It will be the first time MPs have moved out of the Palace of Westminster since World War II. |
A South African platinum mine via Wikimedia All 955 South African Miners Have Been Rescued But the question remains, how could something as commonplace as a power outage imperil the lives of almost 1000 people? ||||| JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - All the miners who were trapped underground for more than 24 hours after a storm knocked out powerlines supplying electricity to the Beatrix gold mine in South Africa have been rescued, operator Sibanye-Stillwater said on Friday. In a painstaking rescue mission, the exhausted miners were hoisted up one by one after temporary power pylons were installed. None sustained major injuries. Although the company had said the more than 1,000 mineworkers stuck underground were never in danger, the incident highlights safety concerns in an industry that is home to the world’s deepest mines, with workers at some sites operating at depths of up to 4 km. “Everyone is fine, there were minor injuries and a bit of dehydration but that’s all,” company spokesman James Wellsted said. Some workers were rescued on Thursday after emergency power supply from backup generators, but damage to the winder control systems and generators at one of the Beatrix shafts caused by a power surge forced 955 employees to remain underground. They were hoisted to surface on Friday after temporary power line pylons were installed by Sibanye-Stillwater and Eskom, the country’s power utility. The effort to get the mineworkers to the surface was slow, as they were coming up one at a time, union officials said. “We can also confirm that all workers did not sustain any injuries ... they are just exhausted,” spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said. “The NUM is extremely worried about health and safety measures in all mining companies in South Africa.” The parliamentary committee on mineral resources asked the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) to explain why its safety inspectors failed to detect that the Beatrix mine did not have a reliable backup power system. Officials at the DMR were not available to comment. By November, the 2017 death toll of 76 in South Africa’s mines had already surpassed the 2016 figure of 73, ending nine straight years of falling fatalities and raising red flags for the industry. The trend reversal is likely to reignite investor concern over mine safety and could prompt regulators to step up shaft inspections, which often result in costly production stoppages. ||||| Image copyright AFP / Getty Images Image caption A rescued miner gestures out a bus window All 955 workers from a gold mine in South Africa have been safely brought back to the surface. They had been trapped underground since a power cut struck on Wednesday night, and back-up generators failed to work. "Everybody's out," said James Wellsted, a spokesman for the operating firm Sibanye-Stillwater. He said there were "cases of dehydration and high blood pressure but nothing serious", and the mine would re-open on Monday. The BBC's Pumza Fihlani in South Africa says there were scenes of jubilation as the miners were brought to the surface in the morning. Through the night, members of the local community and other workers had kept vigil outside the mine shaft, praying for the miners' safe return. South Africa is a leading gold producer, but safety in the industry is often questioned. The Beatrix mine is in Welkom town, about 290km (180 miles) south-west of Johannesburg. It is owned by Sibanye-Stillwater mining firm. It has 23 levels, going down to 1,000 metres (3,280 ft) below ground. Image copyright AFP Image caption "My children couldn't sleep," says Nontuthu Zelo Ngcai, a relative of a miner. She says worried family members called her through the night. The accident is thought to have occurred when a storm knocked over an electricity pylon close to the site, triggering a huge power cut. But on Friday morning electricity was finally restored to a lift, enabling the workers' release. "It was stressful, there was not enough ventilation," said mineworker Mike Khonto. "Thankfully our management managed to send us food and water." They are being taken for food and showers upon their release, before having medical health checks. Image copyright AFP/getty Image caption Power has now been restored at the site Anxious family members had gathered along the road to the mine but were kept back by security forces. Mr Wellsted said there was "no indication so far that anyone has been in distress" but it had been a "traumatic experience". Trade union officials had previously said they feared that the lives of the miners were at risk. They say this accident has highlighted the low safety standards in parts of the industry. More than 80 fatalities were recorded in South African mines in 2017. ||||| JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Sibanye-Stillwater said on Thursday that over 1,000 miners were stuck underground at its Beatrix gold mine in South Africa after a storm knocked out power, but they were not in danger. Spokesman James Wellsted said the miners were safe and receiving food and water. Power was being restored to the mine but there was not yet enough to bring the miners to the surface. ||||| JOHANNESBURG, Feb 2 (Reuters) - All the miners trapped underground at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Beatrix gold mine in South Africa have been brought to the surface, local television station eNCA reported on Friday. Over 1,000 miners were stuck underground on Thursday after a storm knocked out power. (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) ||||| Power was restored to the Beatrix gold mine owned by Sibanye-Stillwater early on Friday morning, prompting the rescue of hundreds of miners trapped underground since Thursday morning. The power came on at 2am on Friday morning and hoisting was started in order to rescue the miners, said company spokesman James Wellsted. So far 948 people had been hoisted safely back to the surface and only seven remained underground and would be immediately returned to surface, he said. “This is significant rescue effort and one that all who participated in can be extremely proud off, and it is a clear demonstration of the competence within the South African mining industry. The actions taken by management and decisions taken resulted in all our employees returning safely to their families,” said Sibanye CEO Neal Froneman after the last of the trapped miners were hoisted to the surface. The storm knocked out the primary and secondary electricity supplies to the mine. The Beatrix mine in the Free State was paralysed by a power outage after a storm on Wednesday night knocked over a pylon supplying electricity to the mine and trapping 1,300 people underground, company officials said. Power was restored to two shafts and 336 people were returned to surface. South African mines have a good history in cases like these where masses of miners are trapped underground. ||||| JOHANNESBURG – Sibanye-Stillwater said on Thursday that over 1 000 miners were stuck underground at its Beatrix gold mine in South Africa after a storm knocked out power, but they were not in danger. Spokesperson James Wellsted said the miners were safe and receiving food and water. Power was being restored to the mine but there was not yet enough to bring the miners to the surface. The National Union of Mineworkers said 65 mineworkers had been rescued but more than 1 000 remained underground. “There is no electricity there, so they are using a generator to power the cage to take workers to the surface,” NUM spokesperson Livhuwani Mammburu told Reuters. “The problem is they are rescuing one mineworker at a time. It is very slow. It is worrying. Some of our members have chronic conditions and they don’t have medication down there.” ||||| JOHANNESBURG — Nearly 1,000 miners who were trapped in a South African mine for more than 24 hours after a power outage have been safely evacuated, company officials said on Friday. The Sibanye-Stillwater company, which manages the Beatrix gold mine in Free State Province, said that the miners would be subjected to medical tests and counseling. The mine is expected to resume operations on Monday, the company said. “Everyone is fine. There were minor injuries and a bit of dehydration, but that’s all,” said James Wellsted, a company spokesman. He said that 955 workers had been rescued, Reuters reported. Unions for mine workers expressed concern that there was no functioning backup plan for evacuation after a storm knocked out power Wednesday night. They also said that the episode underscored long-running problems with safety and oversight at South Africa’s mines, where workers at some sites operate at depths of more than two miles below the surface. Food and water were delivered to the trapped miners while they waited for power to be restored so that elevators could ferry them to the surface. ||||| At least 900 miners who were trapped in a South African mine for more than 24 hours after a power outage have been rescued. The Sibanye-Stillwater company, which manages the Beatrix gold mine in Free State province, said on Friday that the miners will have medical tests and counselling and that it expects the mine to start operating again on Monday. Mine unions and others, however, are expressing concern that there was no functioning back-up plan for evacuation after a storm knocked out power on Wednesday night and say the incident reflects continuing safety problems in South Africa’s mines. Company managers and unions say food and water was delivered to the trapped miners while they awaited the restoration of power, which enabled elevators to ferry them to the surface. ||||| Hundreds of gold miners were stuck underground in South Africa on Thursday after a power cut, the mine’s owner said, though the workers were not reported to be in immediate danger. The Sibanye-Stillwater mining company said a massive power outage caused by a storm had prevented lifts from bringing the night shift to the surface at the Beatrix gold mine, near the city of Welkom. “We have got 955 employees still underground, they are in a confined and safe area, it’s the shaft waiting area (and) there is ventilation, we are supplying them with water and food,” James Wellsted, spokesman for Sibanye-Stillwater, told AFP. “So everybody is fine at the moment. We are trying to restore power so we can start hoisting them to the surface,” he said, speaking on the phone from the mine. He said the depth where the miners were trapped was uncertain, but the mine has 23 levels, going down to about 1,000m (3,280ft) below ground. One cable was restored during the day and 272 workers were rescued, but 955 remained trapped by early evening, the company said. They have been underground for 24 hours. Wellsted said that engineers were struggling to get emergency generators to operate and re-start the lifts following the storm. “We are having some issues – probably related to the power surge linked to the storm – in getting the winders working, so we are busy working on that issue at the moment,” he added. “Last night there was a severe storm in the Free State (province) that affected two different power cables... and cut off all electricity supply to the mine, so we were unable to bring the night shift up.” Back-up power generators failed to kick in due to a software issue “and we are trying to solve that problem,” said Wellsted. The Beatrix mine is in Free State province, 290kms (180 miles) southwest of Johannesburg. AMCU, the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union, said that the workers stuck underground were facing major health and safety risks. “AMCU views this incident as extreme due to the sheer number of workers involved,” it said in a statement. “The incident raises serious concern regarding the lacking emergency contingency plans at the mine for alternative and back-up power generation.” It said workers’ lives could be in danger, especially if they were on medication. Another mining union the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) complained about mine safety and called on mineworkers to refuse to work in “dangerous conditions”. “Major multinational corporations like Sibanye-Stillwater which should be industry leaders in creating a safety culture are doing far too little to prevent accidents,” the union said in a statement. Last August five mineworkers died after sections of a gold mine collapsed outside Johannesburg. The country possesses rich mineral reserves and has some of the world’s deepest gold mines. Gold was for many decades the backbone of South Africa’s economy, but production has declined sharply due to depletion of reserves. | All 955 South African miners, who were stuck in the Beatrix gold mine near Welkom in central Free State province since Wednesday, have been brought to the surface. Earlier, 65 other workers were rescued. No serious injuries have been reported. The accident apparently happened when a strong storm knocked over an electric power tower triggering the huge power cut. |
Former FBI Assistant Director Chris Swecker and former Justice Department official Robert Driscoll weigh in on Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) comments on the release of the FISA memo and how the memo impacts the FBI.The information contained in the memo released by House Republicans on Friday that accused FBI and Justice Department officials of improperly obtaining permission to surveil a former Trump campaign adviser shows a tragic failure of leadership on the part of former FBI Director James Comey.But importantly, the memo does not in any way reflect on the outstanding work of the more than 35,000 dedicated men and women of the FBI.It pains me - as a former FBI executive who loves and respects the organization - to say that Comey's short tenure at the FBI has proven to be the worst thing to happen to the agency since Director L. Patrick Gray was fired during the Watergate scandal.If the facts stated in the memo are true - despite the highly political nature of congressional committees - then there was either incompetent or deliberate manipulation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Court to get approval of the surveillance.See video here Even new agent trainees at the FBI Academy know better than to use paid opposition research and newspaper articles to support use of one of the most sensitive and intrusive surveillance techniques in the investigative toolbox. If they do use such information, the FISA judge should have been apprised of the origins of the research.FBI agents are also taught to never mislead any court of law. It's unlikely the surveillance warrant would have been issued if the FISA judge was aware that political opponents (the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee) had financed the information used to obtain approval of the surveillance.FISA applications go through extensive reviews at multiple levels of executive management at the FBI and Justice Department. They are signed by the most senior FBI and Justice Department executives before they are presented to the FISA court for approval.McCabe, enabled by Comey, created an attitude among his inner circle that flaunted well- established laws and regulations. Comey usurped the role of the Justice Department in publicly exonerating Hillary Clinton from wrongdoing in her handling of government emails when she was secretary of state.At the same time, Comey took highly conflicted Attorney General Loretta Lynch off the hook to formally recuse herself from the Hillary Clinton probe as a result of Lynch's own inexcusable and inept conduct in meeting former President Bill Clinton while his wife was under Justice Department and FBI investigation.Comey permitted leaks and allowed bias to infect two of the most important investigations ever conducted by the FBI. He clearly permitted his lead investigative agent to predetermine the outcome of the Clinton investigation, while allowing the agent's biased actions and anti-Trump texts to complicate the role of Special Counsel Robert Mueller in actually getting to the truth of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.FBI agent Peter Strzok and FBI lawyer Lisa Page - who were carrying on a romantic affair when they traded numerous text criticizing then-candidate Trump - are now star witnesses for the defense in any indictments that come out of Mueller's office.Mueller is an honest, fair and non-political professional who took a bullet for his country as a Marine in Vietnam. He is our best chance to learn the truth. And the truth should be good enough for everyone. He served for 12 years as FBI director with many accomplishments, no terrorist attacks on his watch and not a hint of controversy.Current FBI Director Chris Wray has now taken the helm and is trying his best to right the ship. This is no time for him to resign. He has a lot to overcome in a very difficult task. He must maintain his independence from the president while navigating political controversy coming at him from every direction.Wray is very deliberately cleaning out the remnants of the Comey cabal on the FBI's 7th Floor. He has apparently been given a preview of the Department of Justice inspector general's investigation of the conduct of several FBI officials during the Clinton investigation. This inspector general is the same person who outed the Strzok and Page texts.Now information is circulating that the Republican memo made public is just the tip of the iceberg.The Republican congressional memo outlines potentially serious misconduct on the part of the Comey leadership team. Going forward, the FBI should err on the side of transparency. Director Wray should make every effort to declassify the documents and affidavit supporting surveillance approved by the FISA Court.Such information has been released before. It is better for the FBI to release the information than to have it come from a political body like Congress. Let the public decide for themselves without political spin.The American people, Congress and the president should sit back and allow Special Counsel Mueller to do his work. This nation has an interest in making sure that Russian President Vladimir Putin's intelligence thugs and mobbed-up oligarchs do not influence our political processes.It's time to find out what really happened.Chris E. Swecker served 24 years in FBI as Special Agent. He retired from the Bureau as Assistant Director with responsibility over all FBI Criminal Investigations. He currently practices law in Charlotte, N.C ||||| The controversial memo by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) alleging misconduct by the FBI and Department of Justice is “legally and logically irrelevant,” a former federal prosecutor said Friday after its release. “This is advocacy, and not particularly sophisticated advocacy,” Patrick Cotter — now an attorney at Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale — told Mic in an email. “Not impartial legal analysis.” The four-page memo alleges that the FBI and Department of Justice improperly relied on the salacious dossier complied by former British spy Christopher Steele to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant on Carter Page — an aide to the Trump campaign who admitted he met with Kremlin officials in 2016. The memo accuses Steele of misconduct as part of an effort to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president — and that former FBI Director James Comey, ousted Deputy Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein all signed off on the allegedly inappropriate Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants. Trump fired Comey in May 2017. McCabe announced this week he was resigning his post after months of pressure from Trump. And the president on Friday signaled he may attempt to oust Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Russia investigation. “You figure that one out,” Trump told reporters after being asked if he was confident in the deputy attorney general. Trump authorized the release of the memo Friday, hours after tweeting that federal law enforcement leaders have “politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans.” But according to Cotter, the memo leaves out information that would be critical to determining if the FISA court ruling was correct. “What was the complete information presented to the FISA court?” Cotter said. “To leave that out, and to then suggest that some other information should have been given to the court, is facile but legally and logically irrelevant. No one can decide whether the FISA court ruling was correct until they review the whole application. Only then can anyone rationally decide whether the supposed additional information would have been meaningful or necessary.” Democrats have sought to release a “response memorandum,” but House Republicans have blocked them in what Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee said in a statement Friday afternoon is a “transparent effort to suppress the full truth.” “The Republican document mischaracterizes highly sensitive classified information that few members of Congress have seen, and which Chairman Nunes himself chose not to review,” the statement said. “The sole purpose of the Republican document is to circle the wagons around the White House and insulate the president.” Other top Democrats, law enforcement officials and even some Republicans also slammed the decision to release the memo. The FBI was also against its release, saying in a statement earlier this week that key omissions “fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.” But Trump and his allies, including Page himself, already appear to be rallying around the document, which the president reportedly believes could help him undermine special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Republicans have been seeking to delegitimize the investigation into Trump by suggesting that it began with the Steele dossier by Fusion GPS. But the New York Times reported in December that the probe was actually spurred by comments campaign aide George Papadopoulos made while intoxicated to an Australian official in 2016 — which the Nunes memo seems to confirm. “The Page FISA application also mentions information regarding fellow Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos, but there is no evidence of cooperation or conspiracy between Page and Papadopoulos,” the memo reads. “The Papadopoulos information triggered the opening of an FBI counterintelligence investigation in late July 2016.” Page, who has long been a subject of scrutiny in the Russia investigations, said in a statement Friday that he would be “updating my pending legal action” against the DOJ in light of the memo. After declassifying the memo, Trump told reporters he considered the contents of the memo “terrible.” “I think it’s a disgrace,” Trump said. “A lot of people should be ashamed.” But critics said that there was key information missing from the document, and that its release could endanger federal law enforcement. “FISA is, by definition, where the nation’s most sensitive investigations are often rooted,” Cotter told Mic. “To expose secret and highly sensitive information, including the names and procedures associated with a FISA surveillance application, for political or public relations purposes, as opposed to after court review and appropriate protections having been put into place, is stunning and unprecedented.” ||||| (CNN) House Republicans, with the approval of President Donald Trump, on Friday released a disputed GOP intelligence memo that alleges FBI abuses of its surveillance authority. The highly controversial memo from the GOP and House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes alleges that then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe told the committee that no surveillance warrant would have been sought for a Trump campaign aide without a disputed opposition research dossier on Trump and Russia. The memo is the most explicit Republican effort yet to discredit the FBI's investigation into Trump and Russia, alleging that the investigation was infused with an anti-Trump bias under the Obama administration and supported with political opposition research. The public release of the classified document, through a never-before-used committee rule, threatens to further fracture the frayed relationship between the President and his Justice Department and intelligence community, both of which opposed the release of the document, which is based on classified intelligence. The FBI issued a rare public warning on Wednesday that the memo omits key information that could impact its veracity. The release also raises the question of whether Trump might seek to dismiss his deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, who appointed special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump signed off on releasing the memo before it was released, and the White House requested no redactions, spokesman Raj Shah said. Speaking in the Oval Office Friday, Trump implied the memo revealed political bias at the FBI. He said he believed the purported bias was a "disgrace" and said certain people should be "ashamed of themselves." Asked whether he retained confidence in Rosenstein or if he planned to fire him, Trump demurred. "You figure that one out," Trump said. Democrats have slammed the memo as an inaccurate and misleading portrait intended to undermine Mueller's probe. They disputed what the memo concluded about McCabe's testimony on the dossier as the basis for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told reporters Friday that the Republican memo "cherry picks" information from McCabe's testimony. Schiff argued that memo does not represent what McCabe told the House Intelligence Committee, and he said McCabe told the panel the "genesis of the investigation" did not begin with the dossier. The memo is focused on a warrant granted in October 2016 by the FISA court to monitor former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page, as well as the approval of three subsequent renewals. Even if the dossier was used as part of the application, a FISA renewal indicates that a judge was convinced that the surveillance was yielding information about the target acting as an agent of a foreign power that merited continued monitoring. FBI Director Christopher Wray addressed FBI employees in an internal video, according to two people who had viewed it, telling agency employees that it's been a tough time and unsettling, and the last few days have only made it worse. "The American people read the newspapers and watch TV, but your work is all that matters. Actions speak louder than words," Wray said in the video, the sources said. Questions about the memo The memo tries to connect what Republicans believe was a flawed application to monitor Page to the overall counterintelligence investigation into potential collusion between Russians and the Republican campaign. But the memo also undermines its own argument about the application being overly reliant on the dossier. It notes that the application also included information regarding Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos , suggesting there was intelligence beyond the dossier in the Page application. Papadopoulos was already under investigation for contacts with a professor connected to the Russian government who had promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. That investigation was opened months before the Page application after the FBI received information from the Australian government, CNN has reported. The memo states that the FBI counterintelligence investigation was "triggered" by Papadopoulos in July 2016, months before the Page FISA application was filed. The memo also doesn't mention that the FBI had earlier opened an investigation into the Russian intelligence agencies' hack of the Democratic National Committee. Former FBI Director James Comey, who was in charge during the 2016 campaign, downplayed the significance of the memo Friday. "That's it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs," Comey tweeted. That's it? Dishonest and misleading memo wrecked the House intel committee, destroyed trust with Intelligence Community, damaged relationship with FISA court, and inexcusably exposed classified investigation of an American citizen. For what? DOJ & FBI must keep doing their jobs. — James Comey (@Comey) February 2, 2018 Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican who vetted the intelligence for the Intelligence Committee in place of Nunes, tweeted that the memo did not discredit Mueller's investigation. "As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not - in any way - discredit his investigation," Gowdy tweeted. "While this memo raises serious concerns with the FISA process, I have been and remain confident in the overwhelming majority of the men and women serving at the FBI and DOJ." As I have said repeatedly, I also remain 100 percent confident in Special Counsel Robert Mueller. The contents of this memo do not - in any way - discredit his investigation. — Trey Gowdy (@TGowdySC) February 2, 2018 JUST WATCHED James Comey on Nunes memo: That's it? Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH James Comey on Nunes memo: That's it? 01:02 Dossier allegations The memo alleges that Christopher Steele, the ex-British intelligence agent who wrote the dossier, harbored anti-Trump financial and ideological motivations that were not included in the FISA application, and that senior DOJ officials knew about Steele's anti-Trump bias. According to the memo, that Steele told then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr in September 2016 that he "was desperate that Donald Trump not get elected and was passionate about him not being president." The memo alleges that the FISA application cited a September 2016 Yahoo News article on Page's July 2016 trip to Moscow, but the application "incorrectly assesses that Steele did not provide information to Yahoo News." "The article does not corroborate the Steele dossier because it is derived from information leaked by Steele himself to Yahoo news," the memo states. But the memo then goes on to say that the FBI did not know about Steele's media contacts, alleging Steele "improperly concealed and lied" to the FBI about his media contacts. Schiff, however, said that the Yahoo News article was not referenced in the FISA application to corroborate Steele. The memo names former officials in the Obama administration who signed off on the warrants, saying former FBI Director James Comey signed three applications, and McCabe and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates signed at least one. But the memo also states that Rosenstein -- who was elevated under Trump -- signed off on at least one FISA application for Page. Dana Boente, who is currently the FBI general counsel and was appointed by Trump's FBI director, also signed off as well on one or more of the applications. JUST WATCHED Trump believes memo could undercut Russia probe Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump believes memo could undercut Russia probe 05:40 Democrats dispute memo's findings Democrats have slammed the Republican memo as misleading and inaccurate. Schiff, saying the memo fails to provide "vital context," called the memo "a shameful effort to discredit" the FBI and Justice Department and an attempt to undermine Mueller's probe. Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the memo "demonstrates an astonishing disregard for the truth." "Unlike almost every House member who voted in favor of this memo's release, I have actually read the underlying documents on which the memo was based. They simply do not support its conclusions," Warner said in a statement. But Nunes said in a statement that committee had "discovered serious violations of the public trust, and the American people have a right to know when officials in crucial institutions are abusing their authority for political purposes." "It is my hope that the committee's actions will shine a light on this alarming series of events so we can make reforms that allow the American people to have full faith and confidence in their governing institutions," Nunes said. JUST WATCHED Trump on memo: A lot of people should be ashamed Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump on memo: A lot of people should be ashamed 02:01 Page's role The Steele dossier alleges that Page met senior Russian officials as an emissary of the Trump campaign and discussed quid-pro-quo deals relating to sanctions, business opportunities and Russia's interference in the election. After Page took a trip to Russia in July 2016, the FBI grew concerned that he had been compromised by Russian operatives, US officials briefed on the matter told CNN. Page says he never cut any political deals with the Kremlin and says there was nothing illegal in his interactions with Russian officials. "The brave and assiduous oversight by Congressional leaders in discovering this unprecedented abuse of process represents a giant, historic leap in the repair of America's democracy," Page said in a statement Friday. Ohr, the Justice Department official who was demoted amid the discovery of his ties to the opposition research firm behind the controversial Trump dossier, figures prominently in the memo. "Before and after Steele was terminated as a source, he maintained contact with DOJ via then-Associate Deputy Attorney General Bruce Ohr," the memo says. "Shortly after the election, the FBI began interviewing Ohr, documenting his communications with Steele," including "clear evidence of Steele's bias," according to the memo. It adds, "Ohr later provided the FBI will all his wife's opposition research, paid for by the DNC and Clinton campaign via Fusion GPS. The Ohrs' relationship with Settle and Fusion GPS was inexplicably concealed from (the FISA court)." Ohr previously served as an associate deputy attorney general, but was stripped of that position after his meetings with Steele and Simpson became public in December. More recently, Ohr was removed as head of the Justice Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces as well. Escalation of partisan fight over Russia probe The memo was spearheaded by Nunes, who was a member of the Trump transition team, and written by majority committee staff. The committee voted along party lines to release the memo first to the full House and then to the public on Monday. At the same time, the committee rejected an effort from Schiff to also make public a 10-page Democratic counter-memo. The committee voted to release that memo to the full House, and Schiff plans to push for its release next week. |||||
• The House Intelligence Committee released a declassified and controversial memo that claims the FBI and Department of Justice abused their surveillance authority by targeting a former Trump campaign aide.
• Drawing on a frequent Republican talking point, the memo also raises questions about the Trump-Russia dossier, which details alleged collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia.
• "A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves," Trump said after he signed off on the memo's release. The House Intelligence Committee on Friday released a highly controversial memo authored by chairman Devin Nunes after President Donald Trump authorized its declassification. The memo claims, among other things, that several top officials at the Justice Department and the FBI acted improperly when they signed off on applications seeking extended surveillance of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. "The brave and assiduous oversight by Congressional leaders in discovering this unprecedented abuse of process represents a giant, historic leap in the repair of America's democracy," Page said in a statement to Business Insider. "Now that a few of the misdeeds against the Trump Movement have been partially revealed, I look forward to updating my pending legal action in opposition to DOJ this weekend in preparation for Monday's next small step on the long, potholed road toward helping to restore law and order in our great country." Nunes' memo also raises several questions about the Steele dossier, an explosive collection of memos compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele, which details Trump's and his associates' alleged ties to Russia. The dossier was initially funded by anti-Trump Republicans. Democrats took over funding after Trump won the Republican nomination in 2016. The Washington Post reported last year that Hillary Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee hired the Perkins Coie law firm, which in turn retained the opposition-research firm Fusion GPS to fund production of the dossier. "President Trump has approved the declassification of the document in full, and it has been transmitted to the minority and majority of the House Intel Committee," Raj Shah, a White House spokesman, said, adding that the White House did not request any redactions to the memo. Addressing the memo's release on Friday, Trump said, "A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves." "I think it's a disgrace what's happening in our country," he said, adding that the memo had been sent to the committee. Republicans are likely to use the memo to contend that deputy US attorney general Rod Rosenstein — shortly after taking office last spring — acted improperly in approving an application to extend counterintelligence surveillance of Page that was partly based on dubious research funded by Democratic organizations, The New York Times reported last weekend. Asked on Friday whether the memo affected his confidence in Rosenstein or increased the likelihood that he would oust him, Trump replied, "You figure that one out." Rosenstein oversees the special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 US election and whether members of Trump's campaign colluded with Moscow to tilt the election in his favor. Mueller is also examining whether Trump sought to obstruct justice when he fired James Comey as FBI director in May. If Trump were to fire Rosenstein, Rachel Brand, the associate attorney general, would assume oversight of the Russia investigation. Rep. Devin Nunes, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite The so-called Nunes memo and its release have sparked a firestorm on Capitol Hill and within the intelligence community. Republicans said they wanted to release the document to promote transparency and hold law enforcement accountable, but Democrats characterized it as a thinly veiled attempt to distract the public and discredit the agencies investigating the president and his associates. Top officials in intelligence and law enforcement had cautioned against the memo's release. FBI Director Christopher Wray and Rosenstein met on Monday with the White House chief of staff, John Kelly, to argue against releasing the memo, saying the document contained several inaccuracies and that releasing it could expose sources and methods, The Washington Post reported earlier Friday. When Kelly didn't budge, Wray again called him on Monday night but was unsuccessful, The Post said, citing administration officials. The next day, at least five FBI officials traveled to the White House to speak with Kelly about the memo, the report said. Dan Coats, the director of national intelligence, had also cautioned the chief of staff against releasing the document. The Justice Department, meanwhile, had said it would be "extraordinarily reckless" for the House Intelligence Committee to approve the memo's release without giving the department enough time to review it and advise lawmakers about national-security implications. The FBI also weighed in, saying in a rare statement on Wednesday that it had been "provided a limited opportunity to review this memo the day before the committee voted to release it." "As expressed during our initial review, we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy," the statement said. Democrats said they had prepared a document to rebut many of the claims in the memo, but Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee had not approved its release. CBS News reported on Thursday that Wray — who has mostly expressed reservations about the memo behind closed doors — was prepared to publicly issue a rebuttal. ||||| President Donald Trump continues to tell his associates he believes the highly controversial Republican memo alleging the FBI abused its surveillance tools could help discredit the Russia investigation, multiple sources familiar with White House discussions said. In recent phone calls, Trump has told friends he believes the memo would expose bias within the agency's top ranks and make it easier for him to argue the Russia investigations are prejudiced against him, according to two sources. As the debate rages about whether the GOP memo is inaccurate and misleading -- and whether it's appropriate to reveal such classified intelligence at all -- Trump appears to be more preoccupied with the political calculus. He views the memo as proof the intelligence community was unfairly targeting him and fodder for his ultimate goal of bringing an end to the Russia investigation that he has dubbed a "witch hunt," sources said. White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah denied that the purpose of releasing the memo was to undermine the Mueller probe and insisted that the White House is simply playing their role in a process initiated by Congress. "No, the purpose is transparency," Shah said, when asked by CNN about the effect on the Mueller investigation. "This is a legislative process, they have initiated it. We are only following through on our role throughout the House rules." Shah would not say if the President has made a decision. "We're committee to this process. He's going to take input from both legal and national security voices," Shah said. "When he makes a decision, we'll make it public." The President continues to seethe over the Justice Department's handling of nearly everything Russia-related, sources said. Recently, much of that anger has been directed toward his Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller and the Russia investigation. But on Wednesday Trump was also upset in the wake of the FBI's statement challenging the release of the controversial memo crafted by Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee, led by Chairman Devin Nunes, a Trump ally. The FBI's harshly worded statement was a rare public rebuke, all the more stinging now that the bureau is led by Director Chris Wray, who Trump handpicked after he fired James Comey last May. In condemning the four-page memo that alleges surveillance abuses on behalf of the FBI and Justice Department, the FBI said, "we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo's accuracy." This follows a Justice Department statement that warned releasing the memo "would be extraordinarily reckless." The FBI's statement was issued just hours after the President made clear he wanted the document public. White House aides and advisers expect a decision from Trump on whether to release the controversial memo on Thursday, an official tells CNN, but the President has already made clear he is inclined to approve the document's release. If Trump decides to release the document on Thursday, it isn't certain that the document will be published shortly thereafter, the official said. The White House and House Republicans on the Intelligence committee could decide to release the document at a later date, the official added, even though many have said they want the memo out as quickly as possible. People familiar with the President's thinking say the fate of Rosenstein remains in question amid the expected release of the Nunes memo. One person suggested if Rosenstein merely submitted an application to renew a FISA warrant (one granted under previous leadership and based, in part, on information from the infamous Steele dossier) that probably wouldn't be a damning enough revelation for Trump to move to fire Rosenstein. But another person said Trump is so frustrated with the Russia investigation and, in turn, Rosenstein that he may look for any opportunity to build a case for Rosenstein's firing. He could argue that Rosenstein failed to scrutinize the information initially used to request the warrant and therefore didn't do his due diligence. These discussions are ongoing within the White House, one of the sources said. Another source familiar with White House discussions said they would be "stunned" if anything happens to Rosenstein even though he's not a Trump favorite. As CNN has previously reported, the President has vented recently about wanting to fire Rosenstein. But for now, it remains unclear whether he's willing to take such an extraordinary step, particularly given the backlash he faced after dismissing Comey. Trump's top aides have been posturing on the memo ever since the committee voted to approve the document's release on Monday. Officials have been unable to say whether anyone inside the White House worked with Nunes or House Republicans on the document. After the House committee voted down party lines to release the document, the memo was couriered to the White House on Monday evening and an interagency review process began on the contents of the controversial memo. That review -- led by the White House counsel's office and coordinated by the National Security Council -- is ongoing, the official said. Republicans, especially those closely aligned with Trump in the House, have argued the memo must be released because it details abuse of power by law enforcement officials. But Democrats have said that memo is nothing more than an attempt by Nunes -- who was a member of the executive committee leading Trump presidential transition team -- and other Republicans to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. CNN's Gloria Borger and Abby Phillip contributed to this report. ||||| (CNN) Democrats challenging California Rep. Devin Nunes for his House seat have seen some benefit to the House Intelligence Committee memo alleging the FBI misused its surveillance authority. The leading Democratic candidate hoping to unseat the Republican chairman of the committee has raised more than $100,000 in campaign donations. Since Nunes' classified memo was released on Friday, the campaign for California prosecutor Andrew Janz has raised $130,379 and is just shy of 4,000 individual contributions. Janz's campaign manager, Heather Greven, told CNN that Nunes is doing the campaign a big favor. The campaign has raised more in the past eight days than since Janz announced his candidacy back in April, according to Greven. The campaign also released a digital ad Thursday night attacking the Republican memo and Nunes' involvement in drafting it and pushing for its release. As chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Nunes spearheaded the GOP memo, which was made public Friday by the committee with the approval of President Donald Trump. Democrats have called the memo misleading and politically motivated, arguing that it omits key information from the underlying intelligence it's based on. "There was a lot of hype and there wasn't really any substance to the memo," Janz said in an interview Saturday with CNN. He added that people in his district have been concerned about how the memo could affect special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation. Janz said he hopes the Democrats release their own memo to rebut the GOP's document. "It's important to provide context to what Devin (Nunes) has released," Janz said. "It's important for the American people to get a full picture so they can reach their own conclusions about how well the FBI is doing their job." Nunes, who has served in Congress since 2003, is being challenged by six Democratic candidates, a Libertarian candidate, and an American Solidarity Party candidate in the 22nd Congressional District race, which includes Fresno. Another Democrat in the race, businessman Ricardo Franco, told CNN that his campaign has seen a relatively big increase in donations over the last week, with $3,000 coming in on Saturday. Campaign disclosures show he raised about $24,000 since announcing his bid last year. "Concerned Americans, many who don't live in the district, have visited (the campaign page) to make campaign donations once the Nunes memo was released," Franco said in an email to CNN. Janz, who said he'll come to Washington to rid politics of dark money and focus on health care and clean water issues for his district, is leading the Democratic field in raising money. But if he wins the June primary, Janz could face difficult odds against Nunes in the November election. Nunes was easily reelected in 2016, winning just more than 67% of the vote. Nunes' campaign also ended the year with nearly $4 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Janz, the son of immigrant parents, said he also wants comprehensive immigration legislation and for Dreamers not to be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Trump, who has pushed for border wall funding. "At the end of the day, I think that members of Congress need to sit down and get this done," Janz said. "I think if they can't, we need new leadership and I'm talking about new leadership on both sides." He added, "I think with this being a potential wave election, we're going to be able to usher in a new generation of leadership in Washington, and I hope to be a part of that." ||||| WASHINGTON — President Trump is expected to approve the release of a controversial congressional memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI, after the White House agreed to some redactions, and the document is likely to be made public Friday by House Republicans, according to senior administration officials. The redactions were the result of a review of the memo's classified contents by White House and intelligence community officials. The memo, which has created a political firestorm, suggests that the origins of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election were tainted by political bias. It alleges that the FBI, when obtaining a surveillance warrant, relied in some part on a dossier of allegations against then-candidate Donald Trump that was underwritten by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. Trump has read the GOP memo, the administration officials said, and once he formally approves its release, the White House will transmit it to the House Intelligence Committee, which has the authority to make it public. On Wednesday, the FBI issued a rare, unsigned statement citing its concerns with the accuracy of the memo, but officials there do not think its disclosure will lead to a direct confrontation between Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to current and former law enforcement officials. The officials noted that the bureau's statement specifically excluded the director's name as a way of signaling that he does not intend to stake his job on the issue. Thomas O'Connor, president of the FBI Agents Association, issued a statement Thursday supporting Wray. It says the group appreciates his “standing shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of the FBI as we work together to protect our country from criminal and national security threats.” Among current and former law enforcement officials, however, there is concern about the future of Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the Russia investigation led by Mueller. Rosenstein is named in the Republican memo, according to people familiar with it, because he approved a request early last year to reauthorize surveillance of a former Trump campaign adviser. The president has expressed a desire to get rid of Rosenstein, which would allow him to appoint a new official to oversee Mueller, according to people familiar with the matter who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The president has told advisers that he thinks the memo is “gaining traction” and could help him convince the public that the Mueller probe is a witch hunt, the people familiar with the matter said. The four-page memo was written by Republican staffers of the House Intelligence Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif. It alleges that the British former spy who wrote the dossier, which claims Trump has ties to the Kremlin, passed bad information to the FBI and suggests that that information was used in the application to conduct surveillance on the former campaign adviser, Carter Page, according to people familiar with the document. As lawmakers await the memo's release, congressional leaders are intensifying their partisan fight over its publication. The top two Democrats in Congress called on House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Thursday to remove Nunes as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Nunes had turned the panel's proceedings into a “charade” and a “cover-up campaign ... to hide the truth about the Trump-Russia scandal,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Calif., wrote in a letter to Ryan. Ryan defended Nunes, accusing Democrats of trying to “sidetrack us with some political game” and stressing that the memo's scrutiny of the FBI “does not implicate” Mueller or Rosenstein. If federal agents “brought bias or cut corners or did something wrong,” the public needs to know, Ryan said, citing concerns about the Justice Department “violating American civil liberties.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., appearing with Ryan, also told reporters he thinks Nunes is “handling this just right.” But not all congressional Republicans agree. John Thune, S.D., the Senate's No. 3 Republican, said Thursday that the memo should not be made public until the Senate Intelligence Committee is able to review it. “I think they have to take into consideration what the FBI is saying,” Thune said. “They need to pay careful attention to what our folks who protect us have to say about how this bears on our national security.” Former FBI Director James Comey, who was fired by Trump, tweeted Thursday evening about the FBI statement: “All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.” Shortly before the House Intelligence Committee voted Monday night to make the memo public, Nunes rejected Democrats' pleas to have FBI and Justice Department officials brief House members about their concerns with the memo, arguing that both entities had “been under investigation by this committee for many, many months, for FISA abuse and other matters.” The comments by Nunes, according to a newly released transcript of the meeting, surprised Democrats, who accused him of coordinating the memo's release with the White House. The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act governs the secret court that reviews and sanctions surveillance requests from the Justice Department. The ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, Calif., also has accused Nunes of making “material changes” to the document that Republican members voted to make public before passing it on to the White House for Trump's review. The document the White House received differs “in key respects,” said a senior committee official. “We have identified five material changes to different parts of the memo, including a modification that appears intended to water down the overall importance of the majority's purported ‘findings,' “ said the official, who did not elaborate. Schiff thinks those changes are significant enough to render the process by which Trump could allow the release of the memo null and void. Nunes disagreed, and his staff described any changes as minor edits or alternations requested by the FBI and Democrats. ||||| WASHINGTON -- The White House on Friday declassified a partisan and bitterly disputed memo on the Russia investigation, clearing the way for House Republicans to release allegations of what they say is FBI misconduct. The move came over the fierce objections of the FBI and Justice Department, which have said the document prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee is inaccurate and missing critical context. The memo alleges that the FBI abused U.S. government surveillance powers in its investigation into Russian election interference. Trump, who has called the investigation a "witch hunt," has supported the release of the memo in the apparent hopes that it could help undermine the probe being led by special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump, dogged by the unrelenting investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia, lashed out anew Friday at the FBI and Justice Department as politically biased against Republicans. "The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans - something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!" Trump tweeted. The tweet came as U.S. news coverage was dominated by reports that the FBI and DOJ had objected strenuously to the memo's release. Earlier this week, the FBI declared it had "grave concerns" about its accuracy. Trump's tweet sets up a clash with the man he picked to lead the FBI, Christopher Wray, after firing James Comey as agency director. It also seemed at odds with House Speaker Paul Ryan who said a day earlier "this memo is not an indictment of the FBI or the Department of Justice." Democrats say the memo cherry-picks intelligence in an effort to smear law enforcement investigating whether Trump associates collaborated with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election. "This is designed to impugn the credibility of the FBI, to undermine the investigation, to give the president additional fodder to attack the investigation. And it's a tremendous disservice to the American people," Rep. Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CBS "This Morning." The document was written by GOP lawmakers as part of an effort to reveal what Republicans say are surveillance abuses by the FBI and the Justice Department early in Russia investigation, before special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take it over. White House officials say Trump intends to clear the way for publication of the memo. One White House official said Congress would probably be informed of Trump's decision Friday, adding that the president was "OK" with its release. A second White House official said Trump was likely to declassify the congressional memo but the precise method for making it public was still being figured out. The officials were not authorized to be quoted about private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity. The House intelligence panel voted along party lines Monday to put the memo out, giving Trump five days to reject the release under committee rules. But Trump also has the power to declassify the document himself and either release it or hand it to Congress to release. One of the White House officials said the memo would be in "Congress' hands" after Trump declassified it and there were unlikely to be any redactions to the document. Senior FBI officials, including Wray, have also made direct appeals to the White House, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent. Democrats on the intelligence panel made a last-ditch effort Wednesday evening to stop the release, saying the memo had been "secretly altered" by the Republicans who wrote it. In a letter to the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Schiff wrote that committee Democrats had discovered changes that were made after the vote Monday. "The White House has therefore been reviewing a document since Monday night that the committee never approved for public release," Schiff said in the letter. Schiff asked Nunes for another vote on the memo, but Republicans didn't appear to waver. Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said the committee vote was "procedurally sound." "To suggest otherwise is a bizarre distraction from the abuses detailed in the memo, which the public will hopefully soon be able to read for themselves," Langer said. This all comes as special counsel Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign improperly coordinated with Russia and whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry by, among other actions, firing Comey. Republicans have intensified their pressure on the Justice Department as Mueller's probe has moved closer to Trump's inner circle. Trump has been telling confidants in recent days that he believes the document will validate his concerns that the FBI and Justice Department conspired against him, according to one outside adviser familiar with those conversations but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions. The president also has told allies that he believes the memo bolsters his claim that accusations of collusion between his campaign and Russian officials are false and part of a conspiracy to discredit his election. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are pressing House Speaker Paul Ryan to stop the release. Comey weighed in on Twitter as well: "All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy." Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Matthew Daly, Eric Tucker and Jonathan Lemire contributed to this report. ||||| Washington (CNN) After days of anticipation, President Donald Trump is expected to signal to the House Intelligence Committee on Friday that he wants a memo written by GOP staffers faulting the FBI over the Russia investigation released. Republican lawmakers who have seen the memo, drawn from classified sources, say it shows that senior law enforcement officials abused surveillance laws in obtaining a warrant to eavesdrop on Trump campaign foreign policy aide Carter Page. Trump supporters believe the episode will show that the bureau was biased all along against the President, think it reveals corruption at the top of the FBI and believe it will ultimately cast doubt on the credibility of the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. Critics say this is nothing more than a coordinated attempt by Trump and allies on Capitol Hill to selectively misuse intelligence to malign Mueller's investigation and to give a pretext to remove senior officials overseeing the probe. The showdown, meanwhile, between Trump and FBI Director Christopher Wray over the memo has dragged the incessantly simmering tension between the White House and national security institutions back into the open. Here are five questions that may be answered once the report is released. Senior White House officials fear that Wray could quit if the memo is released over his vehement, and unusually public, objections, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation tell CNN. If that were to happen, Trump would have effectively forced out his second FBI director over political differences, after removing James Comey last year. The post is supposed to carry a 10-year term to shield its holder from the political fray. Were Wray to go, it would presumably be on the grounds that he has lost the confidence of the President who appointed him, since his advice, and pleadings, would have been disregarded on an issue of national security. Another rationale for him to quit might be to highlight an attempt by Trump to politicize the FBI and the case he is making that the nation's premier law enforcement agency, charged with keeping Americans safe from terror, is corrupt. Alternatively, having made a stand, Wray might reason that the memo, essentially a political document, is not the issue on which to resign, given the likely future confrontations between the bureau and the White House that could center on even more serious matters. Another reason for Wray to stay is that if he goes, the President could seek to insert a more pliable replacement. Will the memo live up to the hype? After days of blaring news coverage, leaks and hints from lawmakers who have seen the memo, there must be some concern that the public release of the document will fall flat and not have the explosive impact that Trump allies hope. Other Republicans have less expansive yet significant concerns, arguing that the memo will show that top FBI officials erred. "There's a problem with several people in some of the highest levels in the bureau and that needs to be investigated, and the American people need to understand why," Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told reporters. But given the expectations around the document -- not least because of the warnings about its content by the FBI and Democrats, it will have to contain some stunning disclosures to justify the buildup. If the wow factor is not there, it could quickly fade as a political issue. Another danger for Trump and his supporters is that the days of ventilating could actually undercut his claims that the FBI is corrupt, if the memo fails to deliver. In a potential warning sign for the President, House Speaker Paul Ryan on Thursday appeared to indicate the memo could fall well short of Trump's hopes. "This memo is not an indictment of the FBI, of the Department of Justice. It does not impugn the Mueller investigation or the deputy attorney general," the Wisconsin Republican told reporters at a GOP retreat in West Virginia. Does the memo damage Mueller or Rosenstein? Democrats believe the memo has one purpose: to undermine Mueller. "It was our assumption all along that their path here was to discredit the Mueller investigation," Democratic Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNN on Thursday. Another theory is that the release of the memo could also give the Republicans a pretext to attack and possibly remove Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Mueller probe because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself, much to Trump's fury. Rosenstein renewed the warrant against Page, so he could find himself exposed to attacks by Trump allies, even though he appears to have been simply doing his job. Should Trump remove Rosenstein, he may pick a replacement who might be more amenable to undermining the Mueller probe, assuming that person could be confirmed by the Senate. Does the memo furor have political legs? The investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice and his campaign aides colluded with Russia is a legal proceeding. But its ultimate fate will end up being a political question, especially if Mueller finds conduct that he believes merits a referral to Congress for possible impeachment proceedings. So the larger story of the last few days is not just a tussle over the memo, it's about the wider issue of whether its release will change the political terrain. It's already clear that the President and his cheerleaders in conservative media are leveling searing attacks against the FBI, Justice Department professionals and the special counsel in order to shape political opinion among Republican grassroots voters -- that would weigh on GOP lawmakers should they be called upon to consider whether to open an impeachment process. Generally, when Trump takes stands that target the establishment in Washington, he pleases his loyal base of voters, who voted precisely for the kind of disruption he is engineering in this episode. Yet the spectacle of the President apparently politicizing the justice system, feuding openly with the FBI director and straining at the limits of his powers also gives Democrats yet more ammunition to build a case against Trump and stir engagement among their voters in the midterm elections. Given the tempestuous times, however, it's just as likely that when voters trek to polling places in November, the memo furor will be just another incident in the age of Trump that is superseded by newer political storms. What is the long-term damage? While the political fallout from the memo feud may be short-lived, the long-term damage from the constant state of warfare to some of the nation's most critical institutions may not be. One fears that public trust in the FBI will be badly undermined by a President who has said its credibility is in "tatters." The role of the House Intelligence Committee, under California GOP Rep. Devin Nunes, apparently working hand in glove with the White House against the FBI and the Justice Department, raises serious questions, meanwhile, about the constitutional separation of powers and the role of the panel in conducting oversight of intelligence operations. The standoff over the memo also raises fresh doubts over whether House Republicans are prepared to take any eventual recommendations by Mueller seriously and hold the President to account if necessary. "What we are seeing is a coordinated attack by two branches of our government on the independence of the FBI. We have never seen this before," said CNN presidential historian Timothy Naftali. "This should be a matter of grave concern for every American. This is a test whether in this country we can have an independent investigation of the powerful when the powerful are not happy about it," Naftali said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront." ||||| White House officials are concerned that FBI director Christopher Wray will quit if a GOP-penned memo that alleges bias at the bureau is released, according to a report on Thursday. President Trump has read and been briefed on the memo, and the White House is considering whether there should be any redactions, senior administration officials said. Wray, Trump’s hand-picked replacement for the fired James Comey, voiced his opposition to the release of the four-page document with a sharply-worded statement from the FBI expressing “grave concerns” about its accuracy. Wray has not directly threatened to resign, but he has made clear he is frustrated with the White House’s stance on the memo, according to CNN. Peter King says FBI stress over memo based on 'invalid concerns' The document reportedly contains evidence of anti-Trump bias in the FBI and abuses of surveillance warrants used to spy on members of the Trump campaign team. The classified report has caused chaos on Capitol Hill as Democrats called for the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee to be removed over the memo. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) took “deliberately dishonest actions” by altering the document after presenting it to the White House. She added that Nunes’ actions “make him unfit to serve as chairman.” House republicans are trying to “sow conspiracy theories and attack the integrity and credibility of federal law enforcement as a means to protect President Trump and undermine the work of Special Counsel Mueller,” Schumer wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Sen. John Thune(R-S.D.) also cautioned Nunes about releasing the memo, saying that it should first be shared with the Senate Intelligence Committee “There are important national security considerations they need to weigh, and hopefully they’re doing that,” he said. Trump asked Rosenstein if they're on same 'team' in Russia probe Trump, meanwhile, has told associates that he believes the memo could help discredit Mueller’s investigation into his campaign’s possible connections to Russian election interference. He was overheard telling a Republican lawmaker at Tuesday’s State of the Union address that he will “100%” release it. According to recent reports, Wray made similar threats to step down after being pressured by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to fire deputy director Andrew McCabe, whom Trump viewed as a Comey ally. Democrats and Department of Justice officials say the GOP memo “cherry-picks” information from a much longer application to the FISA court. Those documents typically run 50 to 60 pages, officials said. Further complicating the release, the senior Democrat on the House intelligence committee said late Wednesday that the vote to make the memo public was invalid because the document was “secretly altered” by Republicans. Nunes fired back at the FBI and Department of Justice on Wednesday for what he called “spurious objections” to the release. “Having stonewalled Congress’ demands for information for nearly a year, it’s no surprise to see the FBI and DOJ issue spurious objections to allowing the American people to see information related to surveillance abuses at these agencies,” he said. Nunes, who became the chairman of the intelligence committee in 2015, has repeatedly faced accusations of bias for his close ties to the White House. He was a member of Trump’s transition team and initially pushed back against calls for a House investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. | The document is released through the House Intelligence Committee's website. Opinions on the memo were largely mixed, with Democrats, some Republicans and several national security experts suggesting that certain details in the document confirm prior reports surrounding the reasoning for the FBI's decision to conduct the investigation. Critics of the memo suggested that its release was a partisan attempt to undermine and discredit Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible ties between Trump's presidential campaign and Russian intelligence associates, and posed a risk to national security . |
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