LONDON, England (CNN) -- Rob Gauntlett, the youngest Briton to summit Mt. Everest, died in a climbing accident along with another mountaineer in the French Alps, the British Foreign Office confirmed Sunday. Both were 21.
France's highest peak, Mont Blanc, in the French Alps' Chamonix valley.
France's highest peak, Mont Blanc, in the French Alps' Chamonix valley.
The bodies of Gauntlett and James Atkinson were found Saturday in the Mont Blanc area. Weather conditions were reported to have been clear and cold in Chamonix at the time.
Gauntlett scaled Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak, in 2006 just days after his 19th birthday, along with 19-year-old James Hooper, his Web site says. He shattered the previous British record set by Bear Grylls at the age of 23.
Last month, National Geographic Adventure magazine declared Gauntlett and Hooper "adventurers of the year" for their 26,000-mile journey from one of Earth's magnetic poles to the other using only skis, sleds, sails and bicycles.
Hooper, who was on the trip where Gauntlett was killed, described the adventurer as "practically a brother to me," Britain's Press Association reported.
"He really pushed himself as hard as he could," he said. "It was only because he was such a motivated and driven person that the accident happened, but those were the qualities that made him so incredible."
Hooper did not say how the accident occurred.
Gauntlett cycled Britain from south to north at the age of 15 and decided soon after with Hooper to scale Everest, his Web site says.
He had made regular climbing trips to Scotland and the Alps to prepare for his 2006 Everest expedition.
But it was Hooper and Gauntlett's 396-day pole-to-pole odyssey in 2008 that National Geographic Adventure magazine called "the most madcap adventure we saw all year."
Gauntlett said on his Web site that completing the journey was his proudest moment.
"We had spent 3 months on a 60-foot yacht sailing across the world's most brutal ocean. A year before I had done virtually no proper sailing, so to be thrown in at the very deep end was a little scary at times," he admitted.
The timing of the completion of the trip was a lucky coincidence, he wrote.
"The cunning truth is that my 21st birthday was the day after our arrival so I could celebrate in normal conditions after the two previous years were spent in a tent," he wrote.
The two youths were fresh out of prep school -- the equivalent of high school -- and had no special training for their epic trek.
It included an 11,000-mile bicycle ride from New York to the southern tip of South America, sandwiched between a ski-and-dogsled and sea journey in the Arctic and a second sea voyage in the Antarctic.
Gauntlett was nearly killed on that trip when he crashed through Arctic ice in search of a lost glove. Hooper pulled him out of the freezing water, unconscious.
He was medevacked to a hospital in Greenland, where, Hooper recalled for National Geographic, he broached the idea of aborting the trip.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Report: U.S. rejected Israeli plea to attack Iran
Labels:
News
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush rejected several Israeli requests last year for weapons and permission for a potential airstrike inside Iran, the author of an investigative report told CNN.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists Iran's nuclear program is only intended for peaceful purposes.
Israel approached the White House in early 2008 with three requests for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex, said New York Times reporter David Sanger. His article appears in the newspaper on Sunday.
According to Sanger, Israel wanted specialized bunker-busting bombs, equipment to help refuel planes making flights into Iran and permission to fly over Iraq to reach the major nuclear complex at Natanz, the site of Iran's only known uranium enrichment plant.
The White House "deflected" the first two requests and denied the last, Sanger said.
"They feared that if it appeared that the United States had helped Israel strike Iran, using Iraqi airspace, that the result in Iraq could be the expulsion of the American troops (from Iraq)," he said. Video Watch reporter discuss why Israel sought U.S. assistance »
Bush, instead, persuaded Israeli officials to not proceed with the attack by sharing with them some details of covert U.S. operations aimed at sabotaging Iran's nuclear ambitions, Sanger said.
The ongoing operations are designed to undermine Iran's ability to produce weapons-grade fuel and designs it needs to produce a workable nuclear weapon, the newspaper said.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insists Iran's nuclear program is only intended for peaceful purposes.
Israel approached the White House in early 2008 with three requests for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex, said New York Times reporter David Sanger. His article appears in the newspaper on Sunday.
According to Sanger, Israel wanted specialized bunker-busting bombs, equipment to help refuel planes making flights into Iran and permission to fly over Iraq to reach the major nuclear complex at Natanz, the site of Iran's only known uranium enrichment plant.
The White House "deflected" the first two requests and denied the last, Sanger said.
"They feared that if it appeared that the United States had helped Israel strike Iran, using Iraqi airspace, that the result in Iraq could be the expulsion of the American troops (from Iraq)," he said. Video Watch reporter discuss why Israel sought U.S. assistance »
Bush, instead, persuaded Israeli officials to not proceed with the attack by sharing with them some details of covert U.S. operations aimed at sabotaging Iran's nuclear ambitions, Sanger said.
The ongoing operations are designed to undermine Iran's ability to produce weapons-grade fuel and designs it needs to produce a workable nuclear weapon, the newspaper said.
Iran test fires missiles in riposte to U.S., Israel
Labels:
News
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has test fired nine missiles in response to what it says are threats from Israel and the United States, according to state-run Iranian media and a U.S. military source.
The new version of the Shahab-3 missile is capable of reaching its main regional enemy Israel, Iran says.
The new version of the Shahab-3 missile is capable of reaching its main regional enemy Israel, Iran says.
The Islamic Republic News Agency and Press TV reported that the naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Wednesday test-fired a Shahab-3 missile during war games in the Persian Gulf.
The exercise comes a month after Israel conducted a military drill in the eastern Mediterranean involving dozens of warplanes, and the latest Iranian activities prompted concern from Israel and condemnation from the United States.
Iran occasionally tests missiles, but this firing comes amid international tensions over its nuclear aspirations.
"The war game was aimed at improving the combat readiness of Iran's armed forces. The 2,000-kilometers-range Shahab-3 missiles were tested to demonstrate Iran's capability in hitting its enemies accurately at the early stages of their probable attacks against the Islamic Republic.
The new version of the Shahab-3 missile is capable of reaching its main regional enemy Israel, Iran says.
The new version of the Shahab-3 missile is capable of reaching its main regional enemy Israel, Iran says.
The Islamic Republic News Agency and Press TV reported that the naval forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Wednesday test-fired a Shahab-3 missile during war games in the Persian Gulf.
The exercise comes a month after Israel conducted a military drill in the eastern Mediterranean involving dozens of warplanes, and the latest Iranian activities prompted concern from Israel and condemnation from the United States.
Iran occasionally tests missiles, but this firing comes amid international tensions over its nuclear aspirations.
"The war game was aimed at improving the combat readiness of Iran's armed forces. The 2,000-kilometers-range Shahab-3 missiles were tested to demonstrate Iran's capability in hitting its enemies accurately at the early stages of their probable attacks against the Islamic Republic.
Iranian shelling reported in northern Iraq
Labels:
News
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iranian artillery shells rained down on villages in northern Iraq Wednesday where Kurdish rebels were thought to be operating.
A security official with Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government in Sulaimaniya confirmed the information.
The early-morning shelling hit border villages in Qandil mountains area in Sulaimaniya province and there were no reports of casualties.
Authorities say the Party of Free Life of Kurdistan is based in the region.
YouTube ordered to reveal its viewers
Labels:
News
NEW YORK (AP) -- Dismissing privacy concerns, a federal judge overseeing a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube has ordered the popular online video-sharing service to disclose who watches which video clips and when.
A judge ordered YouTube to produce data on which of its videos get viewed most often and by whom.
A judge ordered YouTube to produce data on which of its videos get viewed most often and by whom.
U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton authorized full access to the YouTube logs after Viacom Inc. and other copyright holders argued that they needed the data to show whether their copyright-protected videos are more heavily watched than amateur clips.
The data would not be publicly released but disclosed only to the plaintiffs, and it would include less specific identifiers than a user's real name or e-mail address.
Lawyers for Google Inc., which owns YouTube, said producing 12 terabytes of data -- equivalent to the text of roughly 12 million books -- would be expensive, time-consuming and a threat to users' privacy.
The database includes information on when each video gets played, which can be used to determine how often a clip is viewed. Attached to each entry is each viewer's unique login ID and the Internet Protocol, or IP, address for that viewer's computer.
Stanton ruled this week that the plaintiffs had a legitimate need for the information and that the privacy concerns are speculative.
Stanton rejected a request from the plaintiffs for Google to disclose the source code -- the technical secret sauce -- powering its market-leading search engine, saying there's no evidence Google manipulated its search algorithms to treat copyright-infringing videos differently.
A judge ordered YouTube to produce data on which of its videos get viewed most often and by whom.
A judge ordered YouTube to produce data on which of its videos get viewed most often and by whom.
U.S. District Judge Louis L. Stanton authorized full access to the YouTube logs after Viacom Inc. and other copyright holders argued that they needed the data to show whether their copyright-protected videos are more heavily watched than amateur clips.
The data would not be publicly released but disclosed only to the plaintiffs, and it would include less specific identifiers than a user's real name or e-mail address.
Lawyers for Google Inc., which owns YouTube, said producing 12 terabytes of data -- equivalent to the text of roughly 12 million books -- would be expensive, time-consuming and a threat to users' privacy.
The database includes information on when each video gets played, which can be used to determine how often a clip is viewed. Attached to each entry is each viewer's unique login ID and the Internet Protocol, or IP, address for that viewer's computer.
Stanton ruled this week that the plaintiffs had a legitimate need for the information and that the privacy concerns are speculative.
Stanton rejected a request from the plaintiffs for Google to disclose the source code -- the technical secret sauce -- powering its market-leading search engine, saying there's no evidence Google manipulated its search algorithms to treat copyright-infringing videos differently.
Report: Portuguese police close McCann case
Labels:
News
LISBON, Portugal (AP) -- Portuguese police are dropping their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann due to a lack of evidence, media reported Tuesday.
A faded photograph of Madeleine McCann on a church notice board near where she disappeared.
A faded photograph of Madeleine McCann on a church notice board near where she disappeared.Two Portuguese newspapers said the Public Prosecutor's office intended to call off their search for the British girl before July 14, when the customary official secrecy period covering the investigation ends.Police could reopen the case if new evidence emerged, the papers said.
The papers -- Correio da Manha and Jornal de Noticias -- cited unidentified police sources.
Officials could not immediately be reached for comment before office hours Tuesday.
Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal's southern Algarve region during a family vacation in May last year, a few days before her fourth birthday. Detectives named her parents, Kate and Gerry, and local man Robert Murat as formal suspects in the case. All denied involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The McCanns, who launched an international campaign to find their daughter, returned home to central England with Madeleine's younger twin sister and brother last September, a few days after they were named as suspects.
Clarence Mitchell, the parents' spokesman, told Sky News they were trying to confirm the reports but said he expected the search for Madeleine to continue.
"The police, if they are to shelve this without any charges, ... then we would hope, surely it's only common sense, they would continue to search for a missing child," he said.
He said private investigators for the McCanns were continuing to sift material and wanted access to the police files, and lawyers would discuss that possibility with Portuguese authorities.
He added: "Kate and Gerry will never give up the search for their daughter."
The case has drawn global interest. A few weeks after Madeleine vanished Pope Benedict XVI blessed the McCanns and a photo of their daughter during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.
A faded photograph of Madeleine McCann on a church notice board near where she disappeared.
A faded photograph of Madeleine McCann on a church notice board near where she disappeared.Two Portuguese newspapers said the Public Prosecutor's office intended to call off their search for the British girl before July 14, when the customary official secrecy period covering the investigation ends.Police could reopen the case if new evidence emerged, the papers said.
The papers -- Correio da Manha and Jornal de Noticias -- cited unidentified police sources.
Officials could not immediately be reached for comment before office hours Tuesday.
Madeleine McCann went missing in Portugal's southern Algarve region during a family vacation in May last year, a few days before her fourth birthday. Detectives named her parents, Kate and Gerry, and local man Robert Murat as formal suspects in the case. All denied involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The McCanns, who launched an international campaign to find their daughter, returned home to central England with Madeleine's younger twin sister and brother last September, a few days after they were named as suspects.
Clarence Mitchell, the parents' spokesman, told Sky News they were trying to confirm the reports but said he expected the search for Madeleine to continue.
"The police, if they are to shelve this without any charges, ... then we would hope, surely it's only common sense, they would continue to search for a missing child," he said.
He said private investigators for the McCanns were continuing to sift material and wanted access to the police files, and lawyers would discuss that possibility with Portuguese authorities.
He added: "Kate and Gerry will never give up the search for their daughter."
The case has drawn global interest. A few weeks after Madeleine vanished Pope Benedict XVI blessed the McCanns and a photo of their daughter during his weekly general audience at the Vatican.
Recreating the sound of Aztec 'Whistles of Death'
Labels:
News
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- Scientists were fascinated by the ghostly find: a human skeleton buried in an Aztec temple with a clay, skull-shaped whistle in each bony hand.
Roberto Velazquez has devoted his career to recreating the forgotten sounds of his distant ancestors.
Roberto Velazquez has devoted his career to recreating the forgotten sounds of his distant ancestors.
But no one blew into the noisemakers for nearly 15 years. When someone finally did, the shrill, windy screech made the spine tingle.
If death had a sound, this was it.
Roberto Velazquez believes the Aztecs played this mournful wail from the so-called Whistles of Death before they were sacrificed to the gods.
The 66-year-old mechanical engineer has devoted his career to recreating the sounds of his pre-Columbian ancestors, producing hundreds of replicas of whistles, flutes and wind instruments unearthed in Mexico's ruins.
For years, many archaeologists who uncovered ancient noisemakers dismissed them as toys. Museums relegated them to warehouses. But while most studies and exhibits of ancient cultures focus on how they looked, Velazquez said the noisemakers provide a rare glimpse into how they sounded.
Roberto Velazquez has devoted his career to recreating the forgotten sounds of his distant ancestors.
Roberto Velazquez has devoted his career to recreating the forgotten sounds of his distant ancestors.
But no one blew into the noisemakers for nearly 15 years. When someone finally did, the shrill, windy screech made the spine tingle.
If death had a sound, this was it.
Roberto Velazquez believes the Aztecs played this mournful wail from the so-called Whistles of Death before they were sacrificed to the gods.
The 66-year-old mechanical engineer has devoted his career to recreating the sounds of his pre-Columbian ancestors, producing hundreds of replicas of whistles, flutes and wind instruments unearthed in Mexico's ruins.
For years, many archaeologists who uncovered ancient noisemakers dismissed them as toys. Museums relegated them to warehouses. But while most studies and exhibits of ancient cultures focus on how they looked, Velazquez said the noisemakers provide a rare glimpse into how they sounded.
Pakistani soldiers uncover Taliban 'kidnap jail'
Labels:
News
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistani paramilitary troops have destroyed several Taliban outposts and uncovered a jail where they kept kidnap victims, the interior ministry says.
Pakistani soldiers on patrol in the Kyber tribal district, where the government has launched an offensive.
Pakistani soldiers on patrol in the Kyber tribal district, where the government has launched an offensive.
The offensive against Taliban in Pakistan's tribal region entered its third day Monday and was almost complete, the ministry said.
Acting Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the Taliban kept kidnap victims in the "jail" while waiting for ransom payments.
The operation, launched Saturday, is the biggest push against extremists in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region since the country's civilian government took power in March.
It is taking place in the Khyber section of the tribal region -- located west of Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). And it comes as the new administration announced it would get tough with radicals in the region.
Don't Miss
* Pakistan launches Taliban offensive
* Pentagon: Taliban 'resilient' in Afghanistan
On Monday, a blast in the Khyber section destroyed a militant compound and killed several people. Malik said it was not a result of the security operation.
The blast may have been accidental or set off by militants as they fled the area, he said. It occurred at a weapons depot belonging to local militant leader Mullah Namdar, who is suspected of carrying out cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan.
Once the operation ends in the Khyber section, the government will target another area, Malik said. He did not disclose its location.
Pakistani soldiers on patrol in the Kyber tribal district, where the government has launched an offensive.
Pakistani soldiers on patrol in the Kyber tribal district, where the government has launched an offensive.
The offensive against Taliban in Pakistan's tribal region entered its third day Monday and was almost complete, the ministry said.
Acting Interior Minister Rehman Malik said the Taliban kept kidnap victims in the "jail" while waiting for ransom payments.
The operation, launched Saturday, is the biggest push against extremists in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region since the country's civilian government took power in March.
It is taking place in the Khyber section of the tribal region -- located west of Peshawar, the capital of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). And it comes as the new administration announced it would get tough with radicals in the region.
Don't Miss
* Pakistan launches Taliban offensive
* Pentagon: Taliban 'resilient' in Afghanistan
On Monday, a blast in the Khyber section destroyed a militant compound and killed several people. Malik said it was not a result of the security operation.
The blast may have been accidental or set off by militants as they fled the area, he said. It occurred at a weapons depot belonging to local militant leader Mullah Namdar, who is suspected of carrying out cross-border attacks inside Afghanistan.
Once the operation ends in the Khyber section, the government will target another area, Malik said. He did not disclose its location.
Bill Clinton to meet with Obama, campaign official says
Labels:
News
(CNN) -- Sen. Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton are expected to meet in the next few days, according to the chairman of Sen. Hillary Clinton's unsuccessful presidential bid.
Bill and Hillary Clinton greet supporters in New York on June 3, the day of the final primaries.
Bill and Hillary Clinton greet supporters in New York on June 3, the day of the final primaries.Terry McAuliffe said the former president was angered by media reports suggesting he bore a grudge against Obama after the sometimes bruising primary campaign and did not plan to actively support Obama in the general election.
"He was angry that these ridiculous stories were out here, and these supposed close friends of the president -- none of the close friends ever got called," McAuliffe said, referring to anonymous sources quoted in some stories. "What happens, a lot of time, is people like to pretend they're close so they can tell the reporters that they're close, but, you know, they're just talking."
McAuliffe said he spoke to Bill Clinton on Sunday morning. The former president recently returned from a trip to Europe.
Obama and Hillary Clinton appeared together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire, where the former first lady said of her ex-rival, "we may have started on different paths ... [but] today our hearts are set on the same destination for America ... to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States."
Bill and Hillary Clinton greet supporters in New York on June 3, the day of the final primaries.
Bill and Hillary Clinton greet supporters in New York on June 3, the day of the final primaries.Terry McAuliffe said the former president was angered by media reports suggesting he bore a grudge against Obama after the sometimes bruising primary campaign and did not plan to actively support Obama in the general election.
"He was angry that these ridiculous stories were out here, and these supposed close friends of the president -- none of the close friends ever got called," McAuliffe said, referring to anonymous sources quoted in some stories. "What happens, a lot of time, is people like to pretend they're close so they can tell the reporters that they're close, but, you know, they're just talking."
McAuliffe said he spoke to Bill Clinton on Sunday morning. The former president recently returned from a trip to Europe.
Obama and Hillary Clinton appeared together Friday in Unity, New Hampshire, where the former first lady said of her ex-rival, "we may have started on different paths ... [but] today our hearts are set on the same destination for America ... to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States."
Child prostitutes sell themselves on Craigslist
Labels:
News
SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) -- For more than two years, undercover cops on the Sacramento Police Department's vice squad have been working one of the most draining beats: trying to crack down on online child prostitution.
Girl arrest
Sacramento police have nabbed nearly 70 underage girls for child prostitution since 2005.Police have nabbed nearly 70 girls under the age of 18 since 2005. Most of the girls were released to foster or group homes. Those are just the official figures; investigators think there are many more child prostitutes out there.
It is no easy task.
"We're asking these girls to do a big thing ... which is to stop what they're doing," said Sgt. Pam Seyffert of the Sacramento Police Department. "Stop what's working for them. Surviving is basically what they're doing."
Sacramento police are working with the FBI as part of a nationwide campaign to combat underage prostitution called Innocence Lost. The goal of the program, which is now in almost 30 U.S. cities, is to decriminalize the girls and concentrate on catching the pimps who control them.
"It really makes me angry," Seyffert said. "I think everybody on the team has different reactions to it, but I just flat out get really angry that some guy thinks he can take this girl and basically deprive her of her freedom."
It is not uncommon for the officers on the unit to put in 30-hour shifts. Oftentimes, their work is heart-wrenching. Video Watch how investigators work to catch pimps »
Child prostitution is even tougher on the parents of these girls. Roslyn and Sergio's daughter had been missing for more than two weeks. They waited for hours at police headquarters in hopes that their daughter would be found.
Vice squad officers found her in a downtown apartment with Bruce William Carter, a 21-year-old man who police said had posed on the Internet holding fistfuls of cash. He pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and was held in lieu of $35,000 bail.
The couple's daughter, who had just turned 17, was detained but not arrested.
"It hurt," said Roslyn, who appeared weary and a bit shell-shocked. "Because you don't want to see your children involved in things like this. You don't realize how dangerous the Internet is. Now, we got to keep her away from the Internet."
Police say most of the ads appear on Craigslist, the popular and free Internet classifieds site, under a category named "Erotic Services." Even though Craigslist has posted a bold disclaimer warning against human trafficking and the exploitation of children, law enforcement officials said it doesn't seem to deter girls from posting the ads or men who are searching for sex.
Girl arrest
Sacramento police have nabbed nearly 70 underage girls for child prostitution since 2005.Police have nabbed nearly 70 girls under the age of 18 since 2005. Most of the girls were released to foster or group homes. Those are just the official figures; investigators think there are many more child prostitutes out there.
It is no easy task.
"We're asking these girls to do a big thing ... which is to stop what they're doing," said Sgt. Pam Seyffert of the Sacramento Police Department. "Stop what's working for them. Surviving is basically what they're doing."
Sacramento police are working with the FBI as part of a nationwide campaign to combat underage prostitution called Innocence Lost. The goal of the program, which is now in almost 30 U.S. cities, is to decriminalize the girls and concentrate on catching the pimps who control them.
"It really makes me angry," Seyffert said. "I think everybody on the team has different reactions to it, but I just flat out get really angry that some guy thinks he can take this girl and basically deprive her of her freedom."
It is not uncommon for the officers on the unit to put in 30-hour shifts. Oftentimes, their work is heart-wrenching. Video Watch how investigators work to catch pimps »
Child prostitution is even tougher on the parents of these girls. Roslyn and Sergio's daughter had been missing for more than two weeks. They waited for hours at police headquarters in hopes that their daughter would be found.
Vice squad officers found her in a downtown apartment with Bruce William Carter, a 21-year-old man who police said had posed on the Internet holding fistfuls of cash. He pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and was held in lieu of $35,000 bail.
The couple's daughter, who had just turned 17, was detained but not arrested.
"It hurt," said Roslyn, who appeared weary and a bit shell-shocked. "Because you don't want to see your children involved in things like this. You don't realize how dangerous the Internet is. Now, we got to keep her away from the Internet."
Police say most of the ads appear on Craigslist, the popular and free Internet classifieds site, under a category named "Erotic Services." Even though Craigslist has posted a bold disclaimer warning against human trafficking and the exploitation of children, law enforcement officials said it doesn't seem to deter girls from posting the ads or men who are searching for sex.
Iran exiles back armed opposition
Labels:
News
Tens of thousands of supporters of the Iranian opposition have attended a rally in France organised by the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
It is calling for the lifting of international bans on their movement's armed wing, the People's Mujahideen.
The US and the EU list the wing as a terror organisation, although Britain lifted its own ban in the past week.
The Iranian opposition leader said banning the People's Mujahideen played into the hands of Iran's government.
Organisers said 70,000 people from across Europe attended the rally at an exhibition centre in the northern Paris suburbs, though there was no independent confirmation of the number.
Among those present were delegations from several European parliaments.
No legal justification
They heard an address from the Iranian opposition leader, Miriam Rajavi, calling on the European Union to remove the designation of "terrorist group" that it applies to the People's Mujahideen.
The EU and the United States both say that the People's Mujahideen - which took up arms against the Islamic republic in the 1980s and had sanctuary in Iraq under Saddam Hussein - falls under the definition of foreign terrorist organisation.
However the group's supporters say it has long since abandoned attacks that can be called terrorist, and argue that the ban in Brussels and Washington is intended to curry favour with Tehran.
This week the People's Mujahideen achieved a major breakthrough, when it was dropped from a list of terrorist organisations in Britain, and supporters now say there is no legal justification for maintaining the European ban.
France, which takes over as president of the European Union on 1 July, will have to decide whether to respond to the appeal.
Sandbagging effort fails to protect Missouri town
Labels:
News
WINFIELD, Missouri (AP) -- A makeshift sandbag levee holding back the Mississippi River failed early Saturday, and authorities said part of Winfield, Missouri, was evacuated.
Floodwaters cover Highway 79 leading into Winfield, Missouri, on Saturday.
Floodwaters cover Highway 79 leading into Winfield, Missouri, on Saturday.
Water began flowing under the 4-foot-high barrier about 4:30 a.m. An alarm sounded, and the few residents remaining in the flood plain were ordered to get out.
"It was a valiant effort," said Chris Azar of the Winfield-Foley Fire Department. "It's unfortunate that we couldn't do more, but Mother Nature won. Now, just give it time for the water to recede."
On Friday, the Pin Oak levee that protected part of the town of 720 residents gave way, and within hours, the National Guard began constructing the makeshift levee around a cluster of about 100 homes. That new levee had a steel frame with layers of dirt, plastic and sandbags. Hundreds of volunteers had filled sandbags for the effort.
The new barrier appeared to be holding well until Saturday morning.
Azar said that at least 60 homes in the cluster were immediately affected by the new flooding, although authorities were still assessing the damage. Evacuees are mostly staying with relatives or friends, though a few were staying at a Red Cross shelter set up at the high school.
Many other homes in Winfield sit on a hill above the river and are well out of harm's way.
Winfield, 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, is in Lincoln County, which has been particularly hard hit by flooding caused by torrential rain that fell across the Midwest in early June.
Floodwaters cover Highway 79 leading into Winfield, Missouri, on Saturday.
Floodwaters cover Highway 79 leading into Winfield, Missouri, on Saturday.
Water began flowing under the 4-foot-high barrier about 4:30 a.m. An alarm sounded, and the few residents remaining in the flood plain were ordered to get out.
"It was a valiant effort," said Chris Azar of the Winfield-Foley Fire Department. "It's unfortunate that we couldn't do more, but Mother Nature won. Now, just give it time for the water to recede."
On Friday, the Pin Oak levee that protected part of the town of 720 residents gave way, and within hours, the National Guard began constructing the makeshift levee around a cluster of about 100 homes. That new levee had a steel frame with layers of dirt, plastic and sandbags. Hundreds of volunteers had filled sandbags for the effort.
The new barrier appeared to be holding well until Saturday morning.
Azar said that at least 60 homes in the cluster were immediately affected by the new flooding, although authorities were still assessing the damage. Evacuees are mostly staying with relatives or friends, though a few were staying at a Red Cross shelter set up at the high school.
Many other homes in Winfield sit on a hill above the river and are well out of harm's way.
Winfield, 45 miles northwest of St. Louis, is in Lincoln County, which has been particularly hard hit by flooding caused by torrential rain that fell across the Midwest in early June.
Malaysian opposition leader accused of sodomy
Labels:
News
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was accused Saturday of sodomy, police and politicians said, sparking speculation that he might be arrested on the same charge that led to his imprisonment a decade ago.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says sodomy charges are a "repeat of the methods" used against him in 1998.
Anwar, who resurrected his political career after leading the opposition to spectacular gains in recent elections, denied the allegation, which he said was made in a police complaint filed by one of his male aides.
"The police report lodged against me earlier today is a complete fabrication," Anwar, 60, said in a written statement.
He contended that the report was engineered by "interested parties" to prevent him from exposing the national police chief and the attorney general for their alleged role in having him accused of corruption and sodomy in 1998.
Anwar, a former deputy prime minister, was ousted from government 10 years ago amid those accusations. He was convicted on both charges, but Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction and freed him in 2004.
Anwar said in the statement that he "recently obtained" evidence implicating Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan and Attorney General Gani Patail of misconduct and fabricating evidence against him in 1998. He said he will release the evidence soon.
"I believe we are witnessing a repeat of the methods used against me in 1998 when false allegations were made under duress," Anwar said.
Wildfires' smoke, ash chokes Northern Californians
Labels:
News
SACRAMENTO, California (AP) -- Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.
A satellite image taken Thursday shows most of Northern California obscured by wildfire smoke and ash.
A satellite image taken Thursday shows most of Northern California obscured by wildfire smoke and ash. Health advisories urging residents to stay indoors to limit exposure to the smokey air were issued Saturday from Bakersfield north to Redding, a distance of nearly 450 miles.
Air pollution readings in the region are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, said Saturday.
Some areas are experiencing the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging down to the ground like a fog.
Air quality agencies are especially concerned about high readings of small-particle pollution. The tiniest particles can penetrate past the body's immune defenses, traveling deep into the lungs and the bloodstream.
"When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health," Stanich said. "This is a very serious problem."
Changing weather brought smoke-clearing breezes and brief relief to some areas Saturday, but it could also bring lightning storms similar to the ones that ignited fires across Northern California a week ago.
Thunderstorms could strike anywhere in the northern Sierra Nevada or the northern Central Valley on Saturday night, said National Weather Service forecaster Johnnie Powell in Sacramento.
A satellite image taken Thursday shows most of Northern California obscured by wildfire smoke and ash.
A satellite image taken Thursday shows most of Northern California obscured by wildfire smoke and ash. Health advisories urging residents to stay indoors to limit exposure to the smokey air were issued Saturday from Bakersfield north to Redding, a distance of nearly 450 miles.
Air pollution readings in the region are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board, said Saturday.
Some areas are experiencing the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging down to the ground like a fog.
Air quality agencies are especially concerned about high readings of small-particle pollution. The tiniest particles can penetrate past the body's immune defenses, traveling deep into the lungs and the bloodstream.
"When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health," Stanich said. "This is a very serious problem."
Changing weather brought smoke-clearing breezes and brief relief to some areas Saturday, but it could also bring lightning storms similar to the ones that ignited fires across Northern California a week ago.
Thunderstorms could strike anywhere in the northern Sierra Nevada or the northern Central Valley on Saturday night, said National Weather Service forecaster Johnnie Powell in Sacramento.
Nepalese prime minister resigns
Labels:
News
Nepal's interim Prime Minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, has announced that he has resigned.
Correspondents say the move paves the way for the former rebel leader, Prachanda, who heads the Maoist party, to succeed Mr Koirala.
The Maoists emerged as the biggest party in elections in April to a new constituent assembly.
The Maoists signed a peace deal in 2006, ending a decade of civil war in which thousands of people were killed.
'Unfit for office'
"I announce in this house that I have abandoned the post of the prime minister," Mr Koirala told the constituent assembly on Thursday.
 Prachanda could well become prime minister |
He urged Nepal's fractious parties to "maintain the culture of consensus".
Mr Koirala has been struggling to keep his administration together after Maoist ministers submitted their resignations last week.
His interim cabinet has been beset by bitter disagreements.
The former Maoist rebels have accused Mr Koirala of clinging to his post after his party came a poor second in the April elections. They say the 83-year-old prime minister is unfit for office.
The political instability in Nepal has been exacerbated by constitutional changes pushed through in December which did not clarify how power would be divided between the president and prime minister once the new constituent assembly had abolished the monarchy.
In recent weeks it was finally agreed that the president would be largely ceremonial but would also be commander-in-chief of the army.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Nepal says the political infighting has meant that the interim government has proved toothless in the face of a new wave of strikes over rising fuel prices and a growing tendency towards social anarchy.
Analysts say that Mr Koirala had been hoping to become president, but the Maoists have opposed that.
His Nepali Congress Party and the Maoists agreed this week that the candidates for president and prime minister would be decided by a vote in the assembly. That process still has to be agreed by other parties in parliament.
Mr Koirala was appointed prime minister in April 2006 when King Gyanendra was forced to abandon absolute rule in the face of weeks of growing street protests.
Later that year the Maoists, who had been fighting for a communist republic, declared an end to their insurgency. They joined the interim government in 2007.
The monarchy was finally abolished last month.U.S. trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers
Labels:
News
YUSUFIYA, Iraq (CNN) -- Female suicide bombers, who often slip through security checkpoints untouched because of cultural norms, are taking a more deadly toll than ever across Iraq.
A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16.
A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16.
But the U.S. Army has created a solution with "Daughters of Iraq," a program that trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers.
Women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007, according to the U.S. military. Halfway through 2008, the number of female suicide bombers is 20. A suicide attack carried out by a woman on Sunday in Baquba killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40.
"Daughters of Iraq" is a spinoff of "Sons of Iraq," which employs Iraqi men to run checkpoints and is credited with taking much of the steam out of the insurgency.
The goal of the women's program is twofold: to protect against female suicide bombers, and to provide much-needed income to Iraqi women with few chances for employment.
A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16.
A female suicide bomber struck northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, killing 16.
But the U.S. Army has created a solution with "Daughters of Iraq," a program that trains Iraqi women to find female suicide bombers.
Women carried out eight bombings in all of 2007, according to the U.S. military. Halfway through 2008, the number of female suicide bombers is 20. A suicide attack carried out by a woman on Sunday in Baquba killed at least 16 people and wounded another 40.
"Daughters of Iraq" is a spinoff of "Sons of Iraq," which employs Iraqi men to run checkpoints and is credited with taking much of the steam out of the insurgency.
The goal of the women's program is twofold: to protect against female suicide bombers, and to provide much-needed income to Iraqi women with few chances for employment.
U.S. Embassy staff, soldiers killed in Baghdad blast
Labels:
News
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An explosion rocked a municipal building Tuesday in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, killing six Iraqis, two U.S. soldiers and two civilian U.S. Embassy employees, officials said.
An Iraqi soldier removes razor wire to allow a vehicle to pass in Baghdad's Sadr City earlier this month.
An Iraqi soldier removes razor wire to allow a vehicle to pass in Baghdad's Sadr City earlier this month.
The U.S. military said troops detained a suspect in connection with the attack. The person was captured "fleeing the scene and tested positive for explosive residue," the military said.
The embassy official said the American civilians include "a direct hire civilian employee of the Department of State and a Department of Defense civilian employee."
The blast occurred during a meeting of the district advisory council in Sadr City, and U.S. troops were in the area, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
The U.S. military confirmed the deaths, saying an American-led coalition soldier and three council members also were wounded. There have been 4,106 U.S. service members killed since the Iraq war began.
Ten Iraqis were wounded in the blast, an Interior Ministry official said.
The military blamed Iranian-backed militants that U.S. officials call Special Groups for Tuesday's attack.
An Iraqi soldier removes razor wire to allow a vehicle to pass in Baghdad's Sadr City earlier this month.
An Iraqi soldier removes razor wire to allow a vehicle to pass in Baghdad's Sadr City earlier this month.
The U.S. military said troops detained a suspect in connection with the attack. The person was captured "fleeing the scene and tested positive for explosive residue," the military said.
The embassy official said the American civilians include "a direct hire civilian employee of the Department of State and a Department of Defense civilian employee."
The blast occurred during a meeting of the district advisory council in Sadr City, and U.S. troops were in the area, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said.
The U.S. military confirmed the deaths, saying an American-led coalition soldier and three council members also were wounded. There have been 4,106 U.S. service members killed since the Iraq war began.
Ten Iraqis were wounded in the blast, an Interior Ministry official said.
The military blamed Iranian-backed militants that U.S. officials call Special Groups for Tuesday's attack.
British hostages 'alive' in Iraq
Labels:
News
Five British hostages who were seized in Baghdad more than a year ago are still alive, Iraq's most senior security official believes.
Mowaffak al-Rubai'e told the BBC: "We have a very good, strong intelligence telling us they are alive and we roughly know the area where they are.
"But we don't want to be aggressive in our approach, not to risk their lives."
Armed militants seized the men - a computer expert and four guards - at Iraq's Ministry of Finance in May 2007.
One of them has been named as IT consultant Peter Moore, from Lincoln, who was working for Bearingpoint, an American management consultancy.
The other four men, who were employed by a security firm to guard Mr Moore, have not been officially identified.
Nuclear inspectors in Syria probe
Labels:
News
UN nuclear inspectors have arrived in Syria to investigate claims that it was building a nuclear reactor.
The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) four person team will spend three days examining the al-Kibar site in the desert in northern Syria.
The site was bombed by Israeli jets in September 2007. The ruins were bulldozed after the attack.
Israel and the US have said the installation was a nuclear plant in the making - a charge denied by Damascus.
Speaking on his departure, the deputy chief of the IAEA, Olli Heinonen - who is leading the team of inspectors - said they would meet their Syrian counterparts on Sunday evening.
After that, he said, they would start "looking for the facts".
Syria has welcomed the inspection but insists that it will be limited to the al-Kibar site.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)