Australia 'honeymoon killer' free

Your Ad Here

Australia 'honeymoon killer' free but fears US penalty

By Phil Mercer BBC News, Sydney

Gabe Watson was an experienced diver

An American man known as the honeymoon killer has been released from an Australian jail.

Gabe Watson was jailed for the manslaughter of his wife while scuba diving during their honeymoon on the Great Barrier Reef.

The bubblewrap salesman is now in the custody of immigration officers.

The Australian government is awaiting a guarantee from US authorities that he will not face the death penalty if he is retried at home in Alabama.

Watson was escorted from prison west of Brisbane by immigration officials and is being transferred to a detention centre.

He will be held until Australian officials are satisfied that he will not face execution in the United States.

In Alabama, prosecutors want to charge Mr Watson with murder, arguing they have jurisdiction because they allege he began plotting his crime there.
 

Life assurance
They have said they will not seek the death penalty should the former salesman be convicted.
However, Australia's Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, wants a similar guarantee from federal authorities in the US.

An instructor races to Tina Watson, seen lying on the sea floor

"Certainly our embassy in Washington is prosecuting the case on behalf of Australia, seeking an assurance that the death penalty would not apply to Mr Watson should he be returned to the United States," Mr Bowen said.

"Of course, as you know, Alabama has already given that assurance to the Queensland government.

"The legal advice we have received is that as a national government we need to have a similar assurance from the national government of the United States before we were able to return Mr Watson to the United States," he said.

After his wife's death seven years ago, Gabe Watson was initially charged with murder in Queensland.

It was alleged he turned off his new bride's air supply during a diving trip and held her underwater.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter last year and has served 18 months in prison.

A coroner said a possible motive for the killing was Tina Watson's modest life insurance policy.

Mr Watson's lawyer said his client was confident of successfully defending any charges that might be laid against him in Alabama.

Tata Motors offers Nano safety upgrades

Your Ad Here

Indian car firm Tata offers Nano safety upgrades 

BBC News

Incidents of the Nano catching fire have been reported

Leading Indian vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors has offered free safety upgrades for the world's cheapest car, the Nano, which went on sale last year.

The move comes after owners of the hatchback reported a series of fires.


In a statement the company insisted that it was not recalling the cars and was merely providing customers with additional safety features.


The statement said that the Nano was a safe car with a robust design and state-of-the-art components.


The Nano was introduced to India in April 2009 amid huge fanfare. There are now about 70,000 of them on the country's roads.


The basic Nano costs about 100,000 rupees ($2,025).


Correspondents say that while it is clear the car is not being recalled, the announcement by Tata is nevertheless embarrassing for the company and potentially hugely expensive.

Short circuits
About half a dozen fires involving the four-door car have been reported since April last year. There were no injuries.

The company said an investigation by a team of internal and international experts had concluded that the reasons for the fires were "specific to the cars which had such incidents", rather than being a general fault.


However the Tata statement says instances of "additional foreign electrical equipment having been installed or foreign material left on the exhaust system" had been discovered.


It said that it was necessary "to provide additional protection in the exhaust system and the electrical system".


Tata Motors chief executive Carl-Peter Forster said earlier this week the carmaker planned to install a cover on the catalytic converter and fuses for electrical components to avoid short circuits in new models.


The Nano is pitched towards India's aspiring middle classes, many of whom use motorbikes but want to upgrade.


The Tata statement said that "customers can rest assured that there are no generic defects in the Tata Nano".


It said that customer satisfaction with the vehicle was high, with about 85% of owners either satisfied or very satisfied with the car, which had a record of reliability and safety.


The company said that it was up to customers to decide whether to take advantage of the safety upgrade.


There are three versions of the Nano - deluxe, mid-range and economy. It is not clear which versions were hit by the reported fires.

Currently, there are about nine cars per 1,000 people in India.

Yemen mail bomb

Your Ad Here

Yemen mail bomb 'could have detonated over eastern US'

BBC News

The bomb was hidden inside a printer ink cartridge

Tests on a failed parcel bomb sent on a US-bound cargo flight last month show it could have been designed to detonate over the eastern US, say UK police.

The bomb was found in a printer cartridge on a plane in a UK airport, after being posted from Yemen.

A second printer bomb, also sent from Yemen, was intercepted in Dubai.

The bombs were both addressed to synagogues in the US city of Chicago, and were claimed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).

The UK bomb, intercepted at East Midlands airport, was discovered early on 29 October, following a tip-off from Saudi intelligence.

It was removed and "disrupted" by explosives officers about three hours before it was timed to detonate, British police said in a statement.

"If the device had activated it would have been at 1030hrs BST (0930 GMT) on Friday 29 October 2010," they said.

"If the device had not been removed from the aircraft the activation could have occurred over the eastern seaboard of the US."

Last week, French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said one of the two bombs had been 17 minutes from detonating when it was discovered - he did not specify to which device he was referring.
 

AQAP claim
Both the intercepted parcels contained the powerful plastic explosive PETN, which is difficult to detect.

 

Continue reading the main story

• Profile: Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

They had been posted in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, and sent through the freight firms UPS and FedEx.

The UK bomb travelled via Dubai and is then thought to have passed through Cologne in Germany, before arriving at East Midlands airport, while the device found in Dubai is thought to have travelled by passenger jet via Doha.

UK officials says the crucial tip-off came from a former member of al-Qaeda Jabr al-Faifi, who had recently handed himself into the authorities.

AQAP - regional offshoot of Osama Bin Laden's militant network - claimed on Islamist websites last week that it had carried out the attempted attacks - the organisation vowed to continue attacking the US and its allies.

Security forces in Yemen are hunting for AQAP's suspected bomb maker, Ibrahim al-Asiri, in connection with the plot.

BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner says the news that the explosives were probably targeting the US is significant and underpins what had long been suspected.

The assumption is that AQAP would not have been able to predict the route the two bombs would take, but that their intention was to show they were capable of sending such explosives on a long distance journey, ending with an attack on the US.

Your Ad Here

China's trade surplus hits $27bn as exports rise

 BBC News

China's export growth came despite a slowdown in the country's rapid economic expansion

 

China's trade surplus in October hit its second highest level this year.

Exports rose 22.9% on last year and imports were up 25.3%, despite new data showing China's expansion is easing.

The $27.1bn (£17bn) surplus was up sharply on September's $16.9bn and was just behind the year's high of $28.7bn, reached in July.

The rise may increase criticism in Washington that Beijing is keeping its currency artificially low to boost exports at the expense of competitors.

Trade imbalances and currency manipulation will be key topics at the G20 meeting of leading nations in South Korea on Thursday and Friday.

Some US lawmakers are pressing for tariffs on Chinese imports to the US if Beijing fails to act.

Critics say China's currency controls keep the yuan undervalued by up to 40% against the US dollar, making its exports cheaper.

According to the Chinese data, October exports rose to $135.9bn, while imports were $108.8bn.
 

It came despite China's economic expansion cooling to 9.6% in the three months to the end of September from 10.3% in the previous quarter

Your Ad Here

Cruise ship fire leaves 4,500 stranded off Mexico coast

BBC News

The Carnival Splendor sailed with nearly 3,300 passengers for a cruise along the Mexican Riviera

A cruise ship which sailed from California has caught fire and is having to be towed back to shore, with 4,500 people on board but unharmed.

The Carnival Splendor was 200 miles (310km) south of San Diego, when the blaze broke out on Monday morning, said owners Carnival Cruise Lines.

US Navy helicopters are shuttling in supplies and tugboats are expected to bring the ship to the Mexican port of Ensenada by about 0300 GMT on Thursday.
Passengers will get a full refund.

From Ensenada, they will be taken by bus to the US border, some 50 miles (80km) away.
The boss of Carnival Cruise Lines admitted the conditions on board were "very challenging".

Coast Guard Capt Tom Farris agreed, saying: "Without being there - and I'm glad I'm not - I think they're probably uncomfortable."

One tugboat had reached the ship on Tuesday afternoon but a second boat had to return to Ensenada 
due to a technical problem, Mr Farris told the Associated Press (AP) news agency.

Towing is expected to begin later on Tuesday when the second tugboat eventually reaches the cruise ship.
 

Drifting
The 952ft (290m) Carnival Splendor sailed from Long Beach, California, on Monday for a seven-day cruise of the Mexican Riviera. 

There are 3,299 passengers on board, along with 1,167 crew. Sixteen Britons are among the passengers.

The fire in the engine room cut off most power supplies. Toilets and cold running water were restored on Monday night, but air conditioning, hot food service and telephones are not working.

The ship has been drifting 55 miles (90km) off the coast of Mexico.
When the fire started, passengers were initially asked to move from their cabins to the open upper deck.

Later, they were allowed to go back to their rooms.

Bottled water and cold food items were provided, the cruise company said.

The US Navy has sent the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan to help. Its helicopters are in the process of ferrying supplies.

Monty Mathisen, of the publication Cruise industry News, referred to the fire as a freak accident.
"This stuff does not happen, I mean once in a blue moon," he told AP.

Carnival president and chief executive Gerry Cahill said in a statement: "We know this has been an extremely trying situation for our guests and we sincerely thank them for their patience.

"Conditions on board the ship are very challenging and we sincerely apologise for the discomfort and inconvenience our guests are currently enduring."

Your Ad Here

Mystery missile launch reported off California coast

BBC News

Pentagon officials say they cannot explain reports of a missile launch off the coast of California on Monday.

A CBS News helicopter captured what looked like the vapour trail of a missile rising from the water about 35 miles (56 km) offshore.


"Right now all indications are that it was not [defence department] involvement in this launch" Pentagon spokesman Col David Lapan said.


The Pentagon does not consider the missile a threat.


"So far we've come up empty with any explanation," Col Lapan said. "We're doing everything we can to try to figure out if anybody has any knowledge of what this event may have been."


Under normal circumstances, the launch of a US missile would require several different authorisations and notifications, but none are evident.


It is unclear if the suspected missile was launched from land or sea.

Yemen Muslim cleric al-Awlaki in US death threat video

Your Ad Here



 Yemen Muslim cleric al-Awlaki in US death threat video

BBC News

US officials say Awlaki is a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

A radical US-born Yemeni Islamist cleric has called for the killing of Americans in a new video message posted on radical web sites.

Anwar al-Awlaki said no permission was needed to kill Americans as they are from the "party of devils".

It comes shortly after authorities intercepted air cargo bombs sent from Yemen to the US in a plot linked to Mr Awlaki.

The US has named Mr Awlaki a "specially designated global terrorist".

Investigators have linked Mr Awlaki to the US army base killings in Fort Hood, Texas, last year's 
 Christmas airline bomb attempt, and the failed Times Square bombing in New York.

US officials say he is a leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of the militant network based in Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

'Leaders are corrupt'
In the 23-minute message posted on Monday, Mr Awlaki called all Arab and Yemeni leaders "corrupt".

"Kings, emirs, and presidents are not now qualified to lead the nation, or even a flock of sheep," he said.

"If the leaders are corrupt, the scholars have the responsibility to lead the nation."

He was shown seated at a desk, wearing traditional Yemeni clothes with a dagger in his belt.

Last week, YouTube removed hundreds of clips of Anwar al-Awlaki's calls to jihad saying they violated a ban on hate speech and incitement to violence.

Last month, investigators working for New York Congressman Anthony Weiner, a Democrat, reported finding more than 700 videos in which Mr Awlaki appeared. The clips had garnered more than 3.5m hits.

Mr Awlaki, an American-born cleric of Yemeni descent, is said to be on a CIA hit list authorised by President Barack Obama.

In July, the US treasury department put Mr Awlaki on its terrorism blacklist and imposed financial sanctions on him.

US officials say Mr Awlaki helped recruit Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian accused of attempting to blow up an airliner as it flew into Detroit on 25 December 2009.

Maj Nidal Hasan, the US Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 comrades in the Fort Hood shooting last year, sought religious advice from Mr Awlaki and saw him preach in the US state of Virginia in 2001, US officials say.


A student found guilty of attempting to murder MP Stephen Timms in east London was said to have been inspired by Mr Awlaki's online sermons.

Your Ad Here

Dutch sniff cards to help find cannabis plantations

BBC News

Authorities say the scheme could be extended across the Netherlands

 

  

About 30,000 Dutch households are to receive marijuana-scented scratch cards in an effort to uncover illegal urban cannabis plantations.

Authorities in Rotterdam and The Hague say they are distributing the cards to help people recognise what cannabis smells like.

The cards also include a number to call to report suspected marijuana-growing.

Dutch authorities turn a blind eye to citizens growing up to five marijuana plants for personal use.

"Citizens must be alerted to the dangers they face as a result of these plantations, and if they become aware of any suspect situations they must report them," said the spokesman for government-appointed working group to combat cannabis cultivation in the Netherlands, Arnie Loos.

The green scratch card, measuring 20cm by 10cm (8in by 4in) reads "Assist in combatting cannabis plantations".

When scratched, the card reveals its scent as well as a police number people can call if they suspect that a neighbour grows marijuana on a large scale.

The card also lists other indicators of urban cannabis cultivation, such as the buzzing sound of ventilators, suspicious connections to electricity supply points and curtains that are kept closed.

"If people do in fact call the number listed on the card, we could make this a national operation," Mr Loos said on Monday.

Dutch authorities say the plantations are a hazard which can cause fires or accidents because of the cables and lamps needed to maintain a cultivation temperature of 27C.

Authorities believe there are 40,000 illegal cannabis plantations in the Netherlands hidden away in attics, apartments and warehouses.

Each year, about 200 plantations are discovered in Rotterdam alone.
In 1976, the country decriminalised the consumption and possession of up to five grams of cannabis.

However, bulk cultivation and retail of the drug remain illegal.

Former CIA agent likely to spend Eight more years in Prison

Your Ad Here

Ex-spy pleads guilty to receiving money from prison

BBC News

Prosecutors said Harold Nicholson had sneaked notes to his son on napkins from federal prison

 

A former CIA agent currently serving a jail sentence for espionage is likely to spend eight more years behind bars after pleading guilty to collecting money from former Russian contacts.

Harold Nicholson admitted to using his son to collect a "pension" from the ex-contacts while still in prison.

Prosecutors said he had sneaked notes to his son on crumpled prison napkins.

Nicholson is serving a 23-year term in Oregon after pleading guilty in 1997 to selling secrets to Russia.
Prosecutors have recommended an eight-year sentence for the 58-year-old.

"Harold Nicholson has admitted not only betraying his country, again, but also betraying his family by involving his son Nathaniel in his corrupt scheme to get more money for his past espionage activities," US Attorney Dwight Holton said in a statement.

Nicholson's son allegedly collected $47,000 (£29,000) from Russians in Mexico, Peru and Cyprus as compensation for work his father had performed in the past.

Nathaniel Nicholson, then 24, pleaded guilty last year to his role in the plot. The money he collected was passed to his grandparents and siblings, at the direction of his father.

Harold Nicholson pleaded guilty in 1997 after being paid $300,000 to pass information concerning young CIA recruits and the identities of senior CIA officers to Russia.

Queen to be on Facebook

Your Ad Here

Queen to launch British Monarchy page on Facebook

BBC News

Royal updates heading for Facebook

The Queen is set to have an official presence on Facebook when a British Monarchy page launches on the internet-based social networking site.

Buckingham Palace says it is not a personal profile page, but users can "like" the service and receive updates on their news feed.

The Queen has reportedly embraced the web and sends e-mails. A British Monarchy Twitter feed is also available

The Facebook page is due to go live from Monday morning.

The page will also feature the Court Circular, recording the previous day's official engagements.

Royal Flickr

Also featured will be information about royal events and ceremonies, searchable on a UK map.

Its creation is a collaboration between Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and the Royal Collection.

Although users of the social networking site will be unable to add The Queen as a "friend" or attempt to virtually "poke" her as they would with anyone with a personal profile, they will be able to find out what royal events are happening nearby.

The launch of the Facebook page follows the introduction of the Monarchy's Flickr account earlier this year.

It also joined Twitter in 2009 and established a Royal Channel on YouTube in 2007.

Prince William has already been officially featured on social networking sites, with updates about his tour of New Zealand in January posted on to Facebook and Bebo by the New Zealand government.

Facebook has become a global internet phenomenon since it was started by Harvard undergraduate Mark Zuckerberg in 2004.

He created it as a network for his fellow students but the site's appeal quickly spread to other universities and later world wide.

Jesus giant statue stood in Poland

Your Ad Here

'World's tallest' Jesus statue erected in Poland

BBC News

A gigantic statue of Jesus - claimed to be the world's tallest - has been erected in a western Polish town.

Christ the King in Swiebodzin rises 33m (108ft) - one metre for every year that Jesus lived, said Sylwester Zawadzki, the priest who created the statue.

But other local officials said the statue was 51m-high (167ft), if one included a mound it sat on and the golden crown on the head.

They said it was higher than famous Christ figures in Bolivia and Brazil.

The total height of Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia, is 40.4m (133ft), while Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer rises 38m (125ft).

'Culmination'

Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday to watch a giant crane lift the the statue's arms and shoulders and slowly place them onto the figure's lower body.

The crowd broke into applause and some prayed as construction workers finally hoisted on the head - crowned with a golden king's crown.

"I have never been as happy as I am today," Rev Zawadzki, aged 78, said. "This is the culmination of my life's work as a priest."

The statue was financed by private donations from around the world, although Rev Zawadzki declined to say how much it cost.

Town officials now hope that the statue will promote the town, bringing in tourists from around the world.

However, some local residents have dismissed the statue as tacky, saying the money would have been better spent on social projects in the town.

Church leader urges Christians to move out of Iraq

Your Ad Here

Church leader urges Iraqi Christians to quit country

 BBC News

 

The archbishop wants the UK to grant asylum to Iraqi Christians

A senior Iraqi Christian is to call on believers to quit the country, after gunmen targeted a church in Baghdad.

Archbishop Athanasios Dawood, who is based in the UK, will make his appeal during a service at the Syrian Orthodox Church in London.

The archbishop has previously criticised the lack of protection for Iraqi Christians.

At least 52 people died as security forces stormed a Catholic church in Baghdad to free dozens of hostages.

A number of gunmen entered Our Lady of Salvation in the city's Karada district during Mass on Sunday 31 October, sparking an hours-long stand-off.

The militants made contact with the authorities by mobile phone, demanding the release of al-Qaeda prisoners and also of a number of Muslim women they insisted were being held prisoner by the Coptic Church in Egypt.

After negotiations failed, Iraqi security forces stormed the building, before the gunmen reportedly threw grenades and detonated their suicide vests.

On Sunday, Archbishop Dawood is expected to advise all Christians to leave Iraq now that al-Qaeda has warned of more attacks there.

The archbishop is also calling on the UK government to grant Christian Iraqis asylum.

Christians - as ethnic Assyrians - have lived in Iraq since the 1st Century, but following the fall of Saddam 

Hussein, they have become isolated and the Baghdad government has proved unwilling or unable to protect them.

There has been a string of bomb attacks on churches leading many to flee to neighbouring countries.

Church leaders have in the past advised the faithful to stay in Iraq and strengthen their communities.
But such is the insecurity, there are signs this policy may be about to change.

Vitamin E triggers stroke?

Your Ad Here

Vitamin E linked to increased risk of some strokes 

BBC News

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle has a bigger effect on stroke risk than taking vitamin E

Taking vitamin E could slightly increase the risk of a particular type of stroke, a study says.

The British Medical Journal study found that for every 1,250 people there is the chance of one extra hemorrhagic stroke - bleeding in the brain.

Researchers from France, Germany and the US studied nine previous trials and nearly 119,000 people.

But the level at which vitamin E becomes harmful is still unknown, experts say.

The study was carried out at Harvard Medical School, Boston, and INSERM in Paris.

Hemorrhagic strokes are the least common type and occur when a weakened blood vessel supplying the brain ruptures and causes brain damage.

Researchers found that vitamin E increased the risk of this kind of stroke by 22%.

The study also found that vitamin E could actually cut the risk of ischaemic strokes - the most common type of stroke - by 10%.

Ischaemic strokes account for 70% of all cases and happen when a blood clot prevents blood reaching the brain.
Experts found vitamin E could cut the risk, equivalent to one ischaemic stroke prevented per 476 people taking the vitamin.
 

Lifestyle check
However, they warned that keeping to a healthy lifestyle and maintaining low blood pressure and low cholesterol have a far bigger effect on cutting the risk of ischaemic stroke than taking vitamin E.

More than 111,000 people have a stroke every year and they are the third biggest cause of death in the UK.

Those who survive are frequently left with disability. 

While none of the trials suggested that taking vitamin E increased the risk for total stroke, the differences were notable for the two individual types of strokes.

The authors concluded: "Given the relatively small risk reduction of ischaemic stroke and the generally more severe outcome of hemorrhagic stroke, indiscriminate widespread use of vitamin E should be cautioned against."

Previous studies have suggested that taking vitamin E can protect the heart from coronary heart disease, but some have also found that the vitamin could increase the risk of death if taken in high doses.

Dr Peter Coleman, deputy director of research at The Stroke Association, said: "This is a very interesting study that shows that the risk of hemorrhagic stroke can be slightly increased by high levels of orally taken 

Vitamin E, although what is a high level has not clearly been ascertained.
"More research is required to discover the mechanism of action and the level at which Vitamin E can become harmful.

"We urge people to maintain a lifestyle of a balanced diet, regular exercise and monitoring their blood pressure to reduce their risk of a stroke but would be very interested in seeing further research into this study," he said.

UK F1 driver carjacked in Brazil

Your Ad Here

UK F1 driver Jenson Button carjacked in Brazil

BBC News

 

Jenson Button starts 11th on the grid at Interlagos

Armed attackers have targeted British Formula One driver Jenson Button in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, his McLaren racing team have confirmed.

His car was attacked, but Button was unhurt, McLaren said.

Button had been in practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, and will start 11th on the grid.

Brazil's major cities have a bad record for serious crimes of violence, which have caused concern ahead of major events like the 2014 World Cup.

"Would-be assailants made an attempt to approach the car that was carrying Jenson Button" on Saturday, said the statement from McLaren.

Button, 33, was quickly driven away by an armed policemen in the reinforced armoured vehicle provided by McLaren.

Button's manager Richard Goddard and trainer Mike Collier were also in the vehicle.

"The police driver of Jenson's vehicle reacted swiftly and, using avoidance techniques, rapidly forced his way through the traffic, taking Jenson and the other occupants of the car immediately away from any danger and back to their hotel," McLaren said.

The team added "the Sao Paulo authorities have also acted efficiently and will be providing additional security" on for Button and other team members on Sunday.

Mexico's Drug Lord shot dead.

Your Ad Here

Mexico Gulf drug cartel leader Ezequiel Cardenas killed

BBC News

Cardenas died after a shoot-out lasting several hours.

A leader of Mexico's powerful Gulf drug cartel has been shot dead by security forces in a town near the US border, the Mexican military says.

Ezequiel Cardenas Guillen, known as "Tony Tormenta", was killed in the city of Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville in Texas.

He is the brother of former Gulf cartel leader Osiel Cardenas, who was extradited to the US in 2007.
Residents in Matamoros spoke of a shoot-out lasting for several hours.
Three suspected gunmen and two marines were also killed in the gun battle, according to federal security spokesman Alejandro Poire.

Cardenas, 48, had been indicted in the US on drugs charges, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration was offering a reward of up to $5m for his arrest.
He was accused of smuggling tonnes of drugs across the US/Mexico border in the course of the past decade.

Friday's operation involved several hundred Mexican soldiers and marines, and local residents were trapped in shops and schools for extended periods.

Bridges across the international border into Texas were closed briefly, as the military used firearms and grenades to tackle suspected cartel members.
 

Lucrative routes
The Mexican police and army are struggling to control armed cartels in a number of areas of the country.

Several groups are trying to control lucrative drug smuggling routes into the US.

More than 28,000 people have died in the drugs war since Mexican President Felipe Calderon ordered the army into the fight in 2006.

The policy has had some successes, but that has not led to a decline in the number of killings, or the level of kidnappings, extortion and human trafficking that the gangs also engage in.

Young man disguised as elderly nabbed

Your Ad Here






Canadian officials see through 'unbelievable' disguise

BBC News

Canadian officials released "before and after" images

Canadian officials have detained a young Asian man who apparently boarded a flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver disguised as an elderly white male.

Canadian Border Services said the man wore a silicone mask covering his head and neck in what they called an "unbelievable case of concealment".

Suspicions were raised when an apparently elderly passenger was noticed with young-looking hands.
Later he emerged from a washroom looking like a man in his twenties.

An internal intelligence alert from the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), obtained by AP news agency, shows before-and-after photos.

The passenger was seen at the start of the flight as an "elderly Caucasian male who appeared to have young-looking hands," the CBSA bulletin said.

Disguise kit
"The subject attended the washroom and emerged an Asian looking male that appeared to be in his early twenties."

The document said the man had a bag with a "disguise kit which consisted of a silicone type head and neck mask of an elderly Caucasian male, a brown leather cap, glasses and a thin brown cardigan."

"We can confirm that officials from the CBSA met a passenger arriving off AC018 Hong Kong to Vancouver on October 29 and the matter is still under investigation," Air Canada spokesperson Angela Mah told AFP news agency.

The man is reported to be seeking refugee status in Canada.

Volcanic Blast in Indonesia kill Dozens

Continue reading the main story

• 
  

At least 49 people have been killed in the latest eruption of Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano - more than doubling the death toll since it became active again last week.

Dozens are being treated for burns and respiratory problems after a gas cloud hit villages with even greater force than the previous eruptions.

More than 90 people are now said to have been killed.

An estimated 75,000 residents have been evacuated from the area.

Mount Merapi, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is located in a densely populated area in central Java.

The latest eruption began late on Thursday, sending residents streaming down the mountain with ash-covered faces.

Rescue workers said villages in the area were in flames and bodies burnt beyond recognition.

'Danger zone'

Many of the dead are believed to be children from Argomulyo village, 18km (11 miles) from the crater, the Associated Press news agency quoted emergency officials as saying.

Victims were covered in hot ash following the latest Merapi eruption

The agency quoted hospital spokesman Heru Nugroho as saying that 48 bodies had been brought in after the inferno, and that 66 others had been injured - although these figures were not independently confirmed.

Earlier, government volcanologist Surono told AFP: "This is the biggest eruption so far. The heatclouds went down the slopes as far as 13km (eight miles) and the explosion was heard as far as 20 kilometres away."

The authorities have decided to widen the "danger zone" around the crater from 15 km (9 miles) to 20km (12 miles).

A rescue official told the BBC some of the casualties could have been avoided if residents had stayed away from the danger zone.

Scientists are warning of further eruptions in the coming weeks.

Indonesia is also dealing with the aftermath of another natural disaster, after a tsunami hit the Mentawai islands last week, claiming more than 400 lives and sending thousands into emergency shelters.

Disclaimer: The Publisher does not claim ownership of the article above.

MGM files Bankruptcy

MGM in bankruptcy protection move

BBC News

Will MGM's lion roar back to profit?

Hollywood's MGM studio has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a move pre-agreed with major creditors.

It is expected that the "pre-pack" bankruptcy will last only 30 days.
Under the deal, major lenders JP Morgan and Credit Suisse will swap $4bn (£2.5bn) of loans for a majority of the company's equity.
It follows a vote last week by MGM's creditors to hand control of the company to Spyglass Entertainments once the bankruptcy is complete.

Rejected suitor

Spyglass has produced a number of films, including Get Him To The Greek, the most recent Star Trek movie, and Clint Eastwood's latest, Invictus.

MGM's creditors - who include billionaire Carl Icahn - rejected a separate takeover bid from another Hollywood firm, Lionsgate.

The losing firm is now suing Mr Icahn for allegedly misleading its shareholders and interfering in its takeover plans.

Mr Icahn had initially supported Lionsgate's bid, but last week, he gave his backing to Spyglass instead.
He said that under the deal, MGM would change its corporate governance structure - which would include giving him the right to appoint a director to MGM's board.

MGM's move follows months of financial deadlock which has left several film projects on hold.
In April, work on the 23rd film in the James Bond franchise was suspended because of uncertainty over MGM's future.

The British production company behind the project said at the time that the film was on hold "indefinitely".

Your Ad Here

5 October 2010

 

Times Square bomb plotter to be sentenced

 

BBC News

 

At a previous court apprearance, Faisal Shahzad said he considered himself "a Muslim soldier"

The man convicted of an attempted car bomb attack in New York's Times Square is due to be sentenced at a court in Manhattan.

Faisal Shahzad faces a mandatory life sentence after pleading guilty in June to 10 weapons and terrorism charges.
Prosecutors say the Pakistani-born US citizen has not shown any remorse for his actions.
Explosives packed into the vehicle on 1 May failed to detonate and Shahzad was arrested two days later.

TIMES SQUARE BOMB PLOT

• Profile: Faisal Shahzad
• Times Square suspect indicted
• Times Square suspect in NY court
• Tighter US security after NY plot

"Had the bombing played out as Shahzad had so carefully planned, the lives of numerous residents and visitors of the city would have been lost and countless others would have been forever traumatised," prosecutors wrote in court papers ahead of the sentencing at Manhattan Federal Court.

Experts say the petrol and fertiliser-fueled bomb fizzled and failed to go off because the wiring was faulty and it contained the wrong ingredients.
A street vendor in Times Square - which was packed with visitors - alerted police after seeing smoke coming from the Nissan Pathfinder vehicle.
However, a videotaped FBI reconstruction of an identical bomb showed it producing a fireball that ripped the vehicle in two, destroyed others around it, and sent debris hundreds of feet in all directions.
Correspondents say the film has become a key piece of evidence against Shahzad.
'Second bomb'
"While it is impossible to calculate precisely the impact of Shahzad's bomb had it detonated, the controlled detonation... demonstrated that those effects would have been devastating to the surrounding area," prosecutors wrote.
The prosecution also alleges that Shahzad had planned to detonate a second bomb two weeks later.
At his court appearance in June, Shahzad said he wanted "to plead guilty and 100 times more".
He said he wanted the US to know that if it did not leave Iraq and Afghanistan, "we will be attacking US".
"One has to understand where I'm coming from. I consider myself... a Muslim soldier," he said.
Shahzad was arrested as he tried to take a flight to Dubai from New York's John F Kennedy airport.
Under interrogation, the financial analyst said he had gone to Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region in December 2009 for bomb training with militants linked to the Pakistani Taliban, his indictment read.
He is also said to have received about $5,000 in cash from a co-conspirator in Pakistan, who he understood worked for the Taliban.

5 October 2010

Nigeria's Babangida aide arrest condemned

BBC News

At least 12 people were killed in Friday's car-bombing

A spokesman for Nigeria's former military ruler Gen Ibrahim Babangida has condemned the arrest of one of his aides over Friday's Abuja car bombings.

The detention of media mogul Raymond Dokpesi was "frivolous", Kassim Afegbua told the BBC.
Gen Babangida is running against President Goodluck Jonathan to be the governing party's presidential candidate in polls next year.
Officials say Mr Dokpesi had exchanged text messages with a key bomb suspect.

Nigeria's deadly Delta

• Preaching pacifism to militants
• 'Blood oil' dripping from Nigeria
• The day Nigeria hit oil
• Who are Mend oil militants?

Messages from Henry Okah were found on Mr Dokpesi's phone, according to sources in the presidency.

Mr Okah has been charged in South Africa with terrorism in connection with the blasts, which killed at least 12 people, as Nigeria was marking 50 years of independence from the UK.
Mr Dokpesi is one of nine people arrested by Nigeria's security services over the attack.
The BBC's Caroline Duffield in Lagos says people in Abuja were stunned over his detention.
'Witch-hunt'
He owns the Africa Independent Television network and recently became Gen Babangida's chief of staff.
Mr Afegbua told the AFP news agency the arrest was a "political witch-hunt".

 

Mend oil militants

• Formed out of previous militant groups in 2006
• Send regular e-mails to media
• Split into several factions
• Most leaders accepted amnesty
• 1 October attack first in Abuja
• Based in creeks of Niger Delta
• Want oil wealth to remain in Delta

He was released without charge but is expected to be questioned again later on Tuesday.

Mr Okah has denied any links to the blasts
But an e-mail purportedly sent by the militant group he once headed has said it had carried out the attacks.
If confirmed, this would be the first time Nigeria's oil militants have struck in the capital.
Nigeria's intelligence agency says it foiled an attempt to stage attacks in Abuja earlier last week.
South African prosecutors have described Mr Okah as the mastermind of the attack.
Mr Okah, who now lives in South Africa, is believed to lead a militant faction of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend), opposed to a government amnesty for the oil-producing Niger Delta.
Most Mend commanders have joined the amnesty, set up to end years of unrest in the region which cut Nigeria's oil output by up to 20%.
Mend says it is fighting so that more of Nigeria's massive oil wealth is used to benefit the Niger Delta area which produces the oil.
But many criminal gangs also operate in the region, stealing oil and kidnapping people for ransom.